Of all the months in the year,
September and October are two of the most dramatic in terms
of natural change. If you're in New England (USA), September
marks the beginning of Fall where the leaves transform
into a magnificent palate of Autumn colours in preparation
for the long winter months. Closer to home, September is the
celebration of Spring where a profusion of colours reign
after a bleak and dry winter. I'm always amazed at how the
landscape flourishes almost instantly after the harsh 'veld
fires', the new green growth of grass looks crisp and bright
against the black remnants of the veld fires. This
metamorphosis whether to Fall or Spring, Winter or Summer is
similarly echoed in our everyday lives.
As one of the growing number of
South Africans joining the ' Homecoming Revolution' I have
been pleasantly surprised by some of the developments
that have taken place in SA during my seven years of
absence. The evident shift in everyday vernacular use is a
prime example, Johannesburg is now fondly referred to by one
and all as 'Jozi ' while ' Eish! ' and ' Sharp' are handy
words to add to a growing list of SA slang words. Eish!, I
must now endeavor to shelve my repertoire of American lingo
('nasty, sweet and what's up' ) and patriotically
adopt these more culturally relevant phrases!
From a fashion point of view,
since I've joined the ranks of mom's taxi service and become
one of the hordes of moms ferrying their children to and fro
from school, I've seen some interesting fashion statements.
Who would have thought that American 'Crocs' would become a
desirable fashion item in the land of tekkies, vellies and
flip-flops? At the formidable price of R395, ladies can join
this footwear craze and purchase their own 'comfy croc' !
For the connoisseur shopper, of
notable interest is the sheer variety of houseware items
that are available for consumers to purchase. The discerning
shopper can now albeit at significant cost purchase the
latest imported appliances such as Murphy & Richards
and Russell Hobbs from the local Game or Makro! Woolworth's
my favorite shop has Food Stores conveniently located at
almost every strip mall where you can pick up delectables
for the daily family meal.
One of the changes which readily
assaults the senses is the enormous volume of cars on the
roads wherever one travels. Upon reflection what may seem
like mass traffic congestion which is in truth no different
from the traffic mayhem in major cities all around the
globe; is in essence a clear indication that finally more
South Africans have access to the wealth and resources of
this beautiful country.
On a lighter note, my family and
I have spent several weekends attending various
activities at our local primary school. At the interhouse
athletics day it was marvelous to see every child have the
opportunity to participate, thankfully there were meets for
every ability level as there are admittedly no sport legends
in our family. Parents were also included in the events with
the traditional Tug-of-War and, Moms' and Dads' races being
the order of the day. Naturally, my husband and I to the
dismay of our boys abstained from these events, in view of
our lack of confidence in our abilities to perform on the
sports field we thought it prudent to remain in
the spectators' arena! Sports songs such as ' Victory' and '
We Will Rock You' so passionately bellowed by the
students brought back many fond memories from our own
childhood school days. Needless to say at the end of the day
we were all exhausted and hoarse from the war cries, and
modestly proud of the sterling achievements of our boys.
Amid mind-boggling vistas and
glorious sunny days with its ever present highveld dust, SA
continues to be an remarkable country of contrast and
change. Our African experience is truly an evolving one
whether we're reliving our childhood experiences by helping
our children feed what appears to be an astonishing amount
of silkworms or waking up every morning to a breathtakingly
brilliant sun rise, returning to SA is undoubtedly a safari
all on its own!
Tot Volgende Maand,
Scatterbag Marsden.
