~ Month One Rundown~

Today marks the completion of one month in South Africa! It’s amazing how time has flown by, but at the same time I feel like I already have a lifetimes worth of experience’s and memories.

I realized while thinking about what I wanted to blog about that I haven’t really given you all the “run down” of where exactly I am! Now that I know a (very little) bit more about what I have gotten myself into here across the ocean (and equator for that matter)

Where I’m living and who with:

I am living in Pietermaritzburg (aka PMB or Maritzburg) South Africa which is in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and also its capital and second largest city! If you were to look for it on a map it is in the southeast corner of the country just inland and a little north of Durban. Durban is about a 45 min drive from me and also the home of fellow Muddie Isaac…  PMB itself is kind of nestled in this valley so the deeper you are in the valley the more “downtown” you are and then as you climb out you get into more township/suburb areas and then once you’re over the first crest of mountains you’re in farmland.

I live in a nice area of PMB called Crest Valley and am about 2 block away from the big mall here. My living situation may change but I’ll be in this location for at least a couple months and I like it a lot! I live with a woman named Gertie who is really great and very sweet. Her grand-daughter, great-granddaughter and niece live her as well so we are a rockin household of ladies! PMB is a really great mix of cultures from what I’ve seen so far, my neighborhood is very diverse and it’s fun to talk to people as I walk to the cumbie (public transport buses, picture 15-20 passenger vans acting as buses) stops or on my daily runs… there is also a huge mix of living situations, there is the downtown area that is very urban and busy during the weekday but is eerily quiet on the weekends. Outside the downtown area there are neighborhoods like mine as well as the many, many townships. The further outside you get into some very rural areas. So basically if you drive 10-20 minutes in any direction you can feel like you’re in a totally different world. It is a really interesting dynamic and helps fulfill my need to see as much as possible J

Where I’m working:

Now this is a loaded question haha, one that I’m still figuring out the answer to, but I’ll give you the best answer I can for right now. My host supervisor is Dean NM Myaka, aka “the Dean” or Myaka. He has been so great in this first month taking a lot of time out of his insanely busy schedule to take me to different meetings, introducing me to people around, and also showing me different communities. He has shown to be extremely committed to helping me have a great experience here in PMB and I am so grateful to have him around! He is the dean of the Umngeni Circuit here in PMB which is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa. A lot of my time so far has been dedicated to helping him and others organize different events, put together different directories and call lists, listening at council meetings and just getting a feel for the issues here that the Lutheran church is trying to get a hand in helping with. I also work at the crèche (daycare/ primary school) that is held at a church in one of the townships in the Edendale area called Machibisa. I’ve started working there twice a week to start but that could turn into more down the road. The kids there are great and the other women have been so great and welcoming and have gracefully dealt with my non-existent isiZulu abilities J

I’ve also had the chance to be a part of an HIV testing campaign on the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s campus where myself and members of a Church and AIDS class as well as an organization called CHART encouraged students to get tested for HIV and know their status. The class arranged for certified testers and counselors to come to the campus with these room tents and do private testing and counseling for students for no charge. It was a really cool thing to be a part of!

I’ve also gotten the chance to work in some athletics! I went to a sports day held by some of the local universities here as well as a soccer practice for an elite boy’s soccer club (thanks for the invite Kristen!). The coaches really seemed to enjoy having me there to check out the injuries so I’m hoping that that becomes something regular for me to be a part of.

I’ve also met with some of the local religious NGO’s (Non-Government Organizations, from what I can gather our equivalent to non-profit orgs). I think I will enjoy working with them on some issues that they are targeting. Most of the issues that these organizations as well as the Lutheran church here seem to deal with are, HIV/AIDS, gender issues, land ownership issues, the healing of memories, and celebrating diversity. All are very powerful issues that have huge amounts of history behind each one.

One project I’m very excited to get involved in is called the “All Lutheran” project. It is right now just a small group of pastors from the area who are trying to put together cross cultural services and events to try and unify the black and white sides of Lutheran church. It’s a really great group and I’m excited to be involved with them and what they are doing!

So, as you can see “what are you doing there?” is a very tough question to answer haha, I hope to start finding more specific projects soon and be able to dedicate myself more fully to things I feel passionate about, so hopefully come July 2012 I’ll be able to more fully answer that question!

Well, I guess that’s all for now! Hopefully more updates will come soon as things continue to progress J I miss you all and hope you are doing well!!

~What is Africa?~

So far I have been in this wonderful country for about 2 weeks. But, in my mind it feels like it has been much longer. We went through our week of orientation in our bubble of the Sleepy Hollow backpackers house and it was great. We got to see things, talk to new people, bond with each other, and at the end of the day make a familiar dinner and talk about ourselves and where we all came from. Yeah… it was a pretty good week for MUD 4 J

On Monday we were all thrown into the realities of why we are here. To experience new things. We were put on buses, kumbies, and got rides in cars and we were spread all across South Africa to meet our host families and begin our journeys of accompaniament with our host communities here in South Africa.  I got thrown a bit of a curve ball in that an hour before I was supposed to be picked up I found out there was an issue with my intended host family, an unexpected family member needed the room I was supposed to stay in, so my host community had a bit of a scramble but in the end it was arranged that I would stay with a woman named Gertie (pronounced Geh-tee) for now and possibly be with her for a few months and then I will be moved again. Though it was a bit of a wild situation I wasn’t worried because my country coordinator Brian said it best, “well, Elise… I guess God has a different plan for you.” So far that plan has worked out very well. Another young woman and her 20month old daughter are also staying here with Gertie and we have made quite the bunch so far!

Over these 2 weeks I have talked to quite a few people about what Africa is and the perception of Africa. What do you think of when you think of Africa? Lions? Elephants? Grassy plains? Hippos? People walking around in cheetah skin? Well, I’d be lying if I said that those images didn’t run through my head as well. But, now that I am here I see many different things. I see a developing country where the past and present are trying desperately to combine, I see a people trying to get over a hurtful past, I see booming businesses and street vendors, I see McDonalds and KFC, I see grassy plains and zebras walking down the road. The combination of what we expect to see and what we actually see is incredible. South Africa is a very developed place overall, much more than I think many people expect. In fact, there are times when I have to remind myself that I’m in Africa (other times Africa reminds me, like when you’re walking through a park and a giraffe crosses your path). Though there is this development there are many things to do and I think that is part of why we’re here to help in any ways we can and also to return to the US in another 10.5 months and show people that South Africa is a very developed place.

A challenge however, is people telling me, “well, you aren’t really seeing Africa” … I wonder well gee… where am I then? Saying South Africa isn’t really “Africa” is like saying that Florida isn’t really America. It is just a different kind of Africa really. Hopefully, throughout my year here I will be able to see more parts of South Africa as well as more parts of Africa as a whole and try to understand, just a little bit of what Africa is. Because Africa is a complex place with thousands of cultures and cities and people, and yes grassy plains and zebras… but I hope that I can see as much as I can, learn as much as I can, and maybe help a little along the way.