Shopping....I need a coat
First of all, I just want to let anyone waiting on an e-mail from me know that you are in my thoughts and prayers and I am so sorry you have to wait so long for e-mails. I'm trying to keep up with everyone...truly...I wish I was better at that, but in all my imperfection I am still trying :)
I also have about 10 different things that I would love to blog about just to share experiences with you all. I had a friend from Lubbock here last week and we did so much that I want to tell everyone about!
For today, I'll just let you know how I finally bought a winter coat in South Africa.
In my infinite genius I left my winter coat with a team from Lubbock Christian University who is coming at the end of May to South Africa to help at Eagle's Rising. Winter should only come at the end of May and I thought it would be early enough to get the coat then. But apparently there is a cold front coming bringing in lots of rain. I'm still getting used to the idea that winter is the rainy season here...when I was here for almost a year before, I went back to Texas just before winter began, so I have never had a winter here. The cold front is suppose to be coming this week....burrrrr. So, I've known for the past two weeks that I needed to go ahead and buy a coat. My wool coat from cold winters in Lubbock will only help when I can stay dry here anyway. Going into the township with Eagles Rising will require something made better for the rain at some point anyway. So, I've been watching the shops (that's how they say it here...."We're going to the shop" or "I'm looking at all the shops for a coat"....If I'm remembering right we say I'm going to the store back in Texas...its already getting hard to remember for sure how we say everything back home.) But anyway, I've been watching the shops. I've never needed to buy anything like this in South Africa before. So, I've been doing my normal shopping strategy....look all around for a few weeks, find the best options, watch to see if anything will go on sale, then buy. Not going to work here! My shopping strategy is going to have to change :( Oh, man, this is a hard one for me. Most changes are not that hard for me, but I laugh at myself as I discover the things difficult for me. I love how I shop in America. I like to think it is good stewardship of the finances God provides. Plus it is somewhat of a sport and challenge for me. Well, I've been looking at different shops as I've had the chance for over two weeks now. This weekend I thought I better start making a decision before the cold front comes. Well........they're gone!!!! All the coats I've watched, the warm winter boats I've been pricing...they're gone. A sadness sweeps over me even as I write this ;) In South Africa clothes and shoes don't really go on sale that much. Shops get one shipment of the item and when they're sold they are sold. Sometimes the entire stock of something might be gone in just a few days. Or in the case of my desperate search for the coat yesterday, things can be gone in a matter of hours. No more strategic shopping for me!!! I really may have missed the chance for some of the best winter boots because of my delay. What?! Oh man, life is going to be different here ;)
So, yesterday Estell (leader at House of Prayer) insisted on getting me to the shops for this coat. We rushed through all the shops worth looking at for a coat in less than an hour and with her encouragement just to buy whatever is available, I bought the only coat in my size that fit me right. So there you go. Last week I probably would have had 10 more options than I did yesterday. Yesterday I had one option. And I ended up with a white coat...I've never had a white coat before. They were all out of the black coats in this style and actually only had 4 white ones remaining (fortunately one of them was the right size for me). I had looked a few hours before and seen a black one like the one I got. But when I returned with Estell's encouragement just to go ahead and buy something, the black one was already gone. So, here I go with my white coat. The good part is that it was the cheapest coat I've seen since I've been here. So, if the white doesn't stay clean enough, then I can just try again next year. In the end this coat was only $15! People layer clothes a lot here so all these coats are really just nice rain jackets that you layer with hoodies and sweaters and things. So, to me most of them are expensive...most of them are closer to $50 for a rain jacket. But, God was gracious. The one and only coat that fit me was at the cheapest store around...we'll see how the quality is by the end of winter.
But that is my story to share for now....so more strategic shopping in my world. And the reality of changing cultures has become more real to me...all over a coat :) But the up side is that shopping in South Africa should increase my prayer life and faith level. I better pray hard when I find something I'm looking for and trust God to say yes buy now or no wait because that moment of prayer may be the only moment I will have to make the decision.
More later...just like with my last blog...it is now 10:30 pm, I've been running all day, I've got a prayer slot at 7am tomorrow, I'm exhausted, and I need to get ready for bed. This 7am prayer slot is a huge challenge for me! It is not easy to get a slot in the prayer room so I'll take whatever I can get, but it is not only early for me in the morning (I know some people are morning people but 1am prayer would be easier for me) but it is also really cold outside at 7am when I walk to the prayer room. Plus I've learned two things in my month of 7am prayer. The first is that it is not fun to be in intercession at 7am when you have not had enough sleep. The second is that you really can't focus on prayer when attempting to put in your contacts and apply make-up in the prayer room :) So, I've got to get some sleep so I can get the contacts in before leaving home for prayer and so I don't waste my prayer time begging God to help me stay awake!
I also have about 10 different things that I would love to blog about just to share experiences with you all. I had a friend from Lubbock here last week and we did so much that I want to tell everyone about!
For today, I'll just let you know how I finally bought a winter coat in South Africa.
In my infinite genius I left my winter coat with a team from Lubbock Christian University who is coming at the end of May to South Africa to help at Eagle's Rising. Winter should only come at the end of May and I thought it would be early enough to get the coat then. But apparently there is a cold front coming bringing in lots of rain. I'm still getting used to the idea that winter is the rainy season here...when I was here for almost a year before, I went back to Texas just before winter began, so I have never had a winter here. The cold front is suppose to be coming this week....burrrrr. So, I've known for the past two weeks that I needed to go ahead and buy a coat. My wool coat from cold winters in Lubbock will only help when I can stay dry here anyway. Going into the township with Eagles Rising will require something made better for the rain at some point anyway. So, I've been watching the shops (that's how they say it here...."We're going to the shop" or "I'm looking at all the shops for a coat"....If I'm remembering right we say I'm going to the store back in Texas...its already getting hard to remember for sure how we say everything back home.) But anyway, I've been watching the shops. I've never needed to buy anything like this in South Africa before. So, I've been doing my normal shopping strategy....look all around for a few weeks, find the best options, watch to see if anything will go on sale, then buy. Not going to work here! My shopping strategy is going to have to change :( Oh, man, this is a hard one for me. Most changes are not that hard for me, but I laugh at myself as I discover the things difficult for me. I love how I shop in America. I like to think it is good stewardship of the finances God provides. Plus it is somewhat of a sport and challenge for me. Well, I've been looking at different shops as I've had the chance for over two weeks now. This weekend I thought I better start making a decision before the cold front comes. Well........they're gone!!!! All the coats I've watched, the warm winter boats I've been pricing...they're gone. A sadness sweeps over me even as I write this ;) In South Africa clothes and shoes don't really go on sale that much. Shops get one shipment of the item and when they're sold they are sold. Sometimes the entire stock of something might be gone in just a few days. Or in the case of my desperate search for the coat yesterday, things can be gone in a matter of hours. No more strategic shopping for me!!! I really may have missed the chance for some of the best winter boots because of my delay. What?! Oh man, life is going to be different here ;)
So, yesterday Estell (leader at House of Prayer) insisted on getting me to the shops for this coat. We rushed through all the shops worth looking at for a coat in less than an hour and with her encouragement just to buy whatever is available, I bought the only coat in my size that fit me right. So there you go. Last week I probably would have had 10 more options than I did yesterday. Yesterday I had one option. And I ended up with a white coat...I've never had a white coat before. They were all out of the black coats in this style and actually only had 4 white ones remaining (fortunately one of them was the right size for me). I had looked a few hours before and seen a black one like the one I got. But when I returned with Estell's encouragement just to go ahead and buy something, the black one was already gone. So, here I go with my white coat. The good part is that it was the cheapest coat I've seen since I've been here. So, if the white doesn't stay clean enough, then I can just try again next year. In the end this coat was only $15! People layer clothes a lot here so all these coats are really just nice rain jackets that you layer with hoodies and sweaters and things. So, to me most of them are expensive...most of them are closer to $50 for a rain jacket. But, God was gracious. The one and only coat that fit me was at the cheapest store around...we'll see how the quality is by the end of winter.
But that is my story to share for now....so more strategic shopping in my world. And the reality of changing cultures has become more real to me...all over a coat :) But the up side is that shopping in South Africa should increase my prayer life and faith level. I better pray hard when I find something I'm looking for and trust God to say yes buy now or no wait because that moment of prayer may be the only moment I will have to make the decision.
More later...just like with my last blog...it is now 10:30 pm, I've been running all day, I've got a prayer slot at 7am tomorrow, I'm exhausted, and I need to get ready for bed. This 7am prayer slot is a huge challenge for me! It is not easy to get a slot in the prayer room so I'll take whatever I can get, but it is not only early for me in the morning (I know some people are morning people but 1am prayer would be easier for me) but it is also really cold outside at 7am when I walk to the prayer room. Plus I've learned two things in my month of 7am prayer. The first is that it is not fun to be in intercession at 7am when you have not had enough sleep. The second is that you really can't focus on prayer when attempting to put in your contacts and apply make-up in the prayer room :) So, I've got to get some sleep so I can get the contacts in before leaving home for prayer and so I don't waste my prayer time begging God to help me stay awake!
posted by Jeanne at
2:59 PM
2 Comments:
It's good to hear from you and how things are going. Funny to hear you talking about early May being winter--all the times I was there, it was like fall and such beautiful weather. Toward the end the rains would come, for sure. :) I did look up Eagles Rising on the internet after your last post.
I did not expect winter in May. But apparently the summer was very harsh this year and now the winter is coming early. I did learn something new, though. Its the rain in May that keeps it from getting too cold. I've been told to be thankful for the rain because it is less cold on the rainy days. Who knew?!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home