I finished my last final on Tuesday, and as it turns out that was just in time. Yesterday, commercial and educational activities in South Africa came to a standstill. Civil servants (i.e. school teachers, hospital workers, municipal workers, etc.) have been striking since June 1 for higher wages. On Wednesday, university faculty struck in a show of solidarity. Exams scheduled for Wednesday were postponed until Friday. There are a few international students who had exams scheduled Wednesday and who are going home on Friday, so their exams are going to be mailed to their home university and they will have to take them in July (that's why I am so happy I finished on Tuesday). University faculty were not the only workers showing solidarity. On Wednesday there were no taxis running. If you have been following this blog, you can possibly appreciate the significance of that. The majority of South Africans use minibus taxis as their primary form of transport. This means, with no taxis running, most people could not get to work, whether or not they were part of the civil servants' strike. Mani, Jessi, and I were going to grab lunch at our favorite cafe, Bread Ahead. After sitting down we realized there were only three workers in the entire bakery/cafe (there are usually about 15 at any given time), so we would certainly not be getting food soon. Instead we got pastries from the counter and left. I was going to get something from Kara Nichha's, but it was closed as were many other shops and restaurants around Scottsville. From what I heard, the central business district of PMB was completely dead. Unlike the major supermarket strike in southern California a few years back, there were no picketers to be seen on Wednesday - at least not in Scottsville - but according to the news marches were held in major cities all around the country. As far as I can remember, I have never witnessed such widespread strike action as occurred on Wednesday.
On an unrelated note, today is my brother Aaron's 30th birthday. Happy Birthday Broader!! I would like to take this opportunity to say that you are officially old--your youth is behind you. I mean look at you...you've got a wife, a house, a job, a couple kids bouncing around, and a beard that must stretch to the middle of your torso by now. If that doesn't scream "I'm an old fart!" I just don't know what does. Sibling cruelty aside, I really am happy for you and hope you have a wonderful day! Love, Toader/your sis/the "Old Maid"
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