A Personal Life Update - Establishing Our Shallow Roots

While I was quite excited to do an in-depth post on the low-yield bond industry in South Africa, my oh-so-supportive editor-in-chief convinced me to focus on, as she termed it, “a post about us, something people will actually like.” And since I was unable to sell her on the excitement of earning 0.25% interest over the next 30 years, for the time being, we can focus this week’s post on how we have established ourselves in our new, yet temporary, home-away-from-home.

With 50 days having passed since our arrival into South Africa, and a lot-more-than-50 days remaining until we either return home or find ourselves ex-communicated from our parents (just kidding?), we have finally hit a point where we can officially declare ourselves “settled.” And by settled, I refer to the fact that our move-in checklist is all but complete (hurray for throw blankets!), and we can now focus our spare time on truly enjoying life (i.e. watching Jurassic World every other day).

However, to get to the point of having Chris Pratt as a weekly fixture in our home, we first had to actually find a home. And a means to get back and forth from said home. And of course, the time needed to watch TV, in said home, without the presence of, ya know, kids. All of which has been neatly summarized in a little segment I like to call: "The Not Another Damn Travel Blog Official Guide to Settling into a Semi-Permanent Settlement”:

Step #1 – Find Housing:

• Why do we need it? While jumping from one Airbnb to the next was quite enjoyable for the first 3+ weeks (and didn't cause any confusion whatsoever amongst our children -- who, to this day, continue to ask "when are we going to Africa?"), a semi-permanent form of accommodation seemed like a solid choice for establishing our foundation here. 
• What did we initially want? A high-rise apartment with views over the Atlantic Ocean. We are fancy like that.
• What did we get? A low-rise house with views of the side of a building (a well-built building I may add). In exchange for the loss of views, we gained an “outdoor area” for the kids to play. And of course, no longer must worry about upstairs/downstairs neighbors sharing in on our new joyous morning activity - “Run around and yell as loud as possible.”
• How did we find it? A combination of religiously searching property24.com on a daily basis, as well as relying on the slightly-biased listings of a local real estate agent / friend-of-a-friend-of-a-relative. 
• Cost equivalent to the States? Cheap….ish? $1,750 for a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom house, 3 blocks away from the ocean. OK, cheap. The answer is cheap.
• “Unique” South African-ness:
  • Entranceways Galore - Three keyed "entranceways" (outer gate, inner gate, front door) = Three things you gotta unlock/relock when you realize you forgot your mask for the 12th time this week
  • Electrical Fence – Unless you happen to own a dog that is able to leap over a 6-foot wall, you now have a way to keep out all those pesky non-canine-based intruders. 
  • Pre-Paid Electricity - Why pay a utility company every month, when you can buy a pre-paid voucher for electricity at your local 7-11? Nothing goes better with a Snickers bar than 2 months’ worth of keeping the lights on!
• Personal Summary Recap to Appease My Editor - We found a house. It is a great house. We really like our house.

Step #2 - Find Transportation:

• Why do we need it? While there are actually a good number of very cheap & reliable forms of transportation in Cape Town (my favorite of which is the $1 for every 10 minutes of travel Uber rides), we felt having our own set of 4 wheels would be more convenient when exploring our new surrounds.
• What did we initially want? A compact SUV – Large enough to comfortably fit a family of 4, yet small enough to throw out that "environmentally-conscious" vibe.
• What did we get? A compact… compact, 2019 VW Polo – Not only are we curing global warming, we also are teaching our boys about flexibility, as the lack of leg room now allows their knees to touch their shoulders while seated. Great deeds for all!
  • On an added note, the Ford Ecosport is by far the worst car I have ever driven in my life. 
• How did we find it? Stood on a sidewalk and watched about 23 VW Polo’s drive by in the period of 5 minutes and then thought, “these are probably pretty easy to re-sell.” And then went on autotrader.co.za and picked from 1 of 83,000 available, all with the exact same milage, at the exact same cost. Aboulomaniacs beware. 
• Cost equivalent to the States? Expensive – Thanks to a little internet sleuthing, the average cost of a used VW in South Africa is about 20% greater than its equivalent in the States. Oh yeah, and gas is about $4.50/gallon. Awesomeness all around.
• “Unique” South African-ness:
  • Roll-up windows are still a thing.
  • Back-up cameras are not a thing.
  • Removing all technology from a car + driving on the left-hand side of the road = Car insurance is a necessity. 
• Personal Summary Recap to Appease My Editor - We found a car. It is a great car. We really like our car.

Step #3 – Find Freedom (aka Daycare):

• Why do we need it? You must not be a parent. 
• What did we initially want? Anything. Literally, anything.
• What did we get? Montessori Pre-School – A new age form of education that helps children evolve into the exact same person they would’ve been if they went to a non-Montessori school. But now you get to spend more money. And can be disappointed when Jagger who lives next door, who was also home-schooled by his hipster parents, is better socialized than your child.
• How did we find it? Google – It’s a thing
• Cost equivalent to the States? For the sake of those parents who follow this blog, we unfortunately are unable to share such information with you, out of fear our friendship may suffer from this knowledge.
• But seriously, what does it cost? While only ½ day programs are available (more on this below), the cost to attend one of the “better” daycares in Cape Town costs about $100 per week. For 2 children. I’m sorry. Please forgive us.
• “Unique” South African-ness:
  • In South Africa, "daycare" is only used in reference to programs for watching dogs. Thus, don't expect a serious response when inquiring about a "daycare for my 2-year-old son." 
  • Pre-School is the proper terminology for those who don't speak the Queen's English.
  • Again, most schools are ½ day programs (ending at some point around lunch time). At which point, a hoard of full-time nannies descends upon the city, to direct children back to their homes (or a non-home-nanny-selected destination). Job creation at its finest.
    • Side Note: No, we don’t have a nanny…
• Personal Summary Recap to Appease My Editor - We found a daycare. It is a great daycare. We really like our daycare.

 
Editor Post-Blog Comments – Ugh.
 
Onto the pics:

Next Blog Post: Spring Break in September!