April 16th

Safety in South Africa.

The headline is a test if my blog could be found in Google again. I guess safety is one of the most common subjects that people search information about. People that are coming to South Africa for a holiday. Most of those people only go to places like Capetown, Kruger National Park and maybe pay a quick visit to Johannesburg. They are warned about the danger of crime. They could get robbed, even killed. I can't remember but I'm sure I googled with those words exactly before I moved here.

The crime rate of South Africa is one of the highest in the world, especially on violent crime. White and black South Africans are afraid of crime, the people I interviewed here in the township all said that this area is very criminal and unsafe. Everyone puts up a fence around their house or shack with their first payment. Every home should also have a set of decorative burglarproofs on the windows. I've been living in a township for one and a half month now, mostly alone in a house without a fence around it or any bars in the windows. I'm a little blonde girl, 25 years old. What can I say? In my house, yard and street I feel perfectly safe. I already know many of my neighbors, some I just greet and some I visit. People who live in or come to this street often know that there is a white face living here. I can take a walk around the neighborhood and surprise someone on every street. Many people say hello and ask what I am doing here. Some ask me if I am lost. Some children want to touch me. Strangers talking to me and noticing me where ever I go sometimes feels uncomfortable. But don't mix comfort with safety.

Then when it comes to leaving the house... It took me some time to get over the fear. Or to be true, I'm still in the process. But you rave to remember that I'm a total coward with people and strange places. The neighborhood is fine and I've also walked in the “worse” areas with no trouble at all, accompanied though. If I'm walking around alone with expensive equipment, my host usually gets worried and he might have his reasons. If I want go to the town or mall or virtually anywhere I have to use a taxi (a minibus for public transport, only used by blacks).and I have never used them without an escort. I've been told it's for security reasons and I'm happy about that. Not because I believe I'd immediately robbed in town, but because the taxi rank where you have to change is a mess and I don't have a clue which taxi goes where. Even the locals try to avoid using taxis after dark, it sounds like totally other laws apply then. After dark I can't go anywhere alone, and it gets dark really early. It's half past seven now, autumn time, and it's pitch black. Sometimes I encounter some inconvenience when I go to the near tavern to get my six-pack of Savanna, especially on Saturday nights. Sometimes there is a guy who refuses to leave me alone, a guy who has used to treating women as he wishes. But I've had company to save me from the inconvenience on two legs and my host is eager to go and “give the guy a finger” afterward. In common I have the experience that I better have male company on my adventures if I want everything to go smoothly, it doesn't matter if he's black or white. When I'm walking with the girls, some random guys might whisstle or shout something inappropriate, but the girls seem to be used to it. Myself, as a feministic, independent, Scandinavian woman, I'm not. I also, unlike some of the women here, know I can decide for myself and speak up if disagree. I wish to learn to use the taxis and to be able to go on my own during my stay here. After learning how to cook pap, speak Tswana and do my laundry without becoming paralyzed.

When I go to bed I have to close the windows. Sometimes I've forgotten and one evening when I was in bed reading a book, a neighbor pushed my bedroom windows closed thinking that I was already sleeping. Today when I was having lunch in the kitchen shack with Tshidi and Rebecca, a man entered the yard and walked behind the house without greeting. Tshidi called him back and after he refused to introduce himself properly, she told him to get lost. Later today he began to build a fence to protect me from other strangers. It's the crime that people are worried about, mainly if someone gets in the house and steals something. Part of the truth is that there are a handful of opportunistic “naughty boys” that everybody knows. These tsotsis walk around and their neighbors build fences because of them. Lack of work opportunities is a big reason for some choosing to make a living on the dark side. There are lots of criminals around here if you say that not paying taxes is a crime. Many people run a tiny vendor business; fruits, blankets, takkies, curios,.. and for them it is a way to try to make a living honestly. It is said that there are some attitudes who stop decreasing the crime rate. Today I read in a paper that the leading man in the Oscar winning Tsotsi, was arrested for presenting a fake driver's license. A fake license even if he could have got a genuine one just by going to a driving school. Maybe he had to live his character and be a tsotsi. Anyway I'm still unsure if this insecurity, especially on this very street, is true or partly an illusion. The papers and the radio keep feeding us horror stories from townships: murders, unidentified bodies, petrol bombing and child rape, and that's what people talk on. I actually heard a few days ago that the man who lived in this shack where I sit now, got murdered by his jealous girlfriend. Anyway, I think my Finnish colleague (10 years in Africa, mainly in South Africa, without getting robbed or murdered) gave me the best safety tip: “Don't ever get too drunk.”

To get online and post this, I must take a taxi to town where I'll meet my friend. I'll be taken there by a boy with no more than 5 or 6 years of age. Just caught him fixing his kite on my porch. He will be the man to protect me today :)

Friday 20.4. Rain fairies

They appear only after rain, usually during sunset and suddenly the air is full of those white insects. They are quite big and look like some kind of a mixture of a butterfly and “sääski”. Then they disappear as fast as they came. This morning the street is full of their shiny wings but there is no trace of the fairies. They might be born from the rain but where do they go without their wings?

I got a message from my sister and suddenly really missed her and my other friends far far away. I'm getting emotional, like when having a hangover. Maybe it's the beautiful gospel music on the background. (Actually it's too loud to stay on the background.) Maybe it's the children flying kites or the song I remembered from my childhood. It's about a little bird whose feet feel cold. I've kept myself nice and busy with work for the past days. Maybe even too busy. This Friday I really welcome the weekend. To get some time for myself, for washing clothes and maybe even a proper hangover for crying. Now I have to make myself a nice cup of instant cappuccino and get started with the work.

Allright, we lost the electricity. What a nice excuse. But now I also won't get my cappucino.

Later. Today I made a decision to find someone to wash my laundry next time after 2 hours of cursing and aching. Little housework is relaxing and good exercise but now when I'm working with tight schedules, it's too demanding. By paying someone to do the work for me I'm supporting the community... right?! Neighbor ladies came to laugh... I mean advice me while I was on it. I was basicly doing everything wrong; washing, squeezing, hanging,.. I told them that maybe I should get a boyfriend to do my laundry and clean the house since I'm working all day myself. You should have heard the laughter!

I expect a lot from this weekend. A little editing, production planning, cleaning the house and hopefully getting to a jazz club on Sunday.