Unpacking

This afternoon the phone rang. It was the crew from the moving company that brought my household goods from Boston to Stellenbosch. They were waiting at my front door at the promised hour - remarkable for the South African side of the operations. So I rushed home from work, an easy feat in this small town during off-peak hours.

The boxes came out and my anticipation grew over what was whole and what damaged after I had received a picture two days ago from the agent of the company, of damage to the bottom one side of the container. Things held up surprisingly well until my treasured hi-fi rack came off the lorry. One metal beam was badly bent, rendering the entire rack useless unless I could manage to replace that member. Furtunately, the identical companion beam was intact, meaning there was a template for manufacturing a replacement.

Who said there were no benefits to working at a University Engineering Faculty. I shall have the replacement beam manufactured at the Centre for Mechanical Services. It is good to be back home. Here people still have time and room for little favours because they do not need constantly to check the fine print in their contracts or consult their lawyers. Who cares if the GDP is not Number ONE Super Class AAA in the world? We have a life around here!

And then the trip down the path to Nostaligia commenced as I unpacked the first few boxes. As I folded my scarves and carefully laid them on a shelf in my wardrope, a sudden pang of longing for Boston rushed through me. My thick coats went into a wardrobe in the upstairs lobby while images of snowy, frozen nights out in Cambridge and Boston played through my mind. Tonight I really wished just to drive over to Davis Sq for a few pints at The Burren and perhaps a quick visit to the meat market across the street.

But I realised it was summer over there now. And I would not be going out in my thick coat; scarve and leather gloves. Yep, but here in Stellenbosch it was winter and those thick clothes would come in very handy indeed. I had been freezing my bottom off these past days as winter really sets in.

Tomorrow, the unpacking will continue, slowly through the day. The winding path through my memories will step on, wavering here and there as it makes its way to distant places and silent faces. Each item that emerges will take me back to where it used to be when I used to be a Stellenbosser in Boston.