Time in Cape Town…

After nearly two years in South Africa of school year round and working through school breaks by either working on actual school, raising support, or entertaining visitors of the team and/or family variety, Heather and I decided it was time for an actual vacation. Very few people actually understand that a classroom teacher does not have every evening from 4 until bedtime off and every weekend and every school holiday, unless you’ve lived with one or been one. It is not uncommon for me to be working on school work until 3 or 4 in the afternoon and then take a break until 5 or 6 and then work again until 10 or 11 before going for bed. It is also not unusual for me to work for a good portion of my Saturday and Sunday on planning and grading as well.

But not to fear….School holidays are finally here! September holidays are a bit like Spring Break in the States…short and much needed :). For our “Spring Break”, Heather and I had grand plans of reading books on the beach, cooling off in the warm ocean, and falling asleep whilst getting a good tan. Well, as par for the course, things haven’t gone exactly how we have planned, but they have been nice none the less. We have a great little place, less than a mile from the waterfront. From the deck of my bedroom I can see the ocean and Table Mountain (I have to bend and look a little for the mountain, but the ocean is pretty clear). We have a nice little stream running below the deck that actually makes it sound like the ocean is closer than it is. And last but not least, my room has heated mattress pads and an electric heater (one would not think these would be essentials on a beachfront holiday, but it turns out that for us it is :)).

Heather and I have enjoyed spending time driving along the shoreline, laying in the hammocks, and wrapping up in warm blankets to watch movies and read. We were able to go to church Sunday at a church down here that actually supports Bethesda and then because the day was clear, we were able to go up Table Mountain to catch the view from up there. We have a few more days of relaxation before heading back to Pretoria and all the work we’ve been putting off, and you can bet, cold and windy weather or not…we’ll enjoy them!