A South African Tale

I have been sitting here lately thinking of home. Where is home exactly? Am I completely at home in ‘safe secure’ UK with its safe green pastures, no dangerous wildlife and its home shopping delivery? Do I really enjoy queuing for a parking space in an already packed beauty beach spot? Have you ever tried to rent a place in this country? If one does not tick all the boxes, boy is it a complicated red tape procedure (as with most things in this country actually). The Brits love to cover themselves for everything. Such a cautious bunch. I remember when I used to work in Holland and Barrett; we had a sale on Aloe Vera juice. An elderly lady asked whether the juice would be good for her daughter to take. She kept me busy for at least 15 minutes asking about the benefits of the product. Having finally come to the end of my ‘speech’ she asked about any side effects or precautions. I told her that it was not advised to take during pregnancy due to the fact that it could cause a miscarriage. A look of horror crossed her face as she said “Well that wont do for my daughter then”. I asked how far her daughter was in her pregnancy to which she replied “Oh! She isn’t pregnant yet”. To which I replied “Is she trying for a baby then”? The weird batty woman said “Oh! No, she doesn’t even have a boyfriend yet – but you never know”. I rest my case.
There is all this talk on the television of immigrants and refugees. Although I am legal in this country (thanks to marriage) I really am one of them. An economic migrant. One of the many millions of people adjusting to another society, fitting in with their ways. I have been here since 1997 and have had to quell my typical South African straightforward way to the reserved ‘politically correct’ ways of the British. I was told that my way was too blunt and even down right rude. In my opinion, I was merely being honest. When I speak to my friends over here, to some degree, they feel the same. Dreaming of a life back in South Africa in the hot sun. Walking in nature, smelling the strong aroma of fynbos. Smiling friendly people welcoming you to their homes at the drop of a hat.
BUT I wonder if it will ever be that we eventually give up the easy life of comforts abroad for the beauty of home? I don’t think so. Of all my friends, I can count less than a handful that have chosen to remain in South Africa. Of my friend’s friends, there is a similar situation. I only have three family members left behind. We have all left home. All living abroad - UK, USA, Australia. What an impact this must have on the work sector in South Africa?
With all our dreams of a beautiful united South Africa, it just isn’t. Memories of a wild nature filled childhood, sneaking off to clubs at night, R5 movies etc. don’t exist anymore. Remember parking for free?The cost of living is beyond ridiculous. I have a family member who can’t even afford to send her kids to school. The middle classes are becoming extinct. You either belong to the rich elite or you belong to the very poor.
If feels as if us cowardly deserters have left a ‘littered’ South Africa rife with crime, poverty and economic problems. By leaving our home, we have left the ‘rubbish’ and ‘pollution’ to rot and fester, hoping that somehow, one day we can return to a clean, safe, rainbow nation.
The guilt inside us eats away everyday as we watch in horror at the genocide killings. Things are getting out of hand and secretly we are relieved to have escaped. Who knows what the future may bring? War or Peace?As much as I am not a devotee of religion and churches, I thank God (if there is one) that there are churches for the people to escape to. Although I am a fan of the famous atheist Richard Dawkins, its all very fine and well for a comfortable westerner to declare that God does not exist. Put him in a crisis situation where he lives below the bread line trying to feed a starving child and escape murder. I doubt whether he would so boldly shout that there is no God. Hope is all the poor have and if that involves God, then so be it.
The way I see life is that every human being is a cell in the whole body of our planet. Each cell belongs to an organ (the family unit). If each ‘organ’ looked after themselves, the body as a whole would be healthy. I often think how us South Africans can help from abroad. Perhaps we should donate to small local charities that are in South Africa? We should continue buying arts and crafts and our favoured home treats. We have a duty to try and help. If we all stick together, maybe, just maybe the world will function as a healthy body. All I can do is hope.