Big news……we very recently moved our family to Johannesburg, South Africa. In early February I was approached with an enticing job opportunity by the company that bought out my pre-existing employer. They wanted me to relocate to SA and work on a rotation schedule into Botswana to work at our project site so I could assist with geological modeling, drill managing and training of local geologists for a 6 month term.

Although I had heard hints and whispers of this offer since Christmas, Jimmy & I did not have very long to make our final decision. Once we decided to go for it we only had two weeks to get organized, get immunized, pack up our life, etc. Did I mention that we decided to sell our condo too? It truly was a whirlwind of activity and stress in our household! The big factor in us making this journey was the adventure opportunity of living in Africa. Claire & Rhys love animals so they were sold on the safari side of things. We somehow managed to get it all done even with me having food poisoning the day before we were to depart. Thank goodness my Mom was visiting so while I recovered she was able to pack and help with the kids -not to mention Jimmy being at our storage locker till 2am on many days.

We left on March 29, 2013 at 9:30pm. We had a long journey ahead of us as the flights totaled 22 hours with an additional 6 hour lay-over in London. We were well prepared for the kids comfort with portable dvd’s, snacks, stuffies, new toys, new headphones and their comfy blankies. I have to say that Claire & Rhys are some pretty adaptable kids and they did amazing on the journey. We flew mostly during the night so they slept most of the way (a credit to our travel agent). No tears, no tantrums and just a lot of fun and great memories.

Heathrow Airport:

Flying over Africa:

When we arrived in Johannesburg on (March 31, 2013) we were so tired and just wanted to get to our hotel accommodations to rest. A lady from my company met us at the airport and assisted us in getting a rental vehicle. It took forever and we have learned very quickly that customer service is not a priority in this country and the work pace is extremely slower than in North America. This is just something we will get used to.

Landing at OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, SA:

By far the most difficult thing of our entire journey here was installation of our two car seats that we brought with us. We drive a mini-van in Canada and the company rented us a small (micro) white Hyundai accent. It was so difficult to put them into the car. Jimmy placated Claire & Rhys in the front seats with a video while we set to the task at hand. I have to say that I have never cursed as much as I did that moment. It took us almost 45 minutes to get them in. Jimmy gouged his scalp on the inside of the trunk too. Then, while finally victorious, just as we were to strap the kids in, Rhys decided to have a nature moment. I had to lay him down on a blanket next to the car to change him. Just then, a car was backed into the stall behind us so I freaked out then Rhys freaked out and jumped up. There was poo everywhere and a very scared kid. Ugh…we were just ready to go!

I opted to drive and it was my first time doing so on the other side of the road – pretty weird feeling. Our temporary hotel housing is not what we expected to have to live in, but it’ll do until we sorted out preschool for the kids and permanent housing.

Phew! We made it and while the kids played and investigated the house Jimmy & I shared some ‘Oh no! What did we do? Did we make a mistake?’ mini panic attacks. The enormity of the situation and the reality of the scary statistics we read about can really affect ones sense of optimism. This said, we are now pleased to say that we are getting our confidence back and learning the rhythm of this country. It is a huge learning curve and so incredibly different than life in Canada. If it was just Jimmy & I it would be a lot easier and more flexible. As many of you know, having two active children really changes things and it enhances the necessary need of caution, extra care and planning -especially with one parent away so often.

Definitely more to come……