Been to Orania

Well, I had never heard of the place, let alone been there.
What an eye-opener, I loved it.
The whole experience is not what I expected at all.  There is nothing that the people of  Orania cannot do. There are shops, computers, Netflix, churches, wow!

I loved the fact that you are part of a community.  We in the City seem to have lost that a community feeling. Looking out for each other, caring.

You can have your morning coffee on the proverbial "stoep" and see your neighbours walking or driving to work. You greet each other.  It is just the right thing to do. You want to greet, no forced smiles.

You come home after work and the children are playing in the streets, riding bicycle and chasing each other around.People pottering in there gardens.  Walking, riding bicycles, chatting with each other. You feel so safe.

It was really hot, while I was there, the Town swimming pool was open for us all to go and swim.
What a difference. From the Pastor, to the Town Clerk, the Cleaners and Gardeners, all were there.
Residents recycle, look after the environment, are healthier and have less stress.

This really sounds like Utopia, but the strange thing is, you expect the average age of the citizens to be at least 60 years old, but strangely enough the average age is 35 years old.
Yes the quality of life is what it is about.  You can drive to the larger cities, but you don't really need to do that.

Life has meaning, you come away with a sense of pride.

One of the many people I met there, who was not at all what I expected.  It was a young lady, with many tattoo's, not to be judgemental, I wondered how this lady came to be living in this community.
Only to be told by her that she was a music major and played the Violin of all things, not using those talents right now. But gainfully employed. Everyone has a job, no-one needs to be unemployed there.

What I learnt, they know how to have fun, one of the many things, runs, cycle rides, stock cars, pub crawls.  Just normal life.....

So just as I learnt, do not judge a book by its cover or its environment! There are different ways to live, and its stunning. Well worth the visit.  If you have something to offer the Town, well worth the stay.