Saturday, August 23, 2014

Concerning Our Properties

Some people may wonder how we finance this venture... We had 2 yards (erwe); we sold one and are going to rent out the other.  We were very lucky that the backyard was sold so quickly since making the decision. The renters are looking forward to moving into our old big house with so much space, from living in a flat in an apartment building.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Feedback We Received So Far

After the choices were made, an email was sent out to friends and family. Here are some responses:

"You have our full support! It's wow."

"Wow, you are going to do what the rest of us talk and dream about. You guys are amazing."

"That sounds SO exciting! Enjoy every moment, every challenge and every victory!"

"That sound so amazingly exciting!! I am glad you have the opportunity to do something like this. Hope you get lots of life-experience out of it."

"We support you in this difficult decision and know that you had thought it out well. I am sure you will see it through successfully!"

"Wow, what an exciting and different time that waits for you! In the words of the traditional Gaellic blessing from my good old friend Ireland:

"May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand…"
"


"We'd love to follow you! May the packing and planning go well!"

"May you see and meet God everywhere on the road, and introduce Him to others as well! Go on His wings of grace!!"

"It's wonderful to see this on black and white... It makes it feel real! We look forward with you to the journey with multiple goals! We know it's going to be awesome! What a privilege!"

"It sounds fantastic!! I hope you are richly blessed on your travels and believe you will be a big blessing for all the other people you will meet as well. There are a lot of people that do this in Australia. It sounds like a fantastic experience. I will want to follow."

"Wow, that is indeed an adventure with new challenges. Wish you as a family the best for your future plans."

"I will definitely follow your adventure.... Make a few cartwheels, or should we leave that to Theuns?"

"We pray that the the Angel of the Lord will make a circle around you and that there will be so many memories! We pray for a new revelation of His plans and dreams for each of you and the wisdom and insight of how to unfold it. Enjoy every moment."


Vagabond Families

While researching family sabbaticals, my mom stumbled upon a very interesting website: http://www.vagabondfamily.org/

This fascinating website was created by and for parents who want to travel with their children. There are a lot of prefixed ideas people have that say you can't travel extensively with a family. Here are the evidence they are wrong!!
Have a look at out profile!
http://www.vagabondfamily.org/family-profiles/show/217/krugers-from-south-africa/

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Storage Calculations

The plan is to rent out our house while we are gone and we decided that one of the rooms will not be included in the rent and we will use it as storage space for all our stuff. Because our house is old, the rooms are huge, and with careful planning, packing and preparation, we could fit everything in! So, one Sunday night after dinner, we sat in front of our fireplace and made tiny Lego models of all the furniture we are going to store (thanks to Theuns for measuring everything and converting it to model sizes!).

The Route

My parents started working out the route we will travel around South Africa. There are a few factors we have to take into consideration, as well as logic (to save petrol we are not going to crisscross the country...).

  • Seasons. The northern parts of South Africa in summer are extremely hot, and the Cape in winter is very cold and very wet. Solution? Follow the sun and visit the Cape in summer and the north in winter!
  • Our volunteering opportunities. Our first host will be near Richmond, and thus it becomes the start of our circle around South Africa. The rest is still in progress of being sorted out.
  • Tourist seasons. For example, in December some parts of the country (such as the South Coast) are crowded with people on vacation. We would like to avoid those.