Excerpt From "Loving Jacob"
Dedicated to my two older sons, Todd and Blake, who gave me wings to go love another… “Don’t you think you’re too old to do this? I mean...
Travel to Africa With Me!
Tales from the tip:
14 wee epistles
Members and Friends,
Scroll down to live vicariously through my experiences in Africa!
Ever wanted to visit a far away land? With all of the current restrictions, it is so very difficult now. I thought my Members and Friends would like to live vicariously through a collection of letters I wrote home in 2016 while "staying", as they say there, in the Tip of Africa! Log in, comment and please share this link to your friends and family who might enjoy tales "from the tip"!
EPISTLE 1
FROM THE TIP
The drum beat all night long. Normally you wake to roosters crowing, traffic in the distance, singing from the church and children's voices but not this morning.
EPISTLE 2
FROM THE TIP
“Does the white person talk?”
“Does she eat?” The 4 year old has only ever seen a white person on TV, Bongi explains.
It’s hard to describe what I feel here.
EPISTLE 3
FROM THE TIP
There’s just gardens and gates, or red rutted roads. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground in anything here in South Africa. It is truly a country of stark contrasts.
EPISTLE 4
FROM THE TIP
”When will you be back? Where are you going?” the children at the mission all clamoured to ask us as we walked the grassy path to the car.
EPISTLE 5
FROM THE TIP
One of the first things an African does in the morning is open the windows and the top half of their dutch doors later if they think it’s become warm enough. Oh, how sweet to this Canadian!
EPISTLE 6
FROM THE TIP
For the first time in his memory, Jacob is immersed in people of his own culture and colour on his own continent-I can’t imagine how that must feel….
EPISTLE 7
FROM THE TIP
She is frantically and frenetically scrubbing and cleaning. She has already washed floors and bedding and linens all week long.
EPISTLE 8
FROM THE TIP
Looking back to 2002 when I first came here, I see many changes, mainly the apparent population growth. More people, more cars, it feels like more of everything........
EPISTLE 9
FROM THE TIP
From behind the door came two people. There she was pushing a walker ahead of her but I knew the voice before I even saw her. She looked exactly the same. She looked wonderful!
EPISTLE 10
FROM THE TIP
It’s a very long way from Pinetown to Hluhluwe Game Reserve on the north coast, quite likely comparable to driving from Brockville to Toronto.
EPISTLE 11
FROM THE TIP
Is there any bird louder than a hadida? Man, can they banter back and forth in dynamic ear bending chatter at daybreak!
EPISTLE 12
FROM THE TIP
Tomorrow is Zoe’s 90th B’day. Her family made a plan to surprise her, including me, at her party on Sunday. Who knew that when I randomly sat beside her in church here in Hillcrest in 2002 that she would become my African Mom! I love this lady…
EPISTLE 13
FROM THE TIP
Johannesburg is not my fav. Pretoria is much better. Indeed Cape Town is lovely but Durban, or Drbs, as fans call it, is my pick by far.
EPISTLE 14
FROM THE TIP
Back here in Jolivet, the mission seems so quiet compared to noisy Pinetown. I must admit, the nights are chilly here now but the daytime, by afternoon, is perfect. I’m not sure how many more wee epistles I’ll be writing.
OUT OF AFRICA
EPILOGUE
Just a few days out of Africa, it all really seems like I’ve been dreaming.