Week 1 in the Peonda!

So, here I am, writing to you from the dusty backwaters of Mpumalanga.

The week was filled with frantic packing, frantic driving to and fro between Joburg and “The Second” (Secunda’s name is from Latin), frantic planning of my birthday/farewell party and frantic last-minute admin for the new job, my UK cabbage patch, ahem, property investment, my father’s business etc.

Some strange facts / observations about my new “home”:

1 – This place is writhing with domestic violence. Not of the beat-your-wife-up-senseless variety – no no, these people take things to a whole new level. It’s the more terminal route of I-shoot-the-wife-and-then-myself (and sometimes the kids too) variety. There have been a spate of such killings recently, none of which make it into the press. Gilb’s colleague witnessed one such incident at 5am last week, through his chicken-wire fence in the neighbour’s yard. Why such stunningly bizarre behaviour? Read #2 for more…

2 – “The Second” is a place of sharing – sharing spouses behind their other half’s backs, that is. The twisted stories I could tell you but won’t… eye-popping stuff. It’s so publicly done, too…

3 – It’s a dry area on Sundays! I tried to buy some super el-cheapo wine for cooking (I swear!) and wasn’t allowed too, until I coquettishly batted my eyelids at the manager. Speaking of cooking, two other points to note: 1) (unrelated to Secunda) I was given two fabulous cookbooks as birthday gifts – one was Pasella, in Afrikaans, as practice for being kaalvoet en swanger in die kombuis one day. And, 2) I’m going to need to do extensive shopping trips in “The First” for food items that are not available here – black bean sauce, rice noodles, coriander and rocket are the first few items I’ve noticed to be lacking.

4 – Rent is ridiculously expensive here – I’m expecting that we’ll be paying 50% more for a place that Peas and I were paying. We may even buy a place because I baulk at the thought of shelling out so much cash for rent, when a little bit more would pay off a bond (although our view of leaving in 18 months does make for a compelling argument not to buy)

There’ll be plenty more to tell over the next few days / weeks / months. So I’ll save it all for later. But, I’m receiving my ‘Personal Protection Equipment’ this week, which comprises a hard hat, safety boots and overalls – how cool is that? Never going to wear it, but it’ll be handy for dress-up parties, I’m sure…

Totsiens julle!