Well I guess I should write, I haven't for a couple months and the last time I blogged, I was saying farewell to Gateway Christian School. And now I am home and have been for 3 weeks already, eish!! Where has the time gone? But home I ask , where is home? Some say "Home is where the Heart is". Some people like my family would say my home is a small farm town in rural South Western Ontario, Canada. Yes, my small rural farm town is my physical home where I was born, attended local public schools, played on an community baseball team summer after summer for much of my childhood, and attended the same Mennonite Church since an infant, but now I have two homes, Canada and South Africa.
South Africa, a country known as a Rainbow Nation of people and cultures, with 12 official languages, extreme diversity of wealth and poverty and unbelievable breath taking scenery all wrapped up in one. I will miss this new home of mine. The people, my friends, how blessed was I to call them my friends. Friends who stuck by me during the hard tough times, but also for the fun times of parties and adventures. Yes, I was blessed to have experienced many amazing adventures, whether it was accompanying the school classes on day trips such as watching the children having fun feeding animals at Crafty Duck or hiking through the Drakensburg Mountains with church friends or maybe it was the night I spent at my friends home in a rural township and becoming a celeb.
Like I have mentioned above, South Africa is a very diverse country of wealth and poverty. Actually South Africa, is the wealthiest country in the continent of Africa, with the gold mines in Jo'burg, diamond mines in Kimberley and the other natural resources they are able to export. But the wealth live right next door to the poverish, literally. Informal settlements built up in many empty lots owned by the government right beside normal wealthy neighbourhoods, just so they can live a little closer to a job, to put food on their families plates and clothes on their backs. These situations opened up my eyes of how blessed I am of my home, and my up bringing. But I won't forget how much some people struggle for the basic things we take for granted.
I know I have ready missed my housemother Lucille, where I stayed, her bubbly personality, the twinkle of her eyes when she smiles, her warm big hugs and our conversations. Yes, our numerous conversations about work, family & friends back home and there, church news and yes God. I was also privillaged to have wonderful conversations with her daughter Lyndall whom I saw a few times during the year. She is very sweet and I will miss her and our few our conversations too! I know I never wrote much about my home situation, or the young girls I lived with. The girls, Lucille and I were always in and out all the time and sometimes I rarely saw them, except at breakfast and maybe the dinner hour when we would be making our own meals. So I will miss that physical house I called home, it was a very nice home and through my bedroom window I could get a glimpse of the rolling green hills that surrounded the city of Pietermartizburg.
Another of my physical places I would call my home would diffidently have to be Project Gateway. PG was a great place to work, even though at times I got bored and frustrated with lack of keeping busy, but I got to know my co-workers and they became my family, an unforgettable family of friendship and support! I won't forget these special people for they welcomed me in with open arms and created a home for me. A home where I learned so much about who I am and what I want to accomplish in life, but also gave me many gifts and a confidence to not quit, thanks Lorne, I miss you and your spunkiness. Some of my unforgettable times while working at PG, is their Friday morning chapel services; the songs, oh the songs, the awesome Zulu worship songs I can't forget, I won't forget or at least I will try not to forget them. One of my favourites is "Akekho ofana noJesu", which means Theres no one like Jesus.
"Akekho ofana noJesu,
Akekho ofana naye,
Akekho ofana noJesu,
Akekho ofana naye
Ahamba, hamba lutho, lutho
Afuna, funa lutho, lutho
Ajika, jika lutho, lutho
Akekho ofana naye."
Yes, I will miss you Peitermaritzburg, SA, my home; your rolling green hills, your people, my people. The beautiful all year blooming flowers, the fenced yards, the kombi taxis and their crazy drivers, market stands along the streets selling used clothing to sweets, smokes, dvds/cds, fruits, hot soft meelies (corn on the cob), and chicken kabobs cooking on the hot braai to the phone tables where you could use their phones for a cheaper cost instead of your own cell phone (no I did not use them, but they were everywhere). The 30 min walk to my MCC reps James & Joan, they were a great couple and I feel very blessed to have had them as part of my South African Journey. But lastly, I have already missed the sound of that darn tinkling bell of the ice cream men who walked the streets of PMB in hopes that someone was in need of a cold treat on an hot South African day.
Yes, South Africa I officially declared that you became a home to me for 11 months and you will always be a home to me for now and forever. And how I miss you!
South Africa, a country known as a Rainbow Nation of people and cultures, with 12 official languages, extreme diversity of wealth and poverty and unbelievable breath taking scenery all wrapped up in one. I will miss this new home of mine. The people, my friends, how blessed was I to call them my friends. Friends who stuck by me during the hard tough times, but also for the fun times of parties and adventures. Yes, I was blessed to have experienced many amazing adventures, whether it was accompanying the school classes on day trips such as watching the children having fun feeding animals at Crafty Duck or hiking through the Drakensburg Mountains with church friends or maybe it was the night I spent at my friends home in a rural township and becoming a celeb.
Like I have mentioned above, South Africa is a very diverse country of wealth and poverty. Actually South Africa, is the wealthiest country in the continent of Africa, with the gold mines in Jo'burg, diamond mines in Kimberley and the other natural resources they are able to export. But the wealth live right next door to the poverish, literally. Informal settlements built up in many empty lots owned by the government right beside normal wealthy neighbourhoods, just so they can live a little closer to a job, to put food on their families plates and clothes on their backs. These situations opened up my eyes of how blessed I am of my home, and my up bringing. But I won't forget how much some people struggle for the basic things we take for granted.
I know I have ready missed my housemother Lucille, where I stayed, her bubbly personality, the twinkle of her eyes when she smiles, her warm big hugs and our conversations. Yes, our numerous conversations about work, family & friends back home and there, church news and yes God. I was also privillaged to have wonderful conversations with her daughter Lyndall whom I saw a few times during the year. She is very sweet and I will miss her and our few our conversations too! I know I never wrote much about my home situation, or the young girls I lived with. The girls, Lucille and I were always in and out all the time and sometimes I rarely saw them, except at breakfast and maybe the dinner hour when we would be making our own meals. So I will miss that physical house I called home, it was a very nice home and through my bedroom window I could get a glimpse of the rolling green hills that surrounded the city of Pietermartizburg.
Another of my physical places I would call my home would diffidently have to be Project Gateway. PG was a great place to work, even though at times I got bored and frustrated with lack of keeping busy, but I got to know my co-workers and they became my family, an unforgettable family of friendship and support! I won't forget these special people for they welcomed me in with open arms and created a home for me. A home where I learned so much about who I am and what I want to accomplish in life, but also gave me many gifts and a confidence to not quit, thanks Lorne, I miss you and your spunkiness. Some of my unforgettable times while working at PG, is their Friday morning chapel services; the songs, oh the songs, the awesome Zulu worship songs I can't forget, I won't forget or at least I will try not to forget them. One of my favourites is "Akekho ofana noJesu", which means Theres no one like Jesus.
"Akekho ofana noJesu,
Akekho ofana naye,
Akekho ofana noJesu,
Akekho ofana naye
Ahamba, hamba lutho, lutho
Afuna, funa lutho, lutho
Ajika, jika lutho, lutho
Akekho ofana naye."
Yes, I will miss you Peitermaritzburg, SA, my home; your rolling green hills, your people, my people. The beautiful all year blooming flowers, the fenced yards, the kombi taxis and their crazy drivers, market stands along the streets selling used clothing to sweets, smokes, dvds/cds, fruits, hot soft meelies (corn on the cob), and chicken kabobs cooking on the hot braai to the phone tables where you could use their phones for a cheaper cost instead of your own cell phone (no I did not use them, but they were everywhere). The 30 min walk to my MCC reps James & Joan, they were a great couple and I feel very blessed to have had them as part of my South African Journey. But lastly, I have already missed the sound of that darn tinkling bell of the ice cream men who walked the streets of PMB in hopes that someone was in need of a cold treat on an hot South African day.
Yes, South Africa I officially declared that you became a home to me for 11 months and you will always be a home to me for now and forever. And how I miss you!
My last goodbye hug with Lucille, infront of our home.
My fellow SwaLeSa 2009/2010 SALTers and I with our country Reps James & Joan.
One last dinner at their home in PMB, dressed in cultural outfits.
One of my last South African sunrises, Kruger National Park.
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