various pictures taken before i got pictures on my website
upon arrival ... you can see one of my bags is on the floor and the other has already been emptied
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my mother with a very serious pose
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Zakira showing a peek of the Louisiana shirt i sent them ... while i make a dop
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the cross-stitch paraphernalia ... and the cross-stitcher ... this year i hit the jackpot and got to bring away two pieces of her work with me :)
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my father the gardener watering his latest projects
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Zakira looking a little unhappy that i keep on snapping up pictures
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food ... yummm ... preparations for the evening's Iftaar - looks like the paneer thing Naseema was making
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and a view of the cook ... notice the stacks of chocolates on the counter ... and the radio my mother had permanently tuned into Radio Al-Ansaar - the local slumou's station for Ramadan (heavy stuff)
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my father and i strategising before attempting to break some mangoes off the tree ... with Windi-Dri number 2 (3?) behind me
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my father pointing to a fruit ... either that or he's trying to be Superman (again)
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me, the mango, the neighbour's Wendy Hut and the sheep-pen/veggie-garden
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every Zulu has to carry a stick ! ... not that my father is Zulu ... and his stick is only used for hooking fruit anyway ... but close enough :)
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the verandah ... did you know that word was Indian ... one of the few Indian words that made it into English
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father reading the newspaper ... a daily ritual for my parents ... me, i skim and concentrate on the important parts, like the daily dose of Calvin and Hobbes :)
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the "front house", aka the house across the road from us, with the local mosque looming in the background ... just to give you an idea of how close we are to the local mosque
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view from my sisters' bedroom just before sunset ... if you look closely, you might notice the houses are all the same, and the two sides are painted in different colours - thats because they are semi-detached or condominium-style
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Zakira making something that requires Maas - thats the local sour milk product - i think its a Zulu word
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and another view of the same process ... showing the greatest design decision my family made - putting the tv in the dining room - that way we can eat while we watch tv and watch tv while we eat :)
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Naseema channel-surfing just before Iftaar ... notice the green box in the front - thats the milk that doesnt have to be kept in the fridge until opened, which i discovered does not exist on the east coast of the US
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Iftaar - the end of the fast for yet another day ... me eating a date, while Naseema drinks milkshake - the traditional way to end the fast
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the front of the flower garden - alas, i cannot for the life of me remember what these flowers were called
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further into the garden where there are more unrecognisable flowers
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my parents' wedding invitation - Shabeer, my cousin, found a copy of this and gave it to my sisters for posterity
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Naseema, having a bit too much fun with Lo-Too, the furby
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the dream-catcher i sent the family from Texas, displayed prominently at the entrance to the house so i could see it :)
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mother, once again looking very serious
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Naseema, peering over the top of Zakira's car just before we go out jorling
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down the street ... if you look at last year's picture you will notice that my neighbour's car repair business has closed down - i think because one of the other neighbours complained
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a house converted into a medical practice ... lots of these all over the suburb
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more Chatsworth houses ... i dont know exactly where this is because the houses dont look as regular ... but its still somewhere in the suburb
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me and Fazel eating at John Dory's the Fishmonger ... i just had to have my fix of seafood after Eid and before leaving Durban :)
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Season's Greetings at the entrance to the suburb ... much more light-hearted than last year's serious message about rape
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Higginson Highway - the main highway that runs through the suburb of Chatsworth ... also known as M1 - main road number 1 in the city
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the Rising Sun - a local free advertising-sponsored newspaper ... "dispelling darkness" and "bringing light" - ya sure :)
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the wonderful shades of pink and blue that adorn the pedestrian bridges over Higginson ... wonder who's bright idea this was
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the speed limit at a slower part of the highway ... in kilometres of course
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KFC - yes, we have tons of them, including one just down the road at the local shopping mall ... and its even Halal too !
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a sale banner stuck illegally on a bridge ... from my experience this doesnt last more than a day because someone (the cops?) takes them down
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the government building where my sister Zakira works ... just down the road near the local mall
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an ambulance - with the local licence plates
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a street vendor selling litchies from a truck
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the Hare Krishna temple, and the local headquarters of the HK movement
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Simba - South Africa's answer to potato chips ... and in my opinion, much better than Lays
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the intersection between the stadium and Chatsworth Centre, with the Rajput Hall in the distance
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Chatsworth Plaza, another little shopping centre around the mall, with two very much Indian stores
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the Chatsworth Centre parking lot, on one side
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Steers and Debonairs - our answer to McDonalds and Papa Johns (yes, we have Pizza Hut :))
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Nandos - the place with the Portuguese chicken - havent had anything like it out of the country ... but then i cant eat the chicken anywhere else :)
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my mother and her two sisters and their place (they live together these days)
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another picture of the Medar sisters looking very serious for the foreigner taking photos :)
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and it looks like another Iftaar, this time Naseema is heading upstairs, while other people chow down
