Why I love my country

Why are South Africans so patriotic? What makes them so passionate about their country? Why do the hairs on the back of their neck stand up?

It’s a simple question, yet everyone has their own answer, and all for very different reasons. Some people have a sense of freedom that was missing for a long time, some people simply like the scenery, whilst others feel that it’s a sense of home that you just can’t replace with another. Some people are more political and enjoy the new democracy, some people love it because of the business opportunity, and others just like the lifestyle which they know is unique.

For me it is various reasons.

1. I love you South Africa cause you gave birth to me….. I am a "Child of Africa" as was my Father and his Father and his Father before that. I love the smilling faces in the streets. I love pitching a tent in the garden in February, to sleep under the stars with my children. I love you South Afica because at Christmas when families gather we bond and celebrate with laughter and have watermelon fights till our faces turn red… And when our country plays rugby in the world cup even granny knows the score and when our teams win we feel like warriors.

2. I love waking up early on a Sunday morning to go and spend the day at the beach with friends. The girls suntan while the boys play touch rugby. I love the cool summer breeze on a hot day while drinking afternoon cocktails. I love the braai’s we have at our house with family and friends. I love falling asleep in the sunshine on a chilly winter afternoon. I love the rainy days you can spend at home watching DVD’s.

3. I love the culture overload, food and music, wildlife and diverse climates, history, tradition, survival, local is lekker, meilies, braais and biltong. More than anything, the People who depict togetherness unlike any other country in a global context where war and racial hatred is the easiest route. South Africa defines me, the place from which I interpret the world and other people. I love South Africa because it has Soul and her soul is embedded in mine, or perhaps mine is embedded in South Africa.

4. We can speak Afrikaans (or at least try)… . Also, South African girls can do anything that the boys anywhere in the world can do- yet we still have the feminine charm- and know how to laugh!! The ‘manne’ knows how to ‘braai’ a proper ‘choppie en wors’ .

5. I love possibilities that are so tantalizingly close to being fulfilled - the hope and dreams of a truly unified country with people from many different cultures and religions, prospering together, looking after each other and our country. South Africa is like a teenager, still a bit unpredictable, moody, irresponsible at times, but with the promise of turning into a wonderful adult.

6. Its sunshine. always sunshine. People display a genuine kindness and interest in their relationships with others. The bond of friendship still carries a lot of meaning and the general openness of our culture is truly heart warming.

7. Its in laughing with friends and with your chomies, your “bra”, your boet and bud. Being in a totally different landscape and sometimes climate within an hour or two. The crunch of the beach sand between your toes, the prickle of the salt on your skin and the sunburn from beach cricket. The shoes caked in red earth , socks covered in “blackjacks” . Cruising in a taxi with kwaito blaring out the speakers, the revival of Newtown. Mrs. Balls, beef chakalaka, niknaks, chappies, biltong, Castle, Cape Town, Black Label and sunshine always sunshine.

8. I love South Africa becasue it is one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in the world with exotic combinations of landscapes, people, history and culture, offering the traveller a unique and inspiring experience. This truly beautiful country at the southern tip of dark and mysterious Africa offers diving and wildlife experiences beyond your wildest dreams.

You can dive sharks and wrecks on rugged wild coasts, or simply relax with whales and dolphins and enjoy pristine coral reefs and abundant wildlife.

9. Where else in the world can you go from Oceans and Mountains, through beautiful vinyards and into arid desert, from open bushveld, to tropical forest. Where else can you find such a diversity of people that 11 official languages are required.

South Africa is a country rich with resources, cultures and geographies and few countries the size of South Africa can boast such diversity. But none of this matters, if it doesn’t feel like home, and thats why I love South Africa. Its home.

10. I love highveld thunderstorms, the sound of the cicada beetle, biltong, REAL muesli, hearing birds in the trees EVERYWHERE you go, rainbows, dogs barking at night , flying ants, achar, cumulonimbus, “mielies!!!”, sweet fruit, etc. etc. etc. But i think, most of all, it’s the people. I think it’s difficult to understand this for some people - but I love having a chat with the parking attendant, the checkout lady, or the curio seller.

11. We are living in the undisputed “cradle of mankind” - South Africa’s best-kept secret. We have a HUGE repository of fossil materials and geological history which has been preserved for more than 4 billion years right here on our doorstep. Our position right on the southern tip of the ancient continent of Gondwana has blessed us with a unique diversity and quality material, which is attracting some of the greatest natural scientists and evolutionary scholars in the world.
12. I love it that we have the greatest weather on planet earth, no serious threat of earthquakes, and we are about as far away from terrorism in an increasingly mad and dangerous world of fanaticism and fundamentalism as we can possibly be.

13. Sunrises that one wants to make up to even with a hang over from hell
Stair way to heaven Sunsets..
Skies that are blue for more than 5 days a year!
Thunderstorms and lighting that will remind you who is boss!
Low cost of living that makes unemployment bearable…in some cases enjoyable
Different shaped houses that you can swing more than a cat in … grandmother…
People of all colours, forms and shapes… who can smile and greet you!
A multitude of healthy looking…non boozed. sun tanned….tight arsed fit men
Winters with Sunshine
Sea with waves that you can put more than you toe in!
Highways that you can go more that 100km on….

14. I love South Africa because it has the pride of a long history behind it, and the rich diversity of many cultures coming together. SA is indeed the rainbow nation. South Africa has the strength that one only achieves by facing head on, and triumphing over, severe hardships.

15. I love South Africa simply because it’s home - in a way that nowhere else I’ve been in the world could ever feel like home - and home is where my heart is.