Goodbye, Maritzburg... hello, Cape Town!

From the last two email updates I sent out. Enjoy! :)

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Sanibonani!

I hope you all are having a great Easter weekend, and a great Easter, too!

It's crazy how fast time is flying by. As of today, we have less than a week left in Pietermaritzburg before we leave our campus for good and travel to other parts of the country. This Saturday we'll leave, taking a week or so to get to Cape Town. That week includes bungee-jumping (next Monday!), sight-seeing, and much more--can't wait!

Last weekend wasn't too exciting, so I won't bore you with the details. I basically spent the entire weekend "relaxing" and working on my term paper for our Community Engagement class (and by "working" I mean putting it off, of course).

We had class on Monday again for the entire day. We spent a little bit of time reflecting on our service sites but mostly talked about the processes that go along with community engagement. Tuesday through Thursday were days spent at service sites. My group was at the creche (preschool) on Tuesday and Thursday, which was much less exhausting than it was the first time we were there. A third of the kids were gone on Tuesday (only 22 or so out of 35 were there) and only 14 of them were there on Thursday due to it being the holiday weekend. Good Friday is a national holiday here in South Africa and a lot of places close down for the occasion. On Wednesday my team did manual labor, though the guy in charge of it wasn't there so we had a hard time not having any explicit directions. We ended up plowing some and pulling weeds, which was fun. We really enjoy doing manual labor! (Not kidding, we really do.)

Friday was an incredible day. We had chapel in the morning, when select students shared about Christ's seven last sayings on the cross. After that our director began the first half of his Revelation seminar (which is tradition for the South Africa semester) but had to cancel the latter half because his wife was in the hospital (she's okay though, nothing too major). After tea time a good number of us walked a couple miles to Flavour Café for coffee and to relax. It's a really nice café with has a nice garden area and a little hole-in-the-wall shop attached to it (like what you'd find in rural areas). We made it back for lunch, after which we had a giant slip 'n slide on the lawn; it was probably the most fun thing we've done as a community so far. After slipping and sliding for a while things got a little crazy and turned into a mud fight, which was also really fun! To wash off we all went down to the waterfall right by our campus, which felt refreshing. We didn't do a whole lot for the rest of the day until after dinner when we watched "The Passion of the Christ". I'd just watched it a few weeks ago, which almost made me decide not to watch it again (I feel you can't watch it too much too soon; it takes quite the spiritual and emotional toll on you); I did though and I'm glad I did.

Yesterday we went back to Victoria's Street Market in downtown Durban. I got some pretty sweet stuff, but for the sake of surprises I won't say what I got since people on this email list could be receiving something. ;) After the market we spent a couple hours at the beach, which was a lot cooler than it had been the first time we went. It was nice to be in the Indian Ocean again for what might be the last time for a while (we might be at the Atlantic when we get to the beach next, i.e. during travel week). 15 of us left early to go to a farmhouse which belongs to some of the guys from the home group a lot of us go to. We had a brie (BBQ), hung out, and played some fun games; it was another good time to relax and enjoy each other's company, especially since we won't be seeing the home group people after this week (since we're leaving Maritzburg).

Today is Easter and not a lot is planned. A bunch of people went to an orphanage but I didn't go since I've been getting over sickness and have a lot to do today. I'll be going to church tonight though, which'll be good. What was cool about today though was that 21 of us hiked to the top of the game reserve (right next to our campus) to watch the sunrise, read the resurrection account, and worship. Waking up early was definitely worth it.

This week we've got our last three days of service sites, Tuesday through Thursday. Thursday's going to be an emotional day; we can only hope that we make an impact on the community and the people we're engaging with, but the truth is that they have an even bigger impact on us. It's going to be tough to leave them. I've heard tomorrow's a community day, probably pertaining to our class. I'm not sure what's in store but it'll be fun, whatever it is! Friday should be a relaxing day as we'll be packing up and getting ready to leave Maritzburg.

As far as prayer requests go:
- Pray for spiritual and emotional strength as we enter our last few days of service sites and leave our campus for good this week
- Pray for continual good health (everyone's pretty much over being sick)
- Pray for unity
- Pray for smooth preparations for what's to come and an easy transition into it

Thanks again for your continual prayer and support--you're a blessing!

Happy Easter! He is risen!

Sala kahle, (Stay well,)

Gary

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Friday, April 5, 2013

Sanibonani!

It's the last time I will greet you in Zulu as we are leaving Pietermaritzburg, the province of KwaZulu-Natal, and the eastern side of South Africa tomorrow morning. This time, it's for good. We finished our Community Engagement class this morning, during which we had our final presentations about our service sites. The video for my own service site, RivLife, should be on Facebook (or somewhere online) at some point. Keep an eye out for it!

Last Saturday we went to Durban, enjoying the market and Indian Ocean for the last time. It was a great final weekend in Pietermaritzburg, full of bries (BBQs) and fellowship.

Monday was a community day, which ended up meaning that we hung out all day. Some of us played volleyball, others relaxed, and we pretty much hung around campus all day. It was great to relax before things get crazy.

Tuesday through Thursday were our last three days at service sites. On Tuesday half of us went to the HIV support group again while the other half ran a holiday club (a kid's day camp sort of thing) at the creche. At the HIV support group we sang, danced, played games, and hung out with the kids there. I made sure to take in every moment as it was going to be one of my last times there. At the end of the day we all came together and began our legacy project: building a toy chest that would soon be filled with new toys for the kids at the creche and drop-in center. We went to the store, bought everything we needed, and took a long time building the chest (we were limited on materials and didn't have the right tools we needed so we didn't get much done that day).

Wednesday we all went to Nomvula's, the woman who runs the creche out of her home and feeds those in her community. There is also a gogo (older women) support group that occurs there. She made us Zulu bread and fat cooks (fried balls of Zulu bread) again, which were delicious! We spent a lot of the time hanging out with the kids there, talking with the gogos, and singing and dancing (as usual!). At one point I tried doing the Zulu dance but fell on my butt in the process, so that end pretty quickly. Haha. We spent the end of Wednesday working on our toy chest some more, though again it took a while, despite the extra tools we'd acquired. Screws were breaking, unnecessary wood panels wouldn't come off, and a lot of us couldn't do much since we were limited on supplies.

On Thursday morning we finished our toy chest, painting it and adding the final decorations. We also used the paint (wall paint, might I add) to paint the chest with our handprints. The downside to this was that the paint was near impossible to wash off and ended up staining our skin. Woops! I was genius enough to put it on my face like a warrior, only for it to start burning and me quickly realizing that that was a terrible idea. Note to self: don't put wall paint on your body! We spent the rest of the morning back at the HIV support group, doing the same things we'd done on Tuesday. This time though we had some of APU's board and staff with us (including our very own President Jon Wallace!), which made it all the more fun. We got to share with the women from the support group and vice-versa, thanking each other for touching each other's lives and making an impact on each other. It was an incredible time to share and I am so grateful we got to spend the time with them that we had gotten to. The rest of the day entailed hanging out with the older kids at the creche who were out of school; the preschoolers weren't around all week as they were on holiday and the creche was closed for the time being. This was sad for all of us as we didn't get to say goodbye to the preschoolers we had grown so close to! We did however get to present our toy chest to the kids whowere there; it was a mad frenzy as they trampled each other to get the toys we'd brought them. Every inch of pavement was covered in chalk, water fights broke out, and one of the balls we had gotten them popped. Overall it was a great last day and I am extremely grateful for the time I got to spend serving at RivLife.

Today and tonight we'll be packing up, cleaning up, saying goodbye to some of our church friends who are stopping by, and enjoying this community for one last time. I can't believe we're leaving Maritzburg already! This place has become our home and I know most if not all of us don't want to leave. But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. I thank God we get the good times though!

I'm not sure how internet availability is going to work over this last month or so of my time in South Africa, but I should have access. I may not update you as frequently but I'll do what I can! Travel week over the next week includes beaches, hotels, bungee-jumping, interacting with African animals, and much more! Can't wait!

So, for the last time in Pietermaritzburg...

Sala kahle!

Sincerely,

Gary

Me with a kid at the HIV support group

The Best Is Yet to Come, Pt. 2

Sanibonani!

It is now week nine of the semester; just a little past the halfway point of my time here. I'll be here just short of four months, which has seemed short in some ways, yet seemed so long in others!

Last Thursday (a week ago) we started at our service sites; 43 of us (that's all of us apart from the nursing students as they're on a different track) have been serving at four different sites: Walk in the Light, RivLife, Itemba, and Etimbeni (I may have spelled that last one wrong, hah). My group is at RivLife--short for "River of Life"--and there are 16 of us, who have been split into four groups of four. We are on a sort of rotation with what we're doing, which is nice as I enjoy change and having to stay on my toes.

On Thursday my team of four was at a creche (preschool) all day, which was quite the day! There are about 35 kids that go there every day, who are so full of energy, which is still an understatement. They climb all over you, hang on you, play with your hair, run around, sometimes fight each other, fight over you, and much, much more. They are great to be around though and we enjoyed our day at the creche, which was spent hanging out with them and loving on them. Sounds easy, but it's very exhausting.

On Friday we did home visits, which entailed going along with two social workers and a community caretaker and visiting many that live in the community that RivLife finds itself a part of. The social workers visit the residents, see what their problems are, and do whatever they can to help them. We visited a man with AIDS who doesn't have his medication due to the fact that his family pick it up for him and then sell it as drugs. I have never seen someone so weak and without hope; it definitely broke me. Another young woman was unable to get her ID card as her mother had passed away and her death certificate had not been signed; without proof of her mother's death, the government wouldn't let her get her ID (she needed her mother's consent). We also visited a "gogo", an old woman who was in a wheelchair and only had one leg. What amazed us about this woman, however, was the love she had for her children and grandchildren. She had a joy about her that you would not expect to see; she kept proclaiming how faithful and good God is. If this isn't an encouragement, I have no idea what is. After home visits we spent the rest of the day at the Drop-in Center, which is where all the older kids come and hang out after school. It's technically the same place as the creche, but they get a hot meal and all hang out together.

Kaitlyn petting a dolphin as a part of a dolphin show at uShaka Marine World

On Saturday we went to uShaka Marine World, which is like Sea World but with a bunch of water rides (maybe Sea World itself is like that; I haven't been in years so I can't remember). Me and many others watched a dolphin show, in which our friend Kaitlyn got to pet and kiss a dolphin (she'd won a dance-off to win that place) and our other friend Sarah got to feed one! When the show wasn't going on the camera would pan the crowd and focus on all the crazy people dancing or the presumed couples, telling them they had to kiss. Kaitlyn and our friend Luke ended up on the kiss cam though they're not even dating! It was pretty funny. They didn't kiss, though Chetan (also in our group) pretended to kiss him and the whole crowd applauded. The dolphin show as a whole was my highlight. I spent the rest of the day in the water park, which was tons of fun. Africa's tallest water slide is there, finding itself at 13 meters high (sorry, they use the metric system here). I went down it, and lemme tell ya--it was quite the bumpy ride! We also made human trains down some of the other water slides (the worker allowed us to do it, though it technically wasn't allowed) and a random stranger got caught in the middle of one of them. It was pretty funny.

That night my biology class (or former class, I should say) went to our professor's house for dinner. We had warthog, which was quite delicious! I'd say it tasted like pork, though maybe it tasted more like chicken... maybe both?! Either way it was delicious!

On Sunday we did a thing called "Talking Drums", which is best explained as elementary school music class all over again. We got to play drums, maracas  and other instruments for over an hour--it was a blast! Despite the fact that we all had much homework to do, we had a lot of fun.

On Monday my team did manual labor, spending the day in the blazing sun plowing and planting chili plants. The guy in charge said we'd done more than any other group from APU had ever done--booyah! It was actually one of my favorite days; I felt awesome once we were done. So therapeutic, yard work is! That night me and several others went to a jazz concert which ended up being a traveling high school group from Boston, Mass. They were pretty good!

Me with a bunch of kids at the creche

On Tuesday we had home visits again, the hardest of which was another man with AIDS who has no one supporting him (there are many stigmas here against those with AIDS; they end up being outcasted) and hardly ever has food to take his medication with. We'd brought him some food, which he was very grateful for. We asked to pray for him, which he agreed to, but before that he sang us a part of a gospel song. Again, it moved us in such a deep way.

On Wednesday we spent the day with the gogos (old women), who make fabric products (curtains, skirts, etc.) and sell them to make a living. Stigmas are also present here against older women, so by working and making a living they are coming against those stigmas. The woman we mainly spent time with was Nombula (I think that's her name; it means "the rain" as it was raining when she was born), who runs a creche to keep children safe from abuse when their parents or caretakers are gone at work and also makes food to feed those in the community. We call her the Mother Theresa of South Africa. She made us Zulu bread (which is amazing, but even better freshly cooked!) and "fat cooks", which is Zulu bread fried in balls in oil (kinda like rolls). We were so blessed by her and I loved hearing all about her life. Can't wait to go visit her again, and hopefully help her out with her garden! (She asked if we could help her with it next time we visited.)

Sfundo and I

Yesterday was a public holiday so all of the service sites were closed. Because of this, we had our Community Engagement class again, which entailed a lot of reflecting on the time spent at our service sites thus far.  Today we spent the morning at an HIV support group, a group of women that meet weekly to not only support each other but to rise above their circumstances and to live a life of joy and hope. We asked them questions about themselves, the support group, and so on while they asked us questions about ourselves. We learned a lot from them, such as the fact that stigmas cause much of the abandonment and isolation of those who are HIV positive. Many of them don't tell their families they are HIV positive for fear of this. Their strength amazed us though. We spent the rest of our time their playing with the kids, singing, and dancing; they'd even made us Zulu bread and soup for lunch! Today was undoubtedly a great day. It truly has been a blessing to be serving at RivLife and engaging with the community during the short time we've been there. I can't wait for the latter half of our service segment! (We're already six out of 12 days in... isn't that crazy?!)

That's about it for now. In case you haven't heard, the deadline to send me mail has long passed since it won't get to me in time. We leave Pietermaritzburg for good (I can't believe it...I feel like we just got here!) in a little over two weeks, and international mail takes 2-4 weeks to arrive.

Thanks for following my adventures and praying for and supporting my team and I! I count each one of you as tremendous blessings in my life. :)

Take care,

Gary