CITY MOUSE...COUNTRY MOUSE

To say that South Africa is beautiful is cliché—so I won’t say it. What I will say is that South Africa is nothing like what I expected but everything I could ever want it to be. Upon my arrival in Johannesburg early conversations with city dwellers often led to heated debates about the reasons a first time visitor would actually want to live in Limpopo a.k.a. the Bush. After embracing the commercialized Mecca that is Jo’burg or Jozie, a major city with malls (closest mall to Hoedspruit is two-hours away) and traffic lights (my town consists of two stop signs) and sushi, I could not really explain why I had chosen to live in the bush for the next year. Possibly because I need peace and solitude to finish writing the manuscript that I’m working on. More importantly it’s where Amazwi headquarters are located, the place where I am assigned to be for the next year or so.

So far I have no regrets about living in Hoedspruit. I have a brilliant view of the mountains when I walk home from work in the afternoon. Yes, I walk to and from work. And if I drive for twenty minutes down the road, I am dead center in the Blyde River Canyons where the mountain peaks. Each morning the sun rips through my window beating my face and heating my body until I have no choice but to awaken. I’ve never been up this early in my life. Each night I am forced to turn off my lights around nine o’clock to prevent being eaten alive by the assortment of bugs that congregate in my bedroom. I bath in bug repellent and sunscreen. It’s a ritual that I can’t afford to forget. Just count the thirty or so bites I had the one-time I forgot. I have a side of Malarone, the anti-malarial medicine, with dinner. For the next few weeks or so I won’t have television or internet or my mommy. Even without those things I still feel blessed. Blessed that the laugh of hyenas and the call of some other animal that I haven’t yet figured out provide a live soundtrack for my entertainment. Blessed that the rays of the sun have been gentle so far.