Indeed. Dorothy was correct when she
uttered these words. I definitely felt the sentiment when I went home to South
Africa for a (too short) holiday in January.
Not having been home for almost three
years, I was really looking forward to getting away from the gloomy London
weather and seeing clear blue skies again, and South Africa did not disappoint.
She greeted me with blue skies every morning and the African sun baked the
earth to a scorching 30-ish degrees Celsius. I was sweating like a pig, man.
Although pigs don’t really sweat that much apparently, so perhaps I should say
I was sweating like a BIG man. On a treadmill. Wearing PVC clothing.
Perspiration issues aside, I loved being
home. I loved the sunshine, I loved driving again and I loved seeing my family
and my friends. The longer I stayed, the more I wanted to come home again.
There was a certain nostalgia that affected me, a yearning for the lifestyle that
I once had – the spaciousness of homes; friendly people everywhere you go, from
waiters to ‘pompjoggies’ (petrol station attendants to those of you not
familiar with the term) to strangers in the queue at the Woolies; having my own
ride with plenty of personal space – something commuting on the underground
does not let you have – and singing along to the radio at the top of my lungs;
and of course, the things beautiful weather allows you to do – outdoor dining
and braais on the weekend, leaving the balcony doors open all day to let in the
sunshine and fresh breeze, wearing shorts, washing that dries!!! Everyday life
felt more relaxed and calm, even though I was rushing around trying to see
people. Maybe it was a symptom of being on holiday. Maybe not. I just felt that
that was where I wanted to be.
A few things struck me while I was in South Africa, though not literally!
I eat less!
Strangely, as much as I miss steak – and I
mean GOOD steak – in London, when I get the opportunity to have good South
African steak, I don’t crave it anymore. Go figure. I also seemed to be less
hungry, generally. Maybe cold weather makes you want to eat more.. This somehow ties into Heathrow Injection Syndrome, I'm sure, but scientific explanation anyone??
I know how Alice felt
On seeing the inside of my childhood home,
I felt like I’d just eaten Alice in Wonderland’s Eat Me cake <yes, you dirty
jokers, insert inappropriate joke here, but that was what made Alice grow to the size of an elephant>. The house seemed so small! Not in terms of space, but in terms of
scale. I was back home a few years ago and I did not remember feeling like a
giant in that house. Fortunately it only lasted one night and by morning I felt
normal sized again.
All my friends are grown up now.
Well, almost everyone. Quite a few of my friends are now married with children, and are pretty good at being parents. Me? I’m not sure what I’d do with a baby. I may be an adult, but I sure don’t feel like a grown up. Am I getting left behind?? Who knows, but I would hate to be tied down by a child at the moment. Life is good, I can go on holiday wherever I want, whenever I want, without having to cart around a baby buggy, nappies, toys, bottles, oh yes, and a baby!
All the grown ups are getting older
The number of aunties and uncles I knew as
a little girl who are still alive are getting smaller and smaller. This led me
to contemplate the mortality of my own mother and father. Morbid, I know, but a
reality that everyone has to deal with at some point. If I could, I would have
them live forever, in perfect health, as I’m sure every single other person
wishes for their own parents. Unfortunately this is real life, it's made me appreciate time a little more, and made me realise that I should be spending more time with them, meaning going home more often than I have been lately to see my dearest mummy and daddy.
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