I went to the CAA (Catholic Aids Action - my internship) this morning. Chilled out for an hour. Talked to the director and was a little tired. I played with Denzel for a long time which was cool. He’s really a great kid. I think he might have vision issues which leads to problems with his counting but maybe he will be able to get better with time. I also played with kids in a matching game and dominoes. I must at admit that at first I am very turned off by their behavior but I think that it is a condition of their circumstance. Therefore there circumstance must be changed in order to alter their behavior. Respect and other admirable qualities need to be fostered with time and effort, the latter of which I have a lot of the, former of which I am lacking for the moment. Maybe when I make this a profession it won’t be so bad.
I came home and we did a homestay prep which I was very tired for. I am beginning to realize that about 2-3 in the afternoon I go through this intense wave of tiredness and then im pretty peppy afterwards. I cant really explain it; maybe jet lag, maybe heat and water?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tuesday 3 Feb
Today we went to Out of Nature outdoor center to do some team building activities. It was nice we did the web of support thing which didn’t work particularly well but we got the message. We did egg races which were a lot of fun. And other stuff like safety scenarios. We also all shared our roadmaps with one another. I really liked that part of it. I think it was nice to hear everyone’s stories. I felt a lot closer with everyone afterward and grateful that that they shared with us. I had a lot of fun playing Frisbee as well although Yedidya almost killed Carolyn. The mountain scenes on the way back were beautiful.
Monday 2 Feb – My Birthday
It was the first day of the intership today. I got there only a few minutes before Mary Beth and stood awkwardly in the office before she arrived. She gave me and Barbara a proper orientation and showed us all around the compound. There are tons of things that can be done. And I am definitely the type of person who thrives off there being stuff to do especially when it is physical, productive labor in warm climates. So I cant wait to get to work. She also gave us a tour of the local neighborhood. Then she took us to a school where she used her magic to get a boy who had been out of school for a year back in. She also payed for it. It was pretty amazing to see. We then went to pick up Denzel and Dapne both of whom are disabled so we give them some morning education. Daphne is eighteen, deaf and has been abused. She is afraid of men so I have to be careful but she was in a good mood that day and laughed and smiled and got along with me really well. Denzel is awesome and I have a lot of fun with him. He is in a wheelchair and has braces on his legs. That morning they taught me some really interesting games like lucky 6 and some card game which was kind of like "rat screw" but for kids. It was awesome. It was first experience learning with disabled kids and is hard to get used to but you pick it up quickly. You need to slow everything down and realize you’re trying to get them to learn.
After working with them for a few hours I had my lunch and then the kids started to come in. Before you knew it there was a swarm of them. 200-300 everywhere. I read to some at first and then Cathy asked if I wanted to try out the kitchen to see what it was like. There were miles of bowls of soup. They kids come to a door with a ticket for soup and get a little bowl with a little piece of bread in it. After everyone has been served they can come back for seconds or as they call it “second chance”. Its absolute pandemonium at that point. It’s a little bit sad because you can tell they are very hungry. They are all screaming and yelling for more soup and bread. Some fight over the chance to finish off they pots of soup with the bread. I can see why the organization wants to work on manners and respect so much. They are good kids they just lack a lot important socialization at home because of the poverty. I believe they cant be blamed for it but at the same time they need to learn proper manners. I don’t know if I have the right to say that? For the rest of the afternoon basically I worked with a girl on her factors. It was difficult for me to remember the easier maths because adults get so far removed from it, that it is difficult to keep up with it. But I tried and I hope it helped. Who knows? I think Mary Beth was happy with the work I did. Hopefully I can keep it up and make some lasting/sustainable improvements there. I am pumped about the stuff I have to do.
After working with them for a few hours I had my lunch and then the kids started to come in. Before you knew it there was a swarm of them. 200-300 everywhere. I read to some at first and then Cathy asked if I wanted to try out the kitchen to see what it was like. There were miles of bowls of soup. They kids come to a door with a ticket for soup and get a little bowl with a little piece of bread in it. After everyone has been served they can come back for seconds or as they call it “second chance”. Its absolute pandemonium at that point. It’s a little bit sad because you can tell they are very hungry. They are all screaming and yelling for more soup and bread. Some fight over the chance to finish off they pots of soup with the bread. I can see why the organization wants to work on manners and respect so much. They are good kids they just lack a lot important socialization at home because of the poverty. I believe they cant be blamed for it but at the same time they need to learn proper manners. I don’t know if I have the right to say that? For the rest of the afternoon basically I worked with a girl on her factors. It was difficult for me to remember the easier maths because adults get so far removed from it, that it is difficult to keep up with it. But I tried and I hope it helped. Who knows? I think Mary Beth was happy with the work I did. Hopefully I can keep it up and make some lasting/sustainable improvements there. I am pumped about the stuff I have to do.
Sunday 1 Feb
I got up early and took a cab to the pool to meet my internship supervisor a day early. The first day of the internship was scheduled for Monday but Evan, the internship coordinator, told me I could meet Mary Beth, my supervisor with the kids at the pool on Sunday. So I went. The cabby, joking around, tried to charge me 50 N$ for the ride which would only be 5$ in America, probably an appropriate amount for the distance. However the price is only supposed to be N$ 7.50 or $.75 American. I promptly and sternly told him “no”. He laughed and said "haha ok ok" and gave me the correct change.
I walked up to the entrance of the pool where about 200 kids were sitting. I asked them if they were from Catholic AIDS Action to which they said yes. I told them I was Clarke and I would be working with them this semester. They all promptly jumped up and surrounded me. They instantly want to touch you, look at your watch, feel your arm hair because its so different, feel your hair hair which they say is very soft and be all over you. We played some hand games while waiting for Mary Beth. She took her bike around the back end of the pool and when the kids saw her they all started chanting her name. They know what to do as well because they line up by girls and boys. She gives them a prep talk before going in and tells them to behave. I meet her and the other volunteer from Germany, about my age, Barbara. Barbara says if I like having kids all over me I might as well jump in. So I got to the locker room to change. The boys room has recently burned down so after climbing over the door lying on its side to get in imagine a room where the burnt ash and effluvia of the ceiling are all over the floor. There are holes above you letting the sky in and burnt and blackened pipes lying crippled from the ceiling every which way. I changed in a little cubby with no curtiain, I wasn’t worried, no one else was coming in. It smelt like fecesand urin. I went to the bathroom on one of those large metal wall urinals where it is literally a wall that several men can pee on at once. It was warped from the heat of the fire.
I then got in the pool with the kids. Ten of them jumped on me at once. It was so much fun. You just throw them around and have a ball with them. Take some to the deep end etc. I then actually go to teach 10-12 boys for a while. They loved it and were pretty attentive for a bunch of really enthusiastic little kids. It was awesome. I had a nosebleed so I had to get out for a while. I talked to Mary Beth and found out about her travels to south America and the middle east and now here. I met Cathy from New Zealand and Lynn from England. Both of these women help Mary Beth out and are referred to as Grandma. It was a really good time.
I then took a cab ot the parliament gardens to meet the rest of the crew for our community meeting which was really nice. Kristen laid out he basics and told us she was a bit homesick. We played an awesome game of ultimate and I sucked a little bit. Then we went home and chilled out and got ready for the internship.
I walked up to the entrance of the pool where about 200 kids were sitting. I asked them if they were from Catholic AIDS Action to which they said yes. I told them I was Clarke and I would be working with them this semester. They all promptly jumped up and surrounded me. They instantly want to touch you, look at your watch, feel your arm hair because its so different, feel your hair hair which they say is very soft and be all over you. We played some hand games while waiting for Mary Beth. She took her bike around the back end of the pool and when the kids saw her they all started chanting her name. They know what to do as well because they line up by girls and boys. She gives them a prep talk before going in and tells them to behave. I meet her and the other volunteer from Germany, about my age, Barbara. Barbara says if I like having kids all over me I might as well jump in. So I got to the locker room to change. The boys room has recently burned down so after climbing over the door lying on its side to get in imagine a room where the burnt ash and effluvia of the ceiling are all over the floor. There are holes above you letting the sky in and burnt and blackened pipes lying crippled from the ceiling every which way. I changed in a little cubby with no curtiain, I wasn’t worried, no one else was coming in. It smelt like fecesand urin. I went to the bathroom on one of those large metal wall urinals where it is literally a wall that several men can pee on at once. It was warped from the heat of the fire.
I then got in the pool with the kids. Ten of them jumped on me at once. It was so much fun. You just throw them around and have a ball with them. Take some to the deep end etc. I then actually go to teach 10-12 boys for a while. They loved it and were pretty attentive for a bunch of really enthusiastic little kids. It was awesome. I had a nosebleed so I had to get out for a while. I talked to Mary Beth and found out about her travels to south America and the middle east and now here. I met Cathy from New Zealand and Lynn from England. Both of these women help Mary Beth out and are referred to as Grandma. It was a really good time.
I then took a cab ot the parliament gardens to meet the rest of the crew for our community meeting which was really nice. Kristen laid out he basics and told us she was a bit homesick. We played an awesome game of ultimate and I sucked a little bit. Then we went home and chilled out and got ready for the internship.
Saturday 31 Jan - Mom's Birthday!
We finally got some rest in the morning today. This was quickly trumped by a lengthy student forum that went on for hours in the afternoon. We met with local Namibian students to discuss everything under the sun (literally) which was nice but they stayed for a very long time. Most of the US students went into the house after a couple of hours because of the sun and heat but some of us had to stay out so the Namibians were not by themselves.
Since they stayed so long we had about an hour to get ready to go out for My, Justines, and Abbie’s birthdays. We went to Joe’s Bar which was huge and had a great time. I got he Bushmen Sosatie platter which included, Ostrich, Crocidile, Zebra, Kudu, and last but not least, Chicken. I had my first Guinness in Africa. Hurray. The three of us also got different deserts which we passed around to everyone. It was pretty sweet.
Since they stayed so long we had about an hour to get ready to go out for My, Justines, and Abbie’s birthdays. We went to Joe’s Bar which was huge and had a great time. I got he Bushmen Sosatie platter which included, Ostrich, Crocidile, Zebra, Kudu, and last but not least, Chicken. I had my first Guinness in Africa. Hurray. The three of us also got different deserts which we passed around to everyone. It was pretty sweet.
Friday 30 Jan
Today we did the Katutura Quest. We were all assigned different places to check out in Windhoek. I went with Justine and Hannah to an orphanage run by just one lady and her helpers. She gets donations wherever she can and has taken in about 21 one kids. It was a very free lance type of orphanage because parents could just sort of come by and pick up the kids whenever. The owner did a really good job at improving the place. She had just built a new building with bedrooms and bathrooms for boys and girls along with a 2 rooms for homework, playing, etc. it was amazing what she had done. The kids were very young and climbed all over us. The practically tackled Hannah. They loved being lifted up and thrown around. One or two of them had AIDS which is a very hard thing to hear. Another girl was very disabled and forced to squat in order to walk around. She was very kind.
We had a debriefing about the quest and worked out some very interesting calculations comparing prices/minium wages for Namibians and Americas. For a Namibian to buy a pack of diapers it would cost them 51 Namibian dollars(N$) or 5 American Dollars. If they get the average Namibian salary ( 3 N$ an hour) it means they would have to work for 2 days to get one pack of diapers. If an American worked for two days at a minimum wage of abou 5.25 an hour it would mean that an equivalent pack of diapers would be $96.01. So although some assume its cheap for the average Namibian to live here its not if we turn it into an American equivalent. Pretty crazy. TIA.
We had a debriefing about the quest and worked out some very interesting calculations comparing prices/minium wages for Namibians and Americas. For a Namibian to buy a pack of diapers it would cost them 51 Namibian dollars(N$) or 5 American Dollars. If they get the average Namibian salary ( 3 N$ an hour) it means they would have to work for 2 days to get one pack of diapers. If an American worked for two days at a minimum wage of abou 5.25 an hour it would mean that an equivalent pack of diapers would be $96.01. So although some assume its cheap for the average Namibian to live here its not if we turn it into an American equivalent. Pretty crazy. TIA.
Wednesday Jan 28
Today we finally head for Namibia. The general consensus among us was that, although we all loved SA and our time there we really wanted to be settled and not living out of suitcases any more. The flight was easy except for Britta who lost her passport. It was found by the lady at the desk literally as the last bus was leaving for the plane. It could not have been cut any closer. We arrived safely and got through customs pretty easily. The drive from the airport to the house was beautiful: flat semi-desert in the foreground and beautiful mountains in the background. We saw baboons and 1 elk on the way there. We arrived in the house which I was totally impressed by. Its awesome, large and very comfortable. The power and internet have been cutting out but TIA. Once we arrived we had dinner which was fine although the food over the last couple days has been fantastic! We did laundry and had a very long intro discussion with the staff. We got a tour as well. Some of us headed up to the Carboard Box up the street which is the local bar. Its pretty cool there. Great environment, nice and open. As far as beer goes, Windhoek Lager = good, Tafel = Eh and Windhoek Draught = Ok. I was awful on there pool table. The balls were smaller.
Tuesday Jan 27
On Tuesday morning we headed out for our trips. The first of these was the US Embassy. Here we met a nice lady who explained all about what the embassy did, how it worked and about some contemporary South African issues. One of the things that I liked which she said about South Africa/Namibia is that their main staples can be summed up as Beef, Beer and Bread. All three sound good to me, except for maybe the beef but Ill deal. After the Embassy we went to the Voortrekker monument. This edifice, adorned with statues of German colonist holding guns and standing resolutely proud, is a “testament to the journey the Afrikaners took from Cape Town to Pretoria”. The fact that the inside of it is plastered with images of Afrikaners slaughtering the natives to make their journey, much like Europeans did to Native Americans, is not really mentioned. There are some who like to see it torn down but arguably it is piece of history and the history is undeniably important. I personally believe however that is should not be such a source of pride however for Afrikaners.
After the monument and museum we had a speaker come to us who was supposed to talk to us about Afrikaner nationalism. He was a nice guy but I believe there was a language barrier because I was lost very quickly. I tried to pay as much attention as possible but I couldn’t follow. I know he was very religious and made broad claims about good fighting evil without out giving what I would call sufficient definitions of either. Oh well.
Once he was finished we headed to the parliament gardens where we had some very intense discussions about racism in SA and USA, poverty and redistribution, European influence on SA, Apathetic Students, and whether or not the Voortrekker monument should be torn down. We disagreed about some things which was the point but I feel like we did a good job at having constructive argument.
After the monument and museum we had a speaker come to us who was supposed to talk to us about Afrikaner nationalism. He was a nice guy but I believe there was a language barrier because I was lost very quickly. I tried to pay as much attention as possible but I couldn’t follow. I know he was very religious and made broad claims about good fighting evil without out giving what I would call sufficient definitions of either. Oh well.
Once he was finished we headed to the parliament gardens where we had some very intense discussions about racism in SA and USA, poverty and redistribution, European influence on SA, Apathetic Students, and whether or not the Voortrekker monument should be torn down. We disagreed about some things which was the point but I feel like we did a good job at having constructive argument.
Monday 26 Jan
On Monday morning we got back from the homestay went immediately to 17 Shaft. 17 Shaft is a large old mining compound which has been converted into center where young men and women can learn basic skills like masonry or farming to get jobs. The owner of it who we met at the end had a very Sean Connery-like swagger about him. He told us he was a soldier and smuggler by trade and that he started 17 shaft as an original training and recruitment center for the ANC during the resistance movment. He was definitely a badass now trying to do some good in the world.
After 17 Shaft we took, thanks to traffic, and incredibly long drive to Pretoria, the capitol of South Africa. We went to That’s It guest house which was very nice. They had a pool and nice little bungalow with excellent food.
After 17 Shaft we took, thanks to traffic, and incredibly long drive to Pretoria, the capitol of South Africa. We went to That’s It guest house which was very nice. They had a pool and nice little bungalow with excellent food.
Soweto Homestay
On Friday evening we headed out for our Soweto homestay where we stay with a local family in the South West Township. We went in pairs for this first homestay of three. Ben was my partner. We were both a little nervous but looking forward to it none the less. We arrived in the Kombi and met Duntou, Ichi and Pumi. Duntou was the host mom, Mike her brother, and Pumi her 12 year old son. They were very welcoming. Duntou talked out ear off for the first 15 minutes about AIDS so that definitely eased my worries about running out of things to talk about. We had a very good dinner the first night. It took a little getting used to the style of eating here. A lot of it is just with one’s hands or a spoon. Forks and knives are not necessarily used. The first night Ichi took Ben and I out to get some movies to watch: A Bourne Identity and something else. The rest of the weekend we were incredibly well fed with an assortment of different things. We watched a lot of TV and movies which were interesting. The movies pertained to South Africa and we liked them. Out host mom took us out to a bar not to drink but just to see what one was like in Soweto. It was very nice but a little awkward for Ben and myself being the only white guys there. The night was fine except for a really drunk guy who kept coming by our table, shaking our hand, telling us not to be afraid and he was very glad white people were here. On the last night a friend of our host mom, Charlie, took us out to a braai (barbecue). It was crazy. It was essentially a huge party outside of the night club. There were cars everywhere and people were drinking a lot. They just toss the bottle on the ground where cars run them over causing a perpetual popping sound throughout the night. The meat was delicious and the music and company was good. Ben and I were quite tired and ready to get to bed. We had a good time though.
Some Museums and Speakers
On Tuesday of the first week in Joburg we went to the Hector Pieterson museum. He was the first student killed by the police in the 1976 protest. His sister cam out and talked to us about the experience. It was crazy to actually be hearing from the woman herself. Very surreal and humbling.
Today was the apartheid museum. It was a really good museum. The person who designed it also designed the Holocoust Museum in D.C. The pictures were out of this world. They depicted so many different aspects of Aparthied. I wont waste time trying to explain it all. You really have to go see it.
We also had two speakers comes this day. The first was a very kind man whotalked about the difference between the ANC and COPE. THe ANC was the liberation party and COPE is a new break away party from the ANC. Some of the leaders from ANC wanted their own power and as a result made their own party. The general concensus is that a lot of poiticians are in politics because it is a living. If you can play the game you can have a good life. As a result the people tend to get neglected. Although the speaker on this division was hard to understand and I was very tired what he said was significant and interesting.
The second speaker Dale McKinley was out of this world. He was very intelligent and knowledgeable and portrayed what he wanted to say in the a very coherent manner. Thank god. He talked about politically South Africa is deracialized but socio-economically the poor aren’t any better off and the rich still have the power as per usual. He talked about theimportance education, organization and keeping things local. Big governments are necessary but not always very effective. Participatory is the way to go. He had concrete ideas for actions that can be taken.
Today was the apartheid museum. It was a really good museum. The person who designed it also designed the Holocoust Museum in D.C. The pictures were out of this world. They depicted so many different aspects of Aparthied. I wont waste time trying to explain it all. You really have to go see it.
We also had two speakers comes this day. The first was a very kind man whotalked about the difference between the ANC and COPE. THe ANC was the liberation party and COPE is a new break away party from the ANC. Some of the leaders from ANC wanted their own power and as a result made their own party. The general concensus is that a lot of poiticians are in politics because it is a living. If you can play the game you can have a good life. As a result the people tend to get neglected. Although the speaker on this division was hard to understand and I was very tired what he said was significant and interesting.
The second speaker Dale McKinley was out of this world. He was very intelligent and knowledgeable and portrayed what he wanted to say in the a very coherent manner. Thank god. He talked about politically South Africa is deracialized but socio-economically the poor aren’t any better off and the rich still have the power as per usual. He talked about theimportance education, organization and keeping things local. Big governments are necessary but not always very effective. Participatory is the way to go. He had concrete ideas for actions that can be taken.
Friday, February 6, 2009
SOuth WEstern TOwnship = Soweto
Starting from top Left: 1. Kids playing with dirt in Kliptown. 2. Group walking through shacks of Kliptown. 3. The 10 tenants of the Freedom Charter.
As a note I spent half an hour editing this post to give you some history about South Africa but then the internet cut out so I am going to just give you some really basic history.
In 1948 Aparthied was formally introduced into South Africa. It was very similar to the Jim Crow laws of segregation. Blacks were not allowed to work in the cities without a passbook. They were forced to live outside of the cities in large townships where they were just thrown together. They were segregated and discriminiated against. There were raids in the townships and beatings. If a Black person was found in the cities like Johannesburg without a passbook they were sent to jail for a long time. Soweto the main township outside of Johannesburg was where we did a lot of our traveling. Soweto is literally an abbreviation of South West Township. In 1976 there was peaceful protest of students against Aparthied, which police officers fired upon killing several people. From there more protests continued throughout the 70's and 80's. A snowball effect gradually took place. The Afican National Congress (ANC) was the main opposition to Aparthied. Nelson Mandela was the figurehead of the ANC during these times despite the fact that he was in jail. As protest and violence continued Mandela was released in 1990. In 1994 South Africa (SA) held its first free elections in which Mandela was elected president and the ANC as the leading party. Althought Aparthied has been outlawed on paper one will soon find out that paper means very little. Econcomically and socially the Blacks are still on the bottom rung of society despite that fact that there has eben some improvements. Hopefully this will give you some orientation as you read. I will try to explain more as I post.
The first day of traveling was a hard one. We did a lot of it. We heard a speaker Moelefi talk about Apartheid and then went to see where the freedom charter was created. The Freedom Charter was the consolidation of a list of wants obtained by the government from the African people, a starting point against Apartheid. Wants included things like free health care and dignified housing. A stones throw away from the monument which housed the basic ten of the charter was Kliptown, a South African Slum. It was literally across the tracks from brand new 5 star hotel. It was not easy to see but it was very similar to Nicaragua. This time I actually got to get a good luck at the inside of a house. It was probably half the size of my room and shared between 5 people. The town itself smelled like fresh bathroom making it hard to believe that people lived here but at the same time making the idea that people did live here all the more real. The guy who showed us around was campaigning for his residents. He told of the problems with cholera, TB and basic sanitation. The government doesn’t want to admit that there are cholera and TB problems and therefore the people suffering don’t get the drugs they need. He also showed us a zest pool coming from a sewage pipe and explained that kids swim in it sometimes because they need places to play. Convincing kids not to play is a very difficult thing to do. They need something to keep them occupied but they have nothing. Putting in a swimming pool is probably out of the question.
Tuesday morning we went to the a semi-private school in Soweto and had the chance to speak to kids there. We told them about out culture and they theirs. We danced with some and played games with others. A lot of them were very excited about Obama. The school was catholic and run by the church which resided in the center. The most interesting aspect to me was a handwritten poster that was giving different prompts for students to write an essay. One of the prompts was “South Africans are poor losers” Please write about this.” You would never see this in america either and if you did I can only imagine the difference between the responses from America and Africa. It was good to see.
Driving around, another thing I saw as written on the wall outside of hospital. It said make sure that you get your CD4 count so that if it is high you can receive “life-saving ARV (anti-retroviral) drugs” The fact the no drugs are life saving when it comes to AIDS is ironic. Also the fact that anti-retroviral was already abbreviated shows how much country is affected by the disease.
Later on that day we went to the Regina Mundi Church. A place were a lot resistance against apartheid was talked about. During one service the police came in to break it up because they believed that it was instigating resistance, which it probably was but in a peaceful manner. The police told the people to disperse but when the couldnt they fired bullets in the ceiling and one soldier cracked the alter. The bullet holes and an alter cracked with the butt of a gun are reminders of the south African police breaking apart a peaceful service. Although they may have been resisting Aparthid in some way 2000 people cant leaving a building in 2 minutes.
One of the most interesting parts so far has been talking with one of our SA guides, Molefi. After watching the inauguration which they took us to a local bar in Soweto to see, I got to talk to him. As an aside the inauguration was good to see and I am happy that Obama is president but I have to say that I wasnt exactly bowled over with his speech. Any way it was great talking to Molefi. We spoke about everything from people in SA needing counseling after Aparthied, to the drug problems, the economy, racism, homosexuality, etc. It was really great to speak to him and learn all these things from.
As this is the second time I am attempting this post I think I am about done for now. More to come.
The Flight
Everything went fine at the airport. Meeting everyone in the airport was fun and everyone got along really well from the beginning. We boarded the plane and started out 18 hour journey. It went rather quickly. There were three meals, plenty of movies, which I watched. I slept for quite awhile as well. We landed and we were thrown into a much nicer climate.
Customs was easy and fast. The customs man asked me no questions and didn’t even look me in the eye. It was the first time that ever happened and I wondered if it was because I was an American coming to South Africa. The airport was undergoing renovations so some columns were exposed. The main room of the airport recently renovated was really nice. In the bathroom in the bag check there was a sign on the mirror which said, “South Africa’s Water is Precious. Please Use it Sparingly” You would never see a sign like that in the US. At least not yet but maybe sooner than we think. We met up with Linda, our program coordinator, Passat, our driver, and Moketsi, our south african guide. They took us to St. Peters. The sign in front proclaimed that “Christ the King’s offices” were at the residence. I was excited to finally meet the man in person and see where he worked.
The first dinner was nice and we got to know one another better. We played bananagrams ands would you rather. It was a nice ice breaker. We were all pretty exhausted and headed to bed.
Customs was easy and fast. The customs man asked me no questions and didn’t even look me in the eye. It was the first time that ever happened and I wondered if it was because I was an American coming to South Africa. The airport was undergoing renovations so some columns were exposed. The main room of the airport recently renovated was really nice. In the bathroom in the bag check there was a sign on the mirror which said, “South Africa’s Water is Precious. Please Use it Sparingly” You would never see a sign like that in the US. At least not yet but maybe sooner than we think. We met up with Linda, our program coordinator, Passat, our driver, and Moketsi, our south african guide. They took us to St. Peters. The sign in front proclaimed that “Christ the King’s offices” were at the residence. I was excited to finally meet the man in person and see where he worked.
The first dinner was nice and we got to know one another better. We played bananagrams ands would you rather. It was a nice ice breaker. We were all pretty exhausted and headed to bed.
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