So, as you all have heard by now, Bill has been helping a guy from Oprah’s Angel Network and was invited to the launch of a magnificent farm school right in the middle of a township (very poor black settlement) in the South Africa province of Kwa Zulu Natal. Oprah was there and yes, he met her! She clasped his hand in hers and said she had heard of him and would he please help her at the Girls’ Leadership Academy near Jo’burg (the big school you have most likely heard about). He said she was warm and friendly and the entire event was very nice. He even met Gail (her best friend, for those of you not in the know about Oprah). I was quite jealous to say the least!
The previous weekend we were in Cape Town to watch Bill ride in the Argus, which is billed as the world’s largest timed cycling event. It was truly exciting. About 35,000 cyclists participated. Bill said that of al the rides he has done in his life this one was by far the most beautiful and dramatic. He rode 110 hilly kilometers and we are all very proud of him. “Not bad for an old geez” as Caitlin so kindly put it.
I drove our van back from Cape Town the long way (taking the most scenic routes through The Great Karoo). Although I didn’t get to see any of the famed Cape cobras or yellow pythons I had a truly magnificent time. I stayed in some lovely guesthouses, bought ostrich eggs and mohair scarves, ate great cheese and drank good wine. Ahhh….I needed that nice break.
And, speaking of cycling, we both participated in the inaugural “Tour de Soweto”. We had a wonderful day pedaling around the township, waving to the crowds that came out to greet us. It was an attempt to get whites into this completely black area. I invited two of my South African friends who had never been there before and we all had the time of our lives!
Jeffrey stayed back in Jo’burg to play baseball and participate in the St. John’s talent show. He was part of a skit that involved him being on stage in front of the entire school, family, friends and faculty in his boxers. The skit called “The Matrix in 5 Minutes” was apparently a huge success. Baseball has also turned out well as he has been chosen to play for the under sixteen Gauteng Provincial team. He gets 4 days off of school to go to the big tournament. It involves a lot of practice but he is extremely excited. It will be announced to all of the St. John’s boys at the next assembly. That helps take the sting out of being placed on the D rugby team, again. Next week he plays in a rock ensemble for the competitive Inter House Music tournament. He is playing bass for the 1st time. Bill heard them play yesterday and says they actually sound good.
Caitlin and I head off to Ethiopia on Saturday. She is going to teach high school kids internet skills including getting them all set up on MySpace and Facebook. She is hoping to provide them with a lot of her friends’ email addresses for pen pal purposes and is trying to coordinate a live chat with her school here. It should be a great experience for us both.
She will then head to the south of France (with the rest of her French class) for her 2 week home stay. She and her dear friend, Pippa, will be roommates which makes it a little less intimidating.
Last week on Career Day, she went to work with a classmate’s Dad who is a plastic surgeon. She got to see “ a boob job and lots of other cool stuff”. She loved it and continues to consider it as a career. I don’t know whether to be happy about that or not.
We are currently planning our Easter Break. We were going to try and get to Mozambique for a week of diving but some cyclone damage has nixed that idea. Now we are thinking of a long road trip through Botswana. Did you know that Botswana is only 3 ½ hours from Johannesburg? It is supposed to be quite the place to visit: safe, good roads and lots of elephants and crocodiles.
We will be making a big family decision this week about the course our lives will take over the next couple of years. Our original two year commitment is up in August! After reading this letter I am sure you can imagine how tough the decision is. There is so much opportunity here for us it makes it hard to leave. But there is so much waiting for us at home it makes it hard to stay. We will let you know when we figure it out.
Lots of love,
Sal.
