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Published: April 7th 2008
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Our pool
Many an hour has been spent relaxing in or near this majestic dip of refreshing water over this past summer. This is the very same pool that claimed some of the yoga mats, though that wasn't caught on film. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much for the response to the last travelblog. We are so appreciative of the incredible outpouring of support and love that everyone sent in both comments and emails to us. It has meant so much to both of us! Whether or not you personally sent us a message, it felt like the support of everyone who read it traveled along with the words of those who did write. It made me feel really connected with home. Please keep the messages, comments, and connections coming! We continue to LOVE LOVE LOVE to even just hear how daily life is for you. . . Just as my mom said you would all like to hear about ours.
Our life?!?! How about yours?!?!
This is funny for me because honestly I have gotten to the point where I've felt like my daily life could be a boring recount of events. However, my mom helped me remember back to when I had friends or close ones that were flowing through life changes and I had the desire to really know about the day-to-day details that transpired regardless of whether that was about travel (hey, who
Our beach
Notice the gorgeous figures in the fore- and background. else is traveling, eh? We know many of you are travelers, lets hear from you!!) or parenting (i.e. awesome job Jenine and Tim! Kate and Jon! Pat and Amy! Chris and Jeremy! Sherri and Jon! and of course, Stacey and Mike: welcome to the world Samatha Marie Dalbeck!) , or planning for/getting married (i.e. WOW Angela and Brian!!! and Phillip and Liz!!!), or just living a great life (ALL OF YOU!).
Okay. . . Our Daily Life:
So some of the daily decisions of our life are honestly whether to hang out in the sun by the pool, or to hang out in the sun at the ocean. Usually it has to do with the wind because the wind in Blouberg or West Beach (our neighborhood) can be way too intensely exfoliating on really windy days. On the other days the wind is just a slight breeze and the sun is providing a warm blanket. Basically even though winter is approaching and people keep warning of it, we can see barely
Our beach #2
Facing south towards town. . . and Table Mountain, of course. a sign! So wherever you are outdoors you can't lose! At least, this was the case until this weekend! I spent a little while cleaning all my yoga mats yesterday and left them out to dry, only to wake up to Ben whispering/giggling in my ear: babe, there are yoga mats in the pool. 😊 Turns out the beautiful weather turned wet, windy, and beautiful during the night and displaced mats and patio chairs into the pool. Pretty funny!
Most of the people we've been socializing with around home are German because I've been facilitating yoga at a guesthouse north of us that is managed by a German and many of the students are also German, and thus the friends we've developed around our house have been those who come to yoga and then expanded into their German friends and family. It's funny to hang out with Germans on adventure trips because they'll commonly say, "Oh yeah, he's German. Oh yeah, and so is she." How they can tell I honestly don't understand. Perhaps a similar way that we can pick out Americans in Mexico or Costa Rica? Anyhow, a figure that I have not been able to check
Our beach #3
Facing north toward Bloubergstrand. out, but I've heard repeated from several Germans is that there are 300,000 in Cape Town: the largest German diaspora outside of Germany!
Grocery shopping is no longer quite the adventure it was when we arrived because we pretty much know what products are, and what we're going to buy each time. However, if we want to buy a food product that is familiar to us in brand, its almost guaranteed we'll have to pay at least double. [I was impatient with Ben on a recent evening and so bought him some "I'm sorry ice cream": Hagen Daz Strawberries and Cream = approximately
$10 for one of the small containers. (A very good lesson and reminder to practice patience!)
Recently we got to have a yoga class on the beach, which was amazing because we've been trying to do so for ~2 months and either cold/cloudy morning weather has been creeping our way or the wind is already too strong or there was an event in "our" spot. Anyhow, no one else minded much because most people find it easier to focus at the guesthouse; however, Rosa's favorite place to practice yoga was at the beach and so
Yoga at Norden Beachhouse
During inclement or windy weather, the lounge of this guesthouse doubles as our yoga studio! :) I was really really glad that on her last day, her last class we were able to practice there. What an experience. It's a space that really tests your focus and concentration: dogs barking and occasionally running through the group of practicing yogis, babies screaming or yelling because they don't want to leave the beach (who can blame them), or construction work that seems to intensify when we arrive and abruptly stop when we depart. 😊 All in all, holding yoga classes is going really well. The number of students steadily grows, just as much as it steadily ebbs and flows. And, my own practice is growing, especially off of the mat!! Ben has even been regularly coming to yoga classes! 😊
The other day we went to a nearby nursery and bought some dirt and a couple of ferns, so now we have four ferns and one ivy-type plant adorning our house. We've been collecting seeds of passion flower plants and papaya (paw-paw as they're called here), and we already had some basil and delphinium seeds, so we planted those. It's amazing how resourceful we've become since we have simplified our lives. Cans and egg cartons have become
seed trays. . . funny how we fail to see the purpose of objects beyond their immediate use when we're able to just buy things like pots and seed trays whenever we want.
We received our third care package last week. The first was from our good friends PJ and Michelle Boyle, replete with music, yummy chocolate, and plenty of St. Patrick's Day gear to get us properly outfitted!! The second one was from Mama (Juli), and we're still enjoying the Macaroni and Cheese, Planet Earth, and Cashmere sweater, among other things we've devoured. Our third came from Mom (Elsa), and again, we feel so blessed to have those things that connect us to home. Benj got a couple of belts with the Philippine flag for a buckle so he can represent - technically, I think one was for me, but i'm not pushing the issue 😉 , as well as a pair of shorts. I got a really comfortable and beautiful yoga outfit, our favorite hair products, and Godiva chocolates!!!! The highlight of both of the mom care packages, believe it or not, has been the flour tortillas!!! We've now had Mexican food for the past three out
Ben's office
For Ben, a hard day of work consists of hanging out in this beauty. Not bad, eh? of five meals, and as soon as I sign off, it will be four of six!!! For those of you who live in California, I really recommend cherishing the Mexican food, chocolate, and natural beauty! Ben and I both agree that Moms rock, and we feel so blessed to have two of the best in the entire world!!
Just to be clear, we certainly aren't spending our time lazing around. Ben is working M/W/Fri and I'm teaching yoga in the morning and evening just about every day of the week. That said, our pace of life here is very relaxed, comfortable, and is affording us a lot of time to spend with each other. We are continuing to really love it and relish every moment.
I have to go because dinner is almost ready, but wanted to let everyone know that I just wrote a short article on Mula Bandha (a yoga thing), for a local magazine called Yoga Awakening Africa, that is going to get published in the next issue! Very exciting, and they've asked me to write a longer article for the following issue.
We're having a lot of fun; staying very safe, and being
Hanging out with the laundry
This is essentially our backyard. It's more like a side yard, given its location and it's not really ours, it belongs to the dogs. But hey, it's great for hanging up our laundry! . . . at least until puppy Rogan runs away with an article of clothing :) very good to each other. We will always miss you, that will never change. What has changed since my last entry is that I've reaffirmed my commitment to making it work here, and I know that if it's right, the Universe will make it happen!!!
Lots and lots of love to all of you!
Namaste,
Sarah
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Ninong and Ninang
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Hello kids! Hugs to you both from us....... Boy, what very interesting lives you are living! No matter what happens each day you are there it is more than many of us have experienced. You are seeing your dreams come to life....it nice to be so young and in love and adventurous..... Be safe and keep smiling.........thanks for leting us all know that you are doing well and having fun.......... Our Best.......