A Kiss Goodbye

We are packing up and heading out for the summer!  Or winter....depending on where you live.  I have survived another school year here, and it's been a doozy.

I had two dear friends that moved away.  I volunteered on the PTA board, and immediately regretted it.  I hung in, and while I wouldn't wish to repeat the experience, I'm glad I did it.  We visited Dubai and South Africa, and saw amazing sights.  The kids grew and thrived, and we've all gained even more patience and compassion from our time here.

We are leaving two weeks early, so we had to say our goodbyes to everyone in the neighborhood, and at school.  I am always extremely awkward at greetings and goodbyes here, because it's so different than what I'm used to.  You see, people here are kissers.  They kiss when they meet, they kiss when they say hello, they kiss goodbye......that's a LOT of kissing!  Some do the single kiss on the cheek.  Some do the double.  Some do a sort of combination, grab your shoulders and kiss you on each cheek.  I'm much more comfortable with a wave, a fist bump, a "Yo, how's it going?" sort of approach, but I'm definitely the odd man out.  Someone told me that in certain areas of Europe, they do up to SIX kisses at each greeting!  I'm so relieved we didn't move there!

So, two years down and one to go.  I'm still not completely loving this experience, but I'm confident that I can make the best of it.  Ciao, Luanda - I will see you in August....but I'm still not going to kiss you.

Sun City

Finally!  Here is the post about our trip to Sun City, South Africa.

This trip was the first time we've done any 'safari' activities, and now I can honestly say that I can see the appeal.  I'm not exactly a fan of 'roughing it' - so when I imagined a safari, I wasn't really enthused. I pictured dirt, bugs, heat.....all things that I've get more than enough of, living in Angola!  I couldn't have been more wrong, though - it was an amazing experience, getting to see the amazing animals of Africa.

Adam and Miles rode a mama elephant, whose baby followed the whole time, often nursing!

Taken from on top of a mountain, right before riding the longest, highest, fastest zip-line!

Zip-line - equal parts scary and terrifying!

This cheetah REALLY liked Adam. 

We rode elephants and did the zip-line.  We petted a cheetah, and watched warthogs run around.  We also ate at delicious restaurants, did a bit of shopping, Adam played golf, and Molly and I got our hair done!  It was a great mix of activities, and I'm so glad we went.  If you ever get a chance to visit Africa, I can't say enough good things about South Africa!  Every time we've visited, we've met the nicest people, and had a wonderful time.