When I turned more years old last June, I really felt the weight of aging on my shoulders. I guess I have been trying to fight a losing battle in pretending to younger than I am. However, the death of my beloved grandmother two weeks ago at 95 has changed my thinking. I could well last as long so I have to enjoy every bit of it as I go along.
My grandmother was the most humorous person I know, after my mother that is. She had such a bag of tales. You can now guess where all this came from. I will really miss her. None the less, memories of days past are something to treasure, and I have decided to share this with you to jog those of us who grew up when stones were still soft and money was money.
“Thank God that I had such a wonderful childhood in such a beautifulcountry. Think back to the time, before the Internet or the ATM, before Play Station and DSTV, and CD's and DVD's and Bearer cheques. Way back,I'm talking about the time of umacatshelana (hide and seek) engadini... or ingqobe or umalalisa ngo come tenesi at the square. Games like Jim-Bass, u-tap tap, u-a-ra wuru, umatshayana, kick and run, stop sweetie-sweetie, and Christopher Columbus, and how everyone wanted to be the Soviet Union or the USA!
How about building a swing from a piece of rope tied to the protruding branch of a tree yompintshisi there were guarantees that the rope would withstand all the strain put on it the resultant broken limbs would earn one a thorough hiding?
And what about the times when you were lucky enough to go to the Centenary Park to each candy floss (utshinda) and riding the miniature Choo-choo train. Watching the peacocks parading their glamorous plumage and how about the Fountain with its constant shower of water spray which you awaited and relished fiendishly when it sprinkled you with its cold, albeit refreshing freshness or its changing colours at night. How about the Trade fair that my then 4 year old sister called in Fair fair! You lived for that.
What about the dreaded bath times? Taking a bath at 4:00pm, then having tea eka 4 lembambayila from Lower Gwelo in your pyjamas-if you had these-more like izigqoko eziclean. And you knew that nxa usugezile, no more playing outside. Closing the windows at 5 ukuti singalunywa yimosquito, while waiting for TV 1 to start and watching the Muppets, o-Flintstone and hey-hey-hey Fat Albert, Voltron, Care Bears, Button moon, hen it was time for Star Trek, Hawaii 5-0 or Kojak.
When the weather report started, you were sent to bed, after the parents hadinsisted you observe great silence during the news. Strictly no noise, okunye was because isikhiwa sasibeqa abadala and you did not want to be blamed for the old man not getting the news fully. How about their own periodic exclamations of, hmmm uyatshinga uSmith..., uzondile uThatcher..., asazi sizabona ngakho...
School holidays meant ekhaya or ama extra lessons. Few days before schoolstarted again you would plead with your parents to get you new socks because all the ones you have had izikhala. At Christmas, it was a time for negotiation. Ufuna izigqoko zeKrismas or ufuna i-uniform? But most times, of course, you got both. Oh, our loving parents, how they managed you can never say.
The night before the first day of school you couldn't get to sleep. Shoes werepolished until you could see your name in large capitals, uniform pressed and new stationery (that your parents got from work!) First thing in the morning, you would get your lunch box with isinkwa, and cool drink. Who would forget the smell of Mazoe Orange juice? With Dandy bubble gum going for a cent, ice-cream from the Dairiboard happy chappie on the corner with hislittle cart. Yes, running to the corner to buy ama rama, amaputi, ama pennycool kumbe ichongo, all for not more than a dollar? Do you remember?”
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