Marsha's Sojourn To South Africa...And Back: Arrival in Johannesburg

These posts are going to be out of sequential order because I couldn't save the previous blogs without posting them (bare with me, I'm still a newbie blogger).

I did not have anything to declare so I went through fairly easily after collecting my luggage. The TSA lock on one of my suitcases was missing (no surprise) but thankfully nothing important seemed to be missing. On my way out the door I was stopped by a customs officer who wanted to check my passport. He seemed to become friendlier when I pulled out my American passport. He asked me how President Obama was doing and also asked me to send him his regards. As I continued to push my luggage toward the exit another gentleman began to yell, “aousi (a-ooh-see) can I speak to you for a second miss!” I smiled and kept walking by him since I had no idea who or what aousi was. But he kept calling out and when I turned around I noticed that he was wearing a uniform that said police. Being the conspiracy theorist that I am, I wondered why they seemed to stop only the black people. Also the American in me caused me to assume it was the usual catcall that women often hear when they pass by certain men. I stopped and waited for him to approach me. He quickly scanned my passport and asked me where I was staying and the length of my stay. He proceeded to ask me if he could take me out for coffee or tea sometime. That must be the American equivalent of asking someone in the States to have a drink with you. I smiled and began to saunter to the exit with my cart—happy that I only told him the town in which I was staying and not my complete address. By the way, aousi is how one says sister in Sotho.

After changing money and, I found my driver Lucky, who picked me up from the airport when I was in South Africa the previous year. I was disappointed that due to the time of year, at 5:30pm the sun had already set in Joburg, causing me not to take in all the improvements the city has made as it prepares for World Cup 2010.

I purposely took these pictures because there are many people out there who really believe that this is the common mode of transportation throughout Africa. Although, it is evident that South Africa (especially Johannesburg) is not a true representation of the entire continent (South Africa has the highest GDP per capita than any other country in Africa, making it the wealthiest). People in South Africa (and other parts of the continent) drive in cars of various types, some nicer than the cars that many people drive in the States. This gentleman has a cart and drives around to collect the leaves and weeds that are left behind after people garden their homes. His name is David and his horse's name is Prince. David is considered colored (sort of a black south African who speaks Afrikaan). This picture was taken a few days after my arrival. We saw David outside on my way to go for a run. I asked him if I could mount his horse to take a picture, and he said we could take a ride down the street and back. The moral of this story is, people in Africa have current modes of transportation along with paved streets, and fancy cars! (You may think I'm being obnoxious but one could only imagine the types of questions I was asked when I would tell some people that I was headed to Africa). David allowed me to hold the reins and lead Prince up the street. Prince responded to my commands as I tugged on the rope while he trotted along. David works with his brother (his name escapes me) who is pictured with him below. We paid them R5 for my trot up the street.

I arrived from the airport forty minutes later at my friend Brionne’s beautiful two-bedroom ranch home. A description or pictures would not fully capture the beauty of the quaint ranch-style home that’s perched at the end of a cul-de-sac. It welcomes you in with a waterfall at the entrance and Brie has decorated it with the warmth of Africa. During the days, I would walk to a cafe called Mugg & Bean where I would do work for most of the day. On my walk to the Mugg & Bean, I took a few pictures to illustrate what a block and main road looks like. I am staying in Melville, which is a town in Johannesburg within the province of Gauteng.

Many of the homes have electric barbed wire fencing around it due to the high crime rate. Some homes even have armed guards in front of it as a deterrent. ADT gets a lot of business here.

a normal block in Melville

someone's home

I like the architecture of this home and I admire it every time I pass by.

green house

Most days I sit at the Mugg & Bean to get work done. It reminds me of Busboys and Poets--a restaurant/cafe that I frequent in Washington. The walk to Mugg & Bean is about 10 minutes.