I have been spending a lot of my free time lately chasing around mechanics to fix our car. I've got a couple of nagging problems that just won't seem to go away. "Yeah, so how's that any different from at home? That's the consequence, Bob, of owning used vehicles that are over 10-years old. What's the difference?" I love this country and there are so many wonderful and beautiful aspects of life and living here. We have enjoyed almost every moment we have been here and feel so blessed when we continue to experience so much. What's the difference, especially in terms of talking about fixing cars? Yeah, there's a difference. Let me elaborate. Over the past 2 weeks I have been trying to cope with and find answers to a brake problem with our car that has been ongoing since the auto shop changed the brake pads about a month and a half ago. For those of you who took auto mechanics as a voc ed class in high school: they skimmed the disc (we call it "turned the rotor" in the U.S.) and put new brake pads on. Now if you know anything about brakes you know that there is really only three parts to the system: the disc, which is round and connected to the wheel; the brake pads, which are flat and press against the disc when the pressure is applied and causes the car to stop; and the calipers which are the devices that apply the pressure when the brake pedal in the car is pushed to make brake pad meet disc. That's about it. So, if you have a "brakes" problem, it's got to be one or a combination of the three. We had a brake problem. The rear brake had a high-pitched squeal whenever you applied braking pressure to it. This started happening after the shop did the brake job. So, I took the vehicle back to them a few times. Each time consisted of standard 1-2 hour wait. With travel time--about a half a day. Each time also consisted of "Well, we aren't sure what is happening here. We replaced the pads. But it still squeals. We're not sure what else to tell you. We'll replace the pads again to see if that fixes the problem. If not, come back again." I did. Five times. Progressively got worse. So, I finally said, enough of the Land Rover experts, and called the local 4x4 off-road expert. He suggested a brake specialist in town. I went there. Twice. Both times, "We fixed the brakes. Just needed to clean the pads. Should be fine now." Mmmm-mmmm. Nope. Still not working. At the end of the second visit to the brake specialist, as they told me when I was leaving the building "we cleaned the pads and took her out for a drive and applied the brakes all over town and no problems." Finally, I could have some peace. About 2 kilometers down the road…errrrrqqkkkqkqkrkkqkqkqkkk!!!! A U-turn right in the middle of the high way brought me back to the shop. "Ah, not sure what to tell you. They worked for us." "Yeah, but now they're worse than they were." "Hmmmmmm." "Hmmmmm what?!?" "Don't know what to tell you." "Okay, let me ask you a couple of questions. Is it the brake pads?" "No, because the pads are glazing over from too much heat." "Okay. Then is it the calipers not applying pressure correctly?" "No, because you would smell the brakes burning." "Okay. Then could it be the disc?" "Hmmmmm. Yeah, maybe so. Maybe the disc got too hot and has distorted the metal so it overheats now." "Okay, so do we now replace the disc?" "Oh, that's a lot of money." "A lot of money? How much?" "Let me look in the book. About 850 Rand. But then we don't have the right disc for your vehicle and it's not in the book." "Not in the book? NOT IN THE BOOK? THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO TO SOLVE THE @#%!@!&* PROBLEM!?!" "Well, we could put the one on for the 1996 Land Rover and see if it fits?" Yeah, right. Back to the Land Rover shop. "Do you have the right disc for the vehicle?" "Yes." "Can you put it on?" "Yes." "Could this be the problem?" "Could be. You never know. We never had this problem before." "Okay. I want to pay for a new disc. It's not the calipers; it's not the brake pads; it must be the disc." I don't mean to be crass and drag this story out, but if you know me, then you know sitting in a shop for 3 hours waiting for someone to fix a problem, 7 TIMES, and then eventually having to diagnose the problem and suggest the solution, is not really my bag of tea. I can go for 2 or 3 times to fix a problem. But 7 times? Come on. Why didn't someone suggest we replace the disc the first time before we got onto a 2-week brake pad replacement project? Is there a difference? In this case, yes. I have gained a new respect for our mechanics back home, regardless of the overpriced costs and the sometimes less than optimal customer service behavior. But they know how to fix cars. Oh, do they know how to fix cars. And if they don't know, then they know just the right person or junkyard or shop that does know. The mechanics in the U.S. have it in there blood. As kids, they help their dads fix mechanical devices. As preteens they build their first motorized go-cart. As teenagers they own a '71 Impala that has been disassembled and rebuilt with spoilers and mag wheels half a dozen times. As adults they own a '65 Mustang and a '55 Chevy of their choosing. They know their cars. And they know how to fix them. I noticed here that most of the mechanics are black laborers, who most likely did not grow up with the same varied experiences as the U.S. mechanics do. The head guy is some white guy who is a qualified mechanic with a lot of know how. However, he doesn't do the work. The laborer does. If the laborer guy didn't grow up with any cars, or the only vehicle he worked on was fixing the tractor on the boss' farm, then how is he supposed to have the insight to diagnose problems like the U.S. mechanics can? Yes, the brake job here was only $150 in the end, 150 divided by 7 is about $20 per my visit. At 4 hours per visit round-trip, my time was valued at $5 an hour. That's less then minimum wage. My American equivalent would have been $400 for 2 hours. That makes my time worth $200 per hour. Makes the medicine go down a little easier.

On the flipside, South Africa is the king of customer service when it comes to video rentals. Okay, so the choices are between one copy in the whole store of the five hit releases, labeled as "Latest" or an aisle or two, labeled "New Release" of those all time great classics like Grease, Over the Top (with Sylvester Stallone), or ABBA Live at the Sladnovjkskov Theatre. But the great thing is that they don't care about the accumulating late charges you are billed if you return the video a day or two late. The last time I was in there, renting The Gods Must be Crazy--the ultimate Southern Africa movie--I asked what the 78 Rand was for that appeared on the computer screen behind the desk. "Oh, that's for late fees for returning the videos late." "Am I supposed to pay that today because I don't have the money?" "No, don't worry. That's too much and you shouldn't have to pay it. Just let it stay there on the computer. Nobody really pays attention to it." "But don't you lose money by not renting it to the guy who wants it the next day?" "Not really. He can rent another movie or wait until the next day." Now wouldn't that be nice for a change? Back in the U.S., we live about 8 miles from our video store. You can imagine the late charges we pile up.

Kara has excelled in her running feats again. This week we discovered she had made "EP Colors" in Cross Country. That means she placed high enough at her last meet that she made the all-Eastern Cape team. Sort of like making All-State in the U.S. What this means is that she would compete at the provincial level against other provinces (their form of a state here) and then eventually at the national level for "Springbok Colors," which means All-South African (sort of like All-American). Unfortunately those meets take place during the next term, which is after the 3-week winter break in July. We'll be back in the U.S. then and Kara will be running for hometown Schoolcraft Eagles. Way to go Kara!

Over the weekend, Bekah attended a birthday party of one of her schoolmates that was held at Holmleigh Farmyard. That's the same place we had Bekah's birthday party, complete with all the farm animals in the world you would want to hold and pet. So, Jack, Katilee and I dropped Kathy and Bekah off at the farm and we jumped in Livingstone and tooled down the road back to Kragga Kamma Game Park. We were on a mission: get photographic evidence of the illusive cape buffalo. This was the 4th time we had been to Kragga Kamma, but had only seen the buffalo once. While we were there we decided to try and find all 23 animals listed on the game park map. In the end we were able to spot 20 of the 23 animals over a 2 ½ hour drive. Felt just like Livingstone the missionary/explorer, except riding in a Land Rover instead of in the back of a donkey cart. What made it especially exciting was that the day was June 21st, what we refer to back home as "summer solstice"--the longest day of the year and the first official day of summer. Just the opposite here. June 21st is the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter. No problem, it was about 60 degrees out and we were ready for adventure. So what else was special about this day? Huh? Yes, that's right; you Harry Potter fans know what I am talking about. Book 5 hit the shelves. What better could we expect? Driving through a game park with your kids on a beautiful winter solstice, or summer solstice depending on which way the water spins as it empties out of your tub (or as Bekah puts it: "Let me watch the tornado go down the drain! ooooweee!"), on THE day Harry Potter book number 5 became the next frenzy making focus of every man woman, and child over the age of 6? War and Peace…Silas Marner…Moby Dick…The Old Man and The Sea…Harry Potter and the Phoenix, the Phoenix order, order a Phoenix for Harry Potter, or, well, something like that. All the great classics. Worth every bit of the 45 Rand total entry fee (about 5 and half bucks) we had to pay to get into Kragga Kamma. What do you suppose our first animal viewing was? "Hey Dad, why are those two rhinos crawling on top of each other?" "What two…Hold on! Oh yeah! Where's the camera?! This is good website fodder!" Caught in the act. Right in the heat of the moment. I am thinking of submitting some pictures to Jerry Springer…or maybe for the cover of Harry Potter book 6. The birds and the bees and the ... rhinos. Ends up that most of our animals were preoccupied with the, as Bekah would say, "Oh this is embarrassing! Want me to tell you?!" moments. In addition to the rhino gymnastic display, it seems like we caught most animals urinating, defecating, or smelling the urine or feces of their mates who just fertilized the grass. I'm tellin' ya-it was really eeeeerie. Must have something to do with that solstice thing. Or…maybe it's more because Harry Potter has resurfaced. Think the rhinos knew that? "ooooo baby, you lookin' so fiiiiiiine. I jus' havin' a hard time over here with you and yo big body and flappy skin waddlin' around all over da place. I dunno know what it is, sugar, but sumptens in tha air!"

While at Kragga Kamma we also got a chance to see one of Bekah's favorite animals: the waterbuck. What makes the waterbuck so interesting is the local story that comes attached to it, which makes Bekah howl every time she hears it. See, in Africa all the animals have stories about of how they came to be and look like they do. Some are quite hilarious. Imagine the stories that revolve around the hippo and why he looks like he does. Bekah likes the waterbuck story. It appears that one rainy day the waterbuck had to use the toilet. So he searched and searched but could only find one that was outside. Well, the toilet seat was wet when he sat down on it. When he got up it had left a white ring around his, as Bekah would say, "Oh, this is embarrassing! Want me to tell you?…Butt!!," which, when the other animals saw it, made them laugh and laugh. So distraught with this embarrassment, the waterbuck grabbed a rope, found a tree, and tried to string himself up around the neck until dead. The rope happened to break under his weight and embarrassment and he fell to the ground alive, but still embarrassed. That's why the waterbuck has a white ring around his rear end and a partial white ring around his neck. "Oh, that is sooooo embarrassing! Tell it again, Daddy!" In the end, we caught the buffalo on the camera.

As I read back over this, I see a lot of talk about toilets and "passings." Must be because of my recent fame with the whole township toilet thing. Speaking of that toilet event, we had a chance to move into a whole new set of experiences over the weekend. If you remember a few weeks ago when our friends the Earl's were here, we visited Pendla Primary School and the principal, Ms. Mfunda, took us over to meet Dr. Soga, a doctor in the township just down the road from Pendla. Dr. Soga has been in the process of trying to start a community AIDS clinic that would serve the residents of the surrounding townships. I've been in contact with Dr. Soga about this opportunity, which culminated in an invitation to attend his church, an African Methodist church. What an opportunity for us. So of course we accepted the invitation. We were greeted at the church and escorted to the front pew as special guest of Dr. Soga and the AIDS task force team. Three hours of a Xhosa spoken service. Three hours, complete with every ritual and sacrament you can think of. Baptisms, new members, confirmation, scripture, fiesty sermon, alter call, singing, singing, and more singing. You name it. It was there. There may have even been a funreal or a marraige in there somewhere. But the best was the communion. The six of us went up to the rail when it was our turn and each proceeded to toss back the communion fluid from the small little glasses. Only this liquid wasn't juice, but rather some form of port or sherry. Seeing the look on Jack and Bekah's faces as they took a gulp was a site to behold. Bekah actually spit it right back out. Katilee exclaimed, "This is wine!" Maybe that is part of the reason why the kids were able to sit still for the 3-hour service. Asking them later: "Jack, did you understand anything they were saying?" "Yeah, when they sang 'Amen' after every song." We must have sung 45 different tunes. Very musical and powerful. Their choir, with beautiful voices, prepared a special "Glory to God" hymn sung in English for the special guests (us). Beautiful. Afterwards, the preacher got up and told the congregation, "Now we will hear the message from our guests" and looked at me. What? I turned to Kathy and asked "Does he mean me?" "No, he's talking about the guy next to you." Whew. Relief. The preacher kept looking at me. Ms. Mfunda, who was also there, nodded for me to go up to the front. "Does he mean me? What am I supposed to say?" In a heavy Xhosa accent, "Mmmm that you are here and why you came and what brought it to be." As I walked up to the podium specially placed so everyone in the congregation could see me, I ran through my mind "Why we came? You are here? What brought it to be?" I didn't even understand what it was Ms. Mfunda was talking about. So, I preceded to begin with thanking God for introducing me to a toilet at Pendla, because that was the stone cast in the water that started this ripple and why we eventually ended up at that church. "Glory to God for the toilet!" I exclaimed at the end. Apparently it was right on, for the preacher smiled at me when I was done. Afterward there was a great midday feast, in our honor. Wonderful food and company. We did feel a bit guilty as we realized that a lot of the people just down the street were starving, but we did not disappoint our hosts. Afterward, I was taken over to a separate table to meet with the community task force that wants to start the AIDS clinic, sort of as a consult on what to do next and how to get funding. We talked for a while about focusing on enhancing wellness, whether AIDS infected or not, and how the center could serve as a light for the community. Empowerment. Peer mentoring. Home-based care. And, collaboration with the new Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (what UPE will become once it merges with two other universities nearby) for participatory and service learning, research, grant funding, and other skills the university is able to bring into an engaged partnership. They liked it. So much so that we will be holding a meeting next week with Andre, the Dean of the Health Science Faculty, the Director of the UPE AIDS Unit, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (which is like a Provost) of the university, and myself at the church with their team. The church is even offering to donate a building to be used to house the Wellness Center. And to think it started with a broken toilet in a school in the middle of a township that no one really knew about or cared about. Now that is reason to exclaim "Glory to God!"