Thursday is laundry day.
When we were living in a village in England, three miles from my parents, I would take my laundry to use my Mum's machine on Thursdays. In Wellington, South Africa I take my laundry to Cheryl in the local Washerie every Thursday.
Last week I was walking along carrying my bin bag of dirty washing, looking hopefully into the garden where at separate times I've seen a tortoise, chicks and a white peacock, when, on the other side of the road, I noticed workmen on the roof of a building which belongs to the University of Cape Town. The roof was obviously in need of repair: one man was waist deep in a hole, others were standing on the slope, waiting to see what needed to be done. All of them wore bright yellow body harnesses, a good thing to have on the roof of a two storey building; the trouble was that their harnesses weren't connected to anything. It would've been relatively easy to attach each man to a safety rope but they wandered freely about the roof, obeying the letter of the law by having the harnesses but experiencing none of the benefits.
Perhaps being married to someone who's often had to give a children's address in church makes me aware of possible illustrations but I couldn't help thinking how symptomatic the men on the roof were of the way so many people live. They provide themselves with the trappings of safety - insurance, pension, church attendance - but don't actually attach to the only one who can assure us of safety (an exciting ride maybe, but ultimately the only security there is).
Putting on a harness isn't enough: you have to make sure it's attached to something safe, then the security of your anchor means you can roam wide without fear.
Thursday 30 November 2017
Sunday 19 November 2017
Saturdays
Guns were everywhere in Nigeria; guards outside shops, soldiers riding motorbikes with a semi automatic slung casually over their shoulders, and of course police at roadblocks. You got used to seeing lethal weapons in the hands of men who seemed to treat them as just another part of their uniform (of course, we were told that very few guns actually contained bullets - it's the thought that counts).
I haven't seen anyone wandering about openly with a gun in South Africa although there are obviously plenty around. Wellington seems to be a fairly safe town to live in but here, as in so many places, a lot of properties display a sign warning that they are protected by armed response teams (and ferocious dogs). There's a sign at a local bar stating that as well as it being prohibited to bring your own alcohol, weapons aren't allowed either. As a matter of course, airports have special areas for the deposit and collection of firearms that have been checked in during flights and it's not uncommon to be walking through a shopping centre and to come upon a gun shop next to the boutiques and biltong.
Wandering into Wellington on a Saturday morning is a quite different experience from the rest of the week. Just like Britain a few generations ago, there are a lot of farm workers who get paid on Fridays and look forward to the trip to town on Saturdays. The streets buzz with people who have money to spend as they do their shopping, meet friends, pick up items "laid by" and relax after a week's hard work.
Most of the workers live from week to week but at least they have a job. Others don't. I regularly see people sleeping on the street under an assortment of clothes, blankets and bits of cardboard. Some are so destitute they pick through the bins, hoping to find something to eat, drink or sell. Some, including small children, come up to me and ask for something to eat.
It's always a dilemma, whether to give money in such situations. How do I know that the children aren't controlled by an elder who takes all their money, exploiting the vulnerability that makes them more pitiable, keeping them thin so he can gain more? That was certainly the case in many areas of Jos. What about the addicts who may wish to give up but find the temptation to relapse too great when given cash?
Thankfully there's a solution in Wellington. Several churches got together to start the G-Project www.gproject.co.za . For R30 you can buy a small book of vouchers to give to those on the street. They can exchange the vouchers for a cooked meal at lunchtime or food from some of the local shops. Clothes are distributed and a garden project is under development to provide occupation, skills and produce. The aim is to reduce the number of people forced into living, sleeping or working on the streets through a holistic, developmental and realistic approach. There's talk of starting the scheme in Johannesburg. I'm thankful there's something I can now do when approached.
I haven't seen anyone wandering about openly with a gun in South Africa although there are obviously plenty around. Wellington seems to be a fairly safe town to live in but here, as in so many places, a lot of properties display a sign warning that they are protected by armed response teams (and ferocious dogs). There's a sign at a local bar stating that as well as it being prohibited to bring your own alcohol, weapons aren't allowed either. As a matter of course, airports have special areas for the deposit and collection of firearms that have been checked in during flights and it's not uncommon to be walking through a shopping centre and to come upon a gun shop next to the boutiques and biltong.
Wandering into Wellington on a Saturday morning is a quite different experience from the rest of the week. Just like Britain a few generations ago, there are a lot of farm workers who get paid on Fridays and look forward to the trip to town on Saturdays. The streets buzz with people who have money to spend as they do their shopping, meet friends, pick up items "laid by" and relax after a week's hard work.
Most of the workers live from week to week but at least they have a job. Others don't. I regularly see people sleeping on the street under an assortment of clothes, blankets and bits of cardboard. Some are so destitute they pick through the bins, hoping to find something to eat, drink or sell. Some, including small children, come up to me and ask for something to eat.
It's always a dilemma, whether to give money in such situations. How do I know that the children aren't controlled by an elder who takes all their money, exploiting the vulnerability that makes them more pitiable, keeping them thin so he can gain more? That was certainly the case in many areas of Jos. What about the addicts who may wish to give up but find the temptation to relapse too great when given cash?
Thankfully there's a solution in Wellington. Several churches got together to start the G-Project www.gproject.co.za . For R30 you can buy a small book of vouchers to give to those on the street. They can exchange the vouchers for a cooked meal at lunchtime or food from some of the local shops. Clothes are distributed and a garden project is under development to provide occupation, skills and produce. The aim is to reduce the number of people forced into living, sleeping or working on the streets through a holistic, developmental and realistic approach. There's talk of starting the scheme in Johannesburg. I'm thankful there's something I can now do when approached.
Friday 17 November 2017
Impressions
The next few blog posts will probably be a series of impressions, nothing substantial, just life in South Africa.
Last week we hired a car to give us a bit more flexibility as we visited dealers in the search for a vehicle to buy. The car had to be returned on Wednesday and as I was waiting for my lift back to Wellington, I took this photo of the view across the road from the car hire in the town of Paarl.
We are surrounded by magnificent mountains (not enough photos yet I know but there will be more eventually). Many times it's like driving across the backdrop to a film but as this is reality it only puts you more in awe of the creator of such beauty.
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| Fresh protea |
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| Dried and sanded protea |
Sunday 12 November 2017
Meetings
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| Arrival at Cape Town 2/11/17 |
On Friday we went off to Stellenbosch for the first time to meet some of the people involved in NetAct. Professor Jurgens Hendricks had been the one to collect us at Cape Town airport and he met us again with joy at Stellenbosch University. NetAct mainly works from an office in the theological faculty which he shares with Dr Len Hansen (another NetActer) and in which Fraser now also has a desk. Once Len and the two university theology faculty librarians had arrived, Jurgens opened the meeting by declaring the moment "a dream come true".
Rector Willie and Esmarie van der Merwe had brought us from Hugenote College in Wellington and as Esmarie and I were not needed in a discussion about libraries, theology and IT, we went off to wander round Stellenbosch. No photos this time but Fraser has to return for more meetings next week so I'll take the camera and do the touristy thing then.
We met up again for lunch and once Fraser (to his delight) had been issued with a unversity ID card (a wonderful thing which, as well as granting entry to university buildings, allows you to get into the botanical gardens without paying the R10 (60p) entrance fee and, more importantly, allows you to park in the university carpark) we went with the van der Merwes to their house for more relaxing chat and food.
The more I learn about the ethos of Hugenote College the more I like it. The aim of providing an opportunity for those failed by poor education or poverty but who have potential within themselves is laudable. Just because a person hasn't done well in her matric (end of school qualification) doesn't mean she'll be rejected by Hugenote. Such people are given the chance to undertake a year long course before signing up to a BA to see if they'd be able to cope with a degree programme. If they decide further studies are not for them, they can depart with dignity and a recognised lower level qualification.
One aspect of Hugenote College is that it caters for students who are picked out by their employers as showing the potential to study social work. One such student was a sixty year old tea lady whose employers saw that she could do more if given the opportunity. She was sent to Hugenote at a time of life when many are thinking of retiring. After the exam results were issued, Rector Willie heard the sound of jubilation in the corridor. It was this lady, thrilled to bits that at sixty years old she'd passed her first exam and got an A.
Another student who was identified as having potential by his employers was an imam. It was explained to him that he was very welcome but that Hugenote College was a Christian establishment. They would continue to involve Christianity in the way they taught and the devotions that were held but that he was quite at liberty to remove himself from anything that made him uncomfortable without any prejudice to his studies. After a while he went to one of the tutors and asked if it'd be all right for him to start attending the Christian parts of college life. Of course he'd be welcome but what had changed his mind? The imam said that there must be something in Christianity if it inspired a place with such a good attitude and way of life and he wanted to learn more.
A Christian College teaches far more than just its academic subjects.
Tuesday 7 November 2017
Hugenote College
From the photo you can tell that Hugenote College in Wellington, South Africa is somewhat different from TCNN, Nigeria, yet there are many of the same issues regarding poverty, abuse, division and hatred in society. As we were told soon after we arrived, you'll find first, third and all the worlds in between in South Africa.
We came to the college at an interesting time as a group from the Evangelische Hochschule, Bocham, Germany had arrived to discuss and exchange ideas during a three day colloquium on social work courses with Christian values. It was a chance for us to sit in, meet some staff members and learn about the history and ethos of Hugenote College where we'll be based. Here are some of the highlights.
One of the important focuses of HC is on training and equipping leaders to participate in God's mission of caring for and healing the world through innovative social service delivery and proclaiming the reign of God. It aims to integrate faith, knowledge and skills whilst promoting the Christian ethos of humanity, inclusivity and transparency. Throughout South Africa the college has a very good reputation in the area of training social workers whilst also running another strand of theological education. Interdisciplinary mingling is very important - good academic training linked with understanding and developing one's calling.
Most of the students are African or coloured, unlike ten years ago when the majority were white. Most of them come from poverty-stricken and abusive backgrounds and are the first members of their families to be able to undertake post-school education. This of course exposes them to the additional challenges of overcoming previous poor schooling and language skills. Hugenote College wants to help students overcome these disadvantages and fulfil their potential in the knowledge of their value in God's sight.
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| Hugenote College |
We came to the college at an interesting time as a group from the Evangelische Hochschule, Bocham, Germany had arrived to discuss and exchange ideas during a three day colloquium on social work courses with Christian values. It was a chance for us to sit in, meet some staff members and learn about the history and ethos of Hugenote College where we'll be based. Here are some of the highlights.
One of the important focuses of HC is on training and equipping leaders to participate in God's mission of caring for and healing the world through innovative social service delivery and proclaiming the reign of God. It aims to integrate faith, knowledge and skills whilst promoting the Christian ethos of humanity, inclusivity and transparency. Throughout South Africa the college has a very good reputation in the area of training social workers whilst also running another strand of theological education. Interdisciplinary mingling is very important - good academic training linked with understanding and developing one's calling.
Most of the students are African or coloured, unlike ten years ago when the majority were white. Most of them come from poverty-stricken and abusive backgrounds and are the first members of their families to be able to undertake post-school education. This of course exposes them to the additional challenges of overcoming previous poor schooling and language skills. Hugenote College wants to help students overcome these disadvantages and fulfil their potential in the knowledge of their value in God's sight.
Saturday 4 November 2017
Arriving
We arrived safely in Wellington, Western Cape, South Africa on Thursday lunchtime, well over twenty-four hours after we'd left home in England. Flying via Dubai may have been one of the cheaper options but it's certainly not the most direct.
Our leaving was somewhat emotional and a long journey doesn't give you time to sit quietly and get over things, but it helped to be met at Cape Town airport by a delighted Professor Jurgens Hendricks who was overjoyed that we'd finally arrived. Photos had to be taken and posted to the NetACT partners to prove that Fraser was in South Africa and would soon be chasing them up for the information needed to make a start on building the library portal. Delight is great, photos after a long overnight flight not so great.
We were driven straight to Hugenote College in Wellington which is providing accommodation and an office for Fraser. Esmarie, wife of the rector, was there to meet us with a tray of babotie and accompaniments, basics to get us started and a vase of roses. Needless to say, tea was very early that night and lights out before 7pm.
Everyone shivering in the British winter who was envying us our trip to summer in the southern hemisphere need not have felt jealous on Friday. We awoke to mist that would've done Scotland proud - they told us there were mountains surrounding the town but could we see them? As well as mist there was rain, very welcome to the locals as Western Cape is suffering its worst drought in many years, but not so good for us as Esmarie drove us round town to get orientated. Today however is much better and we can actually see our surroundings.
The afternoon brought a tour of the three campuses of Hugenote College, founded by Andrew Murray of Scottish extraction. It started as college to train missionaries but now also has a good reputation as a trainer of social workers, whilst remaining true to its aims of preparing and equipping people for Christian service. As Dr Willie the rector told us, they provide opportunities for study to people who often would have no other chance of continuing in higher education. Many of the students arrive with terrible accounts of hardship and abuse in their families but here they can be encouraged to move forward. Supporting these students, helping them to see their value in God's eyes and the potential he places within each of us could possibly be one of the areas I'll get involved in.
Hugenote College (HC) is providing us with great facilities, welcome and opportunites for service. When not working on the NetACT portal, Fraser will be able to use his past experience at the Highland Theological College to help develop a blended learning system which will open access to more students.
It's early days and the wounds from leaving people in the UK are still raw but since we arrived here so many things are confirming that this is the place for us to be.
Our leaving was somewhat emotional and a long journey doesn't give you time to sit quietly and get over things, but it helped to be met at Cape Town airport by a delighted Professor Jurgens Hendricks who was overjoyed that we'd finally arrived. Photos had to be taken and posted to the NetACT partners to prove that Fraser was in South Africa and would soon be chasing them up for the information needed to make a start on building the library portal. Delight is great, photos after a long overnight flight not so great.
We were driven straight to Hugenote College in Wellington which is providing accommodation and an office for Fraser. Esmarie, wife of the rector, was there to meet us with a tray of babotie and accompaniments, basics to get us started and a vase of roses. Needless to say, tea was very early that night and lights out before 7pm.
Everyone shivering in the British winter who was envying us our trip to summer in the southern hemisphere need not have felt jealous on Friday. We awoke to mist that would've done Scotland proud - they told us there were mountains surrounding the town but could we see them? As well as mist there was rain, very welcome to the locals as Western Cape is suffering its worst drought in many years, but not so good for us as Esmarie drove us round town to get orientated. Today however is much better and we can actually see our surroundings.
The afternoon brought a tour of the three campuses of Hugenote College, founded by Andrew Murray of Scottish extraction. It started as college to train missionaries but now also has a good reputation as a trainer of social workers, whilst remaining true to its aims of preparing and equipping people for Christian service. As Dr Willie the rector told us, they provide opportunities for study to people who often would have no other chance of continuing in higher education. Many of the students arrive with terrible accounts of hardship and abuse in their families but here they can be encouraged to move forward. Supporting these students, helping them to see their value in God's eyes and the potential he places within each of us could possibly be one of the areas I'll get involved in.
Hugenote College (HC) is providing us with great facilities, welcome and opportunites for service. When not working on the NetACT portal, Fraser will be able to use his past experience at the Highland Theological College to help develop a blended learning system which will open access to more students.
It's early days and the wounds from leaving people in the UK are still raw but since we arrived here so many things are confirming that this is the place for us to be.
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| Rear of our one-bedroomed flat |
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| Front door with security screen |
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