Michelle roughing it in Cape Town, thank you Bruns Family!!!!!!

Got a message from Michelle that she was headed to hot yoga this morning.. in Cape Town...  Without going in to much detail, Cape Town is the most beautiful place I have ever been to in my life.  It is as most people here say.. "Africa easy" as it doesn't really feel like Africa at all.. They have hot yoga classes and as Michelle told me last night, restaurants that have guys in them playing Leonard Cohen songs...  I'm sure it's a nice taste of home and Michelle needs a break from this place. I'm glad she is there without me.. really I am.  To show how unjealous I am here's a few photos of the time we spent there back when we lived in Botswana.. I was only there for a part of the time in Cape Town, but the place is such a great mix of things.. It is truly unbelievable...

The kids and I are doing fine in Michelle's absence. I received a note from the post office yesterday that there was a package waiting for me at the post office.. This is an adventure in and of itself as the post office is strategically placed directly behind the wood carver's market... So as soon as you step out of your car, there are guys in your face asking you if you want buy cloth, wood carvings, pot, you name it.. They'll sell you anything.. I also realized that whatever Goodwill cannot sell, they ship to 3rd world countries.. I kind of knew that, but this reinforces the notion that our unwanted items come here to live a second/ third/ fourth life.. That explains why I've seen Bengals tshirts, Pokey Reese jerseys and enough OSU tshirts to clothe Columbus.. 

Anyway,, when you go to the post office you must have the official package slip as well as your passport..  I walked into the post office and was greeted by two women who were sharing a bowl of rice and greens... They asked me in Chichewa to join them... Then they continued speaking in Chichewa to me.. There were two gentleman behind me taping a large box together laughing hysterically , so I figured I was being toyed with, so I just asked for the package... 

You never know if things will come intact, and the woman who went to retrieve the box couldn't lift it so she just kept kicking it across the floor.. They gave me a receipt in between bites of their rice and smiled kindly as they gave me the box.. As I'm walking out, I can hear all of them laughing, probably at my expense.. I wish I knew Chichewa. 

The Bruns family sent us a wonderful package of all the things we don't can't get here.. Needless to say, most of it is already gone... Last night , we busted open a box of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and shared them with the visiting residents from Cincy Children's Hospital..  I am munching on pistachios now, so thank you again!! 

Lately the women on the side of the road have been selling boiled peanuts and I usually get two bags worth to eat during the work day... cost is about .75 cents.  

That's about it.. I'll take the kids out to eat tonight as Michelle will probably be sipping on a wonderful South African wine, celebrating the conclusion of taking her board exams.. Please send good thoughts Michelle's way as she has to pass this exam or she has to pay another 2000$ to take it again..  

Other photos below are the wood carvers market, and Jude and Joseph playing their daily soccer match before dinner.. Turns out , Jude is undefeated against an full grown African man.. who plays soccer like nobody's business.. That's sweet of Joseph to let Jude win, but he should keep him honest every once in a while.. 

Market in front of post office

Final score- Jude 10- Joseph 7

YESSSS!!!!