#Culture

In the United States, baked beans are for barbecues – to be eaten in the back yard with hot dogs and hamburgers and potato salad. In South Africa, baked beans are for breakfast.

Spending the holidays in a warm place in the northern hemisphere (like Hilton Head Island, where my mom lives) is one thing. But celebrating Christmas during summer is quite another. My brain doesn’t know what to make of it.

One of the cool things about living in Joburg is that people are always passing through. It’s difficult to travel from one place to another in Southern Africa without stopping here along the way.

I was ambitious in thinking I could tell this story in three parts. I’m expanding it to four.

Our stay in Swaziland began peacefully. We crossed the border at Bulembu, a tiny town northeast of the busier border crossing at Oshoek. Rather than jostling around in long lines and dealing with surly immigration officials, we sauntered into a one-room building and chatted with the three women behind the counter. They crochet lace to pass the time – I bought a piece for R100. They stamped our passports with a smile (no paperwork required) and we were off.