Our little African fish

Prior to our arrival in South Africa we enrolled Adalyn in swim lessons as she has no fear of water and I figured we would have a pool at our house, so I thought lessons were in order.  We attended an 4 week session where we went two times per week to a local community center in KC for group lessons.  Adalyn enjoyed the experience, but I did not think the instructors were very thorough nor paid good attention.  Mark or I would be in the pool with Adalyn and of course she did not want to follow our instruction the entire 45 minutes.  We left the states with little faith in her new swimming abilities and hoped to find something better in South Africa.

Two months after moving here, we enrolled Adalyn in swim lessons and she took off.  I was skeptical that the 20 minute swim lesson that she would share with another 3 year old and an instructor would accomplish much in that time frame, but I have been proven wrong.  Once a week we venture about 10 minutes down the highway to an indoor heated pool that has graduated levels in the pool to help teach different aspects.  Adalyn jumped right in and of course listens much better to her instructor than her parents.

Adalyn also loves swimming with her friend, Mika, who does not speak any English but that does not hinder their playing.  I was not knowledgeable in what Adalyn should be learning, other than how to swim, but the instructor's ability to teach her new aspects each week amazes me.  She has learned to float by herself on her back, then turn over and swim, and turn back over and float.  She knows how to properly get out of the pool by herself and also how to get to the edge if she falls in.  Adalyn will dive 3 feet below to get objects, no goggles needed, and can swim unassisted for about 6 feet.  She has learned how to breath properly, something I still can't seem to figure out for myself.  Her instructor has just started showing Adalyn how to dive into the pool and it's too cute.

In a 20 minute time frame, they get a lot accomplished, Adalyn has fun and I am very pleased with her progress.  Now if I can just get her to do all the same learning aspects at home instead of wanting us to carry her around the pool.  She still does not have a fear of water, and it scares me that she knows how to take off our pool net all by herself, so a pool alarm is in our future.  I greatly enjoy watching her at lessons and it is nice how comfortable she is in the water.

I attempted to upload 2 videos but between my iphone and the blogging site, they won't go through so you can just picture my African fish in your head.

When the ambulance does not come.

I want to share an experience my domestic worker, Joyce, had as I found it eye opening as to the hardships many people face here in South Africa.

A few weeks ago, Joyce's neighbor from Zimbabwe was chasing after her 3 year old boy who then ran into the street and was struck by a car.  The government ambulance was called as well as the police but neither showed up and the boy died in his mothers arms at the scene.  Joyce said it was a horrific scene with blood everywhere and since no one in her community has a car, they could not transport the child either.  The driver of the car did not offer to take the boy to the hospital.  Of course upon Joyce telling me this story I was shocked and had a million questions as to why this would happen.

Joyce explained that there are different levels of police and ambulance services in South Africa.  I was aware of different ambulance companies as I have numbers to several that Black and Veatch has provided us with.  She said that if you do not have any money you will call the government ambulance and police department.  Joyce said that often they will take hours to arrive, if they come at all.  Joyce said she called the police once at midnight as someone had broken into her home and they did not come until the next morning.  Sadly in the case of the little boy, the government ambulance and police were called and NEVER showed.  Joyce said if you had money you could call one of the private ambulances and police officers but they would demand payment at the scene if you did not have insurance.

Joyce said these situations are not uncommon and her community has accepted it.  Joyce said that when the ambulance does arrive, often times there are other patients in there as well.  The government ambulance will act as more of a taxi to get you to the hospital and might not perform any treatment while in transit.  Joyce said that when she called for the ambulance when her daughter went into labor at night, it came 3 hours later and there were two other patients on board.  One was bleeding and the other throwing up, plus they would have to make another stop before getting to the hospital of the ambulance's choice.

For the 3 year old boy who died at the scene the man who hit him did offer to pay for his burial a week later and went to the police station to make a report.  Joyce said her community was not upset with the man for hitting the boy with his car as they believed the mother to be at fault for what happened.  Joyce said there is nothing that can be done about the ambulance and police not coming.  Complaining goes unheard and she has learned to not trust the government as she states "they don't care about their people".

I explained to Joyce about emergency services in America and felt very blessed that our system works in the fashion it does.  Death is something Joyce and her community are quite accustomed to, at any age, as that is the reality in which they live.  I hope to never need emergency medical care in the form of an ambulance and relieved to know we have the "better" private options but this is still a different country with different ways of providing care so one ever really knows.

Aquarium and Bird Park

A few weeks ago when it was quite hot outside I thought a day at the aquarium would be a nice cooler outing.  I guess I should have figured that even in South Africa the aquariums are outside, hence no air conditioning for this pregnant mama in the heat.  It turned out to be a cooler day so all was well.

After a 45 minute drive to Hartbeespoort we arrived at the aquarium when it opened.  For only $15 total our family of 3 was able to enjoy both the aquarium and the bird park.  The aquarium was showing it's age though very colorful.  Two separate buildings open to the outside housed several tanks of fish.  What was in each tank was not always clear as the identifying paper was not easily visible in the dark space.  Adalyn enjoyed looked at all the different fish, plus we had the entire space to ourselves, only seeing one other couple the entire hour we were there.

We made our way through the 2 buildings then went to see the seals outside.  They were quite friendly, coming up to the fence and talking to us.  

Further down the path was an area with an array of crocodiles, followed by a section with ducks and geese.  The ducks were happy to socialize but most of the crocodiles did not even move.  There was a small play area which Adalyn enjoyed before we headed off to the bird park down the road.

And as always in Africa, a little something extra right in the middle of the attraction

By now I should not be surprised by the fact that we are often the only ones at an attraction, for some reason either others do not venture out as early as us, or we just seem to hit up the least popular places.  The bird park was in a complex that also housed a day care, a church, a car wash, a bottle store, a restaurant and probably a few other things (typical Africa).  We walked right in, no one seemed to care to see that we had paid, and began pursuing the bird cages.  I was quite surprised by the variety of birds they housed and how friendly they were.  Several birds came up to the fence closest to us and would let us pet them.

Of course the park had it's variety of other animals as well.  

Emus just walking around, huge vultures in an open cage you could walk though, and strangely enough raccoons.  Not sure I have ever seen raccoons in a zoo setting in America, but there were 5 here for your viewing pleasure.  They had the same temperament as they do in America, always hissing and fighting with each other.  

There was a super sweet monkey that you could pet along with bunnies.

 A small pond filled with ducks and geese, including some swans and a flamingo topped it off.  It took us about an hour to view the bird park then it was off to lunch.

The outing made for a nice morning and once again we loved having it all to ourselves.  I would not recommend either place to anyone as there are better options in the area but glad we were able to see both of them.  

My African pregnancy, 2nd trimester

At the beginning of my 2nd trimester I saw my OB here in Pretoria a few days before I flew back to the states for a 5 week vacation.  I asked my OB if she wanted me to see my OB in Kansas City for the 20 week check up and ultrasound and she had some questions.  "Who does the ultrasound?"  "Where is the ultrasound performed?" "Is it a regular OB or a specialist?"  I explained to her that the ultrasound tech does the ultrasound right in the regular OB's office and then the OB comes in to verify everything is good.  My OB here in Pretoria had a puzzled look on her face when I explained this and said she would prefer that I just wait until I return at 22 weeks to get the ultrasound in Pretoria.  She explained I would see the same OB specialist that I saw at 12 weeks and she would feel better about it.  I told her that was fine with me but was thinking "I never hear of anyone questioning medical care in the states, especially from Africa".  Since I was happy with my 12 weeks ultrasound I was happy to wait until my return again.

Of course if you read some of my previous blogs, you know how my flight back to Pretoria went.  Otherwise my 5 weeks in the states went well.  Upon my return to Pretoria I did see the OB specialist here for my ultrasound.  I felt the doctor did a great job of explaining all the different aspects she was measuring and checking on.  It was a very thorough ultrasound, actually better than the one I had at 20 weeks with Adalyn in the states, and good news to report all around.  Two weeks later I saw my regular OB in Pretoria for a check up and of course another ultrasound.  At this appointment she said I would need to schedule my glucose testing at the lab.

I scheduled my glucose testing at 26 weeks and luckily I have a friend over here that is due 3 weeks before me so I can ask her about what to expect.  I was surprised to hear that South Africa does not do the traditional glucose screening test but instead does the longer glucose tolerance test.  So instead of coming to the lab, drinking the orange glucose drink and getting my blood drawn an hour later, I got to enjoy the lab for 3 hours, thankfully my friend told me to bring a book.  Upon arriving at the lab the nurse took my blood and asked why I was getting my glucose tested.  She said it was not routine for pregnant women in South Africa to get it tested unless their OB thinks there may be an issue. I told her my OB recommended it like it was routine and since it is in the states, I had no problem doing it again.

After my first blood draw, the nurse mixed up the glucose liquid in someone' s used coffee mug (not the container I would prefer but I have learned to let a few things slide while living in Africa).  After drinking it down I waited an hour, gave my 2nd blood sample, waited another hour and gave my 3rd blood sample.  At least this 3 hour process only cost me $17.30 which insurance picked up as usual.  Thankfully I passed otherwise if I had to repeat it I might just bring in my own coffee mug next time.

At 28 weeks I had another appointment with my OB which included an ultrasound again.  I have quite the collection of pictures which I love.  It is also nice to have the visual affirmation that the baby is doing well.  Plus the doctor measures every part of the baby so I get constant updates on how big he/she is growing.  This little one is measuring ahead 2.5 weeks but we will see, you never know when they are going to arrive, and measurements later on are not always the clearest.  I was suppose to get my Rogam shot at this appointment as I am O- and Mark is 0+ but South Africa is having a shortage of Rogam so it is only to be given when absolutely necessary.  My OB stated that we would wait and I would receive a larger dose after the baby is born if he/she is O+.

Right now I am a few days shy of 30 weeks along and very pleased with my medical care and how my pregnancy is progressing.  The baby is currently lying transverse, Adalyn did the same up until 34 weeks, so hopefully this baby will turn head down as well.  Adalyn is very excited for the baby to arrive and asks daily when it is coming.  She has requested a girl and is not happy when we try to tell her that we need to be prepared that there is a 50% chance it could be a boy.  She has picked out the name, Babe, regardless of it's gender.  Sadly she will be disappointed when we don't go with her chosen name. The baby's nursery is ready and hopefully we are too.

Trip to Cape Town, Part 2

We stayed in Cape Town for a total of 5 days and tried to fit in as much as possible.  On our third day there, the weather channel stated it would be 101 degrees so I thought a day at the beach would be the perfect way to cool off.  We headed off that morning to Boulders Beach as it is the home of a penguin colony.  After paying a small fee to enter the beach area I was quite surprised by how small the beach was, until I noticed everyone climbing over and under boulders to get farther down the beach.

Mark gathered all our bags and towels and we climbed through the maze of boulders to get a little more up close and personal with the penguins.  I was amazed at how close they would let you get to them before they started giving you the signs to back off.  Adalyn did not seem to know what theses signs meant and tried to pet them every time.

You never knew around each rock if you were going to find a penguin or two just hanging out or when you would be swimming one might just swim right past you.  It was fascinating to see them be so comfortable with humans in their area.  

After a morning of swimming and playing in the sand we headed back up the coast to Cape Town for some "real" ice cream (Africa produces lots of ice cream that is not made with cream at all but vegetable fat) at the VA Waterfront.  It was a nice marina area with lots of boats, souvenir shops, and restaurants.  After getting our fill of ice cream we strolled along taking in the sights and sounds of the lively tourist spot.

The next day we traveled down the coast again to Hout Bay to hop on a boat that would take us out to seal island to see the hundred of seals gathered there.  Except that the fog was very dense and the boat could not get close enough to the island this day so we were only able to take a nice boat ride then enjoy the seals around the harbor.  Adalyn did not seem to know what she was missing and it made for a cool morning for a change.

With another seafood meal for lunch we hopped back in the car and went to St. James Beach.  Known for it's tide pools and colorful beach huts we were looking forward to a relaxing afternoon.

 Adalyn loved collecting sea shells and seeing the little fish and crabs in the water.  

You could walk out pretty far on the rocks and it felt as if you had the ocean and beach all to yourself.  With the waves crashing on the rocks you could not hear the others at the beach and it was serenity at it's best.  St. James Beach was by far my favorite part of our trip for it's beauty, relaxation and fun family time together.

Cape Town made for a perfect long weekend getaway for our family of three before we are a family of four in a few months. I look forward to going back again to visit the winery's and even more attractions as there seems to be no end to what this part of the country offers.

 

Trip to Cape Town, part 1

This past weekend we flew to Cape Town for a little vacation.  It was a nice and short 2 hour flight and we have heard everyone raving about Cape Town so we are glad we were able to experience it.  After settling in our apartment the first day we decided to walk along the beach.  It was not a calm beach as the waves were quite large and I did not think Adalyn would get much out of it.  We lucked out as about 50 feet away was a massive public swimming pool area called Sea Point Swimming Pool.

Set right on the beach and for only $2 per person you could enjoy one of 4 salt water swimming pools.  Each pool varied in depth and the one on the far right which we enjoyed the most was about 2 feet deep so Adalyn could dance and play in it for hours.  The weather was pretty hot, over 90 that day so we only stayed for about 2 hours.  We managed to get some great photos and it was neat to see the large waves crash into the side of the pool wall, therefore spraying everyone.

The next day we set out early to ride the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain.  At a height of  3,559 feet I was quite amazed it only took a cable car holding about 40 people 5 minutes to reach the top.

 One great aspect of the cable car was that the floor rotated so you always had a great view.  Once at the top we walked along the trails to see the 360 degree view the mountain provided.

 Breathtaking is the best word to describe all the wonderful sights you could see from up top.  Valleys on one side and Cape Town on another with ocean views almost the whole way around.  There were set walking paths or you could deviate at your own risk.  We captured some great photos of the landscape and a few family moments too.

After about 2 hours of exploring and 1 hour getting to the top since it's a very well packed tourist spot, Adalyn was done and we headed back down for lunch.  Maybe next time we are in the area feeling adventurous and I'm not pregnant, we will hike up to the top.  It was a fun day to admire the beauty of Cape Town.

The Africa Zoo minus the animals

This past weekend we ventured to the Pretoria Zoo.  Given that it is in Africa one would think with access to an abundance of wildlife that the zoo would be stocked and you could see about any animal you wanted.  Well that was not the case and we were a bit disappointed in what the zoo had to offer animal wise.  If you like beautiful vegetation, water falls and long paths, then you might want to visit the Pretoria Zoo.

Only about 20 minutes from our home, nestled in downtown Pretoria right next to tall buildings is the Pretoria Zoo.  I signed up for Groupon for Pretoria and the zoo was offering a great deal so we decided to make use of it.  As usual we arrived when the gate opened and were the only ones wandering parts of the zoo, never seeing any other patrons for up to 30 minutes at a time.  It was nice to have the zoo all to ourselves for a while.  We choose to walk around the zoo but little did we know that you can actually rent golf carts to view the animals.  It was a cool morning so we did not mind, though with the lack of animals, a golf cart would have been quicker.

Upon entering the zoo, we viewed the large variety of birds then made our way over to the "farm animals" as they called them.  Sadly, there were only 2 goats and nothing else, the entire section was run down with paths blocked by mud and water, something we encountered often along the zoo's paths.  Next we were able to watch the buffalo eat their breakfast then followed one of the numerous trails making our way through the zoo.  Sadly we only saw one elephant from afar, 4 zebras, 3 hippos under water, 2 tigers and 1 bear.  

From all over the zoo you could hear the lions roar, pretty amazing.  Though the lions kept hidden in their enclosures, with only 2 choosing to come out and walk around, we were glad to see them.  We were able to watch some apes eating and koalas, but several of the exhibits were either closed due to mating or the animals just were not out yet.  Maybe a different time of day would have made for a better outing.

Before heading home, we road the tram to the top of the hill which overlooked the zoo and the city of Pretoria.  It was beautiful to see the city in the background of the lush trees around the zoo.







 Adalyn of course loved the ride and at the top there was a little trail with look out points for pictures.  For 3 hours we wandered the zoo, trying to spot any animal we could.  I would not venture back to the Pretoria Zoo in the future but if you are looking for a quick half day outing with or without kids, it makes for a pleasant visit, as long as you are not expecting much.