THE CITY OF GOLD AND SOME REVELATIONS

It’s like getting up at an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting and saying you are an Alcoholic, but after my recent trip to Egoli, the City of Gold for a break, I’ve come to some important revelations…

Firstly – yes, this is going to come as a shocker!! But I am a country bumpkin and damm proud of it. I fought it for years, kicking and screaming against the lure of the country, but at last I’ve decided to submit, and quite happily too I might add.

What did it for me was the traffic – it just never seems to stop. A real 24 hour non-stop mobile society. No soft sounds of hooting owls or dikkops here – they’re drowned out by the endless traffic. This along with the infernal amount of time that you spend waiting in endless traffic jams, and you realise how and why road rage originates!! A normal 20 minute journey taken in rush hour in Johannesburg, takes on average nearly an hour- or even longer if there’s an accident. No wonder by the time most people get to work, they’re ready to kill and their stress levels are already through the roof. My ears were shorn off by the time we got to my Aunt’s place and I wasn’t even the one driving!!

Then there’s my extremely embarrassing and ear withering incident that took place at my Aunts place in Boksburg. Now they live in the flight path of planes landing at Oliver Tambo International Airport. You sort of – no bugger that, not really, get used to the ear shattering noise, every few minutes as planes make their final descent over the house to land. How people watch television and have normal conversations is a mystery to me. I spent most of the time having to shout just to be heard. What started it off was the Emirates flight. We were sitting contently having tea when suddenly I heard this roar of jet engines, the lights began to flicker and the house shake. I dropped to the ground in terror saying “I’m not ready yet” thinking I was about to die in a fiery inferno and covering my eys. When I opened them to disover that I hadn’t turned into a fried crisp. I found my Aunt and Uncle sitting looking at me with curious bewilderment drinking their tea. My Uncle’s response was “Don’t worry its just the Emirates Flight they always come a little low” “Sorry we should’ve warned you about it”. Oh the humiliation!!!.

Note to self. Never ever buy house in flight path to airport.

Although I enjoyed my stay there immensely catching up with friends and tasting a bit of civilization. I was so happy to see the rusty brown hills of Natal again as I made my way home again. Give me the birdsongs that greet me every morning, the fresh smell of summer, or the crispness of autumn and the blaze of colours over the pollution, noise and stress of the city any day.

They can have it. I am back and grateful for my blessings. It’s given me a fresh perspective on life and made me realise how lucky I am to live where I am. It’s also made me realise that my petty little problems and insecurities are actually minimal when I think of the gauntlet that people have to run living up there.

Hello I am a Country bumpkin!!