Outing

My brain is a bit fuzzy right now thanks to my very interrupted night of sleep. Elena woke up crying about 2 hours after I'd gone to bed and then woke up to eat at 6:15. Edwin woke up crying two times in between Elena. If Edwin actually falls asleep during nap time (that would be now), I might take a nap. If not, I'll just go to bed early after he's gone to bed early.

The kids and I took our first independent outing this morning. I've walked to a local shopping area called the "Main Mall", located in downtown Gaborone, but I haven't taken the kids. Either Dan has been home and stayed with them or I left them with our house help, Rebecca.

Today I called a taxi and we went to a local Tea Garden called Sanita's. We all went there on Sunday for a Mother's Day lunch, and I decided we'd have to go back. There is a play ground and sand pit in the Tea Garden. I was hoping there would be other kids there (there were lots and lots on Sunday) but no such luck today. However, Edwin still enjoyed playing on the wooden jungle gym and sitting on an old, broken down tractor that is there also. We drank their lemonade (I think it's the best homemade lemonade I've ever had) and ate a snack of scones with jam and cream.

Sanita's is situated in a Nursery and Garden store, so we also walked around there a bit and Edwin enjoyed splashing in some of the decorative water fountains. It's lush, green and full of beautiful plants. Very refreshing.

It felt good to make myself take the kids out. But I did have to make myself do it. It would've been easy to just stay home and not go anywhere, but I'm beginning to feel the need to go places and feel a bit independent.If we had a car, it would feel similar to being back home and going here and there would feel pretty easy - aside from having learn my way around. But it was new and strange to take a cab. I don't like to do things that are different, where I might look like I don't know what I'm doing (and just now I met some one and messed up the greeting in seTswana!), and I do have to push myself to do something different. I like it when things are comfortable and familiar, and of course they aren't in a new place.  That's one of the hard parts about going somewhere new. In a few weeks, all will be much more familiar and easier and then the things that were uncomfortable in the beginning will just be small memories that I can laugh about.
 

Some good news is we're going to be car-sitting for one of Dan's colleagues for a couple days next week and a couple days the following week. That will make it easier to get groceries and also to go on some outings.