Monday, April 14, 2008

Township Life

The following is an excerpt from a journal entry that was shared during one student's year end testimony.

Kayamandi
You can’t describe what it’s like to walk around a township, Let alone live in one. You can’t describe the feeling, there’s a lot of paved roads, but then there are clay allies between the shacks. It’s like being in a constant maze, with passage ways everywhere. The shacks could be the most incredible sight. Pieces of wood, tin, cardboard, thrown then nailed against the wall, with cracks or gaps as windows. Tiers and cement bricks sit upon the roofs to keep them from blowing off. The walls are often slanted and deformed, slowly toppling over. These shacks are no bigger then my room at home, yet an entire family will sleep in them.
The sight of hundreds of people living so closely together is incredible. Houses are built side by side. There are no front yards, only shared allies where drying clothes hang over fencing wire. And wherever there is any shade, you will be sure to find a dog sleeping. I don’t know if anyone owns these dogs, or if they wander looking for food, their bodies are slender and limp. But dogs aren’t the only animals. Chickens run lose, across the streets and into shacks. I can only image all the roosters in the morning.
There are so many baby chicks as well, they kick up garbage to make areas to rest in. There is garbage everywhere, and no one picks it up, except for the few BFI sized bins on the paved streets, but they, themselves, overflow. People throw their garbage any where they please, you cannot look anywhere without seeing pop cans, condoms, and wrappers. You kick as you walk down the street, and kids play in it with bare feet. Along side the paved roads is a ditch system where water flows into the sewer. But the garbage quickly piles up and blocks the water from running. You wind up with flooded streets running through rubbish.
So with wild animals garbage, minimal hygienic resources, its not hard to imagine the smell. Tons of corners have a rotten out in the sun with a strong urine smell. People are living among these unpreventable smells. These shacks are built among these odour hot spots.
And despite this Kayamandi is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. And it is all due to the people.
Life in township changes at every corner. One corner a girl is playing a drum as her friends are dancing, down a back ally two men are playing a game of checkers on their homemade board, and down the street little kids are running around, playing on their toy cars, as their neighbours are blasting rap music of their stereos. Someone is running a hair salon out of their front porch, and another is selling lamb heads, muddy and piled in the streets. It’s a megalopolis of people, something is always going on. There are always people mingling, dancing singing, listening to music on every street, and every street corner.
It’s a unique vibe and feeling. I can’t describe not going somewhere and seeing hundreds of people. You can’t describe soccer games in the middle of the street with a flat ball, and you can’t fully describe the smile on a kids face as he rolls his tire with a stick. It’s the most beautiful feeling and place.

Submitted by Kyle Wiebe

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Safe, Sound and about to Graduate

Winnipeg, MB

Well we are safe and sound and recovering from Jet Lag, after 49 hours in transit.

This weekend will be our Grad weekend, a chance to meet each others' families, to have one last site gathering and to celebrate the work God has done this year in each of our lives.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Out of Africa

Greeting Friends and Family!

Just an update for you.

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving bright and early for the airport and our travel iternerary is as follows:
Seven hours on the bus from the camp we are at to the Airport in Johannesburg.
Six hours at the airport in Johannesburg.
A twelve hour plane ride to London, England.
A six hour layover in London.
An eight hour flight to Toronto.
A short layover for some in Toronto, a medium layover for other in Toronto, a longer layover for the rest in Toronto at Johnny Fukumoto's house!
A two and a half our flight to Winnipeg where we will begin our weekend festivities.

And that concludes our time in South Africa, thanks for following along with us. More stories to follow as we continue to unwrap our experiences.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Outtatown... for different reasons

Most people join Outtatown at least partly because of the promise of cross cultural adventure. They’re sold when they watch the catchy little promotional video that plays on the Outtatown website. It shows students bungee jumping, playing with lions, singing on gospel trains and being swamped by loads of delighted little school children who just want to touch your skin and hair. I admit that these things caught my interest as well, but my primary reason for joining the program was for first semester, in travelling around our OWN country, Canada.
I am a missionary kid through and through and have spent my life growing up in Africa. Like most missionary kids who grow up overseas, I struggle with the issue of identity. Who am I? I’m Canadian by passport, but have never really lived there. I am definitely not African. My skin color and family income separates me from a sense of belonging to the place my parents work. This is the struggle of us in-betweeners, a.k.a third-culture kids.
I have loved Outtatown because I feel like it has been the perfect transition phase between life as a missionary kid and life in Canada. Not only was I able to see my “home” country and be introduced to other Canadians my age, but I was also able to learn about Canada’s history and culture, a completely new experience for me. Then came second semester where flying back over the Atlantic into Africa felt like returning home. I was delighted to return to the heat and rain. My favourite parts of second semester so far have been the home stays with families from Pretoria, Durban, and Strandfontein. Though I came into their homes knowing little about their lifestyles I felt a connection with them simply because they weren’t Canadians. I enjoyed the social awkwardness with which they interacted with our team because in so many ways, I saw that in myself as well.
Though it has not always been easy or fun, I have learned a lot in Outtatown. I’ve learned about Canada and South Africa and who I am as an individual. Most importantly, I’m learning that the bonds of community are stronger than the bond of nationality and as Christians; our differences are something we can praise God for, because we all have something unique to give.
Submitted by Adrienne Leitch

Adrienne at the top of Table Mountain