Actually, we were able to find fuel on Wednesday evening shortly after the truck had delivered it. We've heard stories that the crisis may not be resolved until February, but it does seem to be confined mostly to Botswana.
We are enjoying the festive season (how Batswana say happy holidays, although most will say Merry Christmas). It does not seem like Christmas though as we are sweating our way through each day and our flat is practically empty. There is no tree (but we do have a Yankee Candle Balsam Fir candle) and no presents (but we have each other). We are reading, watching movies, and visiting friends (Helen, Zane, Bill are all still here - most of the rest of the complex have left).
The chaos that greeted out return back to Gab on Monday has slowed into a certain emptiness. Most people have left to return to the villages by now. We went shopping this morning and it was quite a pleasant experience. We enjoyed an eclair (like the ones we used to have at the German bakkerei in Okahandja during Peace Corps training) and even got a shady parking space. Oh, the simple pleasures of life. We have been out shopping most days this week for something to do, mostly buying only food items.
Every grocery store in town is selling miniature mincemeat pies and Spar also has pecan tarts. I think they are delicious. There are a lot of specialty food items, partly because it's Christmas, partly because it is month-end pay time.
We went to see the third Narnia movie "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" the other day. It was as much for the air-conditioning as it was for the movie. I enjoyed it but not as much as the other two. Russ was a sport to come with me.
And it is finally quiet in the neighborhood too. For the past three days, there has been a house alarm sounding non-stop, making sure that everyone in the neighborhood knows that these people are not home and the security people don't care. It just stopped for some reason an hour ago, so we should also be sleeping better tonight(we had to close the windows because it was so loud but that also made the room hotter).
I miss not playing Christmas music every hour of day on the days preceding Christmas. We sold our stereo unit to the new neighbor. But it is in my head.
I was reading an Oprah mag over at Rosemary's, and then I realized it is South African Oprah. It was pretty cool how a very American mag smoothly transitioned to another country with specific ads and stories.
We will have a quiet evening at home and then go to the Anglican cathedral for a service tomorrow, followed by what Helen promises is a proper English Christmas lunch. She warned us to stop eating today in preparation for it. I'm ready!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Now you see it, now you don't
Because Russ finally got his papers in order last week (after spending over 20 hours at Immigration), we were able to leave the city with peace of mind and head out to Tuli Block for the weekend. We drove in caravan with Bill, Helen, and Zane five and half hours to the northeast into a remote corner of Botswana bordering South Africa and Zimbabwe. Southern African history buffs will likely recall the failed Jameson Raid (an ill-planned attack on the Boers from Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company)which essentially ended Rhodes' plans to expand Rhodesia and the Cape to Cairo railroad.
We moved into a whole other climate zone and it was hard to believe we were still in the desert country of Botswana. While it was still hot, it was also quite humid. What was most noticeable though was how incredibly green it was. As we walked along the "green, gray, greasy Limpopo" river (Kipling's fairly accurate description), it felt like we were in the jungle with dense vegetation, spindling vines and low lying trees. This is high season for birding and Helen was keen to point out birds of particular interest such as the fish eagle, the woodland kingfisher, the starling, white-browed weaver, and red and yellow-billed hornbills.
However, it was low season for viewing animals because of all of the brush. We did manage to see several zebras, giraffe, warthog, waterbuck, kudu, impala, and wildebeest. Trouble was that poaching on the reserve is such a problem, the animals are a bit skitterish. We got mostly their backsides as they leapt back into the woods. We saw some fascinating smaller animals, such as the dwarf mongoose, tortoise, and chameleon. Oh, and a Mozambican spitting cobra, which startled us at about a meter's length. It was a baby and climbed up into a bush to make itself bigger. Even a cobra hood on a baby cobra is impressive and we kept a respectfully safe distance.
We ate well. Our krall consisted of three simple but well-decorated rondavels with a lovely grass lawn, and a separate outdoor kitchen lapa. We sat around a fire every evening and watched the stars. We napped, read, and took walks in the veld. Zane and Russ came across some animals on their treks. We played cards. Bill taught us how to play brag and that is our new favorite game. It rained at night, and we probably got ten inches over the course of three days, making for some really muddy roads. But the car handled it wonderfully.
We woke up early yesterday morning with strong feelings that the timing was not right to go to Zimbabwe today. It felt too rushed with Zane needing some help (his car is still not working) and then having to come back early to take care of some important business. Also, the traffic is quite tremendous given that everyone wants to leave town. So we contacted our friends in Harare to let them know that we will visit them later in January.
So we spent a good part of yesterday morning getting the car finally registered in our name. Ali, the son of our friends Khalid and Alla, sold us the car and was helpful in navigating the transfer process. It took us over an hour and half to find the right office, but once we were there, it was remarkably quick (unbelievable really given the long queues at every other government office we have ever been to here). When we brought Ali back home, we sat down to have Iraqi tea with his parents and then found out the big news - there is a major fuel shortage crisis in the country and most of southern Africa. What we know is that something happened to a refinery in South Africa and there is a severe shortage of unleaded fuel. This explains the extremely long lines at some gas stations. People have been queuing in line for half the day only to find that there is no more petrol out until the next truck arrives. So, we could not have gone to Zimbabwe even if we had still wanted to. Fortunately, we still have half a tank to get us around town.
It brought back a strange deja vu. I was only a kid when the fuel shortage hit us in California. Odd license plate numbers fueled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Even plates on the other days. There was a certain order to it. Yesterday what we saw was chaos. Not the coup d'etat chaos so common in other parts of Africa. Just pandemonium. The Botswana Defense Force (with their automatic rifles, which is a fairly common sight in Africa anyway) had been called out and were blocking people from entering gas stations or mall parking lots that had access to the stations. This caused incredible traffic jams on major road. We however were able to avert most of it and got many errands done.
Like making copies of our car registration and passports and getting them certified at the Broadhurst police station. Across the street is the Broadhurst mall, which is our favorite shopping area because it is so African. This is where I find really delicious tomatoes and grapes, cheaper than at the markets (who have recently inflated their prices for Christmas and everyone's big end-of-year paycheck). There is an outdoor flea market with stalls of food and new and used items, as well as a regular indoor mall. There is always good gumba-gumba music blaring from one stereo box or another.
We checked out what the two big hotels in town are serving for Christmas lunch and may choose to go to one of those. It is way too hot to cook anything.
So we will be here through Christmas weekend and then see how things go next week. We might go to South Africa for 7-10 days and do a little camping. A lot of it will depend on the gas situation. We are enjoying the quiet complex and having time on our own.
We moved into a whole other climate zone and it was hard to believe we were still in the desert country of Botswana. While it was still hot, it was also quite humid. What was most noticeable though was how incredibly green it was. As we walked along the "green, gray, greasy Limpopo" river (Kipling's fairly accurate description), it felt like we were in the jungle with dense vegetation, spindling vines and low lying trees. This is high season for birding and Helen was keen to point out birds of particular interest such as the fish eagle, the woodland kingfisher, the starling, white-browed weaver, and red and yellow-billed hornbills.
However, it was low season for viewing animals because of all of the brush. We did manage to see several zebras, giraffe, warthog, waterbuck, kudu, impala, and wildebeest. Trouble was that poaching on the reserve is such a problem, the animals are a bit skitterish. We got mostly their backsides as they leapt back into the woods. We saw some fascinating smaller animals, such as the dwarf mongoose, tortoise, and chameleon. Oh, and a Mozambican spitting cobra, which startled us at about a meter's length. It was a baby and climbed up into a bush to make itself bigger. Even a cobra hood on a baby cobra is impressive and we kept a respectfully safe distance.
We ate well. Our krall consisted of three simple but well-decorated rondavels with a lovely grass lawn, and a separate outdoor kitchen lapa. We sat around a fire every evening and watched the stars. We napped, read, and took walks in the veld. Zane and Russ came across some animals on their treks. We played cards. Bill taught us how to play brag and that is our new favorite game. It rained at night, and we probably got ten inches over the course of three days, making for some really muddy roads. But the car handled it wonderfully.
We woke up early yesterday morning with strong feelings that the timing was not right to go to Zimbabwe today. It felt too rushed with Zane needing some help (his car is still not working) and then having to come back early to take care of some important business. Also, the traffic is quite tremendous given that everyone wants to leave town. So we contacted our friends in Harare to let them know that we will visit them later in January.
So we spent a good part of yesterday morning getting the car finally registered in our name. Ali, the son of our friends Khalid and Alla, sold us the car and was helpful in navigating the transfer process. It took us over an hour and half to find the right office, but once we were there, it was remarkably quick (unbelievable really given the long queues at every other government office we have ever been to here). When we brought Ali back home, we sat down to have Iraqi tea with his parents and then found out the big news - there is a major fuel shortage crisis in the country and most of southern Africa. What we know is that something happened to a refinery in South Africa and there is a severe shortage of unleaded fuel. This explains the extremely long lines at some gas stations. People have been queuing in line for half the day only to find that there is no more petrol out until the next truck arrives. So, we could not have gone to Zimbabwe even if we had still wanted to. Fortunately, we still have half a tank to get us around town.
It brought back a strange deja vu. I was only a kid when the fuel shortage hit us in California. Odd license plate numbers fueled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Even plates on the other days. There was a certain order to it. Yesterday what we saw was chaos. Not the coup d'etat chaos so common in other parts of Africa. Just pandemonium. The Botswana Defense Force (with their automatic rifles, which is a fairly common sight in Africa anyway) had been called out and were blocking people from entering gas stations or mall parking lots that had access to the stations. This caused incredible traffic jams on major road. We however were able to avert most of it and got many errands done.
Like making copies of our car registration and passports and getting them certified at the Broadhurst police station. Across the street is the Broadhurst mall, which is our favorite shopping area because it is so African. This is where I find really delicious tomatoes and grapes, cheaper than at the markets (who have recently inflated their prices for Christmas and everyone's big end-of-year paycheck). There is an outdoor flea market with stalls of food and new and used items, as well as a regular indoor mall. There is always good gumba-gumba music blaring from one stereo box or another.
We checked out what the two big hotels in town are serving for Christmas lunch and may choose to go to one of those. It is way too hot to cook anything.
So we will be here through Christmas weekend and then see how things go next week. We might go to South Africa for 7-10 days and do a little camping. A lot of it will depend on the gas situation. We are enjoying the quiet complex and having time on our own.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
At long last
Yesterday the fourteen boxes that I shipped from New Jersey back in October arrived at our door. The pallet was still shrinkwrapped, so any irrational fears of the big bad customs agent seizing my splenda or hair color were put to rest. Everything is in great condition, thanks in large part to my mom who so efficiently packed more than half of it back in August. While it seems as though we are celebrating Christmas early with the specialty food items, new clothes, books, and magazines, the reality is that I packed way too much. We would have been uber-prepared for anything though - cold desert winters, minor medical emergencies, complete boredom, and more. In hindsight, I know my rationale was that better to use this stuff than to keep it all in storage or throw perfectly good items away. Que sera sera. We are trying to look at this as an exercise in simplifying and downsizing our life which seems to become easily cluttered with STUFF.
It's another rainy day, and that is perfect for unpacking and sorting things out. The rain is steady and the temperatures are on the cool side. I have a nice new raincoat that I did not think I would use here but it is light and has worked out well (must write Lands End to thank them). The umbrella I bought last month is for sun; it is not waterproof, and I think that is funny.
The social scene at the housing complex has kicked into full gear since the block party celebrating the end of school last Friday. Last night we made pizzas with Rafa and Rosemary; tonight there is a happy hour, tomorrow a braai out in the bush,and hopefully a couple of group walks/hikes. We do have a short to-do list of errands and shopping to do as well. I think the time will go by quickly before we leave for the Tuli Block in eastern Botswana on Friday.
It's another rainy day, and that is perfect for unpacking and sorting things out. The rain is steady and the temperatures are on the cool side. I have a nice new raincoat that I did not think I would use here but it is light and has worked out well (must write Lands End to thank them). The umbrella I bought last month is for sun; it is not waterproof, and I think that is funny.
The social scene at the housing complex has kicked into full gear since the block party celebrating the end of school last Friday. Last night we made pizzas with Rafa and Rosemary; tonight there is a happy hour, tomorrow a braai out in the bush,and hopefully a couple of group walks/hikes. We do have a short to-do list of errands and shopping to do as well. I think the time will go by quickly before we leave for the Tuli Block in eastern Botswana on Friday.
Monday, December 13, 2010
After the rain...sun
Friday was the last day of school with early dismissal, and the administration actually scheduled a faculty meeting. There might have been a mutiny because of that but they fed everyone quite well, and thus the near-tragedy was averted. Teachers are actually at school today and tomorrow cleaning up, meeting, and organizing for next year.
Friday night's block party was a lot of fun and most of the neighbors turned out for lots of grilled food, drinks, and snacks. It was one of those lovely summer evenings where a sweater is never needed and the stars are brilliant.
Saturday on the other hand was incredibly hot. In fact, too hot to do much of anything. We soaked our feet in cold water, took cold showers, and went for an internet session just to take advantage of the a/c. Russ helped Helen find a Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the bush for her party last night. It kind of looked like a big tumbleweed but she decorated it with white lights and tinsel. We went over to Game City mall for ice cream and more a/c, then over to Rob's flat for a drumming session. Then we took another cold shower before going to bed.
Sunday, in stark contrast, was a lazy, misty day, with temperatures in the 60's (a drop of over 60 degrees from the day before). It started off overcast when we went to church. They specifically prayed for rain and the next thing we knew it started to sprinkle. A sprinkle turned into a steady rain and then into a downpour. We bought lunch at the market and settled in for a short nap, movie, and lounging around. It was awesome to do absolutely nothing of any productive merit.
Last night, Helen had a group of people over for a carol sing, mince pies, and mulled wine. It was lovely and since it was raining, we were inside with candles. Something I remember from our Christmases in Africa before - the cities will essentially empty out, everyone back to their home village. It will really go into effect this next week. Some of the churches shut down completely because there is no one there. That always struck me as very strange since Christmas is maybe the only day some people go to church.
We woke up to more rain, but in a desert country that can't go on forever. We are already starting to see the sun come out this morning but the temperature is thankfully still on the cool side. Patches of grass are developing in our yard, but it is not exactly what I would call a lawn yet.
We are still living the amptly named Police song in terms of our status here (how is that for code?) Hoping to leave for Tuli Block at the end of this week and Zimbabwe next week but really taking things one day at a time.
Friday night's block party was a lot of fun and most of the neighbors turned out for lots of grilled food, drinks, and snacks. It was one of those lovely summer evenings where a sweater is never needed and the stars are brilliant.
Saturday on the other hand was incredibly hot. In fact, too hot to do much of anything. We soaked our feet in cold water, took cold showers, and went for an internet session just to take advantage of the a/c. Russ helped Helen find a Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the bush for her party last night. It kind of looked like a big tumbleweed but she decorated it with white lights and tinsel. We went over to Game City mall for ice cream and more a/c, then over to Rob's flat for a drumming session. Then we took another cold shower before going to bed.
Sunday, in stark contrast, was a lazy, misty day, with temperatures in the 60's (a drop of over 60 degrees from the day before). It started off overcast when we went to church. They specifically prayed for rain and the next thing we knew it started to sprinkle. A sprinkle turned into a steady rain and then into a downpour. We bought lunch at the market and settled in for a short nap, movie, and lounging around. It was awesome to do absolutely nothing of any productive merit.
Last night, Helen had a group of people over for a carol sing, mince pies, and mulled wine. It was lovely and since it was raining, we were inside with candles. Something I remember from our Christmases in Africa before - the cities will essentially empty out, everyone back to their home village. It will really go into effect this next week. Some of the churches shut down completely because there is no one there. That always struck me as very strange since Christmas is maybe the only day some people go to church.
We woke up to more rain, but in a desert country that can't go on forever. We are already starting to see the sun come out this morning but the temperature is thankfully still on the cool side. Patches of grass are developing in our yard, but it is not exactly what I would call a lawn yet.
We are still living the amptly named Police song in terms of our status here (how is that for code?) Hoping to leave for Tuli Block at the end of this week and Zimbabwe next week but really taking things one day at a time.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
English lessons
Yesterday, I was working with one of the Japanese students whose English is quite limited. We were reading a passage and then she was supposed to answer questions to check her comprehension. Here was some of the passage:
"Meryl played the pools for the first time on Thursday. On Monday, she learned that she had won 75,000 pounds. She hired a coach to take her family for holiday in Blackpool."
And I thought, "what kind of English am I trying to teach this girl?" She was completely bewildered, and frankly, so was I. Not to mention the blank stares I get at other times when I slip up and mention the dumpster instead of a skip, a can instead of a tin, gas instead of petrol, sweater instead of jersey, an eraser instead of a rubber, fries instead of chips, chips instead of crisps, a trashcan instead of a rubbage bin, and so on and so on. Sheesh.
School is winding down and there are many class parties today, primarily in the lower school. Nothing like stuffing them full of sugar and then sending them home. The kids are ready to leave and so are we. Still PATIENTLY waiting for our shipping and visas. Russ is completely finished with teaching, reports, and grades. Hallelujah! Tomorrow night, our housing complex will have a block party. We received an invite from one of the kids who had carefully written out "Party on Friday for adults and kids. 6:30 to LATE. Bring food and drinks. It will be fun. Love the party planning committee". Cute.
Last night, Katie invited me to a gathering of psychologists and social workers. I really enjoyed meeting the group, made up of Batswana and ex-pats. There is a strong mental health network here, and it seems that the larger population is more psych-savvy than I remember in Namibia. Of course, as Russ keeps reminding me, the last time we were really in Namibia was ten years ago. Things do change, even if I have locked our Namibian memories and experiences in a time warp.
Today we are going to see our friend Beverly from Luderitz! She is in town for a conference and it will be nice to catch up with her since we last saw her in 2003.
"Meryl played the pools for the first time on Thursday. On Monday, she learned that she had won 75,000 pounds. She hired a coach to take her family for holiday in Blackpool."
And I thought, "what kind of English am I trying to teach this girl?" She was completely bewildered, and frankly, so was I. Not to mention the blank stares I get at other times when I slip up and mention the dumpster instead of a skip, a can instead of a tin, gas instead of petrol, sweater instead of jersey, an eraser instead of a rubber, fries instead of chips, chips instead of crisps, a trashcan instead of a rubbage bin, and so on and so on. Sheesh.
School is winding down and there are many class parties today, primarily in the lower school. Nothing like stuffing them full of sugar and then sending them home. The kids are ready to leave and so are we. Still PATIENTLY waiting for our shipping and visas. Russ is completely finished with teaching, reports, and grades. Hallelujah! Tomorrow night, our housing complex will have a block party. We received an invite from one of the kids who had carefully written out "Party on Friday for adults and kids. 6:30 to LATE. Bring food and drinks. It will be fun. Love the party planning committee". Cute.
Last night, Katie invited me to a gathering of psychologists and social workers. I really enjoyed meeting the group, made up of Batswana and ex-pats. There is a strong mental health network here, and it seems that the larger population is more psych-savvy than I remember in Namibia. Of course, as Russ keeps reminding me, the last time we were really in Namibia was ten years ago. Things do change, even if I have locked our Namibian memories and experiences in a time warp.
Today we are going to see our friend Beverly from Luderitz! She is in town for a conference and it will be nice to catch up with her since we last saw her in 2003.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Driving me crazy
We have been doing a fair amount of driving around town lately, so I thought I would ruminate a bit about how that's been going.
Adjusting to driving on the other side of the road has not been a problem. What is funny is how we will say "left hand turn" when really it is a right turn, because we are in a turn lane. There are other things that get turned around like that in our heads. The same goes for walking and it gets a little confusing when we are supposed to walk on the left but then forget.
Pedestrians have the right of way and take egregious liberties with that. For example, people will walk right out in the middle of the street at considerable peril and there is nothing to do but stop. The same goes for the cattle and goats. For some reason, I have more patience for the cows than I do the people.
In general, I find the driving aggressive but not any different than other places we have been in Africa. On the other hand, most drivers are exceptionally courteous and efficient at navigating the roundabouts (rotaries).
The speed varies from very slow to death-defying speeds. This partly depends on the type of car from the weighted-down combi vans to the Mercedeses, BMWs, and other high performance cars. Our little Rav4 is right in the middle.
Driving around Gab is interesting. Most of the main roads are divided highways so you cannot always just make a left hand turn just because you want to go that way. We go to school one way and return home a completely different way. There are also a lot of one way streets.
There are some funny billboards. Like the ad for a bank "Give the man with dreams what he needs", or for Nivea lotion "For the man who has everything" or the one from the Tax Board "Africa time is ok most of the time but pay your taxes on time" (Maybe they need to be seen to be completely appreciated). There are other ones espousing the goodness of Cornflakes and a (seemingly)thousand cellphone competitions (Blackberry vs iPhone). Some of the billboards are quite serious addressing social issues like alcoholism, HIV, and rape.
Getting directions is not an easy thing to do. Many of the street names are long and hard to pronounce. Even people who have lived here their whole lives don't give directions as we are used to. So, if we want to go somewhere, we look up or get the plot number and then find it in the map book. That is how we know to go anywhere. Other times people talk about which roundabout to turn at but that will only get you in the general vicinity. Luckily, Russ loves maps and we have been able to navigate rather easily.
I love going to the petrol station, because like most everywhere else in southern Africa, it is full service. The attendants pump gas, check the oil, and wash the windows. It's excellent. It should be great though at roughly US$5 a gallon.
Adjusting to driving on the other side of the road has not been a problem. What is funny is how we will say "left hand turn" when really it is a right turn, because we are in a turn lane. There are other things that get turned around like that in our heads. The same goes for walking and it gets a little confusing when we are supposed to walk on the left but then forget.
Pedestrians have the right of way and take egregious liberties with that. For example, people will walk right out in the middle of the street at considerable peril and there is nothing to do but stop. The same goes for the cattle and goats. For some reason, I have more patience for the cows than I do the people.
In general, I find the driving aggressive but not any different than other places we have been in Africa. On the other hand, most drivers are exceptionally courteous and efficient at navigating the roundabouts (rotaries).
The speed varies from very slow to death-defying speeds. This partly depends on the type of car from the weighted-down combi vans to the Mercedeses, BMWs, and other high performance cars. Our little Rav4 is right in the middle.
Driving around Gab is interesting. Most of the main roads are divided highways so you cannot always just make a left hand turn just because you want to go that way. We go to school one way and return home a completely different way. There are also a lot of one way streets.
There are some funny billboards. Like the ad for a bank "Give the man with dreams what he needs", or for Nivea lotion "For the man who has everything" or the one from the Tax Board "Africa time is ok most of the time but pay your taxes on time" (Maybe they need to be seen to be completely appreciated). There are other ones espousing the goodness of Cornflakes and a (seemingly)thousand cellphone competitions (Blackberry vs iPhone). Some of the billboards are quite serious addressing social issues like alcoholism, HIV, and rape.
Getting directions is not an easy thing to do. Many of the street names are long and hard to pronounce. Even people who have lived here their whole lives don't give directions as we are used to. So, if we want to go somewhere, we look up or get the plot number and then find it in the map book. That is how we know to go anywhere. Other times people talk about which roundabout to turn at but that will only get you in the general vicinity. Luckily, Russ loves maps and we have been able to navigate rather easily.
I love going to the petrol station, because like most everywhere else in southern Africa, it is full service. The attendants pump gas, check the oil, and wash the windows. It's excellent. It should be great though at roughly US$5 a gallon.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The broken record
(You can re-read this as often as we have heard it).
For weeks, the news (or lack of) from the Immigration office has been along the lines of "your paperwork is not yet processed", "we are missing this", "black ink not blue", "this needs to be stamped" (notarizing everything is a very big business here) and so on. I don't even think this is particularly because we are in Africa, rather more just standard government bureaucracy found anywhere in the world. I guess since my blog is public, I should probably not talk much more about our status, except to say that if you are a Police (music group) fan, you can figure it out by the name of one of their songs. This past week in particular has been an intense roller coaster of going to the police, central immigration office, universal immigration office, and getting more passport photos. Stop the ride, I want to get off!
But in the words of Al Michaels from the 1980 US vs USSR hockey game, "DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?" (the alternative and more optimistic title for this blog). We did have something truly incredible happen to us this week. One of the complications we have faced in the whole immigration debacle is that without residency and work permits, we cannot receive our shipping without paying a huge import duty (more than the contents' actual worth). Up until Thursday, we had no idea where it even was after leaving New York in October. But I contacted the shipping company and asked if we could go ahead with the papers we did have. We made a copy of every receipt and anything that looked halfway official. Magdeline took us to the customs office and we were not terribly optimistic because we did not have ANY of the right paperwork. I anticipated needing to explain a lot. After winding through a labyrinth of generic gray cubicles piled with extraordinarily massive stacks of papers, we found the woman with whom we needed to talk. She looked completely disinterested with her job and more so when we arrived; she did not look up when we stood at her desk and continued to stamp away. Well, when she finally looked through our papers, she did not ask questions and gave us the go-ahead. The woman from the shipping company was shocked because she also did not expect us to clear. So when our boxes actually do arrive, it will be free and clear and according to Magdeline, this is nothing short of a miracle. Now we are praying that the inspection goes well. I did not pack anything on the restricted list (like a cd player) but we are told that everything is at the discretion of the officer on duty (maybe I did pack too much Splenda). We are definitely getting quite an education and have learned a tremendous amount about the process of living overseas.
This whole situation has consumed a lot of our time this week, and that has made us a bit weary. But I have been baking (and subsequently eating) and that is relaxing. We had Shelley and Pete over for dinner with their kids Caleb and Malea earlier in the week. Shelley is the other American teacher at school (from Seattle but has lived in LA) and she is someone with whom Russ and I have both talked to quite openly about life the States. She shares my love for In-n-out,fish tacos, real salsa, and has a great sense of humor. Pete is a pilot here for medical rescue flights. Russ and I put together a taco dinner, using Indian roti for shells. The guacamole was great and I found some halfway decent tortilla chips. Also had a bean,corn, and cilantro salad, a big pitcher of sangria, and pineapple. The kids reminisced about Taco Bell and it was an enjoyable evening
Last night after Russ spent another four hours at immigration, we went out to the Mountain Valley Inn in Gabane with Zane. A collection of thatched huts situated fifteen kilometers from Gaborone, this bar also served food. For P20 (about $3.50), we were given a cardboard box with marinated beef which we then proceeded to grill ourselves. Then the same box served as a plate as we were given a hearty serving of pap (mielie meal) to eat with the meat (with our fingers of course). It was absolutely delicious. The downside to eating pap is that it sinks like a rock in your stomach. Had a few beers and ciders under the clear sky and listened to some kwaza kwaza music. Russ even came out on the dance floor for quite a while (which for those who know, may be miracle number two of the week). We had a great time.
Now we are at school (as I am for any blog). There is a farmer's market going on and I am hoping to pick up some eggs and lettuce. Christmas music is blaring and I think there might be some crafts as well. Russ tried his hand as a cricket batter in the annual Dads vs Lads cricket game, and I am starting to understand the rules of this seemingly BORING game. Taraz and his oldest son played exceptionally well. Thankfully it was only a 20-over match, which meant it only went on for two hours compared to the all-day matches or even the one or five day test matches. I am pretty convinced I will not love this game, but I can appreciate it a tiny bit more.
For weeks, the news (or lack of) from the Immigration office has been along the lines of "your paperwork is not yet processed", "we are missing this", "black ink not blue", "this needs to be stamped" (notarizing everything is a very big business here) and so on. I don't even think this is particularly because we are in Africa, rather more just standard government bureaucracy found anywhere in the world. I guess since my blog is public, I should probably not talk much more about our status, except to say that if you are a Police (music group) fan, you can figure it out by the name of one of their songs. This past week in particular has been an intense roller coaster of going to the police, central immigration office, universal immigration office, and getting more passport photos. Stop the ride, I want to get off!
But in the words of Al Michaels from the 1980 US vs USSR hockey game, "DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?" (the alternative and more optimistic title for this blog). We did have something truly incredible happen to us this week. One of the complications we have faced in the whole immigration debacle is that without residency and work permits, we cannot receive our shipping without paying a huge import duty (more than the contents' actual worth). Up until Thursday, we had no idea where it even was after leaving New York in October. But I contacted the shipping company and asked if we could go ahead with the papers we did have. We made a copy of every receipt and anything that looked halfway official. Magdeline took us to the customs office and we were not terribly optimistic because we did not have ANY of the right paperwork. I anticipated needing to explain a lot. After winding through a labyrinth of generic gray cubicles piled with extraordinarily massive stacks of papers, we found the woman with whom we needed to talk. She looked completely disinterested with her job and more so when we arrived; she did not look up when we stood at her desk and continued to stamp away. Well, when she finally looked through our papers, she did not ask questions and gave us the go-ahead. The woman from the shipping company was shocked because she also did not expect us to clear. So when our boxes actually do arrive, it will be free and clear and according to Magdeline, this is nothing short of a miracle. Now we are praying that the inspection goes well. I did not pack anything on the restricted list (like a cd player) but we are told that everything is at the discretion of the officer on duty (maybe I did pack too much Splenda). We are definitely getting quite an education and have learned a tremendous amount about the process of living overseas.
This whole situation has consumed a lot of our time this week, and that has made us a bit weary. But I have been baking (and subsequently eating) and that is relaxing. We had Shelley and Pete over for dinner with their kids Caleb and Malea earlier in the week. Shelley is the other American teacher at school (from Seattle but has lived in LA) and she is someone with whom Russ and I have both talked to quite openly about life the States. She shares my love for In-n-out,fish tacos, real salsa, and has a great sense of humor. Pete is a pilot here for medical rescue flights. Russ and I put together a taco dinner, using Indian roti for shells. The guacamole was great and I found some halfway decent tortilla chips. Also had a bean,corn, and cilantro salad, a big pitcher of sangria, and pineapple. The kids reminisced about Taco Bell and it was an enjoyable evening
Last night after Russ spent another four hours at immigration, we went out to the Mountain Valley Inn in Gabane with Zane. A collection of thatched huts situated fifteen kilometers from Gaborone, this bar also served food. For P20 (about $3.50), we were given a cardboard box with marinated beef which we then proceeded to grill ourselves. Then the same box served as a plate as we were given a hearty serving of pap (mielie meal) to eat with the meat (with our fingers of course). It was absolutely delicious. The downside to eating pap is that it sinks like a rock in your stomach. Had a few beers and ciders under the clear sky and listened to some kwaza kwaza music. Russ even came out on the dance floor for quite a while (which for those who know, may be miracle number two of the week). We had a great time.
Now we are at school (as I am for any blog). There is a farmer's market going on and I am hoping to pick up some eggs and lettuce. Christmas music is blaring and I think there might be some crafts as well. Russ tried his hand as a cricket batter in the annual Dads vs Lads cricket game, and I am starting to understand the rules of this seemingly BORING game. Taraz and his oldest son played exceptionally well. Thankfully it was only a 20-over match, which meant it only went on for two hours compared to the all-day matches or even the one or five day test matches. I am pretty convinced I will not love this game, but I can appreciate it a tiny bit more.
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