More on South Africa



 

Thalaghanio, the 2 year old boy that I live with. He might just come home with me as well!

 If Ghana was the land of the Have-Nots, South Africa is the land of the Have's among the Have-Nots. My experience in Ghana was that everyone outside of the capital was poor, very poor in every sense of the word materially. Their houses were minimal, most lacking electricity, running water and indoor facilities (kitchen and bathroom), the roads were in disrepair - many dirt, the stores are mostly shacks on the side of the dusty roads and most people do not own anything western - TVs, ipods, appliances, cars etc etc.  Everywhere I looked it was poverty! However, in South Africa it is so intertwined, from afar it's difficult to tell who's poor and who's really poor. The informal settlements are much more common than I expected and there does not seem to be any shame in living among them. The shanty-towns are surrounded by small, regular homes and there doesn't seem to be any issues with the proximity. Can you imagine if a few thousands people decided to set up plywood and tin shacks in the empty field in your neighborhood?! Throughout the last number of decades, the government has tried to demolish these settlements, only for them to resurface the following week. They have apparently conceded defeat and now actually provide some services for free - a few water spickets shared among many and port-o-potty's which they service.  Within these informal settlements, there is even a grand disparity between the Have's and Have-Nots. Many are as I'd expect on the inside - dark and furnished with very little, however, others are quite a surprise. The door is opened and voila! I see kitchen counter tops, a table and chairs, pots and pans, a bed, a bureau and even some are show-casing car batteries or generators to run their flat screen TV, radio, cell phones and ipods! Whaaaat??!! And don't forget their designer (knock-off) clothing and bags!

As for me? I'm continuing to look for additional areas of need. I've started tutoring kids when they come to the Center after school. Some of the kids are so far behind, it's apparent that neither school teachers, parents or even the teachers at the Center are tracking their progress/performance. It is very frustrating to watch the teachers at the Center, who are expected to be academic resources, barely function as recess monitors. It appears that these are just "jobs" providing a paycheck and that there is no personal motivation to make a difference in these kid's lives.  I've also been working with the Administrative staff. It's been surprising to see the lack of training most of the women have in what I consider to be, basic computer skills -typing, general organization/prioritization, lack of knowledge in computer programs such as excel etc. Although the pace of life here is slow in general, the pace in the work environment is even slower! The amount of work that an administrative employee accomplishes in a day is comparable to what a skilled admin. at home would do in a couple of hours. Contributing to this are the cultural "tea breaks". 10am is the customary time to have breakfast and tea with your co-workers. Although it's a nice tradition and creates a stronger bond/friendship between co-workers, it would likely be viewed as terribly inefficient in American companies!

Posted in the emergency waiting room of a local hospital. Doesn't matter how many patients are waiting, tea time is policy!

Meals have continued to be a bit of a challenge here as well. I make my own breakfast and there is usually a decent supply of oats, granola, eggs, bread and tea. Lunch is provided at the Center and is usually one of two things every day - chicken in a stew with pap (mashed potato like consistency made of corn meal) or beef in a stew served with pap. And don't forget the salt! Everything is made with a lot of salt (after HIV/AIDS and TB, guess what's the most prominent health issue? High blood pressure! Go figure.) For dinner....that's a little more hit or miss. Most South Africans eat the same as they eat for lunch. However, my project coordinator provides a little more variety for me which includes rice, pasta, beans and spinach. And fried chicken! Lots of friend chicken.  Similar to Ghana and most African countries, the basis of most diets here are carbs, which explains the rather rotund shape of virtually all woman here!  The amount of candy eaten here is incredible too. Everywhere I turn people are consuming "sweets"!

Allison and I with the Center Admin. staff. Notice that they brought a blow-up air mattress rather than blankets to sit on - nice!

Can you say "Bad Girl"?

Before Allison left we were able to enjoy some of the more local festivities. South Africa celebrated Freedom Day on April 27th. The administrative staff at the Center invited us to join them for a brie (BBQ) in a public park on what turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day.

And as you can tell by the picture, I was able to locate some foo-foo beverages to make my day complete (titled "Bad Girl")



We also rented a car and played tourist for a couple of days. We went to a Lion park outside of Johannesburg which, I might argue, was almost as good as the real safari I went on in Tanzania (Serengeti, Taranguire National park etc). I fed the giraffes and ostriches, pet the lion cubs and had some seriously up close encounters with lions. We drove our car through the park and the lions came right up to the car. They put their head at eye level with us in our car - it was scary!

And we also enjoyed a day of zip-lining through a canyon. In a beautiful national park outside of Johannesburg we spent the day hiking and zip-lining and having a blast!

My two months in this area has just about come to an end, however my next South African venture is something that's been on my bucket list for almost 20 years! I'll be heading almost 1000 miles south to spend 2 1/2 weeks in the Cape Town/Eastern Cape region. So many adventures are planned - bunjee jumping, shark cage diving, abseiling/repelling down Table Mountain, crocodile cage diving, sand-dune boarding, wine tasting and more! I'm looking forward to sharing these adventures on, what will be, my final blog before heading back home in mid-June.

I can't wait to see all of you soon!