I came back to Pretoria yesterday after spending 6 days in the Eastern Cape province. The views and countryside were breathtaking down there. The sun cooperated too which was a bonus; my very pale, white skin needed some sunshine. I stayed with Nicki, an old friend from London. It was so great to see her.
I feel that as my days are limited, I am absorbing more and taking longer breaths and deeper inhales. I think my body knows soon we are leaving this beautiful country and is responding accordingly. My eyes ares also seeing and noticing more detail than before.
I had a crazy week, however, leading up to the relaxing weekend. Last Wednesday morning (6 am) I left Pretoria for Jo'burg to catch a flight for Kimberley. We landed and immediately had to burn rubber for 250KM to a small village called Britstown for a research interview. Upon arrival, we realized our interviewees had not really arranged a place to meet. We were in RURAL Africa. Nothing for miles. Nada. So, me and my research team of 3 others quickly had to think on the spot. We found a local pub attached to a gas station and sat down at a small round table outside of it, like, in the yard. (The inside of the pub was too noisy with loud men and music. I guess they don't work.) The people in the pub didn't seem too bothered by our presence so we carried on with our questions. Suddenly, a cat appeared. Then, in the background, cows mooing and hens cock-a-doodle-do-ing. Oh my. Only in Africa would you conduct research near a farm, outside, under blowing trees! An hour later, we had to quickly drive back to Kimberley to catch a connecting flight through Jo'burg to Port Elizabeth. By the time we landed in PE, it was 9 pm.
The next day (Thursday) we had another interview scheduled just outside of PE, in a town called Uitenhage. We drove there and back, getting lost quite a few times. Street signs don't really exist here. Nor do office numbers. The joys!
Friday: another early morning. We were on the highway by 630 am to get to East London by 900 am for yet another interview. We quickly discovered the road was in terrible condition and there were roadworks and accidents everywhere. Oh and cows grazing the pavement. We arrived at East London very late (11 am) to find a boardroom full of very disgruntled staff who were waiting there for 2 hours. THAT interview was a bit of a bomb, and I was very frazzled from the drive in. No, this day was far from over.
The district had arranged another site visit and interview in a town 2 hours away called Queenstown. Meaning, we had to drive two hours in the opposite direction to PE (where we had to eventually end up by the end of the day). Meaning, a 5 hour drive back. Sigh. We were back on the road, frustrated and annoyed, and in Queenstown by 4. This interview, despite being out of the way, was more than worth it. I went from feeling hopeless to hopeful. This little office of social workers were doing wonderful work for children in the district, despite their many challenges and lack of resources. Check.
By 6 pm, it was dark and we had to drive all the way back to PE. What a stressful drive. Carmen did exceptionally well to keep us on the road and away from any farm animals. We were back in PE by 1030 pm. I slept like a baby, that night, thankful to be in one piece.
The end. Here is a map with our destinations marked:
Alas, I came to the conclusion that this country is not for the faint-hearted. You have to be determined. You have to be a finisher. You have to persevere to get things done when time and the odds are stacked against you. And you have to be OK with taking risks.
More soon,
B
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