The Sacred and Profane

When people ask about my life in Africa, sometimes they’re shocked to discover that I live in a big city, much like any other big city throughout the world. It’s dirty. There’s too much traffic. Shopping malls everywhere. Lots of concrete and asphalt and old buildings that aren’t exactly quaint. But it’s beautiful too. Especially early on a Saturday morning when the streets of my neighborhood are quiet and the flowers in bloom. So, today I thought I’d (try) to keep my big mouth shut and simply give you a few visuals from my world.

First, my morning run...

(Yes, I took a camera on my run in preparation for this post, and yes, I felt like a Big Dork. I thought it would be a total pain to haul my camera around while running, but then I remembered that for the first 6-7 years of my running career I carried a walkman that was three times the size of my current camera. Crazy, huh? Yet another example of how Buffy, the pink iPod shuffle has totally changed my life.)

Now onto the pictures:

The neighborhood...though you probably can't tell since you can't see any houses. We're kind of obsessive about our walls/gates around here.

And the beautiful park where I run on the weekends.

Beautiful! Gorgeous! Wish you were here!

And below you will find Roger, Moose, and I having a picnic at said park this past Wednesday on Heritage Day, aka National Braai Day (braai is the Afrikaans word for BBQ, or grilling out. For example, "Do you want to come over for a braai next weekend?" South Africans love their braais almost as much as they love their meat. Biltong and Borewors especially.)

(There is totally a lion hiding there in the brush...Moose ran him off before we could snap a photo.)

And of course, the weird reminders that despite my beautiful surroundings, I'm still living in a Big Bad City.

Yes...That's razor wire wrapped around the tree and scary spikes lining the wall.

Wait. Did you notice this???? Look at it again.

Notice the extra-cautious combination of electrical wires and scary spikes...

And this...this needs no comment.

But here's my favorite...the House of Optimism. Okay, as far as I know, I'm the only one who calls it that, and not just because it has a pretty pink door, but because it is the only house in the area that's not surrounded by a fortress. I'm sure it has an alarm and quite possibly invisible laser beams shooting across the front lawn, but I don't know that. To me, it just looks like a nice house in a normal neighborhood in a nice city that doesn't require security guards posted on every street.

So there you have it. Now, you've practically been to my little corner of Joburg. And all without that nasty eighteen hour flight.

Thank me later.