The Journey Inward

I had my first visitor here in South Africa! My good friend John recently got his passport and wanted to travel outside the continental United States. I teased him that I should be his first overseas trip, never thinking he would come here. But he did, maybe because he knew he would have a place to stay in a tour guide. Regardless, he arrived here on April 24.

I got to the airport early and had some tea and dessert and read my book until he made it off the plane, through immigration and customs, got his bag and came through the chute.

It hit me as I was waiting for him that I was so nervous. What if he didn’t see this country as I do? What if he didn’t find it special? What if he didn’t love it? This country has such a special place in my heart, and I couldn’t bear for someone to feel indifferent.

But I needn’t have worried! With each passing day, John continually expressed his gratitude and I could see him falling under South Africa’s spell!

Because he was only here for six days, I jampacked our schedule with experiences tailored to his interests and places near and dear to my heart.

We got back to my place at around 8:30, chatted for a bit, and he took out all the things I had ordered on Amazon and sent to him! It took up way more space than I realized!

I warmed some dinner for him and he decided to jump right on Johannesburg time, so he went to sleep when I did.

I went to work as usual the next morning, leaving breakfast items out for him. I came back to get him during my lunch break, and my team threw a little luncheon for him. He enjoyed meeting everyone and they very much enjoyed him!

He got to witness our afternoon wax museum presentations, join our closing circle and just generally chat with the kids.

I had to stay for my after school CCA, the musical, and so he got to meet more of my staff. We came back and I showered and changed and we headed off to Hazelwood for the night. We started at a bar called GOAT and it definitely was that. The cocktails were delicious and we loved the vibe and music.

We went across the street to smoke for dinner, which was amazing! We had such a nice conversation with the waiter and manager. They each told us what part of South Africa they were from, but their native language was and what brought them to Pretoria. There is no pretense in South Africa and people tell their stories very well. John was very attentive and had great questions. I could see how much he was enjoying the people.

One person we met, said that although they were fluent in Afrikaans because it was mandatory to learn in school, he refused to speak it with whites. Instead, he would answer in English. It was his little way of reclaiming his identity. He was such a kind and thoughtful person with an open mind and open heart.

We walked around town for a little bit and went to a market and then went to our last bar of the night. It was closed, so we ended up back at the GOAT.