Barbara's Random Thoughts

While I was in Pretoria, Phinda, the sole South African on our team, teased me about how often I checked my email. Context: I think I checked email maybe 5 times during the 16 days I was gone. I tried to explain to Phinda that at work, I sit in front of a computer all day long and check my email probably a minimum of 5 times a DAY, so the checking email less than every other day was pretty low-key for me.

Being back home, I'm realizing the blessing it was to be freed from obsessive email-checking. I love being connected with friends so easily, but today I've felt a bit burdened by the long email strings discussing plans for tonight, tomorrow, the weekend.

I talked a little with one of the NCSA staff on Friday about a greater desire for simplicity. I'm definitely feeling that today. Of course, the 130 emails that confronted me this morning in my work email inbox may have a lot to do with that as well.

Sidenote for Elise:
I learned to say hello in Zulu: Sawubona.
Bonus word in Zulu (I think it's Zulu): Makua. This means: "white people!" We were greeted with this many times by children in the streets of the townships, even by the crowd of kids at the orphanage we visited. It was a source of constant amusement, really.