The case of Brandon Huntley — in terms of the divergent reactions of South Africans to his attempts to get Canadian refugee status, not so much what he did — has become one emblem of the current South African collective consciousness and subconsciousness. That emblem is the denial of racism conflated with the accusation that […]
Rod MacKenzie
CRACKING CHINA was previously the title of this blog. That title was used as the name for Rod MacKenzie's second book, Cracking China: a memoir of our first three years in China. From a review in the Johannesburg Star: " Mackenzie's writing is shot through with humour and there are many laugh-out-loud scenes". Cracking China is available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle or get a hard copy from www.knowledgethirstmedia.co.za.
His previous book is a collection of poetry,Gathering Light.
A born and bred South African, Rod now lives in Auckland, New Zealand, after a number of years working in southern mainland China and a stint in England.
Under the editorship of David Bullard and Michael Trapido he had a column called "The Mocking Truth" on NewsTime until the newszine folded.
He has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. if you are a big, BIG publisher you should ask to see one of his many manuscript novels. Follow Rod on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Rod_in_China
Posted inGeneral
How was your first day of school? (you’re still there)
I just knew somehow it was going to be a very special day. I was all smartly dressed in a khaki uniform, cap and sandals, and a shiny leather satchel was slung over my back. Decades later, I remember looking at the photo, recalling the scents of leather, well-scrubbed teeth and a hint of peanut […]
Posted inGeneral
Memories of apartheid forced removals here in China
Around where we live there used to be a real “China Town”. That is to say, wonderful bric-a-brac of small shops selling everything from toilet seats to services such as getting new keys cut, shoe repairs and tailors, from the Chinese version of take-away omelettes wrapped around a stick of dough for breakfast to tiny […]
Posted inGeneral
The sadness Christmas can sometimes bring
I was lying on a bed in a physiotherapist’s ward in Randburg with an ankle injury and listened to an elderly female voice querying another woman: ‘So what are you doing for Easter?’ I had seen the two slowly hobbling into the ward and they were definitely old hands at being “senior citizens”. “Oh… I […]
Posted inGeneral
The history of our private parts
In China the expression “That’s yellow!” means the movie, or what you said, was “naughty” or had an off-colour connotation. The thirteen-year-olds I teach know the expression well and I have had some hilarious incidents. One day in class we did some sentence patterns to teach superlatives and the book required sentence patterns based on […]
Posted inLifestyle
What makes relationships last (and the missing undies and shorts case)
My shorts and underwear were nowhere to be found. I searched all over the unfamiliar bed, looked under it, searched cupboards and eventually phoned Marion. I had slept over at her home and had only met her two nights before. I was on my own and she had gone off to work. She made a […]
Posted inGeneral
How do you extract a birth certificate from an extinct country (Zim)?
Before getting into this blog, it would be appreciated if any reader can give me a practical answer or solution to the question posed in my blog title above and a quick solution (less than six months processing) for the unabridged South African birth certificate. Seriously. Including a Zimbabwean unabridged birth certificate. Dictionaries define “country” […]
Posted inGeneral
On the punishment of children
I sit in my teacher cubicle throwing crumpled bits of paper over the cubicle wall. On the other side of the wall is a Chinese boy who has been punished for not doing his homework. He is about twelve. I cannot see him. He has to sit there at that desk and finish his work […]
Posted inLifestyle
Do we see how daft our own behaviour is?
We decided to have a lock put on our bedroom door for extra safety and I duly told our ayi, maid in Chinese, the new rule and the safe place to leave the key. I realise ayi here in China come from a very simple or rural background and need training in using washing machines, […]
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At last! Wolverine vs Terminator/SA vs ANC
Shrrrikkt! Wolverine’s adamantium claws shred through the wooden door on the twenty-first floor of the abandoned building. The man, if such he is, known only as Arnie, is standing in the middle of the room, arms hanging, with that strangely emotionless face and the way cool sunglasses. Up swings Arnie’s machine gun as he bellows […]
Posted inGeneral
Appalling SA embassy services bedevil SA workers abroad
Here’s the scenario: you are working in Shanghai and your SA passport is about to expire in a few months. Good, responsible citizen that you are, and not wishing to have trouble with the Chinese authorities when renewing your work visa, you duly go to the SA consulate in Shanghai. Bureaucratic procedures combined with the […]
Posted inGeneral
So what are your childhood pet animal stories?
“So,” I chooned told ou Phil, “you should have seen my mutt Bruce. He was a Labrador and he couldn’t stop eating. My mother believed he must still be hungry if he was happy to have more. My old lady and blurry Bruce were a scary combination. She would just keep piling up his dog […]