Hugo Schwyzer

Happy 2006 to all!

Friday night, my wife and I got back from a long, happy, and delayed honeymoon.   We were married back in early September, but because of my teaching duties, could not go away until the end of the semester.

We spent time these past few weeks in Manhattan, South Africa, and Dubai. 

While we were not at all impressed with Dubai, we loved South Africa.   The nation gets a lot of bad press, especially about crime and enduring racial disharmony.  While we hardly can count ourselves experts on the country, we saw a remarkable series of success stories.  We saw a South Africa that has clearly come a very long way in a very short time, filled with people who are remarkably enthusiastic about the future.  In the places where we stayed, we were struck and moved by the apparent lack of bigotry.   We talked with folks from a wide variety of racial backgrounds, and noted that in several of the places we visited, non-whites held superior positions to whites.  With each of our tour guides, I found that there was exceptional openness on the subject of race, apartheid, and history — and best of all, there was a striking enthusiasm about the prospects for continued growth and improvement in South Africa.

I won’t say I’m a true world traveler, but I’ve been around a bit, and my wife and I agreed that on the five continents we’ve visited in our lives, we’ve never encountered such warmth as we did from such a large number of South Africans.   I’d go back in a heartbeat, and we’re eager to return and make a longer visit.

On the other hand, Dubai was a disappointment.    A sense of greed and callousness seemed to envelop the whole city, and frankly, it marred our visit.   In its sprawling size, its constant construction, and its bizarre and ostentatious architecture, it reminded me of my least favorite American city, Las Vegas.  I find Vegas seductive, but I always leave feeling depressed and dirty (and trust me, the worst thing I’ve done there is play the cheap slots.)  I felt exactly the same way about Dubai.   In addition, we noted that most service industry jobs in Dubai seem to be held by East Indians and Filipinos, many of whom were openly treated quite poorly by the staff in our hotel and elsewhere.  I saw and heard far more blatant racism in forty-eight hours in Dubai and its neighboring emirate, Sharjah, than in nine days in South Africa.   This was our first visit to the Middle East, but I don’t feel as if I got much real exposure to Arabic culture in the Emirates.

And of course, we both share a real love for New York City, even in the cold.  My wife and I got in lots and lots of walking, eating, and museum-ing.  But could I survive an entire winter there?  Doubtful.  All of the layering, the taking off and putting on of scarves and gloves and hats absolutely exhausts me.  I’m sure you get used to it, right?

We took hundreds of photos, and though most are "friends and family only", I’ll get a few up over the next week or so.

I’m not going to mention the places we stayed here on the blog, but if you’re interested, drop me an e-mail and I’ll send along recommendations.

It’s good to be home, and I’m looking forward to a very busy and very exciting 2006.  I’m grateful to all the readers who stopped by and kept things reasonably civil here in my absence, and I’ll do my best this year to keep folks entertained and provoked.  There are a lot of blogs out there, and I’m immensely grateful to those of you who take the time to read mine.