We've been in South Africa for just over 2 weeks now, and just like usual I feel like I've been here waaaay longer if I think about everything that we've done in that time span. It was a pretty smooth journey from Winnipeg to Johannesburg, although I was absolutely pooched by the time I got there. 20+ hours of flying, a 10 hour layover in Frankfurt, terrible airplane food and a bit of trouble getting our rental car. But since this meant that I got to stand in hot and sunny South Africa for a few extra moments upon arrival, I wasn't too upset.
We spent the first few days at a retreat centre outside of Jo-burg relaxing, catching up on sleep and enjoying the hot days, punctuated with late afternoon thunderstorms. And let me tell you, the thunderstorms in South Africa kick North American thunderstorms in the butt. So fantastic.
I don't even really know where to begin telling you about the first couple weeks. We were in Pretoria for a little while, gong show might be the most appropriate word to describe the week. The schedule fell apart a few times, we couldn't find the centre we were supposed to be staying at (ended up getting escorted there by the police) and instead of digging into Afrikaner culture we went to a water park (SO fun!)
Soweto was just as crazy - a real introduction to what apartheid created in South Africa and how the country is still suffering its repercussions. Apartheid museum, Hector Pieterson museum, township tours... it was a lot to take in.
Probably the most impactful moments I've had so far are what I want to tell you the most about. We weren't staying in the greatest of locations in Pretoria. Actually, we were just outside the city in a poor section of town and the students weren't allowed outside the compound after we came back for dinner. Needless to say, there was a little bit of cabin fever going on. But after there were a few scary moments of people getting attacked outside the walls of the compound (both times the security at our centre were able to intervene) we started to think less about the loss of freedom and more about the blessing of safety.
The second instance has to to with the same themes. We were volunteering for the week in the township outside of Soweto - a place that really hasn't changed since apartheid ended. I hopped in with 4 of my students and the local guys they were heading into town with to grab a newspaper. It definitely wasn't a place to be walking alone, or without locals. Normally I would feel safe enough - very aware of my surroundings and cautious of what was going on, but safe enough. That particular day shook that belief up. As we crossed the bridge into town we saw someone get mugged at knife point. It was terrifying. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before, nothing has ever begun to prepare me for the reality that things like this actually happen in the world. I know theoretically that stuff like this happens, but to see it with your own two eyes is something different altogether. People in the community began to intervene, and again, no one got hurt (thank goodness), but it made me think about the reality that some people live in. It was hard to see, and scared me, but at the end of the day I'm almost glad to have see that. Not that someone nearly got hurt and/or killed, but that I am aware of it. Just because I don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. The question now is, how do I help end this?
South Africa continues to amaze me every day. It inspires me, breaks my heart and leaves me with the overwhelming sense that there is hope in the world, even in the darkest places you see.
Cheers,
Sandy
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| haning out with the kiddies at church in Soweto |
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| me and Brenda in Soweto! |
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