The Jordaan family of George is no exception and so multi-talented that they fitted in easily whilst living in Coin, an industrial town 20km inland from coastal town Marbella, Andalucia in Spain.
In the three years the Jordaans lived there, they endeared themselves to the town folk. At one point, the mayor wrote a letter of commendation in which he described them as an asset to the town. Samantha cherishes this memento and stuck it into her photo album.
The hard working head of the family Deon, is an excellent plumber and sculptor. Both he and Samantha are skilled shoemakers, and this came in handy when they were at first stranded without work in the formal sector, (a would-be business partner had let them down). While working the markets, the handcrafted shoes were snapped up for their attractive hand-stitched embellishments.
Flamenco dancing
After joining a flamenco dancing class, Samantha became an accomplished flamenco dancer and was admired for the disciplined way in which she turned up every week to learn all the intricacies of this traditional dance form. But it was while she exhibited her vivid oil paintings, along with a group of artists during the annual celebration of Women's Day, that she came to the attention of the mayor of Coin.
"My neighbour became very attached to my son Dane, and kept on bringing little dishes of food to tempt him to eat and become a sturdy five-year-old.
About Coin
Coin sits on the northern foot of the Sierra de Mijas, inland Málaga, overlooking the spectacular Guadalhorce valley, one of the most fertile areas in southern Spain, where the beautiful landscape is covered in orchards and farmland and affords beautiful mountain views. The town itself has grown in popularity and has become a destination for foreign residents, wanting to live in a more authentic Andalucian environment. The town offers good shopping, dining and leisure facilities and is just a 20 minute drive from the coast.
Art lessons
Nowadays (and living in George again), Samantha has her hands full, giving art classes to school pupils who are all encouraged to hone good drawing skills for their art portfolios. She is also giving home-schooling lessons to Dane, who is delighted when his mother teaches him to be inquisitive (by going on the Internet for example) and learn about the world around him. When time allows, Samantha enters her paintings into local exhibitions.
For the time being, she has shelved her Spanish dancing teaching classes and Spanish conversation lessons. On being asked whether they ever thought back longingly to their days spent in Spain, the couple replied, "Of course we do." However, with the current levels of high unemployment, they intimated that perhaps foreigners would not always be as welcome as they were in the past.
Skull hunting
At weekends the Jordaans enjoy doing a "treasure hunt" in the nearby forest. "This entails hiking and keeping our eyes peeled for any animal skulls." At a recent exhibition at Strydom's Art Gallery, both Dane (now 10) and Deon had unusual sculpted pieces on exhibit - integrating chrome piping with animal skulls gave their work the hi-tech appearance they were hoping for. It is symbolic of the fragility of nature, and has the underlying message from a science fiction film in which animals are hunted to extinction and have to be cloned in metal. Dane was very excited when his sculpture was sold on opening night.
Boere kuier
Samantha has adjusted to George living and is always ready to be sociable. "While the gregarious Spanish 'kuier' on their front patio or verandah, we Afrikaners gather on our private patios in our back gardens to have friends over for a braai - that is one of the more discernible differences between the two nations." Deon is hard at work on large contracts and works until late at night to finish in time. Artwork, is for him, a welcome escape from the rigours of construction.
From the album of Samantha Jordaan - this was the Flamenco dance group of Coin, Andalucia in Spain to which she belonged. Samantha (se-cond from left) enjoyed the camaraderie of the group.
These talented and sociable Georgians captured the hearts of the Spanish. Samantha Jordaan (left) is seen here with a Flamenco inspired painting, and husband Deon with a fireplace that he has crafted. In front is Jazmyne and Dane in their garage where there is a workshop. Photo: Pauline Lourens
