magical autumn

So with a post like the previous you can imagine I wasn't breaking my head over all the joyous things I can tell you about Jo'burg. Understandable right?

 It has however been more than 2 months now since that incident and I'm at even more of a need to find the little things to love about Jozi. And with a time limit too, you see, the Jo'burg tourist is once again filling in Visa paperwork and reading up on different culture-shock dealing strategies... yes I'm leaving you Johannesburg.

 No, not because of your crime, or politics, or distance from a forest or mountain. We most certainly know I'm not leaving you because of your gorgeous weather I 'm leaving you for the love of another. To cut the crap basically I'm moving to Washington State to live with my future husband who is conveniently and shockingly American. So in the view of this and with our 6 month dead line here is my topic of heart flutterings at the moment: Autumn or should I start calling it Fall?

 I've seemed to miss the last two years of Jo'burg changing it's colours (or should I now start saying colors), so as with Spring it's a real joy. I'm sure Jo'burg doesn't make it into most beautiful cities to see in the Autumn... Fall, pre-winter damit, but it sure does take the sting out of knowing what's coming. My theory is that God made Autumn so beautiful as if to help with dealing that glorious summer has now finished.

I love just how fleeting the beauty of Autumn usually is, how it colours the streets and side walks and pools with so many different kinds of reds and yellows you'd never need to see another flower again. Every week looks different than the week before till one week you look out and it's miserable winter, no more pretty leaves. But that's okay, because generally our winters aren't supposed to last long, compared to winters I've lived through in Hanoi it not that bad... Compared to the winter of the North West USA, it's a breeze, a chilly nippy kind, but still a breeze. So better not sulk too much. Happy yellow, brown and red to you Jozi. x

an armed robbery, a show house and a dear jo'burg

It's almost been two weeks and only can I even dare to bring myself close to a keyboard and somehow try explain what happened to you.

That sounds so dramatic...

But honestly, to me, it was.

Being on the other side of a gun is one of the worst experiences of my life. It's traumatic, it does things to your heart that a hard punch does to your face. It hurts bad and will take time to heal.

And yet somehow I can't bare to just rock up here on my blog and give a detailed account of what happened. What would be the point of that?

So rather, because I do want to somehow talk about it, I'm going to use this space to write to you dear Jo'burg, very much with out the 'y'. Not to sure what I'll say or if it will make me feel a bit better but here goes.

(how I want to start)

Dear Jo'burg,

WTF!!!

(and here is rather how I will start)

Dear Jo'burg,

WT... no wait.

I'm so disappointed in you Jozi. And this disappointment has led me to feeling like an idiot. Not many people are surprised to hear about and armed robbery these days. So why do I still then feel so utterly violated?

Why is that the in the police statement I read things like this: "I did not give the men permission to take my possessions". Are you kidding me? You're telling me that in a city like this the bad guy can get away simply by stating in court "they asked me to take their phone and engagement ring" and there they go? Not that I have much faith in the police, sadly. They didn't even bother giving chase, or taking all the statements from victims involved.

Anyway, I don't want to sound like a pessimistic-must-immigrate-immediately saffa, don't think these thoughts don't often cross my mind, but where does that get me?

You dear Jozi have caused me to go through a million different emotions on a daily basis since that sunny afternoon. Anger like you can't believe and I'm sure can understand. Thankfulness, because I simply open News24 to see that it could have been so much worse for us. Irritation, because why do I have to be thankful in the first place that I only got a slap across the face and not a bullet, this just shouldn't have happened. Sadness because that engagement ring to me is irreplaceable, and material as it may be I miss it like an old friend. Even now just typing these words out it's released a dose of adrenalin that I'm not really sure what to do with.

I don't really know what else to say to you. I have in the last hour typed out paragraphs of 'questions as to what should be done', rants about having to live like this, and heartfelt statements about how I don't want to leave out of fear.
But I keep on deleting these paragraphs every time. So I clearly will just end here.

Please Jo'burg, get yourself together, otherwise there would be no point in trying to find the 'joy in the city' if you constantly have to look over your shoulder and feel nervous every time you see young men black men approaching. (if we were attacked by a pregnant Indian woman I'd replace "young black men" with "pregnant Indian woman")

Yours truly.

USA pictures: a therapy

Being now again very much "back in jo(y)burg", back to work (yes, I have a job that keeps me from constantly travelling, and well finances the times I do get to travel), back home (as in with my parents, because I have these big plans that need a savings account.. donations welcome), I find some use in sharing my favourite USA photo's with you.

Firstly because, I know how you missed the updates. I know.

Secondly because this blog is part of my therapy to deal with the times that I'm not travelling.

So here for you and for me:

These are from the Washington/Idaho and Montana area:

From the 5/4/5 day, drive 5 hours to Seattle, spend 4 hours, drive 5 hours back... because that's how you gotta roll as a traveller.

Then the most non-disappointing city of all the world:

I'll soon get back into the swing of being a Jozi Tourist again... back to appreciating my own city, stop resenting people who get to to live in Cape Town and New York. Start shopping at intersections again, and love our wonderful weather.