Waking up the first morning was...a great feeling. Going outside for the first time in 7 years everything felt right. It felt familiar. The smell triggered some deep seated sense of comfort, the sounds filled my ears and I couldnt help but smile. The sun was shinning, the birds were sqwaking and I was home. What more could a girl need?
Well money for one. So a trip to the bank was in order. I forgot how ridiculous banks here are. Bloody sensors and special doors and crap that generally makes going out difficult, but hey, they say its for our saftey. After taht I took a drive past my old home, the trees that my father and I planted on the verge outside the gate are now huge. Instead of being the small sapplings I remember they were now huge trees arching into a wide canopy. So...life goes on.
Durban looked much the same as I remember it, and for that I am very grateful. I did not sugar coat it in my mind, I preserved the integrity of my memories and perhaps that's why I havn't felt dissapointed. I didn't build it up in my mind and make it into a city of gold. I knew it would be dry, dirty, at time smelly, crowded, and generally just crazy. And it was, but whilst it's all that, it still manages to be charming. The people are poor, sometimes broken and largely not in the best of conditions, but somehow they still manage to be beautiful. On the early morning walk me, Carlie, my uncle, and some of the indian neighbors took to the beach to see the sunrise we were greeted by all that we passed, and we laughed, waved and shared a few jokes with locals who were milling about. Sometimes the peaople can be intimidating, you just have to learn to break the ice, thankfully I started practicing my zulu again!
Later in the day the two aunts, mom, carlie and I went out to the beach front to go shopping to buy some traditional looking presents for various people on our lists. Whilst this was fun it was simultaneously infuriating, saddening and draining. Every women wants to sell you something, and you may think you could say no to anyone, but believe me, when shes virtually pleading with you dressed in tattered clothing and clutching a baby to her chest how do you say no? Thats the sad part. The infuriating part is that there are about ten other women exactly like her sitting near to you who make the same plea. Before you realize it you wallet is empty (HOW CAN YOU SAY NO?) and you virtually hate yourself for having money, which is the maddening part, because is it really your fauly? No, of course it isn't. There will always be the haves and the have nots. It just really sucks when you realize how little the have nots actually have.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cooking for the braai (barbaque south african style) which was fun, until my aunts mother had a mild heart attack, which is obviously kind of a downer. The matter was also slightly complicated by the fact the my uncle had made me a rather potent spin (vodka mix drink) and I couldn't easily stand up straight. However, all good things come to an end, and eventually my absurd drunkeness wore off, and it seems as though my aunts mom will be fine, even though she is staying the night at the hospital.
Sunday should be interesting, I hear we're going up the coast, but you'll hear about it...
