I was washing dishes the other day after dinner and I realized how normal that process had become for me. It is a daily routine that after breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack or any other time we use a dish, cup, fork, etc, it has to be hand washed. We don’t have a dishwasher. As I was doing that it made me start to think back on all the aspects of us living here that at one point were so abnormal to us coming from the lifestyle we left, but are just now normal to the point we rarely think about them. I thought I would share a few of these with you and some pictures as well.
Let me throw in a very quick disclaimer here.....by no means am I stating that any of these differences are wrong. And many are just related to aspects of the house we live in. In many regards the aspects of the South African and Cape Town culture and the lifestyle we live here are far superior to what we had in the States. Enjoy.
Front yard
OK, the yard part might be a stretch and Front Courtyard is probably more accurate. As you can see most is brick (albeit nicely laid) and there is a patch of grass (or what used to be grass) over to the right. What was abnormal was living behind a 7 foot security wall around the whole property and remote access gate. While our normal had consisted of a lot of front porch sitting, waving at neighbors walking by, viewing the rolling hills, watching the kids run and ride bikes in the street and hearing the hum of street lights we now see neighbors walk by quickly as our dog barks, talk to strangers at our gate through an intercom and see nothing but a black hole through our gate when the sun is down. And watch out for our patrolling African attack mutt.
Let me throw in a very quick disclaimer here.....by no means am I stating that any of these differences are wrong. And many are just related to aspects of the house we live in. In many regards the aspects of the South African and Cape Town culture and the lifestyle we live here are far superior to what we had in the States. Enjoy.
Front yard
OK, the yard part might be a stretch and Front Courtyard is probably more accurate. As you can see most is brick (albeit nicely laid) and there is a patch of grass (or what used to be grass) over to the right. What was abnormal was living behind a 7 foot security wall around the whole property and remote access gate. While our normal had consisted of a lot of front porch sitting, waving at neighbors walking by, viewing the rolling hills, watching the kids run and ride bikes in the street and hearing the hum of street lights we now see neighbors walk by quickly as our dog barks, talk to strangers at our gate through an intercom and see nothing but a black hole through our gate when the sun is down. And watch out for our patrolling African attack mutt.
Getting the chores done
As I mentioned we don’t have a dishwasher. It was abnormal to not have a large kitchen with island, dishwasher, garbage disposal and separate laundry room that housed washer, dryer and work area. It is normal now. And yes, that is our washing machine next to the kitchen sink. And yes, we do use the top of our washer as extra drying space for our dishes. And yes, when clothes are washed they are taken out and hung on the line to dry. What this picture doesn’t accurately show is the fact that our counters throughout this house are only about 3 feet in height. We’ll get to that later.
As I mentioned we don’t have a dishwasher. It was abnormal to not have a large kitchen with island, dishwasher, garbage disposal and separate laundry room that housed washer, dryer and work area. It is normal now. And yes, that is our washing machine next to the kitchen sink. And yes, we do use the top of our washer as extra drying space for our dishes. And yes, when clothes are washed they are taken out and hung on the line to dry. What this picture doesn’t accurately show is the fact that our counters throughout this house are only about 3 feet in height. We’ll get to that later.
Its electric baby
This is the standard outlet here. Forget that they have two or three other types of plugs that require adapters for certain appliances. Focus on what was originally abnormal in the on/off switch for each plug. Yes, each plug has its own switch. Don’t assume just plugging it in gives is power. While I haven’t researched the reason for this I do know that electricity here is expensive. Any outlet unused is switched off. Bake something or cook on the stove? Turn the oven on. Done cooking? Switch the oven off at the outlet. One other unique aspect for us is the switching on/off of our water heater when not in use and before use.
This is the standard outlet here. Forget that they have two or three other types of plugs that require adapters for certain appliances. Focus on what was originally abnormal in the on/off switch for each plug. Yes, each plug has its own switch. Don’t assume just plugging it in gives is power. While I haven’t researched the reason for this I do know that electricity here is expensive. Any outlet unused is switched off. Bake something or cook on the stove? Turn the oven on. Done cooking? Switch the oven off at the outlet. One other unique aspect for us is the switching on/off of our water heater when not in use and before use.
Dungeon Master
These are my keys. The remote controls our garage doors, an alarm panic button and houses one button that we aren’t sure what it does. What was abnormal was to walk around with keys that took up your entire pocket and made you feel like you lived in a castle. But what also was abnormal was the fact that these aren’t individually cut. Each key has a number on it. A 1234 might open my front door. If someone else has a 1234 they have access to my front door.
These are my keys. The remote controls our garage doors, an alarm panic button and houses one button that we aren’t sure what it does. What was abnormal was to walk around with keys that took up your entire pocket and made you feel like you lived in a castle. But what also was abnormal was the fact that these aren’t individually cut. Each key has a number on it. A 1234 might open my front door. If someone else has a 1234 they have access to my front door.
The Grill
First of all, here this is called a Braai, not grill. While the norm for me was to go out, turn on the propane, click a button and be cooking in seconds this takes more planning. Half a steel drum, a little grate, some Namibian charcoal and 30 minutes later you are close to being ready to cook. Is this unheard of in the States? Absolutely not. It is cooking over coals. Was this abnormal to me? Absolutely. Will I ever go back and own a propane grill? Probably not. I was lost and now have been found. And don’t even get me started on the joys of cooking a potjie on this thing. Yowsers!!
First of all, here this is called a Braai, not grill. While the norm for me was to go out, turn on the propane, click a button and be cooking in seconds this takes more planning. Half a steel drum, a little grate, some Namibian charcoal and 30 minutes later you are close to being ready to cook. Is this unheard of in the States? Absolutely not. It is cooking over coals. Was this abnormal to me? Absolutely. Will I ever go back and own a propane grill? Probably not. I was lost and now have been found. And don’t even get me started on the joys of cooking a potjie on this thing. Yowsers!!
Living Room furniture
A plastic moving trunk as a coffee table and plastic patio chairs for guests. OK, so this is not standard South African interior design, but rather just our home. Was it abnormal to not have the leather chairs, rugs and Pottery Barn coffee table? Yes. Is it normal (and convenient) to now be able to stack and move chairs with one hand from inside seating to outside seating? Yes. Drink coaster for the coffee table. Forget that.
A plastic moving trunk as a coffee table and plastic patio chairs for guests. OK, so this is not standard South African interior design, but rather just our home. Was it abnormal to not have the leather chairs, rugs and Pottery Barn coffee table? Yes. Is it normal (and convenient) to now be able to stack and move chairs with one hand from inside seating to outside seating? Yes. Drink coaster for the coffee table. Forget that.
Central Heat
Well, kind of. The fireplace is fairly central in the house, but it certainly doesn’t provide whole house heating. It was abnormal to not have a programmable panel where we could set the desired temp and let the system kick on/off to regulate. The norm now is to work more with a multiple prong strategy to attack the cold. Get a good wood fire burning for the main living area, check. Load up a few hot water bottles for the beds, check. Kick on the electric heater in the bedroom to take the chill out, check.
Well, kind of. The fireplace is fairly central in the house, but it certainly doesn’t provide whole house heating. It was abnormal to not have a programmable panel where we could set the desired temp and let the system kick on/off to regulate. The norm now is to work more with a multiple prong strategy to attack the cold. Get a good wood fire burning for the main living area, check. Load up a few hot water bottles for the beds, check. Kick on the electric heater in the bedroom to take the chill out, check.
Grooming
Abnormal was not having dual sinks and a mirror that stretched from counter to ceiling. Normal now is a shared sink with small medicine cabinet door mirrors and three foot counters.
Abnormal was not having dual sinks and a mirror that stretched from counter to ceiling. Normal now is a shared sink with small medicine cabinet door mirrors and three foot counters.
Now for the rest of the story......It was abnormal to get a leg workout in each morning while getting ready for work. Normal now is to mix in squats with a wall sit like position while shaving, brushing hair and teeth. Between this and walking to and from work uphill both ways I have legs that are like......well, they’re still like a chicken.
Hopefully this gives you a little insight into our life as it is now. It is a life we love and a life we cherish. While there are still aspects that we are transitioning from abnormal to normal we feel so blessed to be where we are and to have the things we have. Many of the things that have moved through this process for us are things that we took for granted and still in the midst of this there are millions around us in which what we have now are luxuries. Continue to pray for us and the journey that God is leading us on. Pray for Living Hope and the work being done in the communities through the ministries and programs that it has in place. And most importantly, continue to pray that Christ will glorified through it all.
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