First Impressions

An Ibis, one of the many noisy and beautiful residents.

We are in Africa... where the people and their handshakes are incredibly warm, the bananas are small, the "washing up" soap isn't sudsy, and the internet and electricity are reliably spotty!  We were met at the airport yesterday morning by a lovely woman named Dawn, who works for Matt's host at Wits.  She expertly led us through the city from the airport to our cottage, with Matt following on the "wrong" side of the road in our rented car, advising us first to hide our small valuables and not roll down windows for the vendors who are on most corners.  Once to the cottage we realized that she had stocked our fridge and pantry with all the necessities, homemade delicacies, and some South African treats (I'm already addicted to "rusks", which are buttermilk dipping biscuits to enjoy with coffee).  She and her Wits colleagues even raided their own supply of children's books so the kids would have something to read here at the cottage.  I can only hope to be half the hostess to our next guests in Boulder.

The beautiful Mallen House Cottage

We are in the center of a massive city, but we are in an oasis.  We are staying in a guest cottage that could not be more perfect for us, on the grounds of St. John's College (not a college at all, but a boys' school from 1st grade through "matric" which is essentially through high school).  St John's is connected by the Desmund Tutu pedestrian bridge to Rodean School for Girls, which serves the same age range.  Our guest house hosts, Jan and Lawrence, live on the St. John's grounds and Jan is the Headmistress at Rodean.  One city block past Rodean is the school of Public Health and the hospital where Matt is working.  It is a beautiful, safe, and peaceful 20 minute walk in the middle of a huge and bustling city.  Our balcony has a view of all of this, as well as basketball courts, field hockey turf, and two rugby fields.  Beyond the fields is "the Wilds", which is a city nature preserve which was taken over at one point by squatters, but it has returned in recent years to it's natural state, thanks to the schools that flank it and the security they have created.  Being in such an oasis, we are in the company of native wildlife... huge beautiful and noisy birds, owls, and apparently some wild cats which are rare to see, but this morning we did encounter the remains of last night's meal (feathers) on our walk.  Ian saw a "HUGE RAT!", which was probably one of the members of the mongoose family that lives on the property.  As long as I don't encounter a venomous snake in our little oasis I'll be happy...  I'm pretty sure I'm safe here.

The view from our balcony. Jo'burg General Hospital tower on
the left, the grounds of St. John's College below, and
"The Wilds" beyond and to the right.

Our cottage; Matt in the kitchen, lofted beds above.

Lawrence is recently retired, and patiently awaiting Jan's retirement from the school next year.  In the meantime, he is taking supreme care of us, driving us to the market, giving us walking tours of the grounds, introducing us to all the guards at the gates to ensure our easy passage through the grounds. Lawrence and Jan, We've learned, are total legends in the running world.  Lawrence has run 200 marathons in his time, plus dozens of ultra-marathons.  Just think about that for a minute!  Jan actually WON a double length marathon at the height of her running career.  These two are energetic, adventurous, and so welcoming, we are so grateful to be under their wing.  Did I mention the resident pet goat and 3 Jack Russel Terriors?  Yvonne, the goat, sleeps in a dog bed and butts you with her horns or nibbles your pants for attention.  The dogs, Tiggywinkle, Porchellis, and Beetle, are crazy and cute and so full of personality- plenty of company, as if there wasn't enough.

Yvonne, resident goat who thinks she's a dog.

Tomorrow Matt gives his first big talk, and the kids and I take our first ride on the Gautrain- the very new and beautiful train system that links Jo'burg to neighboring Pretoria.  It will be our first adventure outside the comfort of the school or Lawrence's car... but the National Zoo and it's "Houdini Black Mamba" (thankfully, they eventually found him and locked him back up!) awaits us.

We've been here less than 48 hours and already feel at home, rested, and happy.

Maggie and Ian in front of a female marijuana plant (!!)
on the girls' school grounds.  Maggie is thinking
"did Ian really just put his arm around me for a picture?!"