One Very Busy First Week

 As promised, here are a few other stories from my week and, of course, more pictures. Today, I went to a grocery store called Pick n Pay with Br. Dominic, who happens to be the current designated shopper of the group. I was able to get a few snacks for my room as well. It was more difficult than I anticipated to find things I am used to, like pretzels or granola bars haha. But, I did manage to find things I do like. It’s funny seeing completely new brands for things that turn out to be familiar to you. The only recognizable brands I have seen are Coke, Pepsi, and Lays. 

  It is about 5:00 pm here and I am writing this before I have dinner and head to mass for 6:00. I have not been to mass here at Our Lady of Mercy, which is the parish attached to the house. I am looking forward to it. I hear the Bishop will be here tonight and tomorrow as well. There will be a Portuguese Festival tomorrow here at the parish which will include a mass and, as I am told, tons of amazing Portuguese food. I am very excited to be part of that tomorrow.

 Yesterday, I introduced spikeball to the people at St. Martins, and maybe even South Africa as a whole! I normally don't like giving free advertising, but Spikeball as a company deserves all the recognition it can get. From dealing with Spikeball in the past, I can say that it is an outstanding company that cares about its customers and making sure they are satisfied with the equipment it produces. Spikeball has gone even further in generously donating a set for me to give to the St. Martin community here in South Africa. The workers at the site had never heard of it before, so I enjoyed explaining the rules and watching them get the hang of it, which really didn’t take too long. They immediately fell in love with the game and were pretty good at keeping the ball up and spiking it. I wanted to first introduce the game to the workers so that they can eventually help me teach the children in Zulu, which the kids are much more comfortable speaking. It made me so happy to be able to share something I love to do from my home country with people of South Africa. I hope their are many more spikeball memories to come here in Springs.

Explaining the game amongst themselves in Zulu 

  Every so often, the workers at St. Martins need to go into town to buy supplies or have equipment fixed. I have made the trip into town with them a few times now and it is always interesting. On the way back, we usually stop at a local ‘Fish and Chips’ shop that has really good fried food. Everything sold there is able to be fried. They have samoosas, which are like empanadas, South African style Russian sausages, fish, french fries, and many other things that I am not familiar with yet. A signature of the shop is to douse all your fried food in vinegar, spices, and salt before wrapping it all in paper, similar to how a deli wraps meat. When you open the paper, your food is all mixed together soaking up everything that was added to it. I know, it is one of the most unhealthy piles of food I have ever seen, but it is so delicious. 

  I figured I would also share a few pictures that I have taken over the past week that capture the scenery here in South Africa. 

This is the way the sky looks most of the time. It doesn't get very cloudy.

You can see in the distance a soccer game is going on 

Small clinic on the outskirts of a nearby community

This is the house cat whose name I forget because it is Zulu.
Don't worry, though, he is very friendly despite those green eyes.

JW

Learning How to Live in South Africa

  It has been about a week since my last post. Part of the reason for the hiatus has been that I am exhausted after I return home from the site each day, which is a good thing I think, and also because the wifi is not performing as well as I would like it to here. So, it is now Friday around 6:00 pm here in South Africa, and I have just finished dinner and getting settled back in the house. On Fridays, our cook, Florence, usually makes beans instead of meat. I am learning it is the norm in the house not to have meat on Fridays even outside the season of Lent. 

  Before I talk more about what I have been doing the last week, I want to make mention of three fellows, Dee, Emma, and Kelli, who will not be able to travel to their site in the Philippines this summer due to the current status of their host country. Authorities are recommending that it is not safe to travel to the Philippines because of violence that is occurring around the country. I cannot imagine the sadness and frustration that these fellows must be feeling at his time after hearing such news. I ask that you keep them and the people of the Philippines in your prayers.

  

  Today marks one week and one day here in South Africa. It is still crazy to think I am actually in such a far away place. I never thought I would be in Springs. My time here in just one week has continued to be both enjoyable and enlightening. The culture here is very different than at home in America. Although it is similar to the "melting pot" type culture of the United States in that several different cultures make up the unique nation, the individual cultures in South Africa are vastly different from anything I have been exposed to at home. The languages, food, and social norms are incredibly different. More specifically, the languages I have been exposed to here in South Africa are Zulu and Sotho, both African born languages, and Afrikaans, which is derived from Dutch from the country’s rich European history. 

  Last Sunday, I attended mass at a parish nearby run by one of the fathers, Fr. Mark, who lives in the house with me. To say this parish community is lively would be an incredible understatement. I have never experienced such an energetic service before. There were songs being sung every chance the choir got to strike up their voices, sometimes repeating verses up to thirty times. Songs were not complete, however, without instruments and, of course, lots and lots of dancing. It was contagious seeing literally everyone in the room light up when a new song began. I also discovered after the mass that the Holy day that Sunday used to be in America was a bit more present in this community, as it is common for people to lay low on Sunday and perhaps pay visits to friends and relatives in the area. I was fortunate to participate in this authentic day of rest when Br. Domonic and I visited the home of his family friends. I immediately felt welcomed into their home, and we sat and talked for the afternoon while drinking tea and eating homemade chocolate muffins. I enjoyed conversing about the current situations in both our counties. I hope that I can visit that family again before I leave South Africa.

  Unfortunately, I stayed home at the house Monday and Tuesday because I was not feeling well. I caught some kind of cold before I left the U.S., and it continued to linger until today. My two days off were well needed, however, because I was able to sleep, familiarize myself more with the house, spend some time with the cook and the housemaid, and speak with some of the Fathers living in the house whom I had not spoken with much before then. I also was able to think more about the things I hope to experience and accomplish within my six weeks here. On Wednesday, I was feeling much better and went with Br. Dominic to the center. 

  I have very much enjoyed getting to know the workers and the children at St. Martins. The care workers and social workers are extremely friendly and were very excited to receive another student from America. Past fellows have proved to be very active and helpful members of the St. Martins team. The children are also quite fond of past students, as you can tell when you mention someone who came to Springs previously. I hope that I can live up to the precedence set by students before me. So far, the children have been a bit shy, but quickly open up once you sit and interact with them. They especially like anything to do with taking pictures! It has been neat watching the children play and teach me their games. Some of the children play games I have never heard of before, but most of the children spend their time playing soccer, and all of them are very good. The kids that come to St. Martins actually beat another township in a soccer tournament recently. The other township is more affluent, so it was more likely to win. I am glad that our kids showed them up. 

Look at all that rice!! And that's not all of it!

  I thought it would be helpful to also explain sort of how the schedule works at the center each day. Generally, Br. Dominic and I leave the house at 8:30 to get to St. Martins before 9:00. From then until 3:00, Br. Dominic and some of the workers have meetings, organize files, pay bills, and ensure everyone is on the same page about what is happening for the rest of the week. During that time, the workers also plan lessons for the children pertaining to topics like good hygiene, safety, and even “Xenophobia,” fear of foreigners. I enjoy sitting down and keeping the workers company before the children arrive. I share stories about America, and they teach me Zulu and about living in South Africa. Zulu is a very difficult language because it is completely separate from Latin derived languages I am used to. I cannot listen to a word and pick out a familiar root. Instead, I must write down the words and repeat them over and over. The type of tounge needed to speak Zulu is also completely new to me. It is very difficult to say many of their words, and I end up butchering most of them. For example, their word for goodbye requires a pronunciation that is a cross between a “th” sound and an “s” sound. I have never heard this sound before, so it will definitely take some getting used to. Though, I can tell they appreciate the effort, so I won’t beat myself up over it haha. Around 3:00, the children begin arriving from school and are fed a meal that the cooks at the site have prepared for up to 300 children. I have never seen so much rice! I have been chosen as the unofficial server, so I usually bring the children their plates from the kitchen to the dining room. The space is very small, so kids end up sitting anywhere they can fit in a chair, which makes it difficult to pass out the food. I have never worked as a waiter, but I think this one week of carrying trays has showed me that I may have a new job opportunity. Anyways, it takes about an hour for the children to finish eating because they arrive at the center at different times and because there are not nearly enough plates and utensils for everyone to eat at once, so it takes time for the these things to be cleaned before others can eat. The younger children usually eat before the older kids. After everyone finishes eating, the workers and I play with the children before they leave around 5:00. I am exhausted after a day at St. Martins. But, I have very much enjoyed my time there each day.

Deciding how to split up the teams evenly

I am tired tonight, so I will save some of my experiences for tomorrow’s post along with several more pictures from the week! I hope everyone at home is doing well. 

JW

A Strange New World

  I’m finally in South Africa! I arrived Thursday morning at 8:05 AM (that’s 2:00 AM at home)  at the Johannesburg airport. Surprisingly, the 15 hour flight was not as bad as I thought it would be. I watched a few movies, read my book, and slept for a while. I am glad that I was able to travel with my friend Jen who is also serving in South Africa. She will be staying with Friars in Pietermaritzburg and Sisters in Montebello. I hope that we can meet up some time during the six weeks. 

Me and Jen at Logan getting ready to leave!

Boarding the flight to Johannesburg

  At the Johannesburg airport, Bro. Dominic and a young man named David were there to pick me up and take me to the house in Springs. Bro. Dominic began the St. Martin de Porres Development Project in the early 2000’s. He is a very kind and active Friar, as all the Dominicans seem to be here in Springs. David is a 26 year old student training to become a specific kind of social worker for children. He hopes to be able to help children grow and mature to their fullest potential by working with parents, teachers, and the rest of the community. 

  My first impressions of South Africa were very different than my experiences in America. First and foremost, they drive on left side of the road instead of the right side, which of course is a big shock. It’s strange when you feel like you are having a heart attack because you think you just turned the corner on the wrong side of the road! I am getting used to it, although I cannot help walking towards the wrong side of the car to get into the passenger seat. The weather and landscapes are also vastly different. This time of year is the winter in South Africa. So, while the temperature is getting hotter back home, it is getting cooler here each day. The sun is still very strong during the day, so it feels warmer than it actually is, which is usually around 50˚F. At night, though, the temperature drops substantially when the sun goes down. The landscape is very flat and arid for the most part. There are lots of grassland looking areas as well. It is not quite dessert, but the only place I can compare the environment to is Arizona. In South Africa, I have witnessed the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. I am not quite sure if it is because of the location itself or the flat nature of the land here, but, nevertheless, the scenery when the sun is setting is breathtaking. 

Steering wheel on the "wrong" side in Bro. Dominic's Car 

The flat landscapes in South Africa

  The home of the Friars is very unique. The layout of the house is sort of like a square with a kind of courtyard in the center. I like how you can walk outside to get to the kitchen or TV room if it is a nice day or simply walk through the corridor if you prefer. My room is small, but comfortable with a sink, a desk, and a closet inside. The other Friars who live here in addition to Br. Dominic are Fr. Brian, Fr. Lewis, Fr. Gregory, Fr. Mark, and Fr. Rafael. I have enjoyed getting to know them and sharing a couple meals with them so far. There is a cook named Florence and a housemaid named Pretty. The women are very nice and welcoming to guests. The house is attached to the Church, Our Lady of Mercy, and is beautiful inside from what I have seen. I look forward to attending mass there.

Courtyard and Walkways Inside the House 

  I also have to mention something you all are probably wondering about: how’s the food?!? Well, the food is a lot different than what I am used to back home. In America, we are used to the melting pot style culture where we can eat any kind of food we want from anywhere in the world. You can still eat diverse food if you order out at a restaurant in some places, but for the most part, people eat traditional foods in South Africa. The diet consists of meats, such as chicken, lamb, and goat, rice, pap, and usually some sauce dish. The traditional dish called pap is a corn meal porridge that is thick and looks like mashed potato. It is pretty good, but I am not crazy about it yet because of the weird texture it has. South Africa also has American restaurants, but only McDonalds and KFC. However, in general, as in most other places around the world, the meal portions are a lot smaller than in America. 

  About twenty minutes away from the house is the St. Martin de Porres site. Not long after arriving on Thursday morning, I went to the site with Bro. Dominic and David. We met some of the workers there and went with them to buy food at a nearby store that reminded me of a place like Costco or BJ’s. The people who work at St. Martins love kids and enjoy seeing them having fun and maturing into respectable young adults. Around 3:00, the children walk to St. Martins from their school nearby and are fed lunch. After they eat, the kids are either taught a  lesson or have free time to play whatever they want. I look forward to being able to help out as much as I can and offering advice. 

St. Martin Hall, Kitchen, and Offices

St. Martin Backyard

St. Martin Sideyard

  Last night, Fr. Lewis took me to a Catholic high school, St. Teresa’s, in a suburb outside Johannesburg. He was giving a talk to some of the students about resilience and achieving goals, and he asked if I wanted to come along to meet the students. Fortunately I am used to speaking in front of people becasue I did not know I would also be talking to the students. Before Fr. Lewis began his talk, I introduced myself and explained where I am from and why I am in South Africa. To my surprise, the students had several questions for me about my time in South Africa and about America in general. It was strange telling them about my life in the U.S. because I do not think of America in the same way as these kids do. Many people came up to be after and expressed how they have always wanted to go to America. Fr. Lewis’s talk was relevant to my six weeks here in Springs because he focused on how we must “get up and get on with it” when things in life get tough. The resilience in us must come out when we feel down and defeated by the hands of others because each of us has something unique to give to the world. 

  That is, for the most part, what I have experienced so far in the first few days here in Springs. I am enjoying it here so far, and I look forward to continuing my work with the children at St. Martins and exploring the ministries of the other Friars at the house.

JW

  It is Tuesday afternoon, and I am finishing up packing for my trip to South Africa. It is hard to believe that I have been preparing for this trip for over a year now. My interest in the Father Smith Fellowship at Providence College first peaked in April of last year when I heard about the opportunities for students to serve in a foreign country over the summer. I decided early on in my first year at PC that studying abroad would not be the best option for me during my undergraduate experience because I wanted to enjoy my classes without feeling rushed to fit everything in before a semester long trip. I also knew how passionate about service work I am from several previous service trips inside the U.S. Fortunately, the Father Smith Fellowship afforded me the opportunity to travel abroad while in college and cultivate my own service work for an entire six weeks. So, I was very excited to begin contacting Dominican communities around the world. Indeed, I eventually realized I was being called to serve in Springs, South Africa. I wish to share an excerpt from my final proposal to the program that reveals the nature of that decision. 

 

"It was in early September when I started to believe I was being called to South Africa. During the summer, Father Lewis told me that he would be visiting Providence College in August. However, one afternoon during the first few days of the fall semester, I followed up with Heidi about his visit and, as it turned out, his trip had actually been moved to September. In fact, he was on campus that very day. I was able to talk in person with him for a few moments about the ways in which volunteers generally serve at the St. Martin de Porres Development Center and the rest of the community of Springs. He also shed light on the harsh realities of South Africa and how my time in Springs would differ from my life in America. Father Lewis warned me that if I am fortunate enough to be granted a Smith Fellowship, I would need to be ready to face such realities of underserved and impoverished people. I am confident that I am ready to take what I have learned in America and share my gifts with those abroad."

  During this past academic year, I have discerned and written about the experiences I hope to have in South Africa living and serving with the community of Dominican Friars. I am very excited to be volunteering at the St. Martin de Porres Development Center where I will be able to spend time playing with and tutoring children in the community. I will be staying in a house of Dominicans about ten miles from the St. Martin's site. I hope to be able to meet and serve those in the community near the house as well. For the past month or so, I have been especially focused on preparing for a trip during which I may not be able to necessarily see physical change in the community in need. For example, I will not be building houses or planning large events to help those in need as I have done in past service experiences. However, I have been preparing myself to simply immerse myself in the culture and the lives of those I meet along the way. However I end up spending my time, I hope that I may positively impact the community in my efforts. In addition, I pray that I will have a safe and, as Fr. Robb would say “life focussing” experience in Springs. 

  Over the course of the next six weeks, I will be posting here about the people I meet and the experiences I have, which will probably include lots of pictures. Thank you to all those who have supported me the past year and especially to those who have donated their money and time into assuring that I have the opportunity to go to Springs. 

JW