Finally!! Finally I’m
back in Nairobi where I belong after spending 11 days in Johannesburg. I always enjoy my stays in Joburg. The IBM team always ensures I have a good
time. This trip was no different. I actually left before the fun was over. Because I left early on Saturday morning, I
missed the opportunity to go to the Phantom of the Opera. Now the Phatom of the Opera sounds bourgeoisie,
but this trip went from the high highs to the low lows.
My IBM Host wanted to show me the ‘real’ side of Joburg this
time. Being a hood rat from North
Philly, I’m more than capable of being ‘real.’
BUT, being real in another country can be a little stressful. LOL. My Host decided to take me to her version of
Chinatown. Every city in every country
has a Chinatown. When we pulled up, the
hair on the back of my neck stood up.
This was definitely ‘real.’ As we
got out of the car, the smell almost knocked me off my feet.
Those of you who have been to your version of Chinatown know
the smell I’m talking about. It’s the
smell in the back of the restaurant that you try desperately not to recognize
because you enjoy the food so much. I
tried very hard not to think of the fact that I was smelling that smell in a
different country. This is South Africa
anyway, right? Certainly I could trust
the food here. Besides, I reminded
myself that that smell exists in several different Chinatowns in various cities
in the good old USA.
Once I got past my initial reservations, we had a good time
and good food. I was out with my Host,
her son and a friend of the family. We
had a great time talking about Joburg’s history and American politics. I’m always amazed by how preoccupied people
in different countries are with the political landscape of the US. I guess it’s a big deal now because it’s a presidential
election year.
Our next outing was much more upscale, but just as
interesting. It was a lovely restaurant
called Moyo, which was situated in a outdoor square. This was a very charming location with one
small exception. There was a thunderstorm
brewing in the background. Now, for
anyone who has been to Johannesburg, you know that their thunderstorms are
vicious. This was no exception, but
everything progressed as planned, much to my surprise. You see, the tables were completely covered
and I discovered that South Africans have no problem dining outside in the rain
as long as they don’t get wet.
Once I realized we wouldn’t get wet I was a little more
relaxed, but there was still the pesky issue of the thunder an lightening. No one seemed as on edge as I was so I tried
to go with the flow. Then the waiter
came out with the menus. Now, I couldn’t
make this up people, the menus were made of metal! SMH. No one else seemed to mind so I just ordered
quickly and gave the menu back to the waiter.
The good news is, the storm never materialized. Once we got the conversation going, I
completely put it out of my mind.
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| Female Bathroom Door |
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| Male Bathroom Door |
As usual, I enjoyed the meal, conversation and
atmosphere. There was a jazz band
playing while we enjoyed our meals. When
nature called, I went to the bathroom to discover once again that South Africa
has a fascination with clearly identifying male and female bathrooms. See if you can tell the difference between
the two. LOL. And this was in a nice
restaurant!
Well, I had two more restaurant outings during my stay, but
it was just more fun. I finally started
my journey back to Nairobi on Saturday.
The four hour flight was nothing compared to the jaunt from the States. My entry back into the country was surprisingly
uneventful. Maybe it was because I
landed in the middle of the afternoon, but I breezed right through
customs.
When I walked outside, the airport, the wall of heat smacked
me in my face. Welcome to summer in
Nairobi. Ugh, I wasn’t liking it at
all. But, when I entered my apartment
which hadn’t been occupied in two and a half months, it was surprisingly
cool. I put all of my stuff down,
collapsed on the coach and exhaled. It
was good to be back in my home away from home.
See you back here next week folks.
Asante sana,
Della Rochelle
Copyright © 2012 by Della Rochelle Williams
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