In a capitalist society, so many young people end up following the accepted norm of the cookie cutter lifestyle in the appropriate order...highschool, university, wedding, mortgage, kids...etc. Anything done outside of this order is often found confusing by our parents and their parents generations who have, for the most part, lived their lives out in this way and worked hard to give us the same.
Nowadays, so many of us in our mid-twenties are feeling the need to "travel"...whether it be a contiki tour in Europe, or volunteer work with some sort of organization in Latin America. Either way, we are finding a way to do it, to just go somewhere. This has almost become a necessary thing to do before settling into the above norm of life.
So many (my family especially) can't understand why in the world a young adult who has been seemingly given so much opportunity and is so privledged would want to purposely put themselves in danger and leave a country that so many people are fighting to get into. I can't say I don't see their point because I do. My Canadian citizenship is something I will never give up and I feel blessed to have it. For us, the world is an open door and with some money we can instantly become globetrotters entering and leaving almost any country that we wish. For others, this is not the case, their citizenship offers them little more then a hopeful trip within their borders. I realize all of this and am thankful everyday for being so lucky to have the opportunities that I do. Honestly, my reasons for wanting more are still mostly unknown...when asked why I want to trade a secure life here in Canada for one in a crime ridden city like Johannesburg I don't really have an answer. I just want something different, something raw and something real. I'm not stupid, I realize Johannesburg is dangerous and scary for a 24 year old 'glossy eyed liberal' like myself, but I also know that I won't push my limits, and I will be safe. My South African boyfriend is often amused by my intense idealism and continually shakes his head as I continue to put faith in a world that, in reality is rotting.
The point of this is that I realize the dangers of a city like Johannesburg, I realize the possible potentials and consequences that could be in store for me, but I am confident that everything will be ok. I'm not just another liberal idealist running over to Africa to try and save the continent...I just want to live my life, do something different and feel alive. At the moment I can't do that here in Canada, living my life and following the path of security and comfort. I'm not ready for my 50 year mortgage and office job. I want to experience the raw truth of life outside of the Western world. A year from now I could be writing from SA cursing the country, or maybe I'll be content, God knows...I just want to see it all for myself and offer up a "Canadian" point of view of the country. For a change, I'm going to start off positive, instead of smothering myself with negative thoughts and images of the country, I'm going to give it the chance that no one wants to.
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5 comments:
Hi,
I am a white Canadian female and I have lived for 10 years in Joburg. At the time my daughters were 3 and 5 and my husband was working for an engineering firm. We were about 20 Canadian families there for the same reason. We have been asked to go back many times; my husband has been back but I would never expose my now teenage daughters to the dangers of living there.
I think if one feels suicidal or wants to experience living with aids or be involved in a road accident it would be my city of choice. We were the only family spared by crime in the first 2 years I lived there. Why? Because I was the only one that listened to white South Africans and spent a lot of money on transforming my home like Fort Knox. My friends (the liberal ones)said I was a racist for protecting my family (by the way,all the way every other family that did not arm themselves were victims of serious crime). I put electric fencing around the property. I had a 24 hour armed response, bars on every window, an iron gate that separated the bedrooms from the rest of the house so that we could sleep at night. I lived in a very affluent part of town and yet heard gunshots every night. When I drove there (ah yes did they tell you that the only way a white person can get around there is by renting a car?)you have to be aware of the following: They drive on the other side of the road and you will need to get an international drivers licence. Whites especially girls cannot go on these vans they call taxies. If you get in one of them within half an hour you would have been raped and killed and dropped somewhere on the road. There are no buses that whites can take either. Renting a car is the only mode of transportation available for whites and even then you need to ask someone what to do in case of a hijacking. A lot and I mean a lot of blacks drive without a permit and are high on booze and/or drugs. Its very dangerous. While you are driving you have to leave at least 15 feet in front of you in case of a hijacking so that you can manoeuver out quickly out of the situation. You should leave your purse or portable in the trunk at all times. Drive with your windows rolled up (but leave 5 centimeters because a window is harder to smash when it is not completed closed and your doors locked). Do not give any money to beggars when you stop at a robot (lights). Even young children with their big toothy smiles will take that opportunity to grab you either by you chain around your neck and try to strangle you to hand over your purse. If you see signs that look like stop signs but say "hotspot" on it, it does not mean that this is a rest area. It means there have been a lot of hijackings there. At night, it is even worse. They will put stones or other things on the road for you to have an accident and then kill you. They throw big stones from the top of overpases to crash windshields. They would then drag you away, rape you, torture you and kill you. This has happened to a lot of tourist who were not aware of the dangers. You also do not wait at red lights at night. Because of the dangers we are allowed to use the red lights as a stop and go to prevent being attacked at night.
A young white female or anybody else that is white for that matter never walks on the street: NEVER. You would not last a few minutes even. I am not inventing anything this is the reality of SA especially Joburg. You need a lot of money to live somewhat safely there. There are no youth hostels, you cannot hitch hike, you cannot walk around to or from any place. You need to live in a house or hotel that has important safety features. You can travel with a tour and even then a lot of travel companies have given up going there. You do not go alone on the beaches of Durban or the Cape area. Yes they look very nice but within minutes you would be attacked by gangs... They hide in the bushes waiting for their next victims. Choose restaurants that have mostly white people and have some sort of security system in them such as a guard at the door.
I could write pages and pages on other issues. Are there some nice black people in SA. Yes some are nice but deep down they hate you because you are white and they think you are responsible for their problems. Most of them dont understand or care that you are Canadian, you are white and you deserve to die. Anyway, have a nice trip!
Thanks for all of your concern guys, and I am well aware, and not to worry my boyfriend will do everything in his power to keep me safe. I've still got to go, and I can always come home, it's not a trap.
Please if you're interested keep reading my blogs...we'll see what opinions I have in the upcoming year.
One thing I forgot to mention is that some of the Canadians we moved there with were single and were really popular with white South Africans. You see a lot of whites are desperate. They want to leave. They pretended to fall in love with some of my Canadian friends. Some eventually married feeling sorry for them. Some of the married men were very actively pursued by females causing divorces. Once the work contract ended they returned to Canada with their new wife or husband. Once in Canada most of them promptly took off. They had been used as a transition tool. Some have actually moved back to SA. They could not get used to our winters. Whites will hit on you for friendship and marriage like you would not believe. That's their ticket out. Beware. Even over the internet I have had persistent requests for marriage. I had love songs, poems written, all very nice but I am happily married.
Wow that's crazy.
I am moving to be there with my boyfriend though, who i've been with for over a year now...we met in Canada and I gave him the opportunity to come here by sponsorship, we have decided that SA is best for now. I know his motives, but I understand how there are guys out there just looking for a free ticket out.
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