KwaZulu Na’India*

This post is part of my running commentary of the adventure that my Mr & I are on at the moment – I’m currently 2 cities behind… whoops! Scroll down to previous posts to see parts CT-PE, Gorgeous Wedding, PE-Durbs. Also, no photo’s for now as I’ve sent them & the camera to Lusaka for a little while, along with my Mr aaand back to playing catch up:

Part of our reason for racing to Durban so early in our journey was to trade at the I Heart Market in Durban. They only run the market once a month so it was great to be able to fit it in as they certainly draw a crowd! Despite being exhausted by the amount of markets we have done this past summer, it was fun to be ‘back in the saddle’ & behind our table of chalkboards & paints.

We had a successful day of sales in the KZN heat & met a few other kind & helpful traders. A dip in the ‘warm’ sea at the end of the day became our Durban ritual (despite the fact that the beaches were rather full & dirty). Ashley has ventured into the Cape Town ocean just once in the last 3 years due to its’ icy temperatures. He loved the waves & the warm water, & it was refreshing to have a friend to frolic in the waves with.

It’s been wonderful to travel together again – in awe of the privilege it is to have the time & money & opportunity to explore with your best friend. We knew this journey would be a learning curve, but you never can know what that will look like. We are constantly reminded that even in the greatest of challenges there is joy, & that when you look at the future & it is largely filled with unknowns, that doesn’t have to fill you with fear. Really we are re-learning things we have known & forgotten, but how valuable it is to be reminded!

*I must credit the comedian Trevor Noah with this comic renaming of KZN, & thus my title – one really does forget how many Indian people live in Durban. I marvel at how much they are like Indian people in India, despite generations of living on the SA east coast. Those gorgeous sari’s, spicy curries & brightly coloured sweet meats made me want to fly across into that sticky smell Asian heat all over again.

Some more Durban news is up next, & then to Joburg & beyond…

Coast to Coast

02-04.04.2012. Exploring this lovely but little city, we realised that the scale of the map was not quite what we’re used to & it doesn’t take long to get anywhere. The sea is close & lovely to swim in, & there is a lot of interesting history in P.E. Offices & residential homes are interspersed in a lot of areas, which makes driving around relatively aimlessly quite interesting.

We were hosted by our friend Jules, who moved to PE for her medical internship, & by Dave & Megan, our family who moved from Cape Town to plant a church. It was such a humbling experience to be cared for so generously & to slot into homes as if they were our own. God has been consistently kind to us, providing for us wherever we are.

05-06.05.2012. Another long day on the road through the beautiful but poor Eastern Cape. Rain & road works make for a slow trek & again we reach the city at night. Another smiling friend, hot meal & comfy bed welcome us to Durban & we’re so grateful for all three. I love having friends, old or new, to show me around a city. Not only do you get the insiders view on things, but I can see what’s important to people & glimpse their daily lives a bit by the things they think to point out. Nix, an old digs mate of mine has been so kind & accommodating while we’ve stayed with her. We had such a fun & refreshing Easter Weekend, having not had to plan a single thing ahead of time, awesome. It’s been wonderful to connect with her again; a real trip down memory lane (for Tess) so far on this adventure…

Celebrating up the Sunshine Coast

31.03.2012. One long & deep sleep & we were on the road, off to celebrate with some friends. We had a wonderful time up the sunshine coast in Kasuka & Southwell for Benjamin & Sally’s wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding, complete with quaint country chapel & gorgeous cake table (my favourite kind of table). It was such an honour to celebrate them & meet more of their people. Having known Sal for longer (I was lived in res with her at UCT), the better we get to know Ben the more impressed we are with him. Such a gracious & kind, fun & genuine guy who appreciates good Asian food – a definite keeper.

I really love weddings & count it such a privilege to be invited to each one we go to. Even aside from the gorgeous dresses, attention to personal details & delicious food – there is something magical & spiritual about them. We don’t have a lot of sacred traditions in our culture, & I love the appropriate gravity there is at wedding ceremonies. And the equally appropriate exuberant celebrations that follow!

                                                                                                         Chapel in Southwell

                                                                                Delicious creative Asian food at the wedding

                                                                                                          Cake Table . Love.

01.04.2012. Another night of not-quite-enough-sleep & we were back on the road to P.E. in time for morning church in a movie house. Excellent timing that we were around for the launch service of One Life Church, which is being planted by our family, the Shepherds.  God was there & I was so encouraged by this meeting, albeit in NuMetro Cinema seats.  We are expectant as we travel, eager to hear from God at any turn, it is amazing to see Him at work in our hearts. It’s also really good for us to be hanging out with people who have adventurous faith, like Dave & Megs, as we embark on a trip that is certainly demanding faith decisions of us.

Cape Town in our Dust

 In March we packed up almost everything we own & hid it in 2 garages. Our first home together is in boxes. The remainder of our clothes & prized kitchen items* have taken up residence in our car. (*I couldn’t risk going the next 2 months without facilities to make real coffee.) Not just a holiday, not solely for work, not quite sure what the trip will look like, but if nothing else it is certain to be an adventure.

I hope to blog the trip as much as I can, & use the change in routine to write a whole lot more in general. The plan is to avoid verbose posts & get the highlights of the trip & some pics up on here. We have been overwhelmed at the love & support of our people as we embark on this trip, & hope to keep this updated so people can join in the fun.

30.03.2012. Our drive from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth could have been better. We are grateful to have made it to The Friendly City safely, albeit at 10 pm. We left a day later than initially planned, & couldn’t pack the car the night before as it was pouring with rain. Getting on the road was significantly delayed & made for a frustrating start to this adventure, but we were still as excited as we were exhausted. Driving this coastal route was beautiful, though for much of our journey it rained. And rained and rained and rained. While moaning about the rain I felt a little nudge from above, & remembered that where I come from, rain is considered a clear sign of blessing. Also, it meant that not fixing our air-con before hitting the road didn’t matter. These & many other little things remind me that we are not travelling alone, & I’d resolved to be intentionally grateful as we go forward.