Just after 12 midnight. Can’t sleep just yet. Mind going haywire with too many thoughts, hope I can remember all now. Well, was basically one of the good days.
Woke up this morning, tired (Keep on waking up in the night with a sore throat-luckily I do have some Viral guard throatspray…) I was very tempted to sleep a little later, but when I opened my little ‘curtain’ and saw the clear sky with sun shine all round, I almost jumped out of bed with the excited notion of finally continuing my clothes washing effort that got disrupted by the rain a week ago. So, I had a shower and the last slice (which I bought in Mthatha when I was there the beginning of the month.) of my wholewheat Low Gi bread (that got slightly mouldy because I can’t get my fridge to work, I also had to toss half of my cheese! Like flushing gold down the toilet) Sorry, I’m getting totally sidetracked. The bread I ate with the avo (that I also bought on that trip). The avos are great. Did I mention that I bought 8 big avos for R20 and they’re of course all ripe at the same time. I love avos! In Cape Town, sometimes you get so desperate for an avo, that you can buy 1 avo at Woolworths for about R20 – or probably more!
Right, so after that I started the washing, feels like I’m becoming a pro. Did way more than anticipated, even washed 2 pairs of jeans rather than the usual one, and washed a duvet cover and sheet that’s been lingering in the queue for some time now! My hands do look a bit funny and pinkish after the whole episode, but it’s well worth it. My washing bag is now for the first time empty.
However satisfying this all was, later in the day, when I got the chance, I did ask in very broken Xhosa if there was someone willing to do my washing for me once a week for R30. It was no problem to find someone and I’m happy to say, the lovely candidate that got the job, is no other than my new friend, Mama Miriam, one of the beading ladies who I spent the rest of the morning with. She helped me fix my broken string of beads (intsimbi) and I stayed there for quite some time longer, with my notebook and one of the children’s Xhosa Bibles.
Basically Miriam can’t read or speak any English and well, I can read and I speak very little Xhosa. So, it was a funny combination as I read to her, and she tried to explain to me in a very abstract way what I was actually reading. Some of it I could kind of guess from the pictures. Also, my young friend Michael and Lucy, (another beading lady friend) and occasional other beading ladies came by and attempted to help in this confusing reading/teaching session. I hope they loved it as much as I did.
My dog (I’ve now decided that I’m going to call him “Mydog” as a name, cause that’s what I’ve been calling him whenever I see him or when I want to call him. Come her Mydog! And I think it’s quite ironic, cause whenever you ask someone whose dog it is they say:” It’s my dog” so now whenever someone asks: who’s the dog? Anyone can just answer and say it’s Mydog and everyone will agree, yes it is Mydog! Well, I think it’s funny anyway.)
So, Mydog was also sleeping with his head on my leg while I was sitting there. The ladies didn’t chase him away, cause I told them I like that dog. Eventually they made me pull of his ticks. There were 2 small ones and one really big fat one….I’m not sure I can type exactly the sound of squeamishness I made as I picked that one off. For a moment I knew what it was to be part of a pack of monkeys who sit and groom each other. I really felt like I belonged. I am laughing as I’m writing this okay.
Anyway, Mydog also had another dog friend there today and he was equally loving. Later, 2 for the price of one, they walked me safely home. It felt really good to walk that road with 2 dogs running with me all the way. Every now and then they would show off by chasing away another dog or a stray cow. They would come back to me when I called them.
I was just not sure what to do with them at the campsite, but I planned to go back almost straightaway and could take them back with the car. Mydog wanted to come inside with me by all means, but I had to make them stay outside the gate and just took them some water. After a little while when I drove back, they were gone. I figured they must’ve gone back the river way-it’s shorter, they just have to swim through the river, but I’ve seen them do that no problem. I’ll see next time how keen they are to walk with me again if they know I’m just going to leave them by the gate. I hope they’re not put off by that idea too much.
When I went back to teach, only Thobile was there, and he couldn’t stay long, so we just chatted. I’m really interested to go and see exactly where these guys live, how far they have to walk and what little resources they have available. Soon.
I then walked up the hill to see if I could get a nice sunset photo (not particularly) and on my way back, Snooks was shouting at me from their house, so I went over. She pulled her one tooth today and is so excited about it. Fika was also there and I met their aunt. I’ve really come to love those kids and they would be enough reason for me to want to stay here despite some difficult circumstances.
Then I went home and waited for my friends Ilse and Steve to arrive. They were the people who brought me here, to Coffee Bay, for the first time, last year April. So, it’s quite a special visit and the first of friends after Donovan. I talked their heads off, because unfortunately they haven’t read any of my blog. Sorry! There’s quite a lot to tell…
Well, tomorrow is another day!
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