28022012, Reading Hut progress...

Well, the walls are finished and the door and window frames are in.  Still a lot of work ahead.  Next step is the roof, then the floor, the plastering and the leveling and trench-digging of the ground  around. Then only the finer details such as painting, glass in the windows and actual door.  And shelves for the books, chairs and lots more books...

Anyone interested in helping in any way, let me know!  Lavonnebosman@gmail.com

Some of the kids who live on the hill and who will benefit from the Reading Hut...

When the kids came to play...

22022012, Wednesday, to the chief

Feels like it’s been a long day, but maybe not really that much happened…  Update on the Reading Hut, the walls are finished!  There’s still a lot to be done, but the walls are officially finished.  Next step will be the roof, the floor, the levelling of the soil around (It’s built on quite a steep hill, so I imagine that’s going to be quite a job) and a couple of other things…

Today, at last I got to the chief again, after pre-school, graced with the company off the very-hard to-track-down headman. (It is impossible to get papers from the chief without the complete co-operation of the headman.)  Another white lady I know, also wanted to go see the chief, so she got a lift with me, which I was very grateful for.  She has known the chief for some time and is familiar with the headman as well.  

At the meeting everything went well under the circumstances and I thought the headman did a good job explaining the whole land story to the chief.  (Not that I understood half of what he said, but there were no discussions other than what I expected.)

The chief listened intently without interrupting and came to a wise conclusion, I thought.  On Friday they will go to a meeting in which they will discuss more of these land affairs with the officials and then we will speak again about a solution to the complications that we currently face.  In the meantime, I don’t have papers, but will continue to complete the rondavel.  I will continue to trust in God and believe that He has good plans for me.

When I got back it was so hot I just needed to go for a swim.  I promised René earlier that I would take her so off we went with Vince as well.  When we got to the beach it was very much high tide and I spotted a blue bottle or two.  When I see those things I immediately lose all interest in swimming.  We stood in the shallow water for a while contemplating and decided to go swim in the river instead.  I had already turned around and started to head the other way when René started crying all of a sudden.  It was a bluebottle that got her around the leg.  I quickly ran back and got her to sit down and just put sand on it. 

She was crying for a while still but the sand definitely helped.  Vince had never been stung by those things so he had no idea of how intense the pain was.  I had never been stung either, but when I was a child, my sister got stung once and I never saw her run as fast as she did that day, to get out of the water.  That’s when I decided I’ll rather stay far away from them. 

Anyway, after a while the pain got less and we had her legs covered completely with sand, so we started playing with all the stones and strange sea plants that the tide washed up.  We made mini gardens and soon René was laughing again.  I must say she’s probably the bravest  5year old I know.

Back at the caravan, I discovered hundreds of ants in my cupboards, great.  Some strange sort of infestation.  I really hope I can get rid of all traces of them…

Oh, yesterday I had a first session with a new student who’s going to come for some extra reading classes and I’m very excited about the progress we can make there… 

190212, After-party of a funeral

These ladies function as part of a human conveyor-belt, passing on hundreds of food plates...

This is where the dishing up happens

These ladies are in charge of washing the dishes

Another section of the plate - conveyor system

One of the mama-kulus

Some mamas in serious contemplation

200212, Monday - Earth day today?

Mmm, eating some pasta with my sundried tomato/basil/ oreganum/garlic/chilli, olive oil mix that I bottled some time ago.  Topped with some dhania from my garden, although I have doubts if it’s really dhania at all, tastes all too much like parsley.  Could they have made a mistake on the packet?  Anyways, it all tastes real good.

About the funeral gatecrash experience yesterday.  It wasn’t so much a gatecrash as that I just happened to be wandering past the ‘after party’(it was right at my neigbour’s house on the hill- from where I’m building the rondavel).  The music was playing and it sounded festive.  I was curious.  So I walked past slowly.  Till I saw some mamas I knew, who called me over and pretty soon mama Miriam was called (my itjommie yam – my friend) It just happened so that she seemed to be in charge of the whole catering side of things (and she seemed to know just how to organize things effectively) and she took me straight over to where the food was served and in no time I sat with a big plate of food, for which I was really thankful for, cause I didn’t realize up until then how hungry I was.  I was torn between the food in my plate, trying to keep it steady and out of reach of the hungry injas (dogs) standing around and my camera which I felt I had to take out and capture the colourful busyness that surrounded me.  I did get a whole spillage of oil on my skirt, but it was all worth it. 

Once again I was struck by some beauties of the Xhosa culture.  The younger women were all working together to serve the elders and make sure everyone’s got a decent plate of food in front of them.  And there were a lot of people.  And the food was tasty.  I almost licked the oil from my plate.  Only the really fatty part of the sheep I had to find someone else who wanted it. 

Thank you mamas for a wonderful unexpected and satisfying lunch… You are all beautiful! 

190212, Sunday, wire - car racing

Rural kids around Coffee Bay

Rural landscapes around Coffee Bay