Piki Tup is on strike. I didn’t really pay attention to piki tup until a few weeks ago. They are the waste disposal company that serves Soweto and the greater Johannesburg area. But for 2 weeks piki tup has not been picking up anything.
I have never before noticed trash like I have this year. One of the first realities of life in South Africa, especially in the black townships is the trash. It is only recently that Soweto has gotten the piki tup service, like so many other services it was reserved for the white areas. Trash pick up and collection is not the norm. But living in Soweto I get the benefit of being in one of the most progressive townships in the world. We have buses, trash collection, police stations, and hospitals, things other townships that are not so prominent or in such urban areas only dream about.
I knew that I was fortunate in this regard especially comparing stories with other YAGMs and their dilemmas of what to do with their trash. Prior to this yeah I didn’t give a second thought to recycling let alone how my trash just disappears once a week. Now that it is gone I feel guilty with every piece of paper I have to throw in the trash since there is no recycling option. Yet, I have the privilege of trash cans that get picked up weekly.
That was they did get picked up until two weeks ago. Living with about 6 million people the trash piles up really quickly. It is everywhere. There is usually trash on the side of the roads but this is mounds. I thought it was bad in Soweto but then I was traveling through central Johannesburg. Walking through streets with thousands of people as we all try to dodge trash, each other, and the taxis speeding down the road makes the journey even more of an obstacle course. It has sadden me to see areas that weeks ago had kids playing now have trash and to see billowing black smoke from trash burning since there is no other option.
The strike is not over. I find myself asking how all of this will ever be picked up? How will this all be cleaned up? Then I realized how close we are to Earth Day. Earth Day is easy to celebrate in the United States. I live in Denver, Colorado a pretty environmentally responsible city but how do I recognize this holiday in Soweto in the middle of a garbage truck? I try to do my part; reusing paper until there is no space left, composting what I can. For now I am hoping that the strike will end soon and that trash collection will resume.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Price Of Healthy Eating
I love food. A large part of my time in South Africa has been spent eating. Lately, I have been thinking more about what I am eating. I have never had the greatest of habits when it comes to food, most notably my addiction to peanut butter. I love the stuff and have learned since having a solo food budget that I eat a ridiculous amount. Peanut butter m+m’s are a particular point of weakness and I am embarrassed to admit how many of the bags are left of the 10 that were delivered to me in December as part of a Christmas present. However, living and cooking on my own and being in a new food culture has made me step back and take a look at the food around me and what I am eating and most importantly why this food is important. I knew that in South Africa I would most likely have less processed foods and was excited about some healthier eating. I was warned that my vegetarian eating habits would be doable but hard to maintain, I decided to go back to my meat eating ways because I knew that it was more important to me to eat everything that was served to me while I am a guest here in South Africa. However the focus on what I am eating that started when I became a vegetarian has remained with me and for that I am grateful.
That is how I came into this year, ready to eat. I was confident that I could maintain a healthy diet with a manageable amount of my favorite comfort food, peanut butter. The first thing was finding that the generic peanut butter is delicious, priced right for my volunteer budget and that it would in-fact sustain me for many breakfasts and lunches. My first weeks here, I loved discovering the traditional South Africa dishes. Most meals featured meat as the main dish with a carb, a starch, and some sort of vegetable as side dishes. The most common and popular meal involves a piece meat and a side of pap (pronounced pop). Pap is made from maize meal (corn) and has the consistency of a mix between mashed potatoes and couscous. Along with these traditional family style meals I have also explored the fast food options. One of the biggest surprises I have found again and again in South Africa was KFC. The chain KFC is everywhere, even in the smallest towns I have seen the red and white sign. It has been a challenge to explain that even though I come from the same country as KFC, that it does not mean that I enjoy buckets of chicken. Along with the KFC there are more local fast food options. I have found that different areas of South Africa have different ideas of local fast food. The Soweto classic is the kota, slang for quarter. This popular lunch item consists of a quarter of a loaf of bread, chips (thanks to the British influence we don’t say fries!) a type of meat or two, cheese, archer (pickled mangos) and a fried egg. The bread is hollowed out to fit everything in then the extra bread that has been taken out is placed on top to make it sort of resemble a sandwich. I love these. My favorite spot to get one is at Aggie’s. Aggie is an amazing woman who runs a food shop from her home. Where there would be a garage there are tables and a counter to order at. Aggie now knows my order by heart and loves when I bring people who are visiting Soweto by for a true “taste of Soweto” as she says.
Kotas are extremely popular for everyone in Soweto. The price is right they average in price from 7 to 10 Rands or about 1 US Dollar to at most a dollar fifty. In theory, it would be possible for me to stay within my modest budget and still eat a kota everyday. It is very common for kids to take kotas to school for lunch. Now I am not a nutritional expert but a kota seems like a good treat once in awhile but even as I am eating them about once or twice a month I think about how unhealthy they are. But they are so cheap and filling. You aren’t hungry for days after eating a kota. But at what price? A cheap meal to satisfy a hunger but that will hurt your overall health.
While cooking for myself I like to stick to a vegetarian diet here. I find that the money I save on not buying meat products can be used to buy fresh vegetables. Other staff members laugh at me because it is very rarely that I am cooking something that does not have at least one green veggie in it. But this is not cheap and does not fill you up in the same way a kota does. So is it that practical for life in Soweto? It is for me, I budget and have a priority to eat healthy although I do enjoy my kota once in awhile. But what about my hosts, my neighbors, the majority of the 4 million people who call Soweto home? There are necessities in the budget that need to be covered long before fresh vegetables can be made a priority.
Thinking like this brings the kota in a whole new light. It fills you up. You don’t feel hungry. You can trick your body into thinking that it is satisfied with this amount of food that has very little nutritional value. This makes sense if you can only afford 10 rand a day on food, a kota is all you need. Like almost every part of my experience in South Africa this has a history and its roots in the Apartheid history. When there is no money and no work and there are many concerns bigger than what you are eating the focus becomes feeling full, masking your hunger so that you can focus on other issues. Hunger is still a enormous issue in South Africa. People go hungry everyday in South Africa according to ELCA World Hunger 963 million people are hungry in the world and 947 million people are undernourished. This is a global issue. Hunger and malnourishment is something that will continue to be a vital issue in our ever connected world. I know that it is something that I will carry with me when I travel back to the United States and now each time I enjoy my Soweto treat of a kota.
That is how I came into this year, ready to eat. I was confident that I could maintain a healthy diet with a manageable amount of my favorite comfort food, peanut butter. The first thing was finding that the generic peanut butter is delicious, priced right for my volunteer budget and that it would in-fact sustain me for many breakfasts and lunches. My first weeks here, I loved discovering the traditional South Africa dishes. Most meals featured meat as the main dish with a carb, a starch, and some sort of vegetable as side dishes. The most common and popular meal involves a piece meat and a side of pap (pronounced pop). Pap is made from maize meal (corn) and has the consistency of a mix between mashed potatoes and couscous. Along with these traditional family style meals I have also explored the fast food options. One of the biggest surprises I have found again and again in South Africa was KFC. The chain KFC is everywhere, even in the smallest towns I have seen the red and white sign. It has been a challenge to explain that even though I come from the same country as KFC, that it does not mean that I enjoy buckets of chicken. Along with the KFC there are more local fast food options. I have found that different areas of South Africa have different ideas of local fast food. The Soweto classic is the kota, slang for quarter. This popular lunch item consists of a quarter of a loaf of bread, chips (thanks to the British influence we don’t say fries!) a type of meat or two, cheese, archer (pickled mangos) and a fried egg. The bread is hollowed out to fit everything in then the extra bread that has been taken out is placed on top to make it sort of resemble a sandwich. I love these. My favorite spot to get one is at Aggie’s. Aggie is an amazing woman who runs a food shop from her home. Where there would be a garage there are tables and a counter to order at. Aggie now knows my order by heart and loves when I bring people who are visiting Soweto by for a true “taste of Soweto” as she says.
Kotas are extremely popular for everyone in Soweto. The price is right they average in price from 7 to 10 Rands or about 1 US Dollar to at most a dollar fifty. In theory, it would be possible for me to stay within my modest budget and still eat a kota everyday. It is very common for kids to take kotas to school for lunch. Now I am not a nutritional expert but a kota seems like a good treat once in awhile but even as I am eating them about once or twice a month I think about how unhealthy they are. But they are so cheap and filling. You aren’t hungry for days after eating a kota. But at what price? A cheap meal to satisfy a hunger but that will hurt your overall health.
While cooking for myself I like to stick to a vegetarian diet here. I find that the money I save on not buying meat products can be used to buy fresh vegetables. Other staff members laugh at me because it is very rarely that I am cooking something that does not have at least one green veggie in it. But this is not cheap and does not fill you up in the same way a kota does. So is it that practical for life in Soweto? It is for me, I budget and have a priority to eat healthy although I do enjoy my kota once in awhile. But what about my hosts, my neighbors, the majority of the 4 million people who call Soweto home? There are necessities in the budget that need to be covered long before fresh vegetables can be made a priority.
Thinking like this brings the kota in a whole new light. It fills you up. You don’t feel hungry. You can trick your body into thinking that it is satisfied with this amount of food that has very little nutritional value. This makes sense if you can only afford 10 rand a day on food, a kota is all you need. Like almost every part of my experience in South Africa this has a history and its roots in the Apartheid history. When there is no money and no work and there are many concerns bigger than what you are eating the focus becomes feeling full, masking your hunger so that you can focus on other issues. Hunger is still a enormous issue in South Africa. People go hungry everyday in South Africa according to ELCA World Hunger 963 million people are hungry in the world and 947 million people are undernourished. This is a global issue. Hunger and malnourishment is something that will continue to be a vital issue in our ever connected world. I know that it is something that I will carry with me when I travel back to the United States and now each time I enjoy my Soweto treat of a kota.
Friday, March 25, 2011
A Typical Untypical Weekend
Weekends have been the time of some of my most unique experiences in South Africa. Through my time here I have become accustom to these weekend adventures they range from birthday parties to church events to seeing new things in Soweto. This past weekend was one of these typical untypical weekends, I never really know what to expect but I know that it will be an adventure, and I want to try to share it. I went with staff of the Central Diocese to the Eastern Diocese to celebrate the consecration of the new Bishop. It was an honor to be able to accompany my South African hosts to this event. We were told to be ready to go at noon on Saturday and by 3 pm Saturday afternoon we were on our way :). We had snacks, laughed, and enjoyed the hours in the car together. As we drove out of the city and into the country side I was struck by the wild flowers, being late fall they were a surprise to me but the sides of the road we traveled was covered in breath taking pink and white blossoms. We arrived at the hall where the service would take place on Sunday in Ermelo in the Mpumalanga province (near the border of Swaziland). People were running around with last minute preparations but everyone was able to stop and share dinner together. After dinner we left the hall and were dropped at a house of a woman I had never met. She had prepared a room with beds for all of us and welcomed us warmly into her home. I was extremely thankful for a bed as I had no idea what our sleeping arrangements were going to be and was thinking in my mind we may be sleeping on the floor of the hall. Sunday morning we were back at the hall by 6:30 am. I am unsure if some people ever left as it was a busy and full of people as it had been when we left Saturday night. Breakfast was served and church started. It was a service full of celebration with all ELCSA Bishops there to welcome the newest Bishop. The service started around 9 am and with greetings and speeches of thanks being given the it was still going when our car left at 2:30 pm! The entire time we were singing and dancing and enjoy the time together. I was especially grateful to see a few of the other YAGMs, one who stays with the new bishops family and 3 others who had traveled with their own hosts to the service, it is always a treat to see YAGM when it is not a planned YAGM event. Much too soon I was told I must eat lunch and we were heading back to Soweto. The lunch was traditional South African dishes I have learned to love, samp (made primarily of beans), sweet potatoes, and a stew. The car ride back was a little quieter since we were all tired but there was still plenty of laughing, talking, and singing as we drove back to the city.
This past weekend is full of memories, conversations, and most of all people I treasure deeply. I am realizing more and more my time in South Africa is limited. The weeks and months are going by and suddenly the number of weekends I have makes each weekend more of a gift, something to be treasured. My hope is that this gives more of an insight in the day-to-day happenings that I am experiencing here. As always thank you for your continued support!
This past weekend is full of memories, conversations, and most of all people I treasure deeply. I am realizing more and more my time in South Africa is limited. The weeks and months are going by and suddenly the number of weekends I have makes each weekend more of a gift, something to be treasured. My hope is that this gives more of an insight in the day-to-day happenings that I am experiencing here. As always thank you for your continued support!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Learning and Teaching
I have had a hard time calling myself a missionary. Something about the world and the history associated with the title rubs me the wrong way. Images come to mind of a white man teaching and preaching to people who have darker skin than him. In my images this man continues to teach these people “the way,” how to eat, speak, behave, live their lives according to “the way” the white man sees fit. All of this being presented neatly packaged as “saving” people through preaching the Christian gospel. The not so subtle undertones of the lessons involved creating the white society in the so called bush of Africa. Now I find myself being called a missionary through the Young Adults in Global MISSIONS program and living in Africa surrounded by people who have darker skin than myself. However, these images that at times haunt me serve as a reminder to me to be different. Luckily the ELCA has adapted a model of accompaniment. I am learning from my hosts. I am here to walk with my gracious hosts in South Africa. I am serving in whatever way I can in the months that I am here. My mission and whatever teaching I am able to do will really start when I return back to the United States not while I am in South Africa. I will share what I saw, what I felt, and to the best of my ability what I experienced here in South Africa, sharing with anyone who is willing listen, hopefully imparting some teaching in that mix. So instead of going to the “bush” and teaching I will return back to “civilization” and share what I experienced in South Africa.
This week I had an experience that reminded me of the scary missionary vision I have in my head. I had the chance, via skype, to talk with a group of young adults from my home congregation who are preparing for a mission trip. As the conversation progressed we started chatting about my day-to-day activities. I explained my site Diakonia AIDS Ministry (DAM) the different departments and activities that go along with each department. Trying my best to explain how the Lutheran Church runs an HIV/AIDS organization. My friends in the United States were really curious about how the church was involved with this fight against HIV/AIDS. It reminded me that while I am surrounded by HIV/AIDS in South Africa that is not the norm in the churches where I grew up attending. In a church service here HIV/AIDS is the first prayer at every church event. It makes complete sense that the church is focused on serving those who are infected and affected by this virus. I found myself explaining how the church, at least how I am experiencing it, is very HIV/AIDS focused; it has to be everyone is affected in some way. One question I asked as I was explaining the education events were we go out and teach to anyone who will listen; was what exactly we were teaching, was it the Gospel? I was asked if we were teaching about Christianity. This made me take a step back and really think.
These education events at DAM involve packing a large sound system, fresh vegetables, clothes, a portable generator, boxes of condoms, and as many people as can possible squeeze in the left over room into one bakkie (pick-up truck). We then drive all around to informal settlements. These are quite literally shanty towns with families living in shacks build with anything they can find and roofs held on with large rocks sitting atop the structures. These are the poorest of the poor. We drive up unload everything: set up the sound system using our own portable generate and start with music playing. Bribing people to come and listen to what we have to say with the promise of free fresh veggies at the end of our presentation. Our educators start talking about HIV/AIDS involving anyone who has come by to listen. After about thirty minutes we hand out the veggies, give out packs of condoms and then pack up and move onto the next site. We try to visit three sites on a day we go out. But it all depends on the roads (as the informal settlements are not set up with getting a bakkie through in mind we find ourselves limited to the outskirts of these areas), weather, and how many people are at each site due to the fact that once the veggies are gone we head home. I love these events. I have been lucky enough to accompany the DAM staff on two such days. They are fun and it’s a great way to see more of South Africa. Everything that is taught is in the local language so I understand very little of what is being said but I enjoy the environment and helping in the set-up, tear down of everything. One of my co-workers pointed out at the last event the number of men who attended. She said it was unusual to have that many men coming for the free handouts and that is a sign of real need as it is usually the women who come get the handouts but if it is the men who are willing to show that they are in need there is extreme poverty and need for assistance.
Riding home in the back of the now much more comfortable and spacious bakkie I started to think about the question I was asked about what we were teaching at our education events. These events do have some similarities to the corner preachers I see in some cities and come back to the image of the old fashion missionary teaching. We don’t ask people if they want to learn. We show up and preach. Not about the teachings of Jesus or how to live your life but about this killer disease and how to protect yourself. We bring our big fancy equipment and set up shop. Generating power in areas right next to the community porta-potty. Packing up and going home back to the comforts of running water and electricity. I am reminded of those white men who came to the bush to preach. There are key differences, most notable that DAM is run by South Africans for South Africans and it is clear when I am tagging along while I can help I am soaking up everything not at all the one teaching. While there are some similarities it is clear that the differences make these events completely different than any of white attempts to civilize the “bush.”
With the language barrier I had to ask my co-workers what was the main theme of these events. That particular day it was love and respect. Love and respect for: yourself, your community, your family, and your sexual partners. While the presentations never mention that we are a church organization I find myself thinking about how the ideas of love and respect are impossible to extract from how I define my Christian faith. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor. Our neighbors are those living with HIV/AIDS, those in the informal settlements, those who come and teach there, and even those who still have the missionary attitude of coming to the bush. So maybe we are going and teaching the Gospel at our education events. Teaching the love and respect of Jesus in a time and world of HIV/AIDS.
This week I had an experience that reminded me of the scary missionary vision I have in my head. I had the chance, via skype, to talk with a group of young adults from my home congregation who are preparing for a mission trip. As the conversation progressed we started chatting about my day-to-day activities. I explained my site Diakonia AIDS Ministry (DAM) the different departments and activities that go along with each department. Trying my best to explain how the Lutheran Church runs an HIV/AIDS organization. My friends in the United States were really curious about how the church was involved with this fight against HIV/AIDS. It reminded me that while I am surrounded by HIV/AIDS in South Africa that is not the norm in the churches where I grew up attending. In a church service here HIV/AIDS is the first prayer at every church event. It makes complete sense that the church is focused on serving those who are infected and affected by this virus. I found myself explaining how the church, at least how I am experiencing it, is very HIV/AIDS focused; it has to be everyone is affected in some way. One question I asked as I was explaining the education events were we go out and teach to anyone who will listen; was what exactly we were teaching, was it the Gospel? I was asked if we were teaching about Christianity. This made me take a step back and really think.
These education events at DAM involve packing a large sound system, fresh vegetables, clothes, a portable generator, boxes of condoms, and as many people as can possible squeeze in the left over room into one bakkie (pick-up truck). We then drive all around to informal settlements. These are quite literally shanty towns with families living in shacks build with anything they can find and roofs held on with large rocks sitting atop the structures. These are the poorest of the poor. We drive up unload everything: set up the sound system using our own portable generate and start with music playing. Bribing people to come and listen to what we have to say with the promise of free fresh veggies at the end of our presentation. Our educators start talking about HIV/AIDS involving anyone who has come by to listen. After about thirty minutes we hand out the veggies, give out packs of condoms and then pack up and move onto the next site. We try to visit three sites on a day we go out. But it all depends on the roads (as the informal settlements are not set up with getting a bakkie through in mind we find ourselves limited to the outskirts of these areas), weather, and how many people are at each site due to the fact that once the veggies are gone we head home. I love these events. I have been lucky enough to accompany the DAM staff on two such days. They are fun and it’s a great way to see more of South Africa. Everything that is taught is in the local language so I understand very little of what is being said but I enjoy the environment and helping in the set-up, tear down of everything. One of my co-workers pointed out at the last event the number of men who attended. She said it was unusual to have that many men coming for the free handouts and that is a sign of real need as it is usually the women who come get the handouts but if it is the men who are willing to show that they are in need there is extreme poverty and need for assistance.
Riding home in the back of the now much more comfortable and spacious bakkie I started to think about the question I was asked about what we were teaching at our education events. These events do have some similarities to the corner preachers I see in some cities and come back to the image of the old fashion missionary teaching. We don’t ask people if they want to learn. We show up and preach. Not about the teachings of Jesus or how to live your life but about this killer disease and how to protect yourself. We bring our big fancy equipment and set up shop. Generating power in areas right next to the community porta-potty. Packing up and going home back to the comforts of running water and electricity. I am reminded of those white men who came to the bush to preach. There are key differences, most notable that DAM is run by South Africans for South Africans and it is clear when I am tagging along while I can help I am soaking up everything not at all the one teaching. While there are some similarities it is clear that the differences make these events completely different than any of white attempts to civilize the “bush.”
With the language barrier I had to ask my co-workers what was the main theme of these events. That particular day it was love and respect. Love and respect for: yourself, your community, your family, and your sexual partners. While the presentations never mention that we are a church organization I find myself thinking about how the ideas of love and respect are impossible to extract from how I define my Christian faith. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor. Our neighbors are those living with HIV/AIDS, those in the informal settlements, those who come and teach there, and even those who still have the missionary attitude of coming to the bush. So maybe we are going and teaching the Gospel at our education events. Teaching the love and respect of Jesus in a time and world of HIV/AIDS.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Prayer
It seems odd that it is 6 months into my experience in YAGM that I am writing about prayer. But I have a confession to make; I am not good at praying. I’m awkward and weird about it. I would like a very simple, Joy Michelle Waughtal, this is how you personally should pray booklet. I realize that praying and faith does not work like that. Prayer and faith are a continual journey that will be a life long process of growing and learning. Coming into this year I hoped that I would grow in my faith, specifically in the area of prayer. I wanted to have a real prayer life. Like most aspects of my faith this has come gradually and it is only now looking back at 6 months of living in South Africa and focusing on this goal of a prayer life that I feel I have something to write and reflect about.
The first weeks in South Africa were overwhelming. I was thrown into a new culture and everything that entails: new food, new language, new traditions, it felt like new everything. This included something that I could never have expected, a new way to pray. I first noticed this in the church services. The first few times attending church I was absorbed with the singing and the dancing. The next few weeks I was noticing how there are parts of the liturgy that are universal in understanding, regardless of the language being spoken. After a somewhat embarrassing amount of time I realized how prayer is something more than a silent time or words printed in the bulletin. Prayer is something that everyone speaks during the service, not all the same prayer, but everyone praying what they feel. Not everyone speaks out loud but it seems to me that most people do chose to pray this way. During the services I have attended I know it is time to pray when I hear quiet mutters all around me. I have found listening to these prayers to be a powerful time for me. Although, I have to admit that I still struggle to pray out loud during this time. I find myself praying and listening to the prayers around me. Depending on the service I am attending these prayers are either in isiZulu, Sesotho, or Afrikaans. I do not understand the words around me but there is something about this time of prayer that brings me peace.
While I still struggle praying during the set time of a Sunday morning service I have found myself praying more than ever before in my life. As I am here through a church program I have learned that I am a go-to person to lead the prayer before a meeting or a meal. While I have always been shy about praying in front of a large group of people that shyness quickly went out the window as I realized that I was not in a position to say no. So I have become a public prayer in that regard. I have also found that at night there are some nights were there is nothing to do but pray. One such example has come from the rainy season here. I love a good rain shower, but the rain here has had me concerned and while I realize no house has ever collapsed due to rain it sounds as though that could change quickly. Lying in bed realizing that my fear is slightly irrational I find myself praying. I know that in prayer it is ok that my fear is irrational and I have understood finding peace in prayer more in these moments than I could ever explain through words.
These moments have paved the way for my prayer life. I still have a hard time praying. Part of me hopes that I will always struggle with prayer, because then it will be a constant challenge for focus. The difference I see now is that I turn to prayer. I find myself in situations where I feel out of control and I turn to prayer. This is a big deal for me as I have always been a mild control freak. I love to have complete control of a situation, as much as I try to deny it this is a part of my personality. Being in South Africa has challenged this over and over again. A realization that I have recently come to while taking this time to sit down and write about prayer is that my faith has changed and grown more than any other aspect of my life here in South Africa. Now in moments when I do not have any control I naturally turn to prayer no longer trying to regain control. It has become more familiar for me to be in a situation where I do not have control and I find that prayer comforts me the most in these times.
One such time where I did not have any control was on a recent kombi ride. Kombis are public taxis, fifteen passenger vans full of people. People in South Africa take these to get everywhere and they go anywhere. Being in Soweto it is easy to find a kombi that will take me anywhere from the mall down the road to as far as Cape Town. This particular trip I was returning in a taxi from Pietermaritzburg to Johannesburg. This five hour journey started with the realization that my fellow “Muddie” and I who were seated next to the driver in the front of the van filled to capacity that our seats were on top of the engine. As the ride continued we struggled realizing that in kombi manners the people in the front should not sleep. The final hour of this ride was spent in one of the most vibrant lightening storms I have ever seen. At one point it seemed that five bolts of lightening struck at once. Driving along having no control and being frightened of the storm I found myself praying, praying hard. And much like those nights in the rain, and those moments in church I found peace.
Looking back at six months I have found that my prayer life has changed. It is still not what I thought of when I started thinking about what prayer looked like but I am learning how it works for me. I know that there is no personal manual but I am finding that every time I find myself in a moment of prayer I find peace. I am not to the point where I set aside time and force myself to pray but I find myself coming to prayer due to circumstance over and over again.
The first weeks in South Africa were overwhelming. I was thrown into a new culture and everything that entails: new food, new language, new traditions, it felt like new everything. This included something that I could never have expected, a new way to pray. I first noticed this in the church services. The first few times attending church I was absorbed with the singing and the dancing. The next few weeks I was noticing how there are parts of the liturgy that are universal in understanding, regardless of the language being spoken. After a somewhat embarrassing amount of time I realized how prayer is something more than a silent time or words printed in the bulletin. Prayer is something that everyone speaks during the service, not all the same prayer, but everyone praying what they feel. Not everyone speaks out loud but it seems to me that most people do chose to pray this way. During the services I have attended I know it is time to pray when I hear quiet mutters all around me. I have found listening to these prayers to be a powerful time for me. Although, I have to admit that I still struggle to pray out loud during this time. I find myself praying and listening to the prayers around me. Depending on the service I am attending these prayers are either in isiZulu, Sesotho, or Afrikaans. I do not understand the words around me but there is something about this time of prayer that brings me peace.
While I still struggle praying during the set time of a Sunday morning service I have found myself praying more than ever before in my life. As I am here through a church program I have learned that I am a go-to person to lead the prayer before a meeting or a meal. While I have always been shy about praying in front of a large group of people that shyness quickly went out the window as I realized that I was not in a position to say no. So I have become a public prayer in that regard. I have also found that at night there are some nights were there is nothing to do but pray. One such example has come from the rainy season here. I love a good rain shower, but the rain here has had me concerned and while I realize no house has ever collapsed due to rain it sounds as though that could change quickly. Lying in bed realizing that my fear is slightly irrational I find myself praying. I know that in prayer it is ok that my fear is irrational and I have understood finding peace in prayer more in these moments than I could ever explain through words.
These moments have paved the way for my prayer life. I still have a hard time praying. Part of me hopes that I will always struggle with prayer, because then it will be a constant challenge for focus. The difference I see now is that I turn to prayer. I find myself in situations where I feel out of control and I turn to prayer. This is a big deal for me as I have always been a mild control freak. I love to have complete control of a situation, as much as I try to deny it this is a part of my personality. Being in South Africa has challenged this over and over again. A realization that I have recently come to while taking this time to sit down and write about prayer is that my faith has changed and grown more than any other aspect of my life here in South Africa. Now in moments when I do not have any control I naturally turn to prayer no longer trying to regain control. It has become more familiar for me to be in a situation where I do not have control and I find that prayer comforts me the most in these times.
One such time where I did not have any control was on a recent kombi ride. Kombis are public taxis, fifteen passenger vans full of people. People in South Africa take these to get everywhere and they go anywhere. Being in Soweto it is easy to find a kombi that will take me anywhere from the mall down the road to as far as Cape Town. This particular trip I was returning in a taxi from Pietermaritzburg to Johannesburg. This five hour journey started with the realization that my fellow “Muddie” and I who were seated next to the driver in the front of the van filled to capacity that our seats were on top of the engine. As the ride continued we struggled realizing that in kombi manners the people in the front should not sleep. The final hour of this ride was spent in one of the most vibrant lightening storms I have ever seen. At one point it seemed that five bolts of lightening struck at once. Driving along having no control and being frightened of the storm I found myself praying, praying hard. And much like those nights in the rain, and those moments in church I found peace.
Looking back at six months I have found that my prayer life has changed. It is still not what I thought of when I started thinking about what prayer looked like but I am learning how it works for me. I know that there is no personal manual but I am finding that every time I find myself in a moment of prayer I find peace. I am not to the point where I set aside time and force myself to pray but I find myself coming to prayer due to circumstance over and over again.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Sharing
Greetings from a HOT and sunny South Africa!
I know that most people reading this are reading from the cold and snowy North America. I have to keep reminding myself that it is February and being hot and sunburn is the norm for February in the Southern Hemisphere. I am really enjoying summer and all that it brings. Everyone in the Northern Hemisphere can give me a hard time when I am writing about being cold in June :)
Recently I have had many opportunities to share. Part of our program is set up so that we are able to serve with other volunteers throughout South Africa. These past few weeks I had the chance to travel and see completely different parts of South Africa. Along with my trusted travel buddy (Heather Nelson who is placed in a small rural community in the Limpopo province of South Africa) I spent two weeks traveling around Kwa-Zulu Natal province. We visited four different volunteers. The sites ranged from downtown Durban to very rural Umphumulo, the farming community of Escourt, and an incredible community of foster families outside of Pietermaritzburg. I loved getting to see the other sites. See how many other American volunteers see South Africa. I joked in the rural areas that I can't sleep without loud music or car alarms that are a constant in Soweto. Through it all my thoughts kept coming back to how each place fits the volunteer. Each one of us is here for our own reasons and are growing in our own ways and each of our sites fits us. At this point in the year it is hard to know if our sites fit us or or if we fir our sites or if we have each grown into our site, I believe that it is a combination of all those things. It is such a gift to be able to share our experiences with each other. Have time to see the sites of each area, serve along side each other and our wonderful South African hosts, and at the end of the day share. Share a meal, share our thoughts, share our time together.
This coming week I will have another chance to share. Share the South Africa I love and now call home. As I type this my mom, her husband, and two of my cousins are on a plane somewhere over Africa. (well at least I hope they are!) They will be here for a week. Enjoying the summer weather and seeing South Africa. I am excited to show them around, introduce them to the people who have made this experience what it is for me, feed them traditional South African food, and above all spend time together. Share this experience.
I cannot ever say this enough, thank you for letting me share this experience with you you through this blog. Thank you for your continued support in the letters, e-mails, thoughts, and prayers. It means so much to me.
I know that most people reading this are reading from the cold and snowy North America. I have to keep reminding myself that it is February and being hot and sunburn is the norm for February in the Southern Hemisphere. I am really enjoying summer and all that it brings. Everyone in the Northern Hemisphere can give me a hard time when I am writing about being cold in June :)
Recently I have had many opportunities to share. Part of our program is set up so that we are able to serve with other volunteers throughout South Africa. These past few weeks I had the chance to travel and see completely different parts of South Africa. Along with my trusted travel buddy (Heather Nelson who is placed in a small rural community in the Limpopo province of South Africa) I spent two weeks traveling around Kwa-Zulu Natal province. We visited four different volunteers. The sites ranged from downtown Durban to very rural Umphumulo, the farming community of Escourt, and an incredible community of foster families outside of Pietermaritzburg. I loved getting to see the other sites. See how many other American volunteers see South Africa. I joked in the rural areas that I can't sleep without loud music or car alarms that are a constant in Soweto. Through it all my thoughts kept coming back to how each place fits the volunteer. Each one of us is here for our own reasons and are growing in our own ways and each of our sites fits us. At this point in the year it is hard to know if our sites fit us or or if we fir our sites or if we have each grown into our site, I believe that it is a combination of all those things. It is such a gift to be able to share our experiences with each other. Have time to see the sites of each area, serve along side each other and our wonderful South African hosts, and at the end of the day share. Share a meal, share our thoughts, share our time together.
This coming week I will have another chance to share. Share the South Africa I love and now call home. As I type this my mom, her husband, and two of my cousins are on a plane somewhere over Africa. (well at least I hope they are!) They will be here for a week. Enjoying the summer weather and seeing South Africa. I am excited to show them around, introduce them to the people who have made this experience what it is for me, feed them traditional South African food, and above all spend time together. Share this experience.
I cannot ever say this enough, thank you for letting me share this experience with you you through this blog. Thank you for your continued support in the letters, e-mails, thoughts, and prayers. It means so much to me.
Friday, January 21, 2011
A Time To Travel
South Africa shuts down for roughly two weeks around Christmas and New Year‘s Day, offices close, schools are on summer holiday, and life is pretty much on a stand still. During these two weeks most people travel home. I have learned very quickly that while it is estimated that over 4 million people live in Soweto most people left Soweto to go “home.” While Soweto never become what I would consider quiet it did slow down considerably. There were fewer taxis on the streets and in general fewer people. It was refreshing the week before Christmas to have this different pace. This time also was a harsh reminder for me that as much as everyone loves Soweto and the vibrant vibe that Soweto exerts to everyone who steps foot here Soweto was not established to be the contemporary urban hotbed it now has become. Soweto is a township, in fact Soweto is slang for South Western Township. Soweto was established to get blacks out of Johannesburg. And thus no one considers going “home” coming to Soweto. The five miles that separated Johannesburg and Soweto are getting smaller and smaller as both spread outward. Now FNB Stadium (formerly known as Soccer City turning the World Cup) marks the half way point between Soweto and Johannesburg with each inching closer and closer to each other. On any work day it is clear that most people still make the commute. More and more people are staying in Soweto to work but the big jobs still lie five miles away in the city. Soweto is my South African home but I realize that while millions of people live in Soweto they still travel home.
All of my co-workers and friends in Soweto kept asking me what I was going to do with myself as they all traveled “home” for the holiday season. Spending the week before Christmas enjoying a quieter slower Soweto I joined in this traveling holiday season for two weeks around Christmas and New Years. I was fortunate enough for my Christmas present to arrive on a plane on Christmas Day all the way from Denver, Colorado; my boyfriend Josh was able to travel to spend the Christmas season here in South Africa. It was incredible to be able to share my day to day life in Soweto with him. Then we were off for our own traveling. We spent a week in Cape Town and then a few days being tourists in Johannesburg. Visiting Cape Town felt like I was in a different world and I had to constantly remind myself that I was still in South Africa. Just a very different part of South Africa. I was in the tourist South Africa. We did all the tourists musts: Table Mountain, Robben Island, Long Street, and the V and A Waterfront. We learned, saw, experienced, and generally just tried to enjoy the time together. I have to admit that I loved being a tourist. But I was also glad to travel “home” to Soweto after the week.
All of it reminded me of how diverse South Africa is. From the dry vastness of the Northern Cape, to the people of Soweto, to the lush mountains of Cape Town, to the beaches of Kwa-Zulu Natal. I am very fortunate to be able to experience a taste of each of these during my time here. Even more fortunate is that I am able to share this experience with those I love. Through visits, phone calls, and this blog I am able to share so much of this experience.
Coming back to Soweto and being welcomed by open arms of my Soweto family I am reminded how fortunate I am. They all traveled home and was glad I saw and experienced Cape Town while everyone was away. They constantly encourage me to travel more and see more of this beautiful country. Yet I am reminded how lucky I am. I have a blue passport that allows me to travel freely and without much hassle of visas or documents get in and out of most countries. Travel is a gift. I am constantly reminded of that. It is a gift and needs to be shared in whatever way possible. Much like I enjoy traveling myself I love hearing about others travels. I drill my coworkers on what they did at “home.” Why Soweto isn’t considered home. And try to learn as much s possible from my own travel and others as well.
All of my co-workers and friends in Soweto kept asking me what I was going to do with myself as they all traveled “home” for the holiday season. Spending the week before Christmas enjoying a quieter slower Soweto I joined in this traveling holiday season for two weeks around Christmas and New Years. I was fortunate enough for my Christmas present to arrive on a plane on Christmas Day all the way from Denver, Colorado; my boyfriend Josh was able to travel to spend the Christmas season here in South Africa. It was incredible to be able to share my day to day life in Soweto with him. Then we were off for our own traveling. We spent a week in Cape Town and then a few days being tourists in Johannesburg. Visiting Cape Town felt like I was in a different world and I had to constantly remind myself that I was still in South Africa. Just a very different part of South Africa. I was in the tourist South Africa. We did all the tourists musts: Table Mountain, Robben Island, Long Street, and the V and A Waterfront. We learned, saw, experienced, and generally just tried to enjoy the time together. I have to admit that I loved being a tourist. But I was also glad to travel “home” to Soweto after the week.
All of it reminded me of how diverse South Africa is. From the dry vastness of the Northern Cape, to the people of Soweto, to the lush mountains of Cape Town, to the beaches of Kwa-Zulu Natal. I am very fortunate to be able to experience a taste of each of these during my time here. Even more fortunate is that I am able to share this experience with those I love. Through visits, phone calls, and this blog I am able to share so much of this experience.
Coming back to Soweto and being welcomed by open arms of my Soweto family I am reminded how fortunate I am. They all traveled home and was glad I saw and experienced Cape Town while everyone was away. They constantly encourage me to travel more and see more of this beautiful country. Yet I am reminded how lucky I am. I have a blue passport that allows me to travel freely and without much hassle of visas or documents get in and out of most countries. Travel is a gift. I am constantly reminded of that. It is a gift and needs to be shared in whatever way possible. Much like I enjoy traveling myself I love hearing about others travels. I drill my coworkers on what they did at “home.” Why Soweto isn’t considered home. And try to learn as much s possible from my own travel and others as well.
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