OPINION PIECE: Ahhh, small-town fever. We've all heard it, being overused when describing someone who grew up in a small town anywhere in South Africa and maybe around the world.
I'm from a small town, and apparently we don't know what goes on in the world.
Of course I'm taking the mickey. We who reside in small towns actually know what happens in the wide world, thanks to the worldwide web, while enjoying our little circles. They're intimate and personal, unlike many communities in the big cities. I've spent the majority of my life, roughly 20 years, living in small towns, having only spent one-and-a-half years in Johannesburg, which, bar the professional benefits, wasn't exactly fun.
I spent most of my primary school years in Musina, SA's northernmost town, a short drive from the Zimbabwean border. I loved that town. It was a melting pot of cultures and ethnicity, and I'm so grateful I grew up there.
I developed an appreciation and respect for my fellow humans because I was raised with influences from many cultures and races.
This continued into my high school years, which I spent at hostel while attending Merensky High School in Tzaneen. Living in a village with fewer residents than pupils in my high school was amazing. Man, were there some characters in that village! But boy, I loved them for it! I was in hostel for five days of the week, and the melting pot was in full effect there too.
Learners from all over the country and the continent, all in one place. I was happy, but I knew my career in journalism wouldn't necessarily reach the heights I was aiming for.
I eventually took the leap to the big city, by moving to Jo'burg in December 2017. I spent a year and five months there, and while I was experiencing professional success, I was struggling personally. It felt like people didn't care, almost as if they were too busy chasing big city life.
The corporate society in Jo'burg is, from my experience, cold and harsh. You're not a person, you're just a cog in a never-ending system. I learned a lot from it that I couldn't learn elsewhere, but it was harsh, and at times cruel.
Luckily, in May 2019, I returned to small-town living, this time in the beautiful coastal town that is Knysna.
As soon as locals heard I came from Jo'burg, they were quick to warn me of "small town politics" and the cliques. Luckily I knew all about it from my youth, so that wasn't a problem.
In my year in Knysna, I've felt more at home than I have in a long time because people care.
Truly, madly, deeply. Everyone knows everyone, and even if you don't, you're bound to know someone who knows someone, so, you're destined to care. But I've also heard many referring to locals catching "small town fever" and being too scared to leave.
I contest this. I feel like most have stayed not because they're scared, but because they're actually brave. Why? Well, to be frank (I do enjoy being Frank), it's because it takes guts to look at your small town and envision growth where others don't. To look at a saturated market in a town that has seemingly expanded to its capacity, and then to find a gap and start your own business or by making a difference in an existing one. That's bravery.
As for me, I know my work will make more of a difference to the average person here than it will to someone in the city where there are hundreds of other media outlets. Here, I will bump into someone I've written about in a grocery store and we'll chit-chat about the town or what's new in life. That is personal, that is intimate and rarely happens in a big city.
Also, in a city, if you lose your job you often just become a number lost in the system, but in a small town you'll have someone who'll lend a helping hand.
There will always be someone who cares and helps you get back on your feet. Why? Chances are you went to school with one of their kids.
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