I ended up in South Africa for a few days. I am visiting a friend for her 18th birthday. She lives in Sodwana Bay with her father, a quiet beach townslashvillage, the size of which no one I ask can estimate.

South Africa is different. Everybody tells me about the crime and violence, schools being shut down, poverty and unemployment. The load shedding is weird; some hours of the day, the lights go out as areas save elecrticity. But my friend is being happy and playful as usual: noticing small details in her surroundings, running and jumping and having big opinions about nothing in particular as a teenager should. It makes me happy.

She meets me at the border with her father and we ride the buses in the heat for two hours. The rest of the weekend is lovely: we go snorkling, play pool, pet dogs, take naps and walks and paint together. I am feeling so well hosted and received, and again the time to leave comes way too soon. But I am happy; not that I’ve gotten to know South Africa, but without her I would never even have set foot here. I am glad to have gotten this warm and sweet experience from this country that I otherwise have heard mostly sad and bad things about.

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(This story told in pictures.)