durban dokotela

it's going to take me a while to get back into this.

familiarity.

i didn't think a week away, only an hour by plane away, could feel like so much longer.

in a good way, almost like a different lifetime.

of seaside walking and promenade bike rides on california-style cruisers.

of colourful deco-style buildings and holiday apartment blocks.

of money spending and exceptional colombo coffee drinking.

but mostly it was a week of reconnecting, with casey, a very close friend and durban doctor, or dokotela in zulu, who i haven't spent time with. in a long time.

and her special skipper-man richard.

her partner in both marriage and enthusiastic durban involvement.

it was only a week, but i could tell from the beginning how well they had settled into their paddington flat.

opposite the imposing rectangular hospital blocks of addington hospital.

in only a week i think i learnt a lot about their life together, and was able to appreciate their happiness.

as well as their relentless enthusiasm.

for early morning exercise, networking, coffee, making friends, good food and creating- everything from a tour company to the interior decor of their apartment.

intentionally detailed in quirky aeroplane lamps, red-and white stripes and a red vintage bingo cage.

it was a special time because it was important for me to see their space, and what they've been doing for the past year.

while i've been somewhere else.

the enthusiasm and energy that they've sustained until now is impressive. with the help of a friendly, engaging support network.

which was no more apparent than on saturday.

when i went on a township tour with richard and stembiso's gig street scene for the first time.

to kwaMashu, or marshall's place, a township outside of durban. an area with an expansive history and engaging contemporary diversity.

from the first ANC president john dube's house to the “mahatma” gandhi's home and printing press.

from mandela's first democratic voting memorial at ohlange high school to a local shisa nyama (literally "burn the meat" a.k.a barbeque or braai).

from cave-overhang dwelling rastafari near a waterfall, to the locals that gather to drink quartz of beer outside sifiso's store on plastic beer crates on saturdays.

all these places were less than 30km away from the city, but it felt like a different world to me, speaking words like sawubona (hello) and unjani (how are you) and receiving a positive, enthusiastic response for my attempts at basic zulu.

it almost felt like i was travelling again.

maybe because i was doing and seeing things that i wasn’t used to, again, after a year of fitting into frequently practiced patterns of existence.

like trying to speak another language, and being reminded that life exists outside of my comfort zone, without the need for my existence.

or maybe it just felt like travel because i was making a concerted effort to actively engage with my surroundings, and the people in it.

which is something that i have tried to do lately, especially now that i’ve seen my friends do it too.

like richard, who has consciously chosen to earn his livelihood by exposing people to various elements of his hometown city, and helping them to appreciate it too.

or casey, my favourite durban dokotela, who spends her days dealing with patients in varying degrees of pain and incapacitation, and is required to connect with people every single day.

and still finds time to create.

it’s the kind of daily commitment to people that i don’t think i’ve managed to master yet, but hope to.

so i feel proud and privileged to have seen durban from their perspective.

from the seat of a bike or on my feet, on various missions and during windy, salt-sprayed sea swims.

and through the mobility and sliding windows of nkomo (cow), their recently purchased silver quantum van, on numerous drives to various parts of the city.

like the central downtown area with it's colonial-style fountains and buildings, and the sprawling inner city spice, clothing and food markets, interspersed with lush, sub-tropical vegetation and an almost consistent view of the steel-blue indian ocean.

or the sidewalk barbers, curry houses, clothing stores, and a memorable supermarket housed in an old church.

not forgetting the trips to massive malls, oyster box lighthouse bars and point road restaurants like wodka and ciao bella cafe.

and the many city streets with two names. one in yellow one in white.

and with two names itself, durban/ethekwini is a city i am glad to have spent time in, and hope to visit again soon.

to see more of it on further missions, and through other stationary and moving windows.

especially while the dokotela is still there.