Shilpi's South African Diary - Part 3

Welcome to Africa?
December 15, 2009

We are now in Musina, Limpopo District. Just to describe the sudden shift: Johannesburg is a big thriving metropolis – I believe the largest in South Africa. We met at coffee shops that perfectly substitute Starbucks with free wi-fi; we went into malls to purchase sim cards for cell phones; drank at bars where I guess “hipster” types frequented.

Limpopo, on the other hand, has a bit less of the Western motif than Johannesburg. Yesterday, we visited a friend of Tyler’s who lived along a long dirt road – (if you drove to fast, you would bust a tire or worse!) Tyler took a break as I chased the sunset and jumped into a pool at the bottom of a waterfall. We ate at a wonderful family’s house who cooked us, among other things, Bop (pronounced like the Korean bop as in rice.) I’m not 100% sure what it is, but for Indians out there – it was like a big huge solid idli. For East Africans, it was similar to standard fare I had often eaten in Tanzania. And then we proceeded—far exceeding the speed limit—to Musina, a border town teeming with locals, truckers passing through, and “migrants” from Zimbabwe.

This morning bright and early we watched children gather on the red clay colored field. It seems any clear patch of dirt becomes a soccer field for children. And as pre-teens and teens played soccer with a real ball, mostly barefoot or in sandals, two-year-old to four-year-olds kicked a deflated ball around emulating their older siblings. Unfortunately, it began to rain so we had to cut it short – but when it cleared we drove around in a car with a loud speaker calling kids back to the field tomorrow. It was amazing – kids chasing our car down the street, people coming out of the woodwork – it was definitely a trip.

I realized that rural Africa enjoys an outdoor culture. Whether it's hanging out in the streets, playing a sport in the fields…the locals are not trapped inside their homes on Facebook or watching TV.

While being Musina/Limpopo has been a vast change from our first days in Johannesburg, this past week can definitely show the range of landscape and economy in South Africa.

So far, this has been an amazing trip. I've spent my days with people I hope to keep in touch with for a long time to come.

Team Up!

Shilpi