Back home

As I type this, I have been home for almost two weeks. My experiences that I had while in South Africa will always be a part of me. I'm so glad to have worked with the people that I got to work with and will hopefully keep the new friendships for quite some time. The youth that we met and the conversations we were a part of give me hope for this country that is so divided in so many ways.

The longer I'm at home the more restless I become. I can't wait to travel again, maybe to South Africa but maybe elsewhere. There is so much of the world that I want to see. In every place I go I want to be more than a tourist or visitor. Thanks for taking the time to read about this trip. Here is the link to all of my photos and videos. Enjoy.

Day 13--1/8/09

Today was our last day in Africa. We spent the morning at the apartheid museum. When we walked in, we were separated into whites and non-whites. It was eye-opening to see how the non-whites were treated and how because apartheid only ended 15 years ago, those predjudices are still quite present. The photos and statistics will stay with me for quite some time. It will take generations for the situation with race in South Africa to change.

"To be free is to not merely cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." --Nelson Mandela

Day 12--1/7/09

We woke up to a really beautiful morning. I had a relaxing breakfast and Eileen and I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the porch overlooking the town of Elysburg and discussed future travel plans and how to make them happen. I just want to go to so many places and stay for more than a little while.

We headed out to Khanysile, an organization that provides healthcare and education to people with HIV. It's located in a rather poor township--somewhere where we didn't want to be walking around by ourselves. No kids were there because they were still on holiday. We were painting two trailers--outside and inside. The trailers are makeshift offices/counseling spaces. Because of the lack of paintbrushes and rollers, I ended up being the paint holder for Karl and Mindy. It was a long, hot day, but I found it quite relaxing. We all got sunburned but had a good time and ended up accomplishing a lot in the few hours we were there. I had a chance to talk with Felicity who helped start the organization in 2001. It was obvious she had a heart for the community and for people with HIV/AIDS. She said in the township Khanysile was located in, about 60% of people are infected with HIV. Their organization has been so important because people know they can get help there and have access to medications. Felicity mentioned that in the U.S. you hear stories of people who have been living with HIV for 20 years and they are relatively healthy. That just doesn't happen in South Africa. If you make it to 40, you're lucky. Before they were able to give out medications, people would have to wait days in line at hospitals and she said that people would die there before they could get help. She said it would take a change in education and mindset for things to get better.

Day 11--1/6/09

After breakfast, we rode in the back of the bucky to a cheetah farm a couple of kilometers away. I wouldn't mind riding the in back of a truck all the time--too bad it's against the law here. The cheetah farm was started in the 1970's by a brother and sister who wanted to help with cheetah conservation. We saw caracal, serval, wild african cats (that looked very much like domesticated cats), wild dogs, cheetahs, and a variety of vultures. The wild dogs made an amazing amount of noise and were going crazy when the ranger fed them.

The cheetahs were beautiful and I loved just watching them walk around. You can just tell that they were built for speed. After the tour, several of us got our pictures taken while petting Zulu, one of the cheetahs they have at the farm. He was quite content and was purring away. I'm assuming I'm allergic to these cats as well.

When we got back the game reserve, we had to pack right away to leave for Johannesburg where we were meeting the people from Epworth Children's orphanage. We said our goodbyes to Mariana and Lauren and all crammed into the Epworth comby and went to their home.

The Epworth Children's home just celebrated it's 90th birthday this past year. The children that are there are removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. There are usually about 75 kids there but right now there are only 53 and about 22 of those kids are HIV positive. The home rents out rooms to people like us for extra income but it only costs $11 per person per night and that includes two meals. Aunt Joan is taking care of us and she has lived her for about 20 years.

Day 10--1/5/09

The alarm woke us up at 4:06am since we were scheduled to leave the farm and head to the game reserve at 4:30am. This being Africa, we left a little after 5am. So now I can say I saw the African sunrise. We packed the comby and the bucky (van and pick-up truck). Rich, Kim, Emily, and I were squashed in the back seat where there was a lot of overlap.

We were told the trip would take 3 1/2 hours but we didn't get to the game reserve until around noon--you do the math. As we got closer to the game reserve, we started to see impala and springbok. Most of the roads were dirt or loose sand. Dick was driving and as a Mercedes Benz tried to pass us, it lost control and flipped over and rolled into a fence. Both the driver and passenger walked away from it, but all parties were a bit shaken. The Benz does well in a roll. The windshield was cracked and the hood dented, but overall it looked good.

The game reserve we went to was owned by Mariana's father and they have buffalo, kudu, zebra, giraffe, warthog, hippos, impala, blesbok, and several other animals I don't remember the name of. We stayed in chalets with beds made of bricks but with comfortable mattresses. It only costs about $20 per person per night and the house we stayed in sleeps 6. Hunters usually come in September-March to hunt the game on the reserve. The decor in the chalet reflects that.

We headed out in the reserve in two buckys and almost immediately saw giraffe, zebras, and warthogs. We drove around for about 3 hours stopping when we saw wildlife. Even if we didn't see anything, I would have thoroughly enjoyed just being out in the reserve. It looked like what I always pictured an African game reserve would look like. Mariana did most of the driving for our bucky and at one point, Rich, Emily, and myself suddenly found ourselves on the floor. She had driven straight into a ditch. No one was hurt, but we realized it was a pretty deep hole when we didn't have to take a step down out of the back of the bucky. The boys pushed us out and we were on our way again. Lauren, age 13, also took some time to drive as well. She did quite nicely.

At sunset, we drove to the "erosion" which was sand and dirt carved away by rainwater. The photograhic opportunities there were quite good.

The rest of the evening included Jim setting up a projector and checking out people's photos while Kim, Emily, and I fell asleep on chairs and sofas. When we woke up around 9pm, we thought we slept through dinner, but we didn't. I love Africa time.

Day 9--1/4/09

I woke up on the trampoline in the beating sun and crushed in between the other people also sleeping on the trampoline. Again, I do not recommend it.





We spent the morning putting the finishing touches on the cross and actually putting it up. It was surprising how good an old railroad tie, rusty bumper, and a bunch of broken glass can look.





We had our worship service which parents were invited to as well but not many came. We sang, some kids shared their testimony about how they have been changed, Bonny led a group in singing a traditional song, we had communion, and walked out singing "Walking in the Light of God." Goodbyes were said and we relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon. Once kids started leaving, I could feel the exhaustion of the week finally sink in and was glad to have absolutely nothing to do but sit in the sun and take a nap.

Day 8--1/3/09

Today was the last day of camp. We didn't have any electives or bible study. The morning was relaxed as usual. In the afternoon we worked on finishing the cross, planning Sunday's worship service, and working on an anthem for the service. I was helping with the mosaic that was going to be attached to the cross. We used the broken glass from earlier in week during bible study and make concentric circles with different colors. It turned out a lot better than I anticipated.

We had our final chapel service where Rich played a slide show that he had created with pictures taken during the week and it looked great. We also went out to our final campfire, sang a few more songs, and had smores. These campers look forward to the smores since this is the only time of year that they get them. We attempted to go to bed a little after midnight but Melissa talked me into sleeping on the trampoline. Unfortunately it wasn't as comfortable as I hoped it would be. Despite that, it was a great last night with the campers.