“Take what little you have and make a change.”

Me, Bongi, and Nellie, another UConn intern

Who said that? Nelson Mandela? Ghandi? Mother Theresa? Some other world renowned activist? How about Abongile Qasana, a 21 year old Capetonian accounting student and the coach of the Khayelitsha Fire Fighters, the soccer team that I have been working with. I first met Bongi, as he goes by, at a dinner in the apartment of my program director. We instantly hit it off; I was drawn to his genuine love of life and how he NEVER stops smiling. I knew he was someone I wanted to work with, so the next week I headed out to Khayelitsha, the township where he lives, to attend his soccer practice. Since that day I’ve only missed one Thursday night practice, I’ve gone almost every Wednesday evening to help tutor the players, and this coming weekend will be the second tournament I’ve attended. Getting to Khayelitsha consists of an hour commute each way on a crowded bus or taxi, but I always go.

What parent wouldn't want this?

All Bongi wants to do is change the world, yet the best part is he does it every day by changing the lives of the boys on his team. He is one of the most remarkable individuals my age I have ever met and certainly is one of the most positive role models a parent could want for their son, especially in a community that is crawling with gangsters, crime, and violence. He is excited about life, he is excited about the community which he lives in, and he is excited about making positive social change. As a matter of fact, it is practically all he talks about. The simplest things make Bongi happy. I called him one day and asked him how he was doing and he responded saying he woke up with a smile on his face because the sun was shining. Had it been raining, he probably would have said he woke up smiling because the rain was replenishing the earth. The word “good” has to be his most used word. Everything is good; something good is always happening, something good is always bound to happen, and there is good in every situation. Sometimes he gets so excited he starts talking fast and stammers over words, since English isn’t his first language. All I can do is smile when I’m around him. At his busiest, Bongi will be at school all day in the city (twenty minutes in the opposite direction from where I live, making my twice weekly commute to Khayelitsha seem simple), he’ll come home and go straight to soccer practice, followed by attending services at his church, and then he’ll start his homework. He says sometimes he is up until after two doing work, and yet he is back up and out of his house bright and early the next morning with a smile on his face.

Can you tell why I love being around him so much? On a trip where there are only two other guys, Bongi has become a dear friend of mine. Whenever I’m with him I’m laughing; we talk and joke around and just relax, just like I do with my friends back home. After I got back to Cape Town from my spring break excursion I gave Bongi a call to say hi and catch up on our past weeks. After I told him my plans to have more logoed gear printed for his soccer players, Bongi took a moment to genuinely thank me for “all the work and effort that I have put in.” It meant a lot to me, even though doing what I do isn’t “work” or “effort,” it’s fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m getting as much out of the work as he and his team are. Tomorrow night Bongi is coming to a soccer game in Cape Town Stadium – one of the World Cup venues – along with a handful of other UConn students and my student who I have been tutoring. We’re both looking forward to the game, but on the horizon is something bigger. Bongi has applied to a UNESCO Human Rights Forum at UConn, which means this August he’d be coming to the States. The prospect of being able to take Bongi around my country, bring him to my house to introduce him to my family, and show him how people live in America keeps me up at night. It would be an amazing experience, especially for him, but for me too, as now I would be on the opposite side of the relationship. For now all we can do is wait and hope he gets accepted. In my opinion there couldn’t be a more deserving applicant. 

Kruger National Park

This past Thursday through Saturday I spent in Kruger National Park, the largest game reserve in South Africa. After a 6+ hour bus ride from Johannesburg to the park we moved into the awesome bungalow-type houses we were staying in and went right out on our first game drive – an evening ride from five until eight. We were all antsy with excitement and it didn’t take long for us to see some animals. Almost immediately we saw warthogs and then a few minutes later we came face to face with impalas, which are in the antelope family. The thing is, antelope are like deer; they are really exciting to see at first but eventually they barely warrant a head turn. So, the excitement lulled for awhile as we drove through the various roads, until all of a sudden we turned a corner and BOOM, a white rhino was grazing some 30-50 feet away from us. There were a lot of hands-over-the-mouth gasps, as people tried to stay quiet despite their excitement. We watched the rhino for awhile and then continued on our way, only to come face to face with a giraffe a few minutes later. The fully grown male was even closer than the rhino was and took a few minutes to check us out as we all frantically snapped pictures. The evening drive ended quietly, like it began, but seeing the rhino and giraffe was amazing and no one was complaining.

Look how close that elephant is!

We were up before 4:30 the next morning for our 5am morning drive. Just as our evening drive ended, we started in the dark, using two spot lights to search the bush as we drove by. It’s about as difficult as it sounds and it wasn’t until dawn started breaking that we came across our first animals. First it was zebras grazing in a field, a few minutes later it was giraffes eating trees alongside the road, and our action packed half hour ended as we finally came across our first elephants! The ride turned out to be jam packed with elephants, we saw probably half a dozen over the three hours. At one point we were watching a mother and baby elephant when we noticed a large male in the trees a little ways across the street. We moved up to check him out and watched as he slowly made his way to the road. He emerged from the trees and crossed the road right in front of our truck, pausing for a moment directly in front of us to turn and size up our truck. I’m not sure what was going on, but our driver quickly told us all to stop talking. The huge male was only a few feet from the front of our truck and would have only needed a step or two to be next to us, it made me rethink standing out on the edge of the truck like I was. Further in our ride the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes and backed the truck up, saying there was a lion out in the field. He wasn’t lying; a female was sitting under a tree probably 150 yards off. How our driver managed to spot her, with just her head poking out of tan colored grass, while also driving the truck no one could figure out. Even though she was so far away, it was awesome seeing her and being able to say I’ve seen a lion!

Look closely, there's a lion!

After sleeping the rest of the morning away, I went and ate lunch by the river and watched two hippos swim right by where I was. Another animal added to the list! The afternoon consisted of a bush walk, where eight of us went out with two guides with huge guns to walk around looking at different aspects of the safari and looking for animals. We walked along rhino trails for a long time, stopping from time to time so the guides could explain different aspects of the bush to us. During one of these explanations the other guide called over to us, saying he had just seen a rhino in the bush a ways off. We silently set off to track him, but it was to no avail. Aside from a few antelope we didn’t see any animals, but it was still awesome walking around in an environment so different from what I am used to.

The beautiful bush where we went for our walk

We left the park the next morning, bright and early at 6am. Our drive out was essentially another safari though, we saw elephants, giraffe, wart hogs, a hippo, and to top it off, water buffalo. The water buffalo is part of the “Big Five,” so that means in addition to the rhino, lion, and elephant I saw four out of the five. The only one I missed was a leopard, which is apparently pretty rare. The drive out was icing on the cake to an amazing couple days in Kruger National Park. It was certainly a unique experience, though I hope it wasn’t once in a life time. From here I have five weeks left in Cape Town. The next two my school has off, though I have plenty planned to keep me busy! Then I have three weeks left of teaching until I get on a plane bound for JFK! I am definitely starting to get ready to come home and see everyone that I’ve missed these past few months but I am looking forward to the time I have left in South Africa.

Excursion

In a few minutes I’ll be leaving for my spring break excursion to Johannesburg and Kruger National Park. We’re going to be tour a whole bunch of museums and seeing other historical sites. Here is a brief rundown of my week.

Sunday:

-Tour of Hector Pietersen Museum

-Tour of Mandela Family Home

-Tour of Freedom Square

-Rosebank Flea Market – which apparently is packed with souvenirs.

Monday:

-Tour of Sharpeville Memorial – sight of the Sharpeville Massacre which was the turning point in the fight against apartheid.

Tuesday:

-Volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of South Africa – I have been working with the person spearheading this effort closely on another project here in Cape Town.

Wednesday:

-Tour of Apartheid Museum

-Tour of Constitution Hill and Old Johannesburg Prison – where many political activists have been held

Thursday:

-Travel to Kruger National Park – 8 hours on a bus wooohooo!

-Go on an evening game drive

Friday:

-Go on an early morning game drive

-Take a walking tour of the bush (safari)

Saturday:

-Another 8 hour bus ride back to Jo’Burg and then flying back to Cape Town.

We’re also going to be going to a lot of really cool restaurants while were in Jo’burg. This is the part of the trip that we all have been waiting for, everything was built up to this. I currently have a 101° fever so hopefully that goes down and I can enjoy this week! I’ll be back next weekend with some stories to tell!

...What did you just say?

“Wipe your mouth with that diaper!” “The power is out, go get the torch!” “It’s on the right just after the robot.” “I need to put plaster on my arm before I can go anywhere.”

Do you have any idea what all of that means, or maybe the idea you have doesn’t make any sense? Welcome to a day in the life. South Africa has eleven official languages, but I’ve been lucky enough that everyone I’ve encountered speaks English. The thing is, a lot of words and phrases that we use in the States are completely different than how they say it here in South Africa. The first few lines are perfect examples. At face value, you’re probably thinking of someone is wiping their face with a baby’s diaper, instead of a napkin which is what it really says; someone is carrying a medieval flaming torch instead of a flash light; you're looking for a big shiny robot in the street rather than a traffic light; or someone is putting the stuff you fix walls with onto their arm rather than a bandaid.

 It’s entertaining discovering all the different ways of saying things. A month or so ago I had the most ridiculous conversation in a store trying to explain to the clerk what a clothes pin was (called a peg here). I don’t think I’ll ever get used to telling a sixth grader to let his friend borrow his rubber (eraser); and if your mind wasn’t already in the gutter, imagine what a “humped zebra” is (a raised crosswalk). My favorite fruit is cantaloupe, but it doesn’t exist here. Instead, it’s sweet melon, or if you want to be even more literal, sweet orange melon. There is a difference between a taxi and a cab, and confusing the two in conversation will thoroughly confuse a local. Food doesn’t go bad, it goes off. If you need someone’s attention you can say “excuse me” all you want, but they won’t acknowledge you until you say “sorry.” Though “sneakers” is used, the term “tekkies” is more common. Things don’t get crazy, they get hectic.

Huh?

Aside from simple word differences, there are sayings that are completely different and often times just as confusing. Instead of saying “really” they say “is it,” instead of saying “what’s up” they say “how’s it,” instead of saying “that’s too bad” they say “shame.” To say you’re coming “just now” means you’ll be coming soon, but to say you’re leaving “now now” means you’re leaving that instant. I’m not sure if the word “rent” exists here, instead all the signs say “to let,” whatever that means…

Out of all of the different sayings and words here, my favorites are the words for thank you, “cheers,” and you’re welcome, “pleasure.” They’re just happier words; at least for me it’s hard to say “cheers” without smiling. I'll definitely be bringing some of these latter phrases back to the States with me. I'll sure I will receive the same funny looks I gave to people as I tried to figure out what in the world they were talking about. 

Those Who Have the Least Share the Most

I love being able to use this blog to share different experiences that leave an impression on me. This post stems from something I do every morning when I get to school: I try and talk to each student in both my classes, asking them how their weekend or previous night was. Most give the typical “good” response, some divulge a bit more, but the student who I have been tutoring (and writing about!) almost always says “bad.” This obviously got my attention. I wanted his response to be “good,” so one day last week I asked him if he’d like to get together over the weekend and do something fun. He was excited about it, so this past Sunday I went and visited him at the orphanage where he stays. From there, we started walking into the city because, per his request, we were going to spend our afternoon “just walking.” On our way there we started a dialogue that would be brought up throughout the next few hours we spent together.

Just outside the city limits, we walked past a congregation of maybe 10 homeless people sleeping in a shaded patch of grass. As we passed he pointed them out and said it made him feel “shame” and “sad.” I asked why and he went on to explain that it was because they have no food or homes or money or anything. He’s spent some time on the streets as well, so I wasn’t too surprised at his empathy. Later, towards the end of our walk we got talking about life. I asked him what his dream job was when he grew up and I couldn’t believe what he told me. I expected him to reply with his usual talk of being a basketball player in the United States or winning the lottery, but he gave me an answer that you’d be hard pressed to find another sixteen year old kid say. He told me that he wants to help the homeless people. He wants to give them food and shelter and jobs. Now THAT I did not see coming. But wait, there’s more. On our way out of the city there is a really good bakery that I had been bugging him about going to all day. All I wanted to do was buy him a delicious, ridiculously decorated baked good. As we were walking by the street it is on I decided to give it one last try. Finally, rather than saying that he wasn’t hungry he agreed to let me buy some cake! Except he didn’t want the cake. Rather, he told me to buy the cake and give it to the homeless people we were about to walk by once again on our way home.

You can’t make this stuff up. Here is a refugee orphan who has to wash cars at the touristy waterfront to make money so he can buy his clothes or anything else that he might need refusing to be selfish; here is a sixteen year old kid in the sixth grade who gets made fun of because he can barely read caring for complete strangers. He has every right to feel sorry for himself, and often times he does. He has every right to be mad at the world for the situation that he is in, but instead he wants to give back. It inspired me.

I didn’t buy that cake. I’m not sure why; looking back on it I wish I had. It would have been a powerful thing for a kid whose total possessions could probably fit in a backpack to give a delicious, ridiculously decorated cake to those who don’t even have a backpack. I hope by the end of this trip I have another chance at something like this. 

The Joy of Reading

If you are reading this, you have the ability to read. Sounds kind of silly right? It means you were raised in an environment that put an emphasis on the importance to being able to read, whether that occurred in school, in the home, or both. Have you ever considered yourself lucky to have had this, have you ever taken it for granted? If you haven’t, take a moment to appreciate this. No seriously, take a moment to think about how different your life would be if you didn’t have the ability to read or write.

About a month ago, I was talking with one of my sixth graders about something that I have talked about with many other students: was he able to read. This is the same student whom I spoke of in my past posting about hunger. He is a quiet and reserved sixteen year old orphan from the Congo. His dad died in the mid 90s in war and his mother died when he was 10 years old. After her death, he lived on the streets for three years before a “white man” took him to South Africa. He often times talks about how he misses his mother, how it’s hard being a foreigner living in the orphanage, how his inability to read makes him feel “shameful.”

Despite having this same conversation with many other students, he did something no other student had done: he asked me if I could write down some words for him so he could practice. I told him I would be more than happy to, and later in the day when he inquired about it again, I knew he was serious. So, that night I went home, got a notebook, and wrote him a letter. My intent was to write to him and have him write back to me, so that not only was he practicing reading but also he was practicing writing. We did this back and forth a couple times, but he seemed to be struggling with it. That’s when I came to a harsh reality. He can’t read. He actually can’t read. No matter how many times I wrote him letters or what I said in them, it wasn’t going to teach him to read because he simply couldn’t read them. This hit me hard. I was rattled, but I decided to change my approach and this time asked him to stay after school with me so we could do some more focused work. He agreed, and over the past few weeks we have spent many hours after school learning to read, from the ground up. I quickly realized he’s at a kindergarten level, which means we started with letter sounds, some of the most common words, and soon will be starting with combined letter sounds (like “ch” and “sh”). He’s made incredible improvements that we’re both excited about. I’m only here for two more months though, which something we’re both aware of.  I know he won’t be reading Shakespeare before I leave, but I hope I am able to provide him with a sense of dignity and confidence that he so desperately desired before.

Think about what you were doing at sixteen. Learning to drive? Gradually pushing away from your parents? I can assure you that he’d love to have parents to push away from; he’d love to think about learning to drive or all the other silly things sixteen year olds think about. Instead, he’s just trying to learn to read so he can be “normal.” Now, go back to your thoughts on what your life would have been like if you couldn’t read and realize that this is his reality. Take a few moments to think about that.