Back to school

It's been at least 12 years since I have been in a classroom situation, where I was learning something new. Well, this week saw me pack lunches, throw on my back pack and catch a train to get to class! It was the start of my 108 day course in Java. The course is being run from our downtown Cleveland office, so the most cost effective way to get there is by train, since I don't have to spend anywhere from $4 - $8.50 a day just for the privilege of parking in the city center. The train ride is very convenient, and lasts about 20 minutes. I don't need to worry about navigating the rush hour traffic, nor be overly concerned about any snow in the forecast, as the train runs regardless of the precipitation around!

Being positioned downtown also meant that they had to transfer my gym membership. My company has another gym facility in the tallest building in Cleveland, which is just a couple of blocks away from me! It does seem further away when the temperature is -15C outside!! But I guess the effort is worth it.... The beauty of this gym, is that it is located on the 28th floor of the building and has magnificent views of the Lake Erie waterfront, including the Cleveland Browns Stadium, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center and the Burke Lakefront Airport! Imagine running on a treadmill, and having the awesome sight of a freezing Lake Erie for inspiration! I do enjoy that!


Of course, this course that I am doing is by no means easy or fun, and there are weekly tests scheduled, as well as assignments and home work. Who would have thought that I as a 33 year old, would be having to hand in homework assignments again? Sigh :-(

Besides starting my training this week, I also repainted our master bathroom on Monday (which I mentioned last week). I must say that it looks 100x better, and the color is a lot easier on one's eyes ;-) On Saturday, we started cleaning up our house in anticipation of Liesel's parents who arrive tomorrow. I must admit that I had the easier task of entertaining Nathan, while Liesel did all the manual labor! We also stopped off at the shops to buy some things for the house. I bought some wire shelving which I installed in our utility room, and brought some order to the clutter that existed there. That evening, after putting Nathan down to sleep, Liesel and I lay back and enjoyed Ocean's Thirteen!

On Sunday, I was back in my usual routine and left the house at 7:30am for band practice before church. I played in both services, and it was good to be part of the worship team again! That afternoon we had some more cleaning to do and I put some finishing touches on the master bathroom. We also got our guest bedroom all set up, so that there will be no frantic rushing about tomorrow after Liesel and Nath pick up Opa and Gogo from the airport.

The weather is looking to be warmer for the next few days with the mercury rising well above (realtively speaking) freezing for the first time in weeks! It is due to be about 7C for the next few days, which is almost shorts and T-shirt weather for us (Not quite :-P ) I am sure our beautiful blanket of snow will slowly dissipate :-( Hopefully the temperature will drop and we get some more snow so that Liesel's parents can enjoy the winter wonderland that Cleveland serves up each year, just like we do!

That time of the year!

That time of the year has finally arrived for 2008. Confused? I'll give you some hints.... It is an event that only happens once a year. It usually occurs sometime during the winter. Give up???

It's the time of year when I succumb to the freezing climate, and reluctantly add the inner lining to my winter jacket! With temperatures plummeting to -26C (15F) with the wind chill today, I had no choice, but to add the additional layer to my winter jacket!


This was our first full week back in the USA after our SOuth African holiday. Nathan got very excited after our first real snowfall of about 4 inches on Tuesday this week! He is the model child, as he kept insisting that he wanted to shovel.... so who am I to get in the way of his dreams :P

Afterwards, I rewarded him with some fun on his sled, going up and down our driveway. It appears that his fear of snow, after doing a face plant in 2 feet of it just after we had our blizzard last year, has diminished! This is great news for me, as I can imagine the fun that the two of us could have together during this years snowy season!

On Saturday, Liesel did some early morning shopping before having her hair cut. I kept Nathan entertained indoors whilst she was out. When she got back, it was my turn to go shopping and I bought some paint for our bathroom. I have decided that the deep leafy green paint color should now become a thing of the past, and I have chosen a much more serene, cloudlike color called North star for main bathroom. This is a task that I will be tackling tomorrow, as it is a bank holiday here thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King!

Later on Saturday afternoon, I thought that it is high time that I took the holiday lights down. I understand that my timing to do this is shocking - since there was a wind chill temperature of -15C (5F) outside. It wasn't too bad except that my naked hands took most of the punishment as I had to undo knots and untwist the lights from the gutters and support beams.

That evening, Liesel and I caught up on some important viewing that we have missed out on. I am pleased to announce that we have now seen all the Amazing Race episodes, except the finale which aired tonight - but that is also taped and we will watch it tomorrow!

On Sunday, we woke up later than usual, and it appears our internal clocks are now back in synch with the USA. We decided that since it was so cold, we won't go to the early church service. This gave us a chance to stop by Target so we could by a Coffee maker and a food processor for Liesel before Church. Church was good and then we bundled in the car with the heat on maximum, and headed home. That evening, we ventured outside one last time to attend our bible study. It was good to see everyone again after our extended absence and fellowship together!

As a final note, please make I ask you to pray for my brother-in-law, Roy, back in South Africa, who is undergoing surgery on Wednesday evening. Please pray that he has a quick recovery, and for my sister, that she can be strong as she supports him during this time! Till next week.......

Home Sweet Home!

Our final 5 days in South Africa were hectic, memorable and meaningful. It seemed like these last days just flew by, hardly giving us time to bid our farewells to friends and family. During this time we made a couple of visits to Pretoria, to say goodbye to Liesel's uncle, aunt and cousins, as well as her grandmother. Each evening we ate ate out, at either a restaurant, or at friends. These evenings allowed for a more intimate setting where we could talk, laugh and show our appreciation to the people that looked after us in Gauteng!

During the middle of the week, my maaitjie (friend) took me up to over 6000ft above sea level in his microlight! This was thoroughly enjoyable, I only wish the weather was better, so that we could have flown longer. One gets an incredible feeling of freedom, looking down on the earth below, with nothing obstructing your view! No wonder my friend is addicted to flying!

This week, we also took Nathan to have his haircut. There is a hairdresser that specializes in cutting children's hair. This was important, as every time I attempted to cut Nathan's hair, it resulted in him screaming, and me being left with a funny hairstyle! (Don't ask!) This time, however, there was a TV with the Disney channel on for him to watch, and having an experienced stranger cut his hair also seemed to make a huge difference. Afterwards, Nathan even turned to us and told us that it wasn't that bad!! My sister's family also came to offer Nathan their moral support. One of the other reasons we came to this particular venue for the haircut, was that there are multiple things here to entertain the children! Nathan and his cousins loved playing in the playground, climbing up ladders, crawling through tunnels and sliding down the slides! Then there were the pony rides that Nathan seemed to love! He was so relaxed, I even overheard him pointing out the duck pond and all the ducks to the handler! And, of course, we have to mention the train that the three cousins (and Liesel) rode on! It was a great morning of fun for us all!!!



Friday finally snuck up on us. Robyn and Roy, treated us to a delicous, home-cooked breakfast, consisting of toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and freshly baked scones! My mom came and joined us for this sensational morning meal! This is how all breakfasts should be! Afterwards, a friend came to say "Hi" to us, before we were due to leave. AT 1:45pm, we were all ready to go, and my sister had borrowed a kombi (mini-bus) so that all our luggage could fit, as well as Nathan's cousins, who wanted to wish him farewell at the airport. With everyone buckled in, and the luggage secure, Roy drove the kombi up to the top of the road..... and this is where it died! There seemed to be something wrong with it, as it had no power to climb the first hill, and everything went downhill from there (literally and figuratively). Eventually we unpacked the kombi and crammed all our luggage into their much smaller Honda! But everything just fitted, and now there was no longer any room for anyone else. So we had a hurried round of goodbyes, before Roy chauffeured us to the airport! Things were pretty smooth at the airport, and we were soon in the Airbus, heading to Dakar for the refueling! The Dakar stop took an hour longer than expected, which meant we landed in Washington DC later than scheduled. We had to catch a connecting flight to Cleveland which was scheduled for 1.5 hours after we landed, so at this point there was no need to panic. As we deplaned, our bus didn't want to move, and seemed to have a technical problem. After about 30 minutes of communciaction between the driver and the powers that be, the bus seemed to start working again. Now there was a little reason to panic. The bus then dropped us off at the immigration and as we got there, we saw a line of about 150 people ahead of us. Now there was a lot of reason to panic. Fortunately, being a Permanent Resident, we could stand in the US Citizens line, which was moving 10x faster than the Visitors line! We got through immigration with 25 minutes to spare, but now we had to collect our luggage, pass through customs, re-check in our luggage and pass through yet another security check! By the time we had done all that we had 10 minutes left to find our gate, which was at a different concourse!! After running through Washington-Dulles International Airport, with 3 bags of hand luggage slung over our shoulders, and me pushing Nathan in his stroller, as if I were competing in the 100m sprint, we got to our gate just they announced that the flight to Cleveland is now boarding!

After 23 hours in transit, we arrived home yesterday(at the big, big house as Nathan calls it)! It was so good to collapse on our own bed for the first time in a very long time! Everyone was understandably exhausted, and sooner or later surrendered to an afternoon nap! That evening, we treated ourselves to Liesel's favorite food, Mexican take-out!
Today, we attended Church and loved seeing our friends again, and listening to the word from our pastor. Unfortunately, we are still not 100% recovered from the trip, and decided to stay at home and have an earlier night, which meant we had to skip Bible Study.

It is good to be at the place you call home, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time away! But tomorrow I am back at work, so that I can earn some much needed dollars again, because THIS IS WHAT MEN DO*

* a saying that Nathan's grandfather taught him.....

PS: Nathan was a completely different child on the trip back compared to how he was on the trip to SA. Perhaps it was the medicine, but he seemed to enjoy the flight and slept for a decent chunk of the flight!

Back online for our final blog from South Africa!

Firstly, we want to wish you all a Happy New Year, and may 2008 bring you true joy!
Secondly, I apologize for not having a blog last week, but we were down at a holiday house in the Southern Cape and my computer did not have any internet access!

Much has happened in the past 14 days, with lots of exciting adventures freshly stored under our belts, so this week's blog may be a bit longer than usual. Since I last blogged, we enjoyed a fantastic Christmas at Liesel's parents house in Botswana. As in German tradition, we opened the gifts on Christmas eve, and Nathan had a ball! He loved handing out the gifts, as well as making quick work of obliterating the wrapping paper on his gifts! At one point, he put on a shirt that I got as a gift and walked around telling us that he was a shepherd!
On Christmas morning he also sang happy birthday to Jesus for us at the breakfast table! This was a rushed breakfast since we had to be at the church for the 8am Christmas morning Worship Service. After the service, we went back home to Liesel's parents' house and partook in a wonderful Christmas meal!

The day after Christmas, we started our journeys to the town of George on the Southern Cape coast of South Africa. Nathan and I were fortunate, in that we were only driving south for 4 hours to Johannesburg, and spent the night with my mom, before flying down to the George Airport. Liesel and her parent's climbed into their SUV and drove 7 hours, slept over at a Bed & Breakfast, and then traveled a further 7 hours to their house in George! God blessed us with many beautiful days in George so we were able to go to the beach at least twice a day. Nathan absolutely loved the beach! In the beginning we would run up to the water's edge and jump in the small waves that bubbled around his ankles. But a few days later, he plucked up enough courage to go with me to deeper water and bigger waves. He actually loved it when the occasional wave would splash up and wet his head! On one of the days, we also rented some canoes and went canoeing down a river. Nathan sat right in front between Liesel's legs and I sat at the back to guide the canoe. That was a wonderful way to burn off some calories, especially since I was given so many many chocolates!!


The rain did set in on our last two days in George, but we had already made plans to travel on the area's renowned steam train, called the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. It traveled from Mossel Bay back to George along the Southern Cape coastline for most of the way. Nathan again, was absolutely thrilled on this 2.5 hour train ride! He loved looking out of the window, until he realized that his face is pelted with small particles of soot! Even today, there are some stubborn specks of soot in his hair :P


While we were down in George, my father had arranged a trip there so that he could see me whilst we were south of the equator. We had a delicious breakfast at his hotel, and spent a fun morning with him, as he got to know Nathan a bit better, and I could share some quality time with him.

Finally our time at the coast drew to a close, and we reluctantly headed to the airport for our flight back to Johannesburg. We have one last week left in the country to say farewell to family and friends before heading home to our winter landscapes!

Today, my mom arranged a special "Christmas" lunch for us, as we did not yet get to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family. The 3 cousins (Nathan, Caleb and Micah) were so excited that they had more presents to open today! It was a good day!

These cousins seem to love being together, whether its jumping on a trampoline, chasing each other on their "motorbikes" in the basement, dancing, watching DVD's or just bathing together!

Next week, if all goes according to plan, we should be back on the cold side of the earth, as we fly out as a family on Friday, landing back home on Saturday!

For some more photos of our vacation, check out:
At the beach
Christmas in Botswana
Botswana vacation