This is Africa

After a long day of traveling - flight one Chicago to Atlanta, running through the airport because our plane landed when our connection started boarding and we didn't want to miss our 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg, an approximate four hour layover filled with confusion and frustration at almost having to pay extra for some baggage, panic at the realization my visa was filled out wrong, a final flight from Johannesburg to Durban lasting an hour, and finally, after gathering our luggage, an hour drive from Durban to Pietermartizburg to our contact Andrew and Karen Suderman's house - I have arrived in South Africa and can honestly say it is amazing.

I can see why people say it's hard not to fall in love with this beautiful country. I have been here only approximately two weeks but I love it already. In-country orientation is coming to an end and I look forward to these coming months living in my host family, whom I will meet and move in with on Monday, and working at my service placement. I just found out today that I will be working in Mphopomeni township at Masibumbane, an organization working with people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. I am extremely excited about this opportunity so serve these people and in return be impacted by them and what they will bring to my life.

These past two weeks have been filled with a lot of learning about this beautiful country and the history which has made it what it is. Some highlights include visiting the apartheid museum, the Henry Peterson Museum/Memorial, and the Voortrekker Monument (as well as seeing a zebra, eating delicious food, and playing a lot of Dutch Blitz, Hearts, and Dominion). These different museums have shown me both sides to the unpleasant history of apartheid and how it tore this country apart and left it struggling to heal. My quick overview in school did nothing to prepare me for the amount of pain and violence this country has struggled with. Racism is no small issue here and my upbringing of pacifism and loving everyone is something that I am trying to figure out how to implement in my daily life so that I can be a positive influence in the peoples' lives that I touch daily. 

I can honestly say that I have already started to change and am be affected by what I have already been in contact with. I am starting to want to think more about how I can change the world and how I can make a difference even in the issues that seem impossible to mend. I am excited to see how God will continue to work in my life and my teammates as we are about to move into the next chapter of our journeys.