Learning to golf, or at least act like I know what I'm doing

Going from a life of working part time, cleaning my own home, house projects and yard work to cutting out all of those upon moving to Africa, it was time to pick up a hobby.  Since we live on a golf course I figured that would be a good sport to learn and if I liked it I could do it for the rest of my life.  A few of my friends in Africa and I joined the women's clinic on Thursday mornings for an hour taught by one of the golf pros.  For a whopping $5 for an hour long session 2-6 of us get a lesson in how to play.  After 4 lessons using my friend's clubs I decided to get my own as I was really enjoying the game.

In October I tried my hand at 9 holes costing $11, and if I wanted to play 18 that would be just a dollar a hole.  My first game went well with 4 bogeys out of 9.  Of course every game after that has not gone as well, but I am determined to stick to it, even with a belly growing in the way.  At times it feels as though I am just playing one massive game of croquet but I try not to be embarrassed and carry on.  I have been able to play a game once a week so I am getting my practice in and some exercise if nothing else.  I have a cart to pull my clubs but may get a caddy someday as they are only $8 and I can use the extra advise.

Golfing with my friend Martha

It has been nice to go to the golf course on Sundays as a family to hit some balls on the driving range.  I bought Adalyn her own iron, though playing in the sand pit and taking the flags from the putting green is more amusing to her.  You can't beat a large bucket of balls for only $4 which provides an afternoon of entertainment.  Plus our friends and their kids also play, so it has been a nice activity to do as a group.

Adalyn says, "I'll be taking this flag". 

Mark of course, working 50 hours per week, only has time on the weekends to golf which is usually booked up with adventures to visit animals and the like.  He has been able to fit in private lessons on Sunday with the golf pro for an hour so at least he gets to work on his game.  I look forward to playing with him someday and figuring out how to tote the baby on the course so I don't miss out.  Might as well start #2 young.      

My African pregnancy

Deciding to have a baby in Africa was not a difficult decision.  There are plenty of Black and Veatch women over here who have done it and without problems.  Prior to arriving in South Africa I had spoken with a friend who had been here for 3 years about medical care, her OB/GYN and obtaining the necessary documents after the baby is born to get back into the US.  Mark and I were not going to put expanding our family on hold just because we were moving to Africa.  I mean people have babies everywhere and since the medical care is good here, we decided to give it a try ourselves.  It's not like Adalyn's delivery was the most smooth sailing birth experience so at least I know what I am capable to enduring.

After arriving in South Africa in June I had set up an appointment with an OB/GYN in July to get a relationship established and make sure all was well.  I really enjoyed our appointment, she was very nice, good bed side manner, explained things well and I felt comfortable seeing her.  And since she is recommended by the US Embassy and several Black and Veatch ladies have gone to her, I felt that she would be a good fit for me.  It was not much more than a month later that I ended up seeing her again cause I was pregnant.

After taking several home pregnancy tests because the pharmacy brand ones never picked up my HCG levels, I finally got a positive one.  I called the office and they scheduled labs to be drawn 2 days apart to make sure all my levels were rising and doubling as they should.  Then 2 weeks later I went in for my first OB appointment.  My doctor does not share her practice with any other doctor so it is just her and the receptionist.  In fact, there are no nurses or nurses aids.  When I check in, the front desk gal does quite a bit from the usual paperwork to bringing me back to the doctor's office, weighing me and getting me set for the appointment.  The doctor then comes in and checks my blood pressure and temp and goes over how I have been feeling.

At every OB appointment I have had an ultrasound.  I mean why bother just hearing your baby's heart beat when you can hear and see it at every visit.  It is nice to have quite the collection of pictures of my baby and seeing him or her on the screen is reassuring that things are progressing nicely.  The pictures seem to be similar quality to those I have of Adalyn and all the equipment looks like what I remembered in the US.  After the ultrasounds are done, I go into her office to chat and go over things before the next appointment.

Appointments in the US seemed to be on a regular schedule where I would see my doctor every 4 weeks in the beginning, then every 2 and finally every week towards the end of my pregnancy.  Well here I have had a slue of appoints and they never have any regularity.  I saw my doctor here at 6 weeks, then again at 8 weeks, at 13 weeks and at 17 weeks.  In the middle of that at 12 weeks I also was referred to another OB to get a more detailed ultrasound to check for Down's Syndrome.

At 10 weeks I had lab work drawn for a Down Syndrome screening.  I remember in the states being offered genetic testing but here it is not an option, you are just sent and that is that.  So off Mark and I went to another hospital to see another OB to have this pregnancy screened.  After discussing our medical history with the 2nd doctor we were then asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby even before the ultrasound started.  The doctor said that they will disclose the sex of the baby at 12 weeks here and everyone usually knows what they are having by 16 weeks.  Since we did not find out the sex of Adalyn and loved that experience we wanted to do it again.

Everything looked great on the ultrasound which was a clearer picture than at my doctor's office and my lab work came back fine.  I told the doctor if Americans knew they could find out the sex of their baby at 12 weeks I bet they would be paying to fly here just for that since most have to wait until 20 weeks in the US, and for some it is a long wait.  So for now we do not know if our baby is a boy or a girl and with every ultrasound it is tempting to look but we will hold out.  I have to tell my OB at each appointment to not let it slip since we see the baby each time and I don't want her to forget.

I have been very pleased with my OB and my appointments.  I have asked some pretty bizarre questions about labor and delivery, immunizations, safety, etc...but I don't know what to expect or what would be different so I just ask about everything I can think of.  Things are done differently in South Africa and I want to be aware of what I am getting into.  Like the fact that over 70 percent of births are via c-section here compared to around 25 percent in the US.  I did not have a c-section with Adalyn and don't want one this time around unless medically necessary but they seem c-section happy here so we will see.

I have had no issues with my insurance paying for all these things, including an ultrasound at every appointment.  Maybe since it is only a $77 charge for the appointment, the ultrasound and a urine screen is why.  Either way, I am happy to have found good medical care once again in South Africa and enjoying the different experience with baby #2.

 

Snakes and as always in Africa, a few lions too.

Traveling to the Hartbeespoort Dam Snake and Animal Park is not something I would normally look forward to as snakes are not my favorite but a departure from the normal animal scene was nice.  Although I have realized that no matter what type of attraction you are going to in South Africa, there are always the staples of lions, tigers, etc...  Luckily Mark is up for anything so the enclosures where giant spiders, lizards and snakes that made my skin crawl were, I had him lead the way to tell me if I should look in the particular glass enclosure or not.

We enjoyed a scenic drive by the dam and through a one way tunnel to reach the Hartbeespoort Dam park.
This attraction was the most like one we would see in the US and since it was on a hillside the paths wondering through the park made it more interesting.

Upon entering we saw a nice variety of turtles, crocodiles, chimps and meerkats before you reached the snakes.  Most of the animals were in enclosures or water area below eye level so Adalyn got a nice view from Mark's arms.

The chimps were very vocal and they were being fed while we were there, which was quite interesting to see.  The animal keeper had a bucket with a long spoon full of some maize type meal which he would spoon feed through the fence to the chimps.  The chimps would be communicating with each other and ones would get out of the way for the others like they had worked out a plan of sorts.  It was cute to see the little ones squeeze their way in between the bigger ones.

After viewing some of the animals we made our way up into the snake enclosures.  When they said they had a large selection of snakes they were not kidding.  Snakes mixed with lizards and some spiders all in a dark enclosure made me a little squeamish but I tried to act calm so Adalyn would not be scared.  I know the snakes are not going to come through the glass but just the sight of them slithering along is enough.

We were even able to see an albino cobra which the park states they have the only one in the world.

Right under the big log in the back behind the green plant

Each snake had a nice information board next to it's enclosure telling you where they are located, how poisonous they are and other interesting facts. After making our way through the next area they had listed as "Giant Snakes" we headed into another part of the park where the wild animals were housed.

A large cage of vultures met us at the entrance followed by a couple lions, tigers, hyenas, African dogs, and different types of monkeys.

 They even had a large group of giant turtles next to the water.

We were able to get a family photo which does not happen often, but then neither does getting Adalyn to look at the camera.

Next we passed by the seals and otters who were playing around in the water so no good shots were captured.  I was pretty surprised to see brown bears as I have yet to see any bears in all of our animal adventures.

 With no options for animal interactions it felt the most like a US zoo but kept our attention very well.

It took about 1.5 hours to see all the animals and then we went on a ferry boat ride.  The dam is quite beautiful lined with hills and homes nestled in between.  The 30 ride was relaxing and made me feel like I was back home in MO at the Lake of the Ozarks perhaps.  Adalyn enjoyed the boat ride and was up for taking some pics so we got a couple.

It was a fun morning and the area is a large tourist attraction so we were able to eat some lunch and do a little shopping before heading back home.  I look forward to visiting the dam again, maybe renting a house for a long weekend as it is only an hour away.