Our First Party!

We decided to throw a party for Adam's birthday and to thank all of the folks who've helped us settle in over here.  We had it at our house on Saturday, Jan 22, and were happy to see that some people turned up.
 

 The theme of the party was that everything would be prepared using only the few things were given by the embassy when we moved in.   I was quite proud of my flower vase.  (If you see this in a future Martha Stewart Living, just remember you saw it here first!)

We figured out that we can open our doors all the way across.  (The security gate ruins the effect a bit, but so it goes.)

We had friends I've met at "baby group", friends from Adam's job, plus other random folks we've met in between.

Aaron, our social sponsor, and the mom of Lucy's friend, Ami (name escapes me... need to mail Peter!)

Dafydd (DC via Wales) and Dalius (Seattle!)

 The birthday boy with Anne and Cheryl (and baby Sarah - our sole native South African guests who drove in from Joburg)

 The Braai Master  

The word braai (plural braaie) is Afrikaans for "barbecue" or "grill" and is a social custom in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Zambia. It originated with the Afrikaner people,^[1] but has since been adopted by South Africans of many ethnic backgrounds. [Thanks, Wikipedia.]

 Heidi with Asara and Noah

The kids in the hall, I mean yard

(Ami, Noah, Mark and Asara)

On to the next Safari. xo,

Glenn

The Noah Photoshoot (Pretoria Art Museum)

One rainy weekend (Jan 23), we decided to check out the Pretoria Art Museum. It had a nice collection and Lucy stayed interested enough to let us walk around a good part of it. Noah used it as a great time for a nap (just like Grandpa Marvin would do if he could).

They had a children's gallery which was locked, but after some friendly words, the guard agreed to open it.  Just in time... Lucy was about to lose it.

I quickly realized the light in the room was amazing for taking photos (don't tell the guard!) and got some great shots of Noah in the museum play area.

(Sorry, I just can't decide which is a better shot.  Let me know and I'll remove the other one. -Editor Webb.)

 

Noah with his payess. (Yes, he needs a haircut.)

They had a great collection of blocks and wood puzzles

What are you doing, daddy?

 Blocks are fun!

The South African Gerber [Organics] Baby 2011  

(For endorsements and engagements, please contact Noah's agent.)

Last up... Early interest in reading or trying to eat the book?   (The latter.)

The Safari goes on... xo,

Glenn

The Pretoria Zoo

On Saturday, Jan 15, we checked out the Pretoria Zoo.  Pretoria is the nation's capital and we'd heard the zoo was good.   My favorite part is that it's so big, you can rent golf carts to tour around.   (Socio-economic comment of potential interest: we thought the Afrikaaners seemed to rent them the most, which you can interpret in a few ways.  But a friend recently suggested that it's very popular with black SAs, who often can't afford a car.)  The cost was reasonable and the crowd fairly mixed, which was nice to see.

 Some exhibits were fairly standard, only larger.  

 

The face Noah made at every single animal.  He thought they were all quite silly looking.

 

Crazy Red Birds

 There's a hike up a hill within the confines of the zoo which offers a great view of our fair city.  (Carrying the pram -- I'm practically a local! -- up 100 steps was the only downside.)

Animals on the loose

And now for the best part...

After hiking up, you can take a cable car down.   (The less adventurous / smarter types do it the other way around.)   It looked pretty well maintained, but I found it better not to think about it.

Big surprise... Lucy loved it.  

 Perhaps Pretoria is Wallingford's sister city.  (Yes, Wallingford is only a neighborhood. Details...  Shout out to Billie Sue who sent me this great shirt from our old 'hood in Seattle.)

 The zoo conked the little guy out.

 But soon he was up again and having a good time with his big sis.

The Safari continues. xo
Glenn

Lucy starts school

On Jan 10, Lucy started Pre-K at the Pretoria campus of the American International School of Johannesburg.  She's in a mixed class of Pre-K and Kindergartners and seems to be fitting right in.  They're doing a unit on Space right now so there's a lot of talk about the planets over dinner.  (She already knows more about them than I do.)  She recently took a trip to the Pretoria Planetarium, which was a big hit.

Some photos from her first day...

 The school has a nice library and she gets to check out two books per week.

Checking out the cafeteria.  Felt a bit like a camp dining hall to me (with hopefully better food).

 Lucy visits her new class with her teacher, Miss Heidi, a native South African.

Official testing of the jungle gym. Passed!

Each morning the whole school meets for "Circle Time", where they do announcements and even some stretching.  Totally reminds me of camp.  The 6th graders just went to Kenya to participate in model UN.  (A bit more exciting than my trip to Rochester.)

It was a bit day for Lucy but she was a trooper and seems to be making friends.

The kids line up to go to class.  New kid in front.

Next up, the zoo! xo
Glenn

The Catch Up Post!

Been too long since my last post.  Life's gotten busy; what can I say?  Today I'm going do a series of small "catch up" posts so I can finally start blogging in real time (e.g., Noah just poured his spaghetti all over the floor.  Judy, come quick!)

We bought a car!
After visiting a few dealerships, we scored a car from an outgoing British diplomat.  A sweet little Honda Jazz that Lucy has named "Alice."   (The Jazz is called the Fit in the US and UK.)  It's comfortable, fuel efficient and actually packs quite a bit in the boot (note use of local dialect!). We've already taken a few road trips in it.  Meet Alice...

Lucy and Alice are fast friends...

Rhino and Lion Park
With Alice in hand, we ventured out to the Rhino & Lion Park, about 30 minutes outside of Pretoria.  They do animal rehab, but the main attraction is the feeding of the lions and cheetahs, which you witness from your car only 50 feet away.  Crazy stuff.  "Keep your car idling at all times," says the handout. 

 

This was the most amazing scene of the day. I looked over and spotted a male lion strutting past a few cars on the other side of the feeding area.  (That guy should have had his window up, but who am I to judge?)

Lunch time for lazy lions.  These Afrikanner guys in short-shorts and no visible safety protections pulled up in a Toyota pickup and dropped a freshly-killed wildebeest close to the lions.  Take Out, African-style.

 

We drive around a bit and spot some other animals.

Elsewhere in the reserve, they let you pet the baby lion cubs.  For the record, grandmas, I was not in favor of this, but Papa Adam said something about being a trained medical professional and that he would supervise.  Lucy loved it, of course, and asked if he we could get a puppy, if not one of the cubs.

They breed white rhinos and according to their website, 18 white rhino calves have been born at the reserve so far.

The Safari continues... xo,
Glenn