What our group of 16 (11 visitors, the Souders plus Cheese ...a friend of Jeff’s) managed to accomplish in the last couple of weeks is almost mind boggling. The aim of the trip seemed simple enough.
”We would like the trip to include service, adventure and culture” wrote Colleen, the trip’s determined leader.
“I can do that”, I replied, never for a moment realizing what a challenge it would be to put an itinerary together for 7 diverse (and I do mean diverse) adults and 9 teens (also diverse but with the common factor of all being teens to hold them together in a tight little band of merry and ornery travelers). But our hours of planning on the back patio with our computers and cell phones made the trip fall together with the precision of a Swiss watch (except for the fact that there was a petrol crisis, a visa cliff hanger, lost baggage, too much luggage [500 pairs of "shoes for Africa"] and one traveler missing in action for 24 hours...but you must ask Robert about that story as only he can do it justice).
The night of arrival included a huge welcome party for our guests, complete with traditional South African fare, music, singing and dancing. Our tired visitors rallied to the occasion with style and grace. I had invited the volunteers, along with the principal and a few students of Khomanani Primary, in Soweto. Thato, grade 6, presented the South African flag and eloquently explained the meaning behind the design and colors. Two other students belted out the South African national anthem so beautifully that it left us speechless and in tears. It was great welcome to South Africa and a great way to meet the folks we would be working with in two weeks.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip for me was the opportunity to be able to bond with the locals in their communities. There is no better way to see the real deal than to work and eat together. Our work at the Drakensberg Orphanage and Khomanani Primary Scool was backbreaking and rewarding. At Khomanani, we created a beautiful garden space complete with a stone labyrinth, numerous new trees, plants, ground covers galore and seating made from tree stumps. We tried for a spiritual place (or Peace Garden as I heard the teachers call it) and it is, even with the honking of taxis and the city noises that come along with close proximity of one million people (population of Soweto). We also painted the library a beautiful sky blue with a stunning and whimsical mural on two walls. The look on Ya-Ya’s (the librarian's) face was priceless. Our painting team outdid themselves on that one. And the dirty work went to another special team. They drained and repaired the pond...a water feature that had been established a few years before. It had fallen into disrepair but now it is back bigger, better and stronger than before. And we were able to distribute soccer balls and t-shirts, and a couple of hundred pairs of shoes that were delivered by the visiting Americans, which is a another whole story in itself.
I probably don’t need to tell you that we did a lot more in each category than the stories I mentioned here. We were also able to fit in: game drives, snorkeling, bargaining, one night of a little too much wine by some of us (ahem), eating, touring Soweto - the center of the Apartheid struggle, dancing, singing, drumming, playing pool, young love, and hanging at Rosebank just to name a few. But I won’t go into details on all of that. Just know that the Souders’ are thrilled to our depths that so many of our church community cared enough to take their time, money and spirit to make the commitment and follow through to visit us. I don’t think I always remember to say how grateful we are when visitors come.
And so tonight our drums will beat loud and clear throughout the white, upper class suburbs of Johannesburg. The rhythms will rise above our walls and through the electric fence and out into the night. I imagine that the folks that hear our drums will not have the slightest idea of what we are celebrating. Our weeks of service, culture and adventure are our secrets for tonight. Tomorrow we will be shouting from our laptops!
(this photo is of Bill and Colleen collecting water from the Indian Ocean for the UU Homecoming Service.)
Sally (all wrapped up in Sun Goddess), Bill, Cait and Jeff and Mandisa
Statistics from the trip:
Duration: 16 days
Total travel time to and from Africa: 56 hours
African countries visited: 3 (not counting a layover in Senegal); South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Kilometers driven: 2000 kilometer loop plus day trips=3000kilometers (plus another 500 for the Mom's car).
Number of species seen: ask Colleen
Total volunteer hours: 384 (not counting all of the weeks and days of pre-trip prep)
Pool games played: 56
Biltong consumed: 5 kgs
Number of djembes (drums) purchased: 5
Greek Salads consumed: approximately 150
The number of times we said, "T.I.A!" (frustrated quote meaning "This is Africa"): 200
Amount of Swazi dollars left by Carrie: 300
Number of digital photos taken (that crashed Bill's PC): 5900
Number of interviews conducted by Frances: 10
Broken hearts in Joburg (left by Kelsey and Maya): 12
Number of broken toes: 1
Number of worms eaten: 26
Number of new romances: 2
Hilarious remarks by Lori: 129
Loads of laundry by Eunice and Letitia: 50
Hubcaps lost: 2
Number of times the teen van listened to "Ohio (Come back to Texas)": 50
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