Hope To Dream

So as of late i've found it a little more difficult to keep up with my blogging. Partially because my life has truly become "normal" for me here, partially because most days it's hard to find the words to explain what's happening in and around me, but mostly because i've been trying to spend as much time as I can with my host community in my remaining time here.

Last night though in a surge of emotion and creativity, a video emerged. I'd like to share that video with you all, as well as use it as my final entry to this blog. This chapter of my life is quickly coming to an end, and with all endings comes a new beginning. Look for a new blog coming your way soon. Much love, sala senkle, stay well and God bless.

Peace

Practice Makes Perfect….Maybe

One of the big things that the YAGM South Africa group has been focusing on and discussing this year is spiritual practices. Ones that we already carried with us before our time in South Africa, ones that we wanted to try and develop throughout our time here, and maybe even practices that we found to be in effect for ourselves.

Before my time here I carried a few practices that I liked to exercise on a pretty regular basis. Centering prayer, journaling, and light mediation probably being the three core basis for myself. Throughout my time here though those practices have developed, changed, and i've even added a few new practices. The centering prayer when I arrived was basically a simple quiet time. A time each day that I could have to myself with my thoughts and prayers. In my early months here I have to admit that I neglected this practice more than I was use to, and probably should have. I was still doing a lot of reflecting of coarse, almost non stop, but it was more on the spot as things were happening. The sensory overload of being in a new country, culture and home made it more difficult for me to slow myself down and truly reflect deeply about what was going on all around me. Journaling actually increased. Before arriving I would journal maybe two or three times a week. In my first 6 months here though I found myself journaling on a daily basis. I had a lot of things to write about and a lot of different things running through my mind, as would be expected. In recent months though it has returned to about two or three times a week. The meditation/quiet time before my time here was more of a stress outlet when I was feeling overwhelmed. I found it hard to slow myself down in the speed of the American culture and really take the time to be with my deeper thoughts and prayers. In my time here in South Africa though I would have the tendency to say that practice has increased greatly, especially in recent months.

There have been practices though that I have only developed since being here. Yoga, has very much become part of my spiritual and life practices. Now if you would have told me 12 months ago that I would be practicing yoga, let alone enjoying it, I very well may have laughed at you. Since starting the practice roughly six weeks ago though, I have found it to be a vital part of my daily routine. It allows me a bit of introverted time (which I need), meditation time, and centering prayer all in one. It has also made me much more aware of my own body. Posture, breathing, and all around self awareness, opening a completely new lens to view my surrounds with on a daily basis. "Note Taking", has also become a major part of my daily life. Since the first of the year i've been carrying a small pocket notebook with me everywhere I go. I don't write long journal type entries in it, but just small little tidbits that are at my mind at the time. It's created a space for me to allow wonder to be a part of my daily life rather than judgement. While sitting waiting for a taxi, watching kids at the creche, attending church services, or simply being in new atmospheres it has become a tool for me. The biggest of all new practices though would have to be my choice to become vegetarian, which in a sense is much more a life choice than a practice. I've tried vegetarianism before, but never had a real solid reason or foundation behind the choice to keep me true to it. Being in South Africa has given me a real life face to my reasons for this life choice though, from moral treatment of animals, developed capital based corporations taking advantage of the developing world, as well as personal health.

As my time here is very quickly coming to an end, it's made me realize how important these new practices have become to me. How important it's going to be for me to keep these practices alive when I return to a place of comfort back home and head into the next chapter of my life. I encourage anyone reading this to try starting a new practice they've always considered, but never taken the time to fully commit to. Whether it be spiritual, religious, or simply a new life practice. Find something that feeds you and brings you to life inside. When you're fed and nourished, everything else around you has this incredible way of working itself out and falling into place, exactly as it is meant to for the time at hand.

" Do not ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is more people who are alive."

Peace

*written May 18th

The Religious "Other"

Over the recent Easter holiday I was privileged enough to have the opportunity to attend a lot of different churches and services. In the process of attending said services I found myself receiving somewhat mixed signals from my host community. Some highly encouraged me to see all I could while I'm here, a logic I tend to agree with, and some others showed unsure responses to the thought that I had or would be attending churches other than their own. All these reactions really got me thinking and the more I allowed my thoughts to absorbed in it all, the more one word in particular kept coming back to the forefront of my mind, tribalism.

I use this word somewhat reluctantly because of the depth and magnitude that it can hold in this conversation, ss well as the tricky role language can play in this conversation. If we want to be perfectly honest with our selves we could possibly even say that tribalism seams to be the standard nearly world wide, not just in the church. However, for the sake of conversation and strain on your eyes, I want to keep this church specific.

Tribalism as defined by New Oxford American Dictionary means the state or fact of being organized in a tribe or tribes. So in this particular instance we're discussing churches rather than tribes, but you still catch my drift. So I can't help but find myself thinking, why is that Christians, who are all supposedly followers of Christ, who's all encompassing ideology is supposedly love, have such a difficult time practicing religious cooperation, or even a multi-affiliation community?

Serving as a YAGM in a country such as South Africa means that I wrestle with topics of tribalism and segregation on almost a daily basis. Through my time here though i've come to realize that it's almost just as prevalent in the states as it is here, in terms of the church anyway.

Why don't we attend "others" churches more often? Why can't we organize activities together? Why can't we get together and openly discuss our faiths with one another? How is a person, especially a young person, ever suppose to truly understand their faith if they've never been allowed the opportunity to explore, study or maybe even expand on it?

Exposure, education and experiences with the religious "other" should be encouraged rather than feared or discouraged. In his article written last year, Rev. Donald Heckman had this to say on the topic. "People should have a right to identify themselves as they wish, as long as it is not offensive. Self description is a matter of justice." The need for a movement for religious cooperation has never been greater. Religion, faith, and spirituality can no longer be a privatized practice. It can no longer be seen as taboo or in polite to publicly have these conversations. Whether it's in South Africa, America, or anywhere else in the world. The time for religious pluralism is now.

So, I plan to continue "stirring the pot" and causing question in peoples religious, spiritual and faith based minds. Just one day we may all be able to witness the true coming of heaven here on earth, if that's what you believe anyway.

 

Peace

*written April 21st

All I Have To Give Is Myself

As a westerner one of the first things most people feel compelled to do when they arrive in a less developed country is fix things. Whether it be physical things or social systems, we take it upon ourselves as our job to set things straight. As a part of the YAGM program we do just the opposite. We show up in our communities mostly empty handed and ask to simply be apart of the day to day grind, hear peoples stories, and maybe even share a couple of our own along the way.

All that being said, during my time here in South Africa, I've found it incredibly difficult to constructively redirect, or sometimes simply witness, the out pouring of international support being thrown in this communities direction. How can we help? What can we donate? How much is it all going to cost? All these questions are beautiful and come from a deep rooted desire to truly do something good, the only complication with asking them is that they create a much deeper seated result than they alleviate. What I'm trying to say is that in order to truly answer these questions the solution MUST be sustainable. Relief is great, but release feels even better. The reality of these questions is that the best place for sustainability and release to happen is usually right here on the home front.

In the last four to six weeks I've watched as countless South Africa Department of Education vehicles have showed up at Keromang Lutheran Early Learning Centre (the creche I work at) with school supplies, playground equipment, first aid supplies, toys for the kids, hygiene resources, and immunizations. There has even been running water again in recent weeks, when there hasn't been running water, except for on exceptionally lucky random days, for an unknown period of time. Every last bit of it came from the South African government, not an outside overseas source. All the new arrivals have brought great joy both to the kids as well as the staff members, as most of the things were well overdue.

We can all agree that the Department of Education may be a bit behind (years in most cases) on getting these resources distributed to schools that are in dire need of them, but they still did it and more importantly they did it on their own. Yet I still feel an uneasy sense balling up in the pit of my stomach as I watch all these things suddenly appearing. The arrival of all these much needed resources has all happened so conveniently right in the months leading up to the next presidential election. The presidential election in which current president, Jacob Zuma, is running for re-election.

I am by no means trying to say that I've got it figured out, cause I'm not even close. I spend at least a small portion of each day trying to devise a well rounded, sustainable, self maintained system in my head and I never quite seam to figure one out. Yes we are called to feed, cloth, and help our brothers and sisters, but that relationship has to be a two way street in some way. So for now, being that I am a YAGM, i'll stick to trying to develop lasting, loving, and deep seated relationships with as many people in my host community as I can. Because at the end of the day, when the bread doesn't make it to the table or clean drinking water isn't accessible in some forgotten place in the world, that love and those bonds will always be there.

 

Peace

*written April 11th

Secret Secrets Are Really Fun!!

This post is for no other than reason than to convey a message I've been keeping quiet up until this point. IM A NEW BIG BROTHER!!! My host mother had her baby this evening and the Mogale family has been blessed with another healthy little baby girl named Kitso. God is truly good :)

 

Peace

*written April 9th

Dominate The Conversation

There have been many times through out my time here that I have found personal growth and change happening in the last places I expected them too. But the realization that hit home today is by far my biggest surprise yet.

A couple weeks ago my little sister Kiki was dominating the dinner conversation, as usual, when the topic of my departure came up. She had decided that having me around was ok with her and that she, in-fact, had decided that she would like another malome (uncle, all the creche kids call me this) from America to come stay with them again next year. Then she decided that wasn't what she wanted, and would just come home with me when I left in July instead. Yep that's what she wanted. We all laughed as she proudly declared this to the table so matter of fact. I thanked her and told her that if she was lucky she may just get to have another malome from America next year.

The conversation shifted and regular evening routines followed. At the time it all just seamed like casual conversation. As we sat around the same table tonight for dinner, I ounce again looked and listened to Kiki across the table dominating the conversation. Except this time it was different. It felt almost like a movie scene. Like time itself had slowed down, and as I watched and listened from across the table I begin to realize just how much this beautiful little five year old has truly shaped my year here as well as the rest of my life.

She's taught me patience. Patience that I never gave to my younger siblings back home. Patience in the eyes of challenge and that it takes great patience to perceiver in times of doubt and the unknown. She's shown me the blissful innocence of a child in ways that I've never understood it before. She's given me part of my voice here. Without her helping me and teaching me I wouldn't know a lot of the Tswana language I've learned. But most of all she's shown me friendship. Completely unconditional loving friendship when she didn't have to.

Tonight Kitlano Mogale broke through a personal defense system that nobody has ever entered in 23 years. Tonight as I sat across the table watching her giggle, tell stories and laugh, I've never been so happy, humbled, and blessed to listen to her dominate the conversation.

 

Peace

*written April 5th

Life In Words

For this blog post I simply want to share some short writings, or excerpts from writings, that have echoed within me and my journey so far during my time here in South Africa. Hope you enjoy, and who knows one of them may just change your life.

Peace

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”

-Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

~ Harriet Tubman

"Simple. Faith is a gift, not something we intellectually achieve, or earn…..It's an ever changing relationship between you, God, and ALL God's creation. Faith is how we live into that gift (you already have it, it's obvious). Questions are a big part of deciding how we live into the gift. Questions and doubt don't mean there is no faith, rather, that the relationship between you and God is deepening and growing. Keep on the journey, Jesus is right beside you, even when you don't know or feel it, and especially when you're at your lowest or weakest."     

 - Luke Roehl (South Africa YAGM 2013-2014)

"Come in out of the cold, forget all that you know, because there's always been room by the fire for you." 

- Tim Mcilrath (Rise Against)

"The trouble with creation is not that it is imperfect, but that it is perfectly misunderstood."

- Keenan Weatherford

"God, not psychological similarities or social circumstances, is our bond."

- Henri Nouwen from Solitude and Community

Your great mistake is to act the drama

as if you were alone. As if life

were a progressive and cunning crime

with no witness to the tiny hidden

transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny

the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,

even you, at times, have felt the grand array;

the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding

out your solo voice You must note

the way the soap dish enables you,

or the window latch grants you freedom.

Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.

The stairs are your mentor of things

to come, the doors have always been there

to frighten you and invite you,

and the tiny speaker in the phone

is your dream-ladder to divinity.

Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into

the conversation. The kettle is singing

even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots

have left their arrogant aloofness and

seen the good in you at last. All the birds

and creatures of the world are unutterably

themselves. Everything is waiting for you.

  -- David Whyte

       from Everything is Waiting for You

     ©2003 Many Rivers Press

"Our task as image-bearing, God-loving, Christ-shaped, Spirit-filled Christians, following Christ and shaping our world, is to announce redemption to a world that has discovered its fallenness, to announce healing to a world that has discovered its brokenness, to proclaim love and trust to a world that knows only exploitation, fear and suspicion...The gospel of Jesus points us and indeed urges us to be at the leading edge of the whole culture, articulating in story and music and art and philosophy and education and poetry and politics and theology and even--heaven help us--Biblical studies, a worldview that will mount the historically-rooted Christian challenge to both modernity and postmodernity, leading the way...with joy and humor and gentleness and good judgment and true wisdom." 

- N.T. Wright

To be of the Earth is to know

the restlessness of being a seed

the darkness of being planted

the struggle toward the light

the pain of growth into the light

the joy of bursting and bearing fruit

the love of being food for someone

the scattering of your seeds

the decay of the seasons

the mystery of death

and the miracle of birth

— John Soos, Earth Prayer

(quoted in Christ in a Grain of Sand: An Ecological Journey with the Spiritual Exercises)

One of the greatest dangers in the spiritual life is self-rejection. When we say, “If people really knew me, they wouldn’t love me,” we choose the road toward darkness. Often we are made to believe that self-deprecation is a virtue, called humility. But humility is in reality the opposite of self-deprecation. It is the grateful recognition that we are precious in God’s eyes and that all we are is pure gift. To grow beyond self-rejection we must have the courage to listen to the voice calling us God’s beloved sons and daughters, and the determination always to live our lives according to this truth.

- Henri Nouwen

"Participation in community in which I can experience the extremes of my life without shame, know that my fears will be truly understood, and that people will dance for joy with me as an equal is a blessing to be nurtured."

- Emily Kimball ( United Kingdom YAGM 2013-2014)

"Life is no straight and easy corridor along

which we travel free and unhampered,

but a maze of passages,

through which we must seek our way,

lost and confused, now and again

checked in a blind alley.

But always, if we have faith,

a door will open for us,

not perhaps one that we ourselves

would have ever thought of,

but one that will ultimately

prove good for us."

- A. J. Cronin

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It

Before The Cock Crows

Last nights lenten reading about Peter's denial of Jesus really got me thinking, how many times have I done the same? I've grown up around a faith based community, i've worked as a camp counselor at a Lutheran Bible camp, and i've listened to a call that has lead me here to South Africa. Obviously my faith and Jesus Christ are a big part of my life, i've felt His love, so why is it more often than not I find myself denying Him in the presence of others?

Proclaiming Christ and the Christian faith to the world is no easy task. The list of excuses not to is far to long in my opinion. "I don't agree with everything the institutional church tells the world, and quite frankly I'm embarrassed by it sometimes." Did Jesus not challenge the institutional church of the time and question their teachings? " I don't believe in telling others their faith or lack of faith is wrong." There are ways to share Christ's love through actions that allow for free and open conversations about your faith. Interfaith dialogue is a wonderful and beautiful thing. " Im not strong enough in my own faith to share it with others." Who said there was a "perfect" or "correct" faith formula?

As a missionary, i've found this topic to be even more challenging. One because I'm not a missionary in the traditional perceived idea of the word, and two because daily life can be challenging enough to navigate sometimes let alone delving into deeper expressions of one's faith life. But maybe those are just more excuses? To be completely honest, I'm not sure I have an answer to this riddle.

At the end of the day though we are all missionaries for Christ, called into this life through baptism to share HIs ever abounding love and grace with all those we encounter. There are no spectators in this game, there are no all stars, there are no heroes. Every single one of us is a living breathing miracle, a gift of life and love shown through God's grace. Called to share in the meal with all of our brothers and sisters regardless of race, gender, religion or creed.

Today I take up the challenge to show Jesus to the world. Whether that be through my words, my actions, or my simple presence. I don't know and never will know the "right" way to go about sharing His love, but I think I'll start by simply trying. 

Peace

*written March 27th

Holy Spirit Song

I got the privilege of being made aware of the Holy Spirits presence tonight at Ash Wednesday service. I sat quietly singing along to one of my favorite songs as people filled up to the altar to receive their ashes and blessings, when a voice from behind me began to grow louder in my ears. It was one of the most beautiful voices i'd ever heard as it worked it's way in through my ears deep down inside of my soul. Before I knew what was happening I felt tears running down my face.

I wiped the tears from my face and turned to see where this voice of an angel was coming from. My eyes made contact with hers and we both simply smiled at each other in a joint understanding, no words needed.

And that's how a woman in her late seventies found a place into my soul and wrapped me in the love of her beautiful voice.

Peace

 

*written March 5th

Do You Have Any Rope?

I brought plenty of different things with me for my time here in South Africa, entirely too much stuff to be completely honest. The one I've used the most though and been repeatedly glad about having is far from the item I would have expected.

When I packed 20m of 4mm static wrap rope I thought it might come in handy a time or two, but it was mostly the backcountry Montana in me that put it in my bag I think. It has proved it's worth time and time again since leaving the states though. It made its first appearance shortly after landing in Johannesburg. As we started packing our luggage into the trailer of our kombi (15 passenger taxi van), it was becoming apparent that not everything was going to fit very nice and neatly. Without the assistance of the rope tying all the top layer of luggage to the trailer, I'm not sure all ten of the SA-YAGM's bags would have made it to our in-country orientation. At the time I felt fairly confident that this may well be the last time I could be justified in having brought this 20m worth of rope, but once again I was greatly mistaken.

Since then that same rope has been used to tow vehicles, assist in tree cutting operations, held down the hood of a car when the latch broke, been used as an indoor clothes line multiple times, and helped as a teaching tool for slack line with friends. I'm sure I'm forgetting something else that this simple length of rope has been used for, but in short, it's the last thing in my bag I expected to be most grateful to have brought!

Peace

*written March 5th

All We Need Is a Little More Love

If I take nothing more from this experience then one thing, I honestly can say that I wouldn't be upset. For it's in and amongst all the complexities of this rainbow nation that I've come to learn the most vital question and may be even answer to life, love.

The word and the idea of it is a simple enough concept, but in practice, it can be much easier said than done. Every person on this planet comes from different walks of life, has different stories, and has something incredibly unique to bring to the table. Sure there are similarities and things that we find in common with one another, but ultimately each story is its own. This can make times of understanding, compassion, and graciousness hard to find at times. I've found that it's when we embrace the chaos, mystery and unique features of all aspects of this world that it begins to take on new forms in our eyes.

I've been accused of being a granola, earthy hippy, and yes that is correct, but I can't help believe there's something incredibly profound about loving each other. It really can be that simple if we so choose it to be. Remove the intellectual definitions, societal stereotyping and instead turn to a sense of wonder about something that at first glance baffles you. You may just find yourself thinking more highly of your fellow human beings and be surprised by the compassion you find down deep inside yourself.

Peace

 

*written March 1st

Life in a Rondavel

A multi part post about life in a Rondavel

Part Two: The Pros and Cons

Like any other form of building in this world, a rondavel comes with it's pros and cons. The ultimate question though is do the pros out-weigh the cons in this environment? In my opinion they win by a landslide.

Pros:

•   A rondavel is constructed completely from 100% natural and renewable materials. That alone makes it a clear winner in my book. This also makes constructing a rondavel very affordable.

•   It's got natural A/C. The inside of a rondavel, on a hot African day, feels like walking into an air conditioned house. The combination of the cool floor and grass roof create an incredible cool and comfortable atmosphere in comparison to the blistering summer sun. I have found at times it can even be up to 10-15C cooler inside on particularly hot days. Western style homes here become incredibly hot in the summer time and most of the mid day heat ends up trapped inside the house for the remainder of the night.

•   When it rains, it pours in Africa. If you're inside of a house that has a tin roof when it rains here you can find it hard to think straight, let alone hold a conversation with someone or try to sleep. A rondavel in comparison is silent. The heavens can open up and you can still enjoy a good conversation with family or fall even deeper into your midnight slumber.

Cons:

◦   When it pours, it might leak. If you are staying in an older rondavel or the roof wasn't constructed properly, particularly hard rain can sometimes find its way through the grass and then you're left with a wet floor or whatever else is under the leak. It really has to be raining hard and for a long time for this to happen though.

◦   It's mortar is made of mud. Still pertaining to the hard rainfall, if there are long periods of hard continuous rainfall the fear of walls becoming unstable can become a real issue. However, this takes ALOT of rain for days and days on end.

 

Can We Go Thrift Shopping?

You hear all the time that you gotta enjoy the little things in life. I know it's a completely cliche saying, but the more time I spend on this rock the more I can't help but find myself living into it. Whether it be a hot cup of tea with a friend, watching young puppies wrestle around in knee high grass, or sitting down to a good book. All of these have a hidden beauty within them and sometimes, if you stop long enough, you can catch a small glimpse of it. However, tonight's cliche moment was sponsored by a Nikon Coolpix AW110, iTunes, and a awful cute five year old who loves to dance.

My little sister Kitlano and I were hanging out when Macklemore's Thrift Shop came across the airwaves. One thing lead to another and before long we were both dancing our hearts out and being completely ridiculous together. Now, everyone knows you can't have a awesome dance party with out filming it. That being said, the only logical thing to do in the moment was to pull out my camera and start recording.

To most people the video will be completely pointless and just silly. But six months from now, when I'm sitting back in America, I'm going to be able to watch that video and remember the innocent laugh of my little sister and the fun we had being completely goofy together in a small rondavel in Lekubu, South Africa. It's times like that which make all the injustices, pains, and misunderstandings of this world go away, even if only for a moment. I guess it may lead one to say, "You gotta enjoy the little things."

Peace

*written February 17th

 

Life In The Not So Fast Lane

For me personally, and I think many other YAGM as well, this is the first time in a long time that I haven't had the luxury of having the keys to a vehicle readily available in my pocket. In many ways it has been freeing, in many ways it has been frustrating, but all in all it has been a mystery during my time of service that has been an incredibly fun experiment.

I know a major part of all YAGM's experience during their time abroad is the public transportation system. The South Africa program is no exception to this part of the experience. In my time here so far I've had the privilege of being able to try nearly all forms of transportation offered across South Africa. From kombis*, long haul kombis, buses, trains, meter taxi, hired kombis, friends cars, and even donkey carts on rare occasions. Though all of these are all very different ways of getting around, they all share one common principal, time is elastic.

A big part of learning the public transportation systems here in South Africa is patience. In my opinion it might just be the biggest learning curve for foreign travelers, YAGM included. Time is not concrete for most South African people in comparison to the American culture. Transportation schedules and times aren't nearly as crucial, if there is a schedule in the first place. The reality of traveling on public transportation in South Africa is that you're going to miss some buses, you're going to be late sometimes, and there is always contingencies that are out of your control. Now, one could allow all of this to consume them, upset them, and worst of all panic them, but where does that get you other then the same exact situation you're already in? Except you also have a poor attitude to go along with it now. In my experience, embracing the chaos that can be the transportation systems sometimes is the best way to go about it. The mystery of whether or not you're going to make your bus on time, how long it will take for your kombi to fill up today, if the kombi drivers will be on strike today or not. It's all things out of your control and it's better to roll with the punches then become uptight. Things have a way of working themselves out in almost every instance.

Since arriving in country I have yet to take the same form of transportation to the same destinations twice, with one exception. Which is absolutely incredible considering I have been in country now for nearly six months. Ive found the possibilities really are endless in the public transportation service here, some good and some not so good, but they all can lead to new and incredible adventures if you merely perceive them as such.

* a kombi is a 15 passenger van that is used as a taxi service. They are not metered, but instead are a flat rate from one destination to the other. They only leave for their destination once the kombi is entirely full, whether that takes 5 minutes or 5 hours.

 

*written February 14th

Peace

Life in a Rondavel

A multi part post about life in a Rondavel

Part One: A History

Since the first part of November I have been staying in a Rondavel. So here is a multi part post about what it's like to live in a Rondavel. For starters, some of you are probably wondering, "What is a Rondavel?!" A Rondavel is a traditional South African style home. Pre colonization, they were the widely accepted standard across a vast majority of the African continent.

Unlike most western syle houses, they are round. Why round you might ask? The round shape of a Rondavel allows for great protect against the weather, namely wind. There are times when 70-80kph winds can come out of what seams like nowhere, throwing sand, dust and almost anything in its way all over the place. Flat walls wouldn't be nearly as effective or stable against such strong winds.

The next step: if you have time, take out a piece of paper and a pencil. Now try and draw a perfect circle. I don't know about you, but my circle doesn't look very "round". So how is it that people make Rondavels so perfectly round? Either with a stake, or a companion if one is available, one would pick a center point. From the center point, one then chooses the desired distance they wish for the walls to be from the center point. With your stake or companion held fast at the center point, one attaches a string from the center point, and with a stick attached at the other end of the string walks/draws a circle in the dirt. Pretty slick huh? On average, a Rondavel is usually about 10 meters in circumference. Sizes can vary though depending on the specific needs.

Once you've drawn your circle it's time to begin construction. Before you can do that you need to gather your supplies though. Decent sized stones, dirt, cow dung, and water. With the dirt, cow dung, and water one makes a mixture that very much resembles concrete or mortar. Once your mortar is ready you can start placing stones in the position you desire and filling the spaces with the mortar, much like one builds a wall out of bricks. Most walls are generally 2-3 meters tall.

Your walls are done, time for a roof. This means you need more supplies. This time you would be gathering, various sized sticks and A LOT of grass. The larger sticks are used to form trusses in a complete circle around the walls, meeting at a pitch in the central point of the home. Using your smaller sticks, one now makes rings that connect to the trusses starting at the walls and working upward towards the pitch. Each ring is roughly 30cm apart and becomes smaller each ring closer to the pitch. Now it's time for the grass. There are various techniques, but in some way, one needs to attach the grass to the rings you just built. Starting closest to the walls and working once again towards the pitch, layering grass on top of itself.

One last step! So we have walls, and a roof, what else could we need? How about a floor thats not going to continually be brushed away, muddy or dusty? In the truly traditional Rondavels the dirt is dug down a few centimeters and then replaced with the dirt, cow dung and water mixture. It's much more durable and easier to keep clean then just leaving the floor as dirt.

Stay tuned for more on life in a Rondavel!

Peace

*written January 27th

There Was He, And He Was I

Today, for the first time in my life, I got to witness, and be blessed with complete and total trust from another human being. It wasn't trust that I was openly striving to receive. It wasn't trust that came from an exchange of words, or even really actions for that matter. Trust though, I have no doubt that it was.

As the new school year has begun and new faces have become a part of my daily journey at Keromang E.L.C, i've found myself feeling somewhat paralyzed. In many ways I feel like I just arrived here again. Routines and rituals I had formed with students, who have now moved on to primary school, have been replaced with confused looks and shy expressions from nearly all of the faces I see before me now. Ive gone from the silly, fun, "Pick me up!", Uncle Rapula, to the unnerving, unsure, big, and for the most part scary white man. Until today.

For nearly a week now, I have been helping feed one little boy during meal times. On day one you could tell he wasn't particularly sure he wanted help from me, but was the only one willing and that didn't come to tears at my presence. The only words exchanged between the two of us have been, "Jaa" and,"Metsa". "Eat" and "Swallow", both coming from me, with no real verbal responses from him. But then today, not only did the food seam to disappear faster then usual, once it was gone he remained standing closely in front of me. I found the behavior unfamiliar, but didn't put much more thought into it.

Roughly ten minutes later as I lay on the ground looking up at the ceiling waiting for other kids to finish their meal, I suddenly felt like someone was close to me. I looked up to find the little boy, once again standing closely in front of me. As I raised myself into a sitting position two little arms found their way around my torso, and a small little head onto my chest. As I lay back down onto the floor I could feel the tension leave his nervous little body. I wrapped my arms around him and simply lay there soaking in the moment and the peace that this little angel had brought to my heart as he slowly fell asleep.

Peace

*written January 20th

Tears, Fears & Growing Up

Today was a big day all across the country, for some a bigger day then others. As schools reopened and kids moved on to new classrooms, you could see many different emotional responses written on the students faces. Some were excited, some nervous, others indifferent and others scared to the point of tears.

The story was no different at Keromang Lutheran ELC today either. Some kids returned for another year at an already familiar place, and others walked through the gate for the first time. Some were quick to make friends and start exploring, others spent the day with tears in their eyes. There were even certain times during the day that I felt more like a jail guard then anything else, as I caught multiple escape artists midway through there master minded attempt to return to mom's embrace.

The proudest moment came today though as a big brother as I watched my little sister stroll out the gate this morning off to her first day as I primary school student. Smiling from ear to ear and with a skip in her step she was gone, never to return to the creche life I had come so accustom to together.

-Peace

*written January 15th

Lets Have A Conversation

In recent weeks though I have been receiving more then abundant nourishment from my community in regards to the holiday season and being welcomed into a family, i've still had a small sense of something missing.

My faith and spiritual life were going through a bit of a cold spell. The more I thought on it and broke down why this might be the case things started to become much more clear. I myself was the one to blame. I hadn't realized what a good job i'd been doing of neglecting the spiritual practices that have become such important parts of my life and who I am. Since restarting old practices and once again being very intentional about staying diligent to them, I've began to feel much better about my faith life again.

Tonight at Youth League was no exception. We broke into small groups and prompted conversation with the question,"What's the difference between conversation and prayer?" Discussion went on for well over an hour. It felt so good to be engaged in faith discussion with my brothers and sisters in a time when I so desperately needed it.

So, the conversation continues. Or maybe the prayer continues…….

 

Peace

"Bachelors"

As holiday time begins to come to an end here, I can't help but have some things come back into my mind from before it all started. One in particular is that starting next week Moruti and myself are on our own again with Kiki. Mmamoruti will be returning to Mafikeng on week days again to continue with University. As this came to my mind the other day I couldn't help but chuckle inside.

Before the holiday season was upon us last year and Mmamoruti was still attending University during the week, Moruit and I had developed quite the team. There really is no way around it when two men are living together. With the absence of Mmamoruti lets just say household chores sometimes went to the wayside through out the week. Yet, it never failed that the house was clean for Mmamoruti every time she returned home.

The memories of me and Moruti frantically cleaning the house, doing the dishes, the laundry and whatever other chores we had put off until that point in the week will be ones that I forever cherish. Two "bachelors" scrambling every Friday to please the woman of the house is quite the scene. There is some unknown incredibly profound power a mother and a wife hold over her house, and quite frankly I love it.

So here is to the soon return of franticly racing to prepare for Mmamoruti's arrival on Friday evenings with my partner in crime.

 

Peace

 

*written January 9th