Africa Time

I just finished reading a book called Khayelitsha by Steven Otter. It is the story of a white South African journalist who moved into the infamous township of Khayelitsha while he was going to school. It was a really interesting book that paints a different picture of township life than I expected. Despite the poverty, it seems there are some appeals to living there. The way he described the sense of community which exists there is truly amazing.

I think the part that struck me most about the book though was his description about how different his life was after moving from Khayelitsha to the Netherlands. He made a comment about how he found it boring in the Netherlands that things run so efficiently. If you take a taxi, it is going to take you where you're going without stopping along the way to pick up more people, fill up for gas, and get food for the driver. If someone says that something is starting at seven, it actually is. This really entertained me, because all of the things he mentioned missing are things that I find very frustrating about living here.

Don't get me wrong, I have definitely adjusted to "Africa Time" while living and working in Cape Town. Maybe a little too much, even (I'll find out for sure when I get home). I had to though, starting from my first day at work. When my manager told me at our meeting the previous day to be there at 8AM to start, I kind of assumed someone else would be at the office to get me started on something. Turns out, no one with any information about what was supposed to be done with me came until after nine. That was the day I started carrying a book around. I have almost gotten used to the idea that "Be here at 8AM sharp so we can leave for the workshop/training/rally etc." actually means that I will be there at 8, no one else will be there until about 9, we may or may not leave before noon, and it is pretty likely we will have to sit in the minibus for about half an hour (once we finally get into one) until it fills up and we can actually leave.

I am greatly looking forward to having some concept of what my schedule actually is when I get home. That being said, I will probably miss the flexibility and the adventure of it all. Let's just hope that I will be able to handle "real life" again upon my return.