I feel as if I am growing and learning everyday,
not only professionally, but also personally as well. My interactions with my
colleagues, students, and roommates give me greater insight on life in South
Africa (and in general). I enjoy being abroad and "out of my comfort
zone" in a sense, because I feel like I'm able to reflect personally and
reflect on society at large. Speaking of which:
Homelessness: An observation about the individuals who are "down and
out" in Johannesburg - I understand that this is a broad statement, but in
my experience with the numerous homeless people at traffic lights
("robots"), I find that they are overall much more receptive and
appreciative when you acknowledge them. Let me clarify. In the 'States most
people do everything they can to avoid the homeless. There really is not a
report between those "with means" and those without. Moreover, people
lambast them for their lack of motivation and/or "choice" to beg
rather than work. Driving through the city with my window down or cracked, I've
come into a lot of contact with the homeless. I always greet them, typically in
Zulu...I find that they are peaceful and warm, always eager to converse (even
if I don't give them loose change). It is interesting, upon reflecting, because
typically in the US "we" (myself included) have a
"knee-jerk" reaction and automatically put up a wall to the homeless.
In South Africa, I find that the homeless just want to be acknowledged as
people, rather than ignored or treated as lepers. Understandably, many are
addicted, dangerous… and all of the rest. At the same time, however, I could
say the same about the population with material means.
Interesting Story I: I had another run in with the South African
public system - this time at the post office. I went to the post office on
Wednesday to send a few cards and to pay for my speeding ticket (they don't
accept personal check, just money order). For some reason my ticket didn't show
up in their online system, must likely because it was a different province, so
I had to get a postal money order. The employee told me that I couldn't get a
postal money order without proof of address or my passport. Understandable
(relatively). I went back to the post office on Friday, with a piece of mail,
my lease (just in case), and my passport. The first employee I talked to said
that I had to bring a proof of address from a bank or a more official piece of
mail (I brought my The Economist).
She recommended that I could go in person to the Licensing Department in
Randburg, my arch-nemesis. I politely told her that was not an option. Making a
larger scene, she called over her manager. I had to explain this situation to
him and plead ignorance. After 30 minutes of paperwork (no over exaggeration),
I finally had my postal money order filled out and mailed. Whew. I learned that
the hassle of paying for the ticket was almost as bad as the price of the
ticket. Lesson learned!
Interesting Story II: The outdoor faucet at my house, which is hooked
up to the main line, broke late last week. Gerhard came over on Friday
afternoon and we tried fixing the faucet (the rubber wore out on the inside).
In order to work on the faucet, we had to turn the water off. The water
switch-off is in a box in the ground in front of the house. Unfortunately,
because so many people "screw around" with the tap, the municipality
makes it very hard to manually turn off the water, needing special tools. So,
Gerhard and I were trying to work on a solution to fix the faucet without being
able to turn the water off. Bottom line: we took the faucet off and the water
sprayed everywhere, drenching us both. We were able to put the faucet (broken)
back on and use zip ties to slow the water. On Saturday morning, Johannesburg Water came to the house. I
asked them to turn the water off, I would run to the hardware store for a new
faucet, then they would turn the water back on after I put the new faucet on.
Slight problem - Johannesburg Water couldn't turn our water off. After two
trips to the hardware store to get the right piece, one of the workers put the
faucet on without turning the water off (he got drenched). I tried to be
hospitable, offering a drink and a towel to the worker. They refused and on the
way out a worker who hadn't been doing any of the work (not even the drenched
one!) asked for money, saying, "We helped you out, now we need to be
helped out." He went on to say that they needed lunch. Not accustom to
expecting to tip a city worker, particularly when taxes pay for the service, I
tried playing off the confused-American. "I don't understand?" …
Eventually, one of my roommates, Nelli, came up and took care of the situation.
We all (roommates) had a good laugh about it - they commented that seeing a
white foreigner, the city workers probably assumed that they could get money
from me. Another lesson learned!
Just as an aside: I reflect often on my experiences
with Teach for America in Chicago. Something that TFA warned us (corps members)
was that we should be cautious about the "picture we paint" of our
situation to our friends and family. At times I felt like I vented to them
(obviously) and I may have overplayed some situations, not looking at the whole
picture of my experience in Chicago. With that being said, I want to paint a
clear picture of my experience here. "Complaining" about the
licensing department, the post office, or anything else is meant as a
reflection of my specific experience, not a holistic view of South Africa. In
fact, I find these difficulties kind of funny and funny-frustrating, which is why
I share.
Windshield:
Fixed! When I bought the car there was a small crack, that was localized and
not an issue. Gerhard and I got an estimate for replacement, thinking that my
car might not pass the roadworthy test with a crack. Eager to resolve the gigantic
crack due to last weekend's trip to Gaborone, I called around to get estimates.
After receiving a few estimates (with a range of $100 to $800!), I pulled an
"HB" or a "Beth Fry" and worked on getting the best deal
possible. I found a company that drives to your house/office and replaces the
windshield onsite. Unfortunately, they were not the cheapest company. I
forwarded them the lowest estimate ($100) and they matched it, problem solved!
I know, I know. "Really, Scott? This is one of the most interesting
stories that you want to put on your blog?" Yes, really :)
Braai:
On Saturday, my roommates and I threw a "braai" ("cookout")
for our friends. We went grocery shopping and cleaned up the house on Saturday
before people started arriving around 4pm. We had a nice spread of meats:
chicken, sausage, and steak, as well as nice sides and drinks. Although it had
been a beautiful day, a storm came out of nowhere and inhibited on the cooking
of the meat (difficult to cook over charcoal with rain). We had to instead cook
a lot of the meat in the oven, with some dedicated grillers standing outside
with umbrellas trying to get the fire going. All in all, it was a great braai
and fun to meet a lot of different people.
I went to Gerhard and Marlize's for a dip in the
pool and dinner on Sunday night, a perfect way to end the weekend. I always
enjoy spending time with them and I hadn't seen them in a few weeks because of
my travels. As I've said time and time again, I don't know what I would do
without them. I thoroughly enjoyed the home-cooked meal and catching up!
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| Leo! (It's an inside joke) - Bottom line: Best Actor |
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| Saw this on another ETAs blog and thought it was powerful |
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