Wow, I can't believe how much has happened in 2 months. It's like having to catch up on a lifetime. I have come to the realization that I should put more effort into this blog. Let me get started.
So, not much happened during December. I was at home helping around the house. However, I went away for Christmas to a little town called Paulpietersburg. It's so little that it's hardly seen on the map. You could drive through it and not even know that it exists. The town has one robot, two or three Chinese shops, a Spar and a PEP store (to name the few stores that are there). What more does one need? Retail therapy is unheard of and at the end of the day, it does not matter either. The town is surrounded by magnificent farm lands that one can't help but to be absorbed by the beauty. And so, I put on my imaginary 3D glasses, sat back and let the scenery amaze me. Although I spent Christmas with family, my immediate family (my parents, sister and brother-in-law) were not there to celebrate the birth of Jesus with me. For the first time I knew what it was like to feel alone amongst family.
On the 1st of January, Petra (my cousin) and I decided to surprise my aunt with a visit. She lives on a farm with her husband and 3 daughters. The day was spent swimming in a river and standing behind a waterfall. I'll never forget that moment when we helped each other enter the water curtain and stood behind the raging water. There was such a small space to stand. Hugging each other (to prevent us from falling off the edge) we stood, laughing, gasping for air and just taking in the moment. 5 girls, cousins by blood, friends at heart. That memory will never be forgotten.
4th January: I woke up with a tummy bug, and so did Marco (my other cousin). Worst of all is that we had to drive to Pretoria that morning, which is a 4 hour trip. I thought to myself, "We will be the first people to have experienced all the bathrooms in that 400km trip". Thankfully our tummies behaved and the trip went without a glitch.
On the 5th of January, I literally had 24 hours to find boxes, pack up my room in Pretoria and move back to the coast. I think I burnt 10 000 calories that day. My muscles were screaming for dear life. The next morning at 7am, Petra helped me squeeze 20 bags into my little car. For those that don't know, I have a Chevrolet Spark. How I fit 20 bags into the back is still seen as a miracle to this day. After having new tyres fit on and fetching my renewed drivers licence that morning, the 8 hour road-trip home began. Petra was the best co-driver I could have asked for. We giggled, we ate, we sang, we sat in silence, we admired the scenery around us. It was pure joy!
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Petra reading magazines while waiting for the car to get new tyres |
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Breath-taking scenery during the road trip |
The day I left Pretoria was also the day I heard that our house was sold in Umtentweni. Such bitter sweet news rang in my ears. Here I was on my way home, which technically wasn't home anymore. I had become a gypsy. It was a lot to process in a few seconds, but the more it milled over in my head, the more excitement began to sprout. So, the house hunting began in Durban. While my mom was being monitored in hospital for two weeks in January, my dad and I went in search of our new family home. Tiring it was indeed, but after many days and sleepless nights (because of searching for houses online until early hours of the morning), we found our perfect home. While driving down the street, I already sensed that we were on our way "home". Walking through the front door, a bell went off in my head. My dad and I looked at each other and said, "This is it, this is our home". We quickly fetched my mom from hospital to show her the home. After her approval, my parents signed the papers and it was a done deal.
With my rifle at hand (rifle = CV or Resume) I am in search of my perfect first job. Many people say that the perfect first job doesn't exist, but I have some optimism and have started to believe that it does. On the 12th of January I went for my first job interview. I got the job, but I was unsure. Deciding to just accept it (because that's what any "normal" person would do) I still continued sending out my CV. Going for a second job interview, I received that one too. Now I sat with two in my bag but not sure about either. So I declined them both. Yes, it sounds silly and terribly ungrateful, and I have had sleepless nights about it, believe me! But I just decided that I can't accept a job if I am unhappy about it from day one. Something that I have had to learn is that I cannot have poor self-worth. Both those jobs only needed a martic certificate and no further qualification. I feel that I have studied hard for 4 years and should apply for jobs that require a tertiary qualification. All my life I have settled for less, but now I am taking a stand and will not settle just for the sake of it. Now I'm back at home and applying for hundreds of careers that I know I'll love. I am also doing a few boerewors promotions to earn some extra money and helping to pack boxes at home. Every time my phone rings I get butterflies in my tummy, wondering if someone is inviting me for a job interview. It's a cruel and emotional time, but I know when I do get my dream job, it would all have been worth it. I will value it so much more!
The next time I post on my blog, I hope it will be good news about a job. Let's wait and see ;)
