Finding my Groove

Well though I better blog what I wanna blog before it becomes to far in the past. hehe I am finally feeling very settled and comfortable in my new home stay, and am still gradually getting to know the girls, and before I know it they will be gone the end of November. : (

So last week was a really good week. I accompanied one of the Grade 2 classes to Butterflies for Africa. It was great fun! One thing I notice while travelling in the Kombie's with classes, is that they love to sing. I was grouped with the girls, and we went into the Butterfly House first. The butterflies weren't too active, since it was rainy, cool and over casted out. But there were some fluttering around. Inside there were tropical plants and flowers, some birds, butterflies of course, iguana, a tropical bird, monkeys and huge gold fish. The children were a little nervous with some of the butterflies, but loved feeding the fish. There was a really nice cafe where myself and the school Kombie driver Uncle Phillip, there we were treated to some food, and the cafe looked down onto the gift store. I saw lots of pretty gifts but didn't have really enough money to buy myself anything anyways. When I got home that afternoon, Rebekka, had a really nice surprise for me. Rebekka, and a couple of the other girls in the house like to make their own jewelery. But Rebekka, had bought me a pair of beautiful pink butterfly earrings. How perfect a day, and a day I'll won't forget!


Some of the things I have found to do with the girls in the house is watching movies on my computer. Felicia, my fellow SALTer allowed me some of her movies to play on my computer, and I have been sharing them with them. So far, Nandi, Rebekka, and I have watched 3 movies together.

Saturday the 24th, I tagged along with Lucille and others from NCF church on an outreach in a small town of Richmond, which is about 30 mins away. We went to the poorer edge of town, going house to house telling the people that there is a near by church, and encouraged them to attend. Here, in this poor community, I again have witnessed how family survive with so little, but with such closeness of friends and family they survive. They do have some electricity, where we heard music blaring from a home, and a TV playing in another. But the home that had the TV, I saw no eclectic fridge or stove, but a cooking surface over bricks and a piece of sheet metal. The homes were separated by wire fences and hanging on the fences were here clothes drying, and in some yards you would find a wash basin and dishes. The home where the TV was playing, there was 3 small boys sitting in one big tub taking a bath with one licking a cold treat. Most of their prayer requests were for employment.

Later that night, Lucille, Chole, and Thuli went to a concert in Durban, and Rebekka and Nandi came home from a day hiking around the Berg. Nandi and I made supper while Rebekka decided we were going to sit outside in the thunder and lighting to enjoy our supper. She really wanted to light candles but couldn't find any. And besides why do we need candles when we have lighting. To be honest, I really do not feel 100% comfortable being outside in thunder and lighting so this was a little out of my comfort zone, but Rebekka wanted to do this. We did manage to eat outside before it rained, and the thunder and light got closer. After dishes were cleaned up, Rebekka, Nandi, and I watched Elizabeth Town. It was a great way to end a great day.

Well, I better finish up here. Project Gateway is having an Aniversary Dinner in 4o mins. Our dinner menu consists of salmon entree, bunny chow (minced beef on a bun), and dessert I think strawberries and cream. Yum to everything but the salmon part, oh well! The hall is decked out pretty nice so cheers!

Signing off....

Destiny House

Oct 22, 2009


Well on October 6th I moved into my new home stay Destiny House, for the year. So I’m living with 4 young girls who are in their gap year between high school, and university, who are part of church Christian group called Destiny Project. There are 11 in this group, and they are from SA, but one a girl from Germany. The girls I’m living with are Nandi, Chloe, and Thuli from SA, and Rebekka from Germany. Living with us is our house mother Lucille from SA too! We make our selves a very mixed bunch consisting of 2 whites, 2 coloured, and 2 blacks! Destiny House is owned by a church called New Covenant Fellowship (NCF), which is a Pentecostal Charismatic Evangelical church, and the home is located right outside the church building. NCF has three locations within the city area, and the one I’m living beside is the South one. This church has three services on Sundays, one at 8am 10am, and 6pm, and at the maximum it can hold 2000 worshipers. I have attended one of the other church locations, the West, which is a new church plant in the township of Imbali, and is one of the poorest parts of the outer city area.

Some of the houses down the streets are built of sheet metal, or concrete cement bricks; which aren’t very big, with a long drop out behind the house building. Wondering down the streets, or the ditches you wouldn’t be surprised to see pigs, goats, cattle, or chickens. There is always lots of garbage scattered in the streets as well. The next street over you may find nicer houses, that look more normal and better.

When I first moved in here it was the hardest two weeks of my journey thus far. I hit a low, and it was really hard, I missed home so very much. I hadn’t spoken to my family in weeks and I all I wanted to do was pack everything up and go back home. But I couldn’t, I am here until July next year and there is still so much I want to do. What I have found about with working at Project Gateway is the amazing community of family, and support, and the strength that they give me. If it wasn’t for my family of friends at Project Gateway, my MCC Reps, and family back home, I may still be at my low.

Two weeks later now, I am doing great, I am making friends with these roommates of mine, and I know that when their program is finished the 30th of November I will miss them when they leave. But there will be new girls moving in next February for next years Destiny Project group. I have also now started attending church activities and making friends with young adult at NCF. I am looking forward to the many activities and functions at NCF (Alpha, and home cell group).

Signing out...

Culture

I started writing this entry on October 8th, so bare with me. To start, I thought I would start with the definition of what is culture:

"The sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next."

October 8th:

Two weeks ago, South Africa celebrated Heritage Day, on the 24th of September. I had mentioned in a previous entry that the school was planning a Fun Walk Fundraiser, to raise funds for the school building fund. Gateway Christian School is planning on adding 2 more classes and a new toilet block. They currently have 270 students and with adding these 2 classes will be adding about 60 more students. I was asked by a teacher organizing and planning this advent to help make tickets, and design and print posters for the various food booth stands and activities after the walk on the school grounds. A few of the teachers even dressed in traditional Zulu outfits and to top it off, it was wonderful warm day for the event. Here two of the teachers are giving out prizes to the Lucky Draw Winners

On the 25th of September, Project Gateway, planned a Prison History Night, to help celebrate Heritage Day. The program consisted of 2 gentlemen sharing their time spent living here as prisoners, and another guest speaker talked about King Dinizulu, who was also in prisoned here at Gateway, and then sent onto St. Helen Island. There was also some lovely singing and dancing performed by Zulu staff members, who also dressed in Zulu attire. The singing is so awesome here at Project Gateway, and know I am certainly going to miss it when I come home.

I have found working here in South Africa, that when a young person reaches the age of 21, it is a very big thing. Some families will throw their children very extravagant birthday parties celebrating the milestone.

Some of the staff dressed in their Zulu outfits.

September 30th, I traveled to Morija, Lesotho, with James & Joan, Andrew and Felicia where we met up with Simon and Anna. We also met up with more MCCer's, Burno & Lois, who are the Southern Africa Associate Directors, who live in Johannesburg, but are from Saskatchewan, and Brad Reimer, from MCC Winnipeg. Brad, was on his way to Mozambique, but came a little earlier and came to South Africa and met us in Lesotho, to take in Morija's Art and Cultural Festival with us.

It was a beautiful drive, surrounded by God’s beauty, especially driving through the Drakensburg Mountains. Such awesome splendour of nature and beauty! We even drove past a small group of zebras that were resting near the road , but I was unfortunately busy at the moment and didn’t snap a picture of them.

Me in the Drakensburgs

During our stay in Morija, we traveled into Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, and visited with a lady who is a Commisioner for Independent Electoral Commission, visited the Transformation Resource Centre, whom MCC has connections with, and met a family friend of Joan's, who is a co-founder of Seliba Sa Boithuto (Centre for Self Study), and Paballong HIV/AIDS Care Centre. We were given a tour of both places and the scenery was just beautiful.

Looking down onto the Capital of Maseru

The rest of the weekend we spent wondering around the festival. Where we watched school dance competitions. Ate a traditional African meal, took in a couple concerts, where local people came up to us and we formed a little dance group. Even the local people took our picture because we were visitors from another country. The didn't even ask if they could take our picture but just pointed their camera and snapped. Sunday the last day of the festival, was a cool damp day which we spent just relaxing and playing games in our guest house. We were going to watch some Gospel singing but they changed the time and we just stayed back at the guest house and heard alittle of the music from their. Monday, us five travled back back to South Africa.

One of the schools dance during the competition.