Disability? I Call it Bad Signage

So anyone who knows me well knows I suffer from a strange disability: I am sure it has a name, but I do not know what it is. I don’t recognize facial differences very well...o.k., not at all. For example, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Pine, and Matt Damon all look the same to me. They are all married to Angelina Jolie in my mind. I can meet someone at a party, shake their hand and introduce myself, and five minutes later walk up to them and say, “Hi, I’m Corrie.” This disability was a real problem when I was in politics. Whenever we were at the campaign office either Stephane or my son Joel had to walk beside me and whisper in my ear people’s names. And it wasn’t that I could not remember their name. I knew every name of every volunteer, every donor, and damn near every person in my riding. I could tell you the address of every party member in the constituency. I knew what name went with what house, and even their phone numbers. I just didn’t know what FACE went with the name or address.

So after an hour of wandering around the Seattle airport, Stephane has decided I have another disability...the inability to read airport signs. The things is, the signs are stupid. Airports like to use arrows to show you where to go, however, it gets a little confusing - at least for someone like me who hates ambiguity. Does that arrow pointing at an angle down to the right mean go down the escalator, or walk in an angle to the right? What about when there are two totally different signs pointing in two totally different directions that are for the same destination? Seriously, whoever designed the airport signage here should be fired. As a matter of fact, whoever put the signs up in our hotel last night should be fired. When we got off the elevator, there was a sign on the wall, right there in plain sight that said room 201-212 go left. We were in room 201 so we went left. All the way down the hall...room 202, 203, 204...all the way to the end, to the left and found every room except room 201, which of course was the only room to the right. So why did they do that? Why not put two signs...rooms 202-212 to the left and room 201 to the right? This is not rocket science and yet, I am forever befuddled by signs.


I suspect my difficulty with these things is why I always did terrible on multiple choice tests. It was that “pick the BEST answer” thing that always threw me. The best answer? Why not the hell the right answer? If none of the answers are exactly right, why do they put the question on the test in the first place? I’ll tell you why...to make me crazy, that’s why.

I am now sitting in the airport VIP lounge having my third glass of wine, trying desperatley to recover from the sign trauma. Here’s to hoping the Germans do signage better than the Americans. Next stop, Frankfurt.

History is Always Being Made

We leave today for the first leg of our four month trip. I always feel a little trepidation as I embark on these adventures. Did I plan properly? Will we be robbed, mugged, or assaulted? Will my plane crash, will I get Dengue or Typhoid? Will I ever see my kids again? Morbid, but I think we all go through a bit of fear and apprehension before heading off somewhere we have never been before. Setting fears aside, and staying open to the experience is challenging, and yet, when we set our fear aside, and embark on something new, we have the opportunity to grow. I do believe my greatest moments in life have been when travelling. Travelling has heightened my appreciation of home, and it has opened my mind to to seeing the world through many different lenses.

I always do a lot of research before I go somewhere new. Google maps is amazing. You can walk the street around where you are staying before you even get there. Did you know that now you can even enter stores using google maps? The other day I walked from our Airbnb in Cape Town to the promenade along the water, and found the hop on hop off bus stop. On the way I saw a great fish store and gift shop.

I love using Airbnb. It not only provides an amazing array of places to stay for less than the typical hotel, but it also allows you to book "Experiences." I look forward to taking advantage of these opportunities to experience South Africa in a more meaningful way. The places we have booked are all self contained units: either condos or guest cottages on someones property. They all have pools, air conditioning, full kitchens, yards, decks or patios, and many of them are on the waterfront or have views. Our average cost is less than $50 Canadian dollars a night, and by staying a week in most places, we not only get a discount on that, but we can buy groceries and make our own meals. Eating out is incredibly cheap in South Africa, so I have already made reservations at some of the finest restaurants in the country. I look forward too, to eating some new and interesting things. I am also looking forward to touring wine country and sampling some great South African wines.

South Africa has a great system of roads and highways. From what I have heard, the roads are far superior to Canada, and renting a car there is only costing us about $15 Canadian a day. We do have to drive on the other side of the road however, and I know from experience that is challenging.In some of the big cities (Cape Town and Johannesburg), we will not drive but rather use Uber, which apparently is the most reliable and safest way to get around there. We will also use several of the hop on hop off busses. These have become one of my favorite things to do - especially early on when arriving somewhere. They stop at all the major sights, and along the way you get a great commentary. It is a great way to get an overview of the city so you can then decide where you want to go back and spend more time.

While I enjoy seeing the major tourist sights, especially the UNESCO World Heritage Sights, I can honestly say my most memorable experiences are still those where interaction with local people and new cultures has taken place. South Africa, in particular, has had a very interesting, and at times, tumultuous history, and its challenges to overcome prejudiced in a post apartheid world is easier said than done. Even today, there are rumblings of extremism from both the Afrikaans population, and the black population. Disparity there is great - and I refuse to stay in the white tourist bubble. It is important for me to see and hear from black South Africans.

I have started to read some books about South African history in the hopes that it will shed light on what I am seeing, and bring more meaning to our trip. I love knowing the story of a place. In fact, there is one place in particular that should hold some special meaning: Grahamstown, now called Makhanda, where my great, great, great grandfather Thomas Murray is from. The town's name changed from Grahamstown to Makhanda on 29 June 2018 in memory of Xhosa warrior and prophet Makhanda ka Nxele.

I wonder, what role did my ancestors play in South African history, and what role will I play in my great, great, great Grandchildren's history?