And so it was decided. Narina’s bestie all through high school was coming along on the Sanderson’s annual holiday to Kruger Park. Narina was pleased, of course, but also worried.

It would not be like when she went with Phiwo’s family to Sun City and it was non-stop fun. There were plenty fit and fresh boys, and they got up to plenty mischief. Swimming, tennis and mini golf, and working through the games arcade, and sneaking into the gambling section, and going to the disco and getting hold of alcohol …

I mean, for a normal kid – not like my weird brother Simon – game park holidays are both good, and bad, thought Narina. How will Phiwo cope with the bad? And she might not even like the good: she might be scared of the animals. She might want to go home after the first day!

Narina thought about the game park bad: hours and boring hours in a steaming hot car driving around, very slowly. Just travelling with grass grass bush bush bush and trees trees trees trees either side. And her parents stopping annoyingly all the time to look at every damn small thing, even birds.

Yay for modern technology; she let her parents and Simon spot all the animals while she entertained herself on her phone. She only looked up when they had spotted an interesting sighting.

But Narina half-smiled as she thought of the good: something exciting happening – like coming across a pride of lions, right there. You look into their golden eyes and shiver at the power of those giant cats. You are so grateful you are safe in a car, windows up. Or you came across a kill, watch the lions’ blood-smeared jaws ripping off flesh. You had to face it head on: the facts of predator and prey.

Or you end up in the middle of a herd of elephants. And they are milling around, massive and awesome and scary, way taller than the car. Yet cool. Vegetarians, thankfully.

Or her favourite: watching a cute meerkat colony that played and squabbled and dug for bugs to eat … even scorpions.

However, one thing Narina always liked was being in the camps. There it was never boring; never too scarily exciting. While her parents hung out in the game hides looking at the waterhole, or read or made the braai, she socialised. She went to the pool to swim and, most importantly, meet people; people from all over the country and the world. Narina was the opposite of shy: outgoing and curious. She was still on Insta and Facebook with kids she had met over the years.

She knew just how much foreigners loved coming here to Africa, to Kruger. They soaked up the bright sunshine, and checked out bush and animals that they had only seen on TV. The Lion King in real life. Narina enjoyed wowing them with her tales of animal encounters.

And she had plenty to quiz them about. She was determined: as soon as her last matric exam was done she would be on a plane, on a gap year, travelling overseas. All those countries and cities: Barcelona, Italy, Venice, US, Sweden, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Argentina, Germany. OMW the world is out there, waiting for me, she thought.

Some of the friends she had made in Kruger and kept up with on social media had even invited her to stay; promised they would show her a good time.

Narina would lie on her bed, scrolling Insta travel sites and daydreaming …. Not that my parents have agreed or will give me the money. But I’ll work as a waitress or au pair. Maybe I’ll just travel and travel … join a yacht crew. Sail the world.

But that was next year. In the meanwhile, she and Phiwo would spend some quality time now planning their matric dance dresses. Phiwo was great at art and design, with fantastic colour sense. Neither of them currently had a boyfriend, or anyone to go with. But partners weren’t a must these days.

The Dress however – that had to be a showstopper!

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Tell us: Do you dream of travelling to faraway countries? If so, which ones? How important is/was the Matric Dance to you?