Where we've been, where we're going

With all of the changes that are coming and the talk of back cottages, front cottages, guest cottages, volunteer cottages, main house, across the road and the like, many of you are probably feeling a bit confused. Those of you who have been to Tshepo ya Bana before can probably figure out who will be living where, but if you’ve never been here, which most of you haven’t been, you are just lost!

First, let me share with you a picture that shows where Tshepo ya Bana is in relation to some other places you’ve heard us talk about, namely Tamboti Lodge and James and Juliet’s house, which is also known as across the road and/or the first house we lived in.

There is a little key in the bottom left corner that will give you a better idea of the distance between each location. Before the Big Five were introduced, we often walked to TYB from our old house and I know there were a lot of volunteers who used to walk to Tamboti. The main tar road is in the direction of our old house. Once you hit the tar road, you make a left to head towards the boom gate, which then leads to our kids’ school and then a T-junction where you can turn right and head into Hammanskraal.

This next picture is of the houses and outbuildings of Tshepo ya Bana. You can see a bit of the road which TYB, Tamboti and our old house are on in the bottom right corner, which is also where you will find the key to help you figure out how far apart all the buildings are.

We are currently living in the main house, but will be moving to what is now labeled as the volunteer’s cottage. The volunteers, in turn, will be moving into Mama Joye’s cottage and Mama Joye will be moving into the main house. Who wants to come and help on moving day???

The guest cottage, which you can’t see due to tree cover, is where Darin’s folks will stay in December and my parents will be staying in the new year. It is also where the families of our volunteers often stay when they come to visit, and other friends and family members stay when needed.

The pool area is also mostly covered by trees and the playground and patio, which are between the main house and the garden, are totally covered. We spend a lot of our day watching little kids play out here, keeping an eye on the swimming pool when Tyson and Jori are swimming and just hanging out with visitors when they are around. It is a great space for the kids to run and play and it is nicely shaded in a lot of areas to avoid getting burnt by the sun.

So, now you have a better idea of where we’ve been and where we are going.  Any questions?