Self-care

During the Chicago orientation in August we had a session and a few discussions about self-care. I found this information extremely important in this time of being thrown into the unfamiliar and unknown. It has been good for me to stay conscious that I am in control of how I treat myself and what attitude I keep, especially since there has been little within my control since being here.

I love to be surrounded by conversation and noise (and have had A LOT of it in the last month) but I’ve realized that having time alone is almost as important for me. One way I have been able to give this time to myself is by popping in the headphones and having a yoga practice in the backyard each day. My house has a cement slab underneath one of the trees, which I have selected as my spot. My host mother is sweet and has taken it upon herself to sweep it for me every other day or so. She is still resisting the daily offer to come join me.

I’ve found this time to be important for both my mental and physical health- not to mention my ‘bird of paradise’ is looking great. It is something that I look forward to each day.

Namaste.

More than one language to learn

I spent my first full day at Re Tlamelang School for children with disabilities, primarily deafness and blindness. I have a feeling that you’ll be hearing many great stories about my time there. I mean- it was amazing. For now I can tell you that I had an incredible day helping out in a classroom with deaf first grade students. They were eager to take turns signing me the spelling of their names and then teaching me their ‘sign name’, which is a single sign made up to identify them. I was wearing my lip ring and within three minutes it became my identifier, my sign name. For the rest of the day I knew I was being talked about in the classroom or out in the school yard because the children would look at me and then hold their pinkie to their lip- very similar to Dr. Evil’s move in Austin Powers. I’ll have to start working on my signing along with my Afrikaans.

Totsiens,

Or in other words-

See ya, Nicki

Needtobreathe

The now well-known band Needtobreathe was unfamiliar to me until I heard them open for the ever-amazing OAR at Summerfest a few years ago. With special thanks to my sister, Chelsea, for both taking me to the opening act and also giving me all of their music, I am now an avid listener. So if you were interested in my music therapy in South Africa, it would be them… and Katy Perry, of course.

Favorites...

Needtobreathe:

Looks Like Love

Nothing Left to Lose

These Hard Times

Something Beautiful

Washed by the Water

Lay ‘Em Down

I made it to Kimberley!

On September 5^th I left Pietermaritzburg with my fellow MUD4 girl, Krista. We traveled by bus to Bloemfontein where she will be living this year. After spending the night there, I traveled another hour and a half to Kimberley. Out the window I saw the flat and dusty environment of my new home. I was excited as we passed the downtown area with shops and the infamous “Nandos” restaurant and on to the more quiet area where I will be living. Kimberley is home to the Cape Orange Diocese office and after visiting the people there, I went to the Dean’s house to spend the night at his home with his family. Finally, on September 7^th I was introduced to my host mother, Dinah!

Dinah, as well as her neighbors, have welcomed me with great kindness. As I am starting to get used to a new neighborhood and town, it is nice to know that I have caring people looking out for me. Over the last week Dinah and I have been getting to know each other well and I am having fun getting used to a new house and a new lifestyle.

Over the last week I have been surprised by how many church activities I have already participated in. Over the weekend I was lucky enough to be invited by the Young Adult League to travel and spend the night in Rustenburg, which is a city about 6 hours away. There was a conference for the Young Adult Leagues of the different Diocese around South Africa, as well as Botswana and Swaziland. The Young Adult leagues include people ranging in ages from 25 all the way up to 55 or so. We had an amazing weekend filled with singing and dancing. I also spent an evening with the Youth from my church, St. Sylvesters. We had a good time playing charades and hanging out. My host mother has been very kind by inviting me to experience multiple prayer meetings and various funeral memorials. I think that these activities will be a big part of my time here in Kimberley.

My weekly schedule of volunteering is still being formed. So far I have spent a few days at a center that houses abandoned and orphaned children. It is an amazing place with a mission to create a caring home and ensure education. I have also spoken with the principal of a school for children with disabilities and look forward to future work with them.

For now I’m still letting this new lifestyle sink in. I'm meeting some pretty great people and have enjoyed each and every conversation thus far. I can’t help but explain things and be descriptive these first couple weeks, but I hope that as time goes on I can use this blog to not just give you a picture of where I am, but share with you the life giving experiences and deeper conversations that have already and will be taking place this year.

Worshiping in Pietermaritzburg

During our first week as a group in Pietermaritzburg, MUD4 was able to go to two church services. Our first Sunday was spent in the chapel at LTI (Lutheran Theological Institution). It wasn’t a huge chapel, not a ton of people and no musical instruments, but it just poured out melody and harmony. Just a normal Sunday church service for these people but I felt like I was listening to the best choir in South Africa. We were able to hear Rev. Brian Konkol speak about how this world today has never been more technologically connect than before, yet the world we live in is so divided.

When the service was over (two and a half hours later) the entire congregation greeted us. After one person would shake hands/greet the pastors, they would join the greeting line to those coming out. Since we were the last ones out of the chapel we really were- literally- greeted by the entire congregation, which formed a welcoming and warm line of “blessed Sunday’s” and “Hello sister’s”.

We attended a service in a Zulu homestead on the second Sunday spend in Pietermaritzburg. The service was a bit bigger and a bit longer. There was a lot going on and a lot of great singing, so the almost four hour service didn’t seem to last that long. Again, we were able to hear Brian preach- this time having to stop every few sentences for the Zulu speaking pastor to translate. We heard about the responsibility that comes along with having the freedom of speech and that just because we have that freedom does not mean that we should speak without wisdom and kindness. Also, with freedom of speech comes the responsibility to listen.

It was a really great experience to worship without really knowing what was going on. A woman next to us shared her hymnal and it was cool being able to sing along in Zulu. One of my favorite parts of the service was the offering. As we sang someone would call out different groups, like mothers, fathers, working people, young adults, and if you were within that group you would get up and dance and sing to the front to place in your offering. It went on for a while and I think I went up about three times. The woman next to us let us know when we fit the group and should go up!

So far it has been pretty awesome experiencing the Lutheran church in South Africa and I enjoy learning new ways of worship and praise. The services here are so different from each other and so different from those I have gone to in the States, yet at the same time how great is it to see and feel that among the differences we are celebrating the same God and the same message.

Orientation/Disorientation

M.U.D. 4 in Chicago

YAGM orientation started on August 17^th in Chicago. The week was set up so that the 50 of us were able to have daily sessions discussing things such as interfaith dialogue and cross cultural issues. We also spent time talking about self-care and logistical things like our visas and communication. Large group and small group sessions were wonderful for preparation and getting some questions answered, but a lot of the week was spent hanging out in Chicago with all the other country groups. We hung out by the lake, checked out some local spots and went to a Cubs game. It’s pretty amazing how close you get to people in such a short time. A family has been formed.

On August 24^th orientation was over and disorientation started. Twelve of us left Chicago in the evening and headed to O’Hare to begin our 37-hour journey to Durban, South Africa. It was long but not terrible. Best part was having a long layover in Frankfurt, Germany and spending a few hours in a downtown area getting a beer, some sausage and ice cream.

Frankfurt, Germany

Brian, our country coordinator, picked us up in Durban and brought us to a backpackers house in Pietermaritzburg where he and his wife Kristen live. It’s been a great place for us to stay, hang out, cook- basically bond 24/7. Our group is called M.U.D.4 (Fourth group in the South African Mission Upstream and Downwind) and as it turns out is a bunch of sarcastic, funny and smart individuals whom I’ve really started to love.

The week in Pietermaritzburg has been a time for us to be together as we begin the transition into this new lifestyle- before we’re sent to our separate cities all over South Africa. So far we’ve played some soccer games, went to a nature preserve and spent the majority of a day in a Zulu Homestead. I’m lucky to have this time and will certainly appreciate the times we have together over the year.

Elizabeth and I at the nature preserve

Zulu Homestead where they showed us their homes, fed us, sang and danced for us