A not so live look.

Hello all, sorry for not updating in a while. One of the people, Chelsey, who went to South Africa with me spent our time there behind a camera and was able to make a great documentary. If you want to watch it go to THIS LINK and it will automatically start loading.

Hopefully I will finish my China tales at some point... fingers crossed!

Culture Shock

It wasn't until I got on the boat on the Yangtze River that I realized that I truly had culture shock. It was partially because of the food, where it was a lack of meat, and when there was meat we were never sure what kind it truly was. Also that the food was prepared so differently, like a whole skin (and head) on chicken in a pot of soup. I had a challenging time finding food to eat other than rice. Another thing that contributed to the culture shock was the fact that I couldn't understand the language and the signs. All the other places I have traveled to speak English and have English signs. I felt so out of the loop and uninformed. It also didn't help that I am not a big fan of cities. In China, no matter where you go there are tall buildings. Whether the city is large or not that is simply how they build their towns. It is not what I have ever experienced so I felt really closed in. With time though it got a lot better, especially after I acknowledged the fact that I was experiencing culture shock.

Wuhan

I'm going to start this blog off by saying sorry that it has taken me so long to put these up. My house is currently in the process of getting AC and during the last week and a half when the heat wave hit, we had two rooms that were moderately cool. I was in no mood to do anything but stay cool, which was challenging to do at times. Hopefully I will be back to writing these and finishing my traveling tales soon.

While we were in Wuhan we got to see a seminary that is in the city. It was very run down and sad because it was in terrible conditions when compared with schools that I am used to seeing. We also got to talk to three students who are Christians living in the Wuhan area. It was surprising to hear that for them no one knows that they are Christian. They are afraid to tell anyone unless they know that they can trust them 100%. I can't imagine being afraid of others knowing that I am Christian. Afterward we had a bit of opportunity to spend more time with the students. Oddly enough, we taught one of them how to play ninja, and surprise surprise, he was good at it.

Later that night, we were on our own for dinner and a few off us wanted to just have a chill dinner. We decided that we would just go to the grocery store next door and get noodle bowls. That was a big adventure. Chinese people love spicy food, I don't. Only two or three of the types of bowls had any English on the packaging. I was lucky in that I got a non spicy beef bowl while the three others I was with all got spicier bowls. We also had fun finding crackers to go with that were not necessarily meat flavored. I have a theory that since meat is rare and expensive there, people enjoy meat flavored things instead because they are cheaper. It's still strange to me though.

The next morning we took a plane flight to Chongqing where we boarded the boat for our Yangtze river cruise.

Either Shanghai noon or Lullaby in Shanghai...

The second day we spend in Shanghai we had the opportunity to visit the sit of Trinity Church. It started out as a church, but later became office buildings, and then a movie theater. It is now being renovated to its original state. It was a beautiful church shaped like a cross, similar to many in Europe, and it was fun to sing in the sanctuary as a big group. Later in the day we were able to walk along the Bund. It is a walking area on the river that divides the two halves of the city. On one side is the old architecture and on the other is the new architecture, by new I mean within the last 16 years. We also got to visit an old, traditional shopping area that had many beautiful buildings in the old traditional Chinese architectural style. As a bit of a surprise that night we got to see an acrobatic show at the New Shanghai Circus. The show included diablos (big yo-yos on a string), contortionists, trapeze artists flying using fabric, strong men, acrobatics, plate spinners, a magician, bike tricks (mainly piling as many people as possible on one bike while riding it) and motorcyclists in a giant metal globe. It was like the traditional Chinese version of Cirque de Soleil.

The next morning we had the opportunity to go up into the Pearl Tower, (if you look at the pictures from two posts ago, it's in the city landscape picture, the building with the pink balls). They have two observation decks that we got to stand on, the first is about 265m or so, and has glass looking out. It was similar to floor to ceiling windows. Next we went down to 259m where we got to go on a glass walkway and look straight down. That one was slightly nerve wracking. Both were fun and interesting though. It was slightly cloudy so the view was not terrific but when they opened up we were able to see most of the city. In the tower we were also able to visit the museum of the history of Shanghai. It had replicas of the typical shops in the past and how the city looked at different times. It was fun to see how much the city has changed throughout history.

Unfortunately that was where our time in Shanghai ended. Our third night in China we spent on a train traveling from Shanghai to Wuhan (13 hours). Luckily we were (accidentally) in first class which meant that we got rooms that fit four apiece. In each room there was just enough space for four bunks (two on each side) storage was either under the lower bunks or above the door. Unfortunately for me, I did not get much sleep that night.

And so China began...

It was a strange feeling to have been home for less than 16 hours and be leaving again. Yet I did. This time though the group was drastically different as was the country we were traveling to. The group I was with for the flight (half of the group was staying for five extra weeks to run a camp in China) was mainly males and many of them were still in high school. Of the whole group eight were female, twelve were male, and the age range for the most part was between 14 and 28. It was strange to have so much testosterone around me. It was also strange in that there were people who were in charge rather than having everyone be independent. In some ways though I think that the dynamics of the group helped us to bond more easily. We flew to Chicago first and had a two hour layover there then we flew 13.5 hours to Shanghai. I personally liked the one long flight and it's done rather than two long flights that I had for South Africa. After arriving we got to ride in the Maglev, a light rail-esque train that goes at 431 kilometers per hour (about 260 mph). From there we took the subway to our hotel. The subway was fun to see, it was super crowded just like I expected. That night we got to go to the Shanghai Community Church's Youth Service. Though for them youth is between the ages of 20 and 40. It was interesting to see. The church was packed and everything was in mandarin. I'm sure had I been awake enough to pay much attention I would have liked it more, but I was exhausted. Luckily, soon after our night ended and we got to sleep.

Yet to come

For those of you who have been checking back over the past few weeks to read about my time in China, I came to realize once I got there that blogging is one of the many things forbidden by the government in China. So I will do my best to transcribe my journal writings into blog posts. Simply give me a bit of time to get used to signs that I can read, people who speak English, and eating without chopsticks. It may take some time. Until then, enjoy the pictures!!

Wanting to stay but ready to leave

So here I am, sitting in my room at the River View Lodge in Observatory, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. I have been here in South Africa for three weeks. Two here in Obz and one in Gugulethu. I have met numerous wonderful people from here in South Africa, and made fifteen close friends from the States here on my trip. I have learned about South African history, politics, music, food, culture, and more. I have also learned so much about myself. I have learned that I don't always pay attention to the world around me. I have learned that I am privileged, powerful, strong, and so much more. I have so many resources and opportunities that the rest of the world may not have. It is up to me to recognize them and take advantage.

I sit here typing this having finished packing my things, as people around me continue to finish packing, knowing that I am ready to be home. I miss my family, I miss my church, I miss my friends, heck i miss Minnesota. Yet I love it here in South Africa so much as well. I truly never thought I would. Africa was never on my list of things to see, places to visit. I always thought that I would sooner study abroad in Europe somewhere. Here I am though, in South Africa and in love. I wish I could live here in many ways. In others though, I would never be able to do it. I wouldn't be able to live here and know that there are so many stereotypes that remain. So much racism is still present in many people's hearts, brought on by the fear that Apartheid created. If I were to live here I wouldn't know where to live. I would want to live with the people of Gugs that I met, but I would never truly be safe there. I could also live in Obz or another suburb, but then I would feel strange living in a house when so many nearby live in shacks. No matter whether I live in the US or Cape Town, my heart will always go out to the people here who are not able to live up to their full potential, no matter the reason why. In my heart though I know that I belong in Minnesota. I will always love Cape Town and will hopefully return someday, but for now I must find a way to say good bye.

Rainbow House

This afternoon we had the opportunity to visit a place called Rainbow House. It is an orphanage of sorts and is run by a woman named Alison. While growing up in the townships she came to realize that that was not the best place for kids to grow. She was able to get a good education and was able to buy a house in a suburb where she now houses a maximum of 12 kids at one time. She currently has about seven that are permanently with her but the others come in and get some work with social workers and therapists and once they are able to find a more permanent home for them they are sent to live there. If the kids remain at Rainbow House, they are taught how to save money and to give back when they reach 16, they are also provided with a scholarship for university when they pass matric. These kids are given all the tools available to ensure that they succeed in life. While we were there we had some time to play with the kids and some time to talk with Alison. She told us that the housing issue and bad parenting are big issues. There is one girl she told us about who was under the care of her father. Unfortunately they were homeless, but they were offered housing in an affluent neighborhood. This seems nice but in reality the man who offered them the place to live was a registered pedophile. For 22 months this little girl lived with the pedophile, until finally her uncle figured out what was happening and he called social services. We learned that many times people come to South Africa because the police system is so backed up because they are more able to get away with things. They are either short staffed or not required to check up on registered pedophiles randomly to ensure that no more children are being harmed by them. Hearing about this yet again makes me thankful for what I have taken for granted back home. It also makes me so frustrated with the systems in place here that hurt people without meaning to. According to Alison, the government is telling people that places like Rainbow House are unnecessary. Because of this Alison is completely run on private donations rather than government money. She also is forced to turn down countless children every month because she is currently full, as are pretty much all the places like hers.  In truth the opposite of what the government thinks is happening, Cape Town and South Africa need these homes for children who have been abused and neglected. The kids of the townships are in need of love and care. While some get it, some do not. I can only hope that Alison succeeds in her goal of persuading people that Rainbow House matters and that these kids have so much potential to change their world.

Reflection, courtesy of Aaron

today Aaron put the below lines on his blog:

There are lessons in life you live
And others you simply learn.
My lesson is that the best gifts,
Are those that give back in return.

In this world we also learn
Some people have less,
Some people have more.
The most important lesson though,
Is to never keep score.

They really struck me. May be because I had to read them a few times before I really understood what they meant. Maybe because I couldn't help but to reflect on them. In the second stanza, I take it as though it is important to remember that what you physically have is not everything. It is more important to be happy and to have people whom you love and who love you in return, than to own everything in the world. Someone who has everything may be alone in life and be unhappy while someone who seemingly has nothing could be the happiest person ever. There is a song by Toby Mac called “Lose my soul” where one of the lines is “I don’t wanna gain the whole world and lose my soul.” I think this also relates to the verse because it shows that even though you may gain everything you ever wanted in life, you need to be aware of what you are giving in return. If you must give up your soul and your beliefs and your happiness to have the whole world, is it worth it? I personally think that it isn’t. What good is the world if you have no way to enjoy it? What good is it if all you have is the world but there’s nothing left within you? I would much rather have only myself than be an empty shell but have everything. If we begin to keep score of what people have, we negate the importance of their inner selves, of their souls. By concentrating on the materialistic world rather than the mental and emotional world how can you feel happiness? Is happiness equal to having a lot of things? Or is it when everything you have is name brand and expensive? As far as I have experienced, it is near impossible to get true happiness from anything but another human being. I may get satisfaction from material things, but it is the people around me who enable me to have feelings, who enable me to feel happy. Without those people I would be nothing, I would never be happy, no matter how many things that I bought.

the beginning of the reflections...

Today in class we talked a lot about identity and presence. When talking about presence I really realized how much I walk around at home with my head down and being in a rush. I don’t ever realize what is going on around me. I now know that I need to pay as much attention at home as I do abroad. I have noticed so much here that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been paying attention and taking the time to notice the different things around me. If I practice being present at home and slow down, notice the things that I have never noticed before I will most likely see new things each day, things that I have never noticed in my twenty years of living, things that could enrich my life.

On the subject of identity we examined characteristics of our lives in the context of South Africa. For instance, I consider being a white female a large part of my identity. We then made a list of things associated with that characteristic. Here in South Africa, white females tend to be privileged, have power, be ignorant of the townships, but they also have less power than the males, and are vulnerable to gender based crimes. We did that for five characteristics and then debated what it meant for us. In my characteristics I realized that a commonality was power, privilege/money, and a support system. In that respect I am very lucky in respect to the rest of the world in what I have available to me at home. People here don’t often have money to do things like go to school and they don’t always have a support system to help them when they are having troubles. Realizing this I am all the more grateful of the support system that I have and of the opportunities that I have been given.

One thing that is a common trend here in Cape Town is the tale of two cities. The biggest example of that is in the different parts of the city being drastically different from each other. By the waterfront, and in a few other parts of the city, everything is luxurious and obviously the people that live there are rich. The stores in that area are Aston Martin, Burberry, Gucci, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, and all the other expensive name brand stores. The people who live there seem to stay in their own little bubbles and don’t worry about people in the other parts of the city. On the other side of the city are the townships, areas where people were shoved in the time of apartheid, where they were forced to build permanent houses out of whatever they could find. The houses are often built out of scrap metal or scrap wood that they were able to scavenge. Many times they are only about 10’ x 10’ with cement flooring and they can house around six people at one time. These people have only one faucet for every twenty people and one toilet for every ten people. These two groups of people are isolated from one another. They are stark opposites living side by side with no interactions with each other. Rather than feeling like I am simply going from one side of the city to another, when I go from the townships to other parts of town I feel like I am going from one world to another, from one city to another. I wonder if the people in the city are working to even out the living conditions. With people who have so much on one side of the city and people who have so little on the other, why not use some of the government money from the rich side to supplement the other side’s money. If for no other reason, do it for the schools. The schools in the townships are in such need for money and assistance. Many of the kids there eat only once a day and that is at school for lunch. Many of the schools also have a forty five to fifty to one ratio of students to teachers. By evening out the inequalities of the townships, even if it is just in the schools, hopefully the people will begin to improve the areas around them more and the difference between the two cities will lessen.

Random thoughts...

Our time in Gugulethu was really impactful for a lot of us. So much so that six of us decided to get the word bambelela tattooed on our feet. Bambelela is a Xhosa word that means hold on or never give up. Many of the people that we met in our stay were so resilient and never gave up, especially the young man some of us met during the food parcel day and our host families. For me it is a reminder that there are so many people who are in situations way worse than my own. By remembering their determination and how they are able to be happy with what little they had, I hope to be better able to be thankful for what I have. Many times in the past I have forgotten to be grateful for what I have and taken things for granted. Now that I have seen the situations of many people worse off than my own I have a better perspective of what I truly have in my life.

We had the opportunity to go to Robben Island yesterday. It seemed to go by quickly but one thing stuck in my mind. When the political prisoners came to the island’s prison, they were all put together in the same cell area and they all worked together. This was regardless of what political background they came from. Rather than sticking to their friends or comrades of the same beliefs, they took advantage of their diversity and inter mingled, they became one group of people. They also used their time together to discuss the current situation in South Africa at the time. In that way when they were released they were prepared to begin talks with the National Party (creators of Apartheid). They took advantage of their disadvantages. They used their gift of diversity for the good of the nation rather than letting it pull them apart. During a reunion of the prisoners at Robben Island, they chose to signify this individuality to unity by having each of them take a stone and putting them all in one pile.

More to come later, my mind is going through a time of reflection. Hopefully I will soon be able to  make sense of the random thoughts.

The End of the Gugulethu Saga

Day 5:

On day five we had the opportunity to visit the Thembalethu School for Special Needs Children. They initially catered only to kids with Cerebral Palsy but now they also cater to kids with physical disabilities as well like polio and scoliosis and amputees. The kids there range in grade from kindergarten to 9^th grade but they can be in age up to 18 years old. Going to the classes was fun because I could tell that the teachers were able to give the kids the necessary one to one time due to the smaller class sizes. Also all of the kids looked happy and like they had everything that was necessary for their particular disability. We also got the opportunity to talk with one of the therapists that works at the school. She showed us the different technology that the school uses for the various students to teach them to use a computer and to be able to write and do assignments even if they have limited mobility. After going around to all the classrooms we also had the opportunity to listen to their choir. I was not sure what to expect at first but I was soon astounded. Their choir was amazing. Someone in my group said at one point that the people here sing just to sing. They don’t sing because they have to or to make money, they do it because they enjoy it and have a passion for it. That I think is one of the most important things for a human to find, something that they are passionate about. Whether it is singing, dancing, drawing, talking, or whatever, if you can find a passion and incorporate it into your life you will be happy.

Another thought that occurred to me after our visit is that the kids there are just like the kids back home with disabilities that I have had the privilege to speak with, they know no other life so if they are happy in this one why do others wish that they had something else. Maybe they were born without a left leg or being unable to speak but if they are happy with their life and content where they are who am I to wish that they could speak or feel pity because they will never run on two feet. Happiness is not being able to do everything under the sun. It is being loved and loving in return. It is finding a passion and holding on to it, simple as that. It is different for everyone and I will never be fully able to understand what makes others happy but I have no right to judge others based on what I think they need.

Saturday we went to the vine lands and got to visit three vineyards: Lourensford, Spier, and Solms-Delta. As we were driving to the first winery I was easily able to tell the biggest lasting effect of the apartheid reign. This area, one of the wealthiest in the Western Cape, had all of their signs in Afrikaans and is primarily populated by white people. The townships on the other hand are clearly the poorest has signs in Xhosa and almost all of the people are black or colored. The distribution of the races among the areas of Cape Town remains much the same as they were when apartheid ended. I was happy to see that Solms-Delta is working to change that though. They are working to change their ownership over to the black and colored workers who have been there for many years. They are also working to build them houses that they can call their own rather than just having houses that they rent from the vineyard.

Sunday: Simone, Riise, Catherine, Suzie and I made the decision that we wanted to go to JL Zwane for church again. We were able to take a taxi there (after a slight bit of confusion we were able to make it) in time for church. It was interesting being in a service that was almost completely in Xhosa again but the members were kind and gave us songbooks to follow along in and helped us if we were lost. It was also a sad time though because I realized that that was the last time I would potentially see some of the people in Gugulethu. One person in particular, Yandisa (who joked that he was going to marry ten of us during the week), was not happy to be saying goodbye to us. He even tried to lighten the mood by saying that he was going to continue to work on finding cattle to get us back. Unfortunately though, we did have to say good bye and leave. I hope that I can keep in touch with everyone that I met in Gugs. I grew so comfortable with them and felt so welcomed. I will miss seeing them, being able to joke with them, and having their support when I am having a hard time understanding South African culture.

Yet More Adventures in Gugs...

Another highlight of my week was having the opportunity to meet Nombeko, my host mom's daughter. In 1997 she was gang raped and now has HIV. Because of the fact that she is HIV positive, she wrote a book about her story (which I got to read) and is now active in the church community with the support group for others with HIV/AIDS. Through her I learned that some people in the townships try to get HIV or to get pregnant so that they can get some grant money from the government. For some people it is even devastating to learn that they are HIV negative. It is their thought that because they are unlikely to get a job, if they are able to get money from the grant they will still have an income of some sort to feed their family. Unfortunately, many people who do this also don't know the rules so many of them are unable to get money from the grant even if they are able to become pregnant or contract HIV. When people come to this, when they try to contract terminal illnesses just to put food on their tables, it is a truly sad day. I am still astounded as to how people can let this happen and how they could even start to right it.

Day 3:

On our third day in Gugulethu we went on a variety of visits. We had the opportunity to visit the John Parma School which teaches kids in grades R (preschool/kindergarten) to grade 7. The kids all got so excited to see us because we are ‘exotic’ to them. Each class had about 35 to 40 kids so the class size is on the large side. The kids also seem to be rather well behaved, though that may have just been because we were walking around with their principal.

Next we went to Pricilla’s Home Care. It is a daycare in the home of a woman, Pricilla, who also has decided to be the foster mother to orphans. She typically has between 9 and 14 kids at a time. In a time when so many kids are orphaned because of HIV/AIDS she is providing the community with what she can give. She has given homes to kids who have no parents and she has started a daycare/preschool which not only provides daycare for working parents but also provides jobs for the community. I have realized how much of a leader Pricilla is in her community because of what she has done. She saw a need and did what she could to fill it, she even found a way to fill three holes with one project.

We also got to meet Lydia and her son who live in a shack and who are both HIV positive. Lydia told us a bit about her story like how her mother has TB and both she and her son have other medical issues and how she has many challenges in life because it is hard to work with her conditions and how it is also hard to even take care of her son and do the cooking and cleaning. When she was first diagnosed she was even kicked out of her home and rejected by her family. Luckily she was able to find support in a family friend who took her in.

Another place we got to visit was the insides of one of the older apartments at the Kiki hostels. The apartment was about 10’ x 10’ and housed at least three people. It was large enough to contain a double bed, a tiny kitchen area, and still have room for a chair to sit in. We learned from the family that when people living in the apartments lose their jobs and are unable to pay rent that is fine. In order to move out though, they must pay all the money that they owe from months that they didn’t pay rent. In other words, many of the families who live in the older apartments are unable to move because they can’t find jobs to pay the money that they owe because they couldn’t find jobs to pay rent. It is a terrible circle that many people will never be able to get out of.

Day 4:

The biggest thing that happened on day four was our visit to St. Luke’s Hospice care. In the US when the word hospice is mentioned people generally think of people who are living together in a hospital like setting when they are close to death. In Gugulethu however it is slightly different. Because of the lack of funding, people continue to live in their home but they have someone who visits them every third day or so. At first we were wary of going simply because we had visited so many homes and we were all feeling intrusive. Unfortunately, the first home that half of us visited confirmed that thought. The woman was living in a shack with HIV and was unable to leave her bed. She told us that she was growing tired of people, tourists mainly, visiting her. She is also sick of people making promises that are not fulfilled. After that point we all became really uncomfortable with making a second visit. Unfortunately we were somewhat guilt tripped into going to the second patient’s house. When we got there only half of us were willing to go in. It was only once we got in that we realized that they were going to change the dressings on his bed sores. The nurses exposed the sores on his butt and his legs and laughed asking if we wanted to take pictures of his bedsores. We were stunned and at first thought that they were joking. We quickly realized that they were not. They were stereotyping us as typical American tourists. In the past the tourists that they have had contact with have all taken many pictures of the people that they have visited so they thought that we would also take pictures. I didn’t take a picture but the view is something that I will never forget. The fact that they asked if we wanted pictures of the man’s bed sores made the whole thing feel like a tourist attraction. By taking numerous tourists there and letting them take pictures of a terminally ill man’s bedsores, it takes away what little pride he has left. It just reminded me of how different the cultures of the world. We took on the lens of the people of Gugs but the people of Gugs didn’t take on our lens. That made me realize how it really feels to have people judge and not take in to account where I am coming from and what I am used to. It is really important to be aware of the norms and ideals that the people around you hold near to their hearts.