Six Month Update

---

Today we have been in Africa for six months. We left the U.S. on September 11 and arrived here September 15, 2006. Much of our life feels quite settled here while other parts feel as though we have just arrived. What we are sure of, however, is that our capacities have expanded greatly; we have learned to accept many things that we would not have tolerated, or even dared, only a short six months ago. We are only sure that we have much more to learn.

One of the most positive aspects of our being here is our fitness level. With work and school being what it was in the U.S., we had both let that slip to a poor level. I am feeling much thinner, and Bob is happy to say he is down to 191 lbs. from a high of 212 lbs. and about 206 lbs at the time of departure. Bob is now only about 10 lbs. above his college weight. Yes, we are both in need of some serious clothing alterations or a new wardrobe. Also, it feels like I have my medicine straightened out, and it is wonderful to only need 8 hours of sleep a night instead of 11.

Some of our feeling good about ourselves has to do with the 19 Day Fast which Bahá’ís participate in every March 2 through 20. The Fast causes us to get to bed early and wake up early so we can eat and drink everything we will need to sustain us through a day of no food or drink. We sometimes get together with Bahá’í friends to break the Fast in the evening when the sun goes down. Many of those friends are Persian so we have eaten a lot of wonderful Persian food lately. Because we are facing the rigors of the Fast the following day, nobody cares that you will leave the party early to turn in. Bob has even reached the point where he can go to the gym and work out during the day without taking in any water; that doesn’t work for me as well, so I tend to go late or not at all. What Bob has missed in the morning is walking to the local coffee shop, after having dropped me off at work, and having coffee and a muffin. It is a treat to sit outside and enjoy a light breakfast while reading the paper.

In local sports news, everybody here is excited about the Cricket World Series being held in the West Indies. South Africa is seated #1 going into the competition only because they managed to pull off a fluke victory over Australia prior to the start of the series. Most everybody is betting on Australia to pull off its third straight world title. Wherever we turn, the games are on television, and it is interesting to watch. We have no understanding of the fine points of the game, however.

Lately, we have been attending more art openings as we get to know the art community here a little better. Last night we attended an opening through the invitation of a young woman Bob met at a U.S. Consulate reception. Her name is Lerato (a Sotho name), and she is the manager for the Gordart Gallery. Lerato grew up never knowing who her father was, which led to a conversation about the changing role of fathers in Africa. When Bob mentioned that he had stayed home with his sons for nine years, while their mother worked, her attitude changed dramatically. Since that time she has been very friendly and quite open. She has also initiated an effort to have the owner of Gordart Gallery show Bob’s work. However, the gallery is booked for the next 2 yearts, so it is a long-range possibility.

At the same opening we also met a local artist couple that we spent a lot of time talking with. Sam is a painter who works in pastels, and Vatiswa is a print maker. He was born in Alexandra Township, and she was born in the township of Soweto. When they asked if we know about the townships, we said, “Oh sure, we spend every weekend in Alexandra.” The look of surprise on their faces was a delight and we knew what their next question would be - “Why?” We would then tell them that we are Baha'i and about the Faith’s commitment to making the world a better place. This was a wonderful meeting that ended up with us being invited to visit their studios, see their work and get to know them better.

Last week we received an email from our friend Hiro Okada, a Japanese Bahá’í who we met at the summer school in KwaZulu-Natal last December. Hiro has created a web site http://members15.tsukaeru.net/unity/ with 1,500 still photos and 20 video clips. We invite you to visit Hiro’s site and click on South Africa, then click on days 10 through 14. There are several photos and movies in which Sherri and I can be seen. Some of the videos give the flavor of the music we enjoyed so much.

Although Bob and I are enjoying South Africa, crime is still a dark cloud that comes close on occasion. Today I spoke with one of our suppliers at work who had his home broken into for the second time in 6 months. This time they removed tiles from the roof, broke holes in the ceiling, and stole a few items that hardly seemed worth that amount of trouble; he said they were really looking for guns and jewelry, but all of that was stolen in the first break-in. That time, the guns were in two safes, and they broke them out of the wall and took them, along with all of his electronics, etc. He is from the UK and has been here over 20 years, but in May he is returning there. This is why so many people are astonished when we tell them we immigrated TO South Africa; many people have left or are leaving because of the difficulties. We pray often for this country, as well as all of our dear ones back in the US.

---

Comments

[Dianne]

Nice to know
It's so nice to know you are starting to really settle in! Although I must say we do miss you here! The Ayyám-i-há party wasn't quite the same........Natasha and I went to the Coronado last night to hear the Soweto Gospel Choir and I thought of you two much. I know you both would have enjoyed it! Sherri we miss your sweet voice, Natasha is now taking voice lessons!

[Leslie]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and I'm glad you are both well.