Things I Love About South Africa

July 1, 2013

Things I love about South Africa…

1.       The singing and dance of SA are unbelievable. The people’s innate passion for singing and dancing is music to my ears. The singing and dancing is part of many cultures present here. It is like they are born with rhythm that only JLo can imagine! Their singing and dancing is part of their everyday lives. The children at school begin there day with song and dance outside of their classrooms. The teachers lead and the students participate in what looks and sound like a gospel choir yet they don’t rehearse and much of the lyrics are made up by the teachers as they go. The Zulu and Sutoo cultures have the most wonderful traditional song and dance that they do at special ceremonies and events. Church is the best place to hear their glorious music. When they are singing and dancing for the Lord, it gives you goose bumps and makes you want to move mountains (and join in on the fun!).

2.       The many different cultures that make up South Africa are what give it its nickname: the Rainbow Nation. On the outside looking in, you see black and white (and few other colors). But from the inside you see Zulu, Sutoo, Afrikaans, Colored, Black, White, Dutch and many more. Each of these cultures and its people contribute to the fascinating and diverse place that is SA. Although there are divides between many, the people of these different cultures are open to each other’s ways and traditions. It was evident when I walked through the customs line at the airport and the customs police told me to “keep up the good work” after he read my job title and what I’d be doing in his country. It was like his way of saying, “welcome to my country, we are happy to have you here. “

3.       No matter what culture or background they come from, the people of SA have a deep and inspiring pride for their country. The history of this country is rich with leaders who have changed the face of the country (Mandela), sports that lead many of the other countries in the world (football) and a landscape that is beautiful beyond words (CapeTown). I already have pride in this country and I have only been living here for a month.

4.       The children of South Africa are obviously one of my favorite aspects of this country. Where I live, most of the children come from poverty and despair. Yet you would meet them and never know the horror stories behind their amazing smiles and laughter. These children are happy to just be living. They don’t need stuff or entertainment to be happy. They are happy to have another day with their friends and their school.

The children who come from the middle class neighborhood are bright and vivacious. All of these children both rich and poor are the future of this country. I believe a child’s future starts with their education, no matter what their home life is like. Schools here are vital and a positive experience can change the life of a child. Who knows, I could be teaching another Mandela some day!

 

5.       The Salesian Religious Congregation is made up of priests, brothers, sisters and novitiates. The Salesian sisters, specifically, are the largest Catholic religious order of women in the world. They have 16,000 members in 96 different countries. These women dedicate their lives to the service of women and children. They make no wage or income. Their service to their community comes from the love in their hearts and their love for the Lord and His call for us to mission the least of His people.

The 4 sisters that are here in Ennerdale, South Africa are gifts to this community and the surrounding neighborhoods (slums). These women have opened schools and preschools for the poorest of the poor. They work tirelessly every day to make sure they provide the children with the best possible education. However, their schools not only provide education, they provide shelter for the children; they get the children off the streets and into a clean, safe environment. Most importantly, these women make it their job to feed, year-round, the starving children in the community. While the children are out of school for winter and summer breaks, the sisters hold week-long sports camps and they provide them with 2 meals a day. For most of the children, if they were not participating in an event with the sisters or in their school, they would not eat at all. We even drive to the bread factory every day to get the left over bread to give to the children before they go home. These women are like celebrities in the community. They drive through town and people would yell, “sista!” or “don bosco!” The people know what these women do for their community and they look up to them and thank them.

Sister Margaret, Sister Giovanna, Sister Theresa and Sister Caroline have dedicated their lives to feeding, education and loving the poorest children in the country. I feel honored, blessed, inspired, moved and humbled to be working with these Salesian sisters. What a wonderful life they lead. What incredible role models they are for me, the other volunteers and for the rest of the world. I am beyond blessed to be part of their “team”.

 

6.       Cape Town! What a breathtaking place, Cape Town, South Africa. I was fortunate enough to spend a whole week in the Cape. CT is the most southern tip of Africa. It is where the explorers called the Cape of Good Hope. It is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. The sites to see here are incredible. Table Mountain sits in the middle of CT. The city blankets the bottom of the mountain. It’s called Table Mountain because it’s flat at the top and looks like a table. The volunteers and I spent a day hiking up the mountain. After 2 hours, we had climbed to the top and witnessed the most beautiful view I have ever seen in my life. It’s like we were on top of the world! You could see on top of all the other mountains and the ocean that stretched for days. It’s like we could see all of South Africa’s shore line. My words really do not do it justice (check out Facebook pics!). At the top is a little restaurant, store and cable car lift. We took it down. If I tried to walk down the mountain, I could imagine my Jell-O-like legs would let me go falling forward down the mountain. I wasn’t ready to die that day!

Other days we spent time shopping at the local craft markets, walking the streets to see the beautiful architecture of the buildings, walking the waterfront harbor (yachts and sailboats and ships galore), eating at some authentic South African restaurants (I ate ostrich) and a visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium. The week was wonderful because the volunteers and I got to see the beauty of South Africa. We got to get out of the slums and into civilization.

7.       And much more! I will add to this list so keep checking!