What do I want you to know?

Along with the rest of most of you I guess, at some time in my teens I learnt some history that involved the circumnavigation of Africa and the globe.  About the West Indian and East Indian companies.  About the abolition of slavery, Marco Polo etal.  And yet, as naive as this may sound, I never really knew what was going on in my own country, South Africa, at the time.

The first glimpse I had of reality was when our English teacher, for us a rather radical figure who even lived up to the red sock reputation by actually wearing red socks, introduced Alan Paton's "Cry the Beloved country" to us.  I was 17 by then.  To this day I can still remember, albeit vaguely, some of the passages. Starting with what must be one of the most beautiful beginnings of a book:
"There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills.  These hills are grass-covered and rolling and they are lovely beyond any singing of it."

I think it was one of the first books that made me cry.  "Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much."

More recently I've been reading, or rather been unable to read at any pace, "Nathaniel's Nutmeg," I can take about a chapter every few weeks and need to stop out of horror and disgust at what it is that really was the "spice trade" and "opening of the trade routes".  Little phrases that glibly form part of a little paragraph propped between dates that should be memorised as part of an "education".

There is a chapter in "A history of the world in 10 1/2 weeks" which talks of the St. Louis. When you learnt of the second world war, did you ever hear about the St. Louis? Or any of the other ships that kept on trying to find a port but were turned back.  What about the SS Navemar or any of the other ships "bound for nowhere"?  When you read that, how do you feel about refugees and immigrants in camps now waiting for processing? About the Indonesian boats stuck off the coast of Australia?

A friend of mine asked me last week to point her to something she could read.  Something different.  I light-heartedly suggested I'd fill her up with some South African literature.  And didn't take myself seriously.  Perhaps I should. 
To be honest it embarrasses me.  What if she asks me questions?  The other day I was standing next to a group of Indian mothers at school waiting for the kids, they were discussing Deepawali and how it was celebrated in the different parts of the world where the Indian diaspora had settled.  She turned to me and asked how it was done in SA.  I had to say that in the time I was living in SA I didn’t have any Indian friends.  That it wasn’t allowed.  That the first time I came into contact, real contact with Indian people was when I left.

I've just finished reading "The Hobbit" with my daughter and we've embarked on "Lord of the Rings" it is an extended allegory and written when it was, after the Great Depression, may perhaps be extremely relevant for the times we find ourselves in / veering towards.

I woke at 4am with a pounding headache.  And instead of worrying about my head, or what was causing it (today will be a bit stressful), I'm pondering on the books I should give my children to read and when.  What will my literary contribution to them be?  What will I read to and with them and encourage them to read so that they know who they are, where they've come from and what their inheritance is.  As half breeds from two nations, as wandering souls, as expat brats and global citizens.  How I will allow them not only to read and learn about history as a series of facts, but to feel it in the depths of their emotional selves.  Something I think literature and drama can give like nothing else can.

Bottom feeders

There is this trendy branch in economics these days, spearheaded by Mr. Pralahad which focuses on delivering products and services to the "bottom of the pyramid"  Of course the academic and journalistic focus is on the doing good and being good and serving people that no-one else considered to be economically viable (all 4 billion of them ... the mind reels), and the fine print is also that one can also make a nice little profit out of it, which of course all goes back into being so noble and good.

That's the nice glossy side of things.  There is another side.  Which some vocal people around the world are trying to shout out in what ever way they can.  Like this blogger from India, the ILO, journalists covering the medical trials, the wombs for hire, organ donation, etc. etc.

Here in our own little domestic amah drama, we've seen the darker side of the foreign domestic worker exploitation.   Something that should have been a simple matter - helper doesn't meet needs, need to replace with more suitable is mired in all sorts of issues.  I've already blogged on the matter of HK getting better helpers because they are treated (marginally) better, paid better, have better living conditions and now (hopefully if it's not overturned), the right of abode.   At every turn my mouth has been agape at how the domestic worker agencies here exploit the helpers.  There has to be lots of money in it, as there are lots of agencies.  WAY more than in HK (2000 according to one document I read).  I guess because the SG government makes it a lot harder and more complicated to employ someone than it is in HK.  In HK we interviewed the necessary 10 or 20 people, found someone we liked, sent her off to do the paperwork and were done with it.  No levy to pay, so all the spend on helper went right to her bottom line.  Here it is infinitely more complicated, the helpers are generally less well educated and no-one I have ever spoken to has "done it themselves" let alone let their helper process the paperwork.

So the agencies go to town.  They charge the worker and the employer every time they turn their heads.  The helpers basically work for their first 3 months to pay off the debt to the agency.  So what does a guilt induced employer do?  Re-emburse the worker, which of course doesn't stop the agency from charging the helper.  But they also charge the employer a hefty fee.  And then, since they're doing all the paper work, you have no control over the timing, the follow up etc. etc.  And they hold the paper work, so for example my helper couldn't process her own new passport application (S$80) but had to have it done through the agency (S$450) since they wouldn't release her the documentation she needed to do it on her own.  There are supposed to be regulations , I am just wondering how enforceable they are, and who actually bothers following up.

The injustice of it all.  But still, an employee who doesn't function in a position, needs to move on. And today is the day.  It's taken more than a month since we decided it wasn't working.  The wheels turn slowly and unfairly here in this respect.

My own home ...

Finally, we've heard that we have approval for the apartment in Switzerland.  All it take is patience I guess.  We've wanted a place there since 1997, we've been actively looking for the last 5 years, we signed the preliminary sale / purchase agreement in July, and it's taken this long for all the machinery to grind. and now, it's a reality.  I wonder if that will make it more precious to us?

Evening sky over the mountains behind us...

great Fung shui, water & mountains..

So we've taken the first step of organizing beds and mattresses to be there when we arrive in October (oh, it is already October).  A few logistical hurdles to overcome, like you can't just ring Ikea and organize delivery and assembly.  So we had to work through a dear friend who lives in Switzerland and is the go-between on the hotlines the aren't so hot as they don't accept international calls - even if YOU'RE paying for the privilege. We arrive early on a Monday morning in Zurich and have to drive down to the apartment, so we're hoping we won't spend the first night on the floor or in a youth hostel, as our friends with their 2 kids are driving down from St. Gallen to help me with the logistics of instantly assembling, furnishing and sorting out a home! Luckily they have the language and a power drill and tool kit!  H of course has to stay here poor boy - just started his new job today, and for him it will be nose to the grindstone to pay for all this.

The neighbors...

So yesterday I started looking at what I could take with me.  I was trying to explain to the kids that we have 60kg  in main luggage and about 15kg in hand luggage we can take with us, which is why I was vacuum packing the duvets and covers.  I see it as a great opportunity to get the winter stuff out of the house here and into the house there where it will be of more use.  The poor kids have had to suffer trying on last winter's winter clothes and ski stuff (from our trip to Harbin) to see what does and doesn't still fit (not much in the end).  I've not subjected myself to that indignity yet - I suspect more than one pair of jeans won't be stretched to the necessary at this point.

Then we have all the duvets and covers.  At least 7 at the last count.  A summer and winter one for each of us plus one for the guest room / sleepovers.  And we don't need any of them here as we all just sleep under a sheet with the fans on.  I did hear of the height of decadence (in my mind at least) the other day, a friend and her husband admitted to putting the aircon on full blast every night as they snuggled into their warm duvets.  Here in Singapore?  The thought makes me shudder.  I'd probably have a divorce on my hand if I was so wasteful with the cost of electricity what it is.  Let alone me not being able to face my own environmental conscience.

A view to die for!

I did have a long hard look at the covers.  Use the old ones which we've had since we were married / since the kids were born, or get nice new ones?  I'm torn.  This is our first own place that we're actually going to use - the places in Luxembourg and South Africa are just rented out and we never see them year in year out, just make sure the rents cover the mortgages.  But this one is different.  We may not rent it out.  It's ours to furnish, to use.  To decorate as we wish.  My rational side says we'll be there 1-2 times a year.  And we have young kids, so we can't make it all to precious.  My irrational side wanted to buy the lovely designer furniture from the previous owners, and say heck, once in your life how about a designer glass moveable extendable dining table. Of course that would have been nuts.  Kids do stupid things like sit on tables or bump up against them in their enthusiasm and then it would be rather unfair to get mad at them because of your own vanity.

We spent an evening at Ikea last week, with a shopping list and a guide.  We sat on couches, we lay on beds / mattresses, we made bunk bed squeak.  We handled crockery (yes) and cutlery (no), we felt towels and dishcloths.  We pondered dining tables and chairs - the height, the length, whether we'd be able to sit through a meal on them, if the seats would be ruined by sticky fingers.  Then we decided and rejected and made the short list.  Most could be ordered on line, but they're different there in Switzerland where labour is expensive.  Some items could not be ordered / delivered / assembled you just darn well need to get off your lazy butt and do it yourself!  Usually we would - but we do need a functioning house from the first or second day we arrive ... so the jet lagged self will be swanning around getting a dining table and chairs as soon as we arrive.

It's weird to have to get everything.  I was standing in the kitchen thinking, omg toaster, kettle, spatula, pots, pans etc. etc.  We have duplicates here, but it would not be worth the cost to get them there - particularly considering their age!  And actually the pity is that we can't take the 2nd best, older stuff there and use new and matching stuff here, as there is a small logistical distance problem...  anyway, our own home.

We do treat our rented places as home, but still, we've never had the kitchens or bathrooms we've wanted.  Never been able to buildt in cupboards in the right places.  Always just made do, adjusted, put up with inconveniences, accepted, accepted, accepted.   and it's fine.  But it's so nice to have something that is ours, really ours.