Checking In

Hi Friends!  I miss you all so much but at the same time I absolutely can not imagine leaving the people I have met here.  It is almost unthinkable...I know I'll be back here. 


I've decided to wait and do a full update once all of the sponsorship stuff has totally gone through so that I don't jump the gun...but know that it's really really really really good!


I really want to keep track of all of the little stories and moments that I'm going through, and to be honest if the stories I have don't touch your heart then you need to do a little soul searching.  So here go a few stories from people I have met.


Joyce. She is such a BALLER.  She is an openly lesbian woman living in South Africa and was the first HIV+ woman to climb Kilimanjaro.  She is an HIV/AIDS activist and all around awesome person to hang out with...she is one of Swazi's old friends from Soweto and a big deal in the LGBT community here.  From what I've gathered she was forced into a marriage to try and "cure" her of being a lesbian.  Her husband gave her HIV.  Love just hanging out with her and listening to her stories.  I got to talk to her 3 year old grand daughter on the phone and she started singing Rihanna's "What's My Name?"....SO ADORABLE.


Mandla.  He was arrested and imprisoned for trying to pick-pocket a drunk passed out guy last weekend.  The man he tried to steal from got his friends to beat Mandla to a pulp and then called the police.  Prison here is horrible, and all facets of the government are corrupt.  The inmates sleep in one giant room on the floor with a sheet, lined up like animals.  Mandla is small and vulnerable.  We may have convinced the police to let him go because of the fact that the man beat him up before calling the police...we were told he was released but have yet to see him.  The morning before he was arrested he was holding my hand walking with me to buy bread going on and on in Zulu.  I asked him why he was speaking in Zulu when he knows I don't know anything and he responded in a frustrated voice, "You must learn Zulu so I can tell you how much I love you, Shannon!"  He's the one in the sunglasses from my last post.


It's a long name that I forgot...I only spent one day with him, but here he is.

He is about 15 and he shared with me that he came to Amanzimtoti because he is from a rural village where the elders decided that he deserved corporal punishment.  Why?  Because one of the many animals that he took to pasture one day went missing.  His family agreed with the sentence so he ran.  I don't know how he ended up in Durban, how long he was on the run, or how long he has been at the Halfway House at the Amanzimtoti YMCA...but I guess I'm glad he made it there.  They all say it's not a cake walk at the halfway house...life is hard here too but it's better than the life of addiction and homelessness on the street.  They like that the other boys are like brothers and they understand each other.  Just taking the time to listen to these boys, answer questions like "Have you met Chris Brown??" and give them a hug can make more of an impact than I ever would have imagined.  This boy told me that the day of our visit was the best day he could remember and that he would never forget me.


This guy wants to be a social worker...Katie why aren't you here?? He told me his English name is "Innocent."

He never knew his father and his mother passed away so he had no one to support him and had to take to the streets.  He's grateful to be in school but wishes he didn't have to stay here.  He wants to live with a family, just like any other kid.  He wants to be a social worker so that fewer kids have to go through what he has.


I forgot this guy's name, too, but he was so soft spoken and adorable.  "Um, miss, can I have a picture too?"

Sniffing glue gets rid of hunger and keeps kids on the street warm on cold winter nights.  The sale of glue to children isn't regulated at all in South Africa and is an absolute epidemic among street kids globally.  Read more here.  Unfortunately the effects of glue go far beyond keeping starving children warm at night.  The neurological damage leaves kids paralyzed in severe cases like this one.  It has different effects on different kids, but it is devastating in every case.  I didn't learn this boy's story, but he was just such a little sweetheart.


More soon!

One Piece at a Time

So I'm going to try to put together this last month for everyone in a series of posts on different subjects so that one giant post isn't so overwhelming.  Baby steps!  I'm going to start with a post about something that is out of chronological order, but is taking over my thoughts.  Also, my amazing daddy suggested that I write all of this down while it is fresh, not necessarily for for this blog or for anyone else, but simply because what I am experiencing is so life changing.


I considered saying something along the lines of: This story is intense and maybe not best for my youngest cousins, etc.  But everyone needs to know that things like this happen in supposedly "developed" nations.  They need to realize that having a bed to sleep in is a huge privilege, and that they should never ever take for granted the love their parents show them. There are so many kids I've met who will never know what that feels like.


I guess I do need to give a little background to supplement my post about what is happening in terms of sponsorship.  Basically this big company is VERY interested in getting involved with this project (we're talking big bucks), but the reason they are interested is because they have a personal relationship with this journalist and they know that he will get them results.  They said that they were willing to do this through the Y, but they would prefer to do the project in-house so that they had more control over it.  At first Kevin told them that this wouldn't be possible because Swazi and Mdu (the coach/mentor of the boys) are a part of the Y and they are the core of this project--it's nothing without both of them.  Some of this has changed, but BE PATIENT, we'll get there.


So yesterday.  I'd like to start off by saying that I know very well that there are awful things in this world.  I've been to Honduras and seen the third world conditions there , I know a lot about human trafficking, and I have heard stories and seen pictures of other horrors in this world.  I have also never taken any of these things lightly--they are why I am an international development major and why I am here in SA.  But yesterday I had I saw things and heard things from children that I have come to know and love personally, and it just hit me even harder.


So I knew that some of the street kids boys slept on the side of the river bank adjacent to the soccer field where they play, and ever since I have gotten to know them I have struggled snuggling up under three blankets in my room on my comfortable bed and trying to go to sleep at night.  I had seen their little campfire area from the field, but yesterday I saw where they slept.  This is third world, and these are teenagers--some of which have been on the street since they were 7 or 8 years old.

Reminds me of forts we built in the woods for fun

Chunks of salvaged mattress and soccer icons

Behind the little shack where more sleep

Still have faith in the ANC

The kitchen...a tire and a bucket for chairs and some old paint cans to cook in

After Swazi and I came out of the little wooded area, Mandla yelled with a smile on his face "Shannon--what are you doing in my room without me!" and started giggling uncontrollably like the teenage boy that he is.  Mandla was one of the first to warm up to me and I am guaranteed a kiss on the cheek at the end of the programme from him.  Although I think he might just be turning on the charm because he wants me to give him my sunglasses...

Stunaaaa

Part of what was special about Youth Justice yesterday is that we wanted as many kids there as possible so we could take pictures and get their ages so I can put together a powerpoint to show this potential sponsor.  To do this Mdu went into town to get them because sometimes in Winter they are a little sluggish at getting to practice in the morning.  Because of his excellent recruiting efforts one girl came along with the boys.  Both the potential sponsor and Kevin were interested to hear about girls on the street--I tried to prepare Kevin a little but I know when he heard some of these things out of this girls mouth it hit him like a ton of bricks.

This is Mpume

She started living on the street in 2001 when she was 7, she thinks.  She knows it was 2001 but she's not sure exactly how old she is.  Kevin, the journalist, started firing some questions at her that she answered with grace in a steady voice, even though she was talking about unbelievably painful experiences.  Her story which I'm about to share is a combination of answer's to Kevin's questions and what she said to me after Kevin left.  I wasn't asking her any questions, I just let her talk.  Before she told me this next part she said "My mom, she loves me very much. She really does love me."  She had to start living on the street because her mom's new boyfriend said that he would take her and their infant child into his new home, but that he wouldn't support another man's children.  Mpume made it seem like a simple decision...as a 7 year old she realized that it was more important for her mom and her baby siblings to have a stable home.  She said she tries to do odd jobs to make a few rand, or she'll go into a shop and ask if they can spare some food because she doesn't want to have to go back to prostitution.  She said she tried for a week in 2004, if you're keeping track that puts her at about 10 years old.  Her adopted sisters on the street encouraged her to because they have a place to sleep and food from their pimps.  She managed to get out after that week and hasn't gone back since, but she hinted that just because she isn't a prostitute doesn't mean she does not experience sexual violence.  

Then she started talking about god.  She said she knows she has done bad things, but she always prays after and asks for forgiveness and she tries to go to church when she can.  She feels a ton of guilt for sniffing glue and smoking pot sometimes, but she said that the reason she does it is to try and keep from shivering in the cold at night and that it lets her forget how much she wants to die.  Then she told me that she doesn't know why god won't just let her die.  Why he wouldn't just cause some action where she is in an accident and will be put out of the misery that is this life on the street.  

She said if only she could have an education she would be successful and come back and help other girls on the street.  All she wants is to go to school and help other girls like her.

She told me she knows some boys who have sniffed so much glue they are paralyzed from the waist down from the nervous damage.  These boys don't even try to drag themselves to some sort of shelter at night, they just sleep on the sidewalk and they might have a blanket if they are lucky.  Try to remember that these are not adults.  They are teenagers and children.

Swazi talked to her and she is going to bring some more girls on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that they can have some small group sessions while the boys play soccer--Swazi has some counseling experience.

I was telling Swazi about how Lindani told me he loves me--"Serious Shannon."  I must say I thought I felt maternally towards my little rezzies, but this is that feeling times a million.  I just want to round them all up and tuck them into a bed and make them cookies.  I have only known Lindani's name for a few weeks, but I would ice his foot that he hurt and check up on him to see how it was doing.  This little act of love...the fact that I remembered his name and that he had a sprained foot turned this "hard" street kid who does drugs and steals from those more fortunate than him (other's opinions, not mine) turned him into one of the sweetest little boys I have ever met.  I say little boy knowing that he is 18 and an "adult" in the eyes of most Americans...but that's not what he is.  He is someone's baby who never had the love that he deserves.

I got Mpume some things she needed and I really am happy that we are now able to offer the boys food Monday-Friday instead of just Tues&Thurs but as you can imagine I was a little torn up yesterday...my stomach was in a knot and I was blinking back tears for much of it.  

I'll get into what happened later with the sponsorship--it really is very exciting even though the way we got to our current situation is more than heartbreaking.

I love you all and I can't tell you how much the Skype calls, video gchats, regular gchats, and emails mean.  I miss home but it makes it easy when I can see positive impact and stay connected.  More to come.

My Little Fratstar

Reason #34 I Won't Be a Journalist is...

...that I have a tendency to put off writing.  Sorry Mamma, I just don't think it's realistic!  And sorry to

Procrastination is My FIRST Name

Shannon is actually my middle name, it's a common misconception. 

Mrs. Lienhart Says I Need to Update

And Nana, and Grandma...I knew this would be my issue with having a blog!  I think that it was Aunt Pat's authoritative, teacher-like scolding that was the final push I needed to finish this post (by the way-thanks for the email Aunt Pat!! My godson is the smartest, most awesome child out there! It's a fact.)  Sorry to those of you who I have left hanging--so much has been happening these last three weeks!  Get ready for an action packed, edge of your seat blog SUPERupdate (name inspired by the Colbert superPAC).  

I'll start with the street kids because yesterday we had a major breakthrough in fundraising for their program and I'M JUST SO EXCITED THAT I CAN'T EVEN CONTAIN MYSELF AHHHHHH!!!  Alright, got that out of my system.  I know that I have touched on this programme in the past but to recap we invite street children (homeless children), ages aprox. 13-21, to the YMCA on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to practice soccer as a team, take a hot shower in our facilities, and eat a warm, free meal together.  In addition, literally minutes ago, someone called the YMCA and offered to provide cooked soup and bread for the boys on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday--I have tears in my eyes.  Three more days a week my boys will have food in their bellies.  I just can't HANDLE IT!!  Ok, so maybe it's not all out of my system.  Back to the fundraising breakthrough.  So there is a man staying at the YMCA named Kevin who is currently a citizen of the UK but was born here in South Africa.  Because of a long, irrelevant set of circumstances he has been staying here at the Y for the past 2 and half weeks.  Kevin is a sports journalist and he worked with several newspapers here in South Africa early on in his career.  Because he has kind of been stuck here with not much to do, he decided to come down and check out the street kids programme on day.  Like any person with a soul, it broke his heart to see that these boys live on the streets.  They are just so sweet, polite, and funny that it is so hard to fathom the things that they have experienced in their young lives and absolutely heart wrenching to realize what most of their futures hold at this point.  So after Kevin met these boys and talked with Swazi and me about the needs of the program, he set out to try and contact some of his old journalist buddies to explore options for getting a corporate sponsor for the program.  Our dream for this program is to be able to take it a step further.  To give these boys beds to sleep in and the rehabilitation and support they need to do something with their lives.  Every child deserves that and so much more.

It wasn't easy, but I genuinely think that it's happening.  Kevin got in contact with the CEO of a large business who he has worked with in the past and I convinced the director of the Y here to stop messing with our plans and let us go and do this.

Taking dad's advice

So I'm just going to go through and post some of the things I have started and not finished throughout the last month.  I can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to writing and I really have been busy working on a lot of crazy things.  I promise you a coherent post ASAP, but here are some of the others and I'm going to throw in some pictures too.

Yoh! What a Weekend!

"Yyyyyoh!" (an exclamation similar in use to the America "Whew!" ...I think) is one of the many new expressions that I have learned during these last two weeks of trying my very hardest to immerse myself in the wonderful South African culture.  This "rainbow nation" has been influenced by so many different cultures that the language is equally as colorful.  Some other funny South African words: mealies=corn, bloody, bakkie=pick up truck, robot=traffic light (Brenton is baffled as to why I think this is funny), braai= barbecue/grill, bru (pronounced brew)=bro, and many others!  I find myself trying to hold in giggles (which we all know can be dangerous for me) whenever pretty much anyone speaks, especially when Brenton gets mad about something--the accent is just so funny!

Well, I had a weekend packed full of AMAZING South African experiences starting with my first braai (see, you're learning already!) on Friday evening.  The occasion for this lovely gathering was that Gert, the accounting guy, is leaving us to take another job back in his hometown.  Well, all I have to say is that South Africans clearly know how to party.  Brenton and I left the office around 2 in order to get a little gift for Gert and go to the "bottle store" (I figured that one out without looking it up on Wikipedia).  We got to the boss man's house around 3:30 and the drinks were flowing by 4 (drinking age is 18 here, yeahhhhh)!  I am so thankful that I got this opportunity to hang out with the people I work with outside of the office.  I learned a LOT about everyone's style of working and that they all strongly believe that they can have a big fight about something at work, but they are very good about leaving it all at the office and enjoy going out and having a drink together after.  I can work with that!

 Yummy.

We even had a little discussion on race issues during which I learned that what I may have perceived as racism from some of the employees early on may not have been as bad as thought.  It turns out that this person treats everyone equally bad in the office--I think it's really just a big power trip.  Eiishh!

Overall I had a WONDERFUL time at the braai and I even tried some Boerewors, which anyone who knows about my issues with eating meat is a BIG deal!

 I still can't believe it.

 During the braai we decided that we would go to the local Lion Park on Sunday so that I could see some of Africa's "big five" animals and prove to my friends that I am, indeed, in Africa!  It was SO AMAZING!  Seriously.  I got to get out of the car and pet an elephant that one of the employees herded on to the road for us!  

See!

Then we drove through the lion enclosure where there were about 8 huge, gorgeous lions having a lazy afternoon basking in the sun.  It was one of the coolest experiences of my life--I love animals!!

Naptimeeeee

Besties

THEN we piled back into the bakkie and drove to Durban where we spent a few hours at the tourist-y hot spot, uShaka .  I got to stand in the Indian Ocean and saw more KFCs than I usually do in Cincinnati!  Our trip to Durban was relatively short, but I will be visiting there again with the group of Global Teens that visit from the US next month.

Too lazy to rotate this, but you get the idea :)

Seriously...every corner

It was an all around awesome weekend and I'm very excited to feel like I have finally found my niche here.  Updates on the Street kids program to come!

Shout outs to Jon King, Jen King, Aunt Pat, Uncle Jack, Paige, Katie Flynn, MRatt, and Scott Boden for the emails!  I really do love them and they've been very helpful.  And, as always, thanks to Hans and Rena for gchatting with me all the time and Mom and Dad for skyping me, it makes Africa seem much closer to home!

Fundraising

Hello Faithful Followers!

While this post might not be quite as funny or action packed as my last, I hope all of you still find it interesting and can give me some fun ideas and/or advice.  I hope that the Staters out there can think of this as an R&D discussion of sorts, and for my non-Stater following this means throw any idea you can think of at me--R&D (Research and Development) is just a big brainstorm session.  I think I'll write this is Scope Report format :)


Background: The Youth Justice Programme, also known as the Street Kids Program, is a collaboration between the YMCA and Youth For Christ here in Pietermaritzburg.  Its function is to provide community for homeless boys (ages aprox. 12-20) by letting them play soccer together, take a hot shower, and eat a free meal at the YMCA two days a week.

Project Title: Cleats for Kids from the Streets or YMCA Helping Kids Play (I will accept votes for your favorite)

The Goal:  The goal of the projectt Cleats for Kids from the Streets or YMCA Helping Kids Play is to  discover and implement sustainable fundraising practices to fund the current YMCA Youth Justice Programme.  The short term goal for use of these funds is to purchase soccer cleats and/or uniforms for the participants to use or have these items donated.


The Vision: The vision of this project is not yet fully developed and I will still be accepting suggestions for other possibilities, but this is what I have so far:

Option 1: In option one, the children and young adults of the YMCA would create crafts (perhaps woven bracelets?) to sell.  I am in contact with high schools and YMCAs in Cincinnati who might be interested in selling these in the US and sending the money back to South Africa.  In addition, the bracelets could be sold at the South African YMCAs in tourist locations such as Cape Town and Durban.  Pros: the YMCA participants learn a skill, are earning the money, it is a sustainable effort, and it can open up partnerships with other groups and organizations.  Cons: Pietermaritzburg is a smaller city without many tourists so it would not be a local effort, supplies for the bracelets would have to be purchased, and children who make the bracelets from other programs, such as the Y-Zone, who are not directly benefiting from making the bracelets might not be willing to make them.


Option 2: In option two, the YMCA would pursue relationships with local businesses to sponsor the team.  This option would be organized much more by the local staff of the YMCA than by myself.  Pros: It is a local effort, it will open up a relationship between the Y and these sponsors, and the companies will benefit from advertising on the shirts, etc. (maybe they would consider hiring some of the street kids at some point??).  Cons: Some businesses might just want to do a one-time donation and I do not know the likelihood of South African businesses agreeing to this.


Option 3: In option three I would simply organize annual collections at Cincinnati area high schools to support the program.  Pros: I already have relationship with high schools, it is easy. Cons: It will take longer, it is not sustainable.


The Plan:  I guess I'll need to choose an option and make sure the YMCA and YFC staff members support the vision before I create a timeline.


Why You Should Give Me Feedback:  You are all brainstorming geniuses.


The Budget: For option one: Initial cost of supplies for bracelets and cost of shipping bracelets to US or other YMCA locations.


Potential Sources: McAuley High School, LaSalle High School, St. Xaivier High School, The Archdiocese of Cincinnati, YMCAs of Greater Cincinnati, Local Businesses


Not exactly a proper Scope, but it'll do.


So, give me your ideas, thoughts, feedback in the comments section or via email (shannonflynn196@gmail.com)--I can't wait to hear it!  Also, if you know any famous soccer players (or maybe I could work out a relationship with the OSU teams?), let me know.  Feel free to ask any questions!  I am having a meeting about this with the organizers of the Youth Justice program tomorrow, so I'm sure I will have more information then.

I sound like a Teletubby?

That's right, today during the Youth Justice Programme (The official name for the Street Kids Program) the boys told me I sound like LaLa, the Yellow Teletubby

Interesting.

Wow!  I don't even know where to start, these last two days have been so awesome and full of silly, funny, serious, and eye-opening experiences that if this trip continues like this, I'm going to have to start writing everything down as it happens!  I always try to limit my number of exclamation points to one max per paragraph, but I just don't think that is realistic for this trip.

I decided where to start.  So on Monday morning I had a meeting with Swazi, the woman I mostly work with, and Thys, the "director" of the Y, to discuss specifically what my role would be as an intern here.  We decided that I would take over the "outside of the office" part of the programs that the Y runs.  Meaning I will now be facilitating the Y-Zone after school program for students ranging from as young as 9 all the way up through high school.  The goal of this program is mostly to provide a safe place for kids to hang out together in the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will be working with the Youth Justice Programme, affectionately known around here as the "Street Kids Programme" during which homeless boys (once again about ages 12-20) come and play soccer together or just hang around the field together, get to take a shower at the sports center, and then have a hot meal together provided by the YMCA.  In addition to doing these program(me)s every day, I will also be working with the Global Teens, a group of American teens, when they arrive in July.  I believe I will mostly be showing them the programs I work with and helping them get to know the SA kids (ICEBREAKERS! Leave a comment with your favorite one so I have some good ideas!).  And finally, once the University students move back in after their Summer break on July 22nd or something, I'm going to start an Activities Board with them (similar to my Hall Council!) so that they can do their own programming here as well as some leadership development.

So after the meeting, I kind of just sat around the office for a while until it was time for the Y-Zone program to start.  One of the structured parts of the program is that the boys dance for much of the afternoon.  Here is a video of some of the "Spar10z" dancing at the local university. They are AMAZING!  They mainly focus on krumping and it is almost unbelievable to watch these 10 and 12 year old kids doing these complicated dance moves!  Also, the Spar10z are currently competing in a South African version of America's Best Dance Crew called Step Up or Step Out--they are so famous!  As Swazi and I walked into the yard where the program is held and everyone started chatting in Zulu, she laughed and said to me, "Oh, I think they fancy you!"  Within the first five minutes I had two twelve year old boyfriends dead set on coming back to the US with me and the three of us already had a picture together (we were all wearing pink, so it was only natural).  All of this attention is not going to be any good for my ego.  As I got to know a few of the kids (along with some of what I had already encountered around the office), I realized that racial tension is still very high in this country.  I realize now that I should not have been as surprised as I was, but some of what I encountered really did shock me.  For example, I was talking to a girl, probably about 12 or 13, and as I was saying she was one of my first friends here she kind of hesitated, giggled, looked a little bit shy and said,

"Even though I'm black..."

It caught me totally off guard.  But then as I looked around and realized I was the only white person there and thought about some of the encounters I had seen and comments I had heard from the (white) Y staff, I guess it's what made sense to her.  Then as I was talking to another one of the older boys, I could tell he was still pretty bitter about the fact that the group of Global Teens that visited last year "didn't like" them and said that their dancing was too "gangster."  I can guarantee that nothing of that sort will be happening on my watch.  

On a lighter note, as the crowd thinned out and I was just watching some of the younger guys doing some very impressive breaking stunts, and they asked me if I wanted to try.  I told them that I couldn't do their moves, but that I did know how to baby freeze--a classic white girl break move, as you will see if you google it.  You could say they were less than impressed, and I'm pretty sure they made fun of me in Zulu during it, but I like to think that they respected my effort :).

A baby freeze--it's easier than it looks

Later that day I got to know on of my co-workers, Brenton (whose name I feel like I'm pronouncing wrong if I don't say it with a South African accent), a little bit better.  He is 25 and was born and raised here in PMB, he graduated from the "Varsity School" with a degree in HR, he speaks Afrikaans (for every 3 convos in Zulu that I don't understand, I don't understand one in Afrikaans), and he just got back from interning for a year in China.  We had fun comparing SA and US cultures, mostly in terms of drinking games, food, college parties, and different words like petrol vs. gasoline and lift vs. elevator.  When I said something about American football, the only thing he could come up with to say was "Oh yeah, I really like that movie Friday Night Lights."  He tried.

Then when I got home from the office (aka I walked 50 yards to my room) around 6, I bothered Hans on G-chat the rest of the night because lucky him it was only noon in Ohio and he was on his gmail all day for work.  On that note, I'm sure Hans would appreciate it if more of you talked with me on FB and G-chat in the evenings (12pm-4pm EST, ish) so that he doesn't have to continue to hear my constant stream of comments on random things for hours on end. :)

Now for today!  So I learned yesterday that I don't have to be in to the office until 9am rather than 8, which is probably good because I don't do much in the morning anyway.  As I may have mentioned, I briefly "met" the Street Kids on Thursday, but it was more of me just awkwardly standing there while everyone conversed in Zulu and waving when people said "Cha-non."  Today was much different in that there were also volunteers from two other NGOs present, Youth For Christ and another that I don't recall the name of.  I talked for a few hours with these volunteers (they were all South African except for one from Swaziland) about topics ranging from American music artist to the new SA welfare system, to whether or not my hair was real.  But the most interesting part of this conversation for me was this young mans views on how the end of Apartheid has done absolutely nothing for South Africans (I think it would be relevant to note that he is black).  He thinks that the black people have done nothing productive with their rights and that the views of most of the white South Africans have not changed at all.  That is an extreme summary of a very long conversation, but I so much appreciate that people have been willing to open up to me about topics like this and I am learning about so many things that I did not expect, and I am so thankful for that.  Towards the end of the day, after everyone had played soccer and showered and were sitting around eating, they all began to giggling and talking in Zulu again.  But this THIS time one of my YFC friends translated a few things here and there for me, including the Teletubby reference as well as a request that I serve their food next week.  Why they want me to ladle their stew on to plates, I'm not quite sure but they certainly thought it was funny!  Then I learned some secret handshakes, and they showed off a little bit of their English as we said good-bye for the day.  

Some of the housekeepers have been teaching me a little bit of Zulu, so I hope I catch on to more so I can show off my skills to the Street Kids.

The one last disturbing cultural encounter I had today might be a little bit difficult for me to get over anytime soon.  We were talking about what I would to on the weekends and which of the staff would take me where, etc. when on our way out, one of the white men who works in the office with me said in reference to the black female security guard, 

"Oh haha and maybe she can take you over the weekend to eat a goat's head and some of them...oh what do you folk eat...chicken feet! Hahaha!"

The security guard was obviously appalled, and so was I.  I can't wait to have some discussions with this man once I have settled in a little more...

Whew! This is packed full of information! Almost done!

So when deciding what I would cook for myself I thought that I would want a mostly vegetarian diet--mostly because I don't like touching raw meat.  With this idea in mind, most of the recipes I decided on were latin american-y, lots of black beans, vegetarian chilis, etc. However when I went to the store to purchase these ingredients, I discovered that there is absolutely no Latin American food in the grocery (granted, the store I go to is not a wealthy one).  Side note--there is no real coffee, only instant.  So tragic.  Back to the point--there aren't even black beans here! No one knew what I was talking about!  So, I've decided to cook Indian food since there is a large Indian population and lots of Indian ingredients and spices.  I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT IT!!! I love Indian food, and although I was disappointed about the lack of Latin American fare at first, I'm sure that this is going to be better!

Well, that's all folks!  I hope you enjoyed this update and that it wasn't too scatterbrained!  It's very difficult to write about everything all of these new experiences at once, but I'm sure I'll get better with time.  More pictures to come, I want to get more comfortable with the people before I start taking pictures so that I don't seem too tourist-y.  I've also promised Hans a video of the little boys free-styling at Y-Zone, so get excited.

I love you all! Keep the emails coming! It keeps me occupied to hear from and reply to you all! Thanks to Paige, Jonathan King, and Erica for sending me some already! :)

Be sure to drinK your Ovaltine. 

Some Pictures of my Room

I always feel weird taking pictures of people's normal lives...like at the Farmer's Market this morning.  I guess I don't want people to think of me as a snobby American tourist.  I'll work on getting over that though, because I know I'll want to have pictures of this!  But here are some pictures of my room, for those of you that are interested :)

 I had to find an adapter for my adapter to use this guy

The Stater Elephant is enjoying the visit to his homeland!

Maybe the person before me killed them all?

My little kitchen counter

Sink and Stove

Those cliff bars saved me the first few days...

Such a comfortable bed! Seriously. Love it.

Shower, bathroom sink, toilet

Delicious fried dough that Swazi told me to buy at the farmer's market.  She said that she eats it with jam in the mornings.  The woman selling it to me asked (I think, these South African accents can be very strong!) if I would like beef, curry, or savory filling, I decided to just go with plain for my first round.

I'm sure Mark, Scott, and Jon will love to see that my Nalgene made it all the way to South Africa!

This awful creation may very well end my addiction to coffee.  Starbucks VIA, where are you??

My door! That's a French-ass name, Yvonne! 

I had a great time at the farmer's market this morning!  It was good to get a lay of the land--I will probably buy some more stuff next week and try to get some pictures.  Swazi is going to take me into town today, don't really know what to expect but I'm excited!

Blogging?

Sooo I had a hard time deciding whether or not to create a blog, because they seem pretty self centered and stuff...but I decided if nothing else that my parents and Paige would enjoy it, so here we are!

First of all, I am 6 hours ahead of Ohio time for anyone that is curious/wants to contact me. I am writing to you all from my little desk in the YMCA office here in PMB (Pietermaritzburg).  I have access to this computer while the Y is open, but so far my outlet adapters are the wrong size so I haven't been able to use my computer.  Apparently there is wireless that I might be able to purchase, but we'll see if I'm even able to find an adapter.  Here is a little summary of my trip so far:

The People- Obsessed with everyone's accents! Especially little kids...adorable.

Gert is the finance guy. His office is directly across from my little desk with a piece of paper hung on the wall next to it that says "Finance Department." It's a one man department that is soon to be a no man department as he is leaving in a week or so to take a new job.

Swazi is a woman of many jobs, and she will also probably end up doing most of what Gert does when he leaves.  From what I've gathered so far, she is the receptionist, she does most of the administrative work, she runs the Street Kids program, she helps with the Y-kids programs, and she is who I will be working with.  She says I got here at the perfect time since several other people recently left as well.

Thys is the director/general manager of the Y. Thys lives somewhere in the city with his family, he has had the opportunity to travel to the states and visit YMCAs there, and I only got to meet him for a couple of minutes.

My Flights- My flight to Atlanta and my flight to Johannesburg were both great, the Johannesburg one even had two meals and a little touch screen computer thing were you could play games, watch movies, look at the flight progress, etc.  Then I got stuck in Johannesburg for 16.5 hours.  Apparently my flight got switched...I realized later that I probably should have gone through security the night before and checked in and I would not have had all the trouble that I did, but I survived so it was fine!  It was crazy how small an international airport can be!  The plane we took from Johannesburg to PZB was SO SMALL! Capacity was 29 people, and that was a stretch.  The hostess somehow managed to give us all a croissant and drink too, but I really don't know how. Gert, the moderately awkward accounting guy, picked me up from the airport and we drove (in a car with the steering wheel on the right side AND on the right side of the road!) to the Y.  I left Cincinnati at 1:30 pm Ohio time on the 14th and Arrived here at 11:10 am PMB time on the 16th!

My Room- It was a little bit disheartening to see a mostly empty can of roach killer first thing when I walked in to my new home, but so far so good! I have a little mini house/studio apartment thing to live in.  It's in the staff area which is gated off from where the students live.  I have a little kitchen, a bathroom, shower, and bed with a little ancient TV.  It's nothing special but there's hot water and a comfy bed so I'm happy!  Thys told me that the interns usually just make their own food and they give us a stipend to buy it with, but I could have "them" cook for me if I wanted.  I decided to cook for myself, a. because I don't know who "they" are and b. I'll get to be picky.

Experiences so far- From what I've gathered, there are "only" about 70 students from the university living here right now because everyone else is on Winter break until July 22nd or something.  Thys, the director of the Y, told me he wants me to work on programming for them which is a little intimidating, but we'll see!  I got to meet some of the "street kids" yesterday, a name that I didn't like at first, but now I realize that they are simply not sugar coating what these kids are...they are kids living on the street who come here twice a week to play soccer together, get a shower, and eat a meal.  Swazi, told me she has started trying to gather more information about all of them and why they are where they are.  Meet is a loose term, because Swazi spoke to them in Zulu the whole time, and toward the end she kind of motioned towards me and said "Cha-nonn" She tells me that they can speak English as well, so I hope I get to hear some of their stories at some point.  By the way, Zulu is the language with clicks in it...it's pretty cool, you should google it.  I think Swazi is going to take me grocery shopping at some point today, and normal work will start on Monday as this is a holiday weekend.

It seems like I might get the opportunity to travel, which would be awesome.  There are Ys in Durban and Cape Town so hopefully I'll get to go check them out or go home to Durban with Swazi for a weekend, etc.  I think it's a perfect time for me to be here because it seems like they really need me, especially since Gert is leaving like next week or something. 

Email me and tell me anything exciting about your lives!  I'll try to get some pictures up soon.  Love you all!