Goodbye Winter, Hello Summer...again

I am now in Israel at my brother’s home in Jerusalem. I spent Tuesday night at a hotel in Boksburg near the Jo'burg airport before flying to Tel Aviv yesterday. After Susanne left last Thursday, Jessi and I went on various outings around PMB to keep ourselves occupied. One such activity was a trip to the Natal Botanical Gardens on Sunday. The gardens are located in the western part of PMB just past a pretty sketchy part of town I wouldn't want to walk around, day or night. The gardens had a nice selection of indigenous and exotic species, as well as some nice benches for napping in the winter sun. After wandering around for a while, Jessi and I decided to get a snack at the cafe. As it turns out, the owner of our favorite cafe at the Tatham Art Gallery had just relocated the restaurant to the gardens that day. At first, we just ordered the salad with their great dressing, but then decided to go for the full Sunday brunch which was amazing. The service was also incredibly attentive and friendly. The chef even offered to prepare us vegetable lasagna when he noticed that we had not taken any of the meat entree. (Note to self: try cooking curried sweet potato and butternut soup in the fall.) There happened to be a group of a few couples and their kids dining at the same time as us. As soon as the five kids walked in the door, one of the little girls obnoxiously chided the server because there were only four place settings. Throughout the meal, the kids were generally whiny and picky about their food, much like American kids of their age often behave. Needless to say, the disrespectful families were privileged white South Africans, and the friendly kitchen staff were black. Back in the States I have gotten used to tuning out bratty children, but what really struck me here was the stark difference between the behavior of these privileged children and the deprived children of rural Africa. The kids from rural KZN, Lesotho, and Mozambique that I have met are ridiculously adorable. Rural kids are very respectful, easily entertained, and enthusiastic about just about everything. What I have trouble accepting is how someone can literally spoil their child rotten when there are orphaned children who receive one meal a day growing up half an hour down the road. Knowing that my life will likely continue to be one of privilege in general, I am now concerned with how to raise children with the qualities of rural children, but without the life of deprivation. While it may not be possible to raise kids who are captivated by colorful books in a foreign language, I hope I can find some sort of middle ground. As we left the restaurant I asked Jessi to please tell me should she ever see my children behaving like that, "You have raised South African brats."

On the way home from the gardens we had yet another interesting, or should I say disturbing, experience. Our cab driver noted our American accents and started going on and on about how he is saving money to leave SA and move to the US, Europe, or anywhere to work as a chef. Towards the end of the ride, he asked us what we were studying at the university. When Jessi mentioned politics, he began ranting about the corrupt nature of South African politicians, such as the president. He even prefaced one of his statements with, "Not to be racist, but..."—meaning, I am about to say something horribly racist. He tried to argue that back when de Klerk was president (the last president of the apartheid era) there were no street children begging for money, crime was not as bad, etc...and that quality of life has generally gone down since the ANC came to power. It was the combination of this statement with this his previous remarks about wanting to leave the country that made me realize that perhaps racism is even worse in this country than I had previously thought. There is a significant amount of people (primarily white, Indian, or coloured) who wish to leave this country for the UK, Australia, or any other western country that will grant them a visa. Many of these people cite that they do not see a future for themselves in SA, but almost no one dares to refer to race as a reason. Listening to the cab driver made me realize that perhaps many people do not see a future in SA BECAUSE the country is now run by the black-led ANC government, and there is no sign of that changing any time soon. While it does not necessarily seem like a bad thing to get rid of these racists, there is still the dilemma of stopping the flight of skilled people. It is not uncommon for people to receive a South African education and then leave the country without 'giving back' as a productive citizen. I know at least one such person--a girl who was in my ceramics class graduated this semester and is possibly already in the UK looking for work. This girl definitely came from a privileged family as she had traveled all over the world, including to the US which is a very difficult thing to do for most South Africans. People like her are a drain on society. The government subsidizes education with the intention that their investment will be repaid in the form of income taxes, but when people take the education and flee, the government is left with a serious debt of both money and skills.

I still believe that the overwhelming levels of inequality and racism in SA make it so that I cannot see myself living there indefinitely. I worry that if I would stay longer, I would become apathetic and the horrible injustices would no longer bother me. Apathy is the only justification I see for the way that the privileged classes seem to turn a blind eye to the fact that half of the population lives in poverty while they live an incredibly comfortable catered life. Although it sounds strange, I am glad to say that this still troubles me to no end. When it no longer concerns me, I'll know I've become one of 'them'--that is the uncaring, selfish elite.

After many hours of packing and difficult decisions about what to leave behind, Jessi and I flew out of PMB on Tuesday morning. Our neighbors and some of the Denison staff were not necessarily sad to see us go because we left behind a lot of nice stuff that we had acquired throughout the semester and couldn't take with us. I was glad to see that our extra food and cooking supplies will be well utilized and that the extra blankets and clothing are going to the homeless. Although I didn't expect to get emotional, as our plane took off I couldn't stop my eyes from welling with tears. As I saw my last glimpses of the university and Scottsville from the plane it finally hit me--it's over. Luckily it was a beautiful clear day, so there was a lot to see from the window. I recalled being on the flight to PMB, now over five months ago, my mind filled with wonder about my new home. The flight on Tuesday paralleled the N3 all the way up to Free State, the whole length of which I was able to recognize exactly where we were. I was able to spot Howick Falls, the Midmar Dam, the toll plaza next to a big township, Monk's Cowl, and the Amphitheatre among numerous other notable spots. The land below me was no longer mysterious, but rather very familiar. I definitely feel that I got to know KZN as my home.

My last few hours in Africa, spent in Jo’burg, were largely uneventful. One of the few notable differences that I picked up on there (albeit during the 15 minute shuttle ride to the hotel) is that at each intersection there were about a dozen men in the street trying to sell things to people stopped at the light. The items seemed completely random (i.e. DVDs, clocks, baskets, etc.), and it being Jozi, there is a chance that the goods were stolen. I have not witnessed this sort of informal trading anywhere else in SA, which makes me think it is possibly connected to the notoriously high crime rate there. It was also obvious that the city is heavily reliant on nuclear power as there was a six-tower plant visible from the airport. I’m sure that this plant dates back to the apartheid days when SA was internationally sanctioned and could not import energy sources. Besides that and the mountains of mine tailings scattered around town, there was not much interesting to note about Jo'burg.

Although I have mixed feelings about my departure from South Africa, I am positive that I want to return...possibly not to live, but definitely to travel. I have left with no regrets about my choice to go there and the experiences I made. I wholeheartedly believe that anyone who gets a chance to live or study abroad should take it.

My flight went by without any major problems, just some small annoyances (i.e. pushy families at the airport and the news that I am only getting back $3 worth of taxes…in 4-6 weeks). Also, while at the airport my laptop started acting up by giving me a blue screen of death when I tried to turn it on. I restarted it numerous times, even in safe mode, and still got the blue screen so I’m hoping that Aaron can work his computery magic and fix it. I am grateful though that my computer waited until now when I’m on my way home to get sick.

I spent today playing with my nieces and enjoying the wonderful Israeli summer produce. Feiga has doubled in size since I last saw her (she’s now 7 months!), and Avital who is turning six later this month is as cute as ever. For lunch I satisfied my cravings with falafel and my favorite drink, malt (unfermented beer that is only done right in Israel). Tomorrow we are going to Calanitte’s parents’ home in another part of Jerusalem for Shabbos. After Shabbos I just have a couple more days with the family here before boarding a 17-hour flight to LA that should have me home by Tuesday morning.