A mixed world of polar bear differences

image It shocked me today to hear out of an eight year olds mouth that he didn’t believe in charity.  At first I thought he was joking and made the comment that it couldn’t be true only to hear him confirm that he doesn’t believe in charity.  He went on to say that he has never seen it, the only charity he has ever seen is one beggar with his mother and they didn’t give anything to him.

image I was in a state of shock and then intense sadness at the truth of this world we live in.  On one side there is money, more than needed fully stocked cupboards and food a plentiful.  On the other side are millions of children who don’t even have safe water to drink, a slice of bread a day without butter and jam if they’re lucky.  They don’t know about each other either and if the richer kids find out about the poorer ones they don’t believe it until they see it… in person.

If we were in Africa I’d take this unaware kid that has a big heart to an Orphanage, allow him to hold a baby that is so marked by the ravishes of living that it’s bones stick out.  I’d get him to help dish up soup for the lunch lines at the shelter, let him watch the peoples faces change at the prospect of having a full belly.  This kid’s had a good life compared to millions of other kids but he can’t comprehend it, he’s never seen it or felt it in his life.

Polar bear differences in one world, the indifference by those that have towards those that have never had a chance is ridiculous, beyond ridiculous.  I don’t fault that little boy I fault society, I fault society for not creating awareness or caring.  With this recession progressing as it is I don’t think it will be long before “one” beggar becomes thousands worldwide like it is everyday in Africa.

Soon the world won’t be able to ignore Africa because Africa will be the world. The world will not be able to run anymore from the truths and the harsh reality. 

Those that had will find themselves without and standing right next to the man they spat at on the side of the road last week when he asked for a few coins to by some bread for his 3 barely clothed children standing on the other side waiting for him.

Those that laughed at the images of family upon family living in shacks in Africa will find themselves encased in a tent on the side of the road in a run down once upon a time happy suburbia.

For many newly homeless, those that used to make statements that the drunk lying in the street should sober up and just get a job will find themselves sharing more than one bottle with the same guy just to drown away his sorrows.

It doesn’t make me happy at all to make these statements but it is the truth and reality of the present day in this world. 

It’s happening as we speak.

Sometimes this world makes me sick to my stomach. 

Sometimes it makes me sit on the floor in a ball and just cry.

Compassion is free.

Caring is free.

Someone that stands up and says let me help priceless.

An Official Alien ~ 2 April 2009

image Hearing the flaps come up, feeling the wheels touch down once more upon solid ground, looking through the window and seeing the terminals at Newark International planted the purest mass of goose bumps all over my skin.  Holy Macaroni with cheese I was in America.  My awe was not in awesome wonder to be in this world power but rather in shock, a moment I had dreamed of for the people that live in the land and how far I had come in just over a year with a lot of help from my friends.

A year on and finally someone also confirmed my life long suspicions of being an Alien (the Pilot told all of us to fill in special forms).  See the Americans call anyone foreign an alien, thankfully not specifically green but classified by rainbow and universal continent stroke star.  I quickly pinched myself while listening to the pilot and rubbed my newly accepted alien skin and set off to go find the people that had to interrogate me to ascertain that I was indeed going to return to the planet I was born to.

Now it was at this point that I realised the American government had taken this “alien” word to the next level.  They seemed to think that we aliens have serious ESP and working internal GPS systems… there were no signs (that I could see) pointing me in the direction of passport control.  I followed the rest of the rainbow aliens from universes unknown and eventually found the interrogation panel with surprisingly short queues and computers that had mysteriously crashed.  30 minutes later and sweat pouring off everyone in the line I eventually got called to the booth were one of the most gorgeous New Yorkers sat.  Look at this point anything behind that 5 inch glass wall was going to look like a Hugo Boss underwear model!

He asked me a few questions about why I was visiting and then when he heard it was for work and what kind of work I did he asked another… “Is there space for me at your company???”.  Yes there was a sparkle in his eye and a big grin on his face.  While we continued to chat about South Africa and the odd way I speak he stamped my entry “approved” and wished me well on my trip.  What a sweetie he was… ok moving along…

We were picked up by friends and driven in the fresh night air and tall trees to their home in Pennsylvania.  I lay back on the back seat with my head on the headrest and just watched it all float by as if in a dream.  It was so so surreal… ME? In America?

Travel Journal of USA

image Yip you heard that right, I’ve just returned from a 2 week holiday in the States and all tanned out.  So much has happened over the last year that I still find myself pinching my arms (its the only unbruised area ok) just to make sure I’m not dreaming!

On 2 April I joined the family on a trip to America to visit friends and experience the culture, sights and sounds.  2 weeks, 5 states and lots of coffee… here begins the travel journal of sorts, mysteries and observations including hitchhiking, breaking in to a house we house sat and Walmart!

Up next… An Official Alien ~ 2 April 2009

An African in England Questioned

imageA little while ago I wrote An African Questioned… about all the questions I have received with regards to being African and growing up in Africa.  This is part two to that “Interview”, An African in England Questioned.

Question: So are you finding England safer now, more relaxed walking down the street?

My Answer: Well the one thing is I don’t need to look out for lunch anymore, I mean there are no lions lying in wait for me to turn the corner.  That said there are some really strange creatures walking around, seriously.  Have you seen how bad things are here??? They don’t even know how to keep their rods up and under their animal skins, hanging half to the ground like they have sexy butts or something.  My thinking is that these English people don’t have the right animals to hunt in order to get decent clothes, well this is what I think anyways.

Question: Do the trains scare you?

My Answer: Not at all though I am a bit disappointed in the fact that they are slower than my good old trusted cheetah express.  Ah those were the days when you’d just hope on Cheetie and zoom overland in a heart beat, always on time and never on strike or breaking down. Man those were the days!

Question: How are you finding wearing normal clothes? 

My Answer: Well it seems like Afreaka exports its animal skin soaked in diesel to the Europeans, who woulda thunk that it would be popular here huh!  Normal clothes? They don’t fit as snug as my hides, not as tailored either though definitely cheaper phew.  Do you know Armani?

Question: So what do you think of all the cool cars riding around on the streets? Must be so different seeing real cars… 

My Answer: In my first week I managed to spot 3 bicycles, holy carambas have you SEEN those??? How people balance on them who knows, I mean surely it is a lot easier just hopping on a Cheetah or an Elephant, directing it to where you want to go, sit back and sip a pina colada while watching the scenery fly by? Forget those bicycle things, those four wheel contraptions!!!  I don’t trust anything that farts out black stuff!

Question: How did you get here?

My Answer: Well it has been quite a journey to say the least! As is custom I prepared for weeks in advance making special meat packages with Biltong, raw meat spiced and soaked in fermented juice hung out to dry.  Trick is to get it just right so that it still is a bit red when held up to the light, ah biltong, yum! Problem is though, this time the lion wasn’t so friendly when I went a hunting and for some reason it thought I was the new meat on the block *shrug’s and munches on another strip* Guess I showed him who’s the meat from the goose heh!

Anyways Biltong at the ready I then prepared my flight machine with fans, specially made wings created from ostrich feathers and the bone of a Rhino, put all the gears in place and packed my backpack.  All ready to go I strapped my starter, probably known to you as a leopard, to the frame and kicked with all my might.  Once he had reached top speed I released the catch and soared through the clouds above the plains of Africa.

It was a bumpy road thanks to the odd Bald headed Eagle thinking I was its long lost *ahem* mate.  They didn’t understand why I was not one of them or interested in their baldness but needless to say they eventually got the drift of my feather protected legs.

I weathered hail and thunder storms, confused birds and flashing orangutans, finally crossing over the Channel between the frogs and the bulldogs.  The frogs were scared and the bulldogs hungry but I got here safe and sound just a mere few months after leaving Afreakan soil.

Question: Have you managed to see or use a washing machine yet?

My Answer: Do I smell or something? I’ve been searching for a clean river for days now but to no avail…

Question: Can I post you something now that you are in first world?

My Answer: I am undercover and fear that a few of the animals back home may track me down and keel me like Jeff Dunham’s character… Yeah not pretty to say the least!

Question: You must really enjoy our Coca Cola or Fanta huh?

My Answer: What you call Fanta is rather interesting, I mean it’s meant to be orange flavour right but its like flavoured water on steroids, seriaresly eeew! The word orange belies to the fact that the product actually tastes like the fruit of orange… you know? REAL oranges? And just so you know your Cream Soda is a fake, uh huh, fake!

Question: Do you miss your mining days? Am sure you miss the cheap jewels and gems… 

My Answer: Not at all, just before I left afreakan soil I managed to find 5 diamonds in my vegetable patch, shine them up and bring them along… wanna see? Oh and a few nuggets of gold to, right there in the stone sitting on my porch… such luck huh! If you want to get rich quick definitely head over to Afreaka, you won’t be sorry! 

My Question: Do you know that we will never run out of gold?

Their Answer: No, why is that?

My Answer: Gold is merely fortified lion poop, over the years it gets old, hard and each time an animal walks past it marks its territory giving it the sheen you seen today on my beautiful golden tooth.

Ah the question one gets, none of these are current mind, think people are too wary of what they might hear from my mouth.  That said I have had a few come close to the above but bit my tongue because they are the mothers at the kids school *shrug*

My sarcasm needs sharpening just to find a victim hmmm

Stupid ice

You know generally I am not so stable on my feet on a nice summers day.  If someone is going to a) knock into something b) slip down stairs c) be attacked by flying objects be they walls or ants d) spill coffee on bare toes it would be me.

So true to my wonderful nature walking to school today was a true adventure.  M did his duck walk to make us laugh out loud, A did the sliding along the pavement thing with the biggest grin on her face and I just held on to walls making funny faces (apparently).

We managed to get to the school road relatively safely when A asked to hold my hand (I think she saw that 1 x souf effrikan was not so um stable).  She held my hand and that was when my life flashed before my eyes, I was flying once more. 

First the left foot started to leave my body behind then the right. With a whoosh whoosh I was airbourne for a split second then the weight of my J-Lo butt brought me crashing to the ground.  A just looked at me all shocked, M was like whoa you FLEW! All the other kids just stopped in their tracks to check this crazy adult sitting on the iced pavement laughing so hard that she cried.

Seriously it was so funny and seeing me laughing all the kids started laughing with me.  A tried to pull me up once she and I had stopped giggling really loudly only for me to fall again. Yes, twice.

I elegantly eventually got up and stood my ground, we literally giggled the whole way to school.  Once there the kids thought that it was so funny that they ran up to all people, both kids and adults, to tell them of my famarse moment.  Hard not to notice really with a wet ass.

My knee is back to talking to me, it has been relatively quiet since my superman impression flying over dogs in August but alas… she says hello.

They are now calling me Blue Bummed Afreakan who speaks American and doesn’t steal cookies (I don’t you know). 

Got to walk into town quick but I hope to write more soon, just really busy with a huge project for Amberfiresanity Design Studios, 2 sample humans, learning to cook real food, bake cupcakes and fly.

Hope you all are well, am missing you so much seriously.  Have such blog withdrawals its not funny!

Mwah

PS Can anyone recommend ice shoes or something that prevents my ass hitting the hard ground everytime?

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