Masibumbane

Wow, three posts in two days. Don't expect this pace to continue though, there are going to be times in my trip where it might be weeks between posts. So yesterday I talked about what Masibumbane did, but now I will tell you about my experience own experience there. When we arrived on Wednesday we were introduced to Mdudsi the project manager of Masibumbane, and Rob, the man who started it all. Rob is a very nice guy, but is sometimes difficult to understand because he has a severe stutter because many years ago he was bitten by a snake whose neurotoxin caused his stutter. After they explained what the organization does, we got to sit in on the counseling sessions. I sat with Khanyi, and in between sessions we talked about our families and I even got to show her a picture of Lyric. In the sessions, Khanyi asked the clients what they have done since the previous meeting, found out what they needed, and wrote goals for them to accomplish before the next meeting.

One thing that we did over the three days of work was check client's garden to see how they are coming along. We  would give a grade on the garden depending on how many new plots were created, how neat their compost pile was, how much they were able to produce for themselves, the variety they were able to produce, and the amount they were able sell. After tallying the grade, we gave suggestions on how to improve the garden. Today Jamison and myself even had the chance to work in the garden.

Everyday one of the women who worked there name Busi made us authentic South Africa meals. These consisted of chicken curry, a type of collard greens, beans, butternut squash, mashed potatoes with maize, and homemade bread; it was delicious. It was even more special because Busi lives in the township and does not have much to live off of, but she gave what she had to feed us. Hospitality is very important in South Africa, something America could learn a lot from.

We also took a tour of Impophemene while we were there and learned a lot about the area. During the apartheid there was a lot of fighting in the town due a political divide surrounding labor strikes. During one of the riots a police car that was trying to separate the rioters and ran over a 5 year old girl and killed her. This event was a rallying moment for both groups and a wall was built to commemorate the girl and all who died during the riots. The wall was donated at the time by Jacob Zuma, who is now the president of South Africa.

We will return Monday and Tuesday to Impophomene, but we will be working with a different agency. So now on to the story of our random road trip. On Wednesday, Deanna and Edgar were going to be taken to their placements in Durban and Pinetown, and we thought this would take place while we were at Impophemene, but when we returned to the flats, they were just about to leave. Jamison had the great idea to join them so we could see Durban. Durban in a very large city, not necessarily in terms of skyscrapers, but as we approached Durban all you could see were rolling hills of lights in the darkness of the night; it was quite a site to see. After dropping Edgar and Deanna off, Korabo, our fearless driver, drove us ocean front in Durban so that we could see the Indian Ocean. It was so dark it was hard to see, but we could see the white caps of the waves crashing into the shore. It was a very exciting trip.

Wow, I think I am finally caught up with where I am now. Korabo, Jamison, John and I are about to go into the city to grab something to eat. It already been a week, and it has only been a week. That's amazing because it has gone so fast and I feel like I have done so much already. I can't wait to see what else this trip entails. God Bless.