Our daughter has been rather flat since she came back from her spell in South Africa and is keen to return, as I expected. She has been in touch with the people she met there and has been offered a job working in the hostel where she stayed at in Cape Town.
She leaves in mid-November and will probably be gone for at least a year. It isn’t easy to see your child off to the other side of world, however much you might think it is a good idea.
The climate is better, the people happier, the pace of life slower and should she decide to stay for longer, well Duke Dave and Squire Clegg can go whistle for her student loan repayments.
But though I had this vague notion that Africa was a big place, I hadn’t realised just how big until I saw this map. As you can see, the mother continent could comfortably accommodate the US, China, India, Japan and most of Europe
If you want to learn more, see the True Size of Africa.
All very well and good but – just as an example – how on earth would you actually move China to southern Africa? I’m not a specialist in earth moving equipment but I very much doubt that even the JCB company have created a vehicle that is robust and big enough for that particular job! It may be best to take a step back sometimes before publicising such, frankly, outlandish ideas.
It’s something to do with plate tectonics I believe. Or was it plate tec-Tonka?
Yes, I saw that map the other day – quite impressive, isn’t it? Makes you feel quite small.
You will miss your daughter, no doubt about that. And it’s a long way, too … but good for you for not stopping her – or trying to stop her. It is hard to see them go, but as they say, ‘if you love someone, let them go’
And of course, she may be back – or maybe you’ll go out there to join her!
Jay, you might be right with your last comment. We’re looking at possibly going out to join her for a few weeks, over Christmas if the cost of flights isn’t too horendous. And I’ve already checked whether we’d qualify for residency visas, but that may be just wishful thinking.