Thinking Back……

This one is from one of our friends – thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thinking back, to what would have been a perfect throw back Thursday for us – dinner was prepared way earlier on Thursday nights, cattle and goats were in kraals way before time. We needed no reminder about the local drama on Radio 2 at 19h30, we all gathered around the family stereo which was proudly backed by a single solar panel which had a cracked screen but still did the job. I can almost feel the excitement as the drama musical went on….’Sadalala mama, Sadalala mama awe – those people were so talented. Gave us the entertainment and carved such memories! They had an exciting story each Thursday night and gave us something to talk about in school the next couple of days, and I believe our parents something to talk about wherever they had their gatherings. Times were good then, the worries were for the other generation, and not for us.

Its only now, reflecting, that I understand how difficult it was for our parents to put food on the table for us all, with the fields not doing well because of the shortage of rains. There was just that one Friday morning right after the Sadalala Thursday that we had to miss school and get up really early going to the ORAP meeting miles and miles away. The school head knew there was going to be a handful of students on those Fridays and so he would cancel classes for everybody.

We were better because we had a scotch cart of our own, and we just had to find a family with donkeys but no scotch cart. That was easy – we were at a massive advantage. We would spend the whole day in the heat listening on the ground for what would sound like the ORAP trucks bringing the food, which in some days never came. That was a moment of relief that came with fights for getting back into the front of the line! It was always a relief to know that after that struggle we were going to be able to eat our sadza and beans without panicking about tomorrow. Well that would come and go and end somewhere – here is my favourite part of it all. We got to meet a whole lot of people and yes a lot of the traditional romantic friendships were born right here.

I remember how on that hot day I met my first love. Vusa was super dark skinned but somehow he lit my world. He was the most amazing person, made me look forward to this crazy Orap day. I remember very well how he would walk around with pride, in army green shirt with a tattered collar and under arms, and his blue jean shorts that exposed a decent part of his behind. He was always barefooted, had the longest feet ever and that made him the man, well at that time for that age. He knew what I loved the most, so each time he came over, he was sure to ring the Lobels vanilla biscuits and some Fanta orange………..