Ken Liffiton: south africa : family and friends

While in Capetown, I stayed with the Kohler family at their home in the suburbs of Capetown. Spending time with my "family" was one of the most enjoyable parts of my time in South Africa. Warren and Val did a good job of introducing me to local life and helping me learn about the events shaping South Africa today. Their children, 7 year old Meggan, 5 year old Matthew, and 10 month old Lorian, were very friendly and often amusing.

Val, a middle school teacher in the township of Mitchell's Plain, told me a lot about South African society as well as about her difficult work in the schools. She teaches a class of around 40 students, and was shocked to hear that American teachers prefer not to teach more than 20 students at one time. Most of our conversations took place in the kitchen, where Val was always worrying that she wasn't a very good cook. I didn't notice any problems with the food and enjoyed my meals and pudding thoroughly.

Warren, a top sales agent at a large packaging company, was in the process of switching to an even better job when I visited. The new job came with a better company car, especially of interest to Warren as he maintains and races a rally car as a hobby. Fortunately, the many trips the Kohlers took me on to see Capetown were a bit more sedate than the videos I saw of Warren tearing through the countryside at rallies...

As an added bonus I got to meet an "extended family" of all Warren and Val's friends, who added their own perspectives on life to make my South African world more interesting. When I arrived at the Kohler household to begin my stay, the first order of business was a braai. There I met all of Val and Warren's friends, all at once!

The extended family members I spent the most time with were Donny and Sheryl Ronnie. When I first arrived at the Kohler household, Donn was the first person I met, followed by his wife Sheryl. It was a pleasure to know the Ronnies throughout my visit. They were glad to show me around, and Donny was even so kind as to go with me on a fun but ill-fated hike to the top of Lion's Head; it was too cloudy to see anything!

The children

Living in a house with young children running around all the time was a new experience for me. Meggan, Matthew, and Lorian were all kind enough to provide some extra energy around the house.

Meggan is a truly dramatic little girl; her mother thinks she might go into acting! She's into dance as well. First-hand experience as a teacher in the public school system has led Meggan's mother to send her to a Christian private school at a nearby church with her younger brother.

Matthew loves cars and rally racing as much as Warren does, and I'm sure he'll end up inheriting a rally car or two from his father someday. For now, he loves to watch rally videos on TV; when his father is racing he'll start chanting "Go Daddy! Go Daddy!" seemingly without realizing it.

Laurien is a jubilant little baby, and like most babies she's constantly figuring out how to create new havoc, much to the chagrin of her mother. During my stay, Lorian found her voice (the words may not have been there but the decibels were), got to work on climbing things, and figured out how to open and slam cabinet doors. Val wondered how she was going to keep her sanity. At first Lorian and I were both pretty shy, but after a while we got along very well.

I thank my South African extended family for all their help and guidance and look forward to seeing them again in the future!