Update, Flowers, and Newsletter

First, I wanted to give you an update on the "strike season" that I wrote about. One of my South African friends has informed me that "strike season" begins around April every year when the new fiscal budgets are set for the government and businesses. People strike throughout negotiations about salary increases and benefits. Then, the "season" ends some time around September each year. So there you have it. It truly is a "season", it just happens to be about half the year every year. I have learned to appreciate one thing about all this striking. Today all the people working for non-profit social agencies held a march rather than a strike, but their purpose was to march to the government offices here in Cape Town to say that they are not okay with how low their salaries are in comparison to government and for-profit workers doing the same work. Wow! The same problem exists in America…..I worked as a Social Worker for a number of non-profits at home and now this problem very intimately. Social Workers along with all employees at non-profit agencies make ridiculously low salaries for the most part, and they know they can make more in government agencies and for-profit jobs. Yet, in America I don't know of anyone that thinks there is a solution to the problem. It is just sort of a problem that is accepted as simply being the way things work. In South Africa people have a hope that things can change and their actions can be a part of the solution. I started blogging about the strikes last week thinking they are almost completely negative. But I have to say, after a week of pondering my blog about the strikes, I have now found this amazing aspect to them. How amazing to have a society of people who don't just accept things as they are but genuinely expect that changes are possible. Hmmmm....I've got so much to learn from the people here!

My second topic for this post is the flowers I recently bought for my house. I went out to buy herbs and various lettuce plants so that I can grow my own salad. That's right, I'm growing a salad. So many people here grow gardens and I would love to plant a garden but the yard at my house is not made right for a garden. At the nursery near me they actually sell seedlings to plant your own potted "salad". That is what it says on the seedlings...grow your own salad. I like it. Anyway, now I have about 11 herbs and 4 different lettuces, which are soon to be a salad.




While I was at the nursery, I found the most beautiful flower plant I have ever seen in my life. It is a black calla lily. Really it’s a purple color, but it is gorgeous. They have lots of calla lilies here, just growing on the side of the road and in people’s yards everywhere. This is the first black one I have seen. So, it was a bit expensive, but I couldn’t help myself. Back in Texas we don’t get these things every day. So, this is my first truly South African plant for my house. How beautiful!









































And, now, for my final blog topic today….here’s my August newsletter :)