I walked to the front gate of the house whose name is partially inspired by my grandfathers pen-name while at school (they have different names for different stages of their lives and people in this district of China name their houses) and found a new and polished stainless steel front gate instead of the old rusty metal gate that usually greeted me.
The house has just been completely renovated by my uncle who paid close to R260 000 in the renovation and new furnitures. Upon entering the gate I found a stone tiled quad instead of the old cracked concrete and a new independent entrance to the 2nd floor. Inside, the ground floor haven't changed much except a new coat of paint and new 42 inch LCD tv. The 2nd floor has been reopened again for the first time in a decade and now has a new modern feel to it. There are three bedrooms and a lounge area here, one of the them an en-suite. Each room has a new bed, cupboard, desk, its own aircon and spacious to the point of being empty. The lounge is also equiped with a the same tv as downstairs but also with an impressive surround sound system and new comfy couches.
The third floor is still locked and almost as long as I have been in SA and therefore my memories of the 3rd floor is rather vague as my dad built it as a production area for pearls. I stood on the ground floor in the quad and felt a stab of regret that the old promagranade tree has been cut down - I remember that tree and it's fruits fondly. Ah, so many memories under that tree. Four generations of my family has had their picture taken under that tree. So sad to see it gone. No matter how far I go, no matter how long I will be away for - this place will always be a "home" to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment