Reconnections! August 11, 2008

Our internet access has been down for the past 6 days! We’re up and running again. Nothing like renewed appreciation for what we often take for granted!! Anyhow, here are some updates…

Still settling in…
(Last week) I’ve been running around town the past few days, with and without Seth, taking care of banking and car stuff, and general house errands. One successful accomplishment this week was the registration of our car – a big deal after nearly 2 weeks of all sorts of complications and communications and back and forth visits to the government automobile office. And on this final morning, after more lines and forms, we received our papers! Whoo hoo! The car is officially official!

The other big news of the week... we opened a South African savings bank account. Soon after we arrived in CT, it quickly became clear to us that we needed to have access to our money from our U.S. bank while we are living in SA. An obvious detail at this point, but it never registered on the radar before we left! Sure, we have our ATM cards (which work at most ATM machines) and our credit cards, but those extra charges add up over time, AND they aren’t really effective in paying certain bills while we’re in country – like car insurance and school fees, etc. However, it's not so easy for non-residents to open up accounts. We talked to all of the 4 banks in SA, and kept hitting some major road blocks that required more documents and procedures than we could handle. (I kept thinking about when I took our Norwegian renters to Wells Fargo when they arrived in July, and within 1 hour they each had opened up both a checking and savings account!) However, with LOTS of patience and a bit of luck, we found a way in! And we’re now on the way to paying some bills! We still have one more piece of the puzzle to put into place, but the light is looking brighter! I actually made our first official deposit today of R100 – about 15 U.S. dollars. About five minutes after I left the bank, Seth received a text message on his cell letting him know that there was a deposit into our account! Quite efficient heh?– But, there’s always the flip side – you see, South African banks charge for EVERY SINGLE transaction, including DEPOSITS, and thus Seth’s text message included the actual deposit of R98.50! How’s that’s for a banking business!

Before we left for SA, Fulbright allowed Seth to include 3 boxes of books in their regular mail “pouch” to South Africa. He filled up the boxes (each weighed just under the allotted 50 pounds), shipped them to the Washington D.C. office and Fulbright took care of the overseas leg. We had no idea how long they would take to arrive, and I’m pleased to report that 2 of the 3 boxes arrived at the local U.S. Consulate. (They’re still looking for the 3rd one!)

Seth and I drove out to the Consulate to pick up the boxes. I think most African countries except for South Africa have only one U.S. Embassy in country. Just learned that South Africa is the only African country to have a U.S. Embassy AND 3 consulates, one of them being in Cape Town. It’s located in the Southern Suburbs, about 20 minutes outside the city. We drove past the 300 year old vineyards, past the prison, past the golf course, to the HUGE cement fortress of a Consulate. After we were searched (our car as well), we were asked to leave our passports and our bags with the guards. We were then escorted into the main part of the ENORMOUSLY secured building and met with our contacts, the Director of Cultural Affairs and his assistant. We chatted about Seth’s work, our year, their time in SA and then we had the compulsory “security briefing”. (I was glad that the girls weren’t with us for that.) They brought up our boxes, and we left through the thickest metal doors I’ve ever pushed. We retrieved our passports and bags, and off we drove, back to settling in…

Wednesday, August 6th
Great news… There’s a Xhosa class being offered at the Univ. of Cape Town to staff and faculty, and they have agreed to let both Seth and I participate! It’s on Wednesdays for one hour. We had our first class today. I was nervous and excited and all of those feelings when you enter a language class on day #1. There are about 20 people in the class. The teacher, a sweet Xhosa woman, is determined to make the learning fun with “lots of laughing at each other”!

Xhosa is the second largest ethnic group and the second most spoken language (after Zulu) in South Africa. It’s one of the 11 official languages in South Africa. Xhosa is a tonal language with 3 main clicking sounds (each made in different parts of your mouth). The language is strongly rooted in the Xhosa culture and traditions which needless to say, adds another rich layer of learning.
Before we started class, I thought to myself, “Too bad we don’t have the class more than once a week.” Well, I had an immediate change of heart after the first class. I think once a week will be just fine! The hour flew by, my head hurt and my tongue was all tied up!
"Molweni" - hello. (Haven’t learned good-bye yet!))

Thursday, August 7th
Last June, when Seth decided to apply for the Fulbright in South Africa, we were both excited about the possibility of living there for a year. Although Seth had never been to the southern part of the continent, the idea of being in Africa again was a blissful thought! I had my own reasons for wanting to go… Twenty-two years ago (oh my!), I was Curator of the Desert Plant Collection at The New York Botanical Garden. About half of the collection was from southern Africa. For nearly 6 years, I grew some of the most beautiful and bizarre plants I’d ever seen. I loved the idea of going to SA and seeing some old friends on their native soil !

Well, about 18 years after I left the NYBG, and nearly 3 weeks after we arrived in Cape Town, I had an hour before I was to pick up Maya from school. I decided to check out the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden (it’s about 10 minutes from our home here!), one of the most respected botanical gardens in the world. And there I was, travelling back in time as I strolled through the planted beds of the Kirstenbosch Conservatory, seeing all these plants that were a big part of my life another lifetime ago! Just as I was ready to leave, I asked a guard if there was a botanist named Ernst Van Jaarsveld at Kirstenbosch. Ernst had worked at Kirstenbosch when I was at the NY Botanical Garden. We had communicated often about plants and I remember him being a wise and kind person. Sure enough, they directed me to his office and well, there he was! Fortunately, he quickly remembered who I was (I had a moment of panic right after I asked the guard), and we were both delighted to see one another after all these years.

Ernst has been at Kirstenbosch for 30 years! He’s become a world renowned specialist of succulent plants. After I briefly explained why I was in Cape Town, he walked me back up to the conservatory and as if no time had passed, we were talking plants and collections and greenhouses. I learned that 12 years ago, Ernst was the lead creator in the planning and planting of the conservatory! He was showing off the thousands of plants like a parent introduces their children – with pride and love. It was great to reconnect, but I had to interrupt the tour to get Maya. However, no worries… I’m in the neighborhood! He’s invited me and Seth and the girls to meet his family and have a fish braii!

Well, that's the nutshell for now!