WHIRLWIND TRIP TO CAPE TOWN
IF YOU’RE reading this while enjoying your morning coffee, my family and I should be cruising thousands of feet above the ground, winging our way towards the Mother City.
Yep, the Bawas of Doha are heading to Cape Town today. And, while this trip promises to be even more of a whirlwind than usual since it’s only a week long, I still cannot wait to step foot on South African soil when Qatar Airways flight QR1370 touches down at Cape Town International after 10 hours and nearly 7 000km in the air.
It’s been a roller-coaster ride emotionally for me these past few months – I’ve lost two uncles and an aunt in a short space of time, and couldn’t make it back to South Africa for any of the funerals.
Neither could my sister, who lives in Melbourne.
But Sayeeda will be arriving in Cape Town with her family tomorrow, so we will still get a chance to cry together, after having to grieve apart when we got one sad phone call after another.
But after the tears, there will be laughter, too.
It will be the first time that all the Bawa siblings and our families will be together and reunited with our parents in nine years.
Also, my dad turns 80 next week. He’s given strict instructions for us not to make a big deal of it, saying he will be happy just to have his five children with him, so please do keep
The truth is, it feels like the right time to be in the Mother City’s bosom again, even if it does mean taking the kids out of school for a week. Not that they seem to mind, of course.
the news between us…
The truth is, it feels like the right time to be in the Mother City’s bosom again, even it does mean taking the kids out of school for a week. Not that they seem to mind, of course.
“Don’t worry,” says Aqeel, when Shihaam and I express concerns about him missing school. “My teachers will supply me with a list of assignments I can work on by myself and I can stay in touch with them and other kids from my classes on email and WhatsApp.”
Okay, then. I suppose in a predominantly expatriate environment, schools have to have plans and processes in place for those situations that require families to travel back to their home countries outside regular term breaks.
“And I will get my home learning worksheet for the week from Mrs Hodgson before we go,” pipes up Saabirah, “so that I can make sure I finish it while we’re in Cape Town. That way I won’t be behind on anything when I go back to school.”
Yaqeen, however, saves the best for last. “Mom, Dad,” he says solemnly, “it’s important to spend time with family.”
Can’t argue with that. See you in Cape Town.