A Weekend in the Cedarberg

Two weekends ago we were invited, along with a group of Fritz's housemates and other friends, to spend a night in the Cedarberg area. These rocky mountains are about 2 hours from Cape Town, and during late winter-early spring are filled with amazing flowering plants and bushes, many of which belong to fynbos, one of the world's six floral kingdoms and contained entirely within the Western Cape (more on that later). We enjoyed the quiet (compared to the city!), gnoshing on lots of fresh oranges and naartjies (tangerines), playing board games late into the night, bushwacking up the hill to get a better view of a waterfall, and getting to know some new people.

The New Car

No name yet for this spiffy little Toyota Tazz, but despite that it already has a lot of personality (largely due to the stick shift, which we love). Praise God for this provision! Used cars were more expensive here than we had anticipated, and we also had to have a fancy new security system put in, as this is considered a ‘high risk’ car (and the auto insurance company demanded it). Unfortunately car crimes are a frequent reality and apparently the more common cars (like this one) are more susceptible to crimes. But the Tazz is dependable and friendly to us, and she loves to hug that left side of the road like a good South African.

Welcome to One Gavenwood

Welcome to our new home! It is located about 15-20 min. walk from campus, in a two-story block with about 18 other flats. It has one bedroom, lots of sun coming in the windows, and a lovely garden area to share.


Here's Jul in the kitchen (well, part of it). We were fortunate to receive a 'loaner' of a fridge and an oven/stove from some of Fritz's friends, so now we can start cooking!


View of the living room - yes, those are wood floors, with the windows looking out into the backyard/garden. We now have a dining table (loaned us from a friend), desk and couch (2nd hand) in here.


The lovely bathroom, which has both a shower and a tub! (pretty unusual) We'll probably get a washing machine for in here eventually.


The 'sun room', adjacent to the living room. We like to eat breakfast in here (and hang our laundry to dry).

The flat is also located close to Rondebosch Common, a huge city block of scrubby grass and trees - good for walking and jogging, as well as near the grocery store and public library. Yeah!

First pics of the area

Jim and his bro, Fritz

Friday night spread (bread and various toppings - tuna, avocado, cheese, egg, jam) and Jul and Jack on the couch (Fritz's dad and our host - along with his wife, Marianne - when we arrived).


Marianne's amazingly delicious apple pie, enjoyed with coffee after church on Sunday.

Sunday afternoon walk in Jack in Marianne's neighborhood, Bergvliet (suburb of Cape Town).

Yes, we arrived

Family and friends, yes (despite the delay in this posting) we have arrived here in Cape Town safely. Today is day 6, and we are finally feeling more "normal" and energetic and ready to start tackling all the various items on the to-do list. Of course the tension between being patient and being proactive continues to challenge us!

We have received a very warm welcome already from Fritz and his parents and a variety of new friends (who Fritz has introduced us to). Countless people have offered to help us out. Thankfully it is currently the mid-semester break, so the schedules are a bit more relaxed.

Yesterday we began the flat-hunting process, as Fritz has gathered a lot of options and we are now touring through them, trying to get a feel for the different neighborhoods and prioritize our needs. Obviously this is a very large city, so already we must make adjustments from our small-town Wheaton lifestyle (no more walking everywhere), and being challenged to be gracious with the adjustments. Yesterday we discovered that most places don't come with laundry facilities or a stove or a fridge!

Meanwhile, Jim is slowly going through the registration process as a new student, and Jul is slowly gaining courage in her job-search and beginning to make contacts at schools.

Once we get more settled we will post some photos. Though 'winter' here, it is beautiful! Already we have found a potential favorite cafe, complete with wireless internet, delicious muffins and coffee, and really good butternut stew (yesterday's lunch).