Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”
Psalm 127:3
Love this! September 1, 2010
10 South African differences August 27, 2010
I thought I’d do a fun post on some differences I have picked up between the USA and South Africa. I just love my American blogger friends and love seeing how our countries are so similiar yet different in so many ways.
#1: we have car guards or paid parking at our shopping malls. You either pay a set fee per hour that you park your car or you have a car guard that will come and walk with you to your car, they will pack all your groceries into your boot (ok i think you call this a “trunk” in the US), he will even direct you out of your parking bay and then hopefully you will tip him. This can become quite annoying especially if you only have 1 or 2 bags and you don’t feel like taking out money and tipping … but I always stop and try to remember that this is adding to job creation and I am so BLESSED in my life.
#2: we do not fill up our own petrol EVER (or GAS). We drive up to the petrol station and an attendent will come and fill up your tank. They will wash you window for you, pump your tyres and then take your payment …all for free. Most people will tip if they are happy with the service but once again it adds to job creation in our country. (I suppose this sounds like we are really lazy!! promise, we are not)
#3: we only have 4 TV channels that come standard with our TV’s. If we want sattelite TV (or CABLE) then we need to pay for this. Most other countries have a few more for free! and the channels we do have are in a mixture of South African languages. We do have some great reality shows though from the US which are my favourite. We generally get these about 1-2 years after they have aired in the US so we are prett behind on reality TV but still it’s fun!
#4: we have 11 official languages. I had to learn Afrikaans in school but do not use it now. Most people speak english. (my mom is from Belgium so I have always grown up around french, which is not one of the 11 languages)
#5: we call TRAFFIC LIGHTS …. ROBOTS! it always amazes tourists when they visit SA. They can’t get over the fact that we call them robots, but we all do and always have ….. it is rather funny to think of it but it’s just so normal to us.
#6:we call a PURSE a HANDBAG and the thing you put your money in a PURSE
#7: we do not celebrate THANKSGIVING. I would love to, it’s just not a holiday or a tradition here. We also do not celebrate Halloween. There may be a few decorations in one or 2 shops (usually imported from the US) but otherwise its also not a BIG tradition.
#8: Our school year runs from January to December with our longest holiday (VACATION) being in December – January for 6 weeks (over Christmas and New Year) we have a short holiday in April/July and September. We have Grade1-12 and we call grade 12 MATRIC. We do not have middle, senior or junior school, just primary school and high school.
#9: we do not buy a lot online (although this is increasing … postage is just really pricey) we do not have coupons (I think I’d love this if i lived i the US) and our TAX/VAT is included in everything we buy so that there are no surprises when you get to the till.
#10: labour laws are very different here in SA. One of the BIG differences is that you cannot just fire/dismiss someone from their job. You need to go through a series of warnings and hearings before you are told to leave.
well, I hope you enjoyed reading about some of these differences. I can’t wait to share some more with you and I also need to share some of our favourite recipes too. We live in a beautiful country and I’d love you to get to know it a bit more, so if you have any questions … I’d love to answer them.
my 30th BIRTHDAY!!! August 3, 2010
i celebrated my 30th birthday a few weeks ago and decided this year that it was going to be a PARTY! it took me a while to prepare myself …… as I had definitely thought that by the time I turned 30 i would have had both my kids. I have been feeling like I’ve been riding an emotional rollercoaster lately and at times just didn’t feel like celebrating my up and coming birthday … but i am so incredibly BLESSED and so grateful for all God has done in and through my life that I decided a CELEBRATION definitely was in order. We had a wonderful evening at a local PIZZA chain, my hubby and my dad said beautiful speeches and i really enjoyed my evening. Enjoy some pics ……
August ALREADY! August 3, 2010
i can’t believe we are more than half way through the year … time sure does fly!! In just a few weeks we are off on a business/leisure overseas holiday including a 12 night med cruise! so until then it’s work work work … making sure that all is in order before we jet off.
i have changed and updated this blog so that i can keep my privacy to some extent but can still have some kind of platform to say what i want and still comment on others blogs too. This may change but i think this is how i want it for now. If you want to contact me directly, pls comment or send me an e-mail
a little bit about me ….. April 19, 2010
I live in South Africa, a beautiful and diverse country, even in the midst of political turmoil. We live with people of many different cultures & backgrounds which makes our country so unique. We have 11 official languages (English is my 1st language with Afrikaans being my 2nd- but not very well spoken) I am 29. Married my highschool sweetheart 8 years ago and just love married life! I love Jesus with everything I am – without Him I am NOTHING. My hubby & I had a 5 year plan, get married, have children etc etc ……. things just don’t turn out how we plan sometimes. Sometimes they are even better. I think if we had our way, life would be very boring. God see’s the BIG picture and His plan for us is SO BIG and SO MUCH BETTER than we could even imagine. 2 years ago my husband Justin was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of lymphatic cancer that affects young adults. He went through 6 months of chemotherapy and went into remission in September 2008. We are grateful each and every day for his healing. He is my hero and taught me so much about how he handled each day during his treatment. The last 2 years have been tough especially through the journey of coping with cancer and the inability to have children and even though I would never have wanted those things to happen, I wouldn’t change the things I have learnt through our journey. I love Jesus so much and He is my best friend, He has carried me through each day and I know His timing is perfect. in February this year I found out I was pregnant which is a total miracle after Justin’s chemotherapy. At my 9week scan I found out that I had miscarried. So now we begin a new journey … a journey of hope and trusting in God’s timing for our lives. I hope to update this blog fairly often although blogging is not as big here in SA as it is in the rest of the world. My blogger friends have been such an encouragement to me through my journey and my hope with this blog is that I can connect with more blogger friends around the world
The following 7 posts are from my old BLOG April 19, 2010
Most of August we spent in China & Thailand – part business but mostly holiday!!!
AMAZING time! brought back loads of good memories from our Honeymoon in 2001. Although we had time to read and relax, we spent a lot of time exploring, shopping, snorkling and having an AWESOME TIME! We just want to go back already!Our itinerary was something like this: 2 days China – 2 days Hong Kong – 4 days Koh Samui Island, Thailand – 4 days Phuket, Thailand and 3 days Phi Phi Island, Thailand. Loads of flying which we love :-, 1 very sea-sick ferry back from Phi Phi while a cyclone was approaching, loads of amazing Thai food, awesome shopping in the markets and quality time spent together! Thank you Lord for your blessing. Here are some pics ….. />
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Fresh from the veggie patch April 19, 2010
Here is what our home grown veggies look like.Beetroot grown in our back garden – yummy, delicious sweet Beetroot, ripe and ready to juice! I have also managed to source veggies from our local deli that are fresh and in season and I know havnt been kept in storage for months. After much research I found out the Woolworths stores their veggies for up to 1 year in large cold storage warehouses and so it’s no suprise you find most fruit and veg. available all year round.Our quest for the best and most nutritious food continues.
I am at home 2 days a week at the moment busy finishing my diploma in clinical nutrition and go into the office 3 days a week – so so grateful for a flexible job that allows me the space and time to do other things.
Spring has Sprung …. or so we thought! After a few fantastic! hot days we are back to cloudy and chilly days here in Cape Town. Here’s what we saw on our way home from Robertson thsi past weekend … a reminder of what is to come.
Here is what our home grown veggies look like.Beetroot grown in our back garden – yummy, delicious sweet Beetroot, ripe and ready to juice! I have also managed to source veggies from our local deli that are fresh and in season and I know havnt been kept in storage for months. After much research I found out the Woolworths stores their veggies for up to 1 year in large cold storage warehouses and so it’s no suprise you find most fruit and veg. available all year round.Our quest for the best and most nutritious food continues. I am at home 2 days a week at the moment busy finishing my diploma in clinical nutrition and go into the office 3 days a week – so so grateful for a flexible job that allows me the space and time to do other things. Spring has Sprung …. or so we thought! After a few fantastic! hot days we are back to cloudy and chilly days here in Cape Town. Here’s what we saw on our way home from Robertson thsi past weekend … a reminder of what is to come.
Blogger World April 19, 2010
my introduction to the blogger world was around the time that Justin was diagnosed with cancer and I started to search for others going through a similiar situation. Since then my world has opened up to so many different people and their various different struggles. I find myself sometimes stuck in my thinking, knowing that God has the MOST amazing plan for our lives but looking at our present situation and seeing our friends having children and forgetting to look to the one who holds my future and knows the plans for me. I really find so much encouragement out there in the blogger world, to read about others going through REALLY tough times and it makes me look at my own life and feel so grateful for all God has blessed me with. I am so grateful for Justin’s health and for the things we have learnt over the past 15 months. The internet is an amazing tool. It has connected me to so many people and I want you to know that I pray for you and trust God for what He is doing in your lives.
Desert song April 19, 2010
This song is one of my favourite from Hillsong Australia. It has such amaxing words and has been a real blessing to me over the past year.
Lyrics to Desert Song by Brooke Fraser
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides
This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame
I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here
This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow
South Africa: my beautiful country April 19, 2010
I live in South Africa. A truly beautiful place with a vast range of people and cultures. The 3 pictures above are off Table Mountain, the beautiful sight we get to see every day! We need to desperately pray for our government and the countries leaders and commit the future of this country to God. If you are looking for a great vacation spot, this is the place to be, with amazing scenery, beautiful beaches, fantastic food, many different cultures, a great exchange rate (esp to the Euro and US dollar), amazing wine routes and good shopping! …. and the 1 question i get asked most when I travel overseas is …… do we see lions and giraffes walking around in the streets??? I always find that so funny and have resorted to humour to anwer that one.
