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“I can’t stand to fly; I’m not that naïve…” Listening to Five for Fighting in front of the old-style convex computer monitor with a dialup internet connection is very strange. “It’s not easy to be me...” Well, I suppose it is all relative. I have been avoiding writing this last blog for 2 days already. It has not been difficult to do so, seeing as I had to fight with the silly modem to even check email never mind bluthering on my blog about being Japan-sick! Yes, I am missing my beautiful islands already, but there was no greater feeling than being able to pick out South Africans waiting to catch the same plane home from Singapore. Unique and rather weird bunch… Ooh! And being offered rooibos on the plane (not that I drink rooibos or regular tea at any rate)! And seeing a thick wad of rand-notes in Rifka’s hand at the forex bureau in Singapore was very strange, but very comforting at the same time. I felt like I was in that warm and fuzzy Leon Shusteresque ex-pats-returning-home movie.
Ja, I’m officially home. If I don’t see another airport soon I won’t mind all that much… I still
Last Outing in the Park...
I'll never forget the friends I made or the Chuhai I shared with those friends... like the idea of airports. They are places of great possibility (I kept on spontaneously saying to my poor travel companion that we should go to Amsterdam or Beijing or some other exotic destination every time there was an announcement to that effect in one of the airports between here and KIX), but, airports are these places that suck you dry of money and make you wait and wait and wait and all you want is to just be at home where you can sleep!
Anywho, with some surprise, despite more than 24hours of airport hopping, my surfboard arrived home unscathed and my suitcase still has its funny little wheels. My family did not quite fall in love with the green tea-flavoured sweets made with rice and red bean paste that I brought home, but that was more of an anthropological experiment than anything else…. Tee hee!
AND! I have my Indian Ocean back! Yay!
Within a few hours of returning home I realized that nothing much has changed (apart from my family embracing the 21st century with the purchase of a DVD player and Windows XP) since I left. My friends are all still stressed by university work and my family is still the same in its weirdness and wonderfulness. Sibuya casino has another commercial musical on at its theatre, as advertised by a signboard at the airport and my little sister still hates maths and science. At least Colin Moss is no longer being stalked… I’m referring to the headline on the day I left South Africa on the free copy of the Star I received at JHB international. At least there was some real news, though morbid (taxi accident) on the day of my return…
It is very strange not to be able to slip Japanese words and phrases into everyday conversation. I just had to remember not to say “Gomen Nasai” when I rammed into someone with my suitcase in an airport. I kept formulating questions in Japanese in my head in Bangkok, Singapore and Jo’burg airports whenever I needed to inquire about something. At least now people don’t look at me funny when I use Afrikaans words!
I felt very accomplished when I was able to tell the difference between various Asian languages on planes and in the airports themselves. And being able to understand the Japanese announcements to some degree was fantastic! At the beginning of the year someone could have been talking Yiddish and I would have believed it was Japanese if someone said it was! How cool! Pity it will be so difficult to maintain my pathetic Japanese from deepest darkest Africa!
Well that's it, my suitcase is (largely) unpacked... it took about 5 days... and it is ready for my next move, this time a lil closer to my new flat in PMB. Thanks guys for dealing with my ramblings and hopefully in the not too distant future I'll have some new and exotic place to blog about... Next stop, Hluhluwe game reserve in KZN in July. A peaceful, trainless (*sighs with nostalgia*) family holiday...
'Til next time... have fun people and tell me about any adventures... I want to hear all about them....
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Graham
non-member comment
hello
yay. kimmi is back. but what is wrong with your phone. so when am i officially aloud to stalk you again. and when are u coming up 2 pmb. 20th i finish exams. luv me