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