HELLO SOUTH AFRICA

 

 

The plane ride was interesting.  Salt Lake, Chicago, six hours at Heathrow in London, (missionaries all over the place) then on to Johannesburg. it was 22 hours in the air---that was an event!  We arrived at 7:00 am---smelly, stinky, and 36 + hours of no sleep.

President And Sister Omer picked us up.  The morning traffic was crazy!  We went to their house to clean up, breakfast, then off to the mission office for the day to take care of details. They then took us to a very nice and cute bed and breakfast and we slept from 5:00 pm until 7:00 am --- wicked jet lag!  The next day we went to the mission office, Bob took the drive on the left,  pass on the right driving test (I should have taken it).

Then off to find McDonalds --- not one every corner here--- what the heck?  Then to a bank to exchange our currency (waited in a 2 hour cue! Everything here has a cue!)

That night we went to a cultural program (I will send pictures later of that ) with some senior missionaries from Namibia. They were going home to Draper.

The next morning we got up and headed on a 5 hour drive to our assignment in Nelspruit.

Johannesburg was pretty. It is has grassy plains to the east, dry rocky bush to the north west, and beautiful trees in the city.  The city is considered to be the largest man made forest in the world. 

 

 

 

 

The terrain in the Johannesburg mission varies.  Green grassy lands, the bush, and sub tropical and topical.

 

During the past three weeks we have learned that we are truly blessed to live where we do.  It is beautiful. It is sub-tropical.  It can be hot in the summer and the first few days we wondered if we would survive drooping hair, sweat, two or three showers a day, but since then it has been very pleasant.  The fall is just starting here and the weather has been great.  We are told the winter can become cold.  There is no central air or heat.  Nelspruit is surrounded by beautiful citrus groves, macadamia and other nuts, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Everything can be purchased from little stands all over the place.



 

It is a city of the haves and have nots. People seem to do well and others are poor. Things we have had to adjust to:

 

1)Parking Boys:  every parking lot has lots of these guys who help you park.  And it is expected that you tip.  So if you go to 10 different places you pay 10 tips.  It is not a lot, but it adds up.  Bob really loves it!

 

 

 

This explains the car crash on my fourth day here, I was watching the parking guy, It is his fault. For my family it is like the antenna falling off the car!

 

2) Cars:  You either have a car or you do not,  If you have a car it is nice.  Per capita there is a very high % of luxury cars; BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Porsche, Lexus, and the other cars are newer models.  Lots of nice SUVs.  There are very few junker type cars.

The people that do not drive ride taxis to and from the townships.  In the mornings and around 3:30 or 4:00 there are hundreds of people that lined up on the streets waiting for the taxi or trying to hitch a ride.  I need to get a picture of that.

 

 

                                         And the list goes on...car dealers of most kinds

 



 

3)Technology is an Interesting adventure:  trying to get the internet and my cell phone working was an event.  They all have cell phones and love them.  Everyone here SMS's (texts) because it is cheaper.  You buy airtime (=s $2.40 a minute) unless you want to call and text from 3 to 4 am then they give you a break.  International is pricy.  They say it is because of AT&T.

 

4) They do not like Ice.  You have to beg for Ice for drinks.  The McDonald's people laugh at us because we ask for lots of ice (that is 3 or 4 cubes to them)  Then we buy another cup of ice.  They know us now and they laugh when they hear our voice over the speaker.  Our black friends, if we serve them ice they want to pour it out and get just water.  Got me?  Sweat can be pouring down their head and they do not want ice.  Bob has got us a system and we keep the ice coming at home. (as a note the McDonalds here are very nice!)

 

5) Lebola (not sure the spelling) It is the Johnny Lingo story, to get a wife you pay cows to her family.  Now it is money equaling the value of a cow.   The problem is that no one has any money, so people live in sin. They will have three or four kids, but can't marry because of the Lebola.  We have a number in the branch, they want to get baptized, but the wife will not give up the Lebola, "it is tradition, and I am worth it.")  They have a whole system to determine how much someone is worth.  I have a lot to say about this...but it will wait for another day.