If Heaven Was a Mile Away

I know I've talked a bit about how close I have gotten to the teenagers I work with in Cottage 1 at St. Theresa's Boys Home in Durban. But, in reality, there is no way you can fully understand the utter hilarity that ensues when I am with them unles you see it for yourself. So, here it is, ladies and gents, Siya and Sifiso and a little "If Heaven Was Only a Mile Away"... or something like that...

There's far too much to take in here.

So I wanted to share some photos with you while I am on a computer that doesn't have a bandwidth limit....

This is my favorite little homie from 1000 HCH. His name escapes me, but doesn't he look like Wyclef?!

This is the view in my backyard. No, I am not joking. Yes you can come visit if you would like.

And these are the beautiful women I live with in the beautiful country we live in. We are so fortunate.

And now that the photos are done...

It's been so long since I've blogged a long entry about our adventures in KZN, and I am sorry to say that this one might be less than you'd hoped for, faithful readers. But, I will do my best. South Africa has a 3G internet allowance per month and our monthly quota has been run dry. So MK and I have ventured to Cdrive, the internet cafe down the road.

The past few weeks have been full of mayhem. Far too much for me to be able to explain to you in full. PBS was here for two weeks and when they finally left we had one weekend to ourselves. We decided it was time to get out of Durban for a bit. So we made the 2.5 hour trek to the Drakensberg Mountains.

We hike the Amphitheater and it was the craziest hike. I can't really explain it in words. It was about a 5 hour hike and it involved 200m of chain ladders down the side of a cliff and also some very extreme weather. I left the Berg with a very strong sense of community with the amazing women I live with and also with our 3 friends, Claire, Andrew and Mart. It was an awesome experience. I can't wait to share pictures with you.

We've been able to spend more time with the boys from St. Theresa's (the boys home in Durban). I love them so much! I feel so happy after spending the 2 quick hours with them. We learn so much from each other everytime we are together. I wish you could be graced with the absurdity of the conversations that Sifiso, Siyabonga and I have. The topics range in hilarity and seriousness. Last week we talked about predators and gay marriage. This week we spent a great deal of time discussing the weight of Lil Wayne's lyrics and Immortal Technique's mad skills. My anticipation is peaking about the South African hip hop cd that Sifiso is planning to make for us.

Living here is like a rollercoaster. We all experience the full range of emotions every single day. I can't explain it any way other than that. I feel so joyful and in the right place. And I love you. So I can't wait to share my experiences with you.

usale kahle,

b

Alive and Kickin'

Hey folks!

First of all....

Today is my Mom's birthday! Happy day, Mamma!

Also - Just a quick note to know I am alive...

Some updates:

- going away for the weekend to the Drakensberg Mountains! YAY! So excited for a taste of nature and of South Africa outside the walls of Durban.

- had a fantastic two weeks with Brian and the PBS crew. Look for us on PBS in May or so. The Augustinians will be featured on Visionaries.

-Karaoke at The Highlander Pub on Wednesdays = AWESOME.

- Work... As always always always is insane. Nothing new to report there. I'm sure I will bless you with a nutty blog about work sometime in the near future.

- I have a blog about music brewing' in my head. Look out for that.

- I miss you each very dearly and think of you often.

- Final Note: Visitors! Pat will be here for his site visit next week followed quickly by Shin's Family! and then SAM! Thank so much, cheap Emirates tickets!

Thats all I've got for you at the moment, but more to come soon I hope!

Ngiyafunda

I am learning.

My job at 1000 Hills Community Helpers has no definition. It is an amorphous thing that takes form as it needs to.

For the first month of work at 1000 HCH in Inchanga I found this lack of job definition incredibly daunting. I previously have thrived best with specific goals to accomplish. Such a life or work style is not the nature of 1000 Hills (actually, I’m pretty sure it isn’t the style of Africa in general). Everything is about going with the flow, baby.

And so, I go.

So, this undefined work has led me to experience in many fields, most of which I would never have expected to partake in.

On Thursdays I spend most of the day in the dispensary with Jimmy, the pharmacist. After 3 weeks I have gotten a strong handle on filling prescriptions. It was a shining moment for me when Karen, a nursing sister and daughter of Dawn (1000 HCH’s founder), told me I was a pharmaceutical star.

In addition to the pharmaceutical field, I also partake in the Baby Clinic on Tuesdays as an aid to Sister Dlamini (the head nursing sister at 1000 HCH). On Tuesdays 40+ babies under a year of age come for their weekly check-up. I weigh them, take temperatures, and ask about their medical histories. In addition to my lack of medical experience there also exists a pretty severe language barrier. I can say only six Zulu phrases and one of them is “Does your baby have diarrhea?”

After the babies leave sometimes I teach computer skills to the young adults who spend time at the Community Center. Many Zulu people who cannot find jobs spend time at the clinic, taking classes and reading in the library. It has been a really awesome experience spending time with Zulu people close to my age. I think we have learned a lot about each other and our different cultural backgrounds.

I have also done a brief stint as a pseudo-EMT. And by EMT, I mean that I ride in an ambulance. I could no sooner claim to have any skills as an EMT than I could claim to be a doctor. But, it has been an awesome experience going to different houses in the valley with De, the ambulance driver and Nosihle, the actual EMT. I have met some incredible people just sitting in the back of that ambulance.

And finally, the best 45 minutes of my day is the beginning. I spend the first hour with the 4 to 6 year olds singing and just loving them. The love definitely goes both ways.

The demands of my role at 1000 HCH are not few. Truly they do require me to be a jack of all trades. Flexibility at its finest. I am grateful for the challenge. How often do you get to experience such job diversity as a 23 year old. And even better and more importantly, I feel so fortunate to daily be exposed to such a vast array of talented, intelligent people who I can learn from.