15 days ago 11 guests arrived at the O.R. Tambo airport here in Johannesburg. They are visiting us from The First Unitarian Church of San Jose. The group leaves tomorrow after what has undeniably been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life and I know many if not all of them feel the same way. The drumming party tonight will be the grand finale of many months of planning, organizing, working, fundraising, collecting, coordinating, and researching involved in getting the details of a trip this big together.
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.
Our road trip started with a 4 hour drive south to the mighty Drakensburg (Dragons' Mountain). You have all heard me rail on and on about this magnificent place and I must say that our guests were not disappointed. The landscape is so vast and dramatic that it truly is hard to find words to describe it. Our accommodation was The Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge. The Amphitheatre is a towering escarpment in the Drakensburg of which we were soon to get up close and personal. It was a pleasant enough place with a great restaurant and kitchen and the view...well...words can’t describe. And, then there was Gareth. What can we say? He was our guide and companion and by the time we left, our friend. He was the brave person who led us on “The Hike” up to the tippy top of The Amphitheatre. The night before the hike not one teen raised their hand to participate. It was only after a convincing talk by the guides and some sidelong glances from parents that Maya stepped up to the plate and said she would go. Teen mentality set in and soon the whole group had signed up. It was so windy when we started that some of us who were just a bit nervous about the 10 mile trek (ahem) tried to get Gareth to call it off. It was REALLY windy. Windy enough to add an extra element of exertion, and to literally suck the breath right out of us, but he insisted that once we got around the bend it should die down. Darn if he wasn’t right. So we marched on, 5 miles up (to 10,000 feet!) then 5 miles down. 
Even though the 2nd highest waterfall in the world was dry our enthusiasm was not dampened. We were ecstatic and awed by the majesty before and below us. The set of steel chain ladders drilled into face of a sheer cliff wall that we had to descend also sucked the air and words right out of us. As we started our final descent a winter storm presented magnificent cloud formations and fog, lighting the valleys and illuminating the streams far below. And what winter storm would be complete without snow? Who would have imagined, but there is was. At the end of the 6 hour hike we were exhausted and weirdly fulfilled. And guess who finished first, while singing the entire time? The teens of course. Adventure: Check!
Sally (all wrapped up in Sun Goddess), Bill, Cait and Jeff and Mandisa
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.In fact, we had lunch with them yesterday when they prepared the food for us. It was a lovely, 
celebratory luncheon with the teachers, staff and volunteers that we had come to know so well. We ate delicious dishes of rice, pap, sam, sauces, creamed chard and Mopani (which are sautéed worms! And yes, most of us (ahem) managed to get at least one down). Culture: Check
celebratory luncheon with the teachers, staff and volunteers that we had come to know so well. We ate delicious dishes of rice, pap, sam, sauces, creamed chard and Mopani (which are sautéed worms! And yes, most of us (ahem) managed to get at least one down). Culture: Check
Our road trip started with a 4 hour drive south to the mighty Drakensburg (Dragons' Mountain). You have all heard me rail on and on about this magnificent place and I must say that our guests were not disappointed. The landscape is so vast and dramatic that it truly is hard to find words to describe it. Our accommodation was The Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge. The Amphitheatre is a towering escarpment in the Drakensburg of which we were soon to get up close and personal. It was a pleasant enough place with a great restaurant and kitchen and the view...well...words can’t describe. And, then there was Gareth. What can we say? He was our guide and companion and by the time we left, our friend. He was the brave person who led us on “The Hike” up to the tippy top of The Amphitheatre. The night before the hike not one teen raised their hand to participate. It was only after a convincing talk by the guides and some sidelong glances from parents that Maya stepped up to the plate and said she would go. Teen mentality set in and soon the whole group had signed up. It was so windy when we started that some of us who were just a bit nervous about the 10 mile trek (ahem) tried to get Gareth to call it off. It was REALLY windy. Windy enough to add an extra element of exertion, and to literally suck the breath right out of us, but he insisted that once we got around the bend it should die down. Darn if he wasn’t right. So we marched on, 5 miles up (to 10,000 feet!) then 5 miles down. 
Even though the 2nd highest waterfall in the world was dry our enthusiasm was not dampened. We were ecstatic and awed by the majesty before and below us. The set of steel chain ladders drilled into face of a sheer cliff wall that we had to descend also sucked the air and words right out of us. As we started our final descent a winter storm presented magnificent cloud formations and fog, lighting the valleys and illuminating the streams far below. And what winter storm would be complete without snow? Who would have imagined, but there is was. At the end of the 6 hour hike we were exhausted and weirdly fulfilled. And guess who finished first, while singing the entire time? The teens of course. Adventure: Check!(please click on the top left image to get a real feeling of the trail we hiked)
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.
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.Carrie took it upon herself to send out a letter to the church community and surrounding neighborhoods to ask for donations of shoes. Well...it worked and she ended up with 1,000 pairs of shoes on her front lawn the week before they left. These shoes were gorgeous too. Many, many brand new pairs: crocs, tevas,
athletic shoes and high heels to beat the band. The travelers each took two checked bags: one with their clothes and the other with shoes. They showed up with 500 pairs. I am totally blown away by the generosity of my neighbors and the travelers alike. No extra shoes or luxury items for them. It all went to Africa. We handed most of them out in Lesotho (that little round country completely surrounded by South Africa) along with more soccer balls and hockey shirts. 
And if that weren’t enough, we spent another awesome day with a community in the Drakensburg where we dug a hole for a septic tank from scratch, 2 meters x 4 meters x 1 meter deep, and helped mix concrete to lay the foundation for a brand new orphanage. We worked with a youth group from Belgium. The soccer game (great headshot, Melissa!) at the end of the day sealed the deal. We love Africa and helping.
(again, if you click on the images you can see more detail, such the kids holding up their new shoes)
Service: Check, Check, Check!!!
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.
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.
You really have no idea how much it means to us to share our lives with those we care about, not to mention to be able to show them some of the most amazing places and experiences on the planet.
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.)
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.)It has only been a pleasure,
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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