Of Parents and Moving

The Time My Parents Visited Me in South Africa

These past two weeks have actually been quite full, but really, my parents coming for a visit was what the past 14 days have centered around.

They arrived on a Saturday afternoon, for some reason I had it all mixed up in my head as to when they were actually arriving, and how long exactly they were staying. However, through various communications we eventually figured it out, and I picked them up from their Bed and Breakfast place at 6:00. It was great to see them, but really strange and quite surreal also. The things I associate with home and the things I associate with South Africa are categorized separately in my mind, I do believe, and so having those two worlds collide was a tad bizarre, but also very nice. The tragedy was that they were here for a very short time, about 4 days in all, which was not nearly enough, but still quite good. We went to see all the mandatory things in Cape Town: Table Mountain, Robben Island, the vineyards (or at least some of them, there are very many). We also got to see visit an exclusive mansion-turned-hotel for lunch one day – it was absolutely ridiculous, the epitome of pomp and luxury, it really did bring to mind the dichotomy of rich and poor, and which end I end up on more often than not.

My uncle Don and aunt Dale were actually also there with my parents, so it was great to see them again, we went our separate ways on various points of the four days, but the time they did spend with us was very nice, it truly was a great four days.

Islamic / Christian Wedding
The day my parents arrived, right before I left to pick them up I was helping to officiate a wedding. It was interesting in the a) it was my first wedding that I was helping to officiate, and b) that the groom was in fact a convert to Christianity from Islam. And, if you’re keeping track, yes, there are places in which that decision comes with the death penalty. The wedding itself was quite nice, very simple, a bride, a groom and two witnesses. I served as photographer, musician, and Bible presenter and I was happy to help in that way. It’s always nice to help out with a wedding when you feel good about it and you genuinely like the people getting married, and this was the case here.

Week Off
Other than the wedding and a few smallish other things, I pretty much had the past week to spend with my parents, which was extremely generous on Thomas’s part. So the days I had with my parents I was able to spend with them, no problems, and then the rest of the time was fairly relaxed. I still did some work during the week, beings that I had the time on my hands, but it was a nice relaxing week either way. I got a lot of reading done (finished War and Peace – no small feat) and spend a lot of time with friends, so I was happy to have a bit of a rest before plunging into the Easter crunch.

Choir Concert
Speaking of the Easter crunch, I’m getting ready to perform Handel’s Messiah with the Cape Town Philharmonia Choir of which I am a part. It’s actually very exciting, we just had our first rehearsal with the man who will be the conductor for the performance, Bjorn Bantock. With that name you’d think he’s Scandinavian, but he is actually South African, trained in the UK. He seems quite capable, really doing some interesting things with the piece, he’s clearly not afraid to play with the dynamics and tempo, so some of the choruses sound quite different from what I’m used to. It’s actually quite refreshing for me, beings that I’ve been practicing the Messiah once or twice a week for eight straight months now. And you know what? I’m not even sick of it yet – they just don’t make ‘em like they used to... We perform the piece on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and I’m very glad to be able to have some of my friends from church attend the concert. A woman from our church was generous enough to donate money towards the tickets, and so four young adults who otherwise would not have been able to attend the service now are able to. It is definitely something to look forward to in a couple weeks.

New Place
Another item of big news for me around here is that I just moved yesterday. If you’ve been keeping close track of my updates here, you may be familiar with my laments of my former place, so I’m not too upset about a change of scenery. Really the last place was nice in terms of location and overall aesthetics, but just not well maintained, which made it frustrating for all involved – landlords, tenants and renters alike. Whatever the matter, I am now living at a Bed and Breakfast run by Norma Morgan, a woman from our church. She is a dear woman, treating me like her favorite grandson, which is quite the difference my last situation. So, it seems I’m going to need to start exercising in order to not swell up with the loving care of a (bit overbearing) interim grandma.

Tragic Side Note: we just received word last night that Norma’s housekeeper of 30 years(!) was killed in a car accident. It’s been very tough on Norma who had obviously developed a fairly close relationship with the woman, and now she is stuck to find some one else she can trust to help her out around the house. The public taxis around here are infamous for their dangerous driving, and it was while riding one of these on the way back from a funeral that she was killed. So, it’s been a fairly somber morning around here.

Wine Tasting
As you may or may not know, the Cape region in South Africa has a great number of quality vineyards, some of which I have had the fortune of sampling recently. First off with my parents, then with a new friend Paul who took me to a vineyard called De Grendel (Afrikaans for “the Lock” I’m told – or maybe that’s German…or Dutch). Just as we arrived they were starting their annual ‘Cellar Tour’, and so we got to sample the very first of their 2009 wines! They were pretty good, though it was mostly white wines, and I’m kind of partial to reds – but their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc was pretty good. A good time either way.

All for Another Two Weeks
This entry seems more condensed than previously, but I think I fit in all the important bits. For me the past two weeks have really revolved around my parents being here as well as preparing to move, so mentally I’ve been fairly preoccupied with that. However, life at the church continues on, if you’re interested I’ll be sending out my prayer letter in a couple weeks and will say more about our ministry at Sea Point Congregational when that comes out.

Well, until another two weeks, take care