This weekend, Lovely English Lass and I finally got to go out on our date night instead of just ordering in food and watching a movie at home. When we got back, the place was still intact and the babysitter hadn't run screaming into the night (and even stated she'd be coming back on Friday this week so we could go out for an early Anniversary dinner), so all in all a success. We got to go to the movies here, which was an interesting experience. Many similarities between the movie watching experience in the US and in SA. 1) Teenage boys will still act incredibly stupid, hold up the line at the concession stand, and generally be an idiot just to impress a girl. 2) The seats are nice with a a lot of leg room. 3) the bathrooms are still always being cleaned by someone that looks like at any second they'll snap. The differences? 1) They have a salt station for your popcorn. There's butter salt, Salt and vinegar, mango chutney salt, cheese salt, popcorn shrimp, butterfly shrimp, rock shrimp.... (wait, I went Gump there didn't I?) 2) The screens are much smaller than a new movie theater in the US.
However, gotta talk about the movie. We went to see "The Help" which came out at the beginning of the month here. What a great flick. It was a bit surreal seeing it in SA as a lot of what they were talking about in the movie was very recent history here in SA. We're talking 20 years ago, not 40. I can remember the protests and anti-apartheid movement. The movie theater was about 1/2 white and 1/2 black, so I was expecting some sort of reaction. There wasn't one. Just people talking about how the enjoyed the movie.
Now, I am a Southerner through and through. We can probably trace my family back to the beginning of Georgia on one side. (Yeah, they were criminals.) There is a lot to be proud of when you think of the South. Peanut Butter and Dr. Pepper being two of my favorite things. But you've also got the writings of William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Harper Lee, Truman Capote, most of the Founding Fathers, Rock n Roll, Coca-Cola and our ability to fry anything and make it taste good. (Fried Dill Pickles being one of those things.) However, that era was not one of them. I still find it hard to believe that the setting of this movie took place while my father was in High School. It wasn't that long ago, you know. My dad was in Junior High School* during the integration of Central High School in Little Rock in 1957, and later graduated from there. The elementary school I went to in Texarkana was originally the school for the African-American kids. My first grade teacher talked about teaching in the school when segregation was still in force.
I look at the movie and think, how did it get that way? And then I look at the history of South Africa and think the same thing. There are a lot of parallels between Jim Crow South and Apartheid South Africa. The question is: Have we progressed much from those days? I hope so. I hope that we can all see each other for who we are and not what we are. I'm not sure if we're there yet, but I can hope we will be.
Quite a lot of deep thoughts from a movie on date night, don't you think?
*correction, my dad was 10 and in elementary school during the integration of Central High School. The year following the integration, 1958, Governor Orval Faubus closed all the public schools in Little Rock to stop black children from attending white schools.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A trip to the African Market
This past weekend we went to the Rosebank Mall (Crazy Little Man's favorite of all the Malls) where they have an African Crafts Market every Sunday. They have almost everything you could want from a crafts market. They have native dress, shields, slightly racist looking statues of african men dressed like a servant on a safari (think lawn jockey and you get the idea), and wood carvings like you've never seen. Some of this stuff is gorgeous. Some of it is taff. But it's a great place to buy some interesting stuff. Plus you get the satisfaction of haggling, which I have to admit I kind of enjoy.
What we forgot is it is a complete and utter mess for my little girl. She has sensory issues, and this place was practically the Vegas Strip for her. Loud speaking, bustle, crowds, music, lights and things she wanted to touch and smell but couldn't. It was a bit much even for me, so imagine if everything is amped up to four times what you hear and then try to function. She did very good considering. When it looked like she was starting to lose her grip we took a break from our shopping to sit down in a quiet area, have a snack and some juice, and just get a bit of balance back.
It was then that we saw a table that had some fantastic wood carvings. The one that caught my Lovely English Lass' eye was the carved Noah's ark, with small animals, paired by twos, and Noah and his wife. Very cool looking, and I talked the guy down by 150 rands. (Divide by around 8 for dollars, and 10 for your Great British Pounds.) However, after another discussion with a vendor over something else, my daughter had enough. It was time to go.
We'll still go to the market again. (The guy we bought the ark from said he would have carved nativity scenes soon, so we're definitely going for that.) However, I think we'll make sure Little Miss has enough to keep her occupied. It seems when she does have something to keep her busy, she takes noise in stride. After the market we went to the Spur restaurant I mentioned in an earlier post where they have an indoor playground for the kids while you eat. Little Miss bounced up and down on their trampoline for about 20 minutes while we were there, and didn't freak out at all from the four loud pops of balloons. Hopefully we'll figure something out for her before we head out of Johannesburg on our first trips into this beautiful country.
What we forgot is it is a complete and utter mess for my little girl. She has sensory issues, and this place was practically the Vegas Strip for her. Loud speaking, bustle, crowds, music, lights and things she wanted to touch and smell but couldn't. It was a bit much even for me, so imagine if everything is amped up to four times what you hear and then try to function. She did very good considering. When it looked like she was starting to lose her grip we took a break from our shopping to sit down in a quiet area, have a snack and some juice, and just get a bit of balance back.
It was then that we saw a table that had some fantastic wood carvings. The one that caught my Lovely English Lass' eye was the carved Noah's ark, with small animals, paired by twos, and Noah and his wife. Very cool looking, and I talked the guy down by 150 rands. (Divide by around 8 for dollars, and 10 for your Great British Pounds.) However, after another discussion with a vendor over something else, my daughter had enough. It was time to go.
We'll still go to the market again. (The guy we bought the ark from said he would have carved nativity scenes soon, so we're definitely going for that.) However, I think we'll make sure Little Miss has enough to keep her occupied. It seems when she does have something to keep her busy, she takes noise in stride. After the market we went to the Spur restaurant I mentioned in an earlier post where they have an indoor playground for the kids while you eat. Little Miss bounced up and down on their trampoline for about 20 minutes while we were there, and didn't freak out at all from the four loud pops of balloons. Hopefully we'll figure something out for her before we head out of Johannesburg on our first trips into this beautiful country.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Movies and quotes
I drive my wife, Lovely English Lass, crazy with quoting movies. In fact when we lived in Luxembourg my friend, who at the time was known as Eurochini, came for a visit and my wife forbade us from quoting anything during a dinner out one night. And then of course she ended up quoting something herself.
Movie, books, songs. It doesn't matter. If I can find a way to fit a quote in, I'll do it. Some people think it's un-original. Personally, I think it's harder than it looks. I have to look through my entire file of quotes from everything I've ever read, seen or heard, fit it into the proper situation, and give the quote the proper amount of umph that gets the point across. It's harder than it seems. This is something I've done for years. In fact, if I said something quite witty, one of my exes would ask me where it came from. (As if I couldn't be witty on my own!)
It's hard sometimes to stop yourself. Nothing is worse than quoting something and the people around you not knowing what you're talking about. I was helping a friend move once, but the people helping her move weren't my usual group of friends. So, as her boyfriend went out to get more boxes from the store, I stood in the doorway waving and said, "Good luck storming the castle!" A tumbleweed rolled by as it became awkward that no one knew what I was talking about. Very embarassing.
Anyways, I went to a dinner held by my boss. It was a thank you for the hard work of getting his house in order so he could move in. There were about 12 of us from the consulate that were invited. As we sat at the table with my boss, LEL mentioned that we were going to have Movie Night at our house, as we have a lot of them, a nice sized TV and a decent enough size house. She asked for suggestions. Well, the security guy, also sitting with us, immediately started quoting movies. And I'm not talking Godfather (which is a staple for most guys I know). He went with "The Last Dragon." Needless to say, it carried on for a bit, with even my boss getting into the game. The ladies just sat there looking stunned.
Back in DC I have a group of friends that can probably hold a two hour conversation using just quotes from movies. Maybe it is a guy thing, I don't know. Anyways, it is nice to know that even here in Johannesburg there are people that will understand when I quote a movie to them and won't look at me funny. That's what LEL is for, after all.
Movie, books, songs. It doesn't matter. If I can find a way to fit a quote in, I'll do it. Some people think it's un-original. Personally, I think it's harder than it looks. I have to look through my entire file of quotes from everything I've ever read, seen or heard, fit it into the proper situation, and give the quote the proper amount of umph that gets the point across. It's harder than it seems. This is something I've done for years. In fact, if I said something quite witty, one of my exes would ask me where it came from. (As if I couldn't be witty on my own!)
It's hard sometimes to stop yourself. Nothing is worse than quoting something and the people around you not knowing what you're talking about. I was helping a friend move once, but the people helping her move weren't my usual group of friends. So, as her boyfriend went out to get more boxes from the store, I stood in the doorway waving and said, "Good luck storming the castle!" A tumbleweed rolled by as it became awkward that no one knew what I was talking about. Very embarassing.
Anyways, I went to a dinner held by my boss. It was a thank you for the hard work of getting his house in order so he could move in. There were about 12 of us from the consulate that were invited. As we sat at the table with my boss, LEL mentioned that we were going to have Movie Night at our house, as we have a lot of them, a nice sized TV and a decent enough size house. She asked for suggestions. Well, the security guy, also sitting with us, immediately started quoting movies. And I'm not talking Godfather (which is a staple for most guys I know). He went with "The Last Dragon." Needless to say, it carried on for a bit, with even my boss getting into the game. The ladies just sat there looking stunned.
Back in DC I have a group of friends that can probably hold a two hour conversation using just quotes from movies. Maybe it is a guy thing, I don't know. Anyways, it is nice to know that even here in Johannesburg there are people that will understand when I quote a movie to them and won't look at me funny. That's what LEL is for, after all.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Sleep is a privilege, not a right
My wife, LEL, will tell you I am very particular about my bed. It's the reason we ship our bed all over the world. It just feels right, you know?
Well, my daughter believes the same thing about my bed. Most especially that she belongs in it and not me. You can see the conflict, right? Until recently, I would allow her into our bed and I would go sleep in her room with her brother, the crazy little man. He had his own twin bed, and I'd be next to him in the other twin bed, like some odd Bert and Ernie.
(Small side story: the summer after my second year at University, I stayed in Washington instead of going back to Florida. I did it because of a girl. Two weeks into the summer she broke up with me. Anyways, I roomed with my fraternity brother Mikey that summer. We had a nice one bedroom apartment on 25th Street in Washington. We also had twin beds and shared a room like Bert and Ernie. In fact my friend Em used to comment on it constantly.)
Anyways, lately I've gotten tired of this, so we decided we'd try to keep her in her room. She would come into our room, and we'd move her back to her room. I'd basically end up sleeping in a chair just so LEL could get some sleep. Then, when our stuff arrived, we tried something different. We put the gate up in the doorway of their room to keep her and him in their room. Problem is that crazy little guy hates the gates and screams in fury whenever he wakes up and sees them. When we put the gate on our door, my daughter comes up to them and screams because she can't get in. It's a problem we're trying to solve, but have run out of possible solutions.
I've learned how to work on very little sleep now, and coffee has really become a friend of mine. Hopefully soon their clocks synch and we can get some rest. Until then, Sleep really is a privilege and not a right.
Well, my daughter believes the same thing about my bed. Most especially that she belongs in it and not me. You can see the conflict, right? Until recently, I would allow her into our bed and I would go sleep in her room with her brother, the crazy little man. He had his own twin bed, and I'd be next to him in the other twin bed, like some odd Bert and Ernie.
(Small side story: the summer after my second year at University, I stayed in Washington instead of going back to Florida. I did it because of a girl. Two weeks into the summer she broke up with me. Anyways, I roomed with my fraternity brother Mikey that summer. We had a nice one bedroom apartment on 25th Street in Washington. We also had twin beds and shared a room like Bert and Ernie. In fact my friend Em used to comment on it constantly.)
Anyways, lately I've gotten tired of this, so we decided we'd try to keep her in her room. She would come into our room, and we'd move her back to her room. I'd basically end up sleeping in a chair just so LEL could get some sleep. Then, when our stuff arrived, we tried something different. We put the gate up in the doorway of their room to keep her and him in their room. Problem is that crazy little guy hates the gates and screams in fury whenever he wakes up and sees them. When we put the gate on our door, my daughter comes up to them and screams because she can't get in. It's a problem we're trying to solve, but have run out of possible solutions.
I've learned how to work on very little sleep now, and coffee has really become a friend of mine. Hopefully soon their clocks synch and we can get some rest. Until then, Sleep really is a privilege and not a right.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Unpacking clothes, plates and memories
I've been in the Foreign Service for 12 years now, which means I've packed and unpacked a few times. (12 to be exact.) I should be past the sentimental feelings from our stuff by now. However, I do get to reminiscing sometimes when I see things from the past.
Some things I find are a bit odd to still have. (LEL found a picture in a frame of me and my date to Senior Prom. She wondered why I still have it. Truthfully, because I look REALLY good in it.) Some things are quick reminders of years past. (There is a photo of me and my friends Al and Dawg taken at Al's graduation party in Pennsylvania that I love.) And then there are things that I look at and the room gets a bit dusty.
Looking through a box I found a small green pocket knife that used to belong to my paternal grandfather. For a while I carried it on my keychain as a reminder of him. When the crackdown on that stuff came at airports, I decided to put it away so I wouldn't lose it. He was one of my heroes in life, and it's hard to believe he's been gone for 10 years now.
While checking the damage done to our computer table, I opened a drawer and found a tiny blue hospital band with my crazy little guy's name on it. It was his ID for when he was born.
Opening a box and finding the blanket that my daughter slept with when she was first born, and realizing how fast she's grown, and how much she's been through, since then.
Opening boxes with books in them, I found a photo album that had pictures starting from at least 15 years ago. Some of them were from when I was part of the orientation group at University (and where I met my good friend Michelle), but some of them were from the beginning of my career in the Foreign Service. Photos of my house in Suriname. Pictures of my raucus birthday and going away party with my peace corps friends. A photo of my loyal and lovely dog, Baxter. (He of the nipping women, and no one else, in the bum. Someone tried to convince me I taught him that. My question: How?) Pictures of me at Carnival in Trinidad with my boy Trapper and his sisters. And then photos of London, and some of the very first pictures of my and LEL as we started dating.
It's not all maudlin time though. There are some funny stuff we came across too you know. LEL said that according to all the books we unpacked I apparently only read things about Beer, Battle and Batman. She's not lying. Looking at all of my DVDs and being able to read my wife's expression of, "What was he thinking when he bought "Undercover Brother?" Why did I marry him again?" Looking at all of the toys my kids have and then hearing them ask what Santa is going to bring them.
Packing and unpacking is something we as a family do a lot of for my work. Sometimes it's good to have these things where you can look and remember where you've been. At the same time, maybe it's time to get rid of that photo from High School.
Some things I find are a bit odd to still have. (LEL found a picture in a frame of me and my date to Senior Prom. She wondered why I still have it. Truthfully, because I look REALLY good in it.) Some things are quick reminders of years past. (There is a photo of me and my friends Al and Dawg taken at Al's graduation party in Pennsylvania that I love.) And then there are things that I look at and the room gets a bit dusty.
Looking through a box I found a small green pocket knife that used to belong to my paternal grandfather. For a while I carried it on my keychain as a reminder of him. When the crackdown on that stuff came at airports, I decided to put it away so I wouldn't lose it. He was one of my heroes in life, and it's hard to believe he's been gone for 10 years now.
While checking the damage done to our computer table, I opened a drawer and found a tiny blue hospital band with my crazy little guy's name on it. It was his ID for when he was born.
Opening a box and finding the blanket that my daughter slept with when she was first born, and realizing how fast she's grown, and how much she's been through, since then.
Opening boxes with books in them, I found a photo album that had pictures starting from at least 15 years ago. Some of them were from when I was part of the orientation group at University (and where I met my good friend Michelle), but some of them were from the beginning of my career in the Foreign Service. Photos of my house in Suriname. Pictures of my raucus birthday and going away party with my peace corps friends. A photo of my loyal and lovely dog, Baxter. (He of the nipping women, and no one else, in the bum. Someone tried to convince me I taught him that. My question: How?) Pictures of me at Carnival in Trinidad with my boy Trapper and his sisters. And then photos of London, and some of the very first pictures of my and LEL as we started dating.
It's not all maudlin time though. There are some funny stuff we came across too you know. LEL said that according to all the books we unpacked I apparently only read things about Beer, Battle and Batman. She's not lying. Looking at all of my DVDs and being able to read my wife's expression of, "What was he thinking when he bought "Undercover Brother?" Why did I marry him again?" Looking at all of the toys my kids have and then hearing them ask what Santa is going to bring them.
Packing and unpacking is something we as a family do a lot of for my work. Sometimes it's good to have these things where you can look and remember where you've been. At the same time, maybe it's time to get rid of that photo from High School.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Odds and Ends
- Tomorrow is a sort of "Christmas" for us. You see, our Household Effects arrive! Everything we've had to live without for the last 2 months will come in a big shipment. We get to unpack everything, take note of what was damaged, and determine where we are going to put everything. Not an easy task, but one I am relishing. My crazy little guy is already psyched by the miniture basketball hoop he has coming, and my beautiful little gal is very excited for her doll house and dressup costumes. I'm excited for my DVDs and books, along with my other dress shoes. (Been wearing the same ones for 2 months now. It's time for a change.)
- We went to a restaurant recently where they greet you at the door with the following greeting: "Welcome to Spur. Please note that this restaurant does not serve pork or alcohol." It seemed a bit strange, but then we noticed the large group of Muslims eating there and it suddenly made sense. I've found that this is the only one in Johannesburg where they do that. The ribs are beef and if something says bacon on the menu they substitute it with something called macon. (Or meat bacon.) Interesting indeed.
- I have found buttermilk here at the store, and it has made breakfasts very good. Then, my lovely English lass found sour cream, and suddenly Mexican Night seems like a go! Quick, I need avocados, purple onion, grated cheese (not for me), green and yellow and red peppers, and maybe some peri peri sauce. Oh, and some tortillas. This is gonna rock!
- Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal. That's all I'll say about that.
- Crazy little man has started to plan his weeks. Saturday is for football practice. Tuesday is basketball, Sunday is rugby and apparently this morning he decided that Wednesday is baseball.
- Crazy little man also has started to show his geek side. Lovely English Lass (or LEL from now on) took him to pick up beautiful little gal from school, and the teacher commented on his Spiderman t-shirt. He looked at her and said, "His real name is Peter Parker." I almost shed a tear hearing that.
- We went to a restaurant recently where they greet you at the door with the following greeting: "Welcome to Spur. Please note that this restaurant does not serve pork or alcohol." It seemed a bit strange, but then we noticed the large group of Muslims eating there and it suddenly made sense. I've found that this is the only one in Johannesburg where they do that. The ribs are beef and if something says bacon on the menu they substitute it with something called macon. (Or meat bacon.) Interesting indeed.
- I have found buttermilk here at the store, and it has made breakfasts very good. Then, my lovely English lass found sour cream, and suddenly Mexican Night seems like a go! Quick, I need avocados, purple onion, grated cheese (not for me), green and yellow and red peppers, and maybe some peri peri sauce. Oh, and some tortillas. This is gonna rock!
- Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal. That's all I'll say about that.
- Crazy little man has started to plan his weeks. Saturday is for football practice. Tuesday is basketball, Sunday is rugby and apparently this morning he decided that Wednesday is baseball.
- Crazy little man also has started to show his geek side. Lovely English Lass (or LEL from now on) took him to pick up beautiful little gal from school, and the teacher commented on his Spiderman t-shirt. He looked at her and said, "His real name is Peter Parker." I almost shed a tear hearing that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
