So this is it- my final blog entry. It has been a bittersweet feeling over the past 12 hours to think about going home. Last night we invited all of the people who made this trip possible over for one last meal. It was a great time, but everyone had an empty happiness about them. It is great to celebrate our time with the people close to us, but that meant that the time is over. We had a group of students from Yale at our Braai last night. They are interning with Interstudy this summer, and being that we are all "Minnesota nice" we said the more the merrier. Part of me was jealous of the fact that they were only beginning their adventure here. They still have the rest of the summer.
I'm sitting in the family room as I write this. The room we spent our first night in. A room that holds a lot of laughs, blogging, and good conversation. It really is the room of a family.
I have been looking back on my very first blog trying to figure out exactly what it is I learned while I was in South Africa. In a way I don't know if I will ever understand it all, but it was interesting to look back. I was so nervous for so many things but so excited at the same time. In a way all of those fears came true, and now I'm sitting here writing with even more fear about coming home. I'm scared that I'm different that what you are all going to expect. I'm afraid that I won't respond how you all want me to, and that my relationships will change because of this experience. I'm afraid to leave my safe little bubble that exists here and go back on my own to my own piece of the world. I'm afraid to re-evaluate my life and what is going to come of all of that.
I have been trying to put my finger on everything that South Africa has given me. I was looking at my journal this morning. This is something that wrote one morning during my stay in the Gugulethu. (It's my journal, so its a pretty big deal that I'm sharing this with the world.) What have I gotten from South Africa? I think that, for the past couple of years I have known who I am not, but I haven't knonw a lot about who I am. That's fine. I think that it's good to question. It's good to get confused. To sit at a crossroads, and look back on your last 18 years and wonder if that's a product of your surroundings or if it's actually you. I think that it's good to sit with that and be uncomfortable with that and to question that. South Africa has given me a better understanding of who I AM and who I want to be. Did I need to come all the way to South Africa to find that? No- I probably could've come to that conclusion in mly own backyard. But I didn't find it there. If we all stay within our own little confined borders what do we learn? We are coexisting within one larger world, and if we never learn to leave our little confines are we truly coexisting at all? It's like what Rev Spiwo was saying when you have to learn to walk with the dwarfs to create the giants, but you also have to be okay with walking with the giants and you have to be willing wot walk in the middle as well.
I think that all too often we define who are by what we do, what we are going to school for? Does that actually accurately define us? I think that's why I have been feeling so lost lately. I don't have my roadmap or plan. I am lost in a vocational path, but does that mean that I have lost my identity? Maybe I need to figure out who I am before I can figure out what I want to do. I think that my education had it a little backwards in that way. What would the world look like through those eyes?
It's weird to think that there was a "before South Africa" me and and "after South Africa" me, and that they can be any different at all. It's weird to think about the moments that have changed me in a split second. In that moment I know that I can never quite return to what I was before whether I want to or not. So am I really come home and going back to life as it was before? I hope not. If I can honestly come back to Minneapolis and forget about everything that I've experienced here- if I come back and don't want to do anything- then I missed something somewhere along the line.
So this concludes my final word-vomit blog entry. You will hear no more from me. I thank you all for reading, commenting, and caring about my travels. I can't wait to sit down and tell you all of the stories that I have. Please don't hesitate to call me up or come and visit me. I would love to talk about my trip. It helps me keep it alive in my head and it helps me process it all. I'll see you on the other side of the pond! And with that, there's only one question left to ask...
...World Cup 2010 anyone???
Cheers :)
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The final countdown and a talk about passion...
This will be my second to last blog entry from South Africa. Tonight we have a Braai (that's just another word for BBQ) to come together with our friends one last time before we leave. I decided to take a break from cleaning and packing to write down some of the random thoughts that I am having right now. I'm in a little bit of denial about leaving tomorrow afternoon. It's weird because I feel like I just got here, but at the same time when I think back to May 25th in the airport it seems like a million years ago.
We have done all of our sightseeing and shopping, and this week brought another week of lectures. It was our time to sit down and figure everything out. The quarter-life crisis is very trendy as of lately, so I'm hopping on the bandwagon. I really want to take time right now to sit down and figure out why I do what I do. Why do I give so much time to certain things and none to others, and how does that align with where I want to go?
I'm at a crossroads right now. Lately, I've been feeling like I am lost and have no direction in life. I haven't really taken the time to figure out my passions. However, when I take a closer look I realize that I am afraid to actually sit down and figure it all out. (Don't worry mom and dad. That's not to say that I'm not going to figure it all. I'm just saying that I might need a little bit of time.) You are probably all sitting here, reading this thinking that I'm completely crazy. Why wouldn't I want to take the time to figure out what gets me out of the bed in the morning? To all of you I say this: I have managed to get out of bed every morning up until this point, so I'm doing just fine! hahaha Just kidding! I have come to realize that in the moment of clarity comes so much more confusion. Is it really even fair to expect a 21 year old to have an identified in life? I sometimes forget that I am only 21, and I still have a lot of life left to live. I think that I get so caught up in having a plan that I forget to appreciate just being in the moment and having presence with that. On the other hand, isn't that discrediting me and people my age? I think that all too often we justify that which we don't want to face by saying we are too young. Am I selling myself short by saying that I am ONLY 21?
This all leads me to think about how much a person can change over a period of three weeks. Really, it doesn't even take three weeks. Its all about moments. There are vital moments in life separating polar opposites. In a mere moment I have learned to see things in a completely different life, and now that the moment has passed I can never really go back to where I was before. I think that, for me, it's going to be hard to go back home and back to reality. Why does going home have to be a return to reality- or better yet, why is leaving home a break from reality? I realize that things are different while traveling because of the obvious- no school, no work- but what makes me any different in either situation? Right now I am sitting here trying to figure out what the disparity between the two versions of me is. What do I like about me when I am not at home, and how can I take that back home with me and apply it to life.
For those of you who are reading this and thinking that you will see some crazy girl getting off of the airplane, a girl who is a complete 180 from what she used to be, I'm sad to disappoint. I am still the same old girl that you all know. I still look the same, laugh the same, and think the same. It's almost like because of my time here, I am more "me" than I was before. It was an interesting experience to study abroad where your classes are based on growth and development. Really, my grade is based on my ability to take the things that I have seen and learned here and grow as a person. That is what I'm being graded on!?!? How crazy is that??? I didn't have to sit in lecture and think about what was going to be on our next test. There is no final test, and the final product is me. I listened with the intent of learning and growing. Hopefully that skill can lead me somewhere in the quest for my roadmap of life.
Sorry if this is all really rambling and confusing for you all. I realize that I value unity, balance, and tolerance. I think that those three things really sum up my reflections of South Africa at this point in time. More to come on that in the future. It's packing time!
Ciao for now!
We have done all of our sightseeing and shopping, and this week brought another week of lectures. It was our time to sit down and figure everything out. The quarter-life crisis is very trendy as of lately, so I'm hopping on the bandwagon. I really want to take time right now to sit down and figure out why I do what I do. Why do I give so much time to certain things and none to others, and how does that align with where I want to go?
I'm at a crossroads right now. Lately, I've been feeling like I am lost and have no direction in life. I haven't really taken the time to figure out my passions. However, when I take a closer look I realize that I am afraid to actually sit down and figure it all out. (Don't worry mom and dad. That's not to say that I'm not going to figure it all. I'm just saying that I might need a little bit of time.) You are probably all sitting here, reading this thinking that I'm completely crazy. Why wouldn't I want to take the time to figure out what gets me out of the bed in the morning? To all of you I say this: I have managed to get out of bed every morning up until this point, so I'm doing just fine! hahaha Just kidding! I have come to realize that in the moment of clarity comes so much more confusion. Is it really even fair to expect a 21 year old to have an identified in life? I sometimes forget that I am only 21, and I still have a lot of life left to live. I think that I get so caught up in having a plan that I forget to appreciate just being in the moment and having presence with that. On the other hand, isn't that discrediting me and people my age? I think that all too often we justify that which we don't want to face by saying we are too young. Am I selling myself short by saying that I am ONLY 21?
This all leads me to think about how much a person can change over a period of three weeks. Really, it doesn't even take three weeks. Its all about moments. There are vital moments in life separating polar opposites. In a mere moment I have learned to see things in a completely different life, and now that the moment has passed I can never really go back to where I was before. I think that, for me, it's going to be hard to go back home and back to reality. Why does going home have to be a return to reality- or better yet, why is leaving home a break from reality? I realize that things are different while traveling because of the obvious- no school, no work- but what makes me any different in either situation? Right now I am sitting here trying to figure out what the disparity between the two versions of me is. What do I like about me when I am not at home, and how can I take that back home with me and apply it to life.
For those of you who are reading this and thinking that you will see some crazy girl getting off of the airplane, a girl who is a complete 180 from what she used to be, I'm sad to disappoint. I am still the same old girl that you all know. I still look the same, laugh the same, and think the same. It's almost like because of my time here, I am more "me" than I was before. It was an interesting experience to study abroad where your classes are based on growth and development. Really, my grade is based on my ability to take the things that I have seen and learned here and grow as a person. That is what I'm being graded on!?!? How crazy is that??? I didn't have to sit in lecture and think about what was going to be on our next test. There is no final test, and the final product is me. I listened with the intent of learning and growing. Hopefully that skill can lead me somewhere in the quest for my roadmap of life.
Sorry if this is all really rambling and confusing for you all. I realize that I value unity, balance, and tolerance. I think that those three things really sum up my reflections of South Africa at this point in time. More to come on that in the future. It's packing time!
Ciao for now!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Greetings all...
Sorry for the delay in my blogging. We have had a busy couple of days. On Saturday our group went on a day long wine tasting tour. We visited two different wineries which was actually really interesting. I can't wait to show you all of my skills! It was an interesting experience to be a tourist again after our week in Gugulethu. I was a lot more conscious of skin color when I was on the wine tasting tours. I actually found it more comfortable to be around a crowd of mixed races or even predominantly black groups than I found it to be surrounded by white people. I have never really felt that before. I have also never really been that aware of skin color as much as I was on Saturday. It is kind of an uncomfortable feeling.
On Sunday part of our group went shark diving (no I didn't go), while the other part went back to Sunday church services as JL Zwane. It felt like coming home again. We walked into the church, and we were greeted by the standard curious looks. In South Africa, you don't enter a room without greeting everyone there with a handshake or a hug. You also don't leave without saying good-bye to everyone either. So we walked into the eating room where most of the people were gathered. Rev Spiwo was talking to the people in the room, and Edwin came up to talk to all of us. When Rev Spiwo finished talking we were engulfed in people wishing to give us hugs and tell us how much they missed us. Our homestay families were there and insisted that we sit with them during the service. I was STILL meeting new people who wanted to hear all about my week in Gugulethu last week. I got to see Mama Thoko, a teacher from the Thembelathu school, a couple of our speakers, and our entire Gugulethu family. It was amazing. It honestly did feel like coming home again.
So I have been thinking a lot about the institutions that are in place in South Africa- particularly the education system. I think in the U.S. education is almost a right- quality education not necessarily as easy to come by- but for the most part, everyone has access to at least public schooling of some kind. In South Africa it is a much different story. While most of the people here go to school until grade 12, their schools face a lot of different issues. Teenage pregnancy is a HUGE problem because, as I said before, sex is the recreational activity of the poor. Also, after a talk with my host sister I found out that they don't have any sort of HIV/AIDS education in her school! In South Africa, HIV/AIDS is considered an epidemic because it affects something like over 30% of the population, and they don't even have two hours to talk about it in school? I was amazed at this. My host sister did say that they have a lot of posters up, and that it was almost annoying how "in your face" people were about it at times.
I was thinking about this as I was reading over my notes from all of the speakers that we had last week. Each one of them said that they key to helping the AIDS issue in South Africa is education. Education doesn't necessarily have to be in schools either. Our speakers also suggested different types of educational programs for different groups of people.
During our week in Gugulethu we had the opportunity to work with an after school program that took place at the community center. I think that it's safe to say that we were ALL really excited for that. So we are getting briefed on the different age groups and what they are working on before we enter the classroom, and the after school program coordinator made a comment about how her job is really hard because the teachers don't teach the students. They just give them homework and send them on their way. I was very intrigued by this comment. If the teachers aren't teaching anything in schools, they what are they doing all day? I went into the after school programs and it was very evident that they students had NO idea how to do their homework. I was teaching fourth grade math and they were learning about rounding numbers to the nearest 10. I literally made a number line for each of the students to learn how to round. So the students didn't know how to round and their addition and subtraction was a little off as well, but the root of the problem is that no one is teaching them anything. A little girl in the program got angry at TJ and I because we wouldn't give her the answers to her math problems. Her comment to us was that her teachers do it all of the time. Now, I'm not saying that this is true because kids will say anything to get what they want, but there is an issue at the heart of that statement. I simply told her that I would not give her the answers because that's not how the world works. If I don't teach her how to do it, what's going to happen when I'm not there to give her the answer?
This story has stuck in my head, and until now I couldn't figure out quite why. In a way we are all searching for the easy answer. As I sit here with some of my classmates trying to do our reading assignment for class tomorrow, we are all complaining about it because we just want Aaron to tell us instead of make us find the answers ourselves. Should I really be upset with that girl who just wanted the answers because that is what she has seen in the people before her? Am I really so much more enlightened than her? In some respect it is two different situations. I know how to do a simple math equation, so does that mean that I have paid my dues and should get the easy answers? What happens when there is no one there anymore to give me the answers? Is the ultimate education learning to teach oneself?
We also worked at Thembalethu School which means "our hope." It is a school for children with physical disabilities. It is actually the only school in the entire Western Cape that is for black children with disabilities. I was absolutely astonished by that fact. The school serves 180 students who wouldn't even go to school otherwise. We were all greeted by an all-school assembly when we entered. The choir sang for us, and then we were divided into different rooms/projects to help out. I was fortunate enough to get to go into the Speech room. It was really interesting to see speech pathology at work from a cultural point of view. There were 4 students in the room for the two hours that I was there. The students did not have the ability to talk so they were being taught how to use alternative forms of communication. It was a pretty funny moment as I'm trying to speak in the limited Xhosa that I know to children who can't really respond back. Regardless, it was a great experience that I am truly greatful for.
Those were the educational highlights of my trip to Gugulethu. I know that I didn't give you all a minute-by-minute account of my time in the township like some of the other students. You can read their blogs for that. I really am still processing it all. I want to keep somethings just for me and other things I just can't accurately describe.
We only have a few days left here in Cape Town. I tried to extend my stay a couple of days, but things didn't work out with the airlines. So I will be back in the states before you know it! I'm really excited to see you all, but I'm nervous at the same time. I have had an experience that has truly changed me, and it will probably continue to change me, and I am afraid that I can't go back to what I was. On the other hand, I don't want to go back to what I was either. You'll probably be getting an entire blog entry on my anxiety by tomorrow. For tonight, I am just going to enjoy myself. I am going to a karaoke bar...get excited!!!
Ciao for now :)
On Sunday part of our group went shark diving (no I didn't go), while the other part went back to Sunday church services as JL Zwane. It felt like coming home again. We walked into the church, and we were greeted by the standard curious looks. In South Africa, you don't enter a room without greeting everyone there with a handshake or a hug. You also don't leave without saying good-bye to everyone either. So we walked into the eating room where most of the people were gathered. Rev Spiwo was talking to the people in the room, and Edwin came up to talk to all of us. When Rev Spiwo finished talking we were engulfed in people wishing to give us hugs and tell us how much they missed us. Our homestay families were there and insisted that we sit with them during the service. I was STILL meeting new people who wanted to hear all about my week in Gugulethu last week. I got to see Mama Thoko, a teacher from the Thembelathu school, a couple of our speakers, and our entire Gugulethu family. It was amazing. It honestly did feel like coming home again.
So I have been thinking a lot about the institutions that are in place in South Africa- particularly the education system. I think in the U.S. education is almost a right- quality education not necessarily as easy to come by- but for the most part, everyone has access to at least public schooling of some kind. In South Africa it is a much different story. While most of the people here go to school until grade 12, their schools face a lot of different issues. Teenage pregnancy is a HUGE problem because, as I said before, sex is the recreational activity of the poor. Also, after a talk with my host sister I found out that they don't have any sort of HIV/AIDS education in her school! In South Africa, HIV/AIDS is considered an epidemic because it affects something like over 30% of the population, and they don't even have two hours to talk about it in school? I was amazed at this. My host sister did say that they have a lot of posters up, and that it was almost annoying how "in your face" people were about it at times.
I was thinking about this as I was reading over my notes from all of the speakers that we had last week. Each one of them said that they key to helping the AIDS issue in South Africa is education. Education doesn't necessarily have to be in schools either. Our speakers also suggested different types of educational programs for different groups of people.
During our week in Gugulethu we had the opportunity to work with an after school program that took place at the community center. I think that it's safe to say that we were ALL really excited for that. So we are getting briefed on the different age groups and what they are working on before we enter the classroom, and the after school program coordinator made a comment about how her job is really hard because the teachers don't teach the students. They just give them homework and send them on their way. I was very intrigued by this comment. If the teachers aren't teaching anything in schools, they what are they doing all day? I went into the after school programs and it was very evident that they students had NO idea how to do their homework. I was teaching fourth grade math and they were learning about rounding numbers to the nearest 10. I literally made a number line for each of the students to learn how to round. So the students didn't know how to round and their addition and subtraction was a little off as well, but the root of the problem is that no one is teaching them anything. A little girl in the program got angry at TJ and I because we wouldn't give her the answers to her math problems. Her comment to us was that her teachers do it all of the time. Now, I'm not saying that this is true because kids will say anything to get what they want, but there is an issue at the heart of that statement. I simply told her that I would not give her the answers because that's not how the world works. If I don't teach her how to do it, what's going to happen when I'm not there to give her the answer?
This story has stuck in my head, and until now I couldn't figure out quite why. In a way we are all searching for the easy answer. As I sit here with some of my classmates trying to do our reading assignment for class tomorrow, we are all complaining about it because we just want Aaron to tell us instead of make us find the answers ourselves. Should I really be upset with that girl who just wanted the answers because that is what she has seen in the people before her? Am I really so much more enlightened than her? In some respect it is two different situations. I know how to do a simple math equation, so does that mean that I have paid my dues and should get the easy answers? What happens when there is no one there anymore to give me the answers? Is the ultimate education learning to teach oneself?
We also worked at Thembalethu School which means "our hope." It is a school for children with physical disabilities. It is actually the only school in the entire Western Cape that is for black children with disabilities. I was absolutely astonished by that fact. The school serves 180 students who wouldn't even go to school otherwise. We were all greeted by an all-school assembly when we entered. The choir sang for us, and then we were divided into different rooms/projects to help out. I was fortunate enough to get to go into the Speech room. It was really interesting to see speech pathology at work from a cultural point of view. There were 4 students in the room for the two hours that I was there. The students did not have the ability to talk so they were being taught how to use alternative forms of communication. It was a pretty funny moment as I'm trying to speak in the limited Xhosa that I know to children who can't really respond back. Regardless, it was a great experience that I am truly greatful for.
Those were the educational highlights of my trip to Gugulethu. I know that I didn't give you all a minute-by-minute account of my time in the township like some of the other students. You can read their blogs for that. I really am still processing it all. I want to keep somethings just for me and other things I just can't accurately describe.
We only have a few days left here in Cape Town. I tried to extend my stay a couple of days, but things didn't work out with the airlines. So I will be back in the states before you know it! I'm really excited to see you all, but I'm nervous at the same time. I have had an experience that has truly changed me, and it will probably continue to change me, and I am afraid that I can't go back to what I was. On the other hand, I don't want to go back to what I was either. You'll probably be getting an entire blog entry on my anxiety by tomorrow. For tonight, I am just going to enjoy myself. I am going to a karaoke bar...get excited!!!
Ciao for now :)
Friday, June 6, 2008
I'm back!!!!
In South Africa there is a saying that says something to the extent of "my guest, my angel." Words can't even describe how thankful I am to my host family and the community of Gugulethu who opened their hearts to us for the past week. In a way its almost not fair for me to try to describe it all because I know that the true words aren't even words at all- they are feelings felt in the moment.
It was a bittersweet feeling saying good-bye today. It's good-bye because I know that I may never see these people again. For a moment in time this community has blessed me with so much clarity. I am selfish because I want more than one moment- it's a moment of opposites between cloudy and clear like when it is pouring rain and with the snap of the fingers the rain is gone. I have let the people here in and they have touched my soul with their stories, opinions, laughs, and smiles. Now we all left. They will go back to their lives and we will go back to ours. Can we really go back, or is what's there somehow going to be different? In a way they came into my heart, but instead of taking up all of the room, they touched me for a short while, showed me that it's okay to let people in, and then as quickly and joyfully as they came- they were gone. They didn't leave without making room in my heart for others. So in that way I will take them all with me.
I'm really torn right now. I'm torn between writing a 10-page blog to explain every little detail of my life for the past 3 days and just telling you that it was simply amazing and it was something that I can't describe. It was an experience unlike any other and putting words to it isn't possible. So in my best efforts, I will try to give you a little info about what my life has been like for the past couple of days. Keep in mind that some of the things that I experienced are for me only. I was there in the moment, and it is something this is mine solely. I know that it sounds selfish, and I'm more than happy to talk to all of you about it when I get back to the states. So here is my best effort!
I have been really happy here lately despite all of the seemingly sad things that I have seen. Babies here rarely cry, and there is something to be said for the fact that even the smallest of humans with no way to communicate other than crying can feel the love that spills out of the people in Gugulethu.
This week we really delved into the topic of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. It's interesting because there are so many institutionalized things getting in the way of a united front fighting against AIDS. In a country where HIV is considered an epidemic, we stayed in a township that is hit hard by HIV. There are a lot of different things that play into the spread of HIV. One of the big take-aways is the fact that HIV is a poor person's disease. HIV is spread by sexual intercourse, and sex is cheap. People with absolutely no money at all can afford to have sex. They can't always afford the repercussions, but they can afford the immediate gratification. I have also heard time and time again about how HIV is a black person's disease. This is not to say that white people don't get it. I realize more and more that racial identity is such a part of life here in South Africa. There is really a huge difference between white and black, rich and poor, those who have and those who have-not.
The one story that really had an impact on me was the story of Priscilla and her children. Priscilla is a member of the JL Zwane church which is the church that we coordinated with for our time in Gugulethu. Priscilla is the proud mother of 11 children (only four of which are actually her own). With 11 children to care for, money is really tight around the house. We visited the family a couple of times during our stay in the township to serve in any way that we could. Priscilla's family lives in a 3-room shack. There are days when she doesn't even know where her family is going to get their next meal from. Priscilla is tired- in her spirit. Yet every morning she gets up, takes care of those children and shares her smile with the rest of the world. As some of us were looking around her house one afternoon, Kate (a girl I'm traveling with) noticed that in the bathroom they don't have toilet paper. When it is that time of the month for the teenage girls, they "learn to get along as best they can." That absolutely broke my heart. Where is the dignity and humanity in that? We have talked a lot about how South Africa is working toward re-humanizing its people in the post-apartheid era. Stories like that that make me realize that while apartheid is officially over, there is so much left to do to truly mend the wounds.
I wonder how all of the people here have so much joy? In a country that is divided by "haves" and "have-nots" they are constantly giving of what they do have. Thoko was our mom, and her name means happy. The smallest of things she gave to me was happiness. In a way, maybe it was actually the largest. It really shows how the small things make a world of difference.
I am struck by the obligations that come along with being an American. I come from a country with so many resources that it is my responsibility to share those resources. How do I choose who to help? With such a divide between the developing and developed world many countries, areas, and people need help but where do I draw the line? Do I help my host family get their daughter to the U.S.? Do I draw the line at Priscilla and her children? What about the Thembaletu School? There are countless people with their own stories whom I haven't even met, what about them? Do I help ALL of them? How do I justify helping one group but not another? At the same time I am selfish. I don't want to sacrifice my comfort to help others. I don't want to give up all of my material possessions and wants. Maybe I am not the evolved, giving, loving person that I thought I was. It's hard to be an American traveler. I feel like a dollar sign, or a solution to problems. How do I explain to someone that because of the color of my skin or the country of my birth, I get to have all of this material fortune that I'm not willing to give up? Am I a bad person because of all of this?
I have a lot of thoughts moving around in my head and more questions that answers. I am so moved by all of the stories that I have heard here:
I have so much more to tell, but I need to think about it all first. I learned A LOT about education during my time in the township. So more to come with that. Let's just say that I got to see what a speech pathologist here does. It's very interesting. We did a lot of educational work ranging from pre-school to high school to schools for children with disabilities. More about that tomorrow!
Ciao for now!
It was a bittersweet feeling saying good-bye today. It's good-bye because I know that I may never see these people again. For a moment in time this community has blessed me with so much clarity. I am selfish because I want more than one moment- it's a moment of opposites between cloudy and clear like when it is pouring rain and with the snap of the fingers the rain is gone. I have let the people here in and they have touched my soul with their stories, opinions, laughs, and smiles. Now we all left. They will go back to their lives and we will go back to ours. Can we really go back, or is what's there somehow going to be different? In a way they came into my heart, but instead of taking up all of the room, they touched me for a short while, showed me that it's okay to let people in, and then as quickly and joyfully as they came- they were gone. They didn't leave without making room in my heart for others. So in that way I will take them all with me.
I'm really torn right now. I'm torn between writing a 10-page blog to explain every little detail of my life for the past 3 days and just telling you that it was simply amazing and it was something that I can't describe. It was an experience unlike any other and putting words to it isn't possible. So in my best efforts, I will try to give you a little info about what my life has been like for the past couple of days. Keep in mind that some of the things that I experienced are for me only. I was there in the moment, and it is something this is mine solely. I know that it sounds selfish, and I'm more than happy to talk to all of you about it when I get back to the states. So here is my best effort!
I have been really happy here lately despite all of the seemingly sad things that I have seen. Babies here rarely cry, and there is something to be said for the fact that even the smallest of humans with no way to communicate other than crying can feel the love that spills out of the people in Gugulethu.
This week we really delved into the topic of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. It's interesting because there are so many institutionalized things getting in the way of a united front fighting against AIDS. In a country where HIV is considered an epidemic, we stayed in a township that is hit hard by HIV. There are a lot of different things that play into the spread of HIV. One of the big take-aways is the fact that HIV is a poor person's disease. HIV is spread by sexual intercourse, and sex is cheap. People with absolutely no money at all can afford to have sex. They can't always afford the repercussions, but they can afford the immediate gratification. I have also heard time and time again about how HIV is a black person's disease. This is not to say that white people don't get it. I realize more and more that racial identity is such a part of life here in South Africa. There is really a huge difference between white and black, rich and poor, those who have and those who have-not.
The one story that really had an impact on me was the story of Priscilla and her children. Priscilla is a member of the JL Zwane church which is the church that we coordinated with for our time in Gugulethu. Priscilla is the proud mother of 11 children (only four of which are actually her own). With 11 children to care for, money is really tight around the house. We visited the family a couple of times during our stay in the township to serve in any way that we could. Priscilla's family lives in a 3-room shack. There are days when she doesn't even know where her family is going to get their next meal from. Priscilla is tired- in her spirit. Yet every morning she gets up, takes care of those children and shares her smile with the rest of the world. As some of us were looking around her house one afternoon, Kate (a girl I'm traveling with) noticed that in the bathroom they don't have toilet paper. When it is that time of the month for the teenage girls, they "learn to get along as best they can." That absolutely broke my heart. Where is the dignity and humanity in that? We have talked a lot about how South Africa is working toward re-humanizing its people in the post-apartheid era. Stories like that that make me realize that while apartheid is officially over, there is so much left to do to truly mend the wounds.
I wonder how all of the people here have so much joy? In a country that is divided by "haves" and "have-nots" they are constantly giving of what they do have. Thoko was our mom, and her name means happy. The smallest of things she gave to me was happiness. In a way, maybe it was actually the largest. It really shows how the small things make a world of difference.
I am struck by the obligations that come along with being an American. I come from a country with so many resources that it is my responsibility to share those resources. How do I choose who to help? With such a divide between the developing and developed world many countries, areas, and people need help but where do I draw the line? Do I help my host family get their daughter to the U.S.? Do I draw the line at Priscilla and her children? What about the Thembaletu School? There are countless people with their own stories whom I haven't even met, what about them? Do I help ALL of them? How do I justify helping one group but not another? At the same time I am selfish. I don't want to sacrifice my comfort to help others. I don't want to give up all of my material possessions and wants. Maybe I am not the evolved, giving, loving person that I thought I was. It's hard to be an American traveler. I feel like a dollar sign, or a solution to problems. How do I explain to someone that because of the color of my skin or the country of my birth, I get to have all of this material fortune that I'm not willing to give up? Am I a bad person because of all of this?
I have a lot of thoughts moving around in my head and more questions that answers. I am so moved by all of the stories that I have heard here:
- The 9 year old by who's uncle abused him.
- The xenophobic refugees living in a church basement.
- The children who trade sex for homework help because sex is the recreational activity of people who can't afford otherwise.
- The clinic workers
- Nombeko and her positivity
- All of our speakers/lecturers who opened their hearts
- Our host families who opened their homes and the heart of their culture to us
- Paul and Edwin and the rest of the community center
I have so much more to tell, but I need to think about it all first. I learned A LOT about education during my time in the township. So more to come with that. Let's just say that I got to see what a speech pathologist here does. It's very interesting. We did a lot of educational work ranging from pre-school to high school to schools for children with disabilities. More about that tomorrow!
Ciao for now!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Oh boy here we go...
Today was our first day in the township of Gugulethu. Guglethu is the third oldest township in South Africa, and currently there are around 340,000 people residing there. We will be doing homestays in Gugulethu for the next couple of days. I met my homestay Mama at church on Sunday morning. I absolutely LOVE her! She is a fashion designer and works as the chairperson for a women's community organization centered around agriculture. I'm really interested to hear her perspective on things. She is going to teach us more about Xhosa, how to cook traditional South Africa food (not that I can cook American food), and since all people on this continent have rhythm she is going to teach us to dance.
Today we had our first day at the community center that we will be working with during the daytime in Gugulethu. It is called the JL Zwane community center. Today consisted of lecture from some all-star lecturers, a tour of the township, and volunteering at an after school program.
The morning began with a lecture from Edwin, the community center coordinator, Dr. Rev Spiwo Xapile, who is the reverend at the church which is connected to the community center, and Kennith, who works for the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. Like I said, all-star cast!
If you read my blog before, you might have noticed the theme of disjointed thoughts and ramblings and not connection between anything really. I also said that my head was spinning a lot and that I have a lot of thoughts but can't articulate them. Its my standard disclaimer, which is even more true today than it was before.
Edwin had a lot of really good things to say. He is a fascinating man with a really interesting perspective. He was born to a black man and a white woman who gave up all of her riches to be with the man she loved. Edwin walked around for many years with hatred toward white people, and it wasn't until his son was born ten years ago that he truly learned to let go of that hatred. He share with our group about how he was looking at the world through his father's eyes- eyes that hated white people because of the injustices in his own world. Edwin carried that anger around until he made a decision that he didn't want his son to inherit the same anger and resentment for his life.
During our three lectures today I noticed two different ideas kept resurfacing through the vocabulary choices of each speaker. The first thing I noticed was that each speaker used the word community, and it makes me wonder what their personal definition of community is. I think that in the U.S. community can sometimes only be seen in a geographical sense, whereas in South Africa I think that community lines can often be blurred. Here I have noticed that people come together and create a community based off of needs and support. During all of the encounters in the township I have noticed more of a sense of community than I have felt in a really long time.
The second thing that I noticed was that each of the speakers also used the metaphor of building a bridge- between different people, cultures, groups, and issues. That got me thinking about the different connotations that come along with building a bridge. I see bridge building as moving toward getting over something because that is what bridges imply, crossing over the otherwise uncrossable. I wonder, however, if getting over issues is the right way to go about things? When building a bridge are we trying to get over something or are we moving toward acceptance and on with life?
Another interesting conversation today was on the topic of fear of success. Spiwo does a lot of work in the community that is centered around exposing people to a different world than what they currently live in. He said that his biggest challenge in empowering people to overcome their fear of success. I thought that this was an interesting thought that isn't solely common to South Africa. Often people find it easier to accept where they are at in life because it is much harder to be something truly great. I also think that the fear of success partly comes from the fear of others reaction to that success. It's almost like, because someone is successful they have to then explain themselves or they loose credibility with their original peers. It's almost like we are culturally conditioned to fear success.
Kennith provided another unique and essential perspective as well. He does work for the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation. This institute works toward healing the emotional and psychological wounds of apartheid. They work toward having intra- and inter-community dialogue to facilitate relationship building. Apartheid torn South Africa apart. What started out as people fighting against a system of oppression, turned into people fighting against other people. Now, Kennith works with people to building their community back up again- a community that has people in it who's family members were killed by the people down the street. He works with them to create one attitude toward growth and progress. Through unity the communities can being the healing process.
I have also noticed that skin color plays into identity a lot here. I know that skin color is a big part of identity regardless of what country that I am in, but I have just never noticed the amount before. Today, I have a clearer understanding. I think that Edwin put in best when when he said that your skin color is not a disability. I really like that philosophy. Our beliefs, who we are, our identities, are not disabilities.
The interconnectedness and unity really hit home today through our lectures. I am also continuing to see the theme of balance everyday. People are essentially made up of memories of the past, realities of the present, and possibilities of the future. How then do you balance these three aspects of humanity? How do we learn to remember the past and apply that to what the reality is but still remain optimistic about the hope for the future?
I did also learn some really interesting lessons on leadership that are helping me grow. Spiwo used a metaphor with giants and dwarfs to illustrate what leadership is. He said that we have giants and we have dwarfs, and the goal of leadership is to make giants out of dwarfs. However, you can't do that without walking with the dwarfs first. (Think about it...its really cool!)
That's all that my mind can take of random ramblings for today. Let me know if none of this makes sense, or if you want me to elaborate on anything. I'd be more than happy to. I am having a great time in Cape Town. I cherish this time with my study abroad family. Every night we sit around our computers and blog having really intellectual conversations about beliefs, life, and what we are learning here. I love having all of these unique opinions and perspectives.
With that...ciao!
Today we had our first day at the community center that we will be working with during the daytime in Gugulethu. It is called the JL Zwane community center. Today consisted of lecture from some all-star lecturers, a tour of the township, and volunteering at an after school program.
The morning began with a lecture from Edwin, the community center coordinator, Dr. Rev Spiwo Xapile, who is the reverend at the church which is connected to the community center, and Kennith, who works for the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. Like I said, all-star cast!
If you read my blog before, you might have noticed the theme of disjointed thoughts and ramblings and not connection between anything really. I also said that my head was spinning a lot and that I have a lot of thoughts but can't articulate them. Its my standard disclaimer, which is even more true today than it was before.
Edwin had a lot of really good things to say. He is a fascinating man with a really interesting perspective. He was born to a black man and a white woman who gave up all of her riches to be with the man she loved. Edwin walked around for many years with hatred toward white people, and it wasn't until his son was born ten years ago that he truly learned to let go of that hatred. He share with our group about how he was looking at the world through his father's eyes- eyes that hated white people because of the injustices in his own world. Edwin carried that anger around until he made a decision that he didn't want his son to inherit the same anger and resentment for his life.
During our three lectures today I noticed two different ideas kept resurfacing through the vocabulary choices of each speaker. The first thing I noticed was that each speaker used the word community, and it makes me wonder what their personal definition of community is. I think that in the U.S. community can sometimes only be seen in a geographical sense, whereas in South Africa I think that community lines can often be blurred. Here I have noticed that people come together and create a community based off of needs and support. During all of the encounters in the township I have noticed more of a sense of community than I have felt in a really long time.
The second thing that I noticed was that each of the speakers also used the metaphor of building a bridge- between different people, cultures, groups, and issues. That got me thinking about the different connotations that come along with building a bridge. I see bridge building as moving toward getting over something because that is what bridges imply, crossing over the otherwise uncrossable. I wonder, however, if getting over issues is the right way to go about things? When building a bridge are we trying to get over something or are we moving toward acceptance and on with life?
Another interesting conversation today was on the topic of fear of success. Spiwo does a lot of work in the community that is centered around exposing people to a different world than what they currently live in. He said that his biggest challenge in empowering people to overcome their fear of success. I thought that this was an interesting thought that isn't solely common to South Africa. Often people find it easier to accept where they are at in life because it is much harder to be something truly great. I also think that the fear of success partly comes from the fear of others reaction to that success. It's almost like, because someone is successful they have to then explain themselves or they loose credibility with their original peers. It's almost like we are culturally conditioned to fear success.
Kennith provided another unique and essential perspective as well. He does work for the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation. This institute works toward healing the emotional and psychological wounds of apartheid. They work toward having intra- and inter-community dialogue to facilitate relationship building. Apartheid torn South Africa apart. What started out as people fighting against a system of oppression, turned into people fighting against other people. Now, Kennith works with people to building their community back up again- a community that has people in it who's family members were killed by the people down the street. He works with them to create one attitude toward growth and progress. Through unity the communities can being the healing process.
I have also noticed that skin color plays into identity a lot here. I know that skin color is a big part of identity regardless of what country that I am in, but I have just never noticed the amount before. Today, I have a clearer understanding. I think that Edwin put in best when when he said that your skin color is not a disability. I really like that philosophy. Our beliefs, who we are, our identities, are not disabilities.
The interconnectedness and unity really hit home today through our lectures. I am also continuing to see the theme of balance everyday. People are essentially made up of memories of the past, realities of the present, and possibilities of the future. How then do you balance these three aspects of humanity? How do we learn to remember the past and apply that to what the reality is but still remain optimistic about the hope for the future?
I did also learn some really interesting lessons on leadership that are helping me grow. Spiwo used a metaphor with giants and dwarfs to illustrate what leadership is. He said that we have giants and we have dwarfs, and the goal of leadership is to make giants out of dwarfs. However, you can't do that without walking with the dwarfs first. (Think about it...its really cool!)
That's all that my mind can take of random ramblings for today. Let me know if none of this makes sense, or if you want me to elaborate on anything. I'd be more than happy to. I am having a great time in Cape Town. I cherish this time with my study abroad family. Every night we sit around our computers and blog having really intellectual conversations about beliefs, life, and what we are learning here. I love having all of these unique opinions and perspectives.
With that...ciao!
Pictures as promised!
I know that I promised to post pictures yesterday, but that clearly didn't work out. So as they say...better late than never! I have TONS more pictures, but the process of loading them all takes a ridiculous amount of time. That's just another excuse for you all to hang out with me when I get home, so you can see my pictures :)
So here are a couple that I thought you might enjoy:
This is a picture of the harbor that our boat set sail from so that we could go and see Seal Island. As you can see it was absolutely beautiful, and ten minutes later we were rocking back and forth in the pouring rain. Gotta love Cape Town weather.
This is me at Boulder Beach with the penguins. AMAZING! That was one of the few times when I wasn't wet that day.
Penguins are so adorable. They were scampering in the water together. I do a really good impression of a penguin walking. Our tour guide Audrey told me that it was one of the best that she has seen.
This is a picture from the top of the mountain at the Cape of Good Hope. Absolutely phenomenal!! This is where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet as well.
Robben Island is the prison where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were kept during apartheid.
This is a view of the University of Cape Town from Upper Campus. This is a rugby field.
This is our entire group (minus Aaron our instructor) on our first morning in Cape Town. Check out the background to see the view from our houses. I wish that I had a view like that from Minnesota.
Those are all of the pictures that I have for now. You will have to wait in suspense for the safari pictures. I am IN LOVE with giraffes, and I'm pretty sure that they love me too!
On a completely different note, we went to church at the township that we are staying at Tuesday-Thursday. That's right mom...we went to church! It was one of the most vibrant services that I have been to in a long time. There was beautiful singing, dancing, and the message was in both Xhosa and English. We are all looking forward to attending next Sunday as well.
That's all for now...ciao!
So here are a couple that I thought you might enjoy:
This is a picture of the harbor that our boat set sail from so that we could go and see Seal Island. As you can see it was absolutely beautiful, and ten minutes later we were rocking back and forth in the pouring rain. Gotta love Cape Town weather.
This is me at Boulder Beach with the penguins. AMAZING! That was one of the few times when I wasn't wet that day.
Penguins are so adorable. They were scampering in the water together. I do a really good impression of a penguin walking. Our tour guide Audrey told me that it was one of the best that she has seen.
This is a picture from the top of the mountain at the Cape of Good Hope. Absolutely phenomenal!! This is where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet as well.
Robben Island is the prison where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were kept during apartheid.
This is a view of the University of Cape Town from Upper Campus. This is a rugby field.
This is our entire group (minus Aaron our instructor) on our first morning in Cape Town. Check out the background to see the view from our houses. I wish that I had a view like that from Minnesota.
Those are all of the pictures that I have for now. You will have to wait in suspense for the safari pictures. I am IN LOVE with giraffes, and I'm pretty sure that they love me too!
On a completely different note, we went to church at the township that we are staying at Tuesday-Thursday. That's right mom...we went to church! It was one of the most vibrant services that I have been to in a long time. There was beautiful singing, dancing, and the message was in both Xhosa and English. We are all looking forward to attending next Sunday as well.
That's all for now...ciao!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Blogging: my anti-drug
I'm just going to give you a little disclaimer right now. Today was an intense day as far as subject matter that we covered. Now that I have had a chance to sit down and think about it all, my mind is reeling. I have all of these thought that I'm thinking inside of my head. I need a couple of minutes to get out of my own head and my own thoughts. I don't even know if that makes sense to you, but that's the best way that I can describe it.
It's weird how into blogging I have become. Literally, all day I think about what I want to write in my blog at night. I will have an interesting thought or questions, and immediately I take a mental note to put it in my blog at night. This has seriously become my form of therapy. I have NEVER really been like that before. I can usually talk everything out that I need to, but for some reason here I need to write down my thoughts in my workbook, my blog, and in my journal. That's a lot of writing!! Lucky for you all, I do my blogging second so I'm fresh and ready to go still :)
This morning it was back to lecture and discussion in our classroom. We woke up this morning and the sky was looking a little stormy. After our luck with finding our way to class and the rain all day yesterday, we decided to take the Jammie to class. The Jammie is the campus bus system here. You all know how good I am at riding public transportation, so I was really glad that we went as a large group.
Our lecturer this morning was Steve. He gave an overview of current events that are shaping the current dynamics in South Africa. Steve is a child of an ANC member (This is a political party in South Africa. They were one of the major players during that apartheid movement.) and he grew up in a family that lived in exile moving from place to place. I believe he said that he went to 23 different primary schools when he was young! He provided an amazing perspective and insight into life in general, and his lecture this morning got the day started off right.
Currently, Steve holds a couple of Master's degrees and will soon be starting his PhD program. He has studied at various universities and colleges in South Africa, and he did one of his programs on Rotary Scholarship (that's a pretty big deal) studying at Berkeley, California. He views himself as a social change agent and he thinks that education is the key to impacting the world. I am officially in awe of this man!!!
I don't know how many of you have been paying attention to the news, but right now there are Xenophobic attacks going on in South Africa right now. We talked a lot about this during our morning lecture. Steve spent some time working for an NGO (yep, again...I want his life) in the Office for Conflict Resolution, and he also spent some time working for the UN. He has been doing a lot of work with the Xenophobia issues. Here is the low-down for those of you who are a little confused (I suggest you take a look at BBC or CNN if you want to know more), so the Xenophobic issues started in Johannesburg because it is further north. People from Zimbabwe fled to JBurg because of economic/political issues within their own country. Basically, their needs weren't being met in Zimbabwe. However, a mass amount of people sought refugee in JBurg, and that had an adverse affect on the people of JBurg. Now, because of this influx of people, the people in JBurg aren't getting their needs met as far as food, work, shelter, etc. It is taking more of a toll in the townships because those are people who are barely getting their needs met as it is (if they are even being met). When other people come into their area and start taking portions of the necessities that leaves less for the people who live there. So the actual citizens of the townships have started attacking people from Zimbabwe. The refugees have started moving away from JBurg and into other areas of South Africa which is causing the same affect in other parts of the country. Basically, large numbers of people aren't getting their needs met and they have no where to go to get help. (That is all a very brief overview, please look into it more online.)
It was really enlightening to hear Steve talk about his perception of the root of the Xenophobic attacks. After our discussion, I have come to the conclusion that its really just about de-humanizing people. The attacks play on people's vulnerability and its a fight for survival at this point. At the heart of everything, I think that they attacks are just a scapegoat for much larger issues that can be addressed. Instead of focusing energy on people taking refuge, maybe larger issues should be looked at like politics, education, economics, unemployment, gentrification. Then maybe everyone can have their needs met and it won't be such a fight for survival.
After this discussion, I started thinking about my blog entry from yesterday. I wrote about how people from South Africa seem to have a greater understanding of the interconnectivity of life and their role in it. Our discussion about xenophobia today got me thinking that maybe I assumed too pretty of a picture. While I know not ALL people from South Africa are lashing out at foreigners, it made me wonder how many of them really choose to look at the larger picture. I wonder how many of them can see the affect that their actions have on each other, and how many of them actually believe in that?
In a nutshell, this morning I learned that as much as we all have the ability to become disillusioned with politics, our lives are intertwined into the politics within our own borders as well as within the finite borders of something much larger- the world.
With all of the xenophobic attacks, it was made very clear that the major problems are happening in the townships. We will be traveling to the townships next week and doing homestays there for the majority of the week. I started thinking about how these people are opening up their homes to us despite all of this going on. They are inviting us into their homes, and in turn into the hub of their cultures. The families are letting us into their lives. The are educating us knowing that their neighbors, friends, and families might now be okay with foreigners coming into their towns. That shows such immense trust on their part, and I'm really honored and humbled by it.
I told you that I was a thinking machine this morning. We haven't even hit the afternoon yet! This afternoon was our much anticipated trip to Robben Island- one of the prisons that Nelson Mandela was held in during his time in jail.
Robben Island is just that...and island. So that meant that we had to take a boat to get there. For those of you who read about my adventures on the boat yesterday, you are in for part two. We get on this little tug-boat of a ship and start our 8-mile (45 minute) journey to the island. We were rocking and rolling on that boat. This time we had the sense to sit under the boat so that we didn't get rained on. Good thing it didn't even rain! The people in our group started dropping like flies at this point. We had three girls who took motion sickness meds which knocked them out for the whole ride. One girl got sick in the bathroom, and all but 3 people turned an interesting shade of green. BUT we finally made it to Robben Island, happy to set foot on land.
We started off by have a tour of the prison. Our tour guide was actually a prisoner who served time in Robben Island. You can imagine how interesting that was to have a tour conducted by a person who lived through that piece of history. We are all very lucky to have experienced that- it's something that doesn't happen everyday. We got to see Mandela's jail cell, the place where they did work, pictures of him in jail, and I may have stood in a spot where he at one time stood.
The tour was a little bittersweet. I spent the majority of the time trying to wrap my mind around what it must be like to be in jail for 20 years. That's nearly all of my life! I can't imagine what it must feel like to be imprisoned for something that I believe in. At the same time, I had a wonderful resource right in front of me- our tour guide. He experienced everything that I had so many questions about, but I was very hesitant to ask anything. I had a very weird feeling about the tour guide, his role, and his feelings about Robben Island. He was standing right there, a piece of living history, living HIS history, and it was somehow over-shadowed by the fact that Nelson Mandela was there at one time as well.
If anything, this just shows me how much I don't understand about his perspective. For all I know he was honored to be giving this tour even though his history wasn't talked about as much. At the same time, he might have felt resentment, or he may have felt nothing at all! I have a lot to learn, and at the same time it may be something that I never fully understand or learn.
On our way back from Robben Island, we decided to ride on top of the boat so that we could see the sunset and the lights of the city. I absolutely LOVE lights! For 45 minutes we got to see more beautiful views and sights. I hope this beauty doesn't ever get old!
Well, I had better get going. Tomorrow morning we have to be up and at our bus by 5:15AM because we are going on a SAFARI!!!
So for today's shout-outs:
It's weird how into blogging I have become. Literally, all day I think about what I want to write in my blog at night. I will have an interesting thought or questions, and immediately I take a mental note to put it in my blog at night. This has seriously become my form of therapy. I have NEVER really been like that before. I can usually talk everything out that I need to, but for some reason here I need to write down my thoughts in my workbook, my blog, and in my journal. That's a lot of writing!! Lucky for you all, I do my blogging second so I'm fresh and ready to go still :)
This morning it was back to lecture and discussion in our classroom. We woke up this morning and the sky was looking a little stormy. After our luck with finding our way to class and the rain all day yesterday, we decided to take the Jammie to class. The Jammie is the campus bus system here. You all know how good I am at riding public transportation, so I was really glad that we went as a large group.
Our lecturer this morning was Steve. He gave an overview of current events that are shaping the current dynamics in South Africa. Steve is a child of an ANC member (This is a political party in South Africa. They were one of the major players during that apartheid movement.) and he grew up in a family that lived in exile moving from place to place. I believe he said that he went to 23 different primary schools when he was young! He provided an amazing perspective and insight into life in general, and his lecture this morning got the day started off right.
Currently, Steve holds a couple of Master's degrees and will soon be starting his PhD program. He has studied at various universities and colleges in South Africa, and he did one of his programs on Rotary Scholarship (that's a pretty big deal) studying at Berkeley, California. He views himself as a social change agent and he thinks that education is the key to impacting the world. I am officially in awe of this man!!!
I don't know how many of you have been paying attention to the news, but right now there are Xenophobic attacks going on in South Africa right now. We talked a lot about this during our morning lecture. Steve spent some time working for an NGO (yep, again...I want his life) in the Office for Conflict Resolution, and he also spent some time working for the UN. He has been doing a lot of work with the Xenophobia issues. Here is the low-down for those of you who are a little confused (I suggest you take a look at BBC or CNN if you want to know more), so the Xenophobic issues started in Johannesburg because it is further north. People from Zimbabwe fled to JBurg because of economic/political issues within their own country. Basically, their needs weren't being met in Zimbabwe. However, a mass amount of people sought refugee in JBurg, and that had an adverse affect on the people of JBurg. Now, because of this influx of people, the people in JBurg aren't getting their needs met as far as food, work, shelter, etc. It is taking more of a toll in the townships because those are people who are barely getting their needs met as it is (if they are even being met). When other people come into their area and start taking portions of the necessities that leaves less for the people who live there. So the actual citizens of the townships have started attacking people from Zimbabwe. The refugees have started moving away from JBurg and into other areas of South Africa which is causing the same affect in other parts of the country. Basically, large numbers of people aren't getting their needs met and they have no where to go to get help. (That is all a very brief overview, please look into it more online.)
It was really enlightening to hear Steve talk about his perception of the root of the Xenophobic attacks. After our discussion, I have come to the conclusion that its really just about de-humanizing people. The attacks play on people's vulnerability and its a fight for survival at this point. At the heart of everything, I think that they attacks are just a scapegoat for much larger issues that can be addressed. Instead of focusing energy on people taking refuge, maybe larger issues should be looked at like politics, education, economics, unemployment, gentrification. Then maybe everyone can have their needs met and it won't be such a fight for survival.
After this discussion, I started thinking about my blog entry from yesterday. I wrote about how people from South Africa seem to have a greater understanding of the interconnectivity of life and their role in it. Our discussion about xenophobia today got me thinking that maybe I assumed too pretty of a picture. While I know not ALL people from South Africa are lashing out at foreigners, it made me wonder how many of them really choose to look at the larger picture. I wonder how many of them can see the affect that their actions have on each other, and how many of them actually believe in that?
In a nutshell, this morning I learned that as much as we all have the ability to become disillusioned with politics, our lives are intertwined into the politics within our own borders as well as within the finite borders of something much larger- the world.
With all of the xenophobic attacks, it was made very clear that the major problems are happening in the townships. We will be traveling to the townships next week and doing homestays there for the majority of the week. I started thinking about how these people are opening up their homes to us despite all of this going on. They are inviting us into their homes, and in turn into the hub of their cultures. The families are letting us into their lives. The are educating us knowing that their neighbors, friends, and families might now be okay with foreigners coming into their towns. That shows such immense trust on their part, and I'm really honored and humbled by it.
I told you that I was a thinking machine this morning. We haven't even hit the afternoon yet! This afternoon was our much anticipated trip to Robben Island- one of the prisons that Nelson Mandela was held in during his time in jail.
Robben Island is just that...and island. So that meant that we had to take a boat to get there. For those of you who read about my adventures on the boat yesterday, you are in for part two. We get on this little tug-boat of a ship and start our 8-mile (45 minute) journey to the island. We were rocking and rolling on that boat. This time we had the sense to sit under the boat so that we didn't get rained on. Good thing it didn't even rain! The people in our group started dropping like flies at this point. We had three girls who took motion sickness meds which knocked them out for the whole ride. One girl got sick in the bathroom, and all but 3 people turned an interesting shade of green. BUT we finally made it to Robben Island, happy to set foot on land.
We started off by have a tour of the prison. Our tour guide was actually a prisoner who served time in Robben Island. You can imagine how interesting that was to have a tour conducted by a person who lived through that piece of history. We are all very lucky to have experienced that- it's something that doesn't happen everyday. We got to see Mandela's jail cell, the place where they did work, pictures of him in jail, and I may have stood in a spot where he at one time stood.
The tour was a little bittersweet. I spent the majority of the time trying to wrap my mind around what it must be like to be in jail for 20 years. That's nearly all of my life! I can't imagine what it must feel like to be imprisoned for something that I believe in. At the same time, I had a wonderful resource right in front of me- our tour guide. He experienced everything that I had so many questions about, but I was very hesitant to ask anything. I had a very weird feeling about the tour guide, his role, and his feelings about Robben Island. He was standing right there, a piece of living history, living HIS history, and it was somehow over-shadowed by the fact that Nelson Mandela was there at one time as well.
If anything, this just shows me how much I don't understand about his perspective. For all I know he was honored to be giving this tour even though his history wasn't talked about as much. At the same time, he might have felt resentment, or he may have felt nothing at all! I have a lot to learn, and at the same time it may be something that I never fully understand or learn.
On our way back from Robben Island, we decided to ride on top of the boat so that we could see the sunset and the lights of the city. I absolutely LOVE lights! For 45 minutes we got to see more beautiful views and sights. I hope this beauty doesn't ever get old!
Well, I had better get going. Tomorrow morning we have to be up and at our bus by 5:15AM because we are going on a SAFARI!!!
So for today's shout-outs:
- Capestorm for sponsoring our group. They didn't really sponsor us, but we all bought so many raincoats and fleeces that they might as well have!
- TJ and Nate for keeping me warm on top of the boat on our way home. TJ is a human furnace!
- Nate because it was his BIRTHDAY!!!
- Steve: we WILL be chatting again after we are done with our homestays because I love his perspective on life. I think I might want mine to go in a similar direction.
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