These thoughts from President Monson were shared with me and I thought I would like to share them with all of our wonderful loved ones. May God continue to bless you and protect you all. With much love, Elder and Sister Ladle
"There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. Let it be a time that lights the eyes of children and puts laughter on their lips. Let it be a time for lifting the lives of those who live in loneliness. Let it be a time for calling our families together, for feeling a closeness to those who are near to us and a closeness also to those who are absent.
Let it be a time of prayers for peace, for the preservation of free principles, and for the protection of those who are far from us. Let it be a time of forgetting self and finding time for others. Let it be a time for discarding the meaningless and for stressing the true values. Let it be a time of peace because we have found peace in His teachings.
Most of all, let it be a time to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the Wise Men."
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
CHRISTMAS IN GEORGE
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Safari Ostrich Farm
Ostrich farms began in the late 1880's. Because women were wearing feather hats at the turn of the century, there was a huge demand for these wonderful feathers. This beautiful mansion was built in 1910.
The ostrich is the fastest two legged animal in the world, averaging 45mph. If they are being hunted, they may run or you may see them laying flat to HIDE?
You don't want to stand too close as the ostrich can only kick forward and can cause serious injury or death if he is mad. The egg is 20 times the weight of a chicken egg and as you can see, it is very hard if it is on a base of sand. Twenty-four people can be fed with just one ostrich egg.
The adult male is black and the female or young male is a gray-brown. The average height of the male is 5'11" to 9'2". Just an FYI, the ostrich steak is one of the most healthy steaks as the cholesterol level is way down and it is quite delicious to eat. It actually tastes like a steak.
The ostrich is the fastest two legged animal in the world, averaging 45mph. If they are being hunted, they may run or you may see them laying flat to HIDE?
You don't want to stand too close as the ostrich can only kick forward and can cause serious injury or death if he is mad. The egg is 20 times the weight of a chicken egg and as you can see, it is very hard if it is on a base of sand. Twenty-four people can be fed with just one ostrich egg.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wildernes Beach/Knysna
The first two pictures of of Knysna. Isn't it just beautiful?
No I didn't spell it wrong. This is our second time to Wildernes. It is so peaceful. The walkway is 112 steps if I remember. There aren't many people there even during the HOLIDAY that we are in now because of the long way down to the beach. There was a young man who jumped off the grass area where we were sitting, to hang glide. This is an amazing area. There were these funny marks in the sand and then we found out they were left by the snails.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Jukani Wildlife Predator Park
Jurg and Karen Olsen live on this park with these wild animals. Many of them sleep in their home. This couple is dedicated to the preservation and well being of the worlds carnivories: lions, white lions, tigers, leopards, cheetah, jaguars and pumas. We watched Jurg walk in the enclosures with these wild animals and saw them kindly give him hugs. Visit their website: http://www.jukani.co.za/
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
This and That
Notice the pedestrian walk as well as speed bump sign This is critical if you don't want to damage your vehicle. They are very high. The pedestrian does not have any rights in South Africa, except for this area and there aren't that many pedestrian ones here. We constantly have to watch for people walking in the road even the freeway and I am talking 10-30 and more.
This one is classic. For the previous 300 meters you are warned to slow down. Then finally just before the curve you find this exclamation point, like, I warned you.
CAW stands for Cold and Wet in George. This is the typical area abbreviation. Every morning Doug and I lay in bed and say, Is it clear or cloudy? Then we vote and one of us gets up out of bed to check out the weather. If we wait long enough we will be right. Cloudy turns to clear and clear usually turns to cloudy.
This was priceless. Remember that stop lights are called ROBOTS. So in the grocery store I found Robot peppeers: Red, yellow and green.
All homes have some type of sign on the front of the house stating ARMED RESPONSE. We will show you the fences next time.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Each Life That Touches Ours For Good
We had our first transfer November 11th, and lost two wonderful missionary "sons." Elder Mbokazi and Elder Brereton. They are on the left. Next is Elder Smith and Elder Simelane. Elder Mbokazi is going to Namibia and will be released from that country probably in 12 weeks as his 2 year mission will come to a close. Elder Brereton left King Williams Town. They have touched our hearts and we will never forget them.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Special Day for Neallan
 |
| Neallan Janell Alexa Magdelene Adams November 6, 2010 |
What a special day for all of us. We travelled to a quiet, secluded river in George where Neallan was baptized. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful. The water had been backed up to form a pond where the baptismal ordinance was performed.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Map of George
I think this is a better map for you to see where we are. George is east of Cape Town about 4 1/2 hours
drive. It is the 6th oldest city in South Africa.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
George Our New Home
George is part of what is termed THE GARDEN ROUTE. That means everyone likes to visit George, especially for Holiday which starts in December when the children are out of school. George is a community of over 200,000 people. It was originally settled by the Dutch East Indies in 1776, with hopes of exporting the lumber.
It has a wonderful Mediterrean climate with warm summers and mild, chilly winters. Lucky us because we are in the spring/summer cycle now. The temperatures average 64-71 from October to April. We do have the highest rainfall in all the areas of South Africa because of the sea winds off the Indian Ocean.
Below are some pictures we see on our walks each morning.
 |
| This is one of my favorite trees. The needles reach upwards towards heaven. |
 |
| Because of the extra moisture everything grows here. The flowers we have in the states grow to be bushes, our bushes grow to be trees and the trees are HUGE. |
 |
| This is our BOTTLE BRUSH tree. |
 |
| Many of the houses have a thatched roof. |
 |
| I loved this one with the two palm trees. |
 |
| Our non-favorite bird. It makes an awful noise like the cawing of a crow. |
 |
| This is GEORGE mountain. |
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Table Mountain with Mission President and Sister Probst
Elders: Mbokazi, Brererton, Smith, and SimelaniWe're HERE!
I am sorry to be so slothful about keeping the site up to date. Hopefully we have all of the major problems solved. We landed in Cape Town, South Africa on Monday, Sept. 27th at 10:30pm. President and Sister Probst, our Mission President and wife, met us at the airport. We spent the next few days catching up on jet lag and took a bus tour of Cape Town on Friday. Saturday found us driving down the left side of the road on the way to George.
It was a beautiful drive through agricultural country much like Idaho, however we only saw one set of irrigation equipment. Many times we were close enough to the coast line to see the waves breaking. We encountered herds of sheep, cattle, lambs and most exciting: ostriches. It was about a 4 hour drive and we stayed on the correct side of the road the entire trip.
We were welcomed warmly on Sunday at the George Branch where 80 saints meet each Sunday. President Matsaluka is an engineer who serves as Branch President. He is such a strength to the branch. The entire branch was waiting for us to come, so we really felt welcome. The names of many saints who live here have a run of consonants that are joined together only to give us extreme difficulty with correct pronounciation. Here is a sample of the surnames of some: Mbokazi, Simbelane, Gqagqa, Mtyobilie, Ndela, Ngcanga, and Nkonjane. The list goes on and on. Many of the saints, have adoped English first names to help us out like: Stix, and Valencia. When we meet someone we write their name phonetically and then practice on each other before we get to church. The people here in the branch as well as South Africa are so friendly. They all love the Savior and when they see our name tags, they say, "I love Jesus Christ."
It has taken the better part of 2 weeks off and on, to get our bearings here and get the apartment with all the essential items. We had a good beginning, but needed to bring it up to date.
We have been going to the Internet Cafe in order to correspond with our banks in the US and our children. Through many miracles the land line which was supposed to take 21 days only took 3 days to install. However, they installed the wrong land line for internet. We don't know how that happened. That change took another few days and then to get the internet installed was to take 3-10 business days beyond and it only took from Sat. to Monday. Elder Ladle deserves a great deal of credit here. He spent the better part of last Monday on the phone with no less than 5 people trying to self install the internet. Finally one woman discovered that he had been given the wrong password. That is why he was not successful. So we sent an email to her supervisor saying "THANK YOU" and "you should pay her more." Elder Ladle just kept being transferred from one person to another to another, all of them saying that basically it was his problem. It is difficult to understand some of the people and especially on the phone. So, he would preface the conversation with, "I am a foreigner and am having problems understanding so if you could speak slowly it would help. I realize that I have an accent, but to me, it sounds as if you do." That would usually soften up the people, but sometimes it took two of us to decipher what they were saying. So enough for that.
Some NEW THINGS about South Africa. Grocery shopping took hours at first because I would see what I wanted to purchase and then divide by 7 to find out the "actual US price." There are about 7 RANDS to one dollar. If I find something I want, I will usually buy more than one because it may not be there next week. Celery has been difficult to find as well as zuchinni. Zuchinni is walled "baby marrow." And they are baby size. I asked one of the grocery people if they didn't have zuchinni and he went to get the manager. I told him I saw the "baby marrow" and wondered if he had any "papa marrow." He nicely smiled and said, "no".
One of the best things is that when you park your car there are men who help you know where a parking place is and then guide you in. They watch your car (for a small fee:1-2 Rand) and then help you back out of the spot. What a deal. No rear end collisions here.
I saw the sun for the first time last Tuesday on our way to Zone conference in Port Elizabeth. The area has been cloudy so I was thankful to see that the sun is in South Africa. Everything is oriented different: the big dipper, the north star. Thank goodness Heavenly Father is the same. Love to you all and more to follow in a timely manner. Sister Ladle
It was a beautiful drive through agricultural country much like Idaho, however we only saw one set of irrigation equipment. Many times we were close enough to the coast line to see the waves breaking. We encountered herds of sheep, cattle, lambs and most exciting: ostriches. It was about a 4 hour drive and we stayed on the correct side of the road the entire trip.
We were welcomed warmly on Sunday at the George Branch where 80 saints meet each Sunday. President Matsaluka is an engineer who serves as Branch President. He is such a strength to the branch. The entire branch was waiting for us to come, so we really felt welcome. The names of many saints who live here have a run of consonants that are joined together only to give us extreme difficulty with correct pronounciation. Here is a sample of the surnames of some: Mbokazi, Simbelane, Gqagqa, Mtyobilie, Ndela, Ngcanga, and Nkonjane. The list goes on and on. Many of the saints, have adoped English first names to help us out like: Stix, and Valencia. When we meet someone we write their name phonetically and then practice on each other before we get to church. The people here in the branch as well as South Africa are so friendly. They all love the Savior and when they see our name tags, they say, "I love Jesus Christ."
It has taken the better part of 2 weeks off and on, to get our bearings here and get the apartment with all the essential items. We had a good beginning, but needed to bring it up to date.
We have been going to the Internet Cafe in order to correspond with our banks in the US and our children. Through many miracles the land line which was supposed to take 21 days only took 3 days to install. However, they installed the wrong land line for internet. We don't know how that happened. That change took another few days and then to get the internet installed was to take 3-10 business days beyond and it only took from Sat. to Monday. Elder Ladle deserves a great deal of credit here. He spent the better part of last Monday on the phone with no less than 5 people trying to self install the internet. Finally one woman discovered that he had been given the wrong password. That is why he was not successful. So we sent an email to her supervisor saying "THANK YOU" and "you should pay her more." Elder Ladle just kept being transferred from one person to another to another, all of them saying that basically it was his problem. It is difficult to understand some of the people and especially on the phone. So, he would preface the conversation with, "I am a foreigner and am having problems understanding so if you could speak slowly it would help. I realize that I have an accent, but to me, it sounds as if you do." That would usually soften up the people, but sometimes it took two of us to decipher what they were saying. So enough for that.
Some NEW THINGS about South Africa. Grocery shopping took hours at first because I would see what I wanted to purchase and then divide by 7 to find out the "actual US price." There are about 7 RANDS to one dollar. If I find something I want, I will usually buy more than one because it may not be there next week. Celery has been difficult to find as well as zuchinni. Zuchinni is walled "baby marrow." And they are baby size. I asked one of the grocery people if they didn't have zuchinni and he went to get the manager. I told him I saw the "baby marrow" and wondered if he had any "papa marrow." He nicely smiled and said, "no".
One of the best things is that when you park your car there are men who help you know where a parking place is and then guide you in. They watch your car (for a small fee:1-2 Rand) and then help you back out of the spot. What a deal. No rear end collisions here.
I saw the sun for the first time last Tuesday on our way to Zone conference in Port Elizabeth. The area has been cloudy so I was thankful to see that the sun is in South Africa. Everything is oriented different: the big dipper, the north star. Thank goodness Heavenly Father is the same. Love to you all and more to follow in a timely manner. Sister Ladle
Friday, September 24, 2010
MTC
Doug and I arrive in Provo, Utah, Monday Sept. 20th. We will fly out on Monday the 27th at 10:40am to Cape Town South Africa, arriving in Cape Town Tuesday at 10:20pm. That is about 25 hours of flying and a whole heck of a lot of hours in the airports and waiting in line.
We joined 49 other sisters and couple missionaries serving all over the world: United States, Canada, Mexico, Phillipines, England, Taiwan, Phillippines, South Africa, Guatemala, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and South America.
We have been on a special spiritual journey with these wonderful brothers and sisters as we shared our love of the Savior with one another. We began each day at 6am, and then off to class from 8-12, 1:30-4:30. We grew to love each of them and have had a hard time saying good-bye to some of them today.
On Wednesday a new group of young Elders and Sisters arrived. They have an enthusiasm and love of their Savior that is contageous. They run to open the doors for us and step aside in the cafeteria so we can go to the front of the line. Then they stop and ask where we are going and when. We have had some wonderful connections with the couples and young missionaries. One sisters granddaughter babysat our grandchildren last Sat. Another couple is the mother and father of one of the doctors wives where I worked in Rexburg. It is such a small world.
You might ask yourself where you are on your spiritual journey. I have asked that of myself this week.
Love to you all, Sister Ladle
We joined 49 other sisters and couple missionaries serving all over the world: United States, Canada, Mexico, Phillipines, England, Taiwan, Phillippines, South Africa, Guatemala, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and South America.
We have been on a special spiritual journey with these wonderful brothers and sisters as we shared our love of the Savior with one another. We began each day at 6am, and then off to class from 8-12, 1:30-4:30. We grew to love each of them and have had a hard time saying good-bye to some of them today.
On Wednesday a new group of young Elders and Sisters arrived. They have an enthusiasm and love of their Savior that is contageous. They run to open the doors for us and step aside in the cafeteria so we can go to the front of the line. Then they stop and ask where we are going and when. We have had some wonderful connections with the couples and young missionaries. One sisters granddaughter babysat our grandchildren last Sat. Another couple is the mother and father of one of the doctors wives where I worked in Rexburg. It is such a small world.
You might ask yourself where you are on your spiritual journey. I have asked that of myself this week.
Love to you all, Sister Ladle
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Missionary Training Center--MTC in Provo, Utah
I thought you might like to see where Doug and I will be living on Sept. 20th for 6 days. They have a virtual tour-and great information. http://www.mtc.byu.edu/
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
What is South Africa like?
Cape Town, South Africa is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the entire world and all the major cities in our mission are tourist attractions. They have magestic mountain ranges, pristine ocean beaches, dense forests, and miles of rollling hills in a California climate. We hear it it more like San Francisco weather.
Because we are not in America we will be driving on the left side of the road at 100-120 kilometers per hour. That is 60-72mph. We willl weigh less here because we are weighed in kilograms which equal 2.2lbs. At 17 degrees Celsius we will be enjoying a nice spring day, 25 celsius (77 fahrenheit) will be warm and 30 Brother Ladle will be looking for a shade tree.
They have many wild animal reserves where we can enjoy an African Safari (on our off day). We can see elephants, lions, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras and antelope. It is not unusual to see baboons playing along the roadside or penguins on the beaches.
While English is the major language, South Africa does have some interesting terminology. Bologna is polony, Crepes are pancakes, a cookie is a biscuit, a large truck is a lorry, and a Day Care Center is a creche.
FYI:
People:
35 million South Africans are black or about 79%
4.25 million are white or 9.6%
4 million are coloured (mixed race) or 8.9%
1 million are Asian or 2.5%
30% of the population is under 15 years of age
65% are between 15-64 years old
5% are over 65 years old
The average life expectancy is 48.4 years. Remember that 1 in 4 people are positive for HIV (Aids)
Religion
80% of South Africans are Christian
11.1% are Zionist
8.2% Pentecostal/Charismatic
7.1% Catholic
6,8 % Methodist
6.7 % Dutch Reformed
3.8% Anglican
<1% are LDS or Mormon
1.5% Islam
The Literacy Rate 8s 87% for those over 15 years of age, but for older blacks it is only 50%. South Africans speak 31 different languages, 24 are considered living languages. There are eleven national or offical languages.
We will not be expected to speak a language other than English. Most South Africans are fluent in three or more languages. The one we will probably hear most is Xhosa. If we were to pronounce this for you, you would first hear a click in the side of our mouth and then osa.
What a wonderful adventure in service to our Heavenly Father.
Because we are not in America we will be driving on the left side of the road at 100-120 kilometers per hour. That is 60-72mph. We willl weigh less here because we are weighed in kilograms which equal 2.2lbs. At 17 degrees Celsius we will be enjoying a nice spring day, 25 celsius (77 fahrenheit) will be warm and 30 Brother Ladle will be looking for a shade tree.
They have many wild animal reserves where we can enjoy an African Safari (on our off day). We can see elephants, lions, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras and antelope. It is not unusual to see baboons playing along the roadside or penguins on the beaches.
While English is the major language, South Africa does have some interesting terminology. Bologna is polony, Crepes are pancakes, a cookie is a biscuit, a large truck is a lorry, and a Day Care Center is a creche.
FYI:
People:
35 million South Africans are black or about 79%
4.25 million are white or 9.6%
4 million are coloured (mixed race) or 8.9%
1 million are Asian or 2.5%
30% of the population is under 15 years of age
65% are between 15-64 years old
5% are over 65 years old
The average life expectancy is 48.4 years. Remember that 1 in 4 people are positive for HIV (Aids)
Religion
80% of South Africans are Christian
11.1% are Zionist
8.2% Pentecostal/Charismatic
7.1% Catholic
6,8 % Methodist
6.7 % Dutch Reformed
3.8% Anglican
<1% are LDS or Mormon
1.5% Islam
The Literacy Rate 8s 87% for those over 15 years of age, but for older blacks it is only 50%. South Africans speak 31 different languages, 24 are considered living languages. There are eleven national or offical languages.
We will not be expected to speak a language other than English. Most South Africans are fluent in three or more languages. The one we will probably hear most is Xhosa. If we were to pronounce this for you, you would first hear a click in the side of our mouth and then osa.
What a wonderful adventure in service to our Heavenly Father.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Where in the world are the LADLES?
We traveled to Boise to see Jennifer and Joy and made a few more memories and then to Oregon/Washington to visit 2 temples we have not seen, and are in Missoula, Montana tonight. We are trying to pass the time waiting for our Visas. We will be home tomorrow and finish the few things we remembered we need to take care of before we leave the country. I only have a few projects left undone--one quilt and two family histories. One history is mine and one is my mothers. I have great hopes of finishing all three before the 20th.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Enjoy a laugh courtesy of Kulula crew
WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN.
Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg ..
Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety
lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real
examples that have been heard or reported:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where
you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
---o0o---
On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot
said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be
turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance
the appearance of your flight attendants."
----o0o---
On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your
belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's
something we'd like to have."
----o0o---
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out
of this airplane."
---o0o---
"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
---o0o---
As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
---o0o---
After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a
flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening
the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as
hell everything has shifted."
---o0o---
From a Kulula employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth .
To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and
pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't
know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public
unsupervised."
---o0o---
"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend
from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your
face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask
before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one
small child, pick your favourite."
---o0o---
Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but
we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember,
nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."
----o0o---
"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an
emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
---o0o---
"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.
Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight
attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."
---o0o---
And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is
pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in
the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
---o0o---
Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The
flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump
and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the
airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
---o0o---
Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
---o0o---
Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing:
"We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
---o0o---
An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered
his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which
required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers
exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said
that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the
passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said,
"Did we land, or were we shot down?"
---o0o---
After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."
---o0o---
Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank
you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the
insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal
tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."
---o0o---
Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke,
the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light
'em, you can smoke 'em."
---o0o---
A plane was taking off from Durban Airport . After it reached a
comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg ..
Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety
lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real
examples that have been heard or reported:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where
you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
---o0o---
On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot
said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be
turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance
the appearance of your flight attendants."
----o0o---
On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your
belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's
something we'd like to have."
----o0o---
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out
of this airplane."
---o0o---
"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
---o0o---
As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
---o0o---
After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a
flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening
the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as
hell everything has shifted."
---o0o---
From a Kulula employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth .
To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and
pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't
know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public
unsupervised."
---o0o---
"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend
from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your
face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask
before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one
small child, pick your favourite."
---o0o---
Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but
we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember,
nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."
----o0o---
"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an
emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
---o0o---
"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.
Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight
attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."
---o0o---
And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is
pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in
the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
---o0o---
Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The
flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump
and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the
airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
---o0o---
Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
---o0o---
Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing:
"We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
---o0o---
An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered
his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which
required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers
exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said
that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the
passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said,
"Did we land, or were we shot down?"
---o0o---
After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."
---o0o---
Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank
you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the
insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal
tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."
---o0o---
Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke,
the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light
'em, you can smoke 'em."
---o0o---
A plane was taking off from Durban Airport . After it reached a
comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
FBI States no criminal activity for Doug
Good news! Today we received the official FBI clearance for Doug. We quickly bought the infamous $17 envelope and sent it to Sara in SLC. This is supposed to expedite delivery, but we aren't too sure with our history. The FBI received Doug's second set of fingerprints on June 9th and finished on Aug. 24th. That was only accomplished with the great help and concern of Teresa. She was truly a blessing.
When talking with Sara today, we received a possible departure date for the Mission Training Center on Sept. 20th. Hopefully we will receive the Visa by the time we depart for South Africa on Sept. 25th. The trip is 5 hours from SLC to Atlanta and then 15 hours from Georgia to Johanesburg and then from there to Cape Town.
One friend sent a picture of a South African airlines with true comments from their staff. With any luck at all I will be able to recreat it for you. This is all true and too funny.
When talking with Sara today, we received a possible departure date for the Mission Training Center on Sept. 20th. Hopefully we will receive the Visa by the time we depart for South Africa on Sept. 25th. The trip is 5 hours from SLC to Atlanta and then 15 hours from Georgia to Johanesburg and then from there to Cape Town.
One friend sent a picture of a South African airlines with true comments from their staff. With any luck at all I will be able to recreat it for you. This is all true and too funny.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Welcome
We received our call to Cape Town, South Africa, on April 1, 2010.
We began applying for FBI clearance. I was cleared in May but Doug had to re-submit his fingerprints. Since then, we have had multiple phone calls back to the FBI trying to connect all the documents.
We are hopeful that the clearance will come soon. Then we will send it to the church and the Visa process will begin.
It is not looking like we will leave on the original departure date of September 4th to the MTC. We have been given a tentative date of October 4th. However, we have been told that whenever we get clearance we can show up at the MTC on the following Monday.
We'll keep you posted, so check back for more news and pictures coming soon.
We began applying for FBI clearance. I was cleared in May but Doug had to re-submit his fingerprints. Since then, we have had multiple phone calls back to the FBI trying to connect all the documents.
We are hopeful that the clearance will come soon. Then we will send it to the church and the Visa process will begin.
It is not looking like we will leave on the original departure date of September 4th to the MTC. We have been given a tentative date of October 4th. However, we have been told that whenever we get clearance we can show up at the MTC on the following Monday.
We'll keep you posted, so check back for more news and pictures coming soon.
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