July 11

My alarm rang at 7:00 this morning.  I sleepily turned it off and crawled out of bed.  My ride comes at 8, so I have an hour to get ready.  As I look through my suitcase, I think to myself, “Do I wear long sleeves because it is a bit cooler or do I stubbornly wear short sleeves and sandals because ‘it is summer in Canada.”  This morning it is a bit chillier, so I decided to wear short sleeves with a thinner sweater over top. 

By 7:40, I was ready and waiting outside.  Typically, my ride is a few minutes late, so I had plenty of time.  I pulled out my book and started to read . . . and read . . . and read.  At 9:00, I started wondering if my ride had forgotten about me.   I pulled out my phone and dialed his number, only to hear dial tones and realize that somehow I had ran out of airtime (you have to prebuy airtime here) and the only way I could get airtime was to go downtown.  So I sat and waited for another 10 minutes or so.  I then realized I had 10 text messages that I could still use.  So, I sent off a message and got another in reply, “He forgot U. He is coming.”  So, yes, I was forgotten about.  Good thing the college is only 10 minutes away.  By 10:00, I was at the college starting another day’s work.  I just finished a study book on Pastoral Practice and tomorrow hope to start on one that is used to teach the student’s English language skills. 

Today, I had quite a few conversations with the ladies I work with.  In the office where I work there are five women (including myself) and one guy.  Through these conversations, I came to realize my monetary richness.  If you had a job at a place like McDonalds, you would get paid about 4000 Rand a month.  Sounds like a bit, but when you convert it Canadian money, it works out to about $400 a month.  That is not very much compared to what we get – that is probably how much someone at McDonald’s works a month.  They asked me the cost of my plane ticket as a few of them were interested in coming to Canada.  I was hesitant to tell them as I know how large a sum it is to them.  When I told them, they were stunned.  In Canada, we are rich!  In another conversation, I was talking with someone who had been seriously looking at moving to Calgary for a job opportunity.  She was offered $3500 and to someone from South Africa, that sounded like a lot (35 000 Rand).  However, once she did some research, she realized that the company was not offering a fair wage according to Canadian standards and she would be barely able to make ends meet, especially as she has three young kids. 

The internet at the college was done again today.  Hopefully tomorrow I can update everyone.  I’m just teaching everyone patience!! J

Tomorrow, I am moving to the college.  I will live there for a few weeks and then I will be back here for the last few weeks. 

P.S.  Does anyone know of a Grade 5/6 teacher that wants a job?  I hear there might be one available come September in beautiful sunny Southern Alberta.  Just kidding!!!    

A meal from Air Canada flight - served at midnight.

A breakfast from South African Airways - way better than Air Canada

My first view of Johannesburg

The place where I am staying - Mandela Farm

Where the family stays

Some plants on the farm

July 8-10

Already Wednesday – a week ago, I was sitting in London Airport, wondering what I was getting into.  Now I am sitting in the living room of my house, typing up another journal entry and amazed at all I have learned/experienced in the past few days.  South Africa is a beautiful country, but its people have a hard life.  There is not much money and there is also the prevalence of Aids.

Monday and today I worked at the college.  I edited two ‘study guides’.  These are module books that are going to be used by students who are studying in groups that are not located at the college.  These groups will watch a DVD and follow along with the study guides.  In the end, they will receive the same certificates/diplomas as if they had been in the program.  Over the last five or so years, 26 distance programs have been set up. 

Ohh, gotta go – my water is boiling and I need to wash my dishes. 

And I’m back.  The hot water is working right now, but it is not hot enough to wash the grease off from making hamburger for tacos. 

As I was saying, 26 distance groups have been set up.  IN this way, the impact of Mukhanyo reaches far beyond the property lines.  Over the last few days, as I mentioned I edited two modules (about 75, 000 words x 2 since I read them twice to make sure). 

When working at Mukhanyo, there is a lot of laughter.  Sometimes I don’t quite get what’s going on, but other times, it can be quite funny.  I had one guy tell me that the reason black people are so black is that they don’t like water as much as we do!!  So far, I have met people from Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Holland, Canada, and Malawi since coming here. 

Yesterday, I did not go to Mukhanyo since I did not have a ride.  It ended up being a quiet day as there was no one on the farm either.  I was told not to worry about safety as there is no risk and so I didn’t (for the most part J).  There are two dogs which are quite protective of the yard and the caretaker of the farm. 

I have a few pictures, but I’m hoping to take quite a few more so you can get a better idea of what things are like here.  Although I already know, it won’t be the same as living here.    

July 7, 2013

July 7, 2013

My first Sunday here in South Africa.   So far, I am learning many new things every day and I don’t think today will be any different.  Church started at 9:30 and we were there by 9:00.  Before church started, everyone stood around and greeted each other.  When you greet people here, it is not a typical handshake.  Instead, you clasp thumbs (that’s the best way I can think of describing it), then you shake their hand and then you clasp thumbs again.  Afterwards, you typically give a hug.  Took me a bit to get the routine down, but I think I know it.  However, if I come back to Canada and someone wants to shake hands, I might accidentally do it this way know – especially after being here for another 5 ½ weeks. 

Around 9:30, once the people that were there were seated, a lady began singing.   Everyone else joined in with most people clapping.  Some of the people even had a leather covered pillow that they held in one hand.  This way, their clapping was louder.   Once a few songs were done, the 10 commandments were read (in Zutu and English), the Apostle’s Creed echoed back by the members and a prayer, the elder preached in English.  A lady then translated the English into Zulu.  The sermon today was from Matthew 6 on the narrow path and the broad path and how that the narrow path is hard to take, but has so much more reward. 

Once we arrived back at the Farm, I had coffee with the Lukens.  And yes, I DID have coffee.  I managed to drink about ¼ cup and one of my goals is to be able to drink coffee by the time I leave – I don’t know how successful I will be as it is pretty nasty. 

In the evening, a lady came who was from Canada. She attends FRC in Ontario, so we played some Dutch Bingo, but did not find anyone common relatives among us.  During this time, the power went off.  This is a regular occurrence, so no one was worried.  We put on our candles and kept doing the regular things.   In a few hours, it was back on. 

Since this is a short blog, I have some time to describe what you see when you drive down the roads.

As I mentioned, the shape of the primary roads are excellent and shape of the secondary roads are decent.  However, the shape of the roads going to people’s houses are quite rough.  The dirt here is red and so imagine packed red dirt with lots of pot –holes and bumps in it.  You have to crawl over the roads and vehicles are quite worn down by them.  As you are driving, you will see people of all ages walking from one spot to another, whether it’s to a grocery store, to a business, back home or just walking.  In the main intersections, there will be people walking around trying to sell newspapers, toys, household decorations, flags and many other small things.   Along the side of the road, you will see many different buildings.  Some are made up of red brick, others are constructed of tin.  They are about 12 feet by 8 feet.  These are businesses.  There will be signs displaying what each is for – haircuts, funerals, tires, upholstery repair, etc.  There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to the location of the buildings – just wherever there is an empty spot on the side of the road, a building was placed.  Some businesses do not have any building – instead they just place their product on the ground and move it when the day is done.  This typically is for fruits and veggies. 

Hopefully, this gives you a bit of a picture of the South Africa I am seeing.  

July 6, 2013

July 6, 2013

I am still suffering a bit from jet lag – I was awake this morning at 4:00 and could not fall asleep!!  Some of the reason, though, might be because I fell asleep last night at about 8:30.  

I woke up this morning to the sound of music drifting through the trees.  When I asked the Lukens what is was for, they told me about the initiation of South African boys.  The year a South African boy turns 14, he goes to the mountains for 2 months.  This means at this time, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of young boys out in the wilderness.   This is the way that the prove that they are men.  However, it is in harsh circumstances.  Since it is winter, it is cold.  As well, a more recent trend is for the uncles to bring alcohol and cigarettes to these boys.  This will be their first exposure to both of these, and so this also hurts them.  It is never reported how many die, but this year it is said that 126 have died.   Now the two month period is up and the people are looking forward to the men coming home.  That is the reason for the music.  

Joke invited me to go along shopping with her in Pretoria. Pretoria is a bustling city about one hour away.  As I went along, I watched the traffic carefully – I hope to rent a car next week and so I need to be prepared.  One thing I noticed is that they use the shoulder (when there is one) as a lane.  If someone wants to pass you, instead of them passing you in the opposite lane, you move over onto the shoulder (not changing your speed) and they pass you.  They will then flash their blinkers at you as a ‘thank-you’.  The main highways are in good shape and the secondary ones are decent as well, although they don’t have lines marked clearly on them.  As well, in most locations, stop signs are more yield signs (except for one location, where I was told I must stop or there would be a good chance of me receiving a ticket).  As well, at night time, it is recommended that you don’t stop at the stop signs.  I hope I don’t have to drive that often at night. 

In Pretoria, we went to a home decorating store and to a grocery store.  As this is a main city, there were many white people there, however, they do not speak a familiar language and so I still felt confused J .  However, other than that, the stores looked just like they did in Canada.  I also went to a mall and that too, reminded me of Canada.  The clothing prices were really cheap – shoes were $10, nice shirts were $5. . .  For lunch we stopped at Macdonalds – yes they do have McD here as well.  I bought a combo for $5 so that is cheap as well. 

Once I arrived at home, I made supper and went and chatted with the Lukens. 

Oh, and something I forgot to put on yesterday’s page was that you say Kwamlanga something like Kwamshla.  

July 5, 2013

July 5,2013

Today has been another event filled day.  I am trying to memorize the names of about 20 new people, went on my first taxi ride, worked for a few hours at Mukhanyo Theological College, visited the Nakakela Care Centre and learned how to say Kwalmanga. 

But before I get into this, I will finish my day off yesterday.  Whenever the Lukens receive volunteers at their farm, they treat them to what they call a ‘Mandela meal’  So last night, I was invited to my Mandela meal.  This meal consisted of salad with veggies from their garden, a soup with veggies from their garden and for dessert , a custard cake with strawberries on top  . . . that were from their garden.  Even though it is winter time here, they still grow food in their garden.  After the meal, I visited with the Lukens.  They discussed HIV/Aids and the huge impact it has an everything here.  There is a huge stigma attached to having Aids and many people do not want treatment because of it.  Also, this results in people not talking about it and being educated about the causes, symptoms, treatments, etc.  Many of the Africans believe that the reason they are sick is because they are being punished by their ancestors.  They will not acknowledge that they have Aids and this makes the job of those trying to help the individuals with Aids much harder.  By 8:30, I was barely able to focus on the conversation and so I went to bed.

This morning I woke up on time because it would be first full day in Africa and I would be going to Mukhanyo Theological College and learning what I would be doing.  When I arrived there, I was introduced to many different people: Charity, Leti, Joel, Simon, Peter,  and four or five others.  I was then given two module books.  My job is to proofread them and check for any errors. The ironic thing about this is that when I first started teaching, I avoided teaching English like the plague.  However, lately I have been teaching that more and more and now I am proof-reading modules for the correctness of the use of English!!

Halfway through the morning, I went with one of the office workers, Leti to visit Nakakela Care Centre.   This was my first experience with taking taxis.  These taxis are mini-vans that can hold about 12 people.  When you want a ride, you stand by the side of the road and wave your finger.  The taxi/bus will pull over and pick you up.  There typically is people in there already.  As you enter the taxi, you state where you want to go.  The driver knows where that is.  As well, sometime throughout the ride, you need to pay the driver.  I have not figured out how the rate works, but to go to the Clinic it cost 14 Rand (about $1).  On the way, I was taught my first official lesson on African culture.  Whenever you meet someone, you are to say _________.  This is basically ‘hello’.  If you don’t say this, you are considered rude and you will be refused any help you may need later on.  My only problem is I keep forgetting it and even to use it now, I had to look it up. 

The Nakakela Care Clinic is a Christian hospital for adults who have Aids.  Many of them have been deserted by their families, so have that burden to bear as well.   The director of the orphanage took me on a tour.  It’s a very nice place and you can feel the love that the workers have for their patients.  Once I was done the tour, I was able to listen to a Bible study that was done by Leti.  She talked in English and then one of the workers translated it into Zulu for the patients.  In that way, I would be able to understand it.  Her discussion was on Psalm 57???____ and she discussed how our refuge is to be Jesus Christ and how we need to trust Him and go to Him in all our trials.  After her topic, she did some counseling with new patients. 

There is so much more to say about what traffic is like, what businesses are like, the different people that I meet, but this is getting fairly long, so maybe on another day when I have nothing interesting to write. 

July 4, 2013

July 4, 2013

Looking at my last blog, I see that I started it 44 days ago.  Wow, it seems like yesterday. 

11:30 I am sitting outside at Mandella Farm in a town called Kwamlangha (this is not said as it sounds – instead you somehow say it like you have a mouthful of food.  I haven’t yet been able to pronounce it).  It is a warm, sunny day with a slight breeze blowing.   Technically, it is winter here in South Africa, but that does not mean snow and freezing temperatures as it does in Alberta.  Instead the lowest temperature is about 2 degrees celsuis and the highest is about 18 degrees.  So in other words, comparable to a warm fall in Alberta. 

Mandella Farm is a beautiful place.  All the buildings are made up of large stone and have pointed thatched roofs.  (Mom, you would love the buildings)  I am living in a converted barn.  This barn has four bedrooms that can sleep from 2-6 people and a kitchen/dining room area.  In the main house, the Luken’s family live – a friendly, outgoing family with two children.  The yard is full of a variety of plants – none of which are familiar.  I can hear a rooster crowing somewhere and two dogs are constantly by me, wanting to be petted.  Birds are chirping cheerfully and a soft breeze is whistling in the trees.

I had not been looking forward to the plane ride.  All I could think of was “26 hours on a plane all by myself”.  And “I only have 30 minutes to change  planes in Edmonton.  Am I going to make it?”.  However, the plane ride went by smoothly and quickly.  In Edmonton, I had to move quickly in order to catch my plane, but I made it.  The 8 hour ride from Edmonton to London right by quickly.  I sat by a man who was heading to Beirut, ____ to meet his family.  We talked for a bit and I was also able to sleep for a few hours.  In London, I had five hours.  This too passed quickly.  I spent some time exploring the airport, slept on a bench and tried to figure out how to charge my dead laptop (to no avail).  The plane ride from London to Johannesburg was about 10 hours long.  When I boarded this plane, I finally started to become nervous – Johannesburg was the next destination and there I would meet new people, new cultures, new languages, new everything.  This would be something totally different than I had ever expected.  I had booked the last row of the plane, hoping no one else had, but the plane was packed full and so I didn’t get a row to myself.  However, I sat beside a South African lady named Adela and she was able to give my first taste of Africa and gave me some hints of what to expect.  At 7:00 in the morning (South African) time, we began our descent.  Since it is winter here, it was still dark and I couldn’t see a lot.  However, I could tell that Johannesburg was large

Once I landed, I was prepared to spend a fair bit of time going through customs.  However, all it consisted of was giving my passport, the agent asking “Are you here for holidays or business?” and then he stamped my paper.  I had officially landed in J-burg. 

3:00 I just finished grocery shopping, which was a very eye-opening experience.  The grocery was extremely packed and I was the only white person in what felt like a sea of black.  It is a very different feeling to be such an obvious minority.  They were all polite though and I only felt like I was being stared at all of the time.  I bought all my groceries – it came to 2500 Rand.  Since it was so busy, I had to wait in a line-up for a half hour.  However, the people in line were not at all impatient.  If this were in Canada, people would be muttering under their breath or demanding to talk to the manager in order to let him know how they feel. 

Once I was done buying groceries, I waited outside for my ride.  In the same area as the grocery story was several banks, the post office, some clothing stores, a KFC and another food place.  All these places were very busy and many of them had line-ups.   As I waited, I observed the people and tried to understand their culture better.  All of the them speak English, but only if they have too .  So that means I was not able to understand them, but I was able to watch their gestures and listen to their voice inflections.