We are the first to admit that we have a pretty easy life here and sometimes it is difficult to remember that we live in Africa. But life here is not without its hardships. For example, yesterday...Until a few weeks ago, we had been planning to leave the country for July 21 so that we would be able to buy the final Harry Potter book on the day it was released. We had even considered a short jaunt to London but had also more realistically thought we might just run down to Johannesburg to pick up the book. Then a few weeks ago the bookstore at Riverwalk mall assured us that they would have the books on July 21 and was a planning a big launch party for the event. The previous books in the series arrived in Botswana a couple of weeks after they were released elsewhere so this indeed was good news. Happy to support the local economy and, more importantly, pleased with the convenience of buying the books locally we pre-paid for our copies of the book and anxiously awaited the launch date.
The week leading up to July 21 we checked back at the book store and learned that the books would go on sale at 9:00 am Saturday morning (unlike most places around the world that started selling the books at 12:01 am the morning of July 21). Although it would have been fabulous to gloat about getting the book six hours earlier than Debra's little brother, we managed to work through this minor disappointment.Our plan was to pick up the books at 9:00 am and then take a friend to pick up her truck in Zeerust, South Africa where the mechanic who had repaired it after it broke down a couple of weeks ago was bringing it. We planned to read the book as we made the trip.
At 9:15 am we were at the mall, there was no line which seemed suspicious, but we pressed on. We reached the book store and were informed that the books were held up in customs at the border and should be at the store by 10 or 11 that morning.
This disappointment was a little harder to deal with but our plans to drive to Zeerust were delayed as well so the plan was revised to stop at the mall as we drove out of town to pick up the books on the way to Zeerust. Still a good plan.
At 11:30, our friend was delayed a bit, so we went back to the mall, where now there was a crowd and very loud music (which did not seem to be related to the book launch (in fact, in some other blog we will discuss the Saturday activities at the mall)) and all kinds of people waiting in line. A friend from work was waiting in line with his daughter and they informed us that the books had not yet arrived but they were expected at any moment so they were planning to wait it out.
Unfortunately we could not wait since we had a truck waiting to be picked up in Zeerust so we met our friend, and drove to Zeerust without a new Harry Potter book to read.
Zeerust is about an hour and a half drive from Gaborone (including the border crossing) and is just a small town where you "turn left" to go on to Johannesburg/Pretoria. Thom was excited because they had a Steers in Zeerust which is about as close as you are going to get to Burger King on this continent and so he forced Debra to eat there.
We had a pleasant and uneventful drive, met the mechanic with the truck, had some lunch and headed back to Gaborone. When we returned to town, we stopped at the mall once again and finally picked up our copies of the book at 3:45 pm. Other folks also picking up their books at the time, were threatening all kinds of pain and suffering to the courier but all were supportive of the book store itself. We were just happy to get our books.
And so we hope that all of you who picked up your books at Barnes and Noble and Borders or had them delivered to your door from Amazon appreciate the efficiency of that process. We have learned not to take such things for granted.
In case you were wondering, we bought two books because neither of us was willing to wait for the other to read the book first. And we got one of each book cover (the adult and child covers)
We now have some reading to do...
