This Past Weekend

I worked on my dissertation virtually all day on Friday, so there was no need to get out of my pajamas (it is winter here). I made good progress in addressing the issue set forth by my adviser, so at the end of the day I was looking forward to the dinner party I was invited to attend. I did actually get showered, shaved, brushed my teeth, and got dressed up in time for the party. I even went out and bought a bouquet of flowers for the hostess. In fact, my invite came from my landlords here, so I just had to go through the door in my kitchen into their dining room to attend.
The couple who rent me this beautiful flat are absolutely amazing. I suspect they are in their early 50s, are primarily English speaking South Africans, and have four daughters. The eldest is 19 and attends my university as a "first year" (we call it "freshman"), the next is 17, the next is 16, and the youngest of all is Lilly, 9 years old. The family is all white with one exception: little Lilly is an AIDS orphan that my landlords adopted at 6 weeks old. Lilly was born with HIV, so they put her on a drug cocktail regimen that has kept her long past the expected prediction that she would only live 6 months. Lilly is on HIV medication still, and will be for the rest of her life, but she should have a long lasting and rewarding life. I forgot to say that Lilly is a black African. To hear my landlords explain her, she has been the biggest blessing in their lives. Whomever believes that racism still exists in South Africa needs to meet Lilly.
The dinner party was wonderful. Two of the guests were retired apple farmers. Having no children interested in continuing the family farm, they each sold out for a pile of money. One of the aforementioned had actually been a migrant worker in Vantage, Washington 20 some years ago earning money by picking apples. He knew all the places I mentioned, so it was proof once again just how small the world is. Overall, the party was just fantastic and wasn't over until past midnight (I usually turn into a pumpkin by 10 pm).
The next day, Saturday, Chris Coxwell and I went riding on our motorbikes (motorcycles in America). We typically ride dirt roads for between 300 and 400 kilometers, and Saturday was no exception. For once, Chris agreed to stop for what he calls "breakfast" at 12:30 pm (I think he likes to eat around 3). We stopped at a Wimpy Restaurant (the largest chain of fast food places in South Africa). They have burgers, but also great breakfasts and full sit down meals. That was a nice stop, then we hit the road again. Somewhere along the way I hit a big pothole and bent the rim on my front tire. Much to my surprise, it punctured the inner tube and caused a slow leak. I found the front end rather wobbly and just as I pulled into a gas station it went flat. Chris is an engineer and former race car driver, so he had the tools to replace the inner tube. We sat down and did just that, but that tube also popped, so I called BMW On Call and an hour and a half later they were there with a nice BMW X3 and motorcycle trailer. Chris had to get home for a party, so I just hung out at a little pizza place awaiting the BMW guy, and it was wonderful pizza (baked in a clay oven with very thin cracker like crust). He arrived right on time and we loaded the bike quickly and he got me home by about 8:30 pm. This works better than AAA in the USA!

Sunday was a lazy day and I just watched TV, listened to podcasts of Pastor Joe's sermons, and rested my tired and achy body. It was pleasant to just do nothing all day!
Today I had to go to the huge library at the University to get a book I wanted. In the process I saw that in the past couple of months the school has vastly increased the number of computer work stations at the library. This place is getting back to first world status quicker than you might think!
So, I am back at home working on the dissertation again. The day is nice and I enjoy the sunshine even though it is hazy out. It makes for a great work environment. This truly is one of the most beautiful places on the planet!