Ironman South Africa

On April 22, the South African Iron Man competition happened literally on our doorstep.  To finish an Ironman, you must first swim 2.5 miles, then bike 110 miles, and when you are done with that, you run a marathon!  Oh, and there were wind gusts up to 40 mph that day.  Can you imagine biking and running in that?

The race viewed from our balcony

The bikers and runners both had to pass our building three times.  Entrants started swimming at 7:00 AM, and some were still coming by with 11K to go at 10:00 at night.  To be certified as a finisher, you had to make it by midnight.  At that point, you would have been moving for 17 hours straight.  Jim wrote on Facebook that he was exhausted just watching!

The fastest man completed it in eight and a half hours, the fastest woman in a little over nine.  I was amazed at anyone who finished – the youngest was 18 years of age, the oldest 84!     

This is Shelley's IronGirl medallion

The whole weekend was fun and festive, with cheerleaders, music, and the general public out on the streets cheering them on.  And, it was a full weekend: On Saturday, over 1100 kids entered IronKidz.  An IronGirl 10k run was held on Friday.  Three friends of ours ran in that one – Shelley (from Peter and Shelley),  Aya – our wonderful potter, and Reney, an administrator from our House service site.   

South African Flag

Go, Rainbow Team!

Our students got into the festivities by having a “flag party.”  Every flat had to dress in one of the colors of the South African flag – so there was a red team, a white team, etc.  They organized the whole thing – but didn’t include Jim and me!   We decided to crash as the “rainbow team.”  Here we are with Shannon and Sarah, two of Team Yellow.

Re-Launching House of Resurrection

This update is on the second of our two service sites: House of Resurrection Children's Home/ AIDS Haven.

Sydney with Diego

Our students have been busy at House.  All spend parts of each service day, cuddling and playing with the kids.  They have also planted two gardens with vegetables (carrots, beets, spinach).  They know they won't be here long enough to see the "fruits of their labor," but they have diligently worked away.  Spearheaded by Isaak Meyer and Joe Mork, they are also helping them build a bin where their kitchen scraps can be turned into compost. 

Michelle was one who talked
with the psychology department

We found out yesterday that as a result of Michelle Pokorny, Melissa Ludwig, and Jim making a connection with the NMMU Psychology Dept, that department has now committed to come to House on an ongoing basis to offer workshops with the Mothers on parenting children through the emotional scars of life.  Their first workshop is scheduled for May 10th!   This is great news, as the House kids have understandable feelings of anger and sorrow about their HIV/ AIDS status and the loss of their birth parents.  

And, I have been helpful, too.  Before Easter I asked Rev'd Nicolette, "How can I help?"  She and I decided to work together to rewrite her business plan.  After interviewing some of her staff and leaders, I wrote their words into a statement of where they've been, where they are, and a future view of what they intend to become.  Nicolette loves it.  Let me tell you a bit about their incredible journey:

A "family" who waits for a cottage

House of Resurrection originally was a hospital that provided end of life care for the poorest of the poor, especially people infected with HIV/AIDS.  Considering that the medications of today were not available to them, this was a place to die.  Many of the adult patients who died left children behind.  Gradually, House transformed into a home for children who were infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.   They cared for these children, often until they died - but gradually due to the availability of ARVs and the staff's deep knowledge of living with AIDS/HIV, the children today are kept healthy and safe.

Now, House is transforming once again.  They wish to lessen their association as “orphans growing up with AIDS,” and really integrate their children with the outside world.  These are children just like any other, yet they live separated behind a fairly high wall in an institutional setting (orphanage).  House wants to quickly move to a cluster of "homes” where each child is raised in as normalized fashion as possible – with a "Mother", and five "siblings".  (The House mothers used to "clock in" for shifts.  All are now "around-the-clock" mothers in residence.)

They have set big goals: 

• They plan to build six “cottages” on the property where each family can truly live as one – eating dinner around a table, having a quiet conversation about school, instilling values.  The architectural drawings for the cottages are each two-story, so that the children can see over the wall into the world in which they will live as adults.  The plans are inexpensive, yet of quality.  Using locally available materials and labor, to build one cottage is estimated to cost less than $30,000!
  
• That is not all. They are facing – for the first time ever – the happy and scary prospect of the children growing up.  No child has yet lived into adulthood.  Now, they expect many – if not all! - of the children to do so.  The oldest children are 14 years of age, and in three years, they will need transitional housing, allowing the older kids additional freedom while still under guidance.  It was really fun to facilitate the first ever conversation with all the staff about parenting teenagers!  They started asking all the right questions of each other, like - "Are we ready for boyfriends?  Will we be ready to talk about sex?"
• The last piece of the vision is to become a vibrant community hub.  They want to build a small “shop” where vegetables from the garden can be sold, as well as other products they produce or have in surplus.  More importantly, via this shop, the older children can have daily interaction with others in the community, while learning the entrepreneurial skills of running a small business. 

Reverend Nicolette calls this vision "The Re-Launch of the House of Resurrection."  They will literally be completing the cycle of transforming from a place to die...  into a place of new beginnings.  




(Again, if you would like to contribute anything to their change from an orphanage to a cluster of homes, let me know.  They have a fantastic leader in Reverend Nicolette.  It would be a great place to invest.)

And All That Jazz!

The week of April 16th was one of music!  On Monday, our South African Music class took a trip to the home of Dudley Tito.  He is one of the original members of Soul Jazz Men, a township jazz group that was quite famous during the 1970s.  In fact, they won an international competition in Durban, South Africa, that included as its first place prize a round trip to New York City and a recording contract.  But, it was during Apartheid, and "somehow" the second place winner was awarded the trip.

Listening outside Dorkay House

Also during Apartheid under the pass laws, being a musician was not considered a job that counted in order to be granted permission to be in a white area.  In other words, the only way Dudley and his band could play in white areas was to have other day jobs there, and stay late.  So, they were gardeners and laborers, etc., but they did play in front of mixed-color audiences.

Now, Dudley plays and teaches music informally to others in the township.  We listened to his band in the small hut called a Dorkay House behind his tiny township home in New Brighton.  The hut was so small that - other than the band - only one person could go inside at a time.  But when you did, the sound was mind-blowing.  

Dudley Tito

Linda, the vocalist

Dudley plays sax.  He was accompanied by another sax player, a keyboardist, drummer, and a vocalist named Linda, who had an incredible voice.   We took turns going inside to listen.  The others outside the hut gradually drew the interest of neighborhood kids who came in to dance with them.  Quite the experience! 

A conga line formed

But, the week wasn’t over.  On Thursday night, the Opera House in town had a township jazz night.  Not knowing the bands at all, Jim and I thought it would be fun to go.  The venue was set up cabaret style, with small tables and a cash bar.  We arrived at six o’clock as that is when the flyer said it would start.  There were about six people there, including two other white people from Holland.  Jim and I started talking with them.  We sat and chatted until 7:00 when about 150 people showed up, and the music started.  (Apparently they knew something we didn’t know.)  The four of us ended up being the only white people there.  I loved the whole experience, especially being part of an audience that vocally and physically showed their appreciation.  Singing along, hand clapping, and dancing was part of it all.  

The performers were two female singers whose voices harmonized perfectly.  They were backed up by a combo of instruments and three singers.  At one point in the show the two lead singers decided that they needed a few back up dancers.  They each went out into the audience to pick out someone.  The first one picked a woman, and took her on stage.  The second one started asking people to shift, moved some chairs and tables out of the way, and made a beeline towards …. Me!  (“Of course,” Jim says)! 

So, I got to go on stage and dance for the rest of the number.  I’m sure I danced the twist more than any other style, until the lead singer and I did some swing together.   I was caught up in the moment.  Jim said the crowd was really cheering!  

Poetry - Welcome to Our South Africa

Before I left America, I remember someone saying, “Once you’ve been there, you will always be homesick for South Africa.”  I remember thinking, “Will I really?  I’ve been to a lot of wonderful places in my world.  Will this be so different?”

Once here, I rapidly fell in love with South Africa - the beauty, the complexities, the people.  There is a Shona saying:  moyo muti unomera paunoda, which basically means “your soul is like a tree that takes root where your heart is.”   With less than half of our time remaining, I am starting to transition my heart.  I am missing my kids, grandkids, and friends in America!  Yet I know that I will be leaving a piece of my heart behind.   

In South African Literature, we recently read the book Welcome to Our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe.  Professor Mary West asked each of us to write a poem, based on the book and/or our experiences.  I will always remember a line from the poem written by our student Bobby Fischer: “Welcome to South Africa – a vacation, with consequences.”   

The morning the poem was due, none of our flats had any water.    This was the poem written by Tucker Mithuen, Liz Stocker, and Isaac Meyer:

First World Problems

Welcome to our flat, it has no water

Welcome to Missionvale, it has little water

-It is now flooding-

Welcome to our first world problems, where we complain about not showering for a day

Welcome to our rich, privileged study abroad trip, where we ignore South Africa's problems

Like everyone else

Welcome to our self-righteous voluntourism 

Even in self-criticism we probably still don't get it

Welcome to our South Africa- Are we there yet?

I’m also including my poem – the first I’ve written since third grade!  (In the novel, Tiragalong is a small, rural hometown.  Hillbrow is a poor township the author moves to outside of Johannesburg, where Africans from other countries are not welcome.)

A Driving Tour of South Africa

Poem based on Welcome to Our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe

Welcome to our Tiragalong … 

… Filled with family and first loves,

… Superstition, suspicion

…Where normal is known since you were small.

Welcome to our Hillbrow…

… Cultural crossroad next to the City of Gold

… Where some homeland stories are never told

… Open to black Africans, but not all.

Welcome to our Port Elizabeth…

… Where complexity and riptides run a mile deep

… Where only a few young women can soundly sleep

            …Are we complicit in it all?

Welcome to our South Africa …

… Where street names – and housing conditions - change every block

… Where red robots tell you when to stop

… Where Danger comes from The Right, and then maybe The Left...

We’re connected to All…  

…Get out of the car!

Shannon's Mom Kathy Bassett

The week after Easter Jim and I did a lot of driving around - all for a good cause.  One of our student's parents and grandparents had traveled to South Africa to see her and the country.  Three of them returned home on Easter Monday, but Shannon's mom Kathy stayed behind for one more week.  Kathy Bassett is a semi-professional photographer who, prior to her coming, asked how she might be able to use the gift of her photography at the service sites.  Her company, Allina, had agreed to fund these photographic gifts.  Each of the sites jumped at the opportunity!

As a result, Kathy had a month's worth of experiences in a week:  She was with us in the car during the march for public services at Missionvale.  We photographed children at House of Resurrection Children's Home two different afternoons.  She went to Pendla School twice, where she went on home visits with our students and two teachers. We also took her to Missionvale twice.

"I can't complain."

 The most moving aspect (for me) was when Kathy, Shannon, and I went out on care visits with the visiting nurses into the township homes of their patients.  We walked from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. straight.  But, if you hear me complain about anything EVER again, just remind me of our first visit!  This woman has only one leg, sits in a wheelchair all day long, may be about to lose her second foot, has just had the rains running into her home making all her bedding wet, and when I asked her how she was doing, her answer was, "Can't complain.  The Lord's been good to me."

Here is Kathy Bassett doing some of her work for Missionvale:

Kathy and Shannon,  with caregiver on her rounds

Photographing in a home.
We were always welcomed in.

Taking a first-ever class photo

Missionvale Care Center will be using her pictures for their new brochures.  What is so great about Kathy's photos is that they represent actual moments of service rather than posed shots.  She captured them handing out the half loaf of bread each person receives, making home visits to people who are no longer mobile, organizing their clothing distribution warehouse, etc.  Each shows real moments, real people, real life!





Following are some of my favorites of Kathy Bassett's work at Missionvale.

Waiting for bread...

Receiving bread

Giving thanks...

Unforgettable face in the crowd.

The Rains – and Washing Up

Missionvale streets after it rains

Rain – it can be a blessing, and a curse.  Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Area is in a restricted water use area.  When it rains, it is a blessing.  Reservoirs and rain barrels can refill.   But, for some, it causes extra distress. 

Easter weekend was gray and wet.  The rains continued into the next week.  It was inconvenient for us, but devastating for the people in Missionvale.  Whenever it rains, their streets become muck.  As the Missionvale terrain slopes, the storm waters run right through some of the shacks.  Some shacks leak.   This time the electricity was out for two days.  People had to be evacuated.  Fifty slept on the floor of the Missionvale Care Center’s hall.   

On Thursday, we went out to Missionvale Care Center.  As we arrived, there was a small public protest going on – tires were burning in the street to block off traffic.  We actually drove right behind a protest march past the care center.  The people were protesting the fact that their waste products had not been picked up for two weeks.  Now remember, Missionvale is still on the bucket system.  This “waste” that I’m talking about is human waste.  Their buckets are to be emptied every Thursday, but because of the rain – and the impassable streets - the trucks couldn’t get into the area.   There was no place for the waste to go…

First you carry all your water home ...

But, the day we went to Missionvale, the sun was shining.   Everyone was cleaning up; wash was hanging on each person’s line.   People were on their roofs, nailing on new pieces of tin.  People were dragging mattresses and bedding outside to dry.  I want to emphasize that though the people live in what we and they call shacks, they are not dirty.  Their clothes are clean.  They try to keep their homes clean too, under very trying conditions. 

Where you heat it before washing clothes in tubs...

,,,Clean wash everywhere.

Reading! - Pendla Primary School

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our students volunteer two days a week, in addition to going to school full time.   It's time to update you on each of our service sites.

Bobby and Danika were the handiest
with the pick-axe!

I'll start with Pendla Primary School.  Twelve of our students volunteer at Pendla, a school in New Brighton township.  While the houses right around Pendla look fairly good, the learners at the school come from some of the poorest shack areas.  Our students did recent home visits with two of the teachers, and came back shell-shocked by what they saw.  It gave them a new appreciation of what the learners' lives are like outside of the classroom.  As just one example, most of the homes have no running water.

Mark - on his "vacation"

Our students primarily help out in the classrooms at Pendla.  But, they wanted to do more.  Led with great energy and enthusiasm by Ryan Fuchs and Mary Baumgard, they undertook a project to support learner and teacher use of the library that is on site.  

The week before we left for Cape Town, the Pendla group (with help from people from other sites and Jim and his brother Mark) constructed a reading area between the library and the office building.  They did hard labor for three days straight while Pendla was on school break.  They took broken school desks that had been piled on the library's roof, cut off the desk portion with hack saws, sanded everything, primed and painted the metal parts and then stained and varnished the bench seats that remained.   They dug holes with pick-axes, stabilized the benches in place with old cement blocks,  and then covered it all up with dirt.  They finished it off by moving several tons of rock by shovel and wheelbarrow to cover the area.  

First reading class held outside

 It looks fantastic!  On Tuesday after Easter, Jim went out early to see the reactions.  A few learners were already there, just standing and looking at it.  Jim invited them to go in, and two boys got big grins on their faces and raced to sit on the benches.  Soon, most of the benches were full.  Then the teachers came and were shocked and amazed.  They oohed and aahed.  The bell rang at 8:00 a.m. for class, and by 8:15 a teacher had her entire class out there on the benches doing their group reading!   

At recess, learners were crowded around our students who were reading books from the library.   (You should know that there is no place to sit down outside the school room, other than on dirt or cement.)

The kids were all smiles!

Ryan Fuchs spearheaded the effort!
Here he is reading Green Eggs and Ham

As Beth said in an email exchange:  "There are so many discussions in education about providing a place for learning that is respectful and beautiful.  I truly believe that when teachers and learners are in environments that are respectful of them and their ability to learn, they rise to the occasion.  This simple, or somewhat simple, example proved that thinking within 15 minutes!.... just beautiful."

Sadness Hits Us - Hard!

On Good Friday, we were stunned with some terrible news.  The mother of one of our students called, trying to reach her daughter to tell her that her father had died unexpectedly the day before.  Then the very next day, a father called with the news of a student's grandmother's death.  (While talking to students via telephone, we also found that that two of our students had been to the hospital ER in Cape Town since we left on Tuesday with dehydration, and a spider bite.)

Jim and I felt terrible.  We were almost back in Port Elizabeth when we got the first call.  All the students were still in Cape Town.  After being together virtually every day since February 1st, we were not there in person when either student received the terrible news of a death of a close relative.  But, we knew our students: They would rally around both of them, and they did.

Our Memorial Service

After some discussion, both students decided to finish out their semesters here, but greatly grieved not being with their families at this time to receive, and to give, comfort.  In the case of the father's death, we did arrange for a memorial service here.  It was held last Saturday, April 14th, at the service site where our student volunteers: House of Resurrection Children's Home.

Reverend Nicolette Leonard

Reverend Nicolette led the service and the children and housemothers sang. It gave a semblance of remembrance and closure for now.

We are very grateful to Reverend Nicolette for coming in on a Saturday and for opening her chapel to us. As our student said at the service, "This week has shown me that the definition of family is limitless."

A Room with Quite the View!

If I were independently wealthy, I would B & B across the globe.  I love staying at bed and breakfasts, because of the direct contact with real people, living their daily lives.  On the second night driving back to Port Elizabeth, Jim and I and Mark and Beth stayed at Interlachen B & B in Wilderness.  The owners, Elsie and Kevin, were humorous and natural hosts who welcomed us into their beautiful home that overlooks a string of fresh-water lakes and estuaries.  There were even frogs singing! (I felt right at home.)

The room that Mark and Beth stayed in had two walls of floor to ceiling glass that met at a corner facing east.  They were able to watch the sun rise from their bed.  They said it was an amazing panoramic view.  And, because we were up so high, they could see out, but no one could see in.

This room also came with a loo with a view.  Their bathroom had a wall of floor to ceiling glass.   Normally this would not be a problem.  The only person who could see in would be someone on the house's outside stairs that led down from our room.  As fate would have it, Jim and I happened to be on those stairs as Mark stepped out of the shower in all his glory!

We told Mark at breakfast, "You should know that the glass in that bathroom is not one-way."  I added that Elsie and Kevin were training in a brand new staff person that day, and that if she had been the one to see what we saw, she would have run home screaming.  Mark said, "Wait a minute.  Why would she have run home screaming?"   As Beth quietly reassured him, Jim just sat there with big grins on our faces.  (No pictures will be accompanying this blog post!)

Wine-tasting in Stellenbosch

South Africa is known for its wines.  Some of the original French and Dutch settlers started vinyards here as early as the 1690s.  Jim has fallen in love with a grape variety here called Pinotage, so that is what we’ve been ordering and buying by the bottle!

Jim, Beth, and Mark by "pre-wine" plantings

Our first night out of Cape Town we spent near Stellenbosch, a wine region as famous here as Napa is in the States.  Knorhoek Wine Estate and Guest House is nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg Mountains.  It has been in the van Niekerk family for five generations – after Johannes van Niekerk purchased the farm at the insistence of his wife, Susanna.  She was a great granddaughter of the original owning family from the late 1700s, and wanted it back in the family.  Since then, five generations of van Niekerks have lived on and worked on the vineyard.

It was harvest time when we stayed– and the winemaker had no time to explain the process to a few interloping tourists, but we could sense the bustle – and we were able to taste “the fruit of the vine.”  We arrived at 5:15 p.m. for our stay, only to learn that there was free wine tasting for guests up until 5:00.  No worries.  We were treated to a bottle of wine of our choice, and we sat outside on the terrace to enjoy the lowering sun – and rising half-moon. 

Mark and Beth stayed in the guesthouse which was actually converted from the original stable, wagon shed, and blacksmith shop.  But, you wouldn’t be able to tell that from the amenities today.   Jim and I stayed in the “Rose Cottage” – with a bed so big Jim complained that it felt he was sleeping alone.  

The guesthouse is supposed to be known particularly for its Eagle Owls.  I mentioned to the hostess that I hadn’t seen any.  She walked me out the door and pointed one out in the tree directly over my head!  

You can tell Mark is a Koopman.
If you look closely, you'll see Mark
making rabbit ears over Jim's head!

The next morning, we set out in the general direction of PE.  We had a reservation at a B and B in the town of Wilderness that night, and thought we would "wine-taste" our way there.  Jim and I had kept the identity of our first stop secret from Mark and Beth.  After backtracking a bit from the day before, we pulled into another winery.  It was called Koopman Kloof!   Unfortunately we learned that they no longer did wine tastings, but we did get a nice picture of two "Koopman kids" by its gate.  

Saying Good-bye to Cape Town

The planned portion of our trip was over as of Tuesday afternoon.  All of the students had earlier decided to stay on in Cape Town for some free time over Easter weekend.  Jim and I were heading back, as Mark and Beth's plane was leaving from Port Elizabeth on Friday afternoon.  But, before I completely bid farewell to Cape Town, I want to mention just a few more memories ...

Poli Sci rules! (Pun intended)

Parliament.   We had an official tour of Parliament, but were under-whelmed.  We think the guide there was used to giving presentations to fourth graders, and didn't adjust her delivery.  So, we learned pretty basic facts about the processes of Parliament.  It was interesting, though, to consider that they have interpreters doing simultaneous translations into all 11 of their official languages.  Each session would be like a mini-United Nations!

Here's a picture of all of our Political Science majors in front of Parliament -

 Jubilee Church!  We went to a township worship service on Sunday with our Mamas.  The music was great, and the joy ran deep.  One Xhosa phrase they used that I loved (and asked them to write down) was: khulula ibatyi yakho, wonwabe nathi or "Take off your jacket.  Come be happy with us."

Young church goer

Who says North is Up?

They had a unique map of the world hanging on the wall at Jubilee.  It had the heading: "Who says North is up?"  It was the same map as we often see of our world, but "upside down."  When looked at that way, it seems more apparent how much of the world's surface is covered with water, as well as how big a continent Africa really is.  I loved the view created from "turning the world on its head"!  (Try it sometime.)

Shopping.   Monday afternoon, we had a bit of free time.  And, our hotel was on Long Street, a street known for its small cafes and good shopping.  Jim and I didn't buy very much, but it was fun to poke around.  Here's a great picture of some of our collegiates trying on the traditional African Dashik shirts for size.

Danika, Isaak, Ryan, and Margaret
in Dashik shirts, symbol of pan-African unity

Mama Afrika's Restaurant.  On our last night in Cape Town, we all went out to Mama Afrika.  The food was good, and the music better.  I even got to dance with Jim!

Penguins and Cape Point

Jim and Connie in the Deep South

On April 3,  our group boarded our buses and drove south out of Cape Town, headed to the Cape of Good Hope.

Once at Cape Point, we hiked up to the lighthouse above.  You could also take a cable car, but we all chose to walk this time.  Stunning!  One view I couldn't get out of my mind is how the clouds hung below us.

Clouds over a farm below

Most of us didn't know that Cape of Good Hope is not where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet, nor is it the southernmost tip of Africa (another point slightly to the east is),. But we were still pretty far south.

After a picnic lunch near the Lighthouse, we got back on the bus for our drive back to Cape Town.  We stopped only for Boulders Beach.  This is a National park inhabited by penguins.  I thought we would be able to stroll the beach where the penguins are, but we weren't allowed.  There were "observatory" walkways from which you could easily see a lot of penguins going about their daily life.  Some penguins were standing point, some appeared to be on nests, but the vast majority were lying in the sun on the sand doing absolutely nothing.

Standing point at Boulders Beach

I'm sitting on eggs (I think)

Just having a day at the beach!

A couple of interesting facts about penguins that I didn't know.  They are able to desalinate their bodies using special glands by their eyes that excrete salt.  They  date back 60 million years.  Although they are birds, their wings have morphed over time into flippers.  They can swim at speeds up to 60 km, dive to depths of 300 feet, and stay submerged for up to 18 minutes before coming up for air.

We saw only African penguins, but our students' favorite from pictures on the wall was this more feather-headed penguin.

Or, is it Joe who is feather-headed?