Well, it’s now been another couple of months and I’ve learned more interesting and quirky things about my new home country. From plastic bags to polite drivers, there's lots to learn and love about living in South Africa.

I’ll admit I wasn’t totally prepared for my first Christmas in South Africa. I mean, part of me knew that Christmas comes as summer begins, but I (optimistically, perhaps) thought that it would still feel like…you know…Christmas.

It…well…doesn’t.

As I write this, we’re just beyond two weeks married. It’s still a little surreal after our nearly two year long journey to get here. Although things have changed, they really haven’t.

Load shedding is just part of life here in South Africa, so it’s best to learn to deal with it with grace, laughter, and lots of wine.

A trip the US Consulate, a second visit to DHA, and an interrogation that made GITMO look like an island vacation. Time was running out and our stress level was through the roof…

Getting married under the best of circumstances can be a challenging and stressful time. Being an immigrant from the US getting married to a South African citizen IN South Africa is a whole ‘nother level of stress that started even before I left the country.

I’m coming up on two months here in South Africa. I love it here… the people, the culture, the weather, the scenery, the food, and the wine… omg.. THE WINE. It’s all just fabulous. For every awesome thing, there’s something that just catches me completely off guard.

Here’s a short list of what I’ve encountered so far:

Early in the afternoon I boarded a plane in Tallahassee, Florida headed for Cape Town, South Africa. This wasn’t my first trip across the ocean to be with Kim, but this time it was different.

This time I had a one-way ticket.