Christmas Time is Here

Here we are, two weeks to go and we’re back home…well, for awhile, at least. By the time we touch down in Philly, we’ll have been gone for seven months.

To paint a quick picture-
Summer is rapidly approaching here. Our issue of having to huddle by one half-broken space heater has been replaced by an all out war with whatever critters are drawn indoors (our doors!) by the rain- mostly frogs, but once a large, black, unfamiliar labrador...in our shower. On this specific occasion, despite his best efforts, he was noticed and hastily evicted.

However, all of these issues pale in comparison to what one might discover when researching the risks of living in South Africa. As far as I know, it seems as though I was at greater risk on my university’s campus than anywhere we’ve been in SA thus far. Now, we haven’t yet ventured beyond the Jo’Burg airport’s safe confines- so, the jury’s still out on the infamous City of Gold.

When we last wrote, we were very much in the early stages of adjustment and struggling to become acclimated with terms such as, “petrol”, “robot (traffic light)”, and the endless and indiscriminate use of the phrase, “is it!”. We assumed that all of the surrounding properties with large perimeter gates and guard dogs-as well as burglar bars and house alarms for back-up indicated clear and present danger.

Now, we feel as though we’re fairly well seasoned. I would attribute most of that to the fact that our small town has become a warm community of friends and near-family. We have found an amazing church where both Jarvis and I serve as the Worship Ministry leaders. We love it. The church is small enough that nearly every face is a familiar one, from the oldest grandmother to the youngest child, and the pastor knows each and every name. In a way, it’s strange that we feel so at home there given it’s unusual and rare makeup, but it’s quickly become the norm, and one we've welcomed with open arms.

For the most part, our daily lives consist of the same activities as before- working, spending time together, and best of all, creating. Our apartment sounds like the back lesson section of a music store-different instruments playing different notes at various tempos and in often uncomplimentary keys…a little chaotic in theory, but a beautiful song in progress to me.

We were walking through a mall a few weeks ago, and I was perplexed by Christmas wreaths and the sound of Celine Dion’s agonizingly theatrical version of “Oh Holy Night” and looked down at my summer dress and flip-flops. It felt like Christmas was barging in on summer in the middle of nowhere- like someone was taking some Christmas in July shtick way too seriously, but there we were, and now here we are- 2 days from December, lounging with the fan on full blast, sucking down icecream pops. I don’t mean to sound so dramatic- obviously people in Florida, Southern California, and other southern states experience a similar winter atmosphere, but for some reason 23 cold Christmases just makes this all so bizarre.

The point I’m making lies in the sheer fact that at the very moment I saw the decorations and heard the familiar music, I was hit with a sensory tidal wave of all things Christmas in Pennsyvlania. I was overwhelmed with the desire to sit…just sit in my living room, surrounded by family, humming along to the stylish vocals of Amy Grant as she convinces us all that a “tender Tennessee Christmas” really is the only way to go. The best thing about this occasion, would be finally having the opportunity to look at the faces of my family- not the blurred, often times creepy distortions provided courtesy of Skype and a dodgy internet connection, but the tangible, warm, smiling faces of loved ones.

In conclusion, South Africa has become a temporary home…just like every other temporary home on this earth. BUT…there is a place that still feels like it’s where we belong- not Pennsylvania, and not South Dakota, but America…and don’t be surprised if I kiss the ground when we get there.

ecJELEN

World Cup South Africa 2010

Hey everyone! This post has been a long time coming, but I'm finally writing about our World Cup experience here in SA! Originally I planned on focusing this post on the game that Emily and I attended and I'm definitely still writing about that. However, the experience here has been so much more than just that, it's been a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live in the host country of a World Cup.

The excitement here for the past month and a half has been incredible. It's difficult to describe the importance of this World Cup to the country of South Africa and the continent of Africa as a whole. This was the first time in history that the World Cup was awarded to an African country and the whole continent seems to be sharing in the joy. Everywhere you look you see the flags of the countries represented at this WC, see people wearing soccer jerseys, and hear the sounds of vuvuzelas.

Another thing that is unique to this World Cup is the Fifa Fan Zone. Fan Zones are a great place to watch the games in a stadium for free; complete with giant screens, crazy fans, live music, small soccer tournaments, and more. The atmosphere is often the next best thing to being present at the game. Emily and I had some great experiences going to the Fan Zone in Port Elizabeth. We saw a huge group of orange Netherlands supporters go crazy after their victory, Ghana fans singing and dancing for an entire game, and Germans sitting an enjoying and Argentina game. On top of that, we experienced some very good local African musicians playing all kinds of different music.

Of course no World Cup is complete without the random, local experiences of fans cheering on their team. When Bafana Bafana (nickname for South Africa's national soccer team) is playing, there is no better place to be than South Africa! One of the best experiences I've had here during the WC was during Bafana's last game against France. South Africa knew that they had one last chance to make it to the second round of the 2010 WC and the only shot was to not only beat France, but to beat them handily. The whole country was on the edge of their seat in anticipation. Emily and I were in the mall in East London where they have a giant screen set up during the WC. I was actually a little disappointed before the game because we didn't find a Fan Zone to watch. However, that quickly changed once I stepped into the vicinity of the game. The game was only a few minutes in and SA had already scored a goal, taking a 1-nil lead. The way that the team was playing, everyone quickly realized that the unbelievable dream of achieving a huge victory over France was possible. There was a massive crowd around the screen and everyone was going nuts the entire game. The buzz of the game was so extreme that people were cheering all over the mall. I felt like part of a big South African family. In the end, Bafana fell just short, but it was an amazing experience nonetheless.

Though I appreciate the general atmosphere of the WC and all of the smaller things that are unique to this experience, the obvious highlight of it all was the game that Emily and I attended in Port Elizabeth. When I first looked at the schedule and saw that Cote d'Ivoire was playing Portugal in PE, I had an easy choice of which game to go to. Though the game ended in a 0-0 draw, I have no regrets as I got to see a very competitive game and got to see some of the best players in the world do what they do best. From the moment we parked for the "park and ride" it was an experience like no other. There were Portugal fans everywhere! I really expected a lot more Cote d'Ivoire fans considering we are in Africa, but I saw mainly Portugal colors in all directions. The cool part was that I was wearing my Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa stuff so I had a special bond with the smaller groups of Cote d'Ivoire fans. Walking to the stadium surrounded by crazy, vuvuzela-blowing fans served to intensify my ever-growing anticipation. When we finally arrived at the stadium and walked through the gates, my lifelong dream of going to a World Cup game was finally realized. The stadium was immaculate and we had great seats right in the center of the field. Seeing the huge flags of Portugal waving and the group of Cote d'Ivoire fans singing was just what I expected. The game itself was a great battle and went down to the last minute. One of the highlights of the game was when Didier Drogba of Cote d'Ivoire ran out onto the field. The crowd went crazy and Drogba himself injected a ton of energy into his team. Drogba is one of the heroes of soccer in Africa and the leader of his team. He was injured right before the WC and was not expected to play. I was disappointed when I heard he probably wasn't playing, but seeing him come into the game added something special to the whole experience and made the game a lot more exciting. Sharing this experience with Emily was also very rewarding. During the game Emily was going crazy right there alongside me. She may not have been a huge soccer fan before, but before this game was over, she definitely was!

Even though I've written a lot about this experience, it's really hard to describe what it's been like. I do believe that "a picture is worth a thousand words" so I'll leave you with that.

Friends and Family,

Emily has given you two posts worth of beautiful words describing our experience here in SA so far. As much as I've wanted to join in, I find it difficult to measure up to her work. Of course I will still be writing some of the blog posts in this joint effort, but for now I think I'll bring you something a little different (and necessary). I'm sure you have all been waiting for a little visual stimulation to go along with the verbal descriptions. Wait no longer because this blog post is all about the pictures. Enjoy.

-Jarvis

A group of learners and teachers from St. Matthew's at a farewell party for Ben

Gubu Dam (just down the road on our drive to school)

The usual driving scenery (complete with free range cattle on our route to school)

The main house at Take It Easy B&B (we live to the right)

Enjoying our recently acquired World Cup tickets!

A little World Cup celebration

The view from our new favorite hotel in Port Elizabeth

A typical SA country road (a short walk from our home in Stutterheim)

Our new dwelling place

ALLO!

First I would like to say, that I am writing this post to the tune of Jarvis' inventing on the guitar ...and it's attractive.

In other news, we have seen the other side...and it's AMAZING! We ventured to Port Elizabeth this weekend in search of World Cup tickets. I'm happy to report that we found them. So, if you think of it, join with us in rooting for our African neighbors, and play your vuvuzela as loudly, (and publicly) as possible, as Cote d'Ivoire squares off against Portugal.

Port Elizabeth not only gave us these tickets. Port Elizabeth also gave us an amazing (and reasonably priced!) hotel experience, and possibly the best meal I've had...ever. Now, some may say that the cost of living is substantially lower in South Africa...but much of the time, this is simply untrue. However, one area where a steal can be found easily enough, is in the hospitality industry. Much like many American beach towns, the coast of Port Elizabeth has enough hotels to support the entire Burkina Faso population. Alas, a decision had to be made. Just as I thought I would suffocate in my own indecisiveness, the Kelway hotel beckoned to us from the hillside. We answered it's call, and we were not disappointed.

Now, the Kelway proudly displays it's 4 stars, and yet, costs the equivalent to approximately $80 a night. You may be thinking, "4 African stars are surely not the same as 4 American stars...and heaven only KNOWS what the cleanliness standards are." Well, I would answer these thoughts, with Marco's..."Marco found the cleanliness of Hotel The Kelway in Port Elizabeth excellent"(Google). Marco, we couldn't agree more. No doubt we will return as often as possible...partly for the most tender steak with which I was presented, and partly for the flapjacks in the morning. In case you thought flapjacks were a common breakfast item out of the movie Tombstone, they're also a common breakfast item in South Africa. A pancake on this side of the equator is a companion to cold cuts.

We returned Sunday afternoon, and gathered with Di and her daughter Carey, (our B&B owners) for Ben's farewell dinner. Ben, as a reminder, is who's position we're essentially taking over on behalf of the Calabar Foundation. We have enjoyed getting to know him these past few weeks, and have learned a lifetime's worth of information from him in regards to both our new jobs, as well as life in South Africa.

Today, we dropped Ben off at the airport. I would liken the feelings in the moments that followed to the childhood experience of learning to ride a bike...the anxiousness I felt while riding without training wheels for the first time, and the certainty that a fall was inevitable. I'm not saying I expect us to fail; but rather, that I expect us to feel as though we might for awhile. Such is life...and I don't doubt for a single moment that we're supposed to be here.

We do ask for your prayers...for strength and for wisdom. We love you and miss you.

Please feel free to contact either of us as often as you like...I can't tell you how much your words and updates mean to us!

Emily

South Africa Thus Far

Beloved Friends and Family,

First, let me take this opportunity to welcome you to this blog. Here you will find the things that we would write to you in letters, (if we thought you would get them before Christmas) say to your faces over Skype, (if our laptop and its camera were up and running) or explain over the phone (if we could make calls outside of the Eastern Cape). I promise nothing from these words, and hope you expect nothing, but honesty. Here goes.

You may have heard South Africa referred to as the Rainbow Nation. These two words better encapsulate our new home more than you could imagine. Just about everything is curious to us-to open our eyes is to learn. In many ways, I sympathize with my baby niece and nephews...and every exchange student I've ever met. It's not easy to feel like you're on the outside of a nationwide inside joke. It helps that Jarvis, too, is on the outside :).

So, as outsiders, here is a brief list of the things we are getting accustomed to:

1. Driving...on the wrong side-the wrong side of the car, the wrong side of the street, the wrong hand shifting the gears on the wrong side of the car. However, I can't complain too much...I'm just getting accustomed to sitting on the wrong side.

2. Free range cattle...in the most literal sense of the word...to the point of putting the humans in bondage. These furry friends; goats, pigs, cows, horses, etc. add a video game-like quality to our rides to school...except with potentially pricey and painful collision consequences.

3. Staring...constant staring. Staring is one of the greatest threats to our ability to safely dodge the free range cattle. Everyone stares at everyone here. Part of this is due to the fact that everyone walks or gets a "cab"-which is hopefully your car, to work. The other part is that, while we could be mistaken for some South Africans, we couldn't be for most, and even if we could be mistaken for natives, our driving techniques give us away.

4. Waiting. If you know me, you know that the phrase "real quick" is commonly uttered. No more. There is no more "real quick", "right away", "immediately", "same-day service", etc. You just have to wait. If you're in a hurry, you're the only one.

5. Cravings. Cravings are a regular part of my daily life, but not something I would recommend visitors bring along. The sad fact is, nothing tastes the way it should, or the way you think it will. I have approached many a meal with eagerness and anticipation, and left disappointed and even disillusioned. The sooner you leave your expectations at the door, the sooner you're satisfied. We eat lots of muesli...which is granola. I do, however, feel as though I should make an exception-our B&B owner's cooking. First of all, she spoils us by feeding us five meals a week, and her cooking is better than most restaurants we've found thus far.

6. Togetherness. As newlyweds, we approached this adventure both excitedly and a bit apprehensively. There's no way to predict how spending 24 hours a day with your spouse will make you behave. I'm happy to report, all is well on the home front. Yes, as is typical with family, we often clash within the daily grind of things, but we continually remind ourselves and each other that stress accompanies change...and there certainly have been plenty of changes. I have discovered that nothing holds a mirror to your character more so than marriage. It's not easy to look into a mirror 24 hours a day. I will say, this new life has kept me clinging to Jarvis as my best friend, but more thananything, clinging to the grace of God. I am thankful for a husband that loves unconditionally, and for the knowledge that the mercies of God are new each morning. In this sense, while stress has accompanied some negatives, it has also brought strength.

With these thoughts I leave you for now. We will certainly be updating with more day-to-day details later, but I think, knowing these things, you can get a good flavor for our life here in wint’ry South Africa. We love you. We are so thankful for your prayers.

Let’s talk soon…cheers!

Emily