It's been nearly two years since I moved to the Netherlands, and I have no regrets. Living here during this time in my life feels right, and the more time I spend here, the more it feels like home. But it remains a home away from home. South Africa is still where my heart belongs, and sometimes I miss it. When I do, these are the things I miss...
The people, of course. My entire family lives in South Africa. I miss my mom, my dad, my sister, and my brother. I miss my dogs and grandparents. I have friends here in the Netherlands. Good friends. Great friends. But in South Africa, I have friendships that have endured for decades. Those relationships cannot simply be replaced, and so I find myself missing my friends. I even miss the men and women on the street. South Africans—their diversity and warmth in spite of it. Here too, there is much diversity, and wonderful people fill the streets. But I miss the South African character.
The food. For the love of meat, I miss a braai. I miss potjiekos. I miss pap and vleis. I miss biltong and droëwors. I miss melktert and koeksisters. I miss Pronutro and Jungle Oat bars. As much as it's probably a consequence of where I find myself on the economic ladder as a result of past injustices, I miss being able to eat at restaurants frequently. I don't think Dutch food is as bad as people say. Stroopwafels, bossche bollen, stamppot—I enjoy them all. But man, I miss South African food.
The weather. I miss the weather so much that, when I go home to South Africa in December, it's the sun that I most look forward to seeing. Summer here is amazing, but somehow it always feels too short. When winter comes around, it's dark, cold, and wet. I'm no sugar cube, but I find it truly depressing. The rain also falls monotonously, for long periods, without stopping. I miss a good old thunderstorm. I feel like I've almost forgotten what the roar of thunder sounds like.
The nature. I miss the mountains, forests, and beaches. It took me leaving South Africa to realize how diverse it is in its natural beauty. From the Magaliesberg to the Drakensberg. From the Kalahari to the Karoo. From the Kruger to the Garden Route. There's just so much to see and do without crossing a single border. With a hop, skip, and a jump, you could eat breakfast with elephants, trek through mountains and forests, and have sundowners on a rocky shore looking out on the big blue sea. It's a wonder—all of it.
The chaos. Perhaps most surprisingly, I miss the unpredictability of South Africa. The Netherlands is so well-organized and governed with rules and regulations that I miss feeling like I don't know what's going to happen next. Of course, chaos has its downsides, and the crime rate in South Africa is not to be scoffed at. But chaos also brings a different kind of freedom, the kind you have to create yourself but with fewer bounds. I miss that freedom.
And that's it. Well, not entirely. I'm sure I've missed some things, but that's it for now. Point made: South Africa, I miss you.
“The ache for home lives in all of us,
the safe place where we can go as we are
and not be questioned.”
- Maya Angelou