LIFESTYLE NEWS - Today, 30 April, marks exactly a year since my first day as a journalist at Knysna-Plett Herald, and boy, has it been a year to remember.
While it has been a roller-coaster ride, I am beyond grateful for what Knysna has given me, and lockdown has afforded me the chance to reflect.
A year and a day ago, on Monday 29 April, I set off from Johannesburg at 02:00, with little knowledge of what lay ahead for me. Never before had I embarked on a drive longer than the journey from Tzaneen to Johannesburg, and now all of a sudden I was setting off on a direct route to Knysna. Thirteen hours later, and Google Maps brought me to the top of Prince Alfred's Pass in Uniondale. Not knowing the road that lay ahead, the next 80-odd kilometres in my Volkswagen Jetta were interesting, to say the least.
In a way, the two-and-a-half hours it took me to traverse that pass could sum up my year in Knysna. Beautifully serene and scenic, yet there's more bumps in the road than you'd like. Never knowing what could come your way from around each corner, but being able to negotiate it and manage it regardless of what it is. Having never been to Knysna, I had always heard of the town as this idyllic holiday destination that is on many South Africans' bucket list, so the image I had painted of the place was this cool, laid-back coastal town with white picket fences where no one really works.
But, as someone recently and rightfully pointed out to me, you never see Knysna for what it is until you actually live here.
Granted, Knysna is an idyllic holiday destination for millions of people around the world, but there's so much more to the Knysna that I've come to know. Having grown up in small towns, I was no stranger to the small-town -gossip that ensures your neighbour knows your next move before you do. But while it can be detrimental elsewhere, in Knysna it seems to have a different effect, an effect that brings the townspeople closer together in a way that allows anyone to help anyone. If you ever think you're above someone in the town, you can be sure there's going to be someone else who brings you back to Earth with a piece of humble pie.
This lends itself to one of the things I enjoy most about the people in this town: they're down to Earth. Every place will have its fair share of pompous people who think they rule the town, but the majority I have encountered have been the nicest people I've met. I don't know what it is, but something about the town acts as a magnet, attracting people who genuinely and deeply care for others.
This overriding feeling is something that probably spawned from the 2017 Fires along with what is by far the trait of Knysna's people that I admire the most – resilience. Tourists from around the world are oft quick to point out how Knysna rebuilt after the fires, but are not so quick to sit down and listen to what it took for the residents of this town to get to where they are now. Many still suffer from the after-effects of the fires, but that never stops them. They keep going, they keep fighting. The resilience and fight I have come to know Knysna for is irreplaceable, and it is something one can truly only appreciate once you sit down and take time to get to know the town and its people.
Lastly, I have learnt so many lessons from the nature in the area, and while this might sound absurd, I urge you (once lockdown has lifted) to go out and watch the sun rise in the mornings. Just find a spot that overlooks the town, and watch how life goes on around you. The world stops for no one, and I cannot think of a more picturesque area wherein to learn that lesson from nature.
So, thank you Knysna, for an amazing year thus far. Hopefully, I'll be around for a bit longer.
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