Before this project began, there were some basic things that I already knew about my family. For starters, I knew that both sides of my family were from South Africa. My mother grew up in Joburg and my father grew up a little over 5 hours away, in Durban. I also knew that their families were a little bit different in comparison. My mother lived with her younger brother, her mom and her dad. My father lived with his older brother, his mom and his dad. Their households definitely had different rules and their relationships were quite different, as well.
To learn more about Durban, South Africa, click here: Durban Living
Growing up, my mom lived in a close-knit community. Other than being good friends with her neighbours, a lot of her family lived in the general area. To this day, some of her cousins and other relastives are there. It's fair to say that family and a sense of belonging was important to her life growing up. Family reunions were (and are) a must for everyone. I remember going over to my grandma's house almost every weekend and then seeing all of my cousins and extended relations. Everyone would get together to share stories, food, drinks, everything. I have fond memeories of everyone and everything in that house.
However, my dad's family is pretty different. I remember going over to my aunt and uncle's house every once in awhile but most of the time, it would just be me and my sister playing out back. My dad was close to my grandfather growing up. My grandmother, not so much. They loved eachother, though. The reason why I was looking forward to interviewing him was because I don't much about this area of his life, since we never see or hear from his side of the family. I was surpirsed, however, to find that my dad's family wasn't as close as I thought they were. Since my grandad and grandma were always working, he and my uncle were often home alone. This meant that the house was always chaotic and noisy.
After my parents met, they settled down together and got married. Five years later, they had me in 2004. This was then followed by my sister's birth in March of 2008. I was born and spent most of my life in South Africa. I went to a girls' school called Brescia House and my sister was starting preschool when everything changed. We had visited some friends in New Zealand on a holiday and I spent the two years afterwards thinking about how great it was. Well, be careful what you wish for! In 2013, we decided to move there.
