LET'S GET IT RIGHT...THE TWENTY (20) THINGS WE'LL MISS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA!
Clearly, the time is now to put forth the 20 things we are going to miss about our year in South Africa. The "we", of course, refers to myself, my wife, Svetlana, and our little guy, Ivan J.J. Hopefully, no one will be offended by this list. It is our personal list, so go easy on us if there is something here that doesn't meet your approval. The list:
(1) We will miss the friendships gained as a result of our time in S.A. There are dozens of folks
that helped us when we were in need. Simple acts of kindness were evident throughout our
stay. Certainly, Carol Wise's generosity/kindness toward us has to be recognized. Her town-
house was so appreciated when we were forced to "evacuate" our previous living quarters.
(2) We're gonna miss all that sunshine! Good grief, South Africa must be the most sun-drench-
country in the world. Can sunshine ever be boring? Almost...but not for folks like us (from
Flint, Michigan).
(3) Believe it or not, I'm going to miss those little 8th-graders! Yep. You heard me right. They
are unlike any grade up the scale to the "know-it-all" seniors. For various reasons, I'm
going to miss many of them...and I know they will miss me.
(4) We will miss the fresh fruit and veggies. Is there any land anywhere that is more blessed
with such a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables? Israel is the only place I've been to
that comes close (my opinion, of course).
(5) Not only will we miss the people, but we are going to miss the diversity of the people of
South Africa. No doubt about it...the rich fabric of the many peoples makes South Africa
one of the most unusual, attractive places on earth for anyone who admires diversity.
(6) We're gonna miss the availaibility of such interesting countries near S.A. We had the
opportunity to visit Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho. Well,
actually I was the only one to visit Lesotho. Nevertheless, the countries and their
peoples were fascinating, captivating, and unforgettable.
(7) Overall, we're going to miss the cheaper prices of foods in the marketplace. That means
we're will miss Pic N' Pay...where we picked and paid less than in American. Maybe some
folks would disagree with us, but that is/was our experience.
(8) We're going to miss the fine highway system. Yep, you heard it here! Michigan has high-
ways that are subject to the destructive forces of winter...leaving potholes that compare
to the big hole in Kimberley, S.A. On the other side, the traffic engineers in S.A. could
work a bit harder on figuring out how to make the highway traffic signs easier to under-
stand for ordinary mortals.
(9) There is no doubt I'll miss the morning, daily meetings we had at school(!). No kidding.
When I first learned that Norkem Park H.S. had staff meetings daily I thought it was a
cruel joke. As time passed, the daily meetings made more and more sense to me. And
an added benefit was being able to greet and be with friends every day. There seemed
to be little cliques, but that's just human nature (evident anywhere).
(10) Heck, I'm even gonna miss the guys that became my friends in the parking lots. Yeah,
I have been critical of them before, but realistically, there were many of them whom I
will miss. There's a fellow working the lots at Heritage Mall who is a Hutu from Rwanda.
I'm going to try to help him. He told me he was a medical doctor. I promised him that
upon my return to America, I would try to help his quest for a better life. How can a
fellow trained in the medical field be a parking lot attendant?
(11.) We are going to sorely miss all the friends we made at the Family Fitness Center. They
were so kind and considerate toward my wife and our son.
(12.) I am going to miss the friendly bantering that went on between me and my Zimbabwean
buddy, Samuel Binduko. I joked with him often about wanting to be a member of the
Shona tribe...if they are all like Samuel, then anyone would want to be like him. Samuel
and his friendly warmth, honesty, and laughter will be missed very much.
(13.) I will miss the professional manner, the caring attitudes of some staff members at our
school. They labour so hard and do it for such little wages...they are to be admired forever
for their dedication to young people.
(14.) We will miss those closeby trips we made to places such as the Cradle of Humankind,
Lesebi Village, and Maropeng. People in and around Johannesburg are so lucky to have
such family treasures nearby.
(15.) We will miss the treasures of Johannesburg. Places such as the Africa Museum, Newtown,
and the Joburg Zoo were wonderful venues for us. The depth and variety of things to do
and see are going to be missed.
(16.) We will definitely miss Cape Town! Goodness, what a beautiful, wonderful city for folks
who love to see and do. We had such an enriching visit to Robben Island...we'll never for-
get the presentation made in the prison by one of the former inmates and friend of
Nelson Mandela.
(17.) My family and I will never forget the truly great time we had in Durban. ShakaZuluWorld
is something Ivan J.J. still talks about. The local Indian foods are most memorable! And
who can forget the Indian Ocean?
(18.) We will never forget, indeed we are going to miss, the good times we had traveling with
Ron and Andrea Reese. The laughs we had together were precious to us. From the
fortress of the Great Zimbabwe to the beaches of Durban...guys we are gonna miss ya!
(19.) And for that matter, we will miss the times we got together with the other Fulbrighters.
We all shared so much in common, most of all, we shared a love for the kids we had in
our respective classrooms. I will personally miss witnessing their dedication to our goal
in being in S.A. That goal, was of course, being the best we could be for our learners.
(20.) Lastly, and by no means last in terms of what I will miss, will be the daily challenges we
faced in living and working in South Africa. It was a struggle at times...and said struggle
made life there interesting and kept us "on our toes." It was NEVER boring, that's for
sure! Heck, at times even a trip to the store would be an adventure. Not so in Michigan.
That sense of excitement made each day an adventure. We WILL miss it!
(1) We will miss the friendships gained as a result of our time in S.A. There are dozens of folks
that helped us when we were in need. Simple acts of kindness were evident throughout our
stay. Certainly, Carol Wise's generosity/kindness toward us has to be recognized. Her town-
house was so appreciated when we were forced to "evacuate" our previous living quarters.
(2) We're gonna miss all that sunshine! Good grief, South Africa must be the most sun-drench-
country in the world. Can sunshine ever be boring? Almost...but not for folks like us (from
Flint, Michigan).
(3) Believe it or not, I'm going to miss those little 8th-graders! Yep. You heard me right. They
are unlike any grade up the scale to the "know-it-all" seniors. For various reasons, I'm
going to miss many of them...and I know they will miss me.
(4) We will miss the fresh fruit and veggies. Is there any land anywhere that is more blessed
with such a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables? Israel is the only place I've been to
that comes close (my opinion, of course).
(5) Not only will we miss the people, but we are going to miss the diversity of the people of
South Africa. No doubt about it...the rich fabric of the many peoples makes South Africa
one of the most unusual, attractive places on earth for anyone who admires diversity.
(6) We're gonna miss the availaibility of such interesting countries near S.A. We had the
opportunity to visit Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho. Well,
actually I was the only one to visit Lesotho. Nevertheless, the countries and their
peoples were fascinating, captivating, and unforgettable.
(7) Overall, we're going to miss the cheaper prices of foods in the marketplace. That means
we're will miss Pic N' Pay...where we picked and paid less than in American. Maybe some
folks would disagree with us, but that is/was our experience.
(8) We're going to miss the fine highway system. Yep, you heard it here! Michigan has high-
ways that are subject to the destructive forces of winter...leaving potholes that compare
to the big hole in Kimberley, S.A. On the other side, the traffic engineers in S.A. could
work a bit harder on figuring out how to make the highway traffic signs easier to under-
stand for ordinary mortals.
(9) There is no doubt I'll miss the morning, daily meetings we had at school(!). No kidding.
When I first learned that Norkem Park H.S. had staff meetings daily I thought it was a
cruel joke. As time passed, the daily meetings made more and more sense to me. And
an added benefit was being able to greet and be with friends every day. There seemed
to be little cliques, but that's just human nature (evident anywhere).
(10) Heck, I'm even gonna miss the guys that became my friends in the parking lots. Yeah,
I have been critical of them before, but realistically, there were many of them whom I
will miss. There's a fellow working the lots at Heritage Mall who is a Hutu from Rwanda.
I'm going to try to help him. He told me he was a medical doctor. I promised him that
upon my return to America, I would try to help his quest for a better life. How can a
fellow trained in the medical field be a parking lot attendant?
(11.) We are going to sorely miss all the friends we made at the Family Fitness Center. They
were so kind and considerate toward my wife and our son.
(12.) I am going to miss the friendly bantering that went on between me and my Zimbabwean
buddy, Samuel Binduko. I joked with him often about wanting to be a member of the
Shona tribe...if they are all like Samuel, then anyone would want to be like him. Samuel
and his friendly warmth, honesty, and laughter will be missed very much.
(13.) I will miss the professional manner, the caring attitudes of some staff members at our
school. They labour so hard and do it for such little wages...they are to be admired forever
for their dedication to young people.
(14.) We will miss those closeby trips we made to places such as the Cradle of Humankind,
Lesebi Village, and Maropeng. People in and around Johannesburg are so lucky to have
such family treasures nearby.
(15.) We will miss the treasures of Johannesburg. Places such as the Africa Museum, Newtown,
and the Joburg Zoo were wonderful venues for us. The depth and variety of things to do
and see are going to be missed.
(16.) We will definitely miss Cape Town! Goodness, what a beautiful, wonderful city for folks
who love to see and do. We had such an enriching visit to Robben Island...we'll never for-
get the presentation made in the prison by one of the former inmates and friend of
Nelson Mandela.
(17.) My family and I will never forget the truly great time we had in Durban. ShakaZuluWorld
is something Ivan J.J. still talks about. The local Indian foods are most memorable! And
who can forget the Indian Ocean?
(18.) We will never forget, indeed we are going to miss, the good times we had traveling with
Ron and Andrea Reese. The laughs we had together were precious to us. From the
fortress of the Great Zimbabwe to the beaches of Durban...guys we are gonna miss ya!
(19.) And for that matter, we will miss the times we got together with the other Fulbrighters.
We all shared so much in common, most of all, we shared a love for the kids we had in
our respective classrooms. I will personally miss witnessing their dedication to our goal
in being in S.A. That goal, was of course, being the best we could be for our learners.
(20.) Lastly, and by no means last in terms of what I will miss, will be the daily challenges we
faced in living and working in South Africa. It was a struggle at times...and said struggle
made life there interesting and kept us "on our toes." It was NEVER boring, that's for
sure! Heck, at times even a trip to the store would be an adventure. Not so in Michigan.
That sense of excitement made each day an adventure. We WILL miss it!
posted by JOBURG JOURNAL at 3:10 PM
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