Vreemd, maar ook bekend. Unknown, but so familiar! – Reismal
Vreemd, maar ook bekend. Unknown, but so familiar!
Nerina	Travel (Reis)	 May 11, 2018 June 10, 2018 5 Minutes
English follow directly below the Afrikaans version.
New York se snelweë, soos enige groot stad in die wêreld is ‘n nagmerrie. Land jy 7:30 die oggend op JFKennedy Lughawe, is daar geen manier wat jy die spitsverkeer kan mis nie. Inteendeel, wonder ek of daar so iets soos normale verkeer in New York bestaan. Hierdie stad lewe 24/7/265 dae ‘n jaar.
Die eerste ‘bekende’ baken wat ek sien is die uitgang na Bronz. Ek wil my verstout om te së dat die naam Bronz nog nooit iets goed beteken het nie. Miskien wel die gewilde Bronz skoene, wat in die 90’e jare so gewild was onder Suid-Afrikaanse tieners en my al my sente uit my beursie laat haal het om my – op daardie stadium -tiener kinders se grille te bevredig
So slaan dit my met ‘n vuis in die gesig toe ek saam met Bronz op die bord die naam Van Wyck Expwy sien – ‘n teken dat die Hollanders nog lank voor ons hier was. So was daar op ‘n tyd ‘n stemming gehou om te besluit of New York ‘n Nederlandse kolonie sou bly, of deel sou word van die Verenige State van Amerika. Die Nederlanders het die stemming met een stem verloor. Die naam Yankees kom dan ook van al die baie Janne en Kese (uitgespreek Kies) wat in daardie wêreld woonagtig was.
Oraloor sien ek name wat vreemd bekend aan my is. Bekend omdat dit my aan my ander land herinner, vreem omdat dit nie heeltemal dieselfde is nie. Newburgh, ietwat Engels, ietwat Duits, vlieg verby ons. Middleburgh, as jy hom vergelyk met Middelburg, MP is ‘n baie meer gesofistikeerde dorp dan sy Suid-Afrikaanse eweknie. Middelburg in die Noord-Kaap sal tweede kom as dit by grootte kom. Richmondville, a skrale 5 myl van ons af, het nie eens ‘n winekl nie. Die dorpie herinner my aan ‘n dorpie in die Switserse Alpe, alhoewel sy naam nooit die Switserse poskode lys sal haal nie. Onse Richmond, ‘n Karoo dorpie langs die N1 na die Noorde, mag dalk wat skoonheid betref tweede kom, maar Sondae lui daar darem nog ‘n kerkklok in die slapende dorpie, terwyl daar in Richmondville geen teken van ‘n kerktoring is nie.
Die 180 myl (300 km) vlieg eintlik vinnig verby, soos ek my verkyk aan al die vreemd-bekende name van dorpies, wat letterlik lyk of daar ‘n Rip van Winkel woonagtig is. Die Rip van Winkel brug hardloop ook oor die Hudson rivier.
Die Amerikaners hou daarvan om op kleinhoewes (plotte) te bly. Motors, grassnyers, fietse en enige iets waaraan jy kan dink, staan geparkeer onder die groot bome langs hul huise. Ek weet nie van enige Egiptenaar in die dorpie Cairo nie, maar gewaar ‘n Mc Donalds op op een van die kruisings, heeltemal uit pas uit met die dorpie daar langsaan. Ek sou eerder ‘n tak van Ari’s Souvlaki, waar jy die heerlikse shwarmas’ kan koop daar verwag het, as ‘n Mc Chicken in Cairo. Waar is my niggie Elsa nou?
So arriveer ons op Summit – dit beteken “bo op die berg”, op ons plot waar die groenigheid reeds begin deurkom na die koue winter. Dit is ses maande, sedert Pieter laas daar was. Die karavaan staan steeds onder die seil, die grassnyer en kragopwekker, onder sy maag, onaangeraak. Die seil, wat reeds vier jaar die karavaan beskerm, winter en somer deur, het sy laaste winter gehaal. Dit is tyd vir ‘n nuwe seil. Dalk ook tyd vir die karavaan om aan te skuif na die veilingslokaal. Kom ons kyk maar.
NS. ‘n Maand later, toe ons na ‘n 10 dae reis na Texas en Californië terugkeer, was die gras so mooi groen, ons kon nie glo dat dit in ‘n maand se tyd so verander het nie.
New York’s high ways, like any major city in the world, is a nightmare. If you arrive at 7:30 am on JFKennedy Intl. Airport, there’s no way you can miss the peak traffic, in fact, I am wondering if there’s a thing like regular traffic. New York is a city that lives 24/7/265. The first familiar signage that I have noticed is the exit to Bronz. I don’t think I’m wrong if I say that the name Bronz has never ever predicted anything good. What struck me like a fist, however, is that together with Bronz, Van Wyck Expwy, is also on the board, a sign that the Dutch were here before us. In the early years, there was an election in New York to decide if the state would remain a Dutch colony or become part of the United States. The Dutch lost by one vote. Everywhere I notice names that are unfamiliar to me – known because they remind me of my own language and my country of origin, odd because it’s not quite the same. Newburgh, some English, some German, flew past us. Middleburgh, comparable to Middelburg, MP in South Africa is a much more sophisticated town that his South African counterpart. Unfortunately, Middelburg in the Northern Cape will be second if it comes to size. Richmondville, a mere 5 miles from us, does not even have a shop. It reminds me of a village somewhere in the Swiss Alps, but its name will not reach the Swiss zip code list. Our Richmond, a Karoo town along the N1 to the North, is maybe a bit shattered in beauty, but there is a church bell which rings on Sundays. Here is no sign of a place of worship. The 180 miles (300 km) are actually quickly passing by as you look forward to all the strangely-known names of villages which appear to have Rip van Winkel as a resident in the town. There is also a Rip van Winkel Bridge that runs across the Hudson River.
The Americans like to stay on plots (a lot). Cars, bicycles, lawnmowers and everything else you can think of, is parked under the trees. I do not know of any Egyptian in the vicinity of Cairo, only an Mc Donalds, located at the intersection of the village – entirely out of place. I would instead expect a branch of Ari’s Souvlaki with their delicious Greek food in Sea Point than a McChicken in Cairo. Cousin Elsa, where are you now?
We arrived in Summit – “on top of the mountain” our home in NY – a plot, already green after winter snow, with a trailer home, hidden under a tent.
Six months passed since Pieter left here. The lawn mower and generator are still under the trailer home, as he last covered it with the tent. However, the canopy that had to protect the trailer home had it’s last winter – for four years it defended the trailer home in winter and summer, now it’s lifetime expired. Maybe it’s time for the trailer home to go as well – let’s see.
NB. A month later, when we came back from California, the grass was beautiful and green. We could not believe that it changed so much in a month’s time.
Published May 11, 2018 June 10, 2018
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