I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me
February 26, 2009
Hey everyone! I saw this video this week. I thought it was really cool. So much of the time we think of how much Africa, the so called “darkest continent” needs us and what we can give them in order for the people to survive. It is so easy to get caught up in the need of the people here that we forget what the people of Africa can teach us. Many people here are not focused on material items. That does not matter. They are full of joy and hope no matter what the startling statistics mean. Maybe Africa is not the “darkest continent” at all, maybe it is the most beautiful because of the joy that these people have. Hope you all like it.
Rugby
February 25, 2009
I am trying to do better about spacing out my blog posts for all of you. I also noticed a problem with my pictures. I think I fixed the problem. From this point on you should be able to see the full picture when you click on it. With that said…
Saturday Night after my trip to Lesotho we went to a professional rugby game! It was so much fun. It was the Sharks verses the Lions. We were routing for the Sharks because they were from Durban, which is about an hour away from Pietermaritzburg! We had a lot of fun. People are so crazy about sports here. Rugby is only two 40 minute halves which was perfect for me! Normally I get so restless at games because they take way too long.
At the end of the games they normally allow people to go on the field. Phillip, our driver (Phillip is awesome! We love him!), really wanted to take his son Musa on the field because it was his first game, but they would not let us on the field. We tried everything! We did not get on, but we did get some great contemplative shots! I included one for your viewing purposes.
Truly a ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!
February 21, 2009
Halele!
I just returned from an incredible excursion with my Human Growth and Development class to Lesotho. Before I went, I was looking forward to the trip, but not expecting to have such a great time.
Yesterday morning we got in the car and began to drive, we hit a dirt road. Then a road full of rocks and cracks. I have never seen a road like this! Our professor was having to dodge all of these huge rocks, so we did not pop a tire or damage the truck! The only thing I can relate this to is an Indiana Jones Adventure, professor and all! This drive is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. There were waterfalls that ran over the road and baboons hanging in the trees. This was all before we crossed the border into Sani Pass which is a sovereign territory in South Africa (The only thing I can relate it to is Washington D.C.). We were driving up the Drakeansburg mountains to a community that was 2900 meters above sea level. Once we crossed the border, we were on an even crazier rock road with the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I took over 100 pictures on just the ride up! I wish the pictures I took could capture the incredible depth and beauty that I saw, but they don’t come anywhere close.
The most beatiful view I have ever seen! This picture does not do it justice!
When we got to Lesotho, it was extremely cold. This was a remote community unlike anything you will ever see in the USA. They live in these rock buildings and wear blankets because it is so cold. This was the first experience in my life where I could not communicate with the people at all. I tried to learn phrases like Hello, My name is, and How are you; but that did not help.
Next we went on a horseback ride even further into the grassland. There is nothing there but an occasional hut. They had many sheep, goats, and chickens, but nothing else. The land was so untouched it was incredible. The beginning of the ride was not very fun, it was extremely cold and rainy, but on the way back everything cleared up and we had a great ride. We did not make it to our destination, but that did not matter. It was interesting, we were riding 7 horses and our guide was riding a horse bareback. 3 dogs from the community followed as well as two baby ponies and 1 other random horse. The horse I was using always stopped to nurse.
The terrain was unlike anything I have ever seen. In some areas where there was grass, water would just bubble out of the ground. That night we met a lady who spoke fluent English. She told us she loved it in the grasslands. She also told us that there were no hospitals, churches, clinics, or any infrastructure whatsoever in the area. If they got sick they would need to get down the mountain to the nearest town! My professor said they do not eat any vegetables. They really just live to survive. The lady was Roman Catholic, however they do not attend church.
We stayed in a backpacker’s lodge, it was nice. There was a good little restaurant/pub, they bragged that they were the Highest Pub in Africa! It was so different from anything I have ever experienced, and I loved every minute. Someday I would love to take my kids there to show them what different lives people have there.
My excursion to Lesotho was a once in a lifetime experience.
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- The most beatiful view I have ever seen! This picture does not do it justice!
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- Yes this is really Lauren
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- There was a tracter at the top. I have no idea how they were able to get it there.
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- They wear blankets to protect from the cold
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- I think they are made out of straw and stones.
1 MONTH!!!
February 21, 2009
I left APU on a beautiful winter evening one month ago. What an incredible month this has been. I just wanted to list a few lessons I have learned in my short time here in South Africa. I have learned so much about culturally, academically, and spiritually.
1. What is a bathroom?… Toilets
2. Obama is the bomb!
3. The contrast between the rich and the poor becomes more apparent everyday.
4. What is the deal with KFC? They are everywhere!
5. God has given me an incredible passion for traveling and seeing the world. I see my dream job as something that involves supporting missionaries around the world.
6. Monkeys are not cute cuddly creatures, they are a menace!
7. Don’t scream or you will scare away the Zebra!
8. Enjoy every experience! Soak it in.
9. I love the dry weather of Las Vegas that makes my skin crack and bleed! Humidity is not cool!
10. South Africans spending R100 is like an American spending $100. They get paid far less than we do. America is extremely expensive.
11. There are random speed bumps in the middle of highways and roads.
12. God is moving in the most incredible ways in so many people’s lives.
13. I am a proud owner of a passport with five stamps after my trip to Lesotho
14. I am SO INCREDIBLY BLESSED!
15. South Africa has a 40% poverty rate. The best way to put food on the table for a family is give them a job. Many people in South Africa do random things to get money and have jobs that would be considered ridiculous in the states, but that is the only way they have to make money.
16. There is an incredible need for God and for the love of God in all places of the world!
17. People can be content with little. It is so good to get out of the consumer-focused mindset that the US has.
18. Sani Pass is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.
19. Having someone else do your laundry has its pros & CONS! It takes about 5 days to get the clothes back.
20. LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE
A Good Reminder…
February 21, 2009
This week I had the opportunity to ride with the nursing students when they went to clinical. Phillip, our South African driver was driving us in the truck. He was going to drop me and another person, Stephanie, at the University so we could go to the library. On the way to the clinic I saw many impoverished neighborhoods and mud houses. It is so easy to forget as we are on our “Luxury South African Adventure” that there is extreme need and poverty just a short drive down the road.
We drove by a community of mud houses and Phillip asked if we had any communities like that in the States, our answer was not. Later I thought about that. People either are homeless or have some sort of an established place to live. There are no such things as “Informal Communities.” The thought occurred to me… Should there be informal communities? Should there be a place that the impoverished could call home even if it was a shack made of random materials? At least people in informal settlements have a shelter and a place to lay their heads, the homeless in America have nothing. Just something to think about.
