First Impressions

Durban, kwa-Zulu Natal

Returning to South Africa has been like coming home.  The sound of the crickets at night, the "Haw Dee Daw" birds making their racket every morning, even the smell of the country... it all brings back such great memories and has made this transition so much more comfortable.  Yesterday Derek and I went to the bank and he told the customer service rep that he had married a foreigner.  Then we proceeded to pull out my SA identity book which clearly states that I am a South African citizen.  Not much of a foreigner after all!  Yet I still feel like a foreigner in so  many other ways.  For example, I learned to drive in South Africa, on the left hand side of the road, in a stick shift vehicle.  But living and driving in Canada all these years has made me soft!  I am amazed by how much left vs. right hand driving affects so many different aspects of daily life. Not only do we drive on the left here, but all the escalators are on the opposite side, too.  When you walk in the mall, the crowd walks on the left side.  I walked up the stairs in a restaurant the other night and totally threw off a waitress who was trying to descend on "my" side.  No wonder I am nervous about driving here... I can't even get the walking right!

So... first impressions... Durban is beautiful.  Living near the ocean is a constant reminder of God's beauty and grandeur.  Our home is lovely, with a big front and backyard surrounded by large trees that vervet monkeys often climb.  Luckily, our two dogs keep the monkeys at bay.  While I think they are adorable, Derek says they are a scourge.  I'll take photos from a distance and be happy the dogs keep them out so we don't have to clean up the havoc those little monkey hands can wreak.  A variety of birds live in the neighbourhood and so it is never silent here.  The neighbours next door have a pair of Egyptian geese living on their roof.  Apparently, they lay their eggs in tall trees.  When the goslings hatch and are ready to take flight, they drift out of the trees like the fluffy seeds that blow off of a dandelion.  The first Saturday morning we were here, we took our morning coffee with us to the beach at Umdloti and sat watching a pod of dolphins frolic in the ocean just beyond a group of surfers out honing their skills.  This past week, we walked the beach at Ushaka, stepping gingerly over the hundreds of blue bottles that had washed up on the shore.  We stayed until the sun set and we could see the lights of Durban blink on one by one.  What a enchanting place to live!  I am soaking up every moment.

Shadow and Xena greet us as we arrive home.

Our front stoep... South Africans park on the grass willy nilly.  How odd!  I guess it doesn't matter in a place where the grass grows back so quickly.  Do this in Calgary and your neighbours would be appalled!

Front yard foliage

Saturday morning coffee time at Umdloti

The monkey scourge... the reason why locals do NOT appreciate the "cuteness" of these little fellows. We watched as the garbage man removed the bags from the bins getting them ready for pick up.  As soon as he walked away, the monkeys would descend, rip open the bags and remove a few handfuls of tasty treats.  The poor sanitation worker spent most of his time running between bins chasing monkeys.  Talk about a tough day at the office!

Ushaka Beach and Moyo on the Pier, where we enjoyed fancy
cocktails and watched the sunset. 

Watching the lights come on in Durban.