Two Weddings and a Funeral
My oldest, dearest friend Claire got married yesterday. (You might remember Claire from my tattoo post.) Happily for Claire, but unhappily for me, the wedding was in Kona, Hawaii — possibly the furthest location [...]
South Africa is a Beautiful Place
On Wednesday morning, my friends Bing and Tein Po picked me up and took me with them to Soweto. We went to a part of Soweto called Zola, where we visited the cooperative that produces [...]
A Diepsloot Photo-Share
I’ve taken a lot of photographs in the developing world. And I’ve done a lot of photo-shares. Photo-sharing. It’s great fun but leaves everyone feeling a bit unsatisfied. (Photo courtesy of Joe) [...]
Summer Camp, South African Style
Day camp in Kagiso — a township surrounded by factories and mine dumps on Johannesburg’s far western edge — is much like day camp at the average American YMCA. But with a lot more [...]
Alex: Joburg’s Other Township
I recently visited Alexandra Township for the first time since moving to Joburg, to attend a kids' baseball tournament. At the end of my post about the tournament, I said I was looking forward [...]
America’s Pastime in a South African Township
I grew up watching baseball, as I described in a recent post. I also grew up playing softball, which is baseball’s alternative for girls in the United States. I played softball competitively from when [...]
I Fell in Love With a Squatter Camp
UPDATE (March 2017): I wrote this post six years ago, at a time when I was pretty clueless about life in South Africa and how to write about it. I regret the title of [...]
The ANC Football Divas Do Jozi
Yesterday, thanks to my new friends at travelwrite.co.za, I attended a “Rediscover Joburg” tour hosted by the mayor of Johannesburg. The purpose of the tour was to showcase various development projects in the city [...]
Sowetan for a Day
Soweto, the largest township in South Africa, is a country unto itself. About a million people live there — the same population as Swaziland. It’s a cultural and economic hub for black South Africans, [...]
Two Posts for the Price of One: Apartheid Photography and Corn
Part 1 The weather shifted while Joe and I were away. Instead of the endless string of sunny, dry days we had before, we’re yo-yo-ing erratically between cold/rainy and sunny/warm. It’s more humid. The [...]
North and South
On the move in Joburg. Yesterday I visited Johannesburg’s two poles. Unemployment is about 30% in South Africa and new numbers this week indicate it’s on the rise. Joe is working on some stories [...]