What We've Been Up To

Roger and Merry Ann (Grandpa and Grandma Malcolm) + the Malcolms at Tasha’s

We’ve been running around this corner of the world quite a bit the last few weeks. Brian’s parents, Roger and Merry Ann, came to visit us just after my mom departed for home. We have loved getting to introduce Phindi to everyone and showing them around (for the second time)!

Phindi and Roger on the Cape Wheel

We really enjoyed having Roger and Merry Ann visit because they had come visit last time we were here six years ago. We didn't have to hit the same spots, so we were free to visit some new ones and throw in a few days at home as well.

Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island

One of the really powerful things we did do was visit Robben Island. We tried to go last time we were here, but were unable to make it happen. This time around, we made it work. Not only was it compelling to ride around on the island and hear about the history, but we got to go on a walking tour led by a former political prisoner who had actually been imprisoned on Robben Island!

The entrance to Robben Island prison

It was easily my favorite thing we have done here. Nothing can beat a first hand account of what it was like to live on the island and to be imprisoned for fighting for the freedom of your people. It was incredibly moving.

Dinner without power. Thanks, Load shedding.

Roger and Merry Ann also got to enjoy load shedding a couple of times while they were here. The first time meant we had to quickly cook a roast in the oven before six (when the power outage kicked in). The second time was when the Robben Island excursion took much longer than planned and we got locked out of the house because we didn’t have the right key and the garage wouldn’t open. Once again, load shedding is my nemesis.

My kids, putting up with a photo. (Haha!)

We went to a place called the Giraffe House that has a ton of animals, including—you guessed it—giraffes. The highlight of that trip was when the workers changed the huge branches while we were there and all six of the giraffes came right over to graze on the new leaves. It was so neat to see them all and to be so close to them. They’re one of my favorite animals, so I’m always glad to get to see them.

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

We took a day to drive down the coast of the Cape and visit Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. They have a funicular you can ride up and down the mountain to the top of Cape Point, which is a fun little ride with a great view. We were especially lucky and saw many animals this trip: zebras, baboons (with a baby!), bok (antelope), ostriches, and seals.

Baboons picking at each other. NATURE!

Merry Ann faithfully whisking away.

While the Malcolms were here, it was Brian’s 41st birthday. Hoping to make it feel a little more like home, I asked Merry Ann to pack a box of angel food cake mix, a container of vanilla icing, and her angel food cake pan. She was kind enough to oblige my odd requests and she and I worked together to whisk the angel food cake mix into existence. Whisking was a much more muscle-inducing experience than the usual hand-held mixer experience I have. Thankfully, it came out perfectly and we all enjoyed the cake, especially the birthday guy!

SWAG from Kids Day and from Tisetso’s savings account!

Tisetso and Brian went into Cape Town on a mission to get new shoes. They hit up somewhere around 5 or 6 shoe stores and found Tisetso a sweet new track suit. He had a great time with his dad.

Department of Home Affairs on Friday

Department of Home Affairs on Monday

One last little bit of news before I wrap up this post is that Brian got news that Phindi’s passport had arrived at the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). He waited until his parents had departed for home, then headed into the city on Friday and stood in line for 5.5 hours only to be the first person in line to be turned away at the end of the day and was told to ‘come back on Monday.’ He got up at 4:30 on the following Monday and stood in line from 5:30 onwards. At 12:30, he had her passport in hand! This is huge news! This is the step we were told could take 6-8 weeks and only took 3. We are so thankful.

Brian stopped at Truth Coffee before heading home for a well-deserved nap.

South Africa: Day 3, Pretoria

This morning began with a flurry of excitement. We woke up and headed to a mall (not the one from last night). The mall is huge! Think Mall of America huge, but just a little smaller, and no wasted space with "attractions." We got there just 5 minutes before they opened and scoped out Toys ‘R Us to see what their Lego offerings were (we had a gift to buy after all). Seeing what they had, we headed to Toy Kingdom which boasts the largest selection of Legos in South Africa. Along the way, we found balloons, party bags (or " loot bags"), candles, plates, and napkins with lions on them (just like Roy). At Toy Kingdom, we grabbed two Lego Jr. truck sets and some Hot Wheels cars and helicopters. We also found little bubbles for the loot bags and these crazy awesome water ballon things (100 finished and ready to go in a minute without having to tie anything—magic!). After completing our party list, we grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to visit with T.

Brian driving around in the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road.

When we arrived at the home, we were greeted by a huge hug from T (my heart melted). We brought all of the stuff for the party bags and had T help us stuff them. He did a great job and was very thoughtful in the process. He kept insisting that these bubbles were for his cousins (in America), these chips were for us, and so on. We told him we could buy bubbles for cousins when we got to America. T chose Avenger bubbles for both himself and Roy (it was his birthday today after all). After packing the bags, we played with his cars and Magformers. After a short stint with those toys, we busted out a dinosaur coloring and activity book and read some of the new books we had brought with us. T sat on Brian’s lap while I read the books.

While we were eating lunch, one of the orphanage volunteers and her daughters (who have been helping there for 6 years), told us about the Tooth Fairy at the home. Apparently this volunteer “extracts” the loose teeth, then the Tooth Fairy comes and leaves 5 Rand. The child is then allowed to go to a corner shop down the street with one of the Aunties and get a sweet. (We’ve seen so many instances of the workers trying to make life special for these kids, and working in special one-on-one interactions where possible.)

After lunch, T got to open his gift from us. It was a fun moment to watch. T and Brian took the cars/helicopters and Legos out and got to building. I headed outside to set up for the party. While playing, Brian observed that T was very intent on putting pieces together and loved working with the trucks and using the Lego broom to sweep up the little Legos. 

The party in its humble glory.

When we were ready for the party, we had T come out. We put a ‘7’ candle in his cupcake and attempted to light it (it was very windy). After Brian basically burned his hands off, we got it lit for a grand total of one second. After several more attempts, T got to blow out his candle and had a round of “Happy Birthday” sung. We passed out the green cupcakes with an orange blob in the middle and let the chaos and sugar high begin. There was cupcake everywhere. Ants were quickly on the scene for cleanup. Roy now has a little green on his snout where T shared some of his cupcake (adorable) and an orange smell from the juice he drank (sticky). 

A boy and his Roy.

After cupcakes and juice, we set the kids loose to have a water balloon fight. I thought it was going to be chaos, but it was fairly tame, all things considered. Most of the kids threw the balloons at the brick wall. Others pinched holes in theirs and squirted others. It was a good time. When all of the balloons were finished, T handed out the party bags and they all downed some more sugar. Surprisingly to Brian and I, the potato chips were a HUGE hit (we thought it a weird request from T). Most kids went straight to the chips and then the sugar. After the party was over, T, Brian, and I went back in to clean up. We said goodbye to our boy with a big hug and plans to go out on our first family outing tomorrow - getting one of T’s favorite foods, pizza for lunch (apparently KFC is a close second).

Today we saw a few instances of our son’s kindness. He has a tender heart that is really turned towards others. One example was when a girl’s balloon bounced off the wall and flew back into the crowd of kids, T was the first to it. Instead of throwing it himself, he handed it back to the distraught girl. We were told by one of the volunteers, who has known T for 6 years, that he used money he had saved up to buy a chocolate bar. He then proceeded to break it up into pieces and shared with many of the kids and workers. 

I honestly cannot believe we’ve only known this child two days. Obviously we still have much to learn about each other, but it feels so natural. Grace upon grace.