White until the Wild Coast

As we come to leave South Africa, we've been thinking a bit about this country, its recent history, its engrained attitudes.

It's fair to say this place isn't in a great way, and there's a lot of pessimism about the future. No-one thought the transition would be quick or easy, but a sadly familiar african politic is unravelling Mandela's hard work.

Our experience has been predominantly and unnervingly white - volunteers, hosts, contacts, friends - all great. We finally got a taste of rural black life up near Durban, but not enough to hear the other side of the SA story.

As a result, some opinions have been hard on our delicate western ears, and some conversations awkward to navigate. We've generally just listened and learnt a lot, not necessarily about how things are but about how things are perceived to be.

UPDATE - my god this is earnest, it sounds like im discovering myself out here. Less rhetorical posturing to come