June 18, 2004
Forty-eight
hours in Africa and I feel like I have been here for weeks! Perhaps that is
because it takes so long to get here! It is nine and a half hours from Vancouver
to London followed by a 10-hour layover in London. Then on Tuesday night I
flew to Johannesburg. It was an 11-hour flight but this time there was an
empty seat beside me so I actually was able to curl up and sleep. I arrived
in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning and then transferred to a short flight
to Durban. The next step was to catch a small van outside the airport to a
village where it had been agreed upon that I would be met. One man on the
van was intoxicated and was noisily fighting with his girlfriend. As we pulled
into the village, there was no sign of anyone waiting for me. The driver pulled
my luggage--all 100 pounds plus of it out of the van. The noisy man got out
to have a cigarette and told the driver that he couldn't leave me on the side
of the road. As they debated what to do with me with the drunk refused to
leave me. Help comes from the most unusual places! Just at that moment, Jollean,
the woman from Vancouver, along with a driver showed up and we were off to
Umzumbwe. We turned onto a dirt road and 10 minutes later I had arrived at
my home for the next several weeks.
I don't know how many people live in the village, as it is very rural. There
is no village center just houses scattered all over the hillsides. I had asked
very little about my accommodation as it was totally irrelevant to me and
so I was surprised by how pleasant it is. There is a stunning view of the
countryside and the sugar cane fields. Off in the distance one can see the
ocean. My room is very nice, clean and comfortable and there is running water
and an indoor bathroom! This is the house of the Minister of Health for South
Africa and her elderly mother looks after it with the help of a maid. The
property is walled with an electric fence and two dogs run the property at
night for security.
Jollean very kindly made me dinner while I unpacked and we ate dinner out
on the patio. It was quite cool and I was bundled up with several sweaters.
I got into bed and pulled the blankets over my head to get warm. I had agreed
to join Jollean in her work right from day one, which means a 5:30 rising
and leaving the house right at sunrise. It is a 10-minute walk to the school
and Jollean's garden. We must arrive at the school before the children so
that we have water pressure for the hose. Once the children come, there is
such a demand on the one water tap that there isn't enough water for the garden.
We filled the garbage containers with water and the children started to arrive.
There are 500 students in the school from kindergarten to grade 7. If you
have seen any movies about Africa, the school looks just like in the movies.
7:45 assembly is called and we get to attend. The children stand in the courtyard
and sing. I was then introduced as Auntie Jan and all these beautiful children
stared at me with their big eyes. All morning as they arrived many came over
and I met them. Zulu is the language in the village and although English is
spoken in the school, the children are not fluent in English. Hence, my Zulu
lessons started very quickly!
One of the teachers and the principal was away at a workshop and there are
no substitute teachers. Hence Jollean and I volunteered to look after the
Grade 2 class for the morning. So less than 24 hours after arriving in Africa,
I was put to work. I did some English lessons with them and then we went outside
and Jollean led them in exercises. They are noisy and rambunctious and with
the language barrier it was challenging but so much fun. The children are
served a hot lunch at the school. They line up in the courtyard with a plastic
plate and spoon in hand and are served by two of the older students. Two huge
cauldrons sit in the dirt; one full of rice and the other a red sauce with
potato and some spinach from the garden. They all ate it without a peep and
I watched the children scrape the plates clean.
Right from the moment I arrived
I had children around me. I sit down in the courtyard and 30 children crowd
around, talking to me, holding my hands and I hug as many as I can. Someone
asked me what I would do in Africa and I said, if I just spend two months
hugging the children I will be happy. Many of the children are living with
grandparents, either orphaned because of AIDS or abandoned by parents because
of the critical work situation. 
There
is no work for the blacks in the village and so the parents leave the children
behind to go to the cities to find work. Some never return. As we finished
watering the garden, I was sitting on a brick, when the younger grades were
dismissed. I found myself surrounded by 20 children. I took one of their notebooks
and started reading the Zulu lesson. They all helped me with my pronunciation
and I have about 10 phrases under my belt already. As we walked home, I had
two little girls holding on to my hands and although we didn't speak, I felt
so loved and blessed. Before we got home, we stopped to drop off toothbrushes
and toothpaste to the only Indian woman in the village. As I watched Jollean
give her the toothbrushes and toothpaste I had packed in my suitcases, the
tears welled up again. Such a small item that I had tucked in between all
of my clothes and yet as I watched this mother so appreciative of them, I
was truly grateful that I had bothered.
Mullah, the principal of the school greeted me warmly this morning. She
came out twice as I was working in the garden to see how I was doing. At lunch
today, I sat on a concrete step in the courtyard and many of the littlest
children came and sat beside me. They so long to be touched, to be held, to
be nurtured. One young girl brought me an apple as a gift and I wished that
my words were more fluent. I trust that they feel the love. After they finished
eating, we went out to the large field in front of the school. Many of the
children were playing their version of baseball. One of the young girls explained
the game to me. How do you play baseball with no bat and no ball' Their ball
is a plastic bag filled with plastic and wrapped tightly into a ball shape.
You toss up the ball and hit it with your hand. Then whoever catches it, throws
it back at you. If you dodge it, you get another turn, if you are hit, you
are out. I found myself involved in the game, laughing with the children and
quite proud that I had dodged it twice when the third time I was hit. The
squeals of delight as I played were more fun than the game. I get the impression
that having an adult play with them is unusual.
I have arranged to speak with Mullah, the principal next week about her
school project for which Jollean is raising funds. Jollean's school garden
is a tremendous project in this community. It is sustainable and organic.
The country is in a drought situation and the custom is to plant large gardens,
which they can't maintain. Jollean is showing by example how to mulch to preserve
the watering and to grow a smaller garden that she can sustain. It is also
providing valuable, nutritious food for the children at the school. She has
now been asked by other schools to show them what she has done in Umzumbwe.
This
is definitely a country of dichotomies. As I watch the children sweep their
classrooms and wash the concrete floors with diesel, I am fascinated as the
teacher is talking on his cell phone. At the airport in Johannesburg, I felt
like I had arrived at a North American or European city with beautiful shops
and restaurants. Yet 15 minutes outside the airport are the shantytowns and
unbelievable poverty. I am staying in a house with a microwave in the kitchen
and yet all the clothes are washed by hand as there is no washing machine.
The poverty is extreme by North American standards but very consistent with
third world living conditions that I experienced in Ecuador. As a matter of
fact, there are times that other than the color of skin and language, I feel
like I have returned to Ecuador! I know that I am not seeing the worst of
Africa by any means. As I look at the children in their tattered and torn
uniforms and I see sores on their bodies that I am concerned about, I know
that these children are fortunate. I know that they are amongst the 'elite'
in this continent because they are receiving an education, albeit primitive,
and they are provided with a hot meal at lunchtime. There is much to be grateful
for.
The mornings and evenings are cold and the daytime temperature for a few
hours is maybe around 20. I walk to the school with four layers of sweaters
and get down to a t-shirt and sweat pants about an hour before we leave. I
have been told that it is unacceptable to wear shorts in the village. Tonight
as I write this, my hands are definitely cold and I will be happy to crawl
into bed with my hot water bottle! It is a strange feeling as I watch the
sun rise and set in Africa and I am bundled up like a brisk fall day in Vancouver!
Until the next time,
I send love and light,
Jan
Hello everyone,
It's Sunday and it is my first day off since I arrived. I actually slept in
this morning past 5:30 and that was a wonderful feeling! I did my laundry
this morning ' all by hand in tubs out in the yard and it is now hanging out
on the line. I definitely think about the clothes I wear, knowing I will have
to wash every pair of jeans and every sweater by hand. I also think very carefully
about what I am going to eat, knowing that every piece of food will be carried
in either on my back or in bags. I haven't mastered carrying everything on
my head as of yet!
It has been a full week. I have now been to Port Shepstone twice for shopping
and to Margate, another small town once. We leave the village for everything
we need to buy and as we can only carry so much, you can only do so much in
one trip. Port Shepstone is right on the Indian Ocean and it is absolutely
beautiful. Otherwise, it looks like any little town with its grocery stores,
markets and usual commerce. The other issue is that all stores close at 1:00
on Saturday so it means a 5:30 morning even on Saturday. We walk to the beginning
of the taxi run, which is about a mile away, and then catch the first taxi
at 6:45. Jollean and I are the only white people in the village and the taxis
are quite the event. The vehicles are not always in the best of shape and
although the maximum number of people is supposed to be 15 (imagine that in
your Toyota van!), we are grateful when they only pack 15 people in! Jollean
has seen up to 24 people. Now remember, we are all carrying our groceries
so it is not just people but sacks of flour, sugar, rice, beans and even live
chickens. It is an eventful affair as the driver goes through the village
picking up and dropping off and it is not for those in a rush. I have a whole
new appreciation for the Skytrain in Vancouver as this taxi ride costs $1.50
Canadian. Imagine what we get for a $2.00 fare in Vancouver. However, there
is a certain ambience in the black taxis that one just wouldn't get on the
Skytrain!
Last Saturday we stopped and had breakfast at a café that is owned
by a white South African friend of Jollean's. It was my first opportunity
to hear Afrikaans and meet a whole different culture. We were joined by another
friend and the two businesswomen were fascinated by Women Empowering Women.
It is like two entirely different worlds as Jollean and I are doing what most
white South Africans have never done which is to live amongst the black population!
The segregation is still so obvious as the country just celebrated its tenth
anniversary of democracy. Having just been through elections, the political
situation in the country is stable but people's political preference is still
a dividing factor. We then did our shopping and catch the taxi back. Yesterday,
I realized as I stood in this huge market with probably close to 100 taxis
in the center that Jollean and I were the only white people in the entire
market. It is amazing how safe I feel and although I am very careful with
my purse and bags, I feel very welcome and they love to hear me practicing
my Zulu!
Last Sunday, Jollean and I were invited to join Donfigilea, the local midwife
and dear friend of Jollean's, on a visit to her husband's aunt. We knew this
was special to be invited into their home so we were both feeling very honoured.
There were 13 of us and the taxi was loaded with bags of rice, beans, oil,
and other gifts. We arrived carrying everything on our heads. Jollean managed
the bag of oranges and I carried the bag of beans! We soon learned that they
had not visited in over 14 years. There was singing and dancing and a very
solemn ceremony of presenting the gifts as we sat in the round hut on the
hillside. They fed us rice and a potato sauce and I skipped the chicken! Then
it was time to leave and Jollean and I learned that we now had to walk home.
It took us almost 2 hours of walking along dirt roads and through trails.
It was quite the experience but we were very grateful to be included!
One of the highlights this week at school was the school's first ever sports
day! Mullah, the principal, had been planning and budgeting for this event
for many months. I was nominated the official photographer so that was fun
although the winners were all very solemn. The children were divided into
4 teams and the day began with singing, prayer and a Zulu dance. Needless
to say, I was slightly surprised when 12 bare-breasted young women came out
to dance. Not quite the sports days I remember from high school! Some of these
girls, although it is a primary school, are well into their teens and well
developed physically. Again, the dichotomy of this country ' an hour away
there is a mall that would rival a North American mall and here in this black
village, we are face to face with a culture that is thousands of years old.
The rest of the day was excellent with the kindergarten children doing sack
races and the older children involved in various running races. As they have
no sports equipment, there were only running competitions and of course, they
all ran in bare feet. There were some trophies and prizes for everyone. For
their first sports day, it was a wonderful achievement on the part of the
principal and teachers.
In preparing for sports day there were extra meetings for the teachers which
gave Jollean and myself an opportunity to spend more time with the children.
One morning I spent with about 15 of the grade 4 girls as the teacher was
working with the boys to prepare the running track. We worked on a craft project
that Jollean had brought for the children. Then they asked me to do exercises
with them which means they want Jollean's yoga classes. Thankfully I have
been practicing with Jollean so we had yoga exercises, some of my own exercises
and then I asked them to sing for me. We sat out on the grass and they sang
which is so beautiful to listen to. There is only 3 more days of school and
then they are out for 3 weeks of holidays. It will be strange working in the
gardens without the laughter of children everywhere and them dropping in for
visits. However, we are working on how we can continue to connect with the
children throughout the holidays. Even the boys have been very friendly with
me, calling me Auntie Jan and practicing their English with me. Some of them
do fairly well speaking and I believe that they understand more than they
let on. Mullah, the principal is Indian and does not speak Zulu. She understands
Zulu but every morning at assembly the children line up, do their songs and
prayer, they have announcements in Zulu and then Mullah speaks to them about
values, their education and their behaviour in English. They don't seem to
spend much time in class actually learning as the students are responsible
for cleaning the school, the toilets, and the grounds. Between washing the
dishes they use for their morning meal, eating, cleaning the school, their
teachers being in meetings, there doesn't appear to be many hours of learning.
Mullah says that the paperwork that needs to be filled out is absolutely ridiculous.
The government demands for forms and statistics on what is happening in the
rural schools is so high, there is little time for teaching. However, if they
don't fill out the forms, there is trouble so it appears to be a vicious cycle.
This week was my first week at the Creative Beading Circle that Jollean
has recently started for the women in the village. Only two women came but
we had a good time. We worked on necklaces using beads that Jollean has bought
and also pieces of the jewelry similar to what I brought with me. The women
can sell their work and 50% goes back into the pot for supplies. They keep
the other 50%. However, if they sell someone else's work, they get 25% of
the 50% and the designer gets the other 75% of the 50%. We then had potluck
and ate our meal together. It is an excellent time to find out what is going
on at a community level and to build trust and friendship. So I made my necklace
and had my first experience working with beads.
Today Jollean went to the gardens alone as I needed to do laundry. On her
return at lunch, she said that we had been invited with Donfigilea and her
husband to go for a car ride to see more of Umzumbe. Vussi, her husband, drives
taxi and had the day off but still had use of the taxi as long as we paid
for the gas. So this afternoon, I was unexpectedly off sightseeing in the
country. We had a great time with the family as their 7 year old daughter
and 19 year old son joined us. I sat in the front with the two men and we
bounced along the country roads. We crossed the Umzumbe river which is virtually
dried up because of the drought. Still a few women were washing clothes in
the river which apparently has had cases of cholera. The other side of the
village is even more rural than where I am staying and there are no water
stands like we have on this side. Apparently as we came home after dark, there
is not even electricity in many of the areas. I can't imagine what they are
doing with no water stands because it is a daily experience to see the women
and children lining up at the water stands to carry large pails of water home,
yes, on their heads! Think about having a 20 litre pail of water on your head
going up and down the hills and then having to sustain an entire families
needs for the day with that water! Anyways, we had a wonderful time and every
relative was pointed out along the way. I think that the entire village must
be related as everyone seemed to be a cousin. The 'dowry' that must be paid
for the woman according to the Zulu custom makes marriages very rare. So I
am discovering that very few people are actually married and men seem to have
many women and children scattered throughout the village. It is quite customary
for men to have more than one woman. And of course it is very common for young
girls to have babies of their own.
Last week as we walked home from the school, we thought there was a party
going on at one of the homes. However, we were told that it was a funeral
for a baby that had died from pneumonia. I know how cold I can be in this
house at night and it is the best constructed house in the village. I hate
to think how cold they must be.
I am constantly amazed at the number of fires that are burned throughout the
village. Today a field was on fire, completely unattended, which is also normal
and an electrical pole was on fire. Nobody pays any attention to it and miraculously
the whole village doesn't go up in smoke. With everything being so dry as
there is no rain, and no water to fight a fire if it did get out of control,
I am shocked at how many fires are lit every day. We can't seem to get an
answer as to why they light the fires but Jollean woke up our landlady this
morning at 6:00 a.m. because there was a fire in the field next door. The
sugar cane fields are so dry right now but even Donfigilea and Vussi couldn't
explain and don't understand.
I
am constantly in awe of Jollean's level of work in this village. She is a
healer who has worked with many incredible teachers all over the world from
Peru and Guatemala to Egypt and Turkey. Her mission is not to change but to
awaken and raise the consciousness of the village. She never stops teaching
and I have discovered that every word is truly profound. I agree with her
mission as there is no point coming in to 'change the world' when the world
doesn't think it needs changing nor does it want to be changed. However, by
working at a grass roots level in the village, building trust and friendship,
always modeling an example of consciousness, shifts are happening. I think
of the story told by Sally Armstrong in her book, The Veiled Threat. Many
westerners have come into Africa demanding the eradication of female genital
mutilation. They were ignored and basically told to 'butt out' of a tradition
and custom that has been occurring on this continent for generations. However,
one English woman went to Senegal as an exchange student 20 years ago. She
never left but stayed and learned their language and traditions. She began
to talk to the women about their custom and explained that in other parts
of the world, it didn't take women 15 minutes to urinate or 4 days to give
birth to a baby. Once these women understood, the village women stopped the
practice and then went to the other villages educating the women and in less
than a decade the practice of female genital mutilation was eradicated in
Senegal. I see Jollean working the same way here, teaching the children and
the women gently and reasoning with them. It is a privilege to work alongside
her on this mission.
Until the next time,
I send you love and light,
Jan
