South Africa round II

I could hardly believe how gorgeous everything was in South Africa! My dad and I were surprised by the feeling of great attachment to a country that he left behind so long ago and that I barely know.

Note the beautiful jacaranda trees in full bloom  

Spring was beautiful in Natal, but still a little chilly.

Man down!

And Africa is still Africa.....

Yes...that is a soccer field 

This visit was primarily to learn more about my family's ancestors and to get to spend time with all the cousins, aunties and uncles that I don't know very well.

Because we have so many people that we love, we didn't do very many touristy things or exploring, but spent most of the time with our loved ones...and enjoying the South African cuisine.

Our first stop was to Howick and Wartburg,
two very small farming communities by Pietermaritzburg (Cry the Beloved Country anyone?). We got to spend a lot of time with one of my more elderly aunties (note: in South African culture an Aunty can be anyone from your mom's friend to your literal aunt). She told us so many funny stories about her family as well as the difficulties they faced growing up in an orphanage.

The most important thing I learned from that visit was the importance of families staying in close contact and investing time in family relationships. It's so easy to become distant and lose the richness of a shared heritage. Not going to lie, sitting for a week hearing my auntie tell stories took some creative questions to keep a conversation flowing, and I may have fallen asleep a few times--but it was so interesting to learn about what was important to her and to feel a kinship and love for her.

There's nothing better than the power of the family