Why South Africa will always be home

On Friday I posted this post  about how ashamed I am about my country and for the rest of the weekend, I had an ugly taste in my mouth. I feel that it’s important for me to provide more clarity on how I feel.

Right now, I am ashamed of what’s happening in my country, I am ashamed of the way “we” have treated foreign nationals who live here and I can’t understand how anyone can treat another human being in the manner that my fellow South Africans have been treating each other. I can’t understand how it can be this easy to inflict pain and suffering on other people.

However, I want it to be clear as day, I love my country.

I was born in Swaziland and that will always be home to me, in the way your parents house is always “home” even though you’ve got your own family and home now. However, South Africa is the home I have chosen to live in. It is the home that I have chosen to raise my family in.

[bctt tweet=”South Africa is the home I have chosen! “]

It may not be perfect but really, there is no country without issues. There is no land of milk and honey, only what we make it for ourselves. I was lucky to be born with the rights to South African papers. Having two South Africa born parents made it easy as pie to get my citizenship. I am so grateful to be able to live here and here’s why.

[bctt tweet=”South Africa has the most forward thinking Constitution in the world. “]

It may not be implemented perfectly but it’s a work in progress and it’s up to all of us to make it happen.

The 11 national languages, the cultures, the backgrounds, the areas, the people with their diverse ways, diverse experiences and different ways of thinking make every day exciting. All the places you can visit, see and experience make every single day unique and wonderful.

These are some of the things that make me love my country…even during the times she breaks my heart.

• places
• landscapes
• travel
• wildlife
• cityscapes
• road trips
• busses
• trains and even the Cape Town taxis
• rainforests
• deserts
• mountains
• Fynbos
• food
• small towns
• wine farms
• people
• universities
• colours
• beaches
• sunsets

We may not be perfect, we may not get it all right but we have so much potential and so many who are working towards making it happen. Yes, South Africa is filled with poverty and inequality but we are also filled with hope and change. We are a country of people who want more, who want bigger and who want better. We don’t sit back and watch injustices happen to us. We fight against them. We work towards improving our home. We work towards a better life for everyone.

We know that there are issues, we know that more needs to be done but we will never stop trying. We will never stop working towards the dream. We walk in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, we walk with his legacy. We may not always get it right but we walk towards a better life for everyone…

and that’s why this is my home.