Happy Birthday, Teresa and Nelson Mandela
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2009
1
13
18
Trip End
Aug 10, 2009
Cape Town,
Western Cape,
South Africa
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Thanks to all of your prayers—my body is on the mend for sure! I'm feeling much better and having a fabulous weekend.
On Friday, I woke up without a fever (woo hoo!). I guess a full 12 hours of sleep really can work wonders… imagine that
Welcome to Muizenberg Beach!
. VAC plans an activity for us each Friday afternoon, and this week most of the interns went into the City Centre to a museum about apartheid and the townships. I wasn’t feeling up for a whole day walking, so I decided to stay back. It was about 20 degrees (68F), without a cloud in the sky, and I really wanted to go to the beach. So I put the idea out there, and a few of the girls decided to go surfing! We hopped on the train to Muizenberg, and I could not wait to be in the sun ( : The beach there is incredibly beautiful and relaxing (this is probably getting old when I describe every place this way, but it’s true!!). While Val and Marisa splashed around with their wetsuits and boards in the water, I strolled along the sand, following the sun as it slowly started to hide behind the mountains. There were so many little South African children and their families there—the atmosphere was perfect for a lazy Friday afternoon. After a nice walk, I found a little café, where I got a foamy Rooibos tea, a lemon poppy seed muffin, and a high window seat, gazing out at the ocean. I can’t think of anything more therapeutic, really. After doing some journaling and reflecting on my time here so far, I was struck by how quickly these weeks are going. I really don’t want to miss all that I am learning here, and I’m sure I’ll be soaking up lessons for months to come
The Cafe window
. Being here for six weeks might sound like a long time, but I feel like I will just be getting a true feel for things here, then hopping back on the plane! The thing that impressed my mind the most during those moments was that if I am sitting around thinking, "I wish I could _____while I’m here," I have to go for it if I want it to happen! There is no time like the present. These next three weeks are going to FLY by.Last night, we had a little birthday celebration for the housekeeper down at one of the other VAC houses. Her name is Teresa, and she’s been cleaning there for 8 years. She is such a sweet lady, and she invited a bunch of her family/friends to come as well. I think it really meant a lot to her that we wanted to celebrate with her! I hope she felt loved and valued by all. About 10 of the interns were leaving at 5 am this morning to go to Mozambique for 10 days, so we said, “goodbye” to them as well. What a great experience!
I was waiting to see if the youth group decided to spend time together today, but Matt decided to let the kids get ready to begin school on Monday, so I will just see them all tomorrow.
In lieu of that, Marisa, Val, Whitney, and I went to a local market called the Old Biscuit Mill
My view from the window
. It’s an indoor/outdoor venue, with about 50 different stalls of homemade foods and drinks. It is incredible! Mom, you would absolutely LOVE this place. I’m going to see if there’s anything preserved enough that I can bring it home for you… I’ll definitely be going back again. I had a smoothie and a crepe for breakfast, and I bought a sandwich to take with me for lunch—we were going into the city for Nelson Mandella’s birthday celebration! We met up with a few of the guys from our house and hopped on a minibus.This is a really big deal, everyone. The city was in celebration mode today! Some of the main roads were closed, the vendors were at every corner, and there was a huge stage set up with live local South African bands. We saw a band called CODA, a fusion band of white and black S. Africans, some dancing, using horns, singing, playing electric strings—it was really sweet. Next we were treated to one of the top four finalists in South African Idol! (who knew?) His name was Lendel Mooonsamy, and he’s originally from Durban. He started off with his own original song, which was pretty good, and then his second number was “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi! All of us Americans shared a hearty chuckle as we made our way through the street. We perused through a variety of little shops and second-hand clothing racks until we got too tired of walking and grabbed a cab home
yummy Rooibos and muffin
. I really love the city here. The people are so friendly, and everyone/everything is SO unique… The main thrust of the day was “Ubuntu” –in fact, the celebration was put on by the Ubuntu Foundation. If you’re interested in the meaning of the word on a deeper level, do a little google-ing. It’s pretty interesting. At one point, the woman who was kind of the “MC” for the day made everyone in the crowd turn to the person on their right and then their left and say, “I am because of you.” In honor of Nelson’s 67 years in the country, they asked that everyone give 67 minutes of their time giving back to their community. It’s a neat concept I guess, if it’s something that people will really take to. If anything, this country is trying to pull together and work past some major issues, which is laudable. It’s true that if South Africa wants to continue to grow together and move forward, it needs to begin from the inside, not from outside aid. The government is not the answer, either. It’s the heart of the people that matters—they need to bridge gaps with relationships, look outside of themselves, and think about the future of their country. One of the coolest aspects of this I've seen is God doing a mighty uniting work through the Church in South Africa--His people are pioneering this movement by building relationships with each other across former racial boundaries, focusing on their common bond in Him
Mountains
. I’m excited as I see this happening at Jubilee. It is such a diverse community! I can't wait to be there in the morning...Tonight a bunch of the interns went to the waterfront to see one of the documentaries that I saw last weekend. I decided to hang here and rest, rather than going to see it again. I’m not sure what tonight holds, but I’m kind of enjoying the quiet. I’ve about reached the half-way point in my journey (HARD TO BELIEVE!), and there is a lot to look back on/look forward to. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to Jubilee, which has become a time I truly look forward to all week. I love spending some time with the youth group there, and since they begin school this week, they will start up their Friday night Crew meeting this coming Friday (yay!) as well as the boarding school Bible study, which I hope to get more information on. I'm anticipating some fun fellowship times in the upcoming weeks, and I'll be sure to share those details and prayer requests as I get them myself ( :
VAC is venturing into the towhships tomorrow afternoon... I'll definitely have some great pictures to share and more explanation about the social issues surrounding it all. It's fascinationg, really.
until then... Cheers!
Comments
Miss you
Really, Tina? 'Mooonsamy' with 3 o's? Well, when he becomes famous you can show how close you were to him! What interesting things you are doing and seeing that you will never forget! Glad you are feeling better and able to go back to the clinic and youth group. I love you!
Mom
sick
Miss Tina,
I haven't been online for a couple of days since I have a nephew visiting form Fla. i am sorry to hear you were sick and am glad to read you are recovering nicely! You need to eat...lots... and rest! Don't overdo it! I'm sure it's tempting since your time there is limited but you need to remember to take care of yoursef if you want to be able to take care of your patients!
Have a wonderful experience there in Eden!
Love,
Miss Marti