With a right calf that's inches smaller in diameter than the opposing leg, I'm balancing life fairly well. My poor little swollen ankle has given me 5 weeks respite from steering a car and from enjoying the outdoors of winter (be that healthy or not).
Meanwhile, with my Moon Boot on, my electric blue crutch in hand and a steady limp, I'm taking Viljoenskroon on! I am here. O.F.F.I.C.I.A.L.L.Y. I even have a PO Box registered in my name if that makes my experience more legit.
I have been relatively subdued and quiet since my landfall with twisted ankle and mother earth and my departure from KZN. Please excuse my blogger absence as the amount of downtime I've been given delivers no excuse except TOO much time to sort out my head. Weeks spent in friends Christa and Ardine's flat gave me a private room, a stellar 12 Apostles view, a hot pink duvet, a smelly barley bed warmer, a daily dose of good bathing in a tub, and many shoulders on which to cry about my confused head and heart. Sigh. Grey areas have never been my thing and it seems I'm in a relationship fog right now.
Alas, my life has rotated 197 degrees, or so, and now I'm in the Free State. With cousin Robyn to drive my sturdy Twinkie stick-shift, we mastered 60 km/hr uphill and managed to even hit the speed limit of 120 when on even territory. That car has never been so well-stroked or loved in all its days and after 14 hours of N1 travails, we made it to my new dorpie (little town).
Alice (Oumaki) and Papi Lekgetho have opened their home and arms for me, gracing me with generosity. They are two of the most dedicated government school teachers I have witnessed in SA, working late hours, and on Saturdays and Sundays to refine the education of their learners. On top of that, they haven't let me lift a finger because of my sprain. Papi brought me breakfast in bed on Sunday and today he washed Twinkie to a brilliant, pearly glean. Alice cooks great dinners of meat and pap every night. I look forward to regaining my mobility and the ability to stand for long periods so I can repay their kindness with some of my own tasty treats.
As my move to Viljoenskroon launched the start of my new job with Dramatic Need, I have struggled a bit with not having access to a driver. I spent the last several days house bound, but managed to get out today to liaise with the local schools. It is exciting to get back out onto the open road and to this part of the country that opened my eyes to the devastating issues rural South Africans face.
Last week I met with the contractor, a tubby grand-pop Afrikaaner named Wessel. He immediately welcomed me into my project management role and I look forward to seeing how my work with him unfolds. At the time, I stood amongst four men loaded with surveying equipment, all speaking in Afrikaans and what also seemed like a foreign language - french drains! Basically, where to run the pipes and to store the septic tanks for the sewage systems. Oh boy, am I in for it! Just imagine, little crippled Shan, being followed around by gents who are so well-mannered they let me set the pace. And then they look to me for my opinions and suggestions! Strange and fascinating. I feel incredibly short and petite against my Afrikaaner male colleagues, as well.
With a new job that means wearing many different hats, I really am enjoying what I'm up to. Even the admin. I think it's time I face the fact that when it comes to calendars - I am anal-retentive; when it comes to filing my documents - incredibly perfectionist; and when it comes to color-coordinating my closet ridiculously organized, all to the extent that I should LOVE these parts of myself. In the embrace, I manage to be quite productive and surprisingly flexible in what I'm capable of. So let's see if I can't take the white glove test to that of construction...bombs away!
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Oh, and by the way, this is my 101st posting! It's very interesting that my last post, which is a reflection on the seeds of my trip to South Africa, was my 100th posting in my 1 year and 11 months here.
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