Hallo vrinne / Hello friends
My bottom teeth have been moving at an alarming rate. Althought they were once fairly straight, they have recently started to bundle together in a very discomforting fashion. So much so that the fear of having buck teeth in another 6 months’ time became greater than the fear of going to the orthodontist.
The dreaded verdict?
“Bundling of the bottom teeth is natural as one gets older”.Yes, my friends, be warned! About 85% of all people - regardless of how straight your teeth are now - will have to endure the bundling of the bottom teeth as yet another part of the ageing process.
At least I’m normal (darn it!)
We’re all growing up so fast. Some friends are getting married soon. Others are having kids…. And my teeth are bundling.
I could have it fixed if I wanted - for about R15 000 - or I could wait it out another few years to see how much worse it’ll become. So…seeing as I don’t exactly have R15 000 lying around I’ve decided to take my chances for now. Besides, my mother always said our little imperfections give us character.
I’ve been wanting for a long time to take a few shots of “the other side of Stellenbosch” - ie. the taxi ranks, the hair saloon and dodgy butchery on the wrong side of town, the street kids, and especially the people and buildings in Kayamandi (Stellebosch’s informal settlement). I find it very intimidating driving around there though, since, being about the only white face - and very white at that, I stand out just a tad. Especially with a camera. I guess I also feel a bit unsafe (I think more for my camera’s sake than my own). I’m not quite sure if feeling that way makes me prejudiced or just realistic.
Anyway…I finally ventured out on the quiet Saturday afternoon so I could take a few shots of the painted wall surrounding Kayamandi. Baby steps…
So whilst driving around I couldn’t help but think that developed countries in general, are like people who were fortunate enough to be able to afford braces. They had the money to buy themselves a great pair of pearly whites and now everybody is just dazzled by their smiles…as they probably should be. Whereas Africa is like the poor kid with the very crooked teeth. It’s gawky and it distracts you, the smile is not nearly as glamourous as the others’ and you’re not always sure if you want to be seen in public with teeth like that.
But it still has sooo much character that you cannot help but love it…
I hope to become a little braver soon…but for now, just the wall.
My bottom teeth have been moving at an alarming rate. Althought they were once fairly straight, they have recently started to bundle together in a very discomforting fashion. So much so that the fear of having buck teeth in another 6 months’ time became greater than the fear of going to the orthodontist.
The dreaded verdict?
“Bundling of the bottom teeth is natural as one gets older”.Yes, my friends, be warned! About 85% of all people - regardless of how straight your teeth are now - will have to endure the bundling of the bottom teeth as yet another part of the ageing process.
At least I’m normal (darn it!)
We’re all growing up so fast. Some friends are getting married soon. Others are having kids…. And my teeth are bundling.
I could have it fixed if I wanted - for about R15 000 - or I could wait it out another few years to see how much worse it’ll become. So…seeing as I don’t exactly have R15 000 lying around I’ve decided to take my chances for now. Besides, my mother always said our little imperfections give us character.
I’ve been wanting for a long time to take a few shots of “the other side of Stellenbosch” - ie. the taxi ranks, the hair saloon and dodgy butchery on the wrong side of town, the street kids, and especially the people and buildings in Kayamandi (Stellebosch’s informal settlement). I find it very intimidating driving around there though, since, being about the only white face - and very white at that, I stand out just a tad. Especially with a camera. I guess I also feel a bit unsafe (I think more for my camera’s sake than my own). I’m not quite sure if feeling that way makes me prejudiced or just realistic.
Anyway…I finally ventured out on the quiet Saturday afternoon so I could take a few shots of the painted wall surrounding Kayamandi. Baby steps…
So whilst driving around I couldn’t help but think that developed countries in general, are like people who were fortunate enough to be able to afford braces. They had the money to buy themselves a great pair of pearly whites and now everybody is just dazzled by their smiles…as they probably should be. Whereas Africa is like the poor kid with the very crooked teeth. It’s gawky and it distracts you, the smile is not nearly as glamourous as the others’ and you’re not always sure if you want to be seen in public with teeth like that.
But it still has sooo much character that you cannot help but love it…
I hope to become a little braver soon…but for now, just the wall.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment