The BIg Old Pink House on Victoria Road. Day one at school.

The Centre for Creative Education is housed in a rambling, pinkish, rather delapidated, characterful ex- orphanage. The building is like a many-armed old grandmother, embracing busy and active children, all engaged in artisitic endeavors. One gets the feeling that one day the old grandmother will simply etherise and the building will just crumble into dust; meanwhile, she does a stirling job.

Our opening ceremony was shared with the Bachelor of Education students. We numbered about 85 in all and I was blown away (as I'd been uprepared, having left SA before the Rainbow Nation really started formig) by the variety of colours and how they blended together. A young girl (with a white skin) showed her joy at renewing contact, after the 6 week break, with her young man-with-a-black-skin friend. It was normal and natural and as it should be. But it was new to me, and so, so moving. A vibrant, creative, positive group of young adults shared a ceremonial opening to the new year that was both sacred and joyful.

I am doing a module on Introduction to Educational Research so that when the time comes to write my dissertation I will have the required process and format knowledge. I will work in the mornings with the 4th year students as a refresher and then in the afternoons will work on duos and solos for my degree work. My classmates are 30 to 40 years my junior and are delighted to have me along for the ride! My day starts at 9 and ends at 5 or 6. SO - pretty full on!

I have really settled into a new routine at home - yoga by the pool at dawn followed by many lengths swimming and am so thankful for this beautiful space.My sister-in-law Dale has been a superstar in assisting me to get organised and from today will lend me her car, which will facilitate my freedom!!!

Every now and then, a wave of 'homesickness' envelopes me as I miss my NZ life and my family in particular. Yet the sensing of being in the right place at the right time is undeniable.

January 30th 2012

Well I am off to school today! Got my lunchbag packed and my school bag with my Eurythmy shoes and pencil case and I feel like I am 7 years old!! And the best news of all is that I had a brilliant night's sleep. So - the worst of the jetlag is over and I am ready and rearing to go....

The days since my arrival have been a blur of images of the magnificent beauty of the Mother City, which I am unashamedly in love with. A trip around the Peninsula with old friend David van Ryswyk, reminded my why Vasco da Gama, in the 1600's, declared  this southernmost tip of Africa "The Fairest Cape in all the World".

I am settling  into my life here in Constantia, graciously hosted by Ros Ovenstone - another old and dear friend - and have created an infrastructure to support my mission. This is the view from my bedroom window - scroll across and down to get the full picture: