After a long but smooth trip back we're almost settled in Morwa once again. Planes without delays, all luggage arriving in Joburg together with us, taxi Hassan bringing us to our bakkie, and the car starting immediately - what more can you wish for? We get lost twice driving out of Joburg because of the wrong roadmap, but still manage to shop and reach Morwa in one day.
There we find Bashi, dogs, house and yard in perfect condition. Nadia and Moira are so big for their seven months and a bit! We're only not happy that mother Mossadi is expecting again already - the plan was to get her sterilized before the pack grows too big...
The first day we're busy unpacking, reorganizing our house, bonding with the dogs and hanging out with the neighbours. It feels so good to be back in the warmth and space of Botswana!
The second day we drive into town to get supplies and an internet connection. Then we get very sad news: Maud's father is seriously ill. That of course colours our homecoming, especially over the weekend when things look very bad. So we're simultaneously 'in' the Netherlands and getting back to normal in Morwa.
This really confronts us with living in three worlds, and being in one always means you're not in the others - as the +31, +27 and +267 sms-traffic shows. Over the weekend we spend a lot of time with the neighbours, who really are the best - just like in Leiden!
Sunday morning we decide to do our pancake & ice cream breakfast as promised, with Jeff & Pelo & Zach from across the road, and grandma Joan & granddad John, who're over from the States, LJ & Dineo from the other side of Morwa, and Sandra with her boys Calum, Duncan and Cormac from Gabs.
The breakfast flows into drinks and an afternoon braai across the road. This gets us into shape to attack the mountains of work crying for attention. By Monday the news from the Netherlands is still very serious, but a bit better then over the weekend. Meanwhile the house gets sort of organized, the computers are rigged, the dogs accept us as their caretakers and we start our first office week.
It feels good to see the endless bush again, right up to the far, far away hills, when you look over your screen. And when we sit on our porch in the evening the starry African nights never cease to amaze us.
Botswana numbers
Maud: +26771219954
Bram: +26771219936
No comments:
Post a Comment