A day of many surprises

I had to apply for a new passport. In my present passport is a stamp of Israel. With that stamp I won't get a visa for Sudan again.

Middle January I visited the offices of Home Affairs in Pretoria. The line of people standing there was long. A lady told me she was standing there already for three hours and wasn't close to the front.

I called Amanda in our office and she told me I could apply in Naboomspruit as well. I was dumb-strucked as I had driven from Naboom to Pretoria to apply for the new passport.

I drove back to Naboom, where I went to the local Home Affairs office, quite sceptical. There Lebo, the lady on the photograph, helped me immediately. There wasn't a line of people, only me.

This morning Mrs Lebo Mashuke called me. She arranged that someone would pick up my passport and bring it to the office in Naboom. I went there just now. My new passport was ready!

Lebo, thank you so much!! If Home Affairs only had more people like you working for them!

Why is this day even more special?

I received the manuscript of my book back from proofreading. This weekend I will go through it again. I still enjoy reading it.

This morning I received an email from a teacher in the USA, an expat. She wrote:

Ek het na jou naboom2germany website toe gegaan, download jou dagboek en sit en lees dit (al 324 blaaie) …. My skoolkinders wil net weet waaroor ek lag/huil/oe-aa/ens., en op die ou end kos dit my jou engelse vertalings print vir hulle! Een van my dogters het sommer gou n file aanmekaar geslaan en nou le jou wedervaringe hier in n Virginia “country school”. Die seuns vrek oor jou motorfiets en die meisies natuurlik meer oor die ervaringe. En ek is sprakeloos !!!! EN jaloers, vreeslik jaloers, oorlat ek SO graag nog n trans-Afrika wou gedoen het. Wie weet, eendag nog miskien.

Liza, thank you so much for the email. Regards to all your pupils!

And then, the last piece of news I want to share with you. On Friday 8 May I am off again, again across Africa, this time not with my KLR but with my Toyota. It is an FSA project called Africa our Home. Have a look at www.fsa-youthexchange.co.za/africaourhome.htm

Mooi loop!