jo burg and the what what

Jambo from Africa! I hope that this blog can be used as a means of keeping in touch with my loved ones and all the people I care about. Feel free to check it out at your convenience. I will try to update regularly on my adventures :)

The flight to Africa was so long! I flew from Chicago to Washington DC to NYC to Daqar then to Johannesburg. I was so excited to arrive I could hardly stand it! Sadly, it was dark when we arrived and the drive to our hostel was fairly uneventful - so hard to see anything. The city lit up at night was beautiful though :) The hostel we stayed at was actually a Catholic nunnery of sorts. It was really pleasant, with a big courtyard with lots of trees. Except- the trees have no leaves!! Because its winter here!! Who would have thought? I have spent the last week in scarves and sweaters... Darn my stereotypes of Africa being a hot tamale... womp.

The majority of our time in Joburg was dedicated to hearing various speakers from different institutions. We heard from the opposing political parties, a council of churches, even the US Embassy! It was really interesting to learn about the history of South Africa, particularly apartheid. It is so unique to hear people tell testimonies of their struggles during the liberation movement of the 1970s, it makes history almost come alive.

We saw some devastating parts of the city. I have never seen poverty to this degree in my life- literally shacks, or shantytowns, or whatever you want to call it. Six to eight people living in small houses made of tin, covered in scraps of garbage to keep the cold out, and gated with barbed wire. It is pretty unreal to see it all, especially when it is less then a kilometer (yes, the metric system) away from the richest township of Joburg, Standton. I cannot say I really dislike Standton though- mainly because when me and my friends ate lunch there last Friday, a man at the bar offered to buy our lunch. Yeah!!! I suddenly regretted not ordering dessert.. haha.

Regardless of the overwhelming poverty, the people are generally happy. Especially the children. They are loving and very friendly. There is a unique sense of character and integrity about the people I have met thus far. However, I would not say that these are a people of much hope. Not for a hope in the short term sense anyway.

I celebrated the big 21 in Joburg!! I was really un-excited to celebrate it with people I hardly knew but I was so wrong. My group is full of amazing individuals and I feel so lucky to be able to share this experience with them! Most are very camp counselor-ish and share alot of my passions for mankind. Anywho, at midnight, they all jumped on my bed and wished me a "Happy Birthday!" And two of my friends bought me my first drink at the theater that night :) Too fun!

Besides listening to lectures from people, we got to do a homestay in Soweto for the weekend. It was an amazing experience! My friend Melissa and I were assigned to stay with this old woman and her two daughters. The old woman, Ma Chanza, was literally - definition batty old lady. But one thing is for sure (you can ask my waistline) the woman knows how to and loves to cook (she even taught me a thing or two... i think i'm ready for top chef). She fed and fed and fed us. She was the neighborhood "social butterfly" so I got to meet alot of really cool people throughout the weekend- house doors here just stay open and friends pop in and out as they please. The sense of community is beautiful!

We had alot of adventures over the weekend homestay. I went clubbing for the first time in Africa- all I can say is- WOW. I already knew I can't dance, but I didn't realize how bad I was. But, I met some really cool locals, and road a motorcycle for the first time! (Sorry Danny!) And I started a bar fight!! Yikes. Some random man wanted to touch my hair and I said no awkwardly and turned around... then I guess another man came up to him and was like "Leave her alone! BAH!" And... then there were bottles breaking... and so on. It was pretty hilarious/scary/we left immediately.

Sunday morning, instead of going to church, we went to a funeral. Talk about a unique experience. It was basically the polar opposite of everything at an American wedding - there was loud singing and dancing. People were stomping their feet and banging their hands on the roof of the bus (yes, bus. the family rents a huge travel bus to cart the people from the house/service to the graveyard). The man had died from AIDs. It was incredibly sad.

On a lighter note, we finally arrived in Namibia today! Even though I truly enjoyed my time in Johannesburg, it is nice to get away from that big grubby city scene. When our plane landed, I literally thought we were getting dropped off in the middle of no where, Africa. Complete wilderness! Save for the WILD BABBOONS I SAW (<-- highlight of day). The city we're staying in, Windhoek, seems quite lovely, and I can't wait to get to know it better. Our house is basically LARGE and Real World-esque. There is even a pool (which I plan to do homework by, often). I live in a small room though with 5 other girls.. yikes. And there alot of rules concerning internet usage... blah. Including not using Skype, which was essentially my main source for contacting friends back home. Grrr!

Tonight a musical culture group welcomed us here with a performance of song and dance. It was very traditional and sounded like the soundtrack of the lion king :) We of course sang and danced along...

I know this blog post is more like a novel but I had so much to fill you in on. :)
AND... I hope this post finds you all in good health and high spirits. :)

I'll upload pictures as soon as I can!

God's peace!