Everyday Life: Transport

Driving in South Africa has become a real life video game. Stop signs are optional, pedestrians pop out from between cars or off the median on busy streets without looking for oncoming traffic, and I have created a mental map to avoid the known potholes, no, tire-stealing-craters, that are encountered daily. I didn’t even grow up playing video games, so I think that puts me at a disadvantage.

The cars assigned for my video game experience are on the opposite spectrum of those suped up Mustangs and Corvettes up for grabs in the selection menus. Instead, the car I cruise in lacks the left front blinker, has a double cracked windshield, a half attached front bumper, and rumbles to a stop even after the key is completely removed from the ignition. In order for us to sing along with my favorite South African jams “Hello Kitty,” or “Selfie” (not! I’m starting a #saynotoselfies campaign), we’ve found that the car needs to be in motion. When we’re stopped at a robot (aka traffic light) these songs turn to static.

Let’s talk about public transportation now! Taxis here aren’t yellow and aren’t sedans. They’re massive fifteen-seater vans that usually have more than twenty passengers. Similar to taxis in the U.S., their drivers have very little regard for others on the road and will weave in front of you like you don’t exist or slam on the breaks in front of you to pick up a passenger on the side of the road. They also pump some serious bass and I’ve been told they have taxi competitions so find the taxi with the best and loudest sounds possible. I would like to buy the soundtrack of South African taxis and dance all day. I just learned yesterday on the news that within three years some company is hoping to provide free wifi on all of these taxis as well as at the taxi ranks (which is a central taxi hub in towns where you find taxis going to the place you want). For those of you who try to communicate with me via internet (everyone) you know how much internet is a struggle in this country, which is why my brain almost exploded when I heard “free wifi in taxis.” A taxi is the last place I’d want to take out a device capable of connecting to wifi. I say we try to get wifi at college campuses first (or even ethernet cable internet!!). Eish.

At almost every robot (remember, traffic light) you can purchase random goods from men standing in between lanes. They sell roses, car batteries, kites, car chargers, camouflage hats and backpacks (Dad, I think of you every time I see those), beaded art, inflatable Spiderman toys, gloves, bumper stickers, and my favorite, COTTON CANDY (they call it candy floss). I’d been wanting to buy some for quite awhile, but it’s hard to coordinate sales at robots. Sometimes the man is at the perpendicular robot, sometimes the light turns green right when you roll down the window to ask for a price, but when the stars align, cotton candy can be purchased for five rand (fifty cents), while you wait for the light to turn green. It’s a beautiful and delicious thing. If only there was a man selling legit nachos at the robot. I’d cry tears of happiness and buy everything he had.

Things I’ve learned:
-I like pumping my own petrol.
-I enjoy driving manual cars, and will probably buy one as my next car.
-Potholes in Wisconsin are not something to complain about.
-Power locks are good for people like me with sweaty hands...sometimes I get locked in our car and need to be rescued by my roommates because I can’t unlock the door.
-It’s unlikely to get pulled over for speeding, but speed cameras are real.
-Don’t accept cars from a college you are working for.
-Petrol is more expensive here.
-Detours may take you off-roading through parks or onto sidewalks.
-Hills aren’t so scary in a manual car after all. (When I was first learning how to drive manual cars I had to park the car at a stop sign on a hill and have Cory take over driving because I saw myself rolling back into the Mercedes behind me.)

Love.Love.Love
Kelly

Photo Updates + Good Songs

Nelson Mandela Capture Site

"Hole in the Wall" view along the hike from Coffee Bay to Bulungula.

Bulungula.  This is a view of Bulungula Lodge's rondavel accommodation.  Decidedly one of my favorite places on the planet.

One of the rondavels in Bulungula, where the chief lives. 

Spent some time hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains.

Visiting Madiba's neighborhood in Soweto.

Beautiful Western Cape sunset. 

AfrikaBurn art/music festival in the desert

Sunset in the Karoo.

Part of our "Heartspace" camp at AfrikaBurn.  Yoga, tai chi, cuddle party, dance party space. 

One of my favorite art pieces at AfrikaBurn was a string of one hundred balloons that also lit up at night. Rad!

Artists spend months in the middle of the desert building their art pieces, and at the end most of them are burnt down.

Songs to check out (not sure if they're played in the States, but I'm obsessed with them here. Also haven't watched the music videos): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MH9qWemtPo&feature=kp (this one's video is kind of depressing, but the song is still good haha)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-M1AtrxztU (my favvvvvvvorite right now)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavE84Mmc7s

"Are you lost?"

Hello all!  I am sorry for the lack of blog updates.  I will try to be better about posting, starting now!!!

About a month ago we went to one of the biggest sporting events in the country, Kaizer Chiefs vs. Orlando Pirates.  Both soccer teams are from the Joburg area, and the FNB Stadium built for the 2010 World Cup was sold out.  This post is not going to cover the argument of the Chiefs' superiority over the Pirates, which is entirely true, but a comment made to me towards the end of the day that stuck out.  I'll first point out that my roommate Amanda and I were asked several times to take photos with total strangers.  Then as the game started the man seated next to us said "It's nice to see you kind of people at this game."  We assumed that photos were requested because the "kind of people" we are are white people.  In a stadium of 95,000 people, I could probably count the number of white people I saw on two hands.  In South Africa, soccer is a historically black sport, while rugby is the historically white sport.  Even typing these descriptions feels strange to me, but it's how it is in this country.  After the game, we returned to our car, which I had to drive over the curb and up a hill while four people pushed from behind in order to park, to find that we were completely parked in and were going nowhere fast.  While waiting I sat on a metal beam near the street as Chiefs and Pirates fans flowed past.  At first I didn't notice all the stares I was receiving, then I began to notice some were giving me looks of confusion that would turn into warm smiles when they saw me smile at them.  I realized they were confused at this random, lone, white girl with Chiefs attire, face paint, and a vuvuzela (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela).  Most people reacted in some way when they saw me sitting there, either by blatently pointing at me and speaking in another language, giving me the peace sign and yelling "Amakhosi for life!" or embracing me in a hug and calling me their "Amakhosi sister!" (Amakhosi means "Chief" in Zulu).  The reaction that most caught me off guard was a man who jokingly asked, "Are you lost?" I laughed and told him that no, I was not lost, which he laughed at as well.

There have been many times I've felt completely lost since arriving in South Africa, but that moment was not one of them.  Racial issues are obviously beyond complex in this country and I can only share what I have experienced as a white, female, American. South Africans are very blunt about race and categorize most people as black, white, or coloured, which is mixed.  In Vereeniging, most of the white people are Afrikaaners, and black and white people are usually only seen together in the workplace.  As an interracial household, we get stared at constantly when we are eating at restaurants, stopping at the grocery store, driving down the street etc.  This is not the case when we're in Johannesburg though, where people of all skin colors are enjoying each others' friendship and company out on the town.  I also realize this happens in American cities too depending on where in the country you are, the size of the town, the history of the place, etc.  Cory and I were also asked one day at a coffee shop if we found black people to be more friendly than white people, which struck me as a bold and blunt question, but a question that I had actually thought about previously and found that yes, I feel that way here in Vereeniging.  Note that this question was asked by a white woman and that she felt the same way, that black people are more friendly around here.  While these thoughts, realizations and conversations sometimes make me uncomfortable they are part of what I experience in my South African home.  This conversation is one that enters my thoughts often and makes me wonder "why am I feeling this way?"    

Language is also closely tied in with racial issues here.  There are eleven official languages and at the beginning of my stay here I found it weird that I was determining how to greet someone based on the color of their skin.  White people typically speak Afrikaans (which I get spoken to in often, with no response on my end, leading to confusion of all kinds) or English.  The other nine languages are typically the first languages of black or colored people.  From my observations white people know one or two languages, while black and colored people seem to know five or more.  In secondary school, in order for a student to receive their "matric,"which is basically graduating from high school, students must pass a national exam that is only offered in English or Afrikaans.  Hmmmm, for a country with eleven official languages, is that okay?

Growing up in Eau Claire, where 91% of the population is white (2010 census), I remember feeling uncomfortable referring to someone as "black" or "African American" because different people prefer to be identified differently.  Here it is much simpler to identify someone as, black, white or coloured.  Every other issue surrounding race is far from simple.  I  may have confused you in this post or said some things that made you uncomfortable.  This is basically how I feel most days.  It's difficult to put into words what I see or feel when it comes to race here.  One more thing before I sign off for now: presidential elections are May 7th and many are voting for the ANC, which is the party of the current president who got majorly booed at both Mandela's funeral and the South Africa vs. Brazil soccer game.  He's a corrupt dude, but it's looking like he'll be kept in office for five more years because he represents the ANC, which is the political party that led the fight to end apartheid and the political party of Mandela.  Even though the ANC is not doing much for this country and has diverged greatly from what it once stood for, people will still vote that way because it brought along the first black president.  There's even a "No Vote" campaign started by people who are encouraging others to not vote since they feel the government is corrupt and their vote won't do anything.  Just another snippet for you to think about.  Welcome to my rambling brain on the issues here!

I love and miss you all very much.  It was especially hard being away from home this past week as we lost our dear pupster, Madeline.  As my mom put it, she lived to give and get love, which we could all learn a lot from.  It was also my mom's birthday yesterday, and birthdays are always sad to miss!  I hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday and ate lots of Reese's eggs and Starburst jellybeans!!!! Those are my favorites!

love.love.love.
Kelly a.k.a. Naledi (my African name, meaning "star")

P.S. If you are interested in supporting the work my roommates and I are doing at Sedibeng College, here is a way you can do it. We have amazing students but lack many resources for them, so we are raising funds for the many projects we are initiating! Any amount helps! Thank you so much. More information can be found on the following link: http://www.gofundme.com/7f5sgw
           

Photos

 Rainy afternoon in Jozi.

 Heidelberg Campus' first ever Library Club meeting! 

 Students wrote goals for how they want to strengthen themselves, their campuses, and their communities on posters throughout the room during our first library club meetings. 

Drive to Heidelberg…Wisconsin is that you? 

One day we went to the Mongolian circus…in South Africa.  

You know I can't resist buying flowers! This is the national flower, the protea. 

My roommates and me out in Joburg after running a 5k in Soweto. 

Photos

My three wonderful roommates and our friend/groundskeeper Able.  

This was from last Friday, when we braaied (grilled out) on our own for the first time.   

    

We visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg.  

This is the entrance, which is powerful beyond words.  

Heidelberg Campus at Sedibeng College

We might invest in a megaphone to get students moving to class.  

This is a view outside of the campus library, which is our designated workspace.

Previous ETAs, Mica and Ayushi, organized hundreds of book donations before we arrived, then Cory and I catalogued and sorted through hundreds more after we arrived (500+).  Heidelberg is the only campus out of Sedibeng College's four campuses that was not able to establish a permanent library or library club last year.  This year we have received a more permanent space to work with, so let the fun begin! 

We received desks for the library (no chairs yet though!) and brightened the walls with posters of different scenes from America (received from the Dept. of State).  We plan to use the chalkboard space to have workshops and lessons for students and have also arranged desks for discussion circles and group/individual workspace. Hoping to get some beanbags in there too!!!!!!

Never stop exploring. Never stop learning.

Dumela ("Good Day" in Sesotho, one of the most common languages spoken in this area)!  I just got home from another South African adventure, which is actually just one continuous adventure these days.  Briefly, here is my most recent chapter.  I decided to venture to Woolworths (a grocery/clothing/everything store) on my own, which was only the second time I've driven on this continent by myself.  On the way I stopped at a petrol station, where I got funny looks for not knowing how the we-pump-the-petrol-for-you system works.  Then I got to Woolworths (at 6 PM, you'd think it would be open right?), only to find it was closed.  This happens to us almost everyday, when we're trying to get groceries, find a coffee shop with wifi, go to the gym, call a vet (our baby springbok's eye got impaled by the male's one horn-yes he only has one horn-in his attempt to "get some," which was bloody and traumatic for her and us), etc.  Business hours are unique around these parts.

Back to the adventure though, I returned to the parking lot, tipped the parking attendant for watching my car for all of three minutes (almost all parking lots here have these attendants that watch your stuff while you're away…) and ventured to the next grocery store, Spar.  This has become our go-to place, and I was thrilled to find hummus for the first time (it's the little things in life)!!!  Then I saw a mouse run across the floor by the deli and squealed a little bit, bought my stuff, and began journeying back home.

The parking lot decided to challenge my voyage though, and when I tried to pull out of my parking spot on a slight incline, I nearly rolled backwards into the car behind me.  I was stuck, revving the engine, slightly panicked, and convinced there was no avoiding some dented bumpers, but the trusty parking attendant came to my rescue and literally pushed my car out of the parking spot.  I drove away while waving, smiling, and yelling "baie dankie" ("thank you very much" in Afrikaans-pronounced "buy a donkey").  In retrospect, I should have tipped him a lot more for the rescue mission, but I was focused on shifting into second gear.  I'll find him next time.  Those were just a couple hours of my day, and the rest of the hours were pretty fantastic as well.

As far as work goes, the real fun is beginning.  Last week we worked at the Vereeniging Campus, organizing the library, which meant cataloguing, sorting, and rearranging 500+ new books that previous ETAs had received as donations. We did the same at the library on the Heidelberg Campus, so that's over 1000 new books on the shelves!  This week our Library Club meetings commence at both campuses.  This will be a time for us to meet with students and figure out what support they would like to receive from us, and also a time to share our project ideas with students.  We are planning to hold daily office hours and weekly professional development workshops, as well.  Over the past couple of weeks we have been observing different English lecturers, and will begin teaching and assisting with lessons next week!  So jazzed to be back in the classroom and working with students.

Other project ideas we have include a pen-pal program with students in the U.S., establishing mentorship programs with nearby primary/secondary schools, book groups, poetry/writing clubs (with publication involved), Sedibeng College newsletters, service learning projects, and a culminating Sedibeng College Showcase.  The showcase will allow students to share their accomplishments from throughout the school year with each other and the community.  An overall goal for us is to unify the four campuses of Sedibeng through these different programs/projects.  Of course, these are just the ideas we're bringing to the table, but priorities lie with the interests and needs of the students/staff.  We have only been in the Vaal (geographical area of Sedibeng campuses) for a couple of weeks and have SO MUCH to learn.  Eish!  Flexibility and patience are key.            

Since arriving in V-Town (what we call Vereeniging when the real pronunciation is just too much) I can count on each day bringing something new to scratch my head about, as well as something new to learn and shape my world view.  Never stop exploring.  Never stop learning.

love.love.love.
Kelly  

       

I'm convinced our house is a prank...

Our Sedibeng College adventure begins! 

(From left to right) Cory, Amanda, Linda, Dosto, Esther, and me

Home Sweet Vereeniging Home

Kitchen

Pool/Braai Area

Living Room

Esther feeding Nala (and the other two resident springboks in the background). 

"Clarity Tuesday"

This is the fifth time I've tried to sit down and write this post, and this time I am determined to finish it!  So much has happened in these past two weeks already and I have struggled to process it all and put it into words.  There have been many moments when I've thought to myself "I have no idea what's going on," but I'll call today "Clarity Tuesday."

Upon arriving in South Africa, I spent five fantastic nights in Cape Town, reuniting with my friends Gareth and Ashley, and visiting the Happy Feet kids that I volunteered with during my first trip to South Africa.  I found comfort in starting my adventure here with people that I know and care about.  From there I flew back to Johannesburg to begin my Fulbright Orientation in Pretoria.  Orientation is all a blur to me now besides a couple events: security briefing and birthday tears.  Our security briefing from the U.S. Embassy was terrifying but informative, so I think that man did his job well.  My birthday tears were tears of happiness in a moment when all of the ETAs were eating lunch before departing to our different placement cities.  I was surprised when the dining staff brought out cake for me and everyone started singing.  I immediately became overwhelmed by the kindness of all the people surrounding me and also by the significance of a new year of life beginning simultaneously with an epic experience, hence the tears began.

After that emotional moment, Linda and Dosto, who are basically our Sedibeng College point people, took us (Amanda, Cory, Esther, and me) to our new South African home in Vereeniging.  I thought a prank was being pulled on us when we saw where we will be living.  It is an unexpected dream house that I feel guilty about at times.  It was also a birthday surprise to find that we have three resident springboks that live on our grounds.  We have been spending time each day watching them and petting/feeding the baby one (Nala) mealie (corn) from our hands.  The other two are named Ukanti and Dunka, and they keep their distance from us.  Photos of our house will come later.

Today is "Clarity Tuesday" for three main reasons.  The first reason being that Amanda, Esther, and I have officially learned to drive manual cars.  Yes, at at times it is a bit jerky while shifting gears, and yes, there were some moments when we clearly didn't know what we were doing (which could have been tense but were usually followed with much laughter), but thanks to Cory's extreme patience with us and his stellar teaching skills, now we all can manage to get around the Vereeniging area. VICTORY!!!!!

The second reason for clarity is that today we established our goals and projects for the grant period with the college. Since our arrival we have visited 3 out of 4 of the campuses, but only briefly and mostly to be introduced to extremely kind and welcoming staff at the colleges (so many names I don't remember!).  It is clear that they are as excited for us to be there as we are.  I'll go into our projects at a later date though, because even though we have proposed our ideas, there is still so much to learn about how the college campuses function, what the needs of the faculty and students are, and what roles we can play.  For now, we know that Cory and I will be working together at the Heidelberg and Vereeniging campuses, which are the opposite campuses of what we were told originally.  I will write more about Sedibeng College, after I have had more time at each campus.

The third moment of clarity occurred tonight while I was taking a shower (in my crazy outdoor shower) and looked up into the night sky to find it full of stars and constellations that I can only see in the Southern Hemisphere, similarly to how there are experiences I will only have in this place and time.  These days have been filled with moments of confusion, frustration, annoyance, nervousness, uncomfortable stares, and misunderstanding, but more importantly these days have also been filled with patience, smiles, joy, laughter, new experiences, understanding, kindness, support, comfort, and growth.  Vereeniging is unlike anywhere I have ever been before.  My brain is processing (and will be processing for some time…) the experiences I've already had in only six days regarding gender roles, language, race, economic class, religion, and culture.  I continue to be in awe of this country.  I apologize if I seem a bit all over the place in this post, it will just take time to figure things out and get settled/organized.  Missing you all and sending much love!

xoxox
Kelly

"Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful or to discover something that is true." -Willaim Ralph Inge

2 week countdown...

For some this may be news, and for some it may be old news, but exactly two weeks from today I'll be venturing off to a new continent for awhile!  I am heading to the beautiful country of South Africa to be a Fulbright "English Teaching Assistant (ETA)" (which remains quite a mystery as to what exactly that will entail on a daily basis) at Sedibeng College for Further Education and Training (FET) (http://www.sedcol.co.za).  There are four campuses within the college, and I have been assigned to Sebokeng and Vanderbijlpark campuses.  

This journey started over a year ago with the application process and interview, which led to acceptance and an orientation in D.C. where I met the nine other South Africa ETAs.  We have a fantastic group of people, and I am pumped to get to work with them during the upcoming nine months of our program!  Out of the ten of us total, four (including myself) have been placed at Sedibeng College and will be living together in a house in the city of Vereeniging. The other six ETAs are spread between Pretoria, Umlanzi, Stellenbosch, and Rustenburg.  When it comes to pronouncing the name of my future home, believe me, I've listened to the pronunciation online way too many times, had South Africans try to teach me, and have avoided saying "Vereeniging" to people when they ask where I'll be and instead reply "I'll be outside of Johannesburg."  I'm hoping once I get there it will just roll off the tongue!

On January 21st I'll complete approx. twenty-two hours of time in the air : Eau Claire --> Chicago --> D.C. --> Johannesburg --> Cape Town, arriving on the 22nd.  I'm planning to have some downtime in Cape Town to adjust to the time difference, enjoy some summer beach weather (you can bet after these last couple freaking frigid days in Wisconsin, I'll be sunbathing at the beach even if it's 60 degrees F!!), and see some friends from past visits.  From there I'll fly back to Johannesburg on the 27th to begin our Fulbright orientation at the U.S. Embassy.  Flash forward a couple of days to January 30th (also the day marking my 26th trip around the sun!) and Amanda, Cory, Esther, and I will be moving into our new South African home in Vereeniging! What a memorable birthday that will be!!!!!

I am thrilled beyond words for this opportunity and adventure that awaits me.  I have felt a void these past months being out of the classroom and I am very much looking forward to working with students again.  My time teaching in Las Vegas has changed my life in more ways than I can even know yet, and my time in South Africa will undoubtedly be life changing as well.  People have asked what I'll do when I am done with this Fulbright Grant, but for me it is impossible to plan ahead even to November knowing that so many different opportunities may come or go throughout these months.  I do know that I would never have gotten to this point if it weren't for you; family, friends, co-workers, and students. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all the support and inspiration.  I'm hoping this blog will help me stay connected to you all half a world away, and I'll try to update it every other week… 

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart) -e.e.cummings  

Much love,

Kelly

xoxoxoxoxo