South Africa report # 11

South Africa has large shortage in living space. People can not afford to build or by homes. So Government builds these subsidized villages (see pictures). One house has one room little kitchen and bathroom. Looks just like little box. Imagine what it looks like when there are whole bunch of them together. It is cheap and it takes just a month to build village for almost 1000 families to live in. They look so sad, but I guess it is better then living in the paper box. People get these houses very cheep and then they start to expand on them in couple years they would build another bedroom and then another and another one. It looks even worse, but people must live somewhere. My mind says it is good that government is taking care of its people. But when I visit one of those villages, I feel something is wrong. Of cause only color people live in them. Places are falling apart, dirty, cheep, and people are so desperate. It reminds me of some kind of ghetto. Far from the “civilized” people and somehow dehumanizing. No wanders that hardly anyone of them goes to college and gets decent job. I can not tell why but somehow it does not seem right.

African dog report

Let me tell you about the Lucy!

She lives in the same house I do. Couple month ago she was hit by the car. She recovered, but one part of her body was left paralyzed. Guess which part? TAIL! It is horrible for the dog. She had nice curly tail, but now it is dragging behind her like a dead fish, it is very sad. She is such a happy dog though. When ever I come home she jumps around and is so happy, but not her tail, it is almost funny. She does not have any feeling in it as well. Some times she is chasing her dead tail and when she does catch it she does not know that she is baiting herself and we need to stop her before she starts bleeding. It is funny and sad at the same time.
She loves to cuddle with me on the couch as I read and I think that she is my best friend in Africa. It does gets kind of lonely, but I have Lucy.

South Africa report # 10

I am not picky about the food, am I? I am willing to try new things and usually at least I will say that I liked it. For example when I came to Canada my friends from college took me to the food court and made me try Greek food. I tried lamb and said it was ok. I had no intentions to eat it again, it was just Ok.
Now I came to South Africa and the very fist meal that is served is LAMB. Which is ok I can finish it. But to my terror very soon I realized that pretending that you liked something can have very sad consequences. Cook lady said, “oh usually foreigners do not like lamb! You will feel here at home we eat lamb a lot.” And they do. At least 2 a week they give me the biggest piece of lamb, I had no idea the sheep can grow so big. When they cook other meat they add some lamb to it just for the flavor. Now I eat chicken that tastes like lamb, pork that tastes like lamb fish that tastes like lamb and even porridge that tastes like lamb. Sometimes I come from work and I can smell it for blocks away that something is gone taste lake lamb today (in African village there are no such things as blocks but you know what I mean, don’t you). Last night we went to town for diner. You will not believe how glad a person can be to see KFC sign on horizon.

P.S. When the cook saw me taking picture of the lamb package she smiled, I have a bad feeling about that smile.

South Africa report # 9

This is very sad day in the history of my Africa experience. On the picture you can see my last teabag. I ran out of my tea. Yes I do travel with my tea, so what. Local people tell a joke about me here. What do you call man who travels with his own tea? – Teapot! And then they all laugh like they missed it first 10 times somebody said that. I am not getting depressed yet. In the town 2 hours drive from my village there is a store and rumor has it that they have my tee there. If it is true Africa will become livable once again. But for now I have to exist with things that locals call tea, but in truth it is a teabag with mud in it.
When I was leaving Canada, my best buddy told me, “Foreign guy, I know that your are a cheap man, probably because of your Scottish blood, here take some money and once you in Africa buy something for your self.” This is what I am going to spend your money for, my friend.

South Africa report # 8

Mother Day in Africa is also a big deal. I went to Africa church and there all but me were black which is ok. One of the things that know must know about Churches in Africa is that when they greet each other they kiss (when I say kiss I mean on the lips) with a big chmok. It does not matter if you are women or men they just kiss each other. If you are a stranger they would greet you with a hand shake (works for me). But not on mother’s day. Speaker says something in Afrikaans and I do not know what. All of a sudden everybody in the congregation gets up and starts to kiss each other. So I am up and I realize that I am being kissed by all the women in the congregation. They would just grab me and chmok me on the lips. I wish you could see that. Me poor Foreign_guy trying to figure out what is going on and why is everybody kissing and why me and when is that going to stop. Later I found out that speaker said that we should congratulate woman with this special day. And woman should congratulate children. I was trying to figure out was I kissed as a mother, or as a son or did they just used the opportunity to kiss me because I had no clue what was going on.
Needles to say that I was kissed for at least a dozen big mamas.
What is ironic in all this is that I hold a non kissing principle before engagement. My girlfriend never got a kiss but all there mammas from African church did. Life is funny that way isn’t it?
You can see on the picture some of those lucky women.

South Africa report # 7

I was being a tourist another day; Walking through the town enjoying scenery. Then I ran in to this sign (see picture). My first thought was, “I wonder what does the word ‘Dissuades’ means?” Due to the great invention of context I figured it out. Then my next though was, “now when I think that I know what it means I do want to go pass it so bad.” Wouldn’t you want to know why this town would discourage its guests to use this path? Of cause I went. This was the most beautiful walk I had in this country so far. Steep cliff and a very wild nature, this path lead to the place where locals do their fishing. Needles to say that forbidden fruit is delicious and that it feels so nice to trick yourself in to believing that you are adventurous type.
Later when I talk to my local friends about that, they were shock. It turned out that these signs they put in the places were tourist are being attacked and were town is failing to stop the crime. So I guess I was adventurous after all.

South Africa report # 6

Before you go on reading look at the picture and tell me what do you think people are doing there?
I was helping in a little building project another day. And this is the way they mix cement in South Africa; right in the middle of the driveway. They would bring sand and rocks and cement and than make a little lake of water in it and then start mixing. It was fun to see for the trick is not to let water run and at the same time mix it well.
Very impressive!!!

South Africa report # 5

We were playing Uno another day with bunch of African children. In the room next to ours somebody put on loud and rhythmical music. I wish you could see what happened. All kids jumped up. They ran to that room. Started to dance, sing, clap and enjoy themselves. There are not too many things that are more beautiful than African children dancing. I was amazed that all Africans I met have most amazing singing voices and the way they dance is just amazing. Wonder how that happens that some peoples are more gifted in certain areas.

South Africa report # 4

During my 10 days in South Africa I managed to meet quite a few people. One thing that kind of struck me was the fact all of the families I met are dysfunctional. All families have either children out of wedlock, or have children from previous marriages or children are being razed by grand parents. People are not embarrassed to talk about it. At the first visit with the family I am learning who is whose biological father and how old were their children when parents finally married. For some reason I was under impression that divorce and other family problems is western sickness, but I guess I was wrong. Even the poorest people are going through that.

South Africa report # 3

I am not a communist! Just so you know, but during my time in South Africa I wonder why.
On the same street there are the most expensive houses with swimming pool and 8 car garage. But across the street there are people who live in shack of cardboard and as much as I can tell they are not lazy or anything but they are black and the man with 8 cars is white. May be I am not getting something. But it just makes me so sad. I could never be tourist in this country. How could one enjoy his vacation and see all these hungry children. My chicken would stuck in my throat.
I am still not a communist but wouldn’t it make so much sense to make them all share. What do you think?

South Africa report # 2

So I am taking a shower another day. (Yes people in Africa do have showers) And all of a sudden this humongous spider crawls in. I wish you could see me, I the most intelligent ForenGuy fighting this beast of hell trying not to slip and kill myself. After I regained my privacy I was standing there half crying half laughing. Who came up with the idea that traveling is fun????
Poor spider probably wasn’t even piousness, but do you think I am going to take a chance?