Taxi

About the Book

Taxi tells the experiences of Anika, a 13 year old girl, who was born in South Africa, and has since lived in a few interesting places with her family. Her family includes her younger brother, Mom who is a celebrated painter, Dad the engineer and Monet, the little black Schnauzer, and together they have lived in places as far a field as the Deep South of the US, Washington DC, Holland and now China.

Taxi tells the story of Anika’s life, as seen through her eyes. Sometimes bitter sweet, sometimes very sad, as she struggles with growing up while frequently moving, even across whole continents. She tells the story of making peace with her surroundings, her experiences, good and bad with school, and ponder the meaning of life. Through her words we get to relive China, and experience this vast continent with its unique customs and food.

Taxi is a most entertaining read that will be enjoyed by young and old alike, and provides a fresh look at happiness and joys of growing up, if not in the most conventional way.

About the Author

I was born in 1992 in the small town of Vereeniging in South Africa, not very far from Johannesburg. Very soon after my second birthday we moved to Holland where my dad then worked. I have very fond memories of those early years, growing up in Holland, and going everywhere with my mother on her bicycle – me on the back and my brother in his seat on the front.

At the time when I was old enough for K5 we moved to the US and settled in Greenville SC. We all really enjoyed living in the Deep South, Dad even go himself a pick-up truck, and Mom continued her career as an artist. My brother and I really loved it here, how else. It was close to the beach, and almost in the Smokey Mountains.

After about 5 years we spent a short and memorable year living just outside Washington DC, in North Potomac MD. It was during this year that my father accepted a position on the design team of a very large new chemicals project that was going to be built in China. We were on our way back to Holland, and we were all so exited. We settled in a small town close to The Hague, Dad spent a lot of time traveling to China, and we enjoyed the beauty of the Dutch country side. Towards the end of 2002, Dad and Mom decided that we would follow the project through to the end and would soon be moving to Nanjing, China. I must admit that trying to settle in China was a culture shock, but we have come to love this strange land with its wonderful people. As a matter of fact, I even attended a real Chinese school for a while, and now speak Chinese.

I have been very fortunate to see so much of the world at such a young age. It was not always easy, but it surely has been exciting. I do not know what the future holds for me, for now though I am happy to be in China.