Blogs from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, Africa - page 40

Sherri and I have ventured into Alexandra on many occasions, and we have become more comfortable with the surroundings of the township. What we have found to be delightful is the fact that the people of Alexandra have come to trust us because of our consistency, and our relationship with them is very different than that of our first visit. Leadership, mostly by women, has begun to emerge, and they are slowly beginning to form a distinct Bahá’í­ community. We now hold a weekly devotional every Sunday morning followed by children’s classes and study circles in Ruhi books 1, 2 and 4. The Ruhi book sequence is a series of study booked used to instruct Baha’is in various aspects of the Faith and to prepare and train teachers. The Alex community has also held three ... read more

One of the reasons we had selected South Africa as a place to pioneer was because English was spoken here. Despite its being our first lanbuage, however, we learn more English every day: South African English. The English spoken here has a heavy Afrikaans accent to it, and most local people speak a several local languages. Local people often have trouble with English, which can make education difficult because English is the official language used in schools, most of the time. We can’t help but admire them for the fact that English is often their third, fourth or fifth language. It is not uncommon to find people that can speak all 11 of the official languages of South Africa. In spite of the British influence in this country, we believe our American English is closer to ... read more

Hey all well , there is no turning back now. The tickets are issued, the route is planned (NOT), and the time is ticking away. First stop SINGAPORE, damn I love this city/country- will be my sixth visit, even though the one visit was for a day from South Africa, yip, i was dared to go to Singapore for lunch and fly back immaediately after, so thats what I done !!!! Second stop Bali, hmmm, going to be interesting to see if I actually enjoy island life. Third stop SINGAPORE,, YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, Singapore Sling at Raffles YEBO YES Fourth stop Malaysia via train from Singapore Fifth Stop Thailand via train from Kuala Lumpur, yip, I know its a long way on a rickety train, but hey, I wanna see and experience Thailand Sixth stop Bangkok, OUCH, must ... read more

Today we have been in Africa for six months. We left the U.S. on September 11 and arrived here September 15, 2006. Much of our life feels quite settled here while other parts feel as though we have just arrived. What we are sure of, however, is that our capacities have expanded greatly; we have learned to accept many things that we would not have tolerated, or even dared, only a short six months ago. We are only sure that we have much more to learn. One of the most positive aspects of our being here is our fitness level. With work and school being what it was in the U.S., we had both let that slip to a poor level. I am feeling much thinner, and Bob is happy to say he is down to ... read more

Last night we went to a photo exhibition of historic buildings in New York City, hosted by the US Consulate General. While the exhibit was interesting, the setting was much more so for Bob and I: it was held at the former Women's Gaol (Jail) or prison on Constitution Hill, which is now a museum. This was the place where women who were arrested for things like not having the proper pass in the white part of town, holding hands with a white person, or operating a home business were held in appalling conditions during apartheid. The interpretive material was very well done; they had interviewed a number of former prisoners and wardresses, posted their stories and some photos, and set up small exhibits of artifacts from those days. And those days weren't so long ago ... read more

What a difference 12 hours can make… Sunday afternoon I’m sweltering in Douala, despite doing nothing more energetic than sitting outside a bar with a cold coke and a book. Well ok, I did walk across the road to get some brochettes for my dinner. Around me the roads are potholed, the taxi drivers trying to rip you off and some overly friendly guy called Paul is inviting me to his beauty salon to get my hair done because apparently I look like I’ve let my appearances slip! Next thing I know I’m walking off a plane in Joburg and joining a long queue of white holidaymakers at passport control. Then I’m being driven in an air-conditioned car along a motorway, with high-rise buildings and shopping malls everywhere. Thanks to my extremely kind godfather and family ... read more

Africa here we come! Vi kom til Sør-Afrika tidlig morgen den 16 februar. Paa flyplassen ble vi hentet av en mann fra Drivers inn der vi skal bo foer og etter safarien. Der moette vi ogsa to andre norske jenter som ogsaa skal paa safari. Linn og Helene. Linn er fra Oslo, og har etter ett aar pa jusstudeie tatt ett aar fri. I september dro hun til Mexico paa tre maenders spansk kurs. I januar moette hun Helene i Thailand, der deres jorden rundt tur startet. Helene er fra Sandefjord og var ferdig paa videregaaende skole i fjor juni som oss. Hun ble ferdig ett aar etter fordi hun var utvekslingsstudent i Chile, som er dit de skal etter Soer-Afrika pa overraskelses besoek til vertsfamilien hennes:). Her er link til deres blogg: Superturen! Vi bodde ... read more