In South Africa, I spend far more time in malls socially than I ever did in America. I don't really go to the mall in Giyani, either, mainly because it's small and the grocery store I shop at isn't in it. But whenever I'm in a city, or even in another town in Limpopo, the mall seems to be the first stop. Partly, the malls are more all-encompassing than the malls in San Antonio. They have, besides the usual stores and restaurants, grocery stores and movie theaters. If I want to buy food, I have to go to the mall. Movies are cheap here, so watching movies is a common past time for PCVs who have to pass through Pretoria and have an afternoon to kill (I have seen five movies in the last month! Five!). That also requires a visit to the mall. Hatfild Mall has a Lebanese restaurant and an frozen yogurt place, both popular stops, and a few coffee shops. Plus, frankly, there's not a whole lot to do in Pretoria when you return time and again.
In Durban, on the other hand, we had a free day before taking the night bus back to Gauteng before GTOT and it was more or less unanimously decided that we should go to the mall for the day. I was in favor of it, and enjoyed myself in the mall. But Durban has plenty to do besides malls: the beach, the markets, the museums, the Marine World, etc. Partly, we were tired from our week at LST and just wanted to zone out (we saw a movie at the mall). Partly, half the group had just been to Durban for vacation and the other half were going to be coming back soon. But really, if we had wanted to, there would have been something else to do in the city.
Malls, most PCVs who frequent them will acknowledge, aren't even that exciting. There's not much to do after you've reached the point where all the movies playing are so bad that you actually refuse to see them, after you've eaten three enormous meals, and after you've browsed through things you can't afford and don't want to buy, possibly running through your list of things you can't buy in your shopping town while at the grocery store. I think that we keep returning because they're comforting to be in. They remind us of home, even though very few of us ever went to malls much at home. They offer us anonymity and relative safety to wander, which doesn't really happen where most of us live. They're full of mindless activities, which is a relief for those of us who spend too much time thinking serious thoughts and need to get out of our heads. Yes, we could go look at important historical monuments and museums after traveling all day before our meeting tomorrow. Or, we could go see James Bond blow things up and then get ice cream.
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2 comments:
the mall is the only thing in nelspruit i hate. simply put, i hate malls.
Well, I feel pretty disgusted with myself after spending a few hours in a mall. It's true though that South Africa is best appreciated outside its malls--though in my opinion, the ability to travel in a day from a rural village with low technological literacy and high unemployment rates to a shiny new mall with American chains and Hollywood movies is one of the important contrast of the country.
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