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Yes, today is my birthday. 27 years ago my Mother was probably cursing my Father; and I imagine that my Father was anxiously pacing the halls of the Hospital. I actually have never asked my Mom about my actual birthday. I know that she had to have a caesar, but I’m not sure why.

Anyway. I spent the first 5 years of my life living on a ranger’s station in Matetsi. My Dad was the resident ecologist and my Mum was a home maker and studying book-keeping. My sister came along in October just over 2 years later. I loved the bush, the sounds of lions and zebras at night, the occasional puff-adder or cobra in the dining room…actually I lie. I didn’t love the snakes. They used to terrify me. Still do. I loved that on a clear day we could see the spray from Vic Falls and that we had an enormous (to my 4 year-old-mind) garden to play in. Gogo, our long-suffering nanny was always there, and we’d usually be outside from early  morning until it began to get dark. We went to the local nursery school, Sprogs, once or twice a week. It was an hour away; over bumpy dirt roads; so going was a bit deal and usually combined with other errands.

When I approached school going age, my parents decided that they did not want to bundle me off to the closest boarding school, which was in Bulawayo, a good 5 or 6 hours south and so we moved to Harare. My Dad worked for National Parks for a while and my Mum got a job at the pharmacy in one of the hospitals. And I started school. I was so not cut out for it. I didn’t really understand why I had to be here practically all day, wearing a dress. Why couldn’t I go out and play? I spent so much time starting out the window, totally zoned out that almost all my early report cards say “Tara needs to pay attention in class.” or “Tara needs to stop staring out the window.” I ended up going for extra reading lesson with the headmistress, a fantastic woman, who not only instilled a deep and abiding love of reading, she still recognises and greets me when I bump into her in the supermarket. School never really got better. I just didn’t fit in and I had few friends. I was chronically shy. I think it was a product of the sheltered life we’d led at Matetsi. Some of the friends I did make then, have stuck by me ever since.

High school. Well; I was lucky that my parents were open-minded enough to send me to a non-conventional school. Instead of being forced into a single-sex highly regulated school, I followed one of my best friends to Speciss. This was a school run on a more or less American model. No uniforms, no prefects. There were good times, and bad. I did quite well in exams; but let me tell you it is tough being a teen at a school which encourages so much individuality. The pressure, from your peers, to conform to trends and so on is huge! Still, I like to think I didn’t cave to the sillier things! I also met my first love there. We stayed together through 1.5 years of high school and almost 4 years of Uni. And despite a few hiccups after breaking up, we are still on good terms. I am lucky that way (and I still need to pay him a visit on his farm…). So high school was OK. You still couldn’t pay enough me to go back there!

I decided to go straight on to University after high school. And I decided on Rhodes for two simple reasons. One, both my parents went there. In fact, they met there. And two, UCT never replied to my email enquiries. I registered for a BSc, fully intending to do environmental science so I could go into consulting. Somewhere along the way, probably between my Res and the Rat & Parrot, that plan fell away and I enter up majoring in Zoology and Geography (I am so my father’s daughter!) I went on to do marine Biology for my Honours degree, which included a trip to Marion Island. If you look at the map, you’ll see that the Prince Edward Islands are about as isolated as it gets. And yet, SA maintains a year-round research base there.

Middle of Nowhere.

They’re about a week’s sailing from Cape Town and it was fantastic! I have never worked so hard, (or partied so hard) before or since! We saw penguins (smelly) and elephant seals (smellier) and orcas (gorgeous!) thousands of albatrosses and petrals. It was wonderful.

As my Honours year was drawing to a close, I had a small panic attack at the thought of The Real World and hastily applied for, and was accepted for a MSc. Two years of slopping around in the mud and early mornings commenced and I finally, after many tears and frustrations and chocolate biscuits, produced 137 pages of thesis. Never again!! I swore and promptly took off with J on a 6 week camping trip around southern Africa. Zim, Bots, Namibia and South Africa. R20K and over 10,000 km. No punctures, rain every single day, thousands of animals, birds, gorgeous views, camp fire dinners, and once, stunning stunning dinner in Walvis Bay that I will remember for the rest of my life. We arrived back in Ght with exactly R1000 between us, and rent to pay, I grabbed the first job that came along with both hands. Shortly after that, my immediate Boss resigned, and I was promoted. And here I am; just over 2 years later.

~*~

Now that you have the cliff notes to my life, I can tell you what I’ve got for my birthday. Some gorgeous Chinese style bowls and spoons from Jax, some chocolate and shower gel from Carol and a stunning silver necklace with a silver rose on it from J. I am a happy spoilt girl! I made a ton of goodies for work and tonight we are going out for dinner at The Cock House. Grahamstown’s one swanky restaurant. I’ve already chatted to my Mum this morning and hopefully my Dad soon (he’s on a houseboat at the moment, distracting my Grandpa. Gran is still much the same; in care in a home. It’s the best place for her but it is still so sad).

My sister has found a flat in Gordon’s Bay and I have already booked a couch spot for when I am travelling for work in August.

It’s pretty chilly here today and raining. Ah, Grahamstown Festival weather; we’ve missed you!

I must go and get some work done before stuffing my face with home-baked goodies!