The Australian-American Monument, Canberra
Gentle Readers,
This is the last communication from Down Under. Winter to summer today, Canberra to Sydney, Sydney to LAX and then on to Dulles once the Immigration folks are done with me in LA.
This has been painful but useful. It helps to calibrate one's place in the universe (small, and mostly irrelevant). It helps to confirm the essential goodness of people, the wonder of the vastness of the world, and curious nature ofthe human experience.
My associate Levine pretty much sums it up. A fourth generation South African of Indian heritage, he grew up in the madness of Aparteit, and was dealt out of the massive restructuring of society by the ANC that followed it. Too brown for the former and not brown enough for the latter.
He took the opportunity to flee to New Zealand, based on the dying Commonwealth connection, where his children were born. He is working here in OZ, now 44, and his son asks him why he looks Indian if he is from Africa and born a Kiwi.
Levine doesn't know. He is here in Australia for a while, based on job opportunities and the comfortable relationship between these two island peoples. He thinks maybe he will take a job in the States next, and on this morning, I am just happy to be going home, Supreme Court and all.
That is getting some curious play down here. Someone is knocking on the door. It may be Dr. Who, with his magic time-traveling phone booth. Gotta run.
OZ, Out.
Copyright 2007 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com