When we put this trip on the schedule, it didn’t seem like such an epic. We’d be going to South Africa – our first time back together since leaving Lesotho – to do a week of training in one of our old haunts, Bloemfontein. Get a week off the following week to do some traveling in South Africa, probably try and stop by Lesotho to say hello to everyone. Just a couple weeks. Nice and simple.
Well, as they often do, things changed. And next thing we knew, we had both trainings – Rustenberg and Bloemfontein – then our week off, then to Lesotho to cover for a whole week. That would be a month!
Exciting, and somewhat daunting with two little boys. But, still, we’d traveled a lot. This would just be a long one. No big deal.
As the time approached to leave, its seemed daily like a bigger and bigger deal. February comes faster on the heels of Christmas than I appreciated back in the fall when we were making the original plans for this. And Christmas in Africa, as we knew, tends to be a time of relaxation, where not a lot business-wise gets done.
Which is great, when you’re there and get to enjoy it. There’s a sort of black hole from early December to mid-January, where anything not wrapped up at the beginning slides all the way to the end.
And definitely did with getting the Trainings together. Before we knew it it was mid-January, we were leaving in a couple of weeks, and the Trainings were nowhere near ready. I was working mainly with a couple of colleagues in Botswana – Dwight and Ryan – plus my colleague here, Heidi. And we were working hard. Really hard. From getting in touch with our EGPAF sponsors, to finding out for sure if we were really doing the trainings, to realizing how far things had progressed in the field since BIPAI last updated its Advanced trainings.
Wow. A lot of work. And all in just a couple of weeks.
We worked like dogs, and just seemed to get it all together. Not a lot of time for planning on the family end.
It would all fall together, right? A 3 year old, an 8 month old, Lorena and me. A month on the road in South Africa and Lesotho. No problem, right? Just do it!
Well, we did.
And it was amazing.
In the end, it really was 5,000 km. In a white Nissan double cab pick-up truck. Lorena and I up front, Sebas in the back on the right, Oscar on the left.
Those were the positions. From Joburg to Rustenberg. Out to Pilanesberg and crazy fun Sun City. Through rain so hard we could barely see (and keep the truck on the road) and the rolling (and rolling and rolling and rolling) open spaces of the Free State. All around Bloemfontein (and around and around, trying to leave town when our week there was up). Back to Mimosa Mall and the really good Thai food we like there! To the Waterfront, so new and fancy. From Kroonstad to Polokwane without getting out of the truck (ouch – sorry, bum!). To magical Kruger and all up and down that phenomenal place, Sebas on the Seba-hump (or Lorena’s lap or mine..). Three feet from two male lions, crossing the road in front of us. Trapped by elephants and buffalo.
To the end of the road at Pafuri.
Back to Lesotho and wonderful reunion. Clarens, more Free State.
All over and around that beautiful country.
Us and the boys. A month in a truck.
Really incredible. Changed our perspectives on a lot of things, I think. Or maybe just reminded us who we are.
Much to tell. And hope to in the entries that follow.
Mike
3/3/09 (Happy Birthday, Sebastian!)
Well, as they often do, things changed. And next thing we knew, we had both trainings – Rustenberg and Bloemfontein – then our week off, then to Lesotho to cover for a whole week. That would be a month!
Exciting, and somewhat daunting with two little boys. But, still, we’d traveled a lot. This would just be a long one. No big deal.
As the time approached to leave, its seemed daily like a bigger and bigger deal. February comes faster on the heels of Christmas than I appreciated back in the fall when we were making the original plans for this. And Christmas in Africa, as we knew, tends to be a time of relaxation, where not a lot business-wise gets done.
Which is great, when you’re there and get to enjoy it. There’s a sort of black hole from early December to mid-January, where anything not wrapped up at the beginning slides all the way to the end.
And definitely did with getting the Trainings together. Before we knew it it was mid-January, we were leaving in a couple of weeks, and the Trainings were nowhere near ready. I was working mainly with a couple of colleagues in Botswana – Dwight and Ryan – plus my colleague here, Heidi. And we were working hard. Really hard. From getting in touch with our EGPAF sponsors, to finding out for sure if we were really doing the trainings, to realizing how far things had progressed in the field since BIPAI last updated its Advanced trainings.
Wow. A lot of work. And all in just a couple of weeks.
We worked like dogs, and just seemed to get it all together. Not a lot of time for planning on the family end.
It would all fall together, right? A 3 year old, an 8 month old, Lorena and me. A month on the road in South Africa and Lesotho. No problem, right? Just do it!
Well, we did.
And it was amazing.
In the end, it really was 5,000 km. In a white Nissan double cab pick-up truck. Lorena and I up front, Sebas in the back on the right, Oscar on the left.
Those were the positions. From Joburg to Rustenberg. Out to Pilanesberg and crazy fun Sun City. Through rain so hard we could barely see (and keep the truck on the road) and the rolling (and rolling and rolling and rolling) open spaces of the Free State. All around Bloemfontein (and around and around, trying to leave town when our week there was up). Back to Mimosa Mall and the really good Thai food we like there! To the Waterfront, so new and fancy. From Kroonstad to Polokwane without getting out of the truck (ouch – sorry, bum!). To magical Kruger and all up and down that phenomenal place, Sebas on the Seba-hump (or Lorena’s lap or mine..). Three feet from two male lions, crossing the road in front of us. Trapped by elephants and buffalo.
To the end of the road at Pafuri.
Back to Lesotho and wonderful reunion. Clarens, more Free State.
All over and around that beautiful country.
Us and the boys. A month in a truck.
Really incredible. Changed our perspectives on a lot of things, I think. Or maybe just reminded us who we are.
Much to tell. And hope to in the entries that follow.
Mike
3/3/09 (Happy Birthday, Sebastian!)
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