20 October 2010

Siyabonga

SIYABONGA
We thank you.

Hamba khale
Go well.

Sala khale
Stay well.

We thank you. There is something very powerful about language and what happens when you start to be influenced by it. I took a wonderful linguistic anthropology class at in college with Professor Leap. And recently I have come back to that.
In Zulu when you say goodbye, you say go well or stay well. I am sure many other people in South Africa use it as well. It was not until watching part of Cry, the Beloved Country and someone asked if the acting wasn’t the best or if they were reading a script. But for me it was just more patience with the words, slower and with exact meaning each time a phrase was used. When they said go well or stay well to each other either in Zulu or English, I began to realize how much those phrases mean to me know and how I use them. It is second nature, but it is also with meaning. It’s almost like peace be the journey and a protection. When you say it you mean it. Just something I have observed and the personal meaning it holds for me, particularly when I use the words.

I also love the plural of words here. They reflect the culture. On my first trip into Wattville to do home visit with Bula Monyako we met two older women in the street. They have worked with Bula before and greeted and welcomed me to the community. But before I left they said very genuinely, siabonga sisi. We thank you sister, we welcome you sister. I often realize I have to use the singular at work, I come in alone and thank alone. But then when I am with people I work with and we talked to others when one says good morning, ‘we say good morning’ when one thanks, we thank, when one says we are fine, we say we all are well. There is a beauty to how the language reflects and I am still trying to learn how to quickly switch from the singular to the plural.

My last point on language as I brought up this class is the many different languages in South Africa. Though there are many and different languages some words transcend them all or there are very South African phrases that everyone knows. My favorite in some ways is that every cell phone company uses a word to promote their network, which has origins in one of the languages- but becomes used for the present in a new way and represents a very current culture. For the major cell phone companies MTN uses AYOBA (greater than great), Vodacom uses YEBO(YES!), and Telcom (the landline company) has just introduced cell phones plans under HEITA (hey/hello).

(to be continued)

14 October 2010

Journeys in Photographs

I see the world in photographs. Its something about the way light catches something or I get excited by an expression or color. And there is something about using that still, that moment in time, that helps me process the world around me. For all the talking I do to process and share stories, photography is sort of my alter ego. Its my introvert and extravert combining- and I almost feel like I treat the world with more respect taking the time to look and focus.

I was recently in Wattville one of the locations we work outside of Wattville (what some would call a Township). We were doing home visits to check on the people that had not come yet in the month to pick up food parcels. It was great for me to get a chance to work outside the office and meet more of the people we work with.

Though many reacted adversely at first because I was not a recognized member of the community and obviously an outsider by the color of my skin, if not all the other indicators. It took me a bit to catch on, but my co-workers got a good laugh because people kept thinking I was from Eskom the power company. They have recently been cracking down in locations, because people tap into other people’s wires illegally to spread more power usage. And they generally make people uneasy, which I understand from some of my encounters from this monopolistic power company. Anyway I was generally welcomed after this misconception was cleared up.

There were a few moments thought that I just saw these beautiful photographs. A bird perched on a wall with a jagged roof behind and an overcast sky. A gogo with her hair tied in a beautiful scarf with soft light from the window hitting half her face and a strong expression. I of course wouldn’t carry my large camera around a location so that I wouldn’t stand out even more making a larger barrier in the work I am trying to do. Especially on my first visit, plus its just not safe.

But I also started thinking about the language to ‘take’ a photo, when I was explaining to Patty my draw to photography and what I wanted to photograph. I was already thinking of how to ask the community what I could photograph and who and who to ask to help protect the project. But even with asking and having permission, the ‘taking a photograph’ still stayed with me.

This is not the first time I have considered the implication of photography. In high school I looked into some communities that really feel like you are stealing the soul to photograph a person. And just like I talked about the respect for a moment I feel when I take a photograph- I am also taking it, capturing that moment.

When I started more intense photography in high school, I often wondered why my photo teacher, Mr. Beland, wasn’t always taking photos. I felt be shared the same passion but why were all of us taking so many more photos. And over time I understand it more. Some days I feel like just being in the moment, or I already have told that kind of story and don’t feel a need to photograph. And some days I feel like to see I have to look through the lens. Or there is a story that just must be told. Or I need to be an observer.

Some days I take, other days I add. I am not totally unpacking it here- but it is taking that moment. Taking it away for a later date – upsetting the natural rhythm.

I have been very lucky to have a family that supported my habit growing up. My first pink square camera as a kid from my uncle that my parents helped pay to get the film developed. Then my dad got me an Olympus and taught me about a good lens. In middle school my mom got my first SLR, a lovely pentex. And then a year later my Dad got me a zoom lens before my first trip to Africa. Everyone in my family supported it, whether I stayed late at school or needed rides somewhere or had a lens in their face. Photography seems contagious around my group of friends and they share some really inspiring creativity and outlook.

And then in college I used all my saved waitressing money to buy my first SLR Nikon D70 digital camera. Over the past few years it has been on many journeys with me. And I often carefully consider where I take it and what are the risks or when to disguise it. So recently in Cape Town, Jen, Amanda and I were heading to Stellenbosch the wine region I had not visit in the three months before living there. The Tour was picking us up from where Jen stays and I decided I had really wanted to see this area and needed to take my camera.

We got a puncture with our tour driver Sele, and decided we needed a photo of the event so I pulled out my camera and then took another beautiful photo of the mountains in the distance with part of the township in it. It was lovely and the last photo I would ever take on the camera.

I’ll have to blog more on the robbery soon, but someone had snuck across the highway from the other side while we were talking on the shoulder and Sele was under the car getting the tire. In the second it took me to figure out what was going on the man reached in the driver’s side door and grabbed my camera and bag. I started after him with my camera just out of reach, but stopped when the danger of on coming cars set in. My last mental photo is my camera and bag going over the wall in the median of the highway after the man.

And now a week and a half later I don’t have a camera. (my small one was also in my bag so we could take videos.) And I still see the world in photos. But its life, photography still means a lot to me, but everyone is okay. And this will be one of those spells I have to keep everything in my head. And for a little while I will re-live the photos I was really excited about that were on those cameras.

But for now I am taking mental photos and angles of the brilliant purple flowers in bloom on the Jacaranda trees around Joburg and Benoni. I’ll have to work on my painting skills so I can share those images with all of you. Each time I see one it’s like a surprise of color popping next to the greens surrounding it.

It’s still the little wonders and I am still thankful for all the adventures my camera and I got to go on. So photograph or don’t, but take the time to respect and hold in those moments with a different focus than the rush of life.

Peace,
Hannah

Heritage Day

Just a short week into my start at Bula Moyako South Africa celebrated Heritage Day (September 24th). Coming into work was great fun and helped me learn more about the cultures people connected to Bula come from. Of course instead of my traditional American apparel, I decided to wear my Congolese dress, which was an appreciated surprise and made for a fun day. I also was invited to sit in on a counseling session to observe and the headscarf made it a bit hard when it falls into my eyes.



The commentary on Heritage really intrigued me though and was a good learning point in South Africa. It is also known as Braai Day (Braai very South African/ like our BBQ) and people throughout South Africa braai. However, in a place with such recent history of intense separation, in a country like the rest of the world grappling with modernization/ western influence and tradition, in an area with 11 official languages there are also many questions around Heritage Day. Most of thee thoughts come from a radio show that people were calling into on my way home from Bula before the official holiday on Friday. And I was impressed with how genuine the discussion unfolded. How do you celebrate everyone’s culture in South Africa and how do you find common unity of culture to also celebrate. The difficulties of the beautiful diversity of language were brought up. Some serious concerns were brought up and even parallels to the United States.

In the end I was still left with an extreme appreciation for the sincerity the holiday was taken with and the way the issues it brought up were discussed. And I think around the world how we uphold tradition is becoming more of a challenge. But it helps us remember life is more than work and how do we live a life filled with both tradition and the culture we choose.

It’s interesting to be an American writing this, but also important as I honor and respect other cultures to start understanding what mine really is.

Transitions: The Update

I have been a bit out of touch on true updates and some good stories. So I will try to do a quick update on how my service has changed in the last few months.

The students graduated from Espoir Training Centre at the very end of June, in the midst of World Cup chaos. I only mention this because the students were incredible soccer fans as well, so I think we were al over exhausted preparing for graduation and giving our all to being soccer fans. Graduation at De Deur Methodist Church was full of life and I was so proud of everyone that filled the church that day. The students were beautiful in outfits they had made after learning to sew.











The follow days students slowly left making the much awaited journey home after being away from home, children, spouses, and communities for many months. And as they went home, our community here got smaller and smaller. I had some things for the Centre to wrap up and I don’t think it was until after July was almost over that the other shoe dropped and the rest of the emotions about saying goodbye to dear friends hit. I ask that you continue to pray especially for all the students as they readjust home and practically decide how they will best serve their communities with their new skills. I am excited to be in touch with everyone when possible and just wish I could visit everyone.

As mentioned in the three previous blogs, after the centre ended and the work around it was finished up- we directly went into spending our time in the hospital for three weeks.

During this time it was decided that the three Mission Interns at SHADE could be of greater service in other projects under the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. We were asked to wrap everything about the centre up and with such a big project just finished other plans for SHADE had to be re-evaluated.

I think everyone made good decisions and it would have not been the correct timing to complete some of my other dreams for the rest of the time at SHADE. However, dreams are still there and my strong dedication to the work of good people at the satellite projects. My prayers stay with them, even if it is not in the works to visit and support in different ways. I think it was time to face that times of transition need to be made though and especially with organizations and the church.

So during July we finished up with SHADE and had a rather hectic for the storybooks move into the city. We thought it would be a transitions place as we were all assigned different places to work, but actually Rachel and I were both placed in the area so for now it seems to make the most sense not to move another time during out placements. And I love it. The night we moved Lucille was with us and inbetween all the hecticness of the change we were all talking out the day and I ended up falling asleep while we were talking on a mattress on the floor in a sense of peace I hadn’t had for a while. Anyway I actually love living right in Joburg and staring out the window at all the buildings and watching cars go by on the highway, and most importantly being able to walk places!!

My Dad and Jane came at the beginning of August for an awesome visit and holiday and lots of time to just be. More on that later.

Jen then moved to Cape Town to serve in Plumstead, with some great people and communities in need. I had the honor of going to see her two weekends ago and being back in Cape Town was lovely. Despite a robbery- but always good to have good people around you when you have to sort things out.

I started working on a project at the Mission Unit, that Rachel joined in after she returned from traveling. I really enjoyed it actually and it helped me understand the church here better and get to know some really interesting dedicated people.

Which leads me to where I am today. In September I was assigned to a mission project in Benoni about 40 km east of Johannesburg. I am now working at Bula Monyako (meaning Open the Door) the mission outreach of Benoni Central Church. Right now I am being trained in many things and learning all the projects of Bula. I actually feel really blessed to have the opportunity after a year in South Africa to be learning a totally different side of South Africa and many more things, by working with South Africans. Bula Monyako is a VCT clinic and does community outreach, working with children’s programs, gives out food parcels, and also has other counseling available. The first day with co-workers that mainly speak Zulu to each other was a bit rough. But they have accepted me into the fold quickly and we are learning a lot from each other and laughing everyday.

Thank you for your continued support and reading this. I hope that you can help keep all these communities in your thoughts. Many touch issues, but people that are working toward progress far beyond quick fixes or easy answers.

Blessings,
Hannah