Welcome to your Blog - perhaps you should have read the directions!

Ok, I owe all of you whom have sent in comments, a heartfelt apology. Both Jeff and I have been commenting on how few comments we have received (oops, I had that setting shut off). It was very exciting just a few minutes ago when I discovered all the your comments. Thanks for participating and please keep the comments coming!

The Worm

We've been in SA now for 5 months - we've had colds, a possible case of pig flu, and mild case of the itchies but we've finally made it into the big time..... Teddy has a worm in his foot! We were at a friend's house and the kids were running in the yard barefoot and a few days later Teddy had a major case of itchy foot - which turned into a funky looking rash on his foot - thank goodness for Jeff - he was able and actually administered medicine and Teddy is on the mend. A funny thing about that party is another family with 2 boys was also there and the mom ever so nonchalantly announced ," Niko has lice, i treated it right before I came so hopefully I got it all." I look over to locate my 3 immediately, only to see Anna (who has not bonded with any children at these parties) is HEAD to HEAD with this boy in the hammock! Thankfully no lice found on any of my chilldren but we all scratch our heads each time we say hello to that MOM. (fortunately she has a good sense of humor)

Thanksgiving African Style

On Thanksgiving day we headed to a reserve about 1.5 hours from out house. After lots of pot holes and unpaved roads we arrived at yet another beautiful game reserve. This one only had 6 rooms/huts and we were lucky enough to have the entire place to ourselves for the first 2 nights!
The people at the hotel were so incredibly kind they even made a Thanksgiving dinner for us - complete with homemade apple crisp - all served outside next to a beautiful bonfire.
The kids and I are getting a bit jaded with the safaris - hmmm another rhino... another giraffe.... oh, look a wildebeest. Henry has begun to take a book along and we have to nudge when we have an animal sighting, Anna now brings a coloring book, Teddy always the enthusiast is continuing to be the star and sits up front with the bush guide armed with his binoculars and an endless smile! As all of us climbed into the jeep for our afternoon ride hoping for a leopard sighting we were pleasantly surprised when we got to the waterhole and made a sudden stop - there was an African python (about 4 feet long) just shy of the tires of our car. We stopped checked it out and noticed a couple pairs of eyes swimming close to the edge of the watering hole. No, it wasn't the rhinos but it was 5 crocodiles looking for a snack! We were lucky enough to have front row seats to snack time for the crocs! After the kill which was sudden, fierce and a bit scary - Henry and Teddy were a bit quiet (perhaps processing what they just witnessed) but Anna exclaimed," that was cool can we see that again!" Quite a proud moment for Jeff and I, we are not raising a wimpy girl. The photos below show the kill as best as I could capture. They moved incredibly fast and my reflexes are not what they used to be.

Cutting edge news

After more than 200 years when King Shaka stopped the circumcision of young men to allow them to prepare for battle faster, the current King of the Zulus Goodwill Zwelithini is recommending that young men get circumcised.

Male circumcision has been convincingly demonstrated to reduce the risk of HIV infection by 60%. It seems that the extra piece of skin, the foreskin, is uniquely susceptible to HIV and doesn't allow the skin underneath to thicken and form a natural barrier against viral infections. Uncircumcised men are at greater risk of many viral infections like HIV, herpes and human papilloma virus (HPV), the cause of penile cancer and cervical cancer in women. As a consequence, female partners of circumcised men are at much lower risk for cervical cancer than partners of uncircumcised men.

It appears that Abraham was right.

Additionally, newly circumcised men say the sex is better, they last longer and sex partners like their newly cut men better. It's all good and that's why young boys are lying about their age to get circumcised (you have to be 15).

Look for major efforts to increase male circumcision here but continued controversy in the US as public health officials there waffle and succumb to the hysteria of the 'no circ' crowd, called 'intactivists,' and individualists seek to protect newborn rights at the expense of the larger community's health.

Today was the International Parade at Henry, Teddy and Anna's school. It was pretty amazing. 69 Countries were represented, the olympic anthem played while the students walked with their flags. It made me feel that these children are really doing something special that will hopefully enable them to lead this world to more peaceful ways. It was inspiring to see all these kids from all over the world holding hands, having fun.... there is hope. I can't think of a better way to have started out our Thanksgiving holiday. We wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving. LOVE HUGS and PEACE.

Happy Birthday, the forcast is unseasonably FREEZING!

We are in Africa and its supposed to be Africa HOT! We have been very hot here, so hot that I didn't even plan a Plan B for Anna's outdoor wet and wild extravaganza birthday party. We were all so excited, finally we can have a pool party and not have to handout wetsuits! The weather started turning 4 days prior to the party but I thought it was just a cold front passing quickly through. (ok, kind of a delusion on my part how would i know the speed it was passing!) Anyhow, the weather seemed to grow darker and colder as the week progressed that by Friday I knew a wet and wild party was a pipe dream turning quickly into a party throwing mom nightmare. Picture a large house of cards meeting a hurricane and you have a remote picture of my Friday. I scrambled to undo the party and redo an indoor rain friendly soiree. Have no fear I dug deep found my zen spot and got busy........
The jumpy castle fit in our covered patio along with the hotdog cart and Giggles the Clown was able to squeeze us in to close the party down. Anna had a terrific time and no one even noticed that the weather wasn't great. Note to self, always have a plan B!

Its Been a While

I'll start with the sad and move to the good....
Jeff's Mom passed away suddenly and unexpectedly 2 weeks ago. Fortunately Jeff was able to be by her side and the kids and I were able to get to NJ for the funeral. It was a long very sad 2 weeks. To lighten up the trip we broke the return up and spent 36 hours in Paris. Just long enough to climb the Eiffel Tower, take a boat ride on the Seine, eat some amazing bread and cheese, and to confirm my feelings about the friendly Parisians.

We arrived back in SA to one of the busiest weeks I have had since arriving. Teddy phoned me from school on Tuesday to inform me he was going to be Atmosphere in a school play on Wednesday and needed a costume. Atmosphere, WTF? I quickly grabbed a white tee shirt, double stick tape, and a foam filled pillow! I am very grateful that Teddy is such a happy go lucky child.

Halloween was Friday and Henry finally decided on Tuesday he would go as a girl. After taking him to the local Woolworths, we found a holiday dress that was perfect. He won most funny costume! Anna went as a cupcake and Teddy as Willy Wonka. Trick or Treating was a total different gig - all the offices in the Embassy decorate and the kids go from office to office and collect their loot. Kind of like NYC kids but only one building! Anna said that is was ok but she preferred San Francisco Halloween. My other husband and his family had a Halloween party at their house which was a lot of fun, tons of decorations, flashlight tag , spooky movies, and a South African neighbor stopped by with her kids in costume to see what this was all about. Of course my husband tried to give all 3 kids eggs and tell them it is also a tradition to egg the house. Fortunately my MOH intervened. Some things never change!




Anna and Teddy have decided to follow in my footsteps and have begun horseback riding lessons. Anna was petrified but by the end of the lesson she was riding without saddle (apparently a good balance exercise) and was all smiles. Teddy got right into it and thinks this might be his "sport".





Prior to all of the above we took a family vacation to Cape Town. What a fabulous spot. We stayed in an amazing hotel that actually had a candy bar each day starting at 2:00. (candy apples, homemade marshmallows, bowls of smarties, cookies, smores, brownies....) The kids weren't really into it but I was. We at a ton of seafood stayed out late and walked around without much concern and just felt one of the many layers of fear/paranoia strip away. I have already told Jeff that we will be on the Cape Town every 6 week plan.

Death of The White Rhino

To insure a smooth in-country arrival, we purchased an AWD XC Volvo wagon from a departing US Diplomat. It was an easy buy, she dropped the price every day we waited (she was in a hurry to leave) and the US Embassy handled all the paperwork because they like to facilitate car purchases between coming and going "dips." Just to make sure, we had the car "cleared" by a local mechanic who had worked on it over the years and confirmed "It was in good condition, Sir."
The car was clean, white, solid-appearing and strong. We dubbed it the "White Rhino."
Since arrival the Rhino has had some glitches like most of the other products bought in country--we're on our second dishwasher which mysteriously stopped working after a month, many of the electronics have ill-fitted cords or pieces of plastic that pop off and phones operate for a while then magically die in the middle of the night. After multiple rental cars and trips back and forth to the mechanic, the Rhino was "cleared for service" and we hit the road. Not to be too ambitious we headed out to a to a rhino/lion reserve (a 45 minute drive) for Saturday in the Park. While slowing gazing at a herd of impalas and zebra with the scattered ostrich meandering through, the car's transmission slipped. Slipped again. And slipped a third time to ultimately remain out of gear. With some coaxing, we were able to revive it for its final 1000 yards which got us to a safer and shady spot next to a braii (bbq) where it breathed it's final breath. We were safe , we were relieved, we were pissed! After waiting 3 hours for AAA (they have one in SA) we were greeted by a huge tow truck with enough seating for a the driver and one medium-sized passenger.
The AAA guy could not understand why "they" sent this truck and proposed that he call the "family" tow truck which has additional seating- "probably take another hour" (translation - they will show up tomorrow). So we decided to grab the escape while it was available and go local. All 5 of us plus the driver in the front driving out of the reserve onto the great South African highways no seatbelts, no AC, all 3 kids on our laps. I found my zen place until I noticed driving next to us was a truck with about 4 guys in the outside part sitting on very comfortable looking chairs, with the breeze blowing on them, now that is going local!
If I don't answer your calls or emails this week I am busy car shopping.

"Snow day" in Pretoria

Closure of Facilities

Closure of US Government Facilities

Based on information recently received by the Regional Security Office, all US Government facilities in South Africa will be closed on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.

Our current assumption is that all US Government facilities will be open on Wednesday, September 23, 2009.

We aren't in San Francisco anymore!

The other evening when we were talking about our days, Anna mentioned a "duck and cover" drill that they had at school. I rather naively thought that it was similar to the earth quake drills in SF. But as the discussion progressed, this was not duck, duck, goose.

Henry shouted out," Oh yeah, we all had to do it, I always go for the 2nd shelf in the closet behind the paint cans so I won't get shot first." Hmmm I thought what kind of drill is this? Anna and Teddy both agreed with Henry they all had to hide in a closet in the classroom and be very quiet while the teacher locks the door and some other administrator walks around the hallways checking the rooms to make sure the doors are locked and that the children are out of sight.

On a more fun note, this week-end we drove to a public park about 10 minutes from our house. We were going to all rent bikes but they didn't have the proper size for Anna so we opted for an hour long horse back ride. As we were riding we saw zebras, w(v)ildebeest, and giraffes. Pretty amazing!

Today, as the kids were moaning about the late arrival to school this morning, Anna piped up," I saw 2 baby giraffes on the side of the road!" We aren't in SF anymore!

Keys Keys and more Keys

We have over 100 keys floating around our house. Each glass door has 2 (1 for the door, 1 for the gate), each closet door has 1, each door has one. So it was only a matter of time before we got locked out or in.......
Each night before we go to bed we lock ourselves in our safe haven. This used to be a bit creepy, now it is normal - how bizarre! Jeff's job each morning is to disarm the alarm, unlock the safe haven and basically make enough noise to wake us all up. Sunday morning he did just that but when he reached for the safe haven key (all our our keys are stuck on the wall next the the locks so we won't lose them and don't have to carry them around) no key to be found. Turns out the safe haven key was downstairs. So now, the entire family is locked in upstairs - no food, no key. I did have one *Cadbury flake bar hidden in my bed side table but I was thinking how was I going to sneak it without anyone else noticing. We called the housekeeper who lives downstairs but she was already at church. We then went out onto the balcony and called Timothy, our gardener and woke him up. He was able to come in find the key and save the day. How funny would that phone call to Post1 (the Marines) to come unlock us.

I've included photos of the house. I tried to get Teddy to do a walking video tour but he wasn't into it. I will keep trying.

*Cadbury flake bars are incredibly yummy and so messy it almost takes all the pleasure out. A couple of days ago I made the mistake of eating one while in bed. Our bed is white - HUGE mess and no denying what I had been snacking on! If you haven't had one they are available at the candy store on Chestnut Street. But, my new favorite candy is the breakfast bar - such a funny name considering it is chocolate, peanut, caramel, wafer bar that is just delightful. The radio commercials are hilarious, very suggestive about nuts in the mouth!

Our First Family Safari

Last weekend we drove 4 hours to the Botswana border to the Tau Game Reserve. The reserve is the size of San Francisco and we were lucky enough to see 4 out of the big 5 - (for all of you safari virgins the big 5 are..... rhino,lion,elephant,water buffalo, and leopard) We didn't see a leopard and I still don't see the big deal with the water buffalo but who am I to question animal seniority! The hotel was fabulous, the kids had one cottage and we had another. Each room had the mosquito netting over the beds, heated sheets ( a brilliant concept that I will use once we return to SF, heated blankets underneath your fitted sheet), and each of the rooms has a deck that is about 5 feet from a watering hole. We had daily visits from herds of elephants, lions, impalas....
We were woken up each day by Ranger Gerard at 6:00 am and would slam a cup of coffee and pile into an open truck and start tracking animals. It was freezing in the mornings but luckily the trucks have blankets. By the last day I got smart and actually wore my PJ bottoms - I am not sure why it took me that long to figure that one out. Why not be comfortable? The kids and Jeff weren't so impressed with what I though was pure genius! Once, the morning drive was over we would have a nice breakfast and had the remainder of the afternoon off. At 4:00 it was cocktails and back into the truck for the evening drive. We were lucky enough to see a den of lions post kill - which was thrilling to Jeff and nauseating to me. You could actually hear the lions chewing off pieces of the animal (dead of course). Jeff at one point dropped his socks (don't ask) and the Ranger had to jump out of the truck and have another Ranger cover for him. It's kind of wild because you can't really appreciate the danger of it all but we were only a couple feet from this den. We were also confronted by a young male elephant that wouldn't let us drive by. We had a stand off for about 10 intense minutes where we had to be very quite. Fortunately we were in very good hands with the armed Ranger and all was fine. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

I heard your complaints.......

Ok ok, I hear you loud and clear, I am not updating enough! Well, to be perfectly honest with all of you I didn't think you would be interested in the day to day struggles of lock down at the embassy, renting a car, getting your pool running, fixing the alarm system so it doesn't randomly go off, and of course getting the car that we purchased prior to arriving out of the shop! So here it is and please hold your yawns!
Lock Down at the Embassy, WTF? I went to the Embassy for an hour meeting as I was going to leave I noticed that the friendly Marines that usually manage the door are dressed in full combat uniform with large guns. I was a bit startled but kept on moving... As I went to open the door Marine says, "sorry mam we are in lock down". I should have noticed something was up, the area by the door was pretty crowded with annoyed looking civilians and the Head Honcho of US Security was in the bullet proof glass enclosed room in the front but again who knows - this could just be another day in SA. But no, this was not a normal day - the South African Military went on strike and the SA Police demanded that they go back to work - Military said no and set garbage cans on fired so Police shot rubber bullets at them. We are all in the Embassy which is a Huge concrete fort so one is oblivious to anything going on in the outside world. So, we couldn't hear see smell that anything was up. It was about 1 1/2 miles away but they wouldn't let any of us out. So, 3 hours in lockdown - no bar, no internet, bad cafeteria coffee.... When we were finally released there wasn't one bit of gratitude we were all disgruntled Americans jacked up on bad coffee!
Renting a car in South Africa. No one here ever says no it can't happen until you have been on the phone for at least 3 different conversations.... I need a car that is automatic not because I can't drive a stick. (yes, Cathy if you are reading I know the clutch will never be the same but I can do it) But, I cannot drive a stick lefty. My brain is just not that sharp. So, after MANY conversations with Avis and many hours of waiting around the car arrives at the gilded cage only to be stick shift. I of course send the man and the car back to their mother ship. I go back to square one and try Hertz they originally have nothing but after 4 more phone calls a BMW becomes available - so we take it. I jump immediately into the car (I have been home for 4 days figuring this out) and go for a spin and to the local grocery store. The car is fast and sporty and I am driving slow and grandmotherly like. The cars behind me don't realize that I don't really know how to drive this car properly, ie fast and I don't have my Diplomat license plates to hide behind so the drivers are honking at me - a bit unnerving to say the least! I did make it to Woolworths (our WholeFoods) and get the family some milk!
As far as the other above items, I won't bore you with the dirty details but things are slowly slowly getting fixed.
The UAB shipment (unaccompanied air baggage) showed up yesterday. Huge deal for the kids because I forgot to pack any of the boys toys in our 18 suitcases so they haven't had much to play with. I am happy to report that MOH, Dave took me to the Home Depot store here and we (he) built shelves and the play room is up and running. 3 very happy children!

Wow, I actually took that photo with my cell phone and posted it on the Internet. That's one of the best HIV prevention and care clinics in Jo'burg. Pregnant women, about 1000 deliveries there a month, can get a free HIV test and treatment to prevent the spread of HIV to their babies. About 30% of pregnant women are HIV-infected and with treatment, 1 in 20 will have an HIV-infected baby. Without treatment it's 1 in 5. Treating the pregnant mother will a full course of HIV treatment would reduce the risk of spreading HIV to the baby even lower. That's all called Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission. Just one of the areas I am responsible for. My Branch budget is about 150M a year to cover the public sector costs of preventing and treating HIV in babies, mothers and adults. Tomorrw the new US Ambassador to South Africa will come by the office for a briefing--Tammy would have an earful--but we'll just talk shop. Today was a good day for the homefront, some new beds, freezers, patio furniture but the car is in the shop. I bike back and forth to work. It's a great ride.

This weekend we went to the National Botanical Gardens for a jazz concert. Better than Tanglewood, less crowded and very cheap cold beer and wine. The SA wine is indeed amazing and all delicious and about 5 US a bottle. The kids had fun as there was a waterfall there and no real rules about where to climb...or not.

Our Vonage phone is working, so you can call us at 415-933-6263. Best time is between 10 am and 2 pm NY time.

All the best,

Jeff

A Day In the Life......

The kids get picked up at 6:40 a.m. each morning. So we begin our day at 6:00 a.m. which means I want to go to bed at 7:00 p.m. I am not so concerned with going out in the evening, since I can barely keep my eyes open through dinner. Somehow the kids are not having this problem at all. It's good to be young! Henry has jumped right into school, already running for class representative - Teddy hooked up with a boy from Long Beach and Anna is learning the politics of the kindergarten playground.

While the kids are at school for 12 hours I have had plenty of time to spend with my new BFF - the GPS. It tells me where to go, doesn't yell at me when I make an incorrect turn and never ever loses patience with me. I love her. I also am happy to report that Jeff was lucky to have an extra wife or 2 back in SF thanks to Cathy and Stacey but here the tides have taken a turn and I am proud to say I have a 2nd husband. Our friend Dave, who likes to be referred to as an International Man of Leisure (IMoL) has taken the lead role in car management, security issues, and helping me find a tennis pro.

We are in the process of planning our first long weekend away - The Tau Game Lodge near Botswana (about a 4 hour drive). We are looking forward to it.

Missing all of you from our Gilded Cage XOXO

Jeff chime's in...ding, ding

Wednesday mid-day, Pretoria, South Africa, 72 degrees, brilliant sunshine (wintertime).
After a 6:41 am departure from our new home this morning to get the kids to their brand spanking new school www.aisj-jhb.com, we drove back, right-hand drive 2001 white Volvo XC 70 2.4T, to the house. Only pictures can do the house justice--5 br, 6ba. outdoor fpl. fml dr, eik, study, pool and 10-12 foot high 10,000 volt fences. One touch to the fence will bounce an adult about 20' or kill a small dog (ie, child).
Tammy (the real blogger) has been doing an amazing job keeping her head on straight and mouth shut. Today I sent her out with an international man of leisure to get some communication equipment and have a nice lunch. We'll see how lunch went. Jet lag has been a bit of a bore. Waking up at 1 am, feeling refreshed after 4 hours of sleep. Too bad Anna feels the same. We've been "medicating" her itchiness with benadryl which seems to help, quite a bit.
Got to go. Stay in touch!

Jeff

The Dress Rehersal!

Today, 3 of my girl friends came over to help keep me sane and fed. After a fabulous few hours of literally eating all over the city we returned back to 64 Parker for the final pack up.
My good friend Stacey called Delta to re-confirm baggage specifications only to find out that we actually were allowed 70 lbs not 50. So after being over the top meticulous regarding these stipulations I actually had 300 more pounds to add. After running around the house shoving pillows, the few lonely stuffed animals, etc. into 5 of the 18 suitcases I decided enough is enough!
We were also told that we could check the baggage in 24 hours prior to departure (a bit suspicious, but Jeff and I aren't working with a full deck right now) so we packed the kids into the car. Cathy and Stacey drove the truck behind us and we took off to SFO. I went in to the airport to find a skycap while the 3 other adults unloaded, (yes unloaded) all 18 suitcases, approx. 980 lbs of luggage to be told that we were misinformed. So you see folks, we actually had a dress rehersal!