An ongoing list...

What I Will Miss about Life in South Africa

1. Thunderstorms. I haven’t even attempted to describe the storms here, because no words could do them justice. Dramatic. Menacing. Awe-inspiring. And just to heighten the whole experience, we go all winter without a single storm, and then suddenly, one early October evening, the sky explodes. Truly Awesome.

2. Nandos. One extra-hot chicken wrap with peri-peri chips and a Coke Light. My mouth will still be on fire long after we've left the country.

3. That Darn Cat. I admit it, Tigerlilly has grown on me. I'm still not a cat person - and her paw-prints on my table continue to drive me nuts - but I will miss her sweet face and the way she flirts with Moose and how good she makes me feel when she chooses to come hang out with Roger and me over the M-I-L (thus allowing me some vindication for the fact that my dog still chooses the M-I-L every damn time). Yes, I will miss that cat.

4. Biltong. My favorite South African snack…like beef jerky but way better.

5. Cheap movies. 16 Rand for a movie ticket. At the current exchange rate, that’s $1. 57. I know! Shelling out ten bucks (or is it eleven now?) at Atlantic Station will be truly painful (but having access to real popcorn will make it so worth it!).

6. Time. As you know, my job here has allowed me a flexibility that I certainly won’t have upon my return (assuming I find a job upon my return). It’s been both a blessing and a curse. Too much time to think (um, obsess) has never been particularly good for my mental state, but having time to relax…well, that’s something I got used to pretty quickly. Spending an entire Saturday reading a good book. Lounging by the pool. Wasting time watching TV or trolling the blogosphere. Going to the gym midday. It’s been nice to simply have Time.

7. Sheila. I will certainly have a rude awakening when I move back to the States and am forced to rekindle my relationship with the iron and the toilet-brush, because for the past year and a half, those less-than-pleasant chores have been carried out by Sheila. She is a saint who has made me feel like a true lady of luxury.

8. Being the American. I'm sure this one will also make the list of things I won’t miss about living here, but what can I say? At times I really like being the foreigner. Other times I hate it. But I know once I’m back in the US, I will miss the brief period of my life when I was considered exotic and mysterious because I came from a far and distant land…okay, so I seriously doubt anyone has ever thought of me as exotic or mysterious, but in my memory, they did.

9. Girls lunches. While I had some initial complaints about my lack of girlfriends in South Africa, my sister-in-law was quick to welcome me into her fabulous circle of women. Every few months, nine or ten of us get together for an all day ‘lunch’ involving copious amounts of champagne and an embarrassing playlist alternating between Neil Diamond and Abba.

10. The Jolly Roger. Yes, our local pub is named the Jolly Roger. And if that’s not reason enough to love it, it also has the Best Pizza Ever. I always order the Picasso which comes with bacon, avocado, banana, and mushrooms. I usually ask them to add pineapple too. So yummy.

11. Running. Yes, I’m sure I’ll continue running when I’m back in the States, but it won’t be the same. I probably won’t have the time to spend six or seven hours a week pounding the pavement and I definitely won’t have the gorgeous setting of the Joburg Botanical Gardens or Zoo Lake. I will definitely miss the sights and sounds of running around my little corner of Joburg.

12. The African Sky. This picture says it all.


13. Our cottage. Yes, the location isn’t ideal (right in the in-laws' back yard), but the cottage itself is cute and comfy and has been just right for Roger and me.











14. Woolworths. I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I've spent nineteen months pining for my Edgewood Kroger, but I will actually miss my grocery store here in South Africa. Woolworths is a chain grocery/department store – kinda like Target, but on a much smaller scale (and not nearly as cool). Still, with its genetically engineered produce that never-ever goes bad and the yummy Woolworths brand vanilla yogurt and their pre-made soups and sushi and sandwiches...I've come to love my neighborhood Woolworths. I will even miss how everyone calls it “Woolies” though the word always felt silly on my tongue.

15. My South African family. Gary and Laurel, Connor and Dale, even Bryan and the M-I-L. Living here, I've come to know their quirks and passions and strengths and weaknesses, and it's made me love them on a whole new level. They’ve become a part of our every day lives and there's a not-so-small part of my heart that is already beginning to ache just thinking about saying goodbye...so I won't think about that now. I'll end my list here - for the moment.
I'm sure I'll have more to add as the weeks go on...