Blog Reboot

What do whaling, lightning conductors, and family moves between Norway and South Africa have in common?

I have neglected this blog for a few years, but I now have a specific goal in mind and plan to post more regularly. As far as I know, the best way to improve one’s skills in any area is to spend time practicing those skills. In this case, the skill in question is writing. I have done little writing in the past few years, but it is absolutely necessary if I am to achieve the goal that explains the question with which I opened this post. I want to write a book about my great-grandfather.

For those of you who have ever asked me where I am from, I may have given the super-truncated story (Everywhere. How about you?) or the brief story (Well, my dad is South African, my mom’s Norwegian, and I grew up all over the world). However, if you have appeared truly interested, I may have given the long version, which begins with my mom’s maternal grandfather.

My great-grandfather was a sailor. In fact, he worked as a whaler for much of his life. He sailed tall ships and even became a captain. On one occasion (though the family members I have asked aren’t in consensus about exactly when), he was shipwrecked and, for insurance purposes, wasn’t allowed to rescue anything of value from the ship, but he hid his sextant under his jacket when they left the ship because it was a good one. At some point he heard that in Durban, South Africa, sailors with experience on tall ships were in demand to brave the heights and install lightning conductors on buildings. He moved his family to South Africa, and my grandmother grew up there.

Now, when she was old enough, my grandmother wanted to spend some time in Norway, where she had been born. While she was there, she met my grandfather. They married and moved to South Africa (where my mom was born), but I guess my grandfather missed snow and people who spoke Norwegian, so they moved back to Norway when my mom was 4. Mom grew up in Norway. However – how’s this for symmetry? – when she was old enough, my mom wanted to spend some time in South Africa, where she had been born. While she was there, she met my dad. They married and had me, but by that point Dad had joined South Africa’s Department of Foreign Affairs. As a result, in between stints in South Africa, I grew up in exotic locales like Tel Aviv, Israel, Amman, Jordan, and Dallas, Texas.

The “where are you from” question has always made me a little uncomfortable, because of course there is no simple explanation. A flippant response I heard another person offer to that question may be my most satisfactory answer: “I’m from my parents.” And they, of course, are from my grandparents and great-grandparents. This is the inherent interest in genealogical research. But my great-grandfather was such a fascinating character that I want to focus on him. He’s also the one who started my family’s wandering habits, so I’m curious about what drove him. Right now, while my mom and many of her older cousins are still available to question, is a better time than, say, 5-10 years from now when my homeschooling tasks may be less demanding but there may be fewer people remaining who knew him.

So, I am re-booting this blog. My intention is to post once a week on a variety of topics. Some will involve homeschooling, some will involve my research on topics pertaining to my great-grandfather’s biography, some may contain musings on social or political issues. By writing on a regular basis, though, I hope to hone my skills and to keep on track with this project. Constructive comments on my writing style or content are welcome.