The kids all lined up for a (small) piece of baby Junior's cake. They all waited patiently their turn.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
CAKE
The kids all lined up for a (small) piece of baby Junior's cake. They all waited patiently their turn.
Waiting for lunch
Here are most of the children that were at the party. They continued to arrive slowly throughout the afternoon. They all sat quietly in between the two structures and were all given a plate of food. Many asked for more afterwards but no one was given seconds. They did all later get cake, sweets, a handful of potato chips and some fruit.
Sweetest picture of Sofia and Nonno Gino
Today we spent the day at Mavis's house for her son, Junior's, birthday. He turned one. It was a very fun day. It was the first time for Nonno Gino to see what poverty looks like. Mavis lives in a very rural community with very little. She has a tiny house with two small rooms. No water but she does have electricity. There is water outside. It was a festive occasion. One that Gino will remember for a long time to come. At one point he had tears in his eyes and he was shaking, he was so emotional. It happened when Mavis was opening the few presents that were there. Along came a lady and brought 5 rand (about 30 cents). She said she didn't have much but she wanted to honor the occasion and do what she could. I took about 350 pictures today so I will be posting many on facebook and a few on here. The girls had a ball, as usual. I had to pull them away as they didn't want to leave the dancing, the laughing and playing. Little children were dancing, the ladies were dancing as they washed the dishes outside. Goats and chickens leisurely ran amock. Quite different from the birthday party yesterday that we went to. It was for a friend at the girls' school. There the parents sat and chatted quietly and ate catered goods. Today, there was dancing, very few sat as there was much to do and work was divided among all. Sienna and Sofia were always given the place of honor- even when it was time to cut the cake for baby Junior, Mavis wanted them right by him. They got to blow out his candle and they "helped" him cut the cake. Gino was spellbound the whole time. A day to remember by all!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Nonno Gino in South Africa
Nonno Gino arrived today! He is so happy to be here. His flights went well and he is settled in his little guest house. As we were coming back from the airport, he kept saying how much South Africa looks like Conway. What???!!! There are absolutely no similarities between Durban and Conway. Conway doesn't have palm trees, banana trees, sugar plantations, etc. He is convinced they are so similiar. I just agreed because it was doing no good to say otherwise.
They girls are beside themselves to have him here. They keep taking him by his hand and showing him around. Earlier tonight, they were sitting on the counter in the kitchen while he was doing the dishes (yes, he stubbornly said he was going to do the dishes despite me telling him to just relax) and I heard the girls in there trying to teach him Zulu words. Forget the Zulu, teach him some English words. They were saying "Repeat after me, Sawubona, Saaauuuubonaaa". So cute. And he couldn't figure out if they were speaking in English or any other language for that matter because his English is so limited.
He loves the yard and said it look liked botantical gardens. He picked avocados and we sat on the veranda and drank coffee.
Earlier in the afternoon, he wanted to go to the bank and change some of his money so we were on our way to Hillcrest. We had Mavis in the truck to drop her off at the taxi rank in Hillcrest. We are on Inanda Road (a very busy highway with traffic and people walking). All of a sudden, I see this young white guy trying to ride past these two Zulu guys who were walking. As he was trying to get past and avoid getting in the road, one of them pushes him with his elbow. The young boy, I would say about 16 years old, falls off his bike in the middle of the highway right in my path. And I am talking RIGHT in my path. I had a line of traffic behind me and a line of traffic in the other lane coming towards me with the closest vehicle being a motorcycle. But I knew I could not hit this boy so I slammed on my brakes and went into the other lane. Mavis was in the back screaming. I figured I would rather hit an oncoming car then to crush a boy in the road. It all happened in what seemed like slow motion. God was watching over us because by literally inches, I missed this boy and luckily missed the cars in the coming lane. I think I must have closed my eyes for a few seconds because it all seemed so cruel and unreal. I pulled over and ran back to check on the boy. He was shaking and so was I. He said he was okay, just a scrapped elbow and very shaken up. I asked him if I could drive him home or take him somewhere and he said no and he was thankful I stopped to check on him. I told him that we all saw it happen- the two guys push him into the road. What in the heck were they thinking? It took me a little while to get over the shock of thinking I could have ran over someone in an instant had it not been because I was paying attention to the road and not speeding. Gino didn't know what to think about it all. I told him here it is like that. You have to watch every second for people, cows, taxis, etc. Driving here is not easy. I NEVER even attempt to talk on the phone when I am driving here. Haven't once since arriving. I let it ring.
Sienna said this morning that when she grows up to be a rock star she is going to sing Jesus Loves Me at her concerts. That sounds like an oxymoron. Sofia says that she will be a rock star when she turns 65. They are so cute. I am not sure why all of a sudden they want to be rock stars.
Sienna said "Froggy's dad got stung by 1000 sting rays this morning". It's always some tall tale with her.
Back to the ritual of bringing a loved one home after they have passed away. I found out more about it yesterday because I was in the car with my staff who had done this ritual over the weekend. His sister was 24 and as I had already mentioned died of Aids. He had married an older man who came from far away. He already had it when they got married. His other wife died of Aids first. Then he married this girl. He died soon after and the girl remained with his family. About 6 months later she started getting very sick but the family didn't recognize the signs of Aids. By the time her brother, my colleague brought her here she was too far along to take ARV drugs to slow the illness. She went from the hospital to a hospice. She had 3 children and miraculously they do not have HIV or Aids. So, she died in a hospice at 24. Now, this bringing home ritual involves them taking the same path as when she died. They had to start at the hospice with her spirit and take her from there. The hospice no longer exists but is now offices. Nonetheless, they have to start there. Then, they drove to the burial place and from there to the home where she can stay. All the time in the car, as I mentioned, an elder has to explain to her what is happening. If you forget to tell her, for example, you are crossing a bridge, her spirit will stay at the bridge and they say then later, a sangoma will call you to come and collect her because she has remained there at the bridge.
On to the animals. If it is a female you are bringing home then the goat and the cow must be females. If it is a male, then male animals. He says the goat is killed two days before and the cow a day before. The goat's throat is cut (and he said it was absolutely awful seeing the animal die). The cow is killed with spears. He said you must tie it to a very sturdy tree with a rope and it is killed with spears. He has seen cows get free and then things are not nice for the cow afterwards.
When it is a male who has died, there is much more "celebration". There is dancing and drinking of the homemade brew. When it is a female, things are much more somber.
HIV and Aids is rampant in the villages here. It is sad. Many don't want to believe that it could be Aids or they think it is witchcraft. And the fact that men can have many wives doesn't help the matter. This same staff member said his brother and the brother's wife have Aids as well. And the very sad part is that their little child of 3 years is positive. He said it is heartbreaking to see this 3 year old suffering. The child is on ARVs but he is still very, very sick. And he is worried about what will happen to the child when the parents die. No one deserves the deadly disease but especially not innocent children. There are armies of children here in Africa who have lost their parents, who are heading households themselves or relying on elderly grandmothers. They call this the missing generation.
Statistics are scary here in South Africa. Taken from a UK newspaper- In the continent's economic powerhouse, South Africa, 800-900 people every day are dying from Aids. The country holds the dubious record of having 5 million HIV/Aids sufferers: the highest number in the world, with 21.5 per cent of the population infected.
21.5% infected. That is one in five. There does seem to be hope though. Just this week, in a groundbreaking study here in KwaZulu Natal, a gel women can use was found to be up to 54% effective in preventing contraction of HIV if used consistently.
They girls are beside themselves to have him here. They keep taking him by his hand and showing him around. Earlier tonight, they were sitting on the counter in the kitchen while he was doing the dishes (yes, he stubbornly said he was going to do the dishes despite me telling him to just relax) and I heard the girls in there trying to teach him Zulu words. Forget the Zulu, teach him some English words. They were saying "Repeat after me, Sawubona, Saaauuuubonaaa". So cute. And he couldn't figure out if they were speaking in English or any other language for that matter because his English is so limited.
He loves the yard and said it look liked botantical gardens. He picked avocados and we sat on the veranda and drank coffee.
Earlier in the afternoon, he wanted to go to the bank and change some of his money so we were on our way to Hillcrest. We had Mavis in the truck to drop her off at the taxi rank in Hillcrest. We are on Inanda Road (a very busy highway with traffic and people walking). All of a sudden, I see this young white guy trying to ride past these two Zulu guys who were walking. As he was trying to get past and avoid getting in the road, one of them pushes him with his elbow. The young boy, I would say about 16 years old, falls off his bike in the middle of the highway right in my path. And I am talking RIGHT in my path. I had a line of traffic behind me and a line of traffic in the other lane coming towards me with the closest vehicle being a motorcycle. But I knew I could not hit this boy so I slammed on my brakes and went into the other lane. Mavis was in the back screaming. I figured I would rather hit an oncoming car then to crush a boy in the road. It all happened in what seemed like slow motion. God was watching over us because by literally inches, I missed this boy and luckily missed the cars in the coming lane. I think I must have closed my eyes for a few seconds because it all seemed so cruel and unreal. I pulled over and ran back to check on the boy. He was shaking and so was I. He said he was okay, just a scrapped elbow and very shaken up. I asked him if I could drive him home or take him somewhere and he said no and he was thankful I stopped to check on him. I told him that we all saw it happen- the two guys push him into the road. What in the heck were they thinking? It took me a little while to get over the shock of thinking I could have ran over someone in an instant had it not been because I was paying attention to the road and not speeding. Gino didn't know what to think about it all. I told him here it is like that. You have to watch every second for people, cows, taxis, etc. Driving here is not easy. I NEVER even attempt to talk on the phone when I am driving here. Haven't once since arriving. I let it ring.
Sienna said this morning that when she grows up to be a rock star she is going to sing Jesus Loves Me at her concerts. That sounds like an oxymoron. Sofia says that she will be a rock star when she turns 65. They are so cute. I am not sure why all of a sudden they want to be rock stars.
Sienna said "Froggy's dad got stung by 1000 sting rays this morning". It's always some tall tale with her.
Back to the ritual of bringing a loved one home after they have passed away. I found out more about it yesterday because I was in the car with my staff who had done this ritual over the weekend. His sister was 24 and as I had already mentioned died of Aids. He had married an older man who came from far away. He already had it when they got married. His other wife died of Aids first. Then he married this girl. He died soon after and the girl remained with his family. About 6 months later she started getting very sick but the family didn't recognize the signs of Aids. By the time her brother, my colleague brought her here she was too far along to take ARV drugs to slow the illness. She went from the hospital to a hospice. She had 3 children and miraculously they do not have HIV or Aids. So, she died in a hospice at 24. Now, this bringing home ritual involves them taking the same path as when she died. They had to start at the hospice with her spirit and take her from there. The hospice no longer exists but is now offices. Nonetheless, they have to start there. Then, they drove to the burial place and from there to the home where she can stay. All the time in the car, as I mentioned, an elder has to explain to her what is happening. If you forget to tell her, for example, you are crossing a bridge, her spirit will stay at the bridge and they say then later, a sangoma will call you to come and collect her because she has remained there at the bridge.
On to the animals. If it is a female you are bringing home then the goat and the cow must be females. If it is a male, then male animals. He says the goat is killed two days before and the cow a day before. The goat's throat is cut (and he said it was absolutely awful seeing the animal die). The cow is killed with spears. He said you must tie it to a very sturdy tree with a rope and it is killed with spears. He has seen cows get free and then things are not nice for the cow afterwards.
When it is a male who has died, there is much more "celebration". There is dancing and drinking of the homemade brew. When it is a female, things are much more somber.
HIV and Aids is rampant in the villages here. It is sad. Many don't want to believe that it could be Aids or they think it is witchcraft. And the fact that men can have many wives doesn't help the matter. This same staff member said his brother and the brother's wife have Aids as well. And the very sad part is that their little child of 3 years is positive. He said it is heartbreaking to see this 3 year old suffering. The child is on ARVs but he is still very, very sick. And he is worried about what will happen to the child when the parents die. No one deserves the deadly disease but especially not innocent children. There are armies of children here in Africa who have lost their parents, who are heading households themselves or relying on elderly grandmothers. They call this the missing generation.
Statistics are scary here in South Africa. Taken from a UK newspaper- In the continent's economic powerhouse, South Africa, 800-900 people every day are dying from Aids. The country holds the dubious record of having 5 million HIV/Aids sufferers: the highest number in the world, with 21.5 per cent of the population infected.
21.5% infected. That is one in five. There does seem to be hope though. Just this week, in a groundbreaking study here in KwaZulu Natal, a gel women can use was found to be up to 54% effective in preventing contraction of HIV if used consistently.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Party Planning
In less than 3 weeks the girls will turn 5! Unbelievable! They are very excited about their party. We have settled on doing zebra (black and white) and hot pink as the colors. We aren't really doing a theme. They couldn't settle on one them and it was getting chaotic. Their invitations turned out really cute. Today, they passed them out in their class to all their classmates. We will have the party on the 14th. We will do a scavenger hunt, breaking the kids up in 3 groups and also do cupcake decorating like last year.
Gino arrives on Wednesday. Sal arrives on the 11th. yay! It will be good to have family here. I have been busy getting the guest house ready. It looks nice.
Today, when I picked the girls up from school, Asiphile confidently walked up to me and said "I'm going to marry Sofia". I said "Oh really and when will this happen". All the while Sofia is standing there blushing and says "No, Asiphile, I am NOT going to marry you, I already told you that a million times, I am going to marry Quinn and you will marry Sienna". He then proceeds to give Sienna a kiss on the check and asked her to marry him. Sienna says "sure" and blows him a kiss. WHAT???!!!
The Zulu culture is a very complex and interesting one. This weekend, one of my staff had to bring his sister home or welcome her back to the house. She died two years ago and her spirit needed to brought home. Usually, upon death, the Zulu tradition is to burn all the deceased belongings so no evil spirits hover in the vicinity. Depending on when the family can afford and organize this ceremony can dictate whether this happens within a few months or a few years after the death. They speak to the ancestors to allow the deceased to return home to rest. It is believed that at the graves the spirits are hovering on the earth and are restless until they are brought home—an extremely dangerous situation for the family. Animals are slaughtered in anticipation of this event. Chickens, goat and an ox. And lots of traditional beer made of millet and other cereal grains is made. As the elder brother, he had to go and get her spirit and bring her home. Along the trip, as he has the spirit in the vehicle with her, he must talk to her and tell her what is happening. If he stops at a stop sign, he must tell her he is stopping. It is very fascinating. And now she has been returned home and will hopefully look over the family.
Gino arrives on Wednesday. Sal arrives on the 11th. yay! It will be good to have family here. I have been busy getting the guest house ready. It looks nice.
Today, when I picked the girls up from school, Asiphile confidently walked up to me and said "I'm going to marry Sofia". I said "Oh really and when will this happen". All the while Sofia is standing there blushing and says "No, Asiphile, I am NOT going to marry you, I already told you that a million times, I am going to marry Quinn and you will marry Sienna". He then proceeds to give Sienna a kiss on the check and asked her to marry him. Sienna says "sure" and blows him a kiss. WHAT???!!!
The Zulu culture is a very complex and interesting one. This weekend, one of my staff had to bring his sister home or welcome her back to the house. She died two years ago and her spirit needed to brought home. Usually, upon death, the Zulu tradition is to burn all the deceased belongings so no evil spirits hover in the vicinity. Depending on when the family can afford and organize this ceremony can dictate whether this happens within a few months or a few years after the death. They speak to the ancestors to allow the deceased to return home to rest. It is believed that at the graves the spirits are hovering on the earth and are restless until they are brought home—an extremely dangerous situation for the family. Animals are slaughtered in anticipation of this event. Chickens, goat and an ox. And lots of traditional beer made of millet and other cereal grains is made. As the elder brother, he had to go and get her spirit and bring her home. Along the trip, as he has the spirit in the vehicle with her, he must talk to her and tell her what is happening. If he stops at a stop sign, he must tell her he is stopping. It is very fascinating. And now she has been returned home and will hopefully look over the family.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Froggy's third brother
The girls were aggravated because the oranges I bought them have seeds. Sofia said I must plant an orange tree in the yard, like the lemon tree we have. Then, Sienna says- "you know, Froggy's third brother ate an orange seed and an orange tree grew out of his mouth". I just can't figure out where she comes up with these things.
Sofia, on the other hand, said Moosey was riding a crocodile's back. And the crocodile's name is Croaky. We caught the crocodile and need to keep him now in the bathtub.
This morning as Sienna as putting on her pink Arkansas Razorback shirt that Mae Mae got her she says "Mae Mae loves the Razorbacks. That means she must be the Queen of the Razorbacks".
The monkeys raided our house again this week- taking all of our bananas and apples. This is the third time for them to sneak into the house. The leave a mess of banana peels in their wake. Mavis was there but in another part of the house. I can only imagine how terrorized the kittens, Bella and Sarafina, must have been having the monkeys in the house.
Driving to work and back is always entertaining. On an average day, here is what I see-
- Cows grazing on the roadside and leisurely crossing the road, causing traffic to come to a halt, as they please
- Men peeing on the side of the road
- Women carrying anything and everything on their heads- boxes, bags of rice, pumpkins, bags of potatoes, their purses
- Monkeys and more monkeys
- a little Zulu man walking as fast as he can back and forth from Hillcrest to Botha's Hill. They say he can average around 10 trips a morning. He walks barefooted and with a purpose- very, very fast. He is mentally ill.
- another Zulu man, a little taller than the one above, carrying a pole across his shoulders and huge bags on each side well balanced. Not sure what is in his bags, probably all of his belongings. He walks down the hills in the morning and comes back up early afternoon as I am starting my trip home. Normally he has on red pants. They say he is also mentally ill. He also walks barefooted.
- Usually there are at least 2 police roadblocks- one as I round the corner by the Valley Trust turn off and the other down at the beginning of Botha's Hill. I have been stopped once.
- earlier in the week, I saw a girl walking down the road knitting. Her male friend was walking behind her holding the yarn.
- And finally, the most magnificent views of the 1000 Hills. There is one point in the drive that is breathtaking on a clear day.
Sofia, on the other hand, said Moosey was riding a crocodile's back. And the crocodile's name is Croaky. We caught the crocodile and need to keep him now in the bathtub.
This morning as Sienna as putting on her pink Arkansas Razorback shirt that Mae Mae got her she says "Mae Mae loves the Razorbacks. That means she must be the Queen of the Razorbacks".
The monkeys raided our house again this week- taking all of our bananas and apples. This is the third time for them to sneak into the house. The leave a mess of banana peels in their wake. Mavis was there but in another part of the house. I can only imagine how terrorized the kittens, Bella and Sarafina, must have been having the monkeys in the house.
Driving to work and back is always entertaining. On an average day, here is what I see-
- Cows grazing on the roadside and leisurely crossing the road, causing traffic to come to a halt, as they please
- Men peeing on the side of the road
- Women carrying anything and everything on their heads- boxes, bags of rice, pumpkins, bags of potatoes, their purses
- Monkeys and more monkeys
- a little Zulu man walking as fast as he can back and forth from Hillcrest to Botha's Hill. They say he can average around 10 trips a morning. He walks barefooted and with a purpose- very, very fast. He is mentally ill.
- another Zulu man, a little taller than the one above, carrying a pole across his shoulders and huge bags on each side well balanced. Not sure what is in his bags, probably all of his belongings. He walks down the hills in the morning and comes back up early afternoon as I am starting my trip home. Normally he has on red pants. They say he is also mentally ill. He also walks barefooted.
- Usually there are at least 2 police roadblocks- one as I round the corner by the Valley Trust turn off and the other down at the beginning of Botha's Hill. I have been stopped once.
- earlier in the week, I saw a girl walking down the road knitting. Her male friend was walking behind her holding the yarn.
- And finally, the most magnificent views of the 1000 Hills. There is one point in the drive that is breathtaking on a clear day.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Pirate Froggy
Sienna explained today "Froggy has a boat made of plastic, rubber bands and paper. He's a pirate. And he has a tattoo on his bum. He lives on the boat."
Sofia, in the meantime, says "Mom, Quinn won't marry me".
I say, "oh, how do you know"
She says "well, I asked him to marry me when we were on the picnic that day" (one day while they were out of school, Penny took them on a picnic with Tai and Quinn).
I say "and what did he say?"
"Well, he didn't say much. I asked him to marry me and he looked at me and said not now".
Sofia, in the meantime, says "Mom, Quinn won't marry me".
I say, "oh, how do you know"
She says "well, I asked him to marry me when we were on the picnic that day" (one day while they were out of school, Penny took them on a picnic with Tai and Quinn).
I say "and what did he say?"
"Well, he didn't say much. I asked him to marry me and he looked at me and said not now".
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