[During the third quarter of 2001, I met many other South Africans in Kaohsiung. As was the case at the beginning of 2000, this had an effect on how I experienced my life in Taiwan. The next piece of text was taken from an email to an old friend in Johannesburg.]
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SUNDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2001
“I just returned from a weekend in – believe it or not – pristine wilderness. Camped on a riverbank with mountains towering above us, and so on. And all this just more than two hours’ scooter ride from the foul, filthy, polluted city where I waste all my time.
Since so many motherlanders have now infiltrated the community of strangers, I don’t have to speak English all the time. This weekend was no exception. We even listened to Anton Goosen late into the night!
Anyways, I’m glad you’re still alive. I have to go wash the sand of my dog (a story for later) and pour myself a glass of fresh green tea.”
~ From an e-mail to a friend (4 November 2001)
[During the Saturday night on the riverbank I had a discussion with my new friends about religion. This led to the piece “To talk about God”.]
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