The Mother City

by Mapule Yesmeen Makobe (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find South Africa

Here I am preparing for a trip of the unknown I've been waiting for since the beginning of the year. Yet I knew it was only for the top students in my class, Alahs! I knew I was among them. My preparations went from collecting fashion accessories to working out and all the way to getting my skin popping, hence we going to our mother city, Johannesburg " Jozi maboneng". What makes the trip more interesting is lending for the first time there, a city of all opportunities. My excitement went from reading and surfing the net for all that is expected when we get there. "A city of gold"- I was doing my final year at the moment but my thirst for adventure got me believing all the fairytales that we would be walking on top of the world, breathing different oxygen and most of all that affected my beauty routine, we will ve bumping into celebrities. I've always liked to be hooked into the media and entertainment industry, so, I prepared myself for interviews with celebrities " crazy" I know, would you blame me?, I collected and read most convincing stories and myths about our mother city, a rainbow city. Everyone is in " Jozi"-slang, our President, all our well known celebrities, I mean the "guys" in the Hockey club by Jackie Phamotse-book. It was clear that my looks and preparation deceived my fellow classmates that I knew the "Jozi" style, WHAT!!, is that the society expectation about looks, well yes!! From the tales I read it is nation story. Here we are, arrived in Johannesburg , the motherland of our nation, it was around half passed five in the evening all the streets light we brightening the city, luxurious cars moving on the highways, multi lingual and racial people passing and talking, huge skyscrapers all over I did not know which one grabbed my attention. My eyes were glowing all over the place, but my fair complexion and stylish outfit deceived the "Jozi" people along with my fellow classmates. We ate dinner at the hotel issued by our university for us, everything seemed perfect and classy, ohhh!! The warm bath I had for the first time in Johannesburg, I felt like I was cleansing from all the sunburnt I had back at my province Limpopo. The following day, the was cool breeze blowing all over the place , I bet every outfit suits for the weather at the mother city. When we were traveling around downtown to go attend educational programs brought us there, every coloured race looked back at me staring as I was staring back, I assumed they thought am one of their own, well I was just admiring their beauty and body art. It was a week's trip, well everyday became normal and even easier as my eyes got used to the place and way of living, well, I did not expect it that way, it felt like heaven and full of heavens the first time I layed my eyed on the city, ohhh! My thoughts made the extreme exaggeration about the city, well all the adventures are there, I had to. My final day at Johannesburg was sad, I felt like somebody wrenched my happiness violently from me, there wad full of sad stories on my mind. The final exit from the city, I kept looking at the tall buildings whilst they disappeared into the nature's best and man-made artifacts. I didn't expect it, it was an awesome and adventurous trip and yet and educational trip I've ever had my entire life, it was called for celebration, it was my achievement, I felt new and motivated, hurry!!!!!