Well, it seems I’m in an in-between-phase
of some kind. Perhaps it happens
when you’re somewhere for a year already and you’re not completely new to everything
anymore, yet you still haven’t managed to understand everything going on around
you. I find it hard some days to
process my thoughts.
I am still mystified by the conditions I
live in. A world somewhere between
extreme poverty and being just well-off.
I have been learning the hard way that it is not a good idea to give
people everything they ask for.
Sometimes I feel guilty when someone asks something from me,(like
something that I have but don’t necessarily want to give away in particular)
and I say no. Because,
unfortunately what happens is that word gets out that you are a generous person
(or just a gullible and naive fool, I’m not sure really) and before you know it, you are
visited by numbers of people who expect you to simply give them everything they ask for.
It started with this lady from the
hill, who came to me for some money, then started demanding everything else she
saw in my tent. And I must give
her vegetables to plant. Like I
owe it to her for some reason. Not
sure what she did for me…?
Another example is the guy that pretty
much stole my money a while back.
(R500 that he was supposed to use to get me poles). Well, he returned R300 of it, after I
threatened him with the police.
Now he reckons he is so trustworthy that I should lend him more
money. While he still owes me
R200.
Another guy pitches up at the same time
as him, saying that he delivered a load of sand to my rondavel (that I didn’t
ask for and can’t afford right now) demanding I should pay him for it.
I won’t even go into all the details,
but yet another woman who works at the place I live, bumps into me on the
street and asks for my shoes.
Another man comes especially to see me, with a live chicken. He wants me to buy the chicken and
start a chicken farm. In case you
weren’t aware of this, I am living in a caravan in a campsite… I have a feeling the owner isn’t going
to be exactly ecstatic about the idea of a chicken farm behind my caravan. I don’t know, I could be wrong.
I might turn into a bit of a less
generous person from now on. It
doesn’t seem like a good idea to give people everything they ask for. They really just end up taking chances
with you.
Had a little interesting experience on
Saturday night. Got called out for
an emergency. Had to take a
16-year old girl to hospital 50km away.
She was about to give birth.
Really thankful the baby wasn’t born in my car. Got to the hospital and
didn’t stay very long. I think I
might be content with adopting someday.
Anyway. I have hope of getting thatch for the rondavel before
Thursday. That will be great.
I have to move my caravan tomorrow
morning, slightly uphill. Then I
can rest easy when the next big rains come…
