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