human(e) recognition...

"molo sisi!" the security guard greets me with a friendly nod as we pass each other on the uct campus. as i later pull into the garage (what non-south africans would call a petrol station) in rondebosch the guys who work there wave, smile and welcome me. they speak to each other in the beautiful language of xhosa, but switch over to english to chat with me whilst the one attendant fills up petrol for me. we wish each other a great day with big, sincere smiles before i head up main road and they continue their work. i leave an open space on the road and let a blue car filled with boys get into the road in front of me - they smile and wave as a thank you. human(e) recognition makes me feel good!

as i stop for the red light on my way to the suburb of observatory, a homeless old man approaches me begging for money (of course my window is open cause its 28 degrees today, yeah! i hear rumors about snow in norway? hahah). his red shirt and the crazy blondish hair dances around his face with the toothless smile, as he flirtatiously ask me if i lie when i say i do not have any change.. but i just gave my last cents to the attendant at the garage! "where are you from, lovvy", he asks with his scruffy voice as he hears my accent, revealing my foreign identity... i tell him "norway!" with a big grin. "oh NORWAY - yerre, lady! OSLO!! love!! from norway!" he yells, as he dances out of the road cause the light is turning green. he waves at me, i give him a thumbs up out the window and in my rear mirror i can see him disappearing in the distance...

the way people see each other in this country, and how they interact, fascinates me a lot. we are all human beings, put here on the surface of the earth together.. so to all us norwegians, and other scardy cats - why do we treat each other like strangers.....? we should learn! ;)