And the week just got more and more complicated!

Hilary collected us at 10am to go to the African Market at Rosebank. Wow! Stall after stall of African jewellery, masks, carvings, material, bead work, so much to see and covet! Then on the roof top of the centre there is another more general market, with many of the same African goods but also more of the gemstone jewellery, hand made bags, paintings etc that you would see at markets in Australia.
Despite almost three hours of browsing, and despite Sandy actually enjoying himself, we didn’t buy a thing. We decided to use this trip as reconnaissance and go back at the end of our stay and buy goodies then. Possibilities are beaded dolls, bangles made from safety pins and beads, a stylised painting of masai women, some beautiful local cloth, emu egg jewellery, little stone animals carved from verd???
On our way back to the car I heard my text message signal and found that my email was working and Sandys’ too. So yay at last contact with the outside world at least from our phones.
Then we went to Hilary and John’s for lunch. Their house is amazingly beautiful, and the gardens are gorgeous. White stone walls, dark tile floors, and African carvings, dolls, bowls, and art everywhere you look. A bbq lunch or braae on their patio, and then home to read my first Sth African newspaper, the Sunday Times.
The newspaper is filled with the news of the death of Terre’Blanche and the evening news is preceded with an address from the president expressing his condolences to the family and asking for calm. This is an amazing speech. At first I cannot understand why he would be saying that it is a sad day, when the man was a fascist white supremacist. But then as he goes on I realise how fragile the co-existence must be, how recent the history is. The media is making a link between a young leader singing a song called kill the boers with terre’blanche’s death which could just make the whole mess even messier.
Monday 5th April
Public holiday tried to get a car but everything was closed. Walked up the shop and that was about it for the day. Bought lots of chocolate.
Tuesday 6th April
Hilary collected us and drove to Education Campus at Wits.
Went to staff seminar presented by Penny Enslin now at Glasgow used to be at Wits on ‘social justice and benevolence’ – I don’t think that she paid enough attention to the global context of aid development and the role of the UN and World Bank when talking about the relationship between Scotland and Malawi.
We spent a lot of time trying to organise a car today with a company that kept making promises but not keeping them. The rate they gave me was amazing – AUD$400 for the month for a Mazda 323. When the car finally arrived we realised why it was cheap – cracked windscreen, odomoter and speedo not working, empty petrol tank, handbrake not working.
Wednesday 7th April – at least we could drive ourselves to work which we did without getting lost at all! But I was thoroughly freaked out by now about the car breaking down in the middle of the road on our way, and definitely knew that we could not risk going out at night in it. So I rang and cried at the man on the phone who said he would give us another car first thing tomorrow!
With the terrific help of the admin staff especially Beth, we spent most of the rest of the day trying to get internet and staff cards etc organised
Met with Kerryn Dixon and she kindly lent me a couple of local journals with papers by her and others from Wits in them, Southern African Review of Education, and The English Academy Review – Southern African Journal of English Studies.
On way home stopped at internet provider to try to sort out home wireless set up. Service man came and left abruptly – maybe this is why John (Hilary’s husband) says service in this country sucks!
Thursday 8th April
Met with Ian Moll about educational technology courses. Observed ACE educational technology class taught by Tom? – teachers identified as ICT champions in their schools working in a lab learning how to evaluate websites
Got staff cards, user names and passwords, got our laptops connected to network YAY! Thanks to Scott Kearney
Friday 9th April
Even though Mosina the guy from Car rental kept promising by lunchtime he rang and said the car would not be ready. I immediately rang another company rent-a-wreck and wish I had started with them. For not much more money, they delivered a car within an hour and a half – it’s still a beatup but at least roadworthy – with immobiliser and alarm fitted. Turquoise Ford hatchback. This makes all the difference now we have a car we trust. At lunchtime we also got into our office at Wits which is great – nice and big, even with a printer that I could connect up to my laptop. Spent the afternoon preparing my workshop for Tuesday with Hilary’s HRD students.
To celebrate the car we ventured out on our own for dinner. Only as far as Hyde Park which is the large shopping mall close by. Spent an hour in Exclusive Books, bought two local books and a postcard quote from Mandela. Had dinner at great Chinese restaurant called the Red Chamber
which was pretty good.
Saturday 10th April
Heading out for late breakfast/brunch at about 10 and the internet guys showed up in the cottage – after an hour I asked them to come back Monday morning – let’s see if that works! Went to Rosebank breakfast at bakery chain, then browsing shops including buying Sandy a new shirt at Woolworths, groceries at PicknPay. On the way home stopped at Dunkeld at terrific fruit and vegie shop and butcher.
Sunday 11th April
Again to Rosebank this time to markets again. Breakfast again at different place, rooftop market, bought dragonfly fridge magnet; necklace and bracelet from Mozambique stall; cloth from Mali, handbag from “the west”, and handmade linen jacket from local woman. Light late lunch at Nero’s?? With the newspaper.