Today started early! Our stint at our hotel in Pretoria was ending. We had packed our bags the night before, so it was really a matter of getting up early, grabbing breakfast, vacating our room, and checking into our new place (called a guest house here—a lot like a bed and breakfast).
After checking out, we still had a little bit of time before we could check in at 10:00. Brian wanted to check out TriBeCa Coffee, so we found their roastery, which contained a small coffee shop as well. The lead barista teacher (it’s also a barista school) found out I don’t like coffee. He couldn’t believe it and told me he was going to make a traditional cappuccino for me. He handed it to me with such expectation that I would like it. I’ve never liked a coffee drink in my life. Imagine my surprise that it wasn’t terrible, I kind of liked it, and I actually finished the drink!
T making a fashion statement by wearing goggles. From left to right: Edward, Louis, Brian, and myself.
We found T in the classroom drawing pictures (shoutout to Edward and Louis who were part of the drawing). We spent some time drawing and coloring with T before heading out. We went to a mall (of course) because there seems to be nothing else to do here. We decided on bowling and games at a place akin to Chuck E. Cheese, minus the creepy animatronic mouse. T did well with bowling and got second place. He enjoyed having free reign to pick games to play and won a whooping 150 tickets. He bought two packs of army men (with weird Plants vs. Zombies pieces mixed in) and a glow in the dark rubber ring.
T and Brian watching the progress of T's bowling ball.
While walking around, T continued his commentary about ties and watches. While we’re still hesitant about the ties (we live in jeans and t-shirts), we did decide to buy him a watch. We stopped at Swatch and let T pick out a new watch. The choice ended up being a Batman watch. He made dad proud!
After the mall, we headed back to the home to pick up T’s change of clothes and toiletries. T played with his friends for a little bit before we left to pick up pizza for our movie night. The movie? Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, naturally! It was so sad because when I posted a picture of T watching the movie, I saw that Alan Rickman had passed away. It made me sad, but glad to see T enjoying the movie and hopeful he will love the books as much as I do.
T watching Harry Potter.
After half of the movie, we tucked T in for the night. There are few times in my life I will remember as vividly as tucking in my son, telling him I love him, and kissing him on his forehead. Seeing Brian do the same was a moment I will always cherish in my heart. It’s moments like this that make me feel like a mother. It’s moments like this that make us a family.