Culture Shock

Molo!

It sure has been a while since I last posted! Our house did not have electricity (save for the lights, thank goodness) for a while, so it was terribly hard to write this blog! I have also been quite sick and internet is accessible only at cafes, so uploading has been giving me issues as well! Anyway: 

The flight

All of my life I have flown either west jet, air Canada, or, in the case of my last big trip to Europe, AirTransat. This time, we had the opportunity to fly with British Airways, and OH MY LANTA what an awesome experience that was! We were given free blankets, DELICIOUS meals, and, best of all: free toothpaste and toothbrushes. I am not sure if I have ever been so excited about a toothbrush! To top the cake, the seats had headrests that could be pulled down so that you wouldn't wake to find yourself snoozing on a stranger beside you. I mean, cuddling is nice, but not for 12 hours! 

As well, we were so lucky to meet our fellow Canadian traveller, Kara, at our gate in Calgary. Sadly, she could not secure a spot on our flight from heathrow to Cape Town, so we had to leave her on her own while we went to board :(

Picture of us at heathrow 

However, what I will remember the most is the darkness of the land below us on our second flight from heathrow to Capetown International; there were pockets of orange light, of which appeared to be on fire, and the stars, clouds and ground all melded into one. Occasionally we would pass over a thunderstorm; the closest thing I could relate it to would be a visual symphony. There was no sound except for the white noise of the jets, but beneath the belly of the plane, the firelight would swell through the clouds and keep beat while the lightning danced along. Like the northern lights,  there are some things that you need to see for yourself. 

I did not sleep as well as I had hoped on the plane, but it was so hard to close my eyes when there was such good food and a natural theater out of my window. Not to mention, I was so excited to arrive!

Travelling is by far one of the most impactful learning experiences anyone could undertake. One of the best things about travelling is immersing yourself in new situations and learning about your own nationality and culture through the differences between your nation and the host country. One thing I notice for sure in South Africa is that your belongings equate your safety. Although many of the volunteer houses are close together in Muizenburg and farther away from the nearby township, our house is very close to Capricorn (The township we are working in) and far away from the rest of the houses; thus we have to be even more careful about being home before dark and walking alone, and we are often inside before 6:00. If we stay out later, we make sure to take a cab to our gated residence. 

Something that struck me was the visual representation of the necessity for security in the home. For instance, homes in Calgary are fenced only in the backyards by wood, low stone cobbling and hedges, unless you live by the highway. If you have fenced in your front yard, it is usually low enough to the ground that you can see the front yard. People can leave garage doors open without the fear that their neighbors will ambush them for their possessions. Here, however, most houses are walled in and have spikes, broken glass, and/or electric fences bordering the top of the walls. You definitely cannot see into the front yard most of the time - unless you count the driveway as a yard - and entrance into the driveways are often granted by fobs or codes that open the high, spiked gate. Windows are usually barred and there are many locks on the properties ie doors, windows. The place we are staying in houses a local family on the main floor - of whom are some of the kindest people I've met - we live in a separate complex above them. We are the only house that has the opportunity to live above locals, and I am grateful for that for two reasons: 

1. Locals know best! They know the greatest places to visit, and even more important, the places to avoid.

2. If there was a break in, they would know first. They have never had any incidences, which is very comforting. 

Even though the volunteer houses are typically pretty safe, I feel like we are staying in the safest house available to us. Every house is different though, some homes have much lower security and I am grateful that we were placed in this house, even though it is quite close to Capricorn.

What is a township?

It is essentially a high density community of low-income government-funded housing, consisting mainly of shacks that house the people. There is a high risk of disease - given the density of people and inability to afford doctors - and the crime rate within these places are notable. Most of the personal safety risk comes from carrying sellable items on your person ie phones, cameras, jewelry, wallets. Poverty fuels crime.

During the day, from sunrise to dusk, walking alone in this neighborhood is quite safe. However, that does not mean that we can relax fully. South Africa is a culture of always checking your back, and if you flash your wealth ie phones, cameras, computers, at the wrong time and place, it is possible that you will get mugged. Thankfully, this has not happened to us or our room mates, but there were some incidences before we arrived where some volunteers had their phones out or had jewelry on that got stolen. All in all, being safe here requires that you blend in, leave expensive things hidden away at home, be aware of your backpack and look around to make sure that it is safe to take a picture. Consequently, I have not taken as many pictures as I originally thought that I would in this amount of time. Originally, I was anxious to walk alone in the day, let alone take pictures, so many of the first south african experiences are not documented photographically. 

Since we are working in an educare center within Capricorn, I have no photographs to post of the living conditions, as it is too risky to take pictures while walking around on foot. But, here are some pictures of the kids and Sunrise Educare Center!

So far, these are the only pictures I have taken of the kids, as I want to get to know them before I snap a bunch of photographs. I will write another post in the future about taking advantage of these children because of their situations. Sadly, it's something we have seen happen. But, more on that later. 

Sadly, many of the children we work with learn how to pickpocket at a young age; either they have been taught by their parents or they have seen it so many times that they know how to steal. It's a consequence of living in poverty, abusive situations and many being illiterate. If you do not know how to read, you cannot go to school, and if you cannot go to school, you will not make as much money. If you can't make money, you cant afford to pay for school. So, you can see that it can be difficult to get out of the townships and build a career, but even then, why would someone want to move out of their house when the government pays for it? 

Racism and Apartheid 

Coming from the inclusive melting pot of Canada, we (in general) do not experience segregation in the same way that south Africans do. Although South Africa is very multicultural, it is quite apparent that white people have an easier time living. For the next paragraph to make sense, look at this photo:

 Our neighborhood consists predominantly of well-off white people, and many of the nice houses are owned by whites. But, this is Africa, so the majority of the people are black; as of yet, I have not seen a single white person living in a township. On the contrary, most people living in townships across the country are non-white people. It is important to point out, however, that not all non-whites live in poverty. When driving from the airport to our volunteer house by car, our driver - Buks - pointed out specific areas where Malay people lived, where 'colored' people lived, and a township on the way. Some of the communities are quite nice, save for the township; although the government is building condo-like alternatives for the people of the townships to move into. 

Something that deeply saddens and confuses me is that some of the children in each class at Sunrise are being pulled from their rooms into a separate class because they are not "South African". These children, although born in South Africa, have parents who have immigrated from other regions of Africa ie Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania, ect. This policy has been put into effect by Sunrise's principle, although it is generally disliked by many of the teachers. Like them, I believe that the focus should be on each child's well being, education and growth rather than what backgrounds they have; the whole policy is madness, especially since it is quite difficult to decipher - just by looking - whose parents are from where. 

If this was practiced in Canada, I'm not sure if I would be friends with either Michelle or Denise. Michelle's mother is American and her father is Italian, while both of Denise's parents are from the Philippines (granted Denise was born in the Philippines and gained Canadian citizenship at age 4). My parents were both born in Canada, so I would be in a separate class than both of them. 

There are many problems that South Africa faces, but I am so grateful to be here to love the kids who need loving and to explore the new terrain around me. These past two weeks have been an insane learning experience, and now that I have finally gotten used to the culture (I think) I cannot wait for what comes next!

In my next post, I will write about my fellow volunteers, the touristy things that we have been doing, and what working at the educare center actually means (germs germs germs! Hahah). 

Until next time,

Jenn