The view from my balcony

We returned to South Africa from a month long visit back home.  It was fantastic to see family and friends.  It was also interesting to hear some of the questions that they asked and some of their preconceived notions about this country that we currently call home. 

I found myself in a very strange position.  Here in South Africa I am constantly disabusing people about the stereotypical information that they have heard about Canada. What I found myself doing while I was home, was educating my Canadian friends and family on what South Africa is really like.

Some of the comments and questions didn't surprise me.  Yes, we have McDonald's.  No, we don't live in a mud hut.  Yes, we have electricity (most of the time). No, not everyone does.  Yes, we have chocolate.  No, we don't have chocolate chips.

Some of our friends thought that wildlife like lions and leopards roamed freely thorough the country and posed a threat to us.  I know that out in the wilderness or farming communties you'll hear of the odd leopard or two that have been spotted, or are making problems by killing livestock, but it doesn't happen in the cities.

When I explained this to a Scouter friend of mine here in PE he said, "Well, it's our own fault.  That's what we advertise about our country.  Every brochure about visiting South Africa has a safari animal on it".  He also said "That's how South Africa markets itself, so that's what people all over the world assume."  He's absolutely right.

The questions that bothered me the most were the other comments about safety.  It's not something that I've spoken to in my blog and wasn't sure that it was something that I should, but there were just too many comments that really caused me to feel defensive about my new home.  The 2 most concerning were "Are there armed guards patrolling the perimitter of your compound?" and "What kind of gun do you have?"

This is the view from my balcony.  This is what I see when I go up in the morning with my cup of coffee. It is my reality.  I sit quietly.  Sometimes the dog joins me.  I watch to see what flies by or lands on my bird feeders.  I see the city in the distance, just a blur really.  Sometimes I take up my laptop and write my blog from up there.  I love that view.  I love the sense of tranquility and peace it brings me.   I am struck every day by the sheer beauty of this country and feel blessed for this opportunity.

If I shift my point of view just a little bit, this is what I see and it too is my reality.

There are two fences.  One to keep the dog in and an electrified one to keep criminals out. 

Homes have a security systems with panic buttons in every room. In Canada we have screens on our windows to keep the bugs out, here they have burgler bars to keep the criminals out.  In Canada where people have one or two dogs for companionship, families here will have 3, 4 or more for protection.  Sometimes they are German Shepards, Boerboels or Bull Mastiffs, true guard dogs. More often than not they are border collies, Jack Russels or shelter dogs because loud and barky is just as much of a deterent.  Where schools in Canada have closed circuit televisions and controlled entry locks on doors, schools here have security company vehicles patrolling the grounds or guards at an external gate.    

I know a woman who walked in on a thief at home and was held at gunpoint while the thief escaped at the age of 14.  That same woman was a victim of a theft while at university age and her neighbour's car was stolen out of thier driveway when she was an adult.  You might think this woman is South African. It was me. All those things and others happened to me in Canada.  I have met friends here in Port Elizabeth whose families have never been touched directly by crime in all thier lives in South Africa. 

Are there more risks to living in South Africa than in Canada?  No doubt about it.   Are crimes in South Africa more violent than those in Canada?  Yes, from what I've read.  Do I live as a privledged member of this society who can avoid crime? Some might say yes, but others may say that affluence makes me more of a target.  Are there certain areas that I would never go at night? Yup, but there were areas like that in Toronto when I lived there.  Crime can find you anywhere and I know that first hand.  

Townships are where you hear that crime happens the most.  So, was I nervous the other weekend when my GPS sent my friend and I through a township because the main road was blocked?  Sure, but what I saw were children playing, women hanging out thier laundry and people returning home with shopping bags.  People going through life.  Just like the last time I was in a township.

Living here is much like the view from my balcony. It all comes down to perspective.

You can focus on the fence.  See South Africa as a scary place, full of risk.  You can choose never to come here.  You can choose to come here and look at the country from safely behind your electrified fence, never venturing out unless you have to.

Me, I prefer to look past the fence.  I want to see this country in all it's glory (or not).  I want to meet the people who call it home.  I want my children to truly understand how people live in other countries.  I want them to acknowlege any barriers that they face and move beyond them.  I want to be a participant and not an observer.

So, no I do not live on a compound.  No, I do not own a gun.  What do I do? I pay attention and stay alert the same as I did in Canada or anywhere in the world that I have ever visited.  If you don't believe me, then please, come for a visit, and allow me the privledge of showing off this stunning and complex country that I currently call home.