Sunday, August 7 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

For the last four years, Mom has had to do Esther's hair, and it has been a painful process for them both.  One thing Mom was really excited about when moving here was not having to do cornrows in Esther's hair every six weeks.  Today we had two women come in, and we expected good results, but not as good as we got; it only took the two of them just under three hours to take out Esther's hair, wash it, and re-braid it.  Just under THREE hours!  It normally took Mom three days (it helps that they are African themselves, and are also hairdressers).  Needless to say, Esther's hair turned out beautifully.

Saturday, August 6 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

Today, we didn't really have any plans... run some errands, pick up some school supplies, visit our new dogs...  However, Dad asked around and found a Rhino park, an African animal reserve.  We saw rhinos, lions, cheetahs, ostriches, zebras, pigmy hippos, antelope, ground squirrels, hyenas, and all sorts of other african animals that I can't name yet. 

Friday, August 5 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

Having been accepted to The King's School in Robin Hills, today we went and got our uniforms.  LOTS of clothing.  For me, track suit (pants and jacket), PE shirt, house shirt (we're in the house of Israel, which is blue), blue slacks, two blue skirts, three white blouses, one jersey (sweater), and one blazer.  That's just for me, so multiply that times six and you have about the right amount.  When we got home, it was MY job to sort out the clothing into the six piles for me and my siblings, and that was crazy, too.  A lot of my siblings are close in sizes, so it probably took me an hour to sort, label, and inventory everything.  However, I really like my uniform a lot.  It's comfortable and cute, and I don't have to worry about what I wear to school.  

Thursday, August 4 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

Today, we didn't have any school tests scheduled, no houses to visit, or errands to run.  At least, the kids didn't; Mom and Dad had an interview with the headmaster of the King's School (which, by the way, we have been accepted at).  So while Mom and Dad were gone, and we didn't have anything to do, we got insanely bored.  The girls did each others hair, put on my jewelry, and the boys took pictures of us, and then we all cleaned the apartment.  What does that say for boredom?

Wednesday, August 3 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

     We went and looked at our first house today, a six bedroom house with a two car garage and a decent sized backyard (or garden, if you're using South African terms).  It also has a pool, which my siblings are excited about.  Although we can't decide on a house until we are accepted in a school, we all thought the house was nice enough to be considered a possibility.
     As for getting into schools, we got our results back from the first school's tests, King's College.  We're still waiting for Ivan's scores, those will come tomorrow, but the rest of us passed our exams, and we were referred to as 'very bright'.  That made Mom feel good, seeing as grades from a student reflect on a teacher's teaching :)

Tuesday, August 2 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

We tested at our second choice school today, The King's School.  Teresa and I flew through our tests and were the second ones done, after Ivan.  I like the feel of the King's College better, though; it wasn't as formal, and the uniforms were cuter there... :) I know, I'm a total girl.  The King's School was all brick and 'Afternoon, ma'am, afternoon, sir'.  It just didn't feel like an extremely welcoming school.  Their courses were interesting though, and I would be able to work around my previously odd science schedule.  God will place us where He wills us to be, so I'm not worried.

Monday, August 1 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

Today was our first day of school testing, and we started at our first choice school, King's College.  We all felt we did fairly well on our tests, working through the new South African terms, and the lady grading our tests said that 'so far, they all look to be very bright'.  Let's hope for the best!  More tests tomorrow.