Friday, January 21, 2011

Thinking about "Home"

I am sitting in a Maputo cafe with a South African friend.  The metal table rocks away and towards us as we lower a cup, lean on an elbow, take a sip of water from a clouded glass. 

We are chatting about, obsessing about, fantacizing about South Africa.  We do this very well.  And often.  It is mid-80's. Perhaps 1984?  The end of apartheid is still a dream unfulfilled.  He is a member of the ANC. I am not.  But our nostalgia for South Africa is woven through our many conversations that range from the personal to the political and back again, often with little distinction between the two.  It is getting late.  I need to get back to where I am staying at the apartment of my Canadian friend, Judith.

"I need to be getting home", I say, as a waiter comes over to clear our coffee cups.  I rise from the rickety chair in the cafe that is showing its wear.

"Define your terms, Comrade", he says.

It is January 2011 and I am still trying to define the term "home".
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12 comments:

  1. Sarah LouiseJanuary 22, 2011 at 12:38 AM

    Brilliant Stephanie. Look forward to reading about your travels xx

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  2. Jeff SchurJanuary 22, 2011 at 6:58 PM

    Stephanie, I wish you well in your quest for "home". I watched Fiddler on the Roof this morning for the nth time. Home is a difficult concept to define.

    I am lucky, my home is clear unlike many raised in SA.

    It is not SA or Africa.

    I hope you find the clarity you seek and look forward to news.

    You can always send Biltong. USA Jerky doesn't cut it.

    Much love,

    Jeff

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  3. murJanuary 22, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    Thanks for including us on your blog, Steph. I am always interested in the concept of where "home" is, as an "immigrant" myself although from not as far away as you have travelled. The fantasy of going "home" is always there even as it gets ever more remote and hard to define, the longer one is away from the "motherland". Have a great time figuring it all out. Can't wait to read the book. xoxmuriel

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  4. Sam BarnesJanuary 23, 2011 at 1:18 AM

    Should be fun to follow as I am the reverse. As an American I have been in Mozambique for most of the last 30 years and have for now 'retired' here as my base BUT thinking when do I move back to the US and if that is home.
    See you in Maputo
    Sam

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  5. Janet HooperFebruary 1, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    I am trying to get into the blogosphere.. thus only a short comment now. But wishing you a safe and productive journey.. Janet

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  6. Stephanie UrdangFebruary 2, 2011 at 5:23 PM

    Hi Sam,
    I look forward to conversations about where home is and isn't when I get to Maputo! And then I can "blog" about it. See you soon!

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  7. Stephanie UrdangFebruary 2, 2011 at 5:33 PM

    Hi Muriel or Murrrrr (not sure if there are enough "r's")

    The concept of home is so nuanced, so many different perspectives, so difficult to pin point (rather mercurial) so I don't think, particularly in the context of South Africa - the new and the apartheid (under which I grew up) I am going to figure it out. But it will be an interesting road trying to do so. I have had many interesting responses both here and to my email address. I hope there will be more comments on the blog so we can keep a conversation going.
    Love,
    Stephanie

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  8. Philip HallFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    Hey Steph

    Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

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  9. UnknownFebruary 10, 2011 at 7:16 PM

    hey Steph I'm looking forward to following this. I'll miss seeing you in NYC in March. Hope your time in South Africa is full of rich experiences.
    Love, Marisa

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  10. UnknownFebruary 14, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    Hi Stephanie: Your first postings make me think of how much food, sound, smell, colour, the whole texture of a place define it, and make both home and the memory of home impossible to recapture because something in the mix is always changing, becoming something else, just as we are. What a great journey you are on - thanks for keeping us a long-distance part of it. Sending lots of love your way: Trish

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  11. AnonymousAugust 7, 2012 at 2:32 AM

    Hi Steph,
    I have a blog site called GardenDrum www.gardendrum.com
    One of my bloggers, garden designer Leon Kluge has written a blog about working in Maputo where he mentions the traffic, but he hasn't supplied a photo of that. Would you give me permission to use your Maputo traffic photo please?
    thanks,
    Catherine Stewart
    catherine@gardendrum.com

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  12. Stephanie UrdangAugust 7, 2012 at 1:30 PM

    Dear Catherine,
    I would be delighted if you would use my Maputo traffic photo. I look forward to reading Leon Kluge's blog. Is it up yet? Do I need to send you the photo as an attacment for you to use? I looked at your website and it is wonderful.
    Stephanie

    ReplyDelete

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