Where am I? Jo-burg to Windhoek

Trying to start my second entry (yes I know-I already haven’t been very prompt in blogging), I am stuck at the question of how to address my readers.  You are a mixture of family and friends, all of whom I consider important people in my life.  So I think I shall address you as dear ones, because you are dear to me! Now, my dear ones, on to this African experience…

We arrived in Jo-burg (Johannesburg) South Africa after two 8 hr flights.  The first flight was rough because I couldn’t fall asleep, but the second flight went by in a flash.  The time spent in SA (South Africa) was spent learning a lot of history about the apartheid, either from speakers, museums, monuments, and speaking with our home-stay families.  Brief apartheid history: After British and then Dutch colonization and a long struggle between Africans and these colonists, the Dutch-now known as Afrikaaners-gained political power and established apartheid in 1948.  This included segregating peoples by color as well as tribe, and controlling all aspects of non-white’s lives, from housing to employment to education.  This continued until Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990 and subsequent election in 1994.  More than the civil rights movement in the U.S., this history reminds me of our history with the Native Americans.  I think I’ll struggle with how we rectify/reconcile that history in the U.S.

I am also having my eyes opened to the world wide struggle for racial equality, especially with the help of my African American friends who are in the program.  But for now, I must segue way to Windhoek, Namibia, which is where the majority of the program takes place.

During my stay in SA, I never had that moment where I felt “Wow- I’m in AFRICA!”  This was bothering me a bit, but then came the drive from the Windhoek airport into the city of Windhoek.  As we were driving, we were looking out the window and flew past a jackal walking along the road.  Awesome.  Then, a few kilometers later, we passed some warthogs (or at least warthog looking animals).  Even more awesome.  Then-and this was my “I’m in AFRICA moment,” we drove past a baboon sitting next to the road.  Excitement, pleasure, peace-so many things hit me as a smiled at the site of this unknowing creature.  So here I am, finally feeling like I’m in Africa, when I come to a strange but wonderful realization.  The landscape reminds me of the Badlands-dry and desert-y, with strange shapes popping up in the landscape. The irony and paradox of finally feeling very much in Africa while feeling very much in South Dakota was, well, wonderful.

Now I’m living, for the next 3+ months, in a 5 bedroom house with 22 other students.  Talk about learning to live in community!  There are so many experiences and thoughts it’s hard to process it all, but thanks for listening to a bit of the process.  God’s blessings on your week J