Jalpa from India closes out the CSC experience with her thoughts

South Africa- A land of Contrasts and Stunning beauty

Just a few of my impressions on my 3 weeks in South Africa…

                                                            

Over the years, I’ve read a bit about South Africa- from Alan Paton to James Michener to Wilbur Smith… But I was still not prepared for the sheer majestic beauty of Africa and the glaring inequality I see here.

It’s a first world country at first glance, but there, lurking just beneath the surface is a 3rd world country, still coming to terms with its past.

We are currently living in Sandton- one of South Africa’s richest suburbs and bang next to Sandton Mall. We work in downtown Joburg, where you can see parts of the CBD which are very different. It’s almost like 2 very different nations living on top of each other.

I cannot help but compare South Africa to India- India’s struggle to freedom, albeit 70 years ago, and its continuing struggle with social and economic inequalities and corruption- one of the biggest social evils we face as third world nations

           

There is a close connection between India And South Africa.

                                      

M.K. Gandhi began his career as a lawyer in South Africa, living in this country over a period of 21 years…This is where he formed his ideals around Satyagraha- Insistence on Truth and non violent struggle… These became a great political tool inspiring the Civil Rights movement in the States with Dr. Martin Luther King and here in South Africa with Nelson Mandela and his ANC.

Enough about history eh…

Our lunches during work days have been Nando’s - Africa’s high end McDonald’s!!! We did manage to get some other food though…

Here’s a pic of a street stall- box stall? on one of our lunch walks for Chinese (you will find the best Chinese food in Joburg downtown at Swallows Inn) what really attracted me was the amakiepkiep. South Africa’s answer to caramel popcorn. Sold everywhere…              

I have been amazed, mesmerized, captivated, charmed, fascinated (you get the drift) by the South African skies. I cannot help clicking away its various moods. Here are a few pics I shot…

At Kruger….

  

If you look reall close- you’ll see Jamon on the bottom right hand side- well- his arms anyway…                

      

On our way to Chameleon village from Cradle of Humankind. This one really got me.

On our way to Kruger,.. The sky is just so vast here- but I don’t feel insignificant- just part of a much larger whole and one of God’s own.  

In Kruger…   Outside our tent in Tangala

On the drive to Blyde canyon- the clouds peeking through the trees as we sped by….

Around Itsoseng…

Around Soweto

Saw a Whistling Cloud on our way back from work. Thought it looked kind of cheeky : - )

The Jacarandas bloom so beautifully here in Joburg. I’ve been really enjoying them every day on our way to work and back. We’ve had some good showers here and the jacarandas still spread their beauty after the rains…

       

     

As I sign off, a final thought…Our CSC engagement is something that will stay in my heart for a long long time. The work we did, the people we met and the friends I’ve made…Ubuntu indeed…

No Candy this Halloween for Jamon

Here is the link for Halloween Post
http://jamonium.blogspot.co.za/

Chinese Native Teng visted the Museum of Africa, Pilansburg and tells the tale

Today I got couple of “Joburg Firsts”, most of them are historical artifacts, maybe not a very long history but a remarkable meaning for Johannesburg.

The first radio broadcast in Joburg.

An early barber chair in Joburg.

An early telephone switchboard in Joburg.

The Digico Micro 16S mini-computer was designed in 1967 and purchased by Barclay’s Bank in Joburg in 1969. This machine has a total CPU memory of 16KB, a core memory cycle time of 6 microseconds a print speed of 10 characters per second.

The first University in Joburg.

An old fashioned American cash register in Joburg.

The first car in Joburg.

The first skating rinks in Joburg.

The first crimes in Joburg.

And there are more Firsts in Joburg, if you really would like to see, come to Museum Africa and explore by yourself, it’s quite near the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, maybe not as good as you expected, but I would say it’s worth going for a short visit.

In the meantime, one team went to Pilanesberg National Park, they saw a lion, elephants, zebras, cheetahs, wildebeests, hippos, jackals, warthogs, impalas, Kudus, springboks, white rhinos, and a small frog.

If you don’t have too much time to visit Kruger, I would recommend Pilanesberg as a good substitute for Safari.

Also, another group went to FNB Stadium in Soweto to watch the soccer game, Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates, and they were forced to share the spoils, after playing out a 0-0 draw.

Although the weather was quite hot, everyone really enjoyed watching the soccer, a very good opportunity to experience the local sports culture.

Thusday Community Service Day is described by Martin

Blog for CSC SA 16, Thursday, October 27

Community day at CSC SA 16

By Martin Gerhardt

Today was not only a special day for me, but for the entire team.

This day was intended as community day and it led us to Orange Farm, a township located approximately 45 km from Johannesburg.

In this township we visited a community initiative Itsoseng which was founded 1997.
(http://www.probono.org.za/itsoseng-womens-project-orange-farm/)

“We didn’t want to wait for someone taking care of us, but became active ourselves to improve our live and the living of our people” said the managers of this initiative in their opening words. “For us, this is a form of demonstrating leadership”.

       

And this leadership is paying off: In the meantime about 24 members are taking care of essentially 2 major projects: Day care for children and recycling of waste.

To gain money from waste, the members are collecting the waste in cities nearby. Then they sort it dependent on the different materials. Some of the waste can be re-used, other is sold for a few Rands to local recycling firms. You can’t image, how many different plastic materials are around. And they all have to be separated e.g. identified by numbers at the bottom of bottles etc. If they are not strictly separated, the recycling firms do not accept them. A special kind of science for itself.

       

The other major part of the initiative is focused on day care for kids. About 100 kids come there from the local townships over the day from 8 am until 4 pm. They are between 6 months and 6 years old and get three meals a day. Depending on their age, they are split into different classes. Since their mother tongue is Zulu or Xhosa, they also get introduced to English, but also to Math and general knowledge to get prepared for school.

       

One third of the costs for these kids is covered by government, the remaining portion needs to be spent by the parents, which pay about 200 Rands per kid per month. For them it is a lot of money, for us it is just a few dollars (15 US$).

Ok, but now to work!! Since we are here for pro bono work, we split our group into several teams. Some of them supported “digging” work for a new office building. As hard as they were working, I am wondering, whether the found some gold or oil?

       

Others did gardening to plant vegetables for the food of the kids.

   

Borek and Teng helped to get the local people trained for their new computers which they have recently received as a gift. And how thankful these people are for any support cannot be better impressed by the words they returned on a properly functioning computer.

       

And many of us did day care for the kids within the different classes. I also joined this task and got engaged with the 4 – 6 year old kids – introducing them to gymnastics. And I promise, when I come back, to bring a soccer ball with me and we play together, since soccer overcomes all language problems.

       

       

And didn’t we do a good job?

I felt we all enjoyed the day, to do something useful and to support other people.

But what also amazed me a lot, is that despite of the poorness of the people and the low poverty level, these people always get easily a smile into their face. They, especially the kids, show such a positive vivid vitality, which is kind of inspiring for myself. And on our way back I became a bit reflective and was wondering, whether these people really needed our help today or whether we came here to kind of reflect ourselves – coming from and returning into a world of highest prosperity.

Maybe, we just better understand what we have got when we get a closer look to the other side of our living. In this sense it might also be another view of Ubuntu – I am because you are!

Martin