Anecdotes

I want to start off with another anecdote.  When I lived in Vienna, Austria I went to an American International School (as most of you have heard me say, a lot probably).  I went to school with kids from all over the world, and these kids came from different cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds.  We are usually referred to as Third Culture Kids (TCK), or children who have spent a significant period of time in one or more cultures other than the one he/she is most familiar with and incorporates that new culture into their own culture at birth.  During my five years in Vienna, I don’t recall ever seeing discrimination because someone was of a different race or religion or ethnicity.  We were all friends and we were all equal.  I didn’t see segregation, in terms of skin color or religion, in the cafeteria, the gym or the classroom.  I think this situation is a perfect example of the Contact Hypothesis.  We all had equal status, the common goal of succeeding in school and cooperation amongst our peers. 

Now for another anecdote.  I moved back to the U.S. for high school and I ended up attending a private school in the affluent suburbs of Philadelphia.  For the first three years of my high school career I was stuck in this perpetual culture shock.  I went from attending a school that had a highly diverse population, to a school that had a mainly a white population of not so diverse people, at least in my view.  I didn’t know how to handle it and I ended up pretty much alone for three years of high school.  However, I did befriend a few people the first few weeks of freshman year, and they were surprisingly not white.  There is a minority population of black students at my high school, most of who commute from inner city Philadelphia.  The first few days of classes, two wonderfully friendly black girls immediately accepted me as a friend.  It seems that I somehow had automatically gravitated towards what I felt was most comfortable for me, and the people I thought to be the most diverse in my class.  I think I had subconsciously sought out the little bit of difference within my high school community.  Even though this happened, I still noticed some natural segregation when eating lunch in the cafeteria or sitting in class.  Going back to the Contact Hypothesis, though, it seems I subconsciously (because I am only realizing it now) created an equal status between us, thus making way for the other factors of the hypothesis.

Now we can take a look at the dynamics of our group.  We are a group of seven people with varying personalities and quirks and differing values and goals and we were put in a situation of having to live with each other in close quarters for about three weeks.  An interesting setting to experiment with the Contact Hypothesis.  I know we all have one common goal for sure, which is completing this course successfully, which will entail working together, collaborating and communicating with each other to ensure that we all make it out alive, so to say.  This puts us on equal status as well, and I think in the end there will be a positive outcome to this trip, even if it isn’t getting the grade you were really hoping for.  Being in such close quarters has also made us reconcile our differences, even if that means just agreeing to disagree.  I know I have definitely learned a lot for each person in the house, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and realized that there are certain things I need to change.  I seem to be adding another identity to the many I’ve established over the years.  This trip has ensured that we go through this experience so that we ourselves can perhaps somewhat understand the obstacles South Africa is going through to accomplish reconciliation, but I don’t think our reconciliation is at all as difficult as theirs.

This Notion of Race

An interesting point was made the other day in relation to how the U.S. is reconciling its past compared to South Africa is reconciling theirs.  It is quite obvious that South Africa has come a long way in a mere 16 years.  I think one of the main reasons for this is the fact that most South Africans are very open when it comes to talking about race.  The U.S., on the other hand, does not seem to be open to talking about race.  A lot of times people in the U.S. will get offended very easily if someone brings up this topic of race.  Now what we see in the U.S. is everyone ignoring the issue.  One could say it is almost taboo to discuss our differences or even just bring up the topic of race.  We as Americans act as if differences in race or ethnicity don’t exist, and yet we say we are open to diversity and pride ourselves on our ability to accept different ethnicities into our society.  I know I have always felt awkward talking about race to people, but I have also realized that I have been desensitized, so to say, to being able to talk about race.  As in, I just haven’t really brought up the topic anymore.  Therefore, I too, am at fault for not taking the initiative to start a discussion on race to be able to at least start reconciling this black-white divide. 

I’ve thought about something that Professor Don Foster said today in a lecture on Reconciliation in South Africa and this concept of racialization.  We had discussed the Contact Hypothesis that basically states that if a group of people has equal status, a common goal and cooperation, a positive outcome and the possibility of a personal level of friendship, then people will be able to reconcile their past and their differences.  The most important aspect of this hypothesis, I think, is the common goal because that seems to bring people together, which facilitates the three other aspects.  We see a disconnect of this hypothesis everywhere in the world.  Using South Africa as an example, there are many obvious places to look to find segregation.  This segregation though is not written in legal form, it seems to be a natural, behavioral aspect of humans.  Universities and beaches in South Africa are obvious spaces of society where people naturally segregate.  There is a social construction of race in these public areas.  Whites will gravitate towards a certain area of the dining hall, or the beach, as will Blacks, Coloreds and Indians.  One of the main reasons for this natural segregation is this concept of security.  Fear of the unknown.  The ridiculous part about this semi-vicious circle is that people don’t want to take the time to learn more about each other.  So the circle goes, for example, whites are afraid to interact with blacks because 1) they have assumptions like associating blacks with crime and violence, 2) therefore they don’t talk to blacks to learn that this is not necessarily the case, 3) they stay away from blacks “for their own safety”, thus there is no contact, no communication, no knowledge sharing, and the continued fear of the unknown. 

This question of danger and security is an interesting one, though.  Months before arriving in South Africa, I will admit that I was definitely scared about coming here because of all the stories I had heard about muggings, robberies and murders.  In a way, I prepared myself very well for this trip in terms of maintaining my safety in South Africa.  By the time April rolled around, though, there was no point in me being scared or nervous about traveling to South Africa anymore because, well, I was already committed to going, so what was I going to do about it? I knew I was taking a risk, but where there is a (reasonable) risk, I will find a way to do it.  Taking risks is part of life, and without them, you are not truly living it.  So I would continue to hear these stories of crimes and violence, but I had to turn a blind eye, in the sense that I couldn’t think about it.  I acknowledged that it happened and moved on.  Since my arrival in South Africa I have not experienced any sort of violence (knock on wood).  This is a completely different experience than the stories people, and the media, had been telling me.  It confuses me a great deal.  While in South Africa I feel like I have experienced the real South Africa, if you will, but the more I think about it, I don’t really think I have.  I’m not saying I want to experience the crime and violence that happens here, but I don’t feel like I am living in reality.  The house my classmates and I are living in is walled in, with barred windows and a lockable gate on the front door.  I feel like I live in a prison.  These protections are everywhere for a reason, but it hinders my ability to gauge what is actually happening in South Africa.  We may walk around the townships and the city, but we still don’t understand the full reality of what really makes South Africa tick.

In terms of reconciliation for South Africa, Don Foster did a good job of telling it how it really is and has reaffirmed what I’ve been saying.  This is a process that will take a long time.  Reconciliation should and cannot be rushed, and I think there are South Africans out there who have been doing there best to work at their own pace to make sure reconciliation works the first time around.

The Error of Developmentalism

I wanted to touch upon this idea.  I learned this in my Political Geography class and I definitely think it applies to South Africa.  Developmentalism is a concept that looks at the reasons developing countries are having trouble developing.  It proposes that developing countries can’t develop efficiently because developed countries have created rules and regulations to keep developing countries from developing.  Countries such as the United States and Britain developed early in history.  Today’s developed countries did not have restrictions or already developed countries above them to be restricted.  They were able to develop freely without others dictating the way those countries had to do things, economically and socially.  Today, though, developing countries do not have the option to develop at their own pace.  These developing countries have to accelerate the process to be able to compete on the same level as developed countries.  Speeding up this development process tends to devastate the social and economic structure of a country.  The error then is this: Developed countries are dictating how developing countries should develop, when the development process is different for each country. 

A simple explanation follows: Looking at the United States during colonialism, there are obvious signs of human rights violations.  During that time period, though, this wasn’t so much considered as violations of human rights.  Things like slavery and child labor were a normal part of civil life.  As the United States evolved its political and social values, human rights became more of an issue.  Today the United States takes this topic pretty seriously and the United States is now one of the leading countries developing the rules and regulations for international human rights advocacy institutions.  Now look at a developing country.  Certain Asian countries have child labor and sometimes even slavery.  These countries began developing at a later time than the already developed United States, so these developing countries are still working through some of these issues.  It may seem strange for me to say this, but institutions currently in place to regulate human rights, or other social problems in developing countries may not be the best thing for that country.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a big supporter of human rights, but what is the point in forcing these regulations on developing countries when they don’t follow them half the time anyway? The United States was able to work through these issues, and I’m (not, but I’m kind of) sure that these developing countries can do the same if they were allowed to developed at their own pace. 

This brings me to South Africa.  It certainly is one of the most developed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, but socially, it still has a long way to go.  South Africa is a transitional democracy, which means it doesn’t necessarily have all of its ducks in a row.  Segregation is still a major issue.  Today while in the bus we say various landmarks separating white communities from black communities, and you could definitely see the difference in the development of the communities.  For some reason, when I say those concrete walls with barbed wire separating the communities I thought of the Berlin Wall.  The Berlin Wall was erected to keep East Germans on the Eastern side of Germany, and to keep them from becoming westernized.  This is obviously a type of segregation, not necessarily racial, but a separation of West from East, luxurious from simple.  I don’t necessarily believe these divisions in South Africa had to do completely with race, but also with social standing/classes.  Both in the GDR (German Democratic Republic) and South Africa we see this segregation.  For South Africa, though, these walls still stand.  This makes it clear that segregation has not disappeared, whereas in Germany it has, for the most part.  Our guide today also explained that many government officials or elitists do not want foreigners to see the various townships in Cape Town because they don’t want foreigners to now about the affects of Apartheid.  It isn’t about the crime. 

Another aspect of today that I found interesting was this notion of peace.  What is peace? What does peace mean for me? How does my definition of peace compare to someone else’s definition of peace?  Our guide today explained that we cannot have peace in war, but in order to have peace we must forgive.  He explained this notion of peace a bit through an example.  He does not believe that, for the most part, people are racist.  He does believe, however, that there are a select few who still are, and that they are the ones influencing society.  This is a type of social categorization.  He realized that dwelling on the past was useless and wouldn’t help the process of reconciliation or development.  He explained that one cannot be racist if the country was to be united.  Today also reaffirmed an aforementioned comment concerning the value of information.  He believes that the value of participation is important.  We learn more about each others cultures, and we gain knowledge through information to reduce the risk of grievances, conflict, violence, misperceptions and misunderstandings.  One of the most important and interesting comments he made though was that he believed he was not necessarily fighting race, but he was fighting the system.  Now, in order to unite the country, the labeling of people needs to be done away with.  We are all Africans, color is not important.  He wants to build a non-racial South Africa.

Some of the questions I had today: If everyone has a different view of peace, then how can true peace ever be achieved? Where is the consensus?  Lastly, if you do comment on this blog, I would love to see what your definition of peace is.

The Breakfast Club - The Remix

I wanted to use this blog post to comment on the relationship we all have in the house (and outside of the house).  Please note that I do not intend to offend anyone in anyway, so if you feel that I have, please come talk to me in person. 

Since before the trip even began I felt like we had really good group dynamics.  We all seem pretty different, and yet we are similar at the same time.  Since it’s about 11 pm, my brain isn’t functioning to its full capacity, but if it were I would certainly create an adjective for each of us and call us the new and improved Breakfast Club.  I can say that, for the most part, we all come from different social circles back in Boulder, and it is certainly a combination of students that I did not expect to interact with on this trip.  I understood why the International Affairs students would come on this trip, but to be honest, it did shock me to find that I would be spending three weeks with a Frat boy (Jack).  I also questioned why a music major would want to come on this trip as well (Ryan).  Bare in mind, these are first impressions, and I guarantee they have changed, but I feel it is important to detail how I got to where I am right now.  I know we all have our own reasons for coming on this trip and taking this class, but we all seemed to commit for similar reasons, or at least that is how it seems to me.  Mainly I wanted to (1) learn more about South Africa’s history, because it is not really taught in the U.S. and yet we’ve had semi-similar histories, and (2) I also joined the class because I am very passionate about the process of reconciliation and conflict resolution.  I hope to one day build a career in such an area of expertise. 

Everyone has assumptions when they first meet someone, or travel to a new place and I think that is the case for all of us.  But, to tie this into the class, we also seem to be reconciling our differences within our own little community.  One way, I observed, that we are doing this is through the gathering of information.  We may not share that common history, like South Africa, but we are learning more and more about one another.  We are taking the time to understand where each of us comes from, and who we really are.  This, I find, is an important first step to cooperating and getting along with one another.  We cannot reconcile our differences if we don’t understand the other side of the story.  Only when we understand each other, will it be easier to trust and also to forgive. 

We have a commonality within our group, and that is that we all seem to be so incredibly happy to be in South Africa.  We may not all be here for the same reasons, but we are all here nonetheless.  If we can all at least have that in common, we can work towards a communal goal.  We have something to unite us. 

I’ve also observed the dynamics of life in the house.  An interesting observation has to do with the first day we got to the house in CT.  We all chose our rooms, perhaps a bit reluctantly, but it turns out that the boys are separated from the girls.  Both guys took over the two rooms on the top floor, while the rest of us (all girls) received the rooms on the bottom floor.  Right off the bat, I see a subconscious segregation.  I don’t believe that was intentional, but it is as such nonetheless.  I have also noticed that cooperation with one another varies.  On the first day no one seemed to want to give in to sharing a room.  I offered to share a room, but still no one want to come forward to share with me.  I reneged on my offer, and yet I still ended up sharing a room and I’m fine with it.  Even though I am an only child and I absolutely love to have my privacy, that really isn’t an option in this house, no matter if you are sharing a room or not.  My point with this example is that we are/were still not at the point where we have enough information about one another to really trust each other and therefore put more out there than we currently are. 

An experience I was very happy to have had was talking to Jack.  (I did get permission from Jack to post this).  Thus far in my college career I have successfully avoided the Fraternity/Sorority scene, but low and behold I have the opportunity to be face to face with Jack, a member of Phi Psi.  I will certainly admit that I have a lot of assumptions about frat-boys.  They like to party, A LOT, and they aren’t motivated to do well in school at all, nor do they seem to care about their future.  (Note: I am making a short generalization about the frat-boy stereotype and this does not necessarily reflect my opinions of Jack.)  I also seem to be the person on the trip to ask blatant questions and I asked Jack to help me understand what it is he is doing on this trip.  I was able to confront him with some of the problems I was having coming to terms with things (not) occurring during class.  To briefly explain, I am very passionate (as stated above) about the topic of this class and when I observed Jack’s behavior in class, as in not participating and my assumption was that he didn’t really care about the class, I became frustrated and offended.  I was able to have an open discussion with him.  We talked it through and I was actually surprised by some of the things he had to say, which made me change my views and opinions about him as well.  I still may not agree with some of his reasoning’s, but I was, nonetheless, able to come to a consensus with him.  This example I feel is a great example of how two people can reconcile differences.  Not only did we discuss our differences, but we also learned a lot about each other.  Information is one of the most powerful tools out there.  It opens so many doors.  The story I told during my discussion with Jack about my experience with truth and forgiveness also allowed for Jack to learn more about my history as an individual, and I learned about his individual history, furthering this process of reconciliation.

These are just a few of my thoughts, and I’m sure there are more to come.  As of right now I think we have an amazing group dynamic and I hope it stays that way!

A Change in Scenery

This blog will probably be a little scatter-brained so please bear with me.  Over the past few days we’ve be given A LOT of information about the history of Apartheid and the reasoning’s behind reconciliation and there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered.  Looking at the topic of reconciliation, there are a few things that need to happen to achieve this goal.  We discussed the need for truth, and not just the tangible truths, but also the intangible truths.  Tangible truths include evidence from perhaps police records or historical records and intangible truths include emotions of victims and personal accounts of persecution.  Another aspect is that perpetrators must remain accountable and should be punished in some way or another.  Also, in order to progress as a society or a community there needs to be institutional reform and long-term development.  This entails the notion of forgive, but don’t forget.  A society must reconcile with the past, but it must also be able to look to the future because really the only way to look is forward.  Dwelling on the past does not get anyone anywhere. 

Here are some points, then, that I took from the discussions we’ve had. 

1)    The notion of a common history.  South Africans have for the most part experienced a similar history, that of Apartheid.  The experiences within the Apartheid history are, of course, different for each race or ethnicity.  The experiences, though, date further back than Apartheid; they date back to the beginning of colonization.  When comparing South Africa’s history with the U.S., they are both similar, but the U.S. has a different type of common history.  Americans have the common history of not really having a common history.  Americans are immigrants.  We colonized Native American land in search for the new frontier.  People from all over the world came to America to find a future.  We all have the common history of being immigrants to a nation that was never rightfully ours to have.  An interesting point that someone made during this discussion was the fact that we accept that we all have different histories, but then we move on with our lives.  We don’t take the time to understand where that person comes from, to see whom they really are.  I don’t think this necessarily helps the reconciliation process, but it hinders it.  It hinders the process because forgiveness cannot come from ignorance. 

2)    Touring all of the museums thus far has shown that South Africa makes it a point to incorporate symbolism into its architecture.  It is a way to remind people of the past.  Reminders are not only represented in museums and monuments, but also in the everyday buildings erected in Cape Town.  A lot of the architecture that stands today is from the colonial era.  The architecture is beautiful, but it also reminds people of their history.  It does not let them forget where they came from, which is one of the most important aspects of identity.

3)    There are two issues with understanding a country’s past.  Well, first, is the notion I brought up in number 1.  The other two issues are this question of personal ignorance versus is the government at fault for our ignorance?  Personal ignorance could be like voting during presidential elections, but not knowing what you are voting for.  It could also be the example in number 1.  There is also a large possibility that part of people’s ignorance does not even stem from the personal aspect.  Many democratic governments have a law in place that allows the government to keep documents secret for a certain period of time.  In South Africa it is thirty years.  This country has been a transitional democracy for only sixteen years and those documents won’t go public for another fifteen years.  There may be critical information within those secret documents that may help the process of reconciliation.

4)    Moving on to the topic of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).  First off, I’ve realized that a lot of perceptions I’ve had thus far about certain things have been wrong and the TRC is one of them.  I do believe the TRC was a good institution to have after the Apartheid.  The problem with the TRC, though, is that it only focuses on one aspect of the event, specifically the victim-perpetrator relationship, amnesty and reparations, but that isn’t even half of the story.  South Africa has to look at not just the people involved, but also the institutions involved and the historical aspect, among other things.  How can South Africa reconcile its past when it only looks at a small proportion of the entire historical event(s).  On top of that, reconciliation may not have even truly worked within the TRC.  I have doubts now about how truthful people were when presenting their stories.  A perpetrator may ask a victim for forgiveness.  First, the apology may not be sincere.  Second, the victim has the choice to accept or reject.  Because the TRC was televised, there was a lot of pressure on victims to forgive past wrongs.  To me it seems that if the victim forgave the perpetrator, the forgiveness might not have been genuine.  The victim may have said he/she forgave the perpetrator, but that does not mean that deep inside those feelings go away.  An aspect of the TRC was to give victims closure, but it did not really help victims otherwise.  They went for closure, but afterwards, all they got was nothing.  They would return to their shacks in shantytowns and continue to live like they did during Apartheid.  So what really were the benefits of the TRC? Finding out the truth does not necessarily pull people out of poverty. Overall, the benefit was for the country as a whole to be able to progress as a society, and South Africa has definitely come a long way in such a short amount of time.  At the same time, individuals may still have grievances, which may not bode well for the country later down the road.  A major point, I thought, that was brought up during the lecture was the fact that there is no consensus among different groups, which in turns makes it difficult to move on and look towards the future.  This then brings me back to little knowledge of each other’s histories.

So my questions are: How does reconciliation benefit those that are in poverty or have lost everything? What can be done to make sure that those people benefit? Does this type of reconciliation really work? How do people get to a place of forgiveness?

Museums

The class took a visit to the Constitutional Court in Jo’burg.  The institution is built to incorporate The Fort Prison, which held Nelson Mandela and other political activists.  There were two separate prisons, one for males and one for females.  The prison guards violated countless human rights.  Gruesome tales of female mutilation and torture were part of the everyday routine for prison inmates.  The tour of the complex and the events that occurred in the prisons reminded me a lot of the events of the Holocaust.  The two events are certainly not completely comparable, but the human rights violations are certainly similar.  In the women’s prison, the communal cells were to only hold 25 inmates, but the guards would cram 80-120 inmates into one cell.  Sanitary conditions did not exist.  Buckets were used for refuse that were stationed in the corner of the cell. *Warning: this may be graphic for some* The prison would issue black women with sanitary pads, but they were not issued underwear.  These women would have to hold their pads between their legs and if they fell down they would be hit.  This was very undignified and embarrassing for these women. 

The buildings themselves had symbolic meanings.  The Court, which is still active today, was built in a way that symbolizes the fairly new democratic system.  The reception area of the Court consists of pillars that symbolize tree trunks and overhead are metal-wires in the shape of leaves.  Depending on the time of day, shade from the makeshift leaves are cast on the floor.  The trees represent equality for every human being, no matter the color of skin or cultural background.  The inside of the courtroom is made from bricks that were kept from old buildings of the prison.  These bricks are not held together by very much concrete, which symbolizes freedom.  Small rectangular glass windows run along the walls of the courtroom so that one can easily observe what is going on outside of the courtroom.  This is supposed to symbolized transparency. 

Much of what occurred in South Africa during the period of Apartheid was similar to what was occurring in the U.S. at the time.  The U.S. was also struggling with civil rights issues.  A really interesting aspect of the Constitutional Court was the constitution of South Africa.  Among other things, the constitution promotes equality, dignity and freedom, which is pretty much the same as the U.S. constitution.  The way these constitutions are carried out, however, are different.  In the U.S. it is a law that companies have to promote an equal opportunity workplace, where the number of blacks employed (don’t quote me on this) has to be a certain proportion (or equal to?) the number of whites employed.  You don’t really find that in South Africa.  There is still very much a division between the black and white labor force and the types of jobs each has. 

The Apartheid Museum had a lot of symbolism incorporated into the architecture as well.  The reflecting pool outside of the museum represents peace, while the seven pillars erected next to the pool represent the 7 pillars of the constitution: freedom, dignity, respect, democracy, equality, reconciliation and tolerance.  Inside, there are two different directions to walk, the white direction or the non-white direction.  When walking the white direction, there is a ramp to walk on that represents the ease with which whites lived in South Africa.  The non-white direction has stairs instead to signify the struggles that they had to endure. 

Both of these museums contain a lot of symbolism and it seems they use this as a way to “forgive but not forget”.  These museums have successfully incorporated significance into architecture.  The sometimes-subtle symbolic messages allow visitors, and hopefully South Africans, look to the future, while at the same time reminding them of the past. The Apartheid Museum and partly the history of South Africa remind me of The Holocaust.  The lecture we had on the divided histories of South Africa discussed the concentration camps during the colonial era.  Certain groups of people would be targeted merely for their race or ethnicity, which is extremely similar to what happened during the Holocaust.  Both countries also went through a white supremacist regime.  The Nazis strove for a pure Aryan race and in South Africa, the Whites strove for a pure white population as well.  Evidence for this is shown in the creation of the Bantustans, or the homelands, that the white people created to remove blacks from the white republics in South Africa. 

These museums definitely give a great overview of the history of South Africa.  I’ve noticed that while in Soweto I did not see much anger or resentment towards the white population, nor did I notice much racism.  The main reason being, of course, that Soweto consists of mainly black South Africans.  In terms of grievances towards the Apartheid era, though, they seemed actually quite content with their lives and it seemed like they were able to forgive in a very short amount of time.  This, of course, does not mean that there are emotions they are not showing.  In Cape Town, however, it is a different story.  There are still things that suggest that there is segregation in this society.  The groupings on campus suggest this.  Many blacks and whites don’t seem to mingle, or mix crowds.  This, I think, is also evident in the U.S. as well.  In both Soweto and Cape Town I definitely feel like the minority, which is something that I have never experienced before.  Today standing at the bus-stop I thought about how different history would be, and how different I would be as well, if the white population were the ones to be enslaved and suppressed, instead of the black population.  But that is difficult for me to imagine.  Trying to put myself in the shoes of a group of people who have been taken advantage of for decades is not an easy feat, but my attempt continues.

The Beginning

Arriving in South Africa didn't seem any different than arriving in any other foreign country.  I had assumptions, but no expectations.  Johannesburg is definitely an industrial city, built up from years and years of gold mining.  My driver, Isaac and the Program Manager of the trip, Chris, who were both very welcoming, brought me to Lebo's Soweto Backpacker's.  Isaac knows the streets of Soweto like the back of his hand; he knows all the back roads and each time he's able to take a new route back to Lebo's.  Lebo's is situated the Soweto township of Orlando West.  Orlando West is famous for being the birthplace and home of Nelson Mandela.  It is also currently home to Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Winnie Mandela.  Orlando West is a middle class, predominantly black African, township.  The only white person around other than the 8 students on the trip was Lebo's wife, Maria, who is from Sweden. 

I arrived in Soweto in the morning of the 11th and I had all day to adjust and settle in.  It seems I had adjusted pretty well because I was able to stay awake the entire day, purely due to my excitement of being, not only in South Africa, but being in Africa, as it is my first time ever on the continent of Africa.  At Lebo's, a visitor can enjoy the park across the street, or the shebeen in the backyard.  A shebeen is basically a makeshift bar.  There are tables to eat at, a pool table, foosball, a dart board and a bon fire (which is lit every night).  The park across the street didn't used to be there though.  Lebo, or Lebohang Maleba, built the Backpacker's from the bottom up.  Soweto is thought by most foreigners to be dangerous and poor, but I have a different view of it.

When I arrived at Lebo's I walked into the park.  There was a slight breeze going and it made me feel at home and welcome; it felt like paradise.  Before the park was a park, it was a trash dump.  The community would bring their trash to this large plot of land and dump their trash.  Lebo took the initiative and with help from his community, cleaned up the plot of land to benefit, not only himself but also his community.  He gave children in the neighborhood a place to go after school to play soccer or do other fun activities.  Lebo's is the only hostel in Soweto.  He created it to be able to tell the story of Soweto and its people from the perspective of the people that live there and not from the outsider's perspective.  Tourists used to come into Soweto in buses, but never step out of the bus to interact with the people of Soweto.  This didn't anger or frustrate Lebo, but instead it gave him the idea to bring foreigners to Soweto so they could live with its people and experience everyday life in Soweto.  He created bike tours of Soweto so that people would get out of their buses and onto the streets of Soweto to hear the stories these South Africans had to tell.  Now I am writing to convey Lebo's message to the rest of the world.  Get out there and see it for yourself, experience it, because whatever people tell you about a certain place, it may not be true, and that especially goes for Soweto.  Soweto houses some of the friendliest people I have ever met in my life.  I had the chance to talk to employees of Lebo's, one of which will remain a good friend for as long as I live.  His name is Shepherd, otherwise known as Rastaman.  Yes, he is a Rastafarian, but he welcomed me with an open heart and mind, every morning he would greet me and we had some very interesting conversations around the bon fire.  

A day after my arrival and the arrival of a few other students, the children were playing in the park.  I had the chance to interact with them as well.  At first Heidi and I would observe and take pictures, but at one point, out of no where, a little girl wrapped her arms around my legs and pretty much did not let go the rest of the day.  If I wasn't holding her, either on my back or in front, I had to be holding her hand, or she would be sitting on me.  At one point, I did have a child on my back, I was holding another in front and I had several children hugging my legs.  I think that was one of the best days of my life.  I love that even though the standard of living in Soweto is pretty low, these children are still smiling and enjoying life.  Because they were happy, I was happy.  This little girl, whose name I never found out, seemed to me, to be the face of South Africa.  She was smiling on the outside, and I am sure on the inside, but it was quite obvious by the surroundings that her lifestyle was due to not only the Apartheid, but events dating back to colonialism.  Spending the rest of the evening with this little girl really put things in perspective for me and gave me some ideas.  

First, it has always been my goal in life to help people.  I used to want to be a doctor, but I chose International Relations and even with that major I have so many opportunities to help people.  I hope to focus on conflict resolution, human rights and development.  Lebo's has given me a way to help people.  I hope to one day be able to help Lebo expand his hostel to other townships in Soweto, so as not only to give foreigners the opportunity to experience the everyday lives of black South Africans in Soweto, but to also give members of the community opportunities to work close to home.  Many people in Soweto have to commute by train to far away workplace locations.  The 15 employees of Lebo's are lucky to be able to work in an environment so close to home.  The employees benefit from working in their neighborhood, but the entire community of Orlando West also benefits because the money earned by those employees is circulated within the community.

My other ideas will come in later blogs, so for now I am signing off!

M