Cold Hands, Warm Heart

World Cup Fever is heating up, but boy oh boy, is it cold. Have you seen people on TV in the stands at the games all bundled up for winter? Well, they are not being wimps, it's definitely chilly around here. The night is especially cool as it frequently falls to 0 degrees. I didn't bring proper clothes for this weather! Whoops. Having to stock up on sweaters and buy some boots. Any excuse for more shoes...right?

I went to my first ever World Cup match last night! I saw USA vs. Slovenia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. It was truly spectacular. I have seen quite a few amazing sporting events in my lifetime (Wimbledon, Stanley Cup playoffs, The Olympic Games, PGA Golf, etc.) but yesterday's experience tops the list. The intensity, the level of play, the noise, the large number of spectators, and the stadium itself will not soon be forgotten. I was surprised at how many American fans were in the crowd, and they were quite down on their team in the first half, cursing and yelling. BUT, the second half rally by their team was superb and made for an exciting finish. I am definitely becoming a huge soccer fan. 

Further, I'm observing some interesting day-to-day cultural phenomena here and wanted to capture it in writing. I am noticing these things especially when I walk the streets downtown during my lunch break. I have been venturing out much more, now that I have my bearings downtown. I recently found a pedestrianized street full of market-type goods and cheap shops, which I am loving. On Tuesday while cruising this street, I watched as people walked around with blankets on. Fleece blankets! Forget coats, people just put on blankets and go out. How clever! Why invest in a coat when you can just put on a blanket?

Also, there are many men with old-fashioned cameras asking if I need my photo taken at almost every street corner for a good 3 blocks up the road. I was puzzled by this until I saw that the Dept. of Home Affairs was nearby. Ahhhh, forget passport photo labs, you can just get your photo ID taken on the sidewalk. I watched this happen - these 'photographers' just tape a white sheet onto a building and then snap away.

There is also some very creative entrepreneurship going on in this city. The little tables that are set up everywhere sell quite a diverse range of products such as individual candies. Some people buy a whole bag of wrapped hard candies or mints and then sell each piece separately to make a small profit. You'll find these being sold often with a mixture of nuts and fruit.There are also lots of men walking up and down the middle of road lanes selling newspapers, flags, sunglasses and now, ear plugs. On the way to the stadium yesterday, we did indulge one of these sellers and each got a set of plugs for the game. They came in handy, let me tell you!

What is also striking is how everyone I encounter is very warm and genuinely friendly. I am either: 'madam', 'miss', 'dear', 'darling' or 'my love'. My name is often pronounced Biryani, like the Indian dish. It could be worse. I like Indian food. :)

Work again has been a bit slow this week due to World Cup mania, but hopefully the initial hype has died down and people can get back to business. I am entering my sixth week of being here...time if flying by!!! Lots to be done still in terms of my own learning objectives, but I won't panic yet!

Lots of love,

Brianna

The World Cup. And The World.

Hello all,

I think I totally underestimated the impact the World Cup would have on this country. And on me! I’m overwhelmed by the magnitude the event. It's everywhere I look! At work, the media, the streets, the shops, etc. I have seen visitors from all over the globe as well, right on my doorstep. This whole week has been a green and yellow blur. All I can hear is the vuvuzela amidst the backdrop of the city. (When helicopters and jets aren’t flying overhead or sirens are wailing….security is at an ALL TIME high.)

(FYI: Vuvuzela definition: A vuvuzela or a stadium horn is a blowing horn approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. It is commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. The instrument requires some lip and lung strength to blow.)

I’m actually relieved that the big event is now underway, as perhaps things can go back to normal...nothing was in order...from about Wednesday onwards. Everyone was in high spirits and not focused on their regular day-to-day routines. And who can blame them? The World Cup has never happened in Africa and people here LOVE their soccer. It's an important time in South African history and I'm so lucky to witness it.

Wednesday at noon there was a scheduled ‘Vuvuzela Moment’. Everyone in the whole of South Africa was instructed to blow their vuvuzela for 5 minutes at noon. Well, 5 minutes in Pretoria turned into 2 hours and a large parade. Pretorius Street, where my office is located, came to a stand still and people funneled through to Church Square which is in the centre of the city. Here is a picture from that very square at about 12:30 in the afternoon.



Nuts.
Thursday night I went to the Opening Celebration Concert in Johannesburg. It was at Orlando Stadium (the same place I saw the rugby a few weeks back). It was an absolute blast! Two of my favourite things…no wait three….were all significant factors of the night: Sport, Music and Charity. Not only were there amazing artists in attendance (Amadou & Mariam, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Shakira, etc.) but the vibe was amazingly cohesive and beautiful. The World Cup is truly bringing all sorts of people together in a historically divided nation. Some of my favourite parts of the night were:
-Random clumps of people breaking out into choreographed routines.
-Flags and patriotism, regardless of skin colour.
-A DJ in between sets played anti-apartheid songs and ALL audience members singing along. I was with some coloured people who grew up here during the last 20 years, and they cried with emotion.
-When the Black Eyed Peas busted into “Tonight’s gonna be a good night”…and I got my groove on.

Then my phone was stolen from my coat pocket in mass exodus from the stadium…I didn’t even notice until a bit later. Oh well. TIA. (This is also case and point as to why I bought the cheapest phone available when I got here.)

Friday I didn't go to work. Nor did anyone else. I sorted out a new phone and watched the opening game....South Africa against Mexico. The whole nation exploded when Bafana scored the first goal of the tournament. The storyline could not have been contrived any better than that!!

Today was host city Pretoria's first game and the stadium is just minutes away from my house. Here is a picture of just how close it is from the rooftop:



Other than the big WC, not much else to report. Like I said, one big blur. Although, I have begun to feel more grounded and like I belong at work, as many co-workers continue to stop in the hallway and poke their head into my office to say hi, welcoming me to the department and country. I am joyous when this occurs. The human spirit is wonderful and when we connect across borders, it makes me smile inside. We shall see what this week brings....will ANYONE be at work tomorrow??! :)

Hugs,
Brianna

PS-The 'space between' theme was in my face again this week...on a brown sugar packet no less. The quote written on the back of it was: "Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so". ~Belva Davis

Quote

I flipped the page in my Pema Chodron agenda and the quote for this week is appropriately this:

"When we are willing to stay even a moment with uncomfortable energy, we gradually learn not to fear it."

An excellent mantra for me to bear in mind as I enter into the next stage of residing here.

B

Fear: Myth or Truth?

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” - Ambrose Redmoon

Amidst the noise and behind the bars, today I sit with my soul and am reflecting upon the first month of physically being in South Africa. I have struggled to get clarity through the chaos that I experience on a daily basis. More often than not, I’m riddled with questions and alerts regarding my whereabouts in Pretoria and who is nearby, and further who could possibly invade my personal space. I’ve never been so aware of my colour and gender in my life. Externally, the sounds and sights are distracting my every move.

I desperately needed a “Bri” day today which managed to include: a walk to the shops, a run, my favourite songs (ahhhh), a good book/newspaper, sports on TV and delicious food. This morning, the sun shone through the windows as I drank my daily morning coffee. (I couldn’t help but think about the irony of the blaring sun as it tries to compensate for the ‘criminal’ aspect of this place. The sun argues against darkness every day.)

One emotion dominates and permeates my psyche when thinking about my first month. That emotion being fear. Honestly, I was worried about living here before I left Canada; that hasn’t changed...yet it didn’t halt me in my tracks. I was concerned mostly for my own personal safety in South Africa, the country with the most reported violent crime in the world. Typically, I am not a fearful person, in fact, one might argue I was brave for coming to South Africa, alone as a young, vibrant female. I never encounter new situations with fear, I usually embrace them with openness, love, curiosity and acceptance for what is. In South Africa those aforementioned emotions have also been present...with the accompaniment of fear mind you. I’ve sat in between the bars trying to overcome the fear.

What I find myself battling with is whether or not this fear is mythically placed or based in some some sort of reality? What would happen if those security bars were removed from around people’s homes? Anything worthy of the bars being there? I don’t know if they make me feel more or less secure. I also am an amateur on South Africa, so, can’t necessary proclaim to be an expert. However, I do know what the media says (it’s full of terrible stories). I see the concern in people’s eyes and hear the worry in their words when I say I’m here alone. I’m beginning to explore what locals say (I had a long discussion the other night with a young Afrikaans girl who is planning to migrate to Australia with her partner – all they want to do is leave.)

Bearing all of this in mind, I do think I need to make a mental shift and be cautious, not fearful in the months to come. Fear is causing me to stay up at night as I am thinking too much about the “What ifs?" I believe I can get on with things here with a more calmed heart. I trust what people are telling me regarding how to remain safe and am feeling more like my feet are on the ground as each day passes. The earth is solid beneath my shoes as I wander with eyes wider than before.

I am so grateFULL for my practicum. I go to work everyday knowing what my purpose for being here is as well as believing in the purpose! I am getting exactly the kind of experience I wanted....and more. I have already sat and contributed in meetings with banks and development agencies. I have been in training that is relevant and adds to my pre-existing knowledge base including mainstreaming gender in research and project management. I am dealing with children’s rights. Yes!! AND I get to be creative and come up with a research methodology and travel to provinces to interview social workers. Hello? It's social work + management + children + project creativity. All in a day's work. 

I miss you all at home...and am sending lots of love.

Brianna

The Safari

First off, thanks to everyone for their kind words regarding my blog. You are my motivation for continuing to write. I know it’s been a few days but there is a lot to say and I have struggled to find the time to sit down and focus on the task of describing my weekend.

I must say that raindrops are following us around the country! First in Cape Town, and now in Kruger National Park. Shame. (But, I guess it is winter here so I need to stop complaining.)

We ended up on a 3 day safari in very chilly conditions, making the open air game drives somewhat uncomfortable, shivering under our blankets. However, the weather was easily won over by the beauty that is the African bush and the wonder of the spectacle of animals in their natural habitat. Emma and I stayed in a very rustic camp with little huts without any electricity. Awesome. The only thing lighting the way at night was our lanterns and the open campfire in the main lodge. We were on the Klaserie Game Reserve in particular and this is where we stayed: http://www.sa-venues.com/visit/africaonfoot/

Saturday afternoon we went out on the 4x4 and saw lots of impala, a warthog, kudu and a female lion walking by herself down the road ahead of us. She was beautiful and the guides said she had cubs based on her appearance (she was visibly lactating). We turned off the engine to hear the lions roaring under the stars. They were surprisingly loud, those Kings of the savanna! We took in the Southern Cross and Scorpio constellations above our heads. The moon was also red and full in true African style. 

After a delicious dinner around the campfire on Saturday night, we were told to silently move towards the swimming pool. And voila! There was a herd of elephants drinking from it...about 6 of them including a baby! We shone the flashlights on them and finally they got a bit stressed and so proceeded to move on, but we did get a great look. Amazing to know that animals just rock up to the camp like that!! I slept like a baby to the soothing sounds of the winds and owls hoo hooing.

The second day we saw another herd of elephants and more kudu. We went on a nature walk and saw lots of different plants and trees and kinds of dung (I’m now an expert on animal poo...and saw proof that giraffes and hyenas were also in the area.) Later that night we went on another drive and saw dozens of zebras and a few rhinos. They were so quick on their feet and jetted away from our obtrusive headlights!

The final morning (Monday) we set off on a long morning walk and it was spectacular to watch the sunrise (we set off at 6 am) and to relish in being so connected to nature. I just couldn’t quite get my head around where I was...AFRICA. The one animal I didn’t get to see by the end of the 3 days that I desparately wanted to was a giraffe. However, the guide pointed out a bone we came across that morning, it was huge. He told me it belonged to a giraffe leg and that a lion had clearly killed it to eat. I was sad to see this but realize it is the true nature of the food chain. (Then, ironically, as we were exiting the park, I was driving and Emma spotted 4 giraffes by the side of the road! So...........my safari experience was complete indeed!)

After this experience I was thinking about how humans and animals in this particular community (and many others for that matter across the world) live in harmony. Humans here respect the animal’s space and vice verse. There is an innate courtesy for how each species live. Yet, humans and other humans can’t seem to get it together and respect each other in the same fashion.  I heard on the news about the Israeli attack on the Palestinian boat, how blacks and whites continue to fight for position and resources in this country, the war raging in Afghanistan, etc. How can we not live in peace given all of our so-called 'advances' and ‘global’ view we claim to have? If animals and humans got it figured out, so should we really. 

Possibly the biggest shock I’ve had since arriving on the 8^th of May occurred on the way home from Kruger National Park. I should say as a disclaimer that the drivers and the roads here are quite unlike anything I’ve seen before. You have to be completely aware at all time and on the lookout for potholes, road kill, animals grazing, school kids walking, people flagging taxis, cars driving at break neck speed, etc. PLUS we are dealing with being on the other side of the road. Concentration is mandatory. Emma and I were about 1 hour out of Pretoria on a fairly decent double-laned highway and we came upon a very bad car accident. It must have just happened a few minutes before because there was not yet emergency help on the scene. As we approached, I realized that bodies were on road. There were likely two dead and others injured, but I couldn’t bring myself to look closely. Talk about traumatizing. I have never seen anything like this in my life and felt ill.

I have come to the realization that this is the reality of Africa. Death and encounters with life and death are very normal and prevalent....way more so than what we as North Americans see. We are quite sheltered. Diseases, violence, accidents, are far more in-your-face. I would safely say that Africans are desensitized to these things and just seem to get on with life. I have not been able to stop thinking about it and find myself wondering, was the man I saw on the road a father, a brother, a son? What was he on his way to do when he crashed? Who would be impacted most by his passing? What was he thinking in his final moments? 

Often we don’t take the time to really live and be present in the moments we have. Seeing this really made me critically look at being alive and embracing everything life has to offer. It also made me think twice about driving on South African highways!

Anyway, this is getting long (see, I told you I had a lot to say!) and I will go for now and report back on the weekend about my practicum. There are very exciting things happening there too.

I keep on swinging,

Brianna

Hometowns

I've just been listening to Hometown Glory by Adele and relating to the lyrics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL49yZNE4yk

It's amazing how quickly someplace can become 'home'. Ive been in Pretoria almost two weeks only, and already I'm creating patterns of living. Worlds have also collided through people who know my people. The world becomes so small through travel. City living here is very much like city living in Calgary, with a few different twists and turns. I have a commute to downtown. I listen to the local radio station in the morning. The cofffee counter boy has memorized my order. I found my nearest supermarket and hairdresser.  I watch the news at night.

Why do we gravitate towards the familiar? When in our regular, normative settings, we don't critically think about our daily routines. Here, I'm facing many unknowns, and in order to try to mitigate fear and uncertainty, I'm doing things similar to what I always do. I guess we are creatures of habit.

This week's focus has mainly been work. I've put in a couple 10 hour days at the office. We are preparing for the official project launch happening next week Tuesday. I'm becoming quickly familiar with the ins and outs of government protocol and how to appropriately deal with officials, politicians and community stakeholders. Going through the 'right' channels is MEGA important, often more so than WHAT is being done. It's a bit of an eye opener as to why things seem to take a long time, procedure is emphasized over product.

I'm not used to these long days...the life of a student is more determined by paper due dates and not so much the daily office grind. Yet I am loving every minute and am jumping right into the work - I have no time to waste given the short period of time I am here. There is definitely a staffing gap as well and the role I'm carving out for myself is clearly needed. Interestingly, if you work past 530 pm in my building, the lights go out. The office goes completely black. I'm not entirely sure why this happens, but I agree with the maneuver, for environmental reasons as well as personal. Turning the lights out on workers is one way to ensure they go home and have a proper work life balance.

Today, around 11 am, there was a staff announcement over the loudspeakers inside. (It felt a bit like being in school, when the principal would make their announcements.) A man stated that there was a water shortage in the building and therefore we had to evacuate. We were to leave immediately and return to work the following morning. People were yelping and dancing in the hallways. Colleagues said to me that this doesn't happen often, but all I could do was laugh and smile and think to myself: TIA (This is Africa).

There are few comical sayings I've picked up that I would like to document. I love how the English language gets used in different ways depending on where you are in the world!

"I'll be with you just now." = "I'll be with you later." (Translation: Just now means later.)
"I"ll be with you now now" = "I'll be with you now." (Translation: Now now means NOW. ) :)
"Howzit?" = "How are you?"
"It's not a train smash." = "It's not the end of the world."

I'll continue to add to this list I'm sure.

Finally, today I drove for the first time in Pretoria. It was actually fine, although I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of signalling. And, I tended to gravitate toward the curb instead of the middle line. I also once started driving on the wrong side, but only briefly, as headlights were directly flashing at me! It will take some getting used to. People and taxis are definitely hazards here as they are unpredictable and often in your way.  I drove us to the Canadian Pub Night at the High Commission. They have this event once a month and I found out about the event from another Canadian guy here. I had a nice time - met a few other people who just moved here too. Fun to compare stories!! The first question is always: "Where are you from?" I always struggle with this - I don't have a 'hometown'. It is the globe. Although, usually, I say Calgary. :)

Time for bed and am looking forward to the weekend as we are off to Kruger National Park this weekend for a 3 day safari. I can't wait!

Brianna xo

Soweto

On Saturday I spent the entire day in Soweto and Johannesburg. Emma and I left leafy Pretoria and headed south on the NI motorway. The drive itself is quite short (about one hour) amidst the roadworks occurring at a frenzied pace due to the World Cup approaching in 20 days. They are expanding the highway to accommodate the flow of traffic between the two cities - Pretoria visitors rely on Jo'burg's airport as their point of entry.

Driving through and around Johannesburg was a nice surprise. The downtown core is very built up and looking at it, you might just think you were in Boston, Detroit, or some other North American city. It looked lush as well with lots of beautiful trees and gardens. I was struck by how nice the cars were driving by us (Land Rovers, Mercedes, BMW, etc.); there is definitely some money to be made in that town. It looked nothing like the 'Gangster's Paradise' image people had told me about. (To relate the city back to Canada....it's like the Toronto, Pretoria is the Ottawa and Cape Town is the Vancouver of South Africa.)

The mountains surrounding Johannesburg were mined and are very flat and rugged looking. The mining began there in the late 1800s and only now are they revisiting some of the deposits for more gold due to advances in technology. We arrived in Soweto (South Western Township) after driving through the city and could immediately see the difference in architecture. 

The township itself has been in existence since the 1930s. It became significant after the Apartheid movement forced blacks in Johannesburg out of the city and into the area now known as Soweto. It's currently it's own thriving suburb with both rich and poor areas...it's not all what you see and hear about on the news. The total population of Soweto is approximately 1/3 of the total population of Johannesburg. 

Our first stop was in a slum.  I was admittedly initially hesitant and awkward walking around people's homes/lives and I felt a bit like a voyeur. However, we were welcomed and shown around by a local who lives in the slum, and he put my mind at rest with his kind eyes. He said we were welcome and the community was curious about us as much as we were curious about them. Everyone we met said 'good morning'.
 

The slum had no running water (just communal taps), shared porta-toilets, no electricity and each resident had a tiny shack which housed families inside each. My car is about the same size as your average shack. The kids in the gravel street were staring up at us and wanting a picture (for a fee). They were very, very sweet and innocent. I couldn't help but wonder how these kids would survive and what their chances were at leaving Soweto or even the slums. They didn't look sickly though. Just dirty.

We carried on and saw where Winnie Mandela currently lives, the church were Desmond Tutu would give his public addresses and where police would eventually violently enter (there were bullet holes in the ceiling), Nelson Mandela's house (which is now a Museum), and the Hector Pieterson Museum which is located in the spot where that same young boy was killed in 1976 during the Soweto uprising. So much history in such a small little geographical area.

I was moved by how communal Soweto was. Everyone knew everyone else. They were all in it together and for each other...versus the gated off and separate rows of mansions in the 'whiter' areas. But it also struck me that despite Apartheid ending, the divisions are still very, very clear. Whites live here and blacks over there. The effects of Apartheid are going to take generations to overcome, where people truly mix and skin colour is not a dividing factor.

   
Then, in the evening, we went to a rugby match. No, this was not your ordinary rugby match. This was a semi-final, sudden death game between the Bulls (Pretoria) and the Crusaders (not sure but somewhere in New Zealand). The Bulls normally play at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria but they were not able to due World Cup preparations happening there. Therefore, this semi final was played in Soweto, at Orlando Stadium. And, since rugby is a 'white man's game', the historical significance of this event meant that 45 000 white people had to go to Soweto to watch their beloved team. I bet you that over half of that crowd never thought they would purposefully visit Soweto. It was quite the sight and an interesting social experiment if you will. It seemed to go just fine with this mix of boundaries. The organization of the event it self left much to be desired (TIA: This is Africa) but I am really glad I got to experience the event - for the sport and for the historical significance of the location. And, the Bulls won!!!

So, there you have the weekend update.
Brianna xo