Lesotho

Forgive me, this blog is a little slow to get off the ground. Bear with us! In lieu of an update about current adventures, I thought I'd share with you a past African adventure, all of which contribute to the rich tapestry of our history and lives here.

The adventure I'm sharing with you today was my first trip to Lesotho.

The 'mountain kingdom' of Lesotho is entirely landlocked within South Africa. It is a relatively impoverished country with high rates of HIV/AIDS - but it is also a country of breathtaking beauty, particularly from a geographical perspective. Much of the country is situated within the Drakensberg mountain range, but there are also 'lowlands' on the western border, which includes the capital, Maseru, the only place in the entire country that I received a cell phone signal. Think rural thoughts.

My first trip to Lesotho occurred on my first trip to South Africa in 2005, a four week voluntary study tour with the Oaktree Foundation. Our group took an epic seven hour road trip from Durban all the way around to Maseru, which is beautiful in itself, with many incredible rock formations dotting the road throughout Free State. We then drove for three hours along roads that can best be described as treacherous (read: narrow one way dirt road through the mountains, massive cliff drop off to your immediate left) to a hospital in a tiny rural village called Masinyane.

Here are some pictures from our winding mountain roads:

Don't judge. These sunglasses were very in when I was 19...

As well as volunteering in the hospital, we did a spectacularly ambitious mountain climb. Particularly ambitious for me, with my exercise induced atmosphere with the thinning air at high altitude. I may have wheezed all the way up the mountain, but it was totally worth it.

We also ran an education seminar in the primary school next to the hospital, and were treated to this singing welcome:

Apparently they weren't singing yet when I took the actual photo :) 

After a three night stay in Masinyane, we road tripped back to Maseru, where we stayed overnight before heading back to Durban. That trip had its own set of adventures. Somewhere on the road between Masinyane and Maseru (read: the middle of nowhere), we came across this accident:

The driver was quite badly injured, though he suddenly had twelve Australians each armed with a first aid kit (it was our first trip to Africa, so we were rather over prepared) there to assist him. He really needed to go to the hospital, but was worried his bakkie would get stolen/stripped for parts if he left it before the police arrived. So we gave him some rudimentary first aid, and waited with him for two hours until the police arrived at the scene. We were quite a site for the locals.

This delay made our trip back to Maseru rather long. But we drove into the most beautiful sunset (nowhere does sunsets like Africa) and finished the day off in the most spectacular way -  with a pizza. 

The time Elijah figured out he didn't want to be a chauffeur, and I learnt I'm not a natural wedding photographer

So last Saturday, Isaiah House celebrated a wedding. It was actually beyond awesome. Fano and Khonziwe are members of the Isaiah House church in Molweni. They have been together 23 years(!) and have a family together. Since becoming born again Christians, they decided they wanted to get married. Culturally, this is a little tricky from a financial perspective. Usually there are stages of lobola (read: dowry) to follow. This would involve a negotiated amount of money (or cows, if you want to go the traditional route) paid from the groom to the bride's family, several different stages of gift giving, etc. This is usually vast amounts of money before you get to the actual wedding. Historically, this tradition has been a beautiful way of binding families together - sometimes it still is, but in modern times there is a tendency to manipulate this situation that bleeds couples financially dry.

But Fano and Khonzi just had a heart for a wedding - so, our extended house church network banded together and all of us - from Molweni, Embo and Kloof - pooled together to throw them an amazing wedding.

Elijah landed the job of bridal chauffeur (because his sister has a fancy car) and me, wedding photographer (because I have a DSLR camera, though I don't really know how to use it) along with my friend Simone. Oh my word, I am not born to be a wedding photographer. At the end of the day, and all the next day, my body ACHED, it activated all my lower back issues, and managing a whole bunch of people during bridal party portraits is not fun. Plus, the light was rather tricky. It was harsh or dappled - not nice options to work with. And Elijah learnt that all the people waiting, back and forthing, extra passengers and sometimes dodgy township roads that he faced as a chauffeur didn't inspire in him a career change. Throw in Africa time, and it was a little trying.

But that aside, the day was amazing. A beautiful backyard wedding was sit up, there was joy and smiles, singing and dancing in true African style. The amount of people mysteriously doubled when we got to the reception hall (read: food), and it was a beautiful day to celebrate Fano and Khonzi, and them becoming one under God.

#Africaproblems

Let me preface this by saying I will not be complaining about Africa in this post. I love South Africa, and enjoy being a bit of a reverse migration trend. That being said, growing up in Australia means that some of the things I experience in South Africa have me amused.

Lately when I mention on facebook things that are only happening to me because I live here, I've created my own new hashtag (yes, I've succumbed to an internet subculture I don't entirely understand. Instagram and Twitter, you've made the hashtag more popular than ever before) - #AfricaProblems.

Here are some of my #Africa problems of late:

Number One: Monkeys

Image courtesy of National Geographic

Do not be fooled by these innocent, impish faces. They have already fooled my sister - every time she visits me, she is simply delighted by these little menaces. She finds it fun when they come inside your house.

The closest equivalent I had to these growing up in Australia was possums. They too are suburban pests. And though possums drive you insane at night with their nocturnal tendencies and running all over your roof, they are not nearly as invasive as monkeys.

Let me outline my history of home invasions with these masquerading imposters for you:

1. They first came into my house during the 2010 World Cup. This point is important as I just happened to have a vuvuzela (for a definition of a vuvuzela, visit here) sitting on the front table from the Australia vs Germany game the previous night. These monkeys will only respond to male dominance (sexists) so my female housemate and I were at a bit of a loss. So we picked up our nearest weapon and only hope: the vuvuzela.

Our attempts to brandish it as a stick were not so successful, but the loud hoots of the vuvuzela were enough to send it out the window. Thank you, ten years of French Horn, for giving me the basic mouth technique for playing this strange plastic instrument.

2 - 5. Two through five, as the next four visits were in my current kitchen to steal the last of my bananas, leaving the peels (and sometimes subsequent innocent dishes) scattered EVERYWHERE. I am sick of sterilizing the kitchen, and had to allay my husband's concerns over how exactly rabies is transmitted. Vile fruit thieves.

So we started keeping the windows closed in this sweltering Durban summer. But they still got in. They evolved genetically and have learnt to open windows. 

Urbanites, beware of this impending doom.


My Second #AfricaProblem: The Malfunctioning Security Gate

Image courtesy of google images

For those of you who are unaware, whenever you arrive at a South African suburban home, you will most likely be confronted with an image similar to the one above. I remember my first trip to South Africa in 2005, specifically the drive from the airport to our BnB in Johannesburg. I was jetlagged, and rather culture shocked by the stark contrasts of townships literally across the road from mansions, it shocked my 18-year-old sheltered Aussie hearts. And I remember the towering fences in suburbia and feeling overwhelmed at how claustrophobic the residents must feel.

Nine years and a few of my own brushes with crime later, I do have a better understanding of the situation here. Though I do like that the situation isn't quite as dramatic in Durban, though I do have my own automatic gate at the cottage my husband and I live at.

It feels so hi-tech to be able to press a button, have the remote open your gate, and drive into your house. Growing up in a country where only the absolute wealthiest people have such a set-up, it makes me feel fancy.

Except when the motor stops working. And until it is fixed, you spend every moment you want to leave the house repeating the following process:

1. Walking to the gate to unlock it and swing it open.
2. Walking back down the driveway to your car.
3. Reversing out of the driveway which involves an eternal struggle not to hit your side mirrors on the open gate. Ahem.
4. Getting out of the car to lock the gate, and being bitten by the giant ants that have taken up residence on the padlock every since you had to put oil on it in the hopes that it will open.
5. Getting back in your car, and driving away

....and then repeating this whole process when you come back home. Ugh.

Obviously, these aren't really problems. They are just how I refer to them as I appreciate the amusement such things bring (sometimes you have to laugh so you don't cry. Or get scared of genetically enhanced monkeys).

And as I said, I love South Africa and I hope I continue to enjoy the fun of #Africaproblems for years to come.

The Universal Language of Bubbles

It's incredible how much joy bubbles bring to people of all ages, of all cultures and countries. Its a great way to break down boundaries where there are language barriers.

Case in point:

These pictures were taken over the last four years or so, from KwaNyuswa to Molweni to Umzimkulu. So the moral of the story? When working with children in a development context, when in doubt, always bring out the bubbles :). 

NB In the last photo the plastic bubble blower broke so we were trying to make bubbles out of a bent piece of grass. In a line of work with limited resources, you'll need to get creative!

No Sweeter Words

"There are no sweeter words than this - nothing lasts forever."

Have you ever heard this quote? Does anyone know the source of it? Google wasn't too helpful, it mostly gave me links to fanfiction written by some angsty teenagers. A necessary right of passage, perhaps :). 

Every now and then I find myself reflecting on the concept of permanence. On the sweetness and simultaneous pain when things are only temporary. I think its an inevitable point of reflection when you are an expat. I think this blog will hold some points of reflection based on this. It will center around our ministry, but there is a point of difference for Elijah and I - he ministers in his backyard. But part of this deal for me is that I am inevitably away from 'home.'

The key source of this reflection is that my Mum left yesterday after a wonderful four week visit. It was an amazingly blessed time, and I am so lucky to have a mother who is so supportive of me living halfway across the globe. It's not easy for my tight-knit family, but she believes in what I'm doing. But, goodbyes are always sad, and a stark reminder that nothing lasts forever. 

I'm also reflecting because it's Australia Day, and I'm not there right now to partake in the rowdy BBQs and giant inflatable thongs with the Australian flag printed on it that seem to be a mark of celebration. Being an expat can be marked by missing things. In the last year or so I've missed my Poppa's death and funeral, my cousin's wedding (and new baby!), my sister's engagement.

But then I posted something on facebook about Australia Day, and so many of the 'likes' were from Aussies living aboard, including my best friend in Scotland (Hi, Chez:). And I felt part of a larger expat community.

Don't get me wrong - I love my life. You will see so much of the richness of living elsewhere chronicled here. But today is an honest account of the other side of being an expat, the people and places you miss.

Even life here doesn't last forever - I'm an alien, a stranger. But I don't agree with the quote I started this post with. Sure, nothing lasts forever on this earth. But:-

I think the greatest sweetness lies in knowing that heaven lasts forever. 

Mine and Mum's farewell selfie :)

Introduction

Hello internet! For our inaugural first blog post I thought I'd introduce us a bit more in-depth (while I'm still trying to figure out how to insert a tab to do that for me!) as well as explaining why we're staring this blog.

Here's a little more information about us:

We're made up Rachel and Elijah. Rachel is a born and bred Aussie who fell in love with South Africa as a teenager and subsequently moved here six years ago (reverse migration trend, anyone?!). Elijah is a born and bred KZN man who surprised himself and his family by marrying an Aussie girl, but life is defined by such adventures.

The Serious Stuff:

Rachel couldn't quite make up her mind what career she wanted to pursue - she has an arts undergrad, a counselling and communication postgrad and is in her final year of a Master of Human Rights. She uses a mix of these skills in community development and has been involved in various initiatives using counselling, communication and training with different NGOs, with a focus on women's and children's issues for the last five years. Her current self-appointed job title is human rights consultant.

Elijah was more decisive and completed his Honours in Law at UKZN, before subsequently combining his love of youth and sport to uplift communities. Currently he is serving as the youth pastor and head of sports development at an NGO called The Isaiah House in a voluntary capacity. He has great visions for how sport can be used to uplift the youth of South Africa.

The Fun Stuff:

Rachel enjoys hanging out with her friends, skyping her family in Australia, music, proper grammar, and lying on the couch with her laptop watching beauty videos on youtube. Her recent interest in gardening has her concerned that she is turning into her mother sooner than she anticipated.

Elijah enjoys watching soccer (don't insult Chelsea or Barcelona F.C in front of him, bad idea), playing in a soccer league, playing FIFA on PS3, and downloading copious amounts of movies off the internet. So basically, chat with him about soccer and you'll be instantly beloved.

The most important thing about us is our relationship with Jesus, in whom we move and breathe and have our whole lives. 

Now that you've got a little more information about us, I'll expand on the motivation behind this blog.

The idea mostly came from comments of people in Australia, people who support our work in various ways, but don't necessarily know how to picture it, and wanted a better understanding. In many ways South Africa is similar to Australia - in weather, in certain geographical features, in their mutual obsession with sport and braais (BBQs for my Aussies out there). However, there are also vast differences. This blog is to provide an honest account of the work we do. 

Being in community development provides us with the privilege of being invited into the intricacies and vulnerabilities of many people's lives. We want to do them justice in any stories that we write, though all accounts will express our own personal views and experiences. 

We aim to show, through words and pictures, the richness and diversity of South Africa. The personal stories and people behind the 'poverty.' If we're really lucky, perhaps we'll even challenge some existing stereotypes. 

But this is also for us - to expand and challenge ourselves, to provide a place of reflection in the hope that we can constantly be improving ourselves, and doing the best we can in whatever adventures we embark upon. It's most likely that most blog posts will be written by Rachel, with some guest appearances by Elijah :).

So we hope you enjoy what you see here. Please leave any comments (so I know someone is reading other than my Mum :), and with any questions that you have.

Watch this space!