I opened my iPad to an interesting column in today’s New York Times, titled “Why You Should Give Your Money Away Today.” It talked about what motivates charitable giving, and how the research shows that “givers are happier and healthier and have a greater sense of purpose in life.” Well, I for one could do with being a little happier and having a greater sense of purpose. Could you? Well, you’re in luck. Today is Giving Tuesday, and I have the perfect charitable cause for you. It Started with a Highway Exit Sign If you’re new to Joburg Expat, you may not have heard of Alexandra Baseball, so he ..read more

Sunshine and I were on the train from Stuttgart, Germany, to Paris, France. She was getting more and more worried with each passing high-speed mile. In fact, she had become quieter and quieter over the course of three days. Every time one of my many relatives at our family reunion asked if she was looking forward to Paris, she was reminded that soon she’d be on her own, living with a family as yet unknown to her, drowning her in worry about how it might pan out. I was trying to talk her down by asking her to think back to all the other times in her life she was super worried. And how that turn ..read more

I remember reading somewhere that it’s extremely difficult to build robots that resemble humans because it’s near impossible to teach them how to walk. We think walking is a fine-tuned process of moving our legs forward. But in reality – and this is what robots have trouble with – we simply sort of lean forward when we want to go somewhere. This make us fall forward a tiny little bit, and we are in constant danger of toppling over, except our legs are there to swing in front of us and brace the fall. Walking is a series of constantly aborted falls more than anything else. Not so for a robot. F ..read more

As you might remember, I have moved quite a bit. Seven times, to be exact. Some of these moves were across an ocean, some of them weren’t. And one of them involved just one suitcase and a bicycle, whereas most others involved 40-foot containers. It’s those 40-foot container ones you need professional help with. I have learned that it’s important to work with an international shipping provider who is responsive throughout the move, and who makes it look easy. It starts with understanding how an international move works. Below, Josh with International Van Lines explains in easy to understand ter ..read more

In early May in the year 2019, in other words last week, I was on my driveway with that day’s stack of mail, starting to go through it as I walked back to the house. Huh, I thought. What do you know, one of the Christmas cards didn’t make it. Unusual perhaps, considering that summer break is about to start in the Northern Hemisphere. But I’ve been there before. As you know, I once conducted an experiment to test the South African Postal Service compared with other postal services around the world. I had been accused of using shady “anecdotal evidence” when complaining about slow and corrupt ma ..read more

Even the most occasional readers of my blog will know that I loved living in South Africa. I loved the weather, the land, and the people. But most of all, I loved living in our beautiful home in Dainfern Valley. If you are moving to South Africa and don’t know where to look for a house, you might be overwhelmed with the choices. I’d like to make it easier for you: Move to Dainfern Valley! Seriously, you can’t go wrong. There were so many things to love about it: It’s in a great location. If your kids go to the American School of Johannesburg, it’s convenient, but not as far out from the city ..read more

*** Update 4-23-19: Crown Relocations is currently offering a 10% discount off your move! *** Altogether, I have moved seven times in my life. Five of those were international moves. And six of them were with children in tow. So I think it’s not too much of an exaggeration when I say I know a little bit about moving around the world. Moving all by yourself isn’t that big a deal. That was my very first move, at age 24. I had exactly one (1) bicycle and (1) overstuffed suitcase to my name, and moving them from Germany to Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1991 involved booking a plane ticket and arr ..read more

Once every week, from 2010 to 2013, I took a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. I would sit on a little bench up on a hill overlooking the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg, the sun warming my skin, a slight breeze keeping the summer heat at bay. I could let my thoughts drift, with nothing to do but watch a group of horses patiently carry children around the pasture beneath my perch. These moments of peace are among my fondest memories of our three years in South Africa. Watching Impatience’s lessons together with Sunshine, who shortly after also took up riding lessons Getting read ..read more

Hello my dear readers, and once again apologies for a longer-than-normal silence. I wish I could say I’m on book leave, but I am not, in fact, making much progress on any meaningful writing. My accomplishments this year are more modest: Churning out a steady stream of blog posts about hair restoration and liposuction, gaining a smidgen more knowledge about those dual sinkholes of WordPress and Google Ads, and improving my tennis serve. Oh, and Kilimanjaro Diaries came out as an audio book, but I already bragged about that elsewhere. Tonight I’d like to share some of the thoughts I’ve been mull ..read more

The story I’m about to tell is one of those typical “This is Africa” anecdotes that I’ve so come to miss over the years. It’s a story of thievery and deceit, but it somehow warms your heart nonetheless, because one can practically see the bashful smiles all around. It took place about six years ago – I haven’t told it until now because at the time my husband preferred that I didn’t spill any “company secrets” about his employer. We had moved to South Africa for the multi-national company he was with at the time. He was put in charge of a project subcontracted by South Africa’s utility, Eskom ..read more