Out and About is the column in which we talk to people who live abroad, or who did live and work abroad, but are back in South Africa again. We would like to hear from anybody who wants to share his/her experiences with us. This week we talk to Marisa Haasbroek who lives in Maryland, America.
Hello, Marisa! Tell us more about yourself and where you live.
My husband, Andrew, our two teenagers, Johannes and Annamaria, and I live in Maryland, about 40 km from Washington D.C.
What are you doing there?
My husband works on a nuclear reactor programme for an American-South African company. The children are home schooled but they now also exploit opportunities for training here in America. Johannes will soon start his studies at the same community college where Edward Snowden studied. Annamaria is interested in animation; she takes online classes and wants to make animated films. I am writing Afrikaans stories whenever I get a chance.
Was it difficult to adapt in a foreign country?
Yes, very much so. Everything is different. They drive on the other side of the road and they don’t use metric units. Especially in the beginning we sometimes struggled when they speak so fast.
What are the best and the worst adventures you’ve had there?
One of my favourite adventures was our visit to the historic village of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. The worst that happened to us was that we had to pay a much larger deposit on our house than Americans have to pay because we had no credit record here. For all official business we always have to request proof from Homeland Security that we are not “illegal aliens”.
What do you miss most about South Africa?
People who are tickled by the same things that make us laugh. Americans take themselves too seriously. And also of course biltong, chutney and the wonderful fresh produce that we take as a given in South Africa. In South Africa we felt part of a community. Here people live very individualistic.
How did immigration affect you? Will you come back to South Africa?
Oh no, we have not emigrated at all. We will no doubt go home one day. Every morning I have to anchor my husband to the ground like a tent, lest he get on the next plane to South Africa. We yearn to go home.
What do you enjoy most about living in America?
The convenience of ordering goods by mail. The fast internet. Shops staying open till late.
Was it easy to find your feet there?
It helps that we understand English and can look up everything on the internet when we are hard pressed. My husband, for example, completed our American tax return himself. Perhaps it’s just part of our Boer-maak-ʼn-plan attitude.
Anything else you would like to add?
Without Skype, WhatsApp and email to keep in touch with friends and family in South Africa, the nostalgia will wear us down. One of the bittersweet experiences my daughter and I had was to watch both Koekedoor series thanks to a subscription to SA TV (ShowMax). Every day we read Maroela Media to keep up with events in our homeland.
