Danielle in South Africa: National Heritage Day / National Braii Day

September 24th is National Heritage Day here in South Africa. It is a public, national holiday and just like in the United States, this usually is blissfully accompanied by a day off from work. However, when September 24th falls on a Saturday, we are not quite so lucky. Such was our luck this year. We all certainly managed to make the most of the holiday nonetheless. Celebrations began in the office on Friday where we had a tea time discussion about the origins of the holiday and every one was asked to bring in something that resembled their heritage and where they came from. My roommate Charlie did a great presentation on how the Holiday started and then discussed his own heritage and family. We proceeded to go around the board room and each person spoke for a few minutes about their background, their family, and what token of heritage they brought to share. Lots of people brought food, pictures, and even a dvd of South African music! It was so interesting to hear all about my friends and fellow employees backgrounds and family origins. I felt like I was really getting to know each and everyone much more which I really enjoyed. I tasted Jewish Challah bread, German pretzels, Danish cookies, Italian biscuits, and much much more. What a delight!

Some of the office crew after our Heritage Day Talk

As the time came for me to share my heritage, I proudly pulled out a picture of my dad and I, explaining how my Italian roots come from his side of the family. I continued to brag about how awesome my Nana's Italian meatballs are and how she is the best cook in the whole world. I couldn't leave out her Italian stubbornness and of course how my dad and his brothers just 'happen' to suddenly develop thick Italian accents when they are all in a room together. I made sure to proudly include my Irish roots as well which I attribute to my mom's side of the family. I gave my mom credit for being the tannest Irishwoman I know. Although I know there's much more to my composition besides just Italian and Irish, these are the two I relate to and identify with the most. I loved talking about my family with my co-workers because it is a part of my life that means so much to me. I'm so proud of the fact that I come from such a large, loving family. As I've grown older, I've come to learn that not everyone is as privileged as I am to know where they come from. Although they are crazy at times, I absolutely love my family because they mean so much to me and have really been the roots to my existence. Heritage day is such a wonderful way to reflect upon this and it was a nice reminder of how lucky I am to be blessed with amazing people in my life.

When the real Heritage Day rolled around on Saturday, it brought along gorgeous sunshine and 75 degree weather. Perfection! I woke up after a wonderful night's sleep and walked the two minute walk around the block to a local Saturday morning farmer's market that I've come to frequent and love. The vendors are all so nice and the fresh vegetables are lovely. The market is housed in a big open hall with many different types of sellers ranging from fresh vegetable farmers to bakers, smoothie vendors, chocolate connoisseurs, coffee baristas, organic fishermen, poultry farmers, etc. I stocked up on vegetables and delicious freshly baked bread. I returned home and then hit the road for a light run along the water, soaking in the salty breeze and watching the waves crash along the boardwalk. As I was running home, I ran through the Company Gardens, a beautiful park between my house and the city center. The Gardens were teeming with hundreds of families having picnics, playing live music, and just having a wonderful time. There was such a good vibe in the park and I couldn't help but smile running through. One of the big differences that I've noticed living in South Africa opposed to the United States is how dedicated Africans are to their family and how much they cherish familial values. This could not have been clearer than the image in the park on Heritage Day, a pure celebration of what it means to be together and enjoy the simplicity of each other's company.

When I arrived home, it was a unanimous decision for my roommate Andrew and I that the only proper way to celebrate our Rhode Island (yes, he too is also from RI) and Italian heritage was to do what we do best.....sit on the beach and get a tan!!! So as our ambitious four other roommates headed out the door to hike for three hours, we turned in the opposite direction armed with our towels and books, and went straight for the beach!

Camps Bay beach is a simple ten minute drive from our house and although you are still in South Africa, one would believe you traveled all the way to the Caribbean. Beautiful palm trees, sparkling blue water, and waves galore. The beach was filled with Holiday beach-goers and the roadside restaurants were populated with brunch-eaters and the like. Camps Bay is a much more public beach than the ones that I had been to prior. It reminded me much like Fort Lauderdale, with a bit of a commercial feel. Nevertheless, a beach is a beach and I loved every minute of it! We met up with two of our friends from work. One of them, Ryan Janks, brought his three year old son Erin with him as well. Erin was lots of fun and kept us entertained for hours on end. The best part of the afternoon was when all of the sudden, a crowd of 100 people start dancing on the street in a FLASH MOB! I couldn't believe it, I'd never seen a flash mob in real life but have always wanted too. In case you are unfamiliar, a flash mob is a coordinated dance put on by a very large group of people who minutes before are simply going about as normal civilians. Then all of sudden, a massive coordinated dance breaks out on the street! It was so much fun and the dancers were great. I can now say I've witnessed my first ever flash mob!

FLASH MOB!

After basking in the rays for a few hours we packed up and headed back home because in just a few hours we were hosting our first BRAII!!! A Braii is basically a cookout/bbq in South African terms. National Heritage Day happens to also be National Braii Day. Thus, my roommates and I thought it would only be appropriate to celebrate the holiday as Africans do. We invited our neighbors over, three South African girls who live on the third floor of our house. We also had a few friends from work over and our neighbors brought friends as well. It turned out to be a lovely evening with some grilling on the porch, lots of drinks flowing, and fun being had by all. I must say, it was the perfect way to end my very first National Heritage Day. I really hope it won't be my last because I'm starting to fall in love with this place!