Travelling Light Naturally

Life Back in SA

I have been living back in South Africa for just under a year now, and so I thought I would post a few photos of my life :)

Christmas Time (2011) :D

I think this must be one of the best photos I have ever taken! A beautiful Leopard in the early morning light, Kruger Park.

Dam at dusk, on my families farm in Hoedspruit, SA.

Cute Giraffe! Near Hoedspruit, SA.

My brother Josh Roxton playing at Tanz Cafe, Fourways, Johannesburg.

In March 2012, I went to Cape Town to visit my brother who had recently moved there:

We got stuck in the middle of the Cape Argus Cycle Race, Cape Town

It was a lovely 32 degrees so we headed to the beach! Thats my brother looking all David Beckham like :P

Street, Woodstock, Cape Town.

My friends Alistar just chilling at his house in Woodstock, Cape Town.

Lions Head, Cape Town, in the late afternoon light :)

Beautiful Simons Town, Western Cape.

On the long drive back home from Cape Town.

Early morning in Dargle, KwaZulu-Natal.

My beautiful kitty Lady Beans!

My old princess, Zeebit! <3

My new pups (now 10 months) JellyBelle (left) and Razz (right).

1st ever Jozi Craft Beer Fest (Johannesburg)! … and me drinking Swedish cider instead! haha

Jake, my second couchsurfer embracing his inner colonial. :P

My 3rd batch of couchsurfers, (from left) Marco, Luka, my Mom, my Dad, ME, Daniele.

OPPIKOPPI Sweet Thing Festival! Front gate!

Me in the car on the way to OPPIKOPPI :P

Miss something…gain something

So, I’ve been in london just over a year now, and looking back I see myself wanting to regret some choices I’ve made. I want to regret having been over here for the world cup, and not in SA, I want to be ashamed for thinking I didn’t care much for my country of birth. I feel like I missed something BIG, missed being apart of a turning point in South Africa. I’ve seen a huge change in the people of SA, even though we have along way to go, the world cup gave us something to be proud of. I feel all these things making me sad and resentful that I wasn’t there, and still am not, to grasp the first of the opportunities presented to everyone. 

I feel all of this, but then think:

“Would I have ever noticed that big change if I hadn’t been somewhere else?” 

“Where would I be now? Doing the exact same thing I was a year ago?”

I might not of accomplished what I attended to do when I came to live in London, but by golly have I learnt and gained SO much. Maybe not in the professional world, and probably nothing notable unless you know me personally. I’ve learnt how to look after myself, I’ve realised the extent of my strengths and worked on my weaknesses, and most of all I’ve gained life experience and valuable friendships (and a few practical skills such as cocktail making :D ).

When I wrote my last post about this I was very sad and heart broken. I still feel that pain deep in my heart, but I’ve packed it away for now, to concentrate on the here and now. 

I thought, to end this on a lighter note, I would share some photos of my adventures in london with you as well :) (excuse the quality of some of them, they were taken on my shitty phone cam and some of them I didn’t take)

waiting for Skrillex to come on stage (new friend to the left of the photo :D)

My cousin Victoria and Aunty Penny walking in the beautiful Oxfordshire country side

Fun times at work

Tea time for one

At work on the outside bar

The Breakfast club know how to make lekker brekkie!

Wondering around the trendy areas on a sunday (shoreditch)

Jamie Oliver Live and in Person at the Big Feastival!

Me with amazing toffee ice cream! 

BIG knife and fork for the BIG FEASTIVAL!

Sun burn from standing Braaing

After work on a saturday

8 months in London and I’ve come to a Conclusion

This is what I wrote at 3.30 in the morning:

“I realised something:

The things that I thought were the most important in my life, at the time I decided to move over here, have changed. I have realised that I have a different view on life, as well as how I want to live it! No wonder I have been so torn.

It’s true when they say you won’t know if you like something until you try it. I guess it doesn’t really help that I had an idealistic and romanticized view on how things would be here. Wow. To actually put this down in words has made something ‘click’ inside me.”

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I think I’ve gotten over that initial hysteria that I felt since being back in the UK after my holiday in South Africa, as I’m now able to verbalise and admit things I didn’t want to admit to myself. 

So some of the things that I have realised:

1. I wanted to prove that I could do things on my own, which in my head was actually “I don’t need anyone else, I can make it on my own, I’ll show ‘them’ up”. i.e. it was an ego thing. But I realised that not only do I need support, I want it too! (this is a left over from my closed up stage when I was 14/15 years old).
2. I want to be successful (obviously) but I have found success is nothing when you don’t have the people you love around you to share it with.
3. As I said earlier, I had an idealistic view on how things would go here, things don’t go to plan (or thought) and I’ve accepted that now, and its okay, because I have learnt so much.
4. I wanted to be the “superstar/hero” over here as well, but being by myself (i.e. going from hero to zero) has made me realise that I actually don’t want that, yes it feels good and makes me feel wanted, but I’ve decided that I don’t mind if I live an average, low key life, because as long as I have the people I love around me it doesn’t matter.
5. I’m very scared of making a decision that I will regret, but in my heart and head I know now that the UK is not where I want to be in the next 5 years, let alone next year even, I love coming on holiday here but the ‘quality of life’ is not my cup of tea (so to speak).
6. Yes, I do love the bands, the going out, the party life here, the fashion/clothes etc., but the one thing that has left a GAPING hole is the sense of community. SA might be dangerous, corrupt etc., but somehow its inviting and warm. Maybe that is because I’ve lived there my whole life, but here, in London, there is NO compassion for anyone else!
7. I never thought I would miss the sun and space as much as I do, Jo’burg might not be an amazing first world city, but it has an energy that is unique. (London feels drained). Being away from SA for a bit let me look at it in a whole new light when I came back, and the one thing I found was that there was a change in ‘pace’, and I think it was due to the World Cup. The energy was different, like someone had ‘stirred a stagnant cup of water’ refreshing it. YES! That is what it was, South Africa had been refreshed!

Cape Town: The City of Good Hope

(June 2009)

Cape Town or Kaapstad (Afrikaans), also known as The Cape Of Good Hope is a beautiful city nestled at the foot of Table Mountain and one of the biggest tourist attractions In South Africa. When I ask most foreigners where they would go in South Africa most of them say Cape Town.

I had only been there once before when I was 11 and to be honest I don’t remember much of it! This time me and my two best girlfriends decided to take a winter break in our college holidays down to CT. We booked out Kalula flights, organised accommodation with Roxy’s uncle and off we went for a week.

(our list of what we wanted to do)

We arrived on the Thursday, and at once started making plans for the weeks endeavours. We didn’t really go to see the sights, we went to relax and have a good ol’ girls time! On the Thursday we went to an awesome club called Gandalf’s, which was R20.00 entrance drink as much as you like night! And so we did, none of us had a car there so a friend of a friend took us home, well nearly home. I don’t remember exactly what happened but the friend of a friend’s friend (the actual owner of the car) got a bee in his bonnet and refused to take us all the way home. We reluctantly got out at Cavendish Square, and some how found our way back home at 2.30am. Now you must understand, its not exactly safe to wonder around in the middle of the night, specially not three young woman. But we did what we had to do and got home with out a scratch or scare!

(the aquarium)

(the boat ride)

During our week, we went to various places like the Waterfront, the Fish Market, the Aquarium, Hout Bay and met up with some good friends who had relocated there. We even took a boat trip where we drank sparkling rose and sang “Im on a Boat” by The Lonely Island. (and yes we video taped it).

(Hout Bay)

We had amazing warm weather nearly the whole time we were down there, well warm in winter terms. It only rained once (so happened to be the day we wanted to go to Ratanga Junction!). But other wise we had clear blue skied  days with sunshine!

This holiday was a short but wonderful experience. Some of the people were so amazing and helpful, and then there were the rude and clicky people, of which we just started to ignore. There has always been conflict between Jo’burgers and Capetonians, battling it out to convince the other that their home city is the best. It will never be settled as it really all comes down to opinion. Personally I love to party and holiday there, but I don’t think it would suit me as a permanent place to live, but then again, who knows as you never know until you try!