Potch, the Vaal and the Magistrate

Our hosts have opened their very pleasant homes to us. When driving around “Potch”, as they call the city, the most obvious aspect is the one story concrete construction and the security fencing and gates. All windows have decorative metal bars of some sort. The security walls and fencing are decorative, and as distinct and varied as landscaping.
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Home furnishings reflect family and heritage. Photos of children and family members decorate the walls, heirlooms are lovingly displayed. One prominent feature of all homes we visited was the grills for "braai" – the bar-b-que. Braai differs from our bar-b-que in that we were told they last for hours! Emil’s host family, Hein and Annalize Pretorious home has multiple areas for grilling: a gas grill, a charcoal grill, an indoor wood fired grill(!) and outdoor wood fired grill. Family and friends are y the focal point of life here.
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Wednesday morning at the Rotary clubhouse we were greeted by Jaap Styne, representative of the Rotary District Governor, Lionel Heath. He welcomed us with an American flag, maps and words of advice, which basically were to ask for what we need and enjoy everything!
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We spent a leisurely day by the Vaal River in the Northwest Province about 30 minutes drive from Potchefstroom. We took great pleasure in visiting with Lisa Visser, a high-energy Rotarian and non-practicing attorney who works in her family’s mining implement business. We spent a lazy afternoon eating "biltong" (similar to beef jerky, better!) and sipping various fruit drinks. We shared concerns of security, race relations, government and the future. We were delighted that our common knowledge of music, movies and popular culture. This, coupled with discussions of our life experiences, expressed our bond as people.
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We had visitors at the Vaal River. A small flock of sheep strayed by. One young ram was especially friendly.
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Wednesday night dinner was hosted by Magistrate Estee Jansen and her husband Kobus in their ultra-modern home. The guests included Rotarians and light conversation was mixed with much good cheer. We were transfixed as all we met shifted from Afrikaans to English and back as smoothly as one could speak about one subject then another.
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Tomorrow we split up for our first day of professional tours.