I am going to have to improve my wardrobe here. My Alberta work wardrobe would just barely cut it here, and most of that wardrobe didn’t make the luggage weight restrictions. (Interesting though, that the hiking and camping equipment made the short list.) Wendy notes she won’t even try to match the wardrobes of many young Basotho women. She observes that Basotho woman must have a considerable sense for esthetics, because they sure know how to dress, and then there are the exquisite designs the women work into their hairstyles. At least with hairstyles I am close to fitting in with most guys. If I were to just shave it all off at least once a month, you’d barely be able to tell the difference between me and them.
September 1st is regarded as the first day of spring here. The weather though seems to have jumped right to summer, at least the day time highs which have been reaching the high twenties. This is fire season on the high veld. There has been no appreciable rain since the end of the rainy season in April, and now it is the windy season to go with the hot weather and the tinder dry grass. Though, with the drought here last year, and the resultant overgrazing there is little grass left to burn here around Maseru. Not so across the border in South Africa with the Afrikaan farming practices. There the grass is not overgrazed and there is lots of grass to burn, so fire is always a concern until the rains arrive in late September.
Another sign of spring has been the peach blossoms. I though they were cherry blossoms because they are bright pink, but have been told that no, they are peach blossoms. Trees that do lose their leaves in the fall are also starting to green up with their spring growth.
Crossing into South Africa continues to be an interesting endeavor. Since we arrived here have been a number of changes in protocol, and where to queue. We had two options our last crossing, the long line and a 2-3 hour wait in the hot sun (we would have canceled our plans), or the short line (barely 15 minutes) for South African passport holders. Wendy joined that line and charmed our way through. Actually, she would describe her approach more as, “Just feign ignorance.” But, if it works …. Yet, I cannot help but feel for the Basotho (and on that crossing Botswana folks) standing in the interminable mid-day heat.
I happened upon a ‘Save-on-Foods’ grocery bag the other day. Something had traveled in it on the way over from Canada. I had an urge to save the bag in some special place, as a reminder of home. Should I be worried???
When not to worry - when a Basotho man comes up beside me and slips his hand into mine I need to relax and take it as a demonstration of friendship (but not that kind of friendship). I am grateful that Dylan had mentioned this African social convention earlier this year. So though surprised and a bit uneasy when it first happened here, I didn’t embarrass my new friend nor myself with a culturally inappropriate response
Does anyone know that the World Cup of Rugby begins next Sunday? Does anyone know where it is being held? Do any on you know who the first four seeds are? Does anyone one of you really care? This is rugby central down here - surrounded by South Africa. And then there are the Aussies I work with. These guys do CARE!!!! So whether I want to or not I do know the opening match is next Sunday, broadcast from France, where the top teams are considered to be New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and France (though not everyone agrees on that order), and I know that Canada plays in pool B with Australia, Fiji, Wales and Japan. (We will see how much these guys know about curling come next March …)
That's it for todays grab bag.
~ Benno ~
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