First Impressions -- South Africa

Usually every couple of days or so, Garry does an informal “debrief” with our students to see how they are processing new experiences.  Last night, after our second full day in South Africa, he asked, “When did you really feel like you were in Africa?”  That was different than the first question, “What did you first notice when we landed in Johannesburg?”  There were comments like, “I love the purple trees in full bloom everywhere” (jacarandas).  “I was surprised to see that most signs are in English.”  “Most of the houses are behind locked gates.”  “I have to stop using Portuguese greetings!”

Soon after arriving, we were taken off on an afternoon tour of the city. We visited Soweto, the black African township that birthed the popular uprising against the apartheid system in the 70’s.  That, together with touring an apartheid museum, gave us a good backdrop for beginning to understand the post-apartheid climate in South Africa.

We were then whisked off to the bus depot to take a twelve-hour, overnight Greyhound bus to Mthatha, about seven hundred miles to the southeast of Johannesburg.  After arriving the next morning at our new “home” for the next couple of weeks, the answer to the original question became clear:

“I felt like I was in Africa when I saw the first early sunrise coming through the bus window…”

“…..when I looked down the hill from our dorm and saw villages below and fields with cows and goats…”

“…when I heard the clicks coming from people’s mouths as they spoke…” (in the Xhosa language)

“…when people laughed at me trying to make a click sound…”

These are only a few of the many first impressions.  As a co-leader who’s already been to Africa (although in a different part), I’m having a great time watching the students adapt to their new surroundings.  They’re mastering the art of washing clothes by hand and hanging them out to dry.  They’re learning that a “geyser” (pronounced “geezer”) is a water heater, and it runs out of water quickly, and it’s really ok to take a cold shower.  They’re learning to share their bathrooms with the nursery school children (or vice versa), because we’re staying on a compound that houses a rural preschool.  They’re learning that lunch is at “lunch time” (whenever it happens to be ready), and according to Barry, our missionary host, “You’re better off not wearing one of these things,” pointing to the watch he’s not wearing.

Learning is coming in many forms; every day has been full of its richness.