We are very fortunate to have so many community and recreation centres back in Canada. Public amenities like these don’t really exist here in Johannesburg. Any health club is private and there aren’t a lot of ‘safe’ public parks either. People seem to depend on their own grassy yards, organized school sports, or restaurants with play areas to keep their kids active.

So on a recent rainy day we decided to get active by going to a local casino. Sounds weird right? In fact, there was an indoor play area that we spotted back when we visited the bird sanctuary. Jimmy also read online that there was an indoor skate park listed as an additional facility, so we just had to go check it out.

The casino was a 40 minute drive away which ended in us parked in a massive secure parkade. We walked past the gun vault (where people can safely store their guns while they gamble-!?!) and then we were frisked/wanded prior to our actual entrance. The kids area did end up being fun, having lots of toys etc. It was different for us though -as most parents dropped their kids off, then dash away to go gambling, bowling, movie watching or to eat at the numerous restaurants. We decided to stay and play 🙂

Note- sadly, there was no skate park after Jimmy walked around looking for it. It was replaced by said bowling alley 3 years ago. Jimmy’s skate quest continues…..

Regardless of my age, what predicament I’m in or were I am in the world, I remain a skateboarder at heart. I always find myself scanning my surroundings for uniquely skate-able structures whether permitted to be ridden or not. I can’t help it, it’s in my nature. While Joburg hasn’t offered the bounty of obstacles I had hoped it would so far, I have found some neat places to roll. More photos to come I’m sure, as I’m always on the lookout.

–        Jimmy

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Nearby empty pool at one preschool location we checked out:

A tempting tame handrail for sliding down:

Scuff evidence of skateboarders using this ledge:

If this crisp bench was in Canada it would surely be stolen for alternate use:

Sloped supports for highway overpass; skateable with a broom and traffic- lookout:

Fence hop at a posh mall close to home:

Hill bomb wallride, barking dogs be damned:

Lots of these banked gutters around the highways:

Revolution Indoor Park- one of a few established facilities nearby:

In a previous post we wrote of our hyper secured environment here in urban South Africa. While the sense of always being guarded remains, the outright omnipresent vibe has lessened. Therefore, as a “cheers” to this notion, here’s a glimpse at some finer times experienced whilst behind fortification and safety.

– Jimmy

….. after our morning at the green ramp we discovered we were pretty close to the zoo which was on our list of places to visit in the city. We still had many hours to enjoy in the day so we went for it. The Johannesburg zoo is very large. So large that Claire & Rhys were too tired to walk so Jimmy had to give them shoulder rides taking turns.

Claire & Rhys’ hair has become more blonde since we arrived in South Africa. It makes them stand out and they get a lot of attention from people. We have found that people here on the most part really like children and our kids are quite the charmers. Walking through the zoo many people would reach out and would touch the kids on their heads or stroke their hair and smile at them.

We had fun seeing all the animals and the day was long so we all had a great sleep.

After being cooped up due to heavy rains and thunder, the Miller family was yearning for activity on an otherwise slow Sunday. Yes it rains here -and when it does it is dramatic in volume but at least it doesn’t rain all day (and night) like in North Vancouver!

Since our arrival to Africa, skateboarding has been in short supply for Jimmy. With the clouds separating and his itch setting-in we set off to a new part of town in search for “The Green Ramp” for him to ride and also for other adventures. Well, what we found was skate-able but it took some wrong turns (thanks Garmin GPS) – a farmers market in an adjacent field. A dad playing rugby with his son pointed in the right direction…. mistakes often lead to neat adventures.

On our way to the ramp we drove through a neat neighbourhood called ‘Parkhurst’ that very much reminded us of Victoria with its numerous busy bistros and patios stretching onto the sidewalks. We made a mental note to return here another day to check the area out better. Although this area was quite posh, the park itself was ghetto feeling and muddy. Nevertheless, Jimmy finally got rolling. After enduring stepping in too much muck and doggy-doo we opted to try to find the Joberg Zoo which we discovered was fairly close by…..

 

One of the first things we set out to do after we arrived in South Africa was find a good preschool for Claire & Rhys to attend. It really dictated where we established our home base. We wanted them to have other children to play with and as there is a serious lack of accessible playgrounds in Johannesburg we needed to ensure the preschool had plenty of activities & fun for Claire & Rhys.

I did a lot of research while we were still in Canada and I mostly focused upon Montessori schooling which Claire & Rhys have never participated in before. In actuality, Claire & Rhys have had a very ‘free & fun’ childhood so far. Lots of flexibility with their Dad, pacing their days based on weather, how everyone was feeling etc. We had only started preschool with them in Canada in September 2012 and it was minimal at only 2 days per week for 2 hours in the morning.

When we went on the tour around Johannesburg with my boss Rob and his wife Sharon we got a great idea of where we were compared to potential schools. We toured a Montessori in one area we liked but we knew it would not work very well for Rhys. It was just too much structure for him at this point in time. We also decided to stay in the suburb near my work office and the airport as I will be doing lots of flying to Botswana. This aided us in narrowing down preschools but I have to say it is difficult here. There are so many preschools in Johannesburg. It seems like there is a facility on every corner. The majority of the ones we viewed had kids from babies up to 6 years old so there were so many kids enrolled. Some facilities were older and had lots of rooms with narrow hallways which gave it a spooky feel. Everyone we spoke with at the preschools were very friendly and very helpful though. The cost of preschools here is so cheap compared to Canada. Full-time care can reach upwards of $1330 CDN per month. Most preschools or child centres (crèches) here cost R2000 to R3000 which is loosely equivalent to $200/$300 CDN per month. A huge difference!

The last facility we visited was newer and was located within a beautiful home estate; a nice relief. The gardens are lush and well maintained. The play equipment is in good order with no rust – all the play equipment is metal here and some schools had seriously dangerous play equipment or perhaps our North American safety standards are too high. Breakfast, snack, and lunch is included and of a healthy variety. The biggest thing for us is the student/ teacher ratios which are small.

We have only been taking the kids for ½ days for a week now and everyday gets a little bit better. It is a huge change for all of us especially being in a new country. Any first-time first drop-off parent anxiety was certainly heightened and multiplied! Claire & Rhys are being exposed to many things like different accents, increased ethnic diversity, different food (i.e. marmite!) etc. It is overwhelming for them at times and they (we) miss Canada but we all know it is a wonderful thing having an opportunity like this and we are all making the most of it.

 

I’m not going to lie, surviving and thriving with Deanna away on her first work rotation to Botswana was a challenge. Especially having only been in South Africa for 5 days. While I am accustomed to her daily absence when in Canada, the five day stint combined with our generally green feeling of being settled certainly filled the kids and me with some anxiety. Anxiousness aside, any urge to hide within our hotel room was short lived and I quickly kicked into gear with things to do, places to explore (within reason) and a schedule to keep.

– Jimmy

Meeting dee at the airport after her first work rotation in Botswana:

While traveling abroad it’s easy to get caught up in noting differences and similarities between foreign and familiar cultures. Urban South Africa has proven to be quite the study in such behaviour. Aside from minor examples like everyone being a smoker, the populace’s generally poor pedestrian/driver ability and near non-existent internet connectivity; the difference in security measures stand as the strongest example of contrast.

It’s not uncommon to have assistants help you park your car at a shopping mall, wearing a Kevlar vest amongst other supplies and smile politely all the way. Wire-barbed electrified-fortified walls line almost every city block and they are simply unavoidable from view. Oddly, we’ve become accustomed to our ever present fortification. We patiently wait to enter facilities by passing a drop-arm bar and/or guard tower like docile farm animals being herded about. At the end of the day, if the safety of our family is increased by such measures we are proponents of this notable difference, albeit reluctant Canadian ones.

– Jimmy