Life seems to contract a bit more every day as this country (and others) disintegrates before our eyes. The COVID numbers are soaring, economy numbers plummeting and more and more people are suffering. Out in the rural areas and in the informal settlements, food - the lack of it - is causing major issues, as so many of the food distribution channels have been hijacked by the local politicians and help’s not getting to the people who need it. The government feeding schemes are non-operational (where did all the money go that was earmarked for the programs? Hmm, let me think…) Non-profits and private companies and local people are stepping in to help, but it’s not enough.
The corruption, nepotism and influence-peddling is so blatant, it’s mind-blowing.
Strelitzia or bird of paradise flowers
We live in our little bubble here, shielded from the worst of it all. I can look out my bedroom window and see gorgeous aloes flowering and hadedas (sacred ibis) sitting on the old gate, surveying the world. We have electricity (although having to deal with loadshedding again) running water and the fridge is well-stocked.
But…
This must sound like I’m a real lush! Last Sunday night, with no warning, the government closed all the liquor stores again, claiming that they were getting too many trauma cases in the hospitals, taking up beds needed for COVID patients. I say, if the trauma cases are alcohol related, then don’t accept them and let them suffer in their self-inflicted misery, out on the streets. For goodness sake, it’s not rocket science.
And allowing taxis to run at 100% capacity, which is 15 people in a mini-van if they open their windows (it’s winter and literally freezing here at the moment) but no one can visit family or friends. So many illogical rules. But the taxi industry has the government by the cojones. Hence that stupid dispensation. And those are just a couple of the illogical rules in place.
Keeping Busy
I’ve had some up days and down days, just like everyone else. But I’ve been keeping busy, actually busier than I really want to be but the days go by fast. Besides taking care of the underwear site, I’ve been making videos for the aloe festival which may or may not happen. I’ve learned a lot!
Several years ago up in Washington, I started taking AVID video editing classes (then the WSU extension closed down) but I was intrigued. The software I have now on my Mac is very basic, but it’s a good starter app. It’s been fun, first shooting the videos and then stitching them together. Yes, they are pretty “homegrown” but fun, I think! It’s really time consuming and I very often wish I had a humongous screen, not just my laptop.
Hadedas (sacred ibis) Growing up, we called them la di das.
Once this project is complete, then I can make a decision about moving on. Financially, living in this country makes sense, especially if the exchange rate remains good for me (not so much for the locals). Optimally, I would like to find a house share here, down close to the beach. I don’t want to live on my own as I know how easily I can get isolated and become a hermit. But that takes knowing more people than I do, and not being able to go out and meet potential housemates in this current bizarre environment, makes it tricky. If I can swing something like that, I could live here 8-9 months of the year and go back to the States for the summer there.
In the meantime, I’m checking out self-catering (fully-equipped) granny cottages as an interim place to stay. I’m tired of interim and ready for a place to actually stay put for a while, only not on my own.