Bob is doing fine now - there may be a stone in there somewhere, but he is feeling fine. We have been seeing a doctor of Chinese medicine, who told Bob he isn't drinking enough water. It has to be water that "a fish could live in," not just liquid, so Bob is drinking more plain water, and we are both taking herbs. We go back again tomorrow. The doctor is a white South African with a calm, peaceful demeanor who became interested in Chinese medicine while he was a merchant marine. He studied on his own extensively for a number [View Full Entry]

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First thing this morning I got in touch with insurance to use the roadside assistance plan for towing the car. Then I called the Toyota dealership. It all went pretty smoothly, despite delay from the poor tow truck driver going to the wrong address at first. Last night the alarm wouldn’t turn on; this morning it wouldn’t turn off. The car screamed all the way to the Toyota place, just like a kid who doesn’t want Mom to remove the splinter that is causing the pain. The dealership gave us a ride back to the Centre, and we settled into feeling [View Full Entry]

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Bob is feeling better. This morning we ate at the Mugg and Bean, which is a chain that offers coffee, bakery goods and meals, and is found all over South Africa. It is one of the few places that serves what we regard as coffee. South African coffee is usually a mixture of chicory and coffee. We enjoy the place, and I usually order their On The Go Breakfast, which is good and cheap. Interestingly, their American Breakfast includes eggs, bacon (similar to Canadian bacon or thinly sliced ham), a grilled tomato and mushroom, and Boston baked beans. That’s right, Boston [View Full Entry]

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First, Happy Birthday to my sister Sandi! Today we sprung Bob from the hospital. This morning the doctor said that the ultrasound could not be completed for reasons I won’t go into, and the next course of action is for Bob to take meds to dissolve the stone and for pain, allowing him to leave the hospital. While the people have been kind, it is clear that the nurses can do only what the doctors specifically tell them, and I am glad I have been able to be there to make sure certain things got done properly. The hospital was clean [View Full Entry]

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This morning I took care of some business before going to the hospital. I went to Biwater to conclude negotiations for the position of Project Engineer. Iraj gave me the number of a consultant to help with the work permit, so I will meet with him tomorrow. I also went to the National Bahá’í Centre to make phone calls and check on some things, and to give people an update on Bob. The NSA was meeting this weekend, so everyone knows he is in the hospital; they said prayers for him. We will move our things back to the Centre tomorrow [View Full Entry]

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Last night about midnight, Bob woke up feeling a little uncomfortable. With time he recognized the feeling, which he had experienced four years earlier: kidney stones. He immediately began to consume liquids and drew a hot bath to sit in. By about 1:00 AM he was in such pain that he could barely get out of the bath. Then he woke me and was in such pain that he started taking Ibuprofen every hour. I called the U.S. Consulate for suggestions as to a hospital but I could not get through to the duty officer. Bob was insistent that we not [View Full Entry]

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I talked with Iraj and Karin’s maid, Christine. Many people have maids and gardeners, at least part time, in southern Africa. When I have talked with the maids and told them that few people in America have maids, they are always surprised. Another thing that surprises them is that we left America; isn’t it so wonderful? I always tell them that there are good and bad things about every place, and we like South Africa. We are also hopeful for the progress of this country that is trying so hard, making mistakes along the way, but not giving up on making [View Full Entry]

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We own a car! We feel so independent again! We drove back to Jo’burg in a rush, with both our new-to-us 2003 Toyota Tazz and the rented Mazda 323, in time to return the Mazda at the latest possible moment so we wouldn’t incur any more rental fees. It is about a 5-1/2 to 6 hour drive. Tonight we are staying with our friends Karin and Iraj and their 2 girls, Nadya and Katya (ages 12 and 8). They have a large, beautiful home - the first time I had ever seen a home being represented by Sotheby’s. Karin is an [View Full Entry]

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We started the morning off with a trip to Home Affairs to learn more about work permits. We found the complex yesterday afternoon, after trying several times to phone with no answer. I had prepared questions about the forms, and dressed in business attire to make a good impression. We found the office nearest us, and Bob waited in the car. I asked the guard where to go for work permits; he pointed me to a door that said Passports, so I went in and asked. The counter clerk said that work permits were handled in the building next door (there [View Full Entry]

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Well, Monday I had a very nice 2-hour interview with Biwater, and on Tuesday I received an offer for the position of project engineer at that firm. The location is Johannesburg. Nothing has come of the interviews in Pietermaritzburg yet, and I have had some follow-up from two other firms that produced dead ends. Here is the story we hear everywhere: there is a desperate shortage of engineers in this country, and yet the government has a complicated, lengthy and unpredictable process for getting work permits. The legally mandated affirmative action preference is first for a black woman, th [View Full Entry]

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