(Kara is the student who lives next door, my little brother S'Bahle is the little boy in front with the red stripes, and the rest are ever present neighbor kids)
Monday Durban Drop off
We were released into the city. Paired with one partner, we were given a location in the city, given 10 ran we were to take public transportation find our location. I was a wonderful way to be immersed into Durban public transportation. For the world cup the government instated the “people mover bus system”. The same company they use in anchorage, it runs two loops in down town Durban, kind of staying in the safer tourist part of town, very safe with security workers at every stop. For other modes of transportation mini bus taxi’s (safe during the day, all the locals use these) and metered taxis ( kind of like a cab in the city, a lot more expensive, but safer at night) Our mission was to talk to people, mingle with durbanites, ask for directions and ask how they are doing, ask about the strike.
Some of the characters Hillary and I met on our adventures in Durban
- Niko the South African game farmer, a business man and farmer in rural Zulu land who was waiting for his visa in Durban, and after coffee we were all invited to his game farm for a safari. Has visited Palmer, standing invitation to pitch a tent in our yard if he ever returns to Alaska. White. Wonderful perspective on life before apartheid was lifted, and state of government. Frustrated with the government for shelling out billions of ran for world cup, 46 million ran/ year to maintain one stadium. No source to maintain, money could be spend else where
- The Indian grandma who went to the public hospital only to be told she could not be seen by a doctor because of the strike. She was able to get her medicine refilled. Told bus driver to deliver us safely to Victoria Market. Frustrated with strike
- The people mover safety worker at the bus stop, discussed when Africans go to the hospital and when the treat themselves. Example he only goes to the doctor if he is broken, then he pointed to his arm which he broke a few years ago. He said he would not go if he had the flu. He told us how he would make a herb edema.
- The mama who walked us to the market, and bartered a price for fruit
Tuesday
SIT House
First official day of zulu lessons
Overwhelmed, my brain is having a hard time remembering anything. Jaqui is our white Zulu teacher, then we have three zulu native speaking tutors. Mne, Fanele, and Thalo
Gigantic mall (we go once a week, very westernized and modern. Pick and Pay grocery store. Check out hugely inefficient. Entire line had to stop and manager would be called if credit card was used. 5-10 cashiers standing around with large lines waiting for approval. Dad would have hated this. Most expensive thing I will probably buy in South Africa Venus razor! R89 ridiculous
Lots of orientation
SIT house good neighborhood, pool, a short walk from some fast food/ little mart for phone and internet time
Wonderful house keeper/ counselor Sandra! Lovely Indian woman
Wednesday – Thursday
HOME STAYS
I have been adopted for the next five weeks! I have a new mama and two brothers! S’fiso is the 20 year old son of Ms Zondi. He has not been home much but, he has been very kind and courteous every time I have talked to him, and according to the other mamas in the neighborhood he is a good boy. S’Bahle is my little buddy, he is 5 and because of the strike the schools are closed. Every woman who has had a child is referred to as “Mama” a general term of respect and endearment. This is also really nice because it is hard to remember so many new faces and zulu names. The whole neighborhood is knows every one, and is most likely related. The house next doors to is my mama’s twin sisters house, she is hosting a girl from the program Kara. Once it gets dark I am allowed to study with her.
Weekend with my homestay!
Time. It is so much slower in my home stay. At the SIT house everything is planed down to the minute. We have class from 8- 4 every day with an hour for lunch, but once we come home everything slows down. Nothing is planned, and people take the time to enjoy everything. People are content and happy with whatever they have. At four we are dropped off and the sun becomes our watch. We get off the vans from the SIT house and we are flocked by the neighborhood children. We play, and we play hard until dark, then we must go home to our mamas. Home to our mamas, their houses, and its most treasured possessions the TV.
TV is a gigantic part of South African life style. The TV is the most lavish part of the house, always on drawing attention. I have watched more TV in the short time I have been here than all this past summer and school year. The TV shows provide a topic for conversation, heated discussions as well as meaningless chatter. It is a link to the outside world, conduit for political happenings, a vessel for laughter. Every one watches the local sophi Generation! I am learning so much cultural knowledge from this one show its amazing. The character in the show switch back in forth between 4 or 5 different languages, but there are always subtitles, and of course my mama is always there to translate the cultural differences.
The food is home cooked good and very plentiful! Culturally a good host takes pride in providing a good meal for their guest; this means my mama is trying to send me home with a South African belly so she can brag to the neighbors.
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