Reflecting On An Amazing Experience....

After such an amazing experience it is always nice to reflect on what happened. Listed here are the thoughts of the Luther College Women's Basketball Team. When you are finished reading the reflections I think you will find that there was not one person on this trip who didn't come back a different person with a new perspective. I think I can speak for the entire LCWBB team when I say thank you to the kind people of South Africa... We will never be the same!

* I was really nervous for the flight and being on foreign land. Looking back, the trip turned out to be an amazingly moving experience which I am so honored and glad that I could be a part of.

* I enjoyed so much of this trip that I don't even know where to start. The best parts of this experience has been meeting the people of South Africa.

* It was so cool to see the older children at the orphanage help out the younger ones by translating what we said if they didn't understand. I was so surprised that I could learn so much from just observing them.

* This trip was one of the most eye-opening, informative and exciting trips I have ever been on; whether we were attending church, playing ball, teaching kids how to jump stop, or singing Mariah Carey at the top of our lungs, I was able to learn something new about myself, my teammates and others around me.

* This idea of perseverance directly correlates with another lesson I learned; UNITY. This was also presented at the museums but it was most powerful for me at church. One song said words similar to "One body...One People." I looked around the room and received smiles from people I had never met before. And these were not just smiles but they were true, real, loving, and a gift from God. I have never felt so welcome to a church or community in my life, I could feel their acceptance and open arms.

* What I noticed most about the people of South Africa is how happy they are. They love life and they are so close to their family and communities. What I began to question then is, are we really that much better off than them? I don't think you can really answer this question, but it definately gives you something to think about. I was so impressed by the happiness of the people and the optimisum of people who have so little.

* I really enjoyed all the museums. While learning a lot and gaining a better understanding and perspective of the culture and history of the country. What was even more amazing was how almost all of our tour guides had lived through these experiences and shared their stories with us first hand.

* The South African people... this is what I wll always remember about the trip. They carry a spirit inside of them which is admirable to me. They make the most of what they have, and are willing to share everything they have, and never once did I hear them complain about their lifestyle, or take for granted what they have.

* Going into the clinic, I wasn't really nervous or too concerned about any of it. I was able to teach younger kids/adults something that I am passionate about and love doing and now I will shared that basketball connection with them forever. Granted, I did encounter some obstacles, such as the language barrier with the younger kids as well as varying skill levels; but their enthusiasm and willingness to learn made it so easy to invest myself into what I was doing.

* I cannot believe how open armend they were at bringing us in. (Especially given the apartheid only ended about 20 years ago) It amazes me how much they had forgiven and forgotten how whites had treated them, and didn't hold it against us. Singing and dancing with them and being able to come together under Jesus' name was so awesome. I loved that church!

* Church was a whole new experience that I really enjoyed! It put a whole new fun yet very dedicated aspect on church

* The elephant was a little scary, but well worth it!

* Working with people less fortunate than you really gives you a new perspecitve on your own life. Seeing kids playing barefoot in a park littered with glass, and a six member family confined to a four room home makes you truly appreciate your own life's blessings.

* The children of South Africa is something I will never forget. Their joy and the excitement on their faces. Let us not forget the affection and love that greeted LCWBB. It is heartbreakingly apparent that many of the children can not receive all the basic needs that I have been blessed with.

* So many times I was struck by the kindness of South Africans.

* I found myself surprised when we were at the Apartheid and District 6 Museums. I was blown away by the way the oppressed people in South Africa were able to forgive and forget all of the horrible things that were done to them. Instead of dwelling on things that could not be changed, the families wanted to move on with their lives and find happiness for themselves once again after their worlds were turned upside down.

June 3, 2009...One Last Day!

June 3, 2009

Today we got up, packed and showered for our last half day in South Africa. We were going to head to Table Mountain for another fun hiking site-seeing rendezvous but because the weather was bad we opted to head into town for some last minute souvenir retrieval. We walked to the train and went into the heart of Cape Town to an area known as District 6. Here we went to a museum to learn about the significance of this area during apartheid. District 6 was an area that was occupied by all coloreds and blacks leading up to the middle of apartheid when things started to get really bad. Then around 1964 the government commanded that all blacks and coloreds had to leave the area and it became housing for whites only. The museum was dedicated to these people and this area that had been the home to so many black and colored people before their terrible forced removal.

Our tour guide at the museum was a former resident of District 6 and he was one of the people that started up this museum. This was one neat feature about the museum, it wasn’t created by the South African government it was started by a few residents of District 6 that lived there before the 1960’s. Our tour guide told us his heartbreaking story about watching his house being bull-dozed down. He showed us numerous pictures that were in the museum of his former home and what the area looked like before it was destroyed and rebuilt. He proceeded to show us around the museum filled with pictures and notes left by people that had been through this experience and who had since come back to the museum to help fill in pieces. One moving piece in the museum was an actual map of the District 6 area before it was destroyed that was blown up and scaled across the floor of the museum. The streets of the map were filled in and outlines of former buildings were in place left blank for their former residents to come find and sign that they had lived there. Also on the map was a quote written by Langston Hughes that said, “Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that can not fly.”

After going on the tour and being allowed to share in the pictures and stories of the District 6 destruction, our hearts felt heavy with empathy and remorse. It was then that I started to read a board that had two huge sheets draped over it and marker beside it for people to share their comments. I noticed a trend that all Americans and citizens from other countries that had been to the museum left comments similar to what I was feeling at the time: comments like, “Thank you for sharing your story. I will never forget it,” and “What happened in District 6 was terrible but sometimes bad things happen for a reason. Let us learn from this so that it never happens again.” The thing that struck me, however, was not these comments but the comments left by South Africans. Every comment left by a South African told of total reconciliation such as: “Let us forget the past and move forward,” and “May God bless the people that did this and let them know we forgive them.” It was so inspiring to see these comments and know that after all the terrible things that this country did to its self; its people were still capable of forgiving and moving forward. In a way it sums up the impressions that I have taken away in my short time here on the people of this country. They are zealous, compassionate, and open-armed to even the most unworthy stranger.

After a short stay at the museum we walked to Green Market to finish up our shopping. We all managed to spend the rest of our Rand and purchase many unique African merchandises. We spent the afternoon in the market only stopping our shopping spree for a short lunch. At 2:00, with our hands full of purchases and smiles on our faces, we headed back to our flats to grab out luggage and head to the airport. We are now on our voyage back to the United States. Although we are sad to leave this beautiful country, it is time to return to reality. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Jackie

June 2, 2009...Robbens Island, Basketball Game, Mama Africa!

Today was another day full of fun adventures. We started off the morning by heading out to Robben Island, the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. We finally got to sleep in (well, 8:30 actually) too! On the way to the ferry boat, we detoured to the office of Hoops for Hope, which is the organization affiliated with the clinic we put on yesterday. While we were there, we dropped off the remainder of the shoes that we had brought with to donate to the children. It was cool being able to talk to some of the people responsible for helping out the kids we were teaching and get a better feel for what their program is all about.

After the detour, we made our way to the Waterfront to catch our ferry ride, but only after another one of our crazy drives with Martin! After about a 30 minute ride, we arrived at Robben Island. While on the island, we toured around by bus and then ended it with a walking tour around the prison. Both tour guides were actual prisoners of Robben Island so they were able to give very accurate and detailed accounts of what really happened inside the prison walls.

Next, after returning from the island, we ate lunch at the Green Dolphin, a restaurant on the waterfront. With what little time we had left, we hit up a few of the shops looking for more souvenirs. Then, although it is winter here and the weather today was record cold, we headed to the BEACH! That’s right, we went swimming. Well the four crazy ones anyways (that would be Jackie, Sam J., Amanda, and me!). This was one of the things that we REALLY wanted to do on this trip, and considering that Sam J. had never seen the ocean, we figured why not? So, the frozen four threw on our swim suits and braved the elements. We only had about 20 minutes, but we made the best of it. We jumped in Baywatch style and took on the waves head on. We couldn’t believe how salty the ocean was or how strong the waves were crashing against us! It was a blast and definitely one of my highlights of the trip.

After attempting to dry off and warm up a little, we set off for our game in District 6 against the Cape Select team. This game was a little different than the first because this time we were actually playing against some of the girls that we had instructed during the clinic the previous day! It was exciting to see our drills and instruction put to work during the game! After a hard fought battle, Luther won big, but it didn’t really matter what the scoreboard read at the end of the game. We had impacted the young women of South Africa and they had given us an experience that will last a lifetime. After the game was over, we left our game uniforms and shoes for the Hoops for Hope organization and headed out for dinner. We had dinner with some of the players and coaches from Hoops for Hope at Mama Africa, a restaurant that had a live band and some delicious food. Some of us decided to try some authentic South African cuisine, like chicken curry, crocodile, kudu, ostrich, and springbok.

After another exciting day in South Africa, we’re packing up our things and getting ready to say goodbye. And with that, we’ve got some packing to do!

Gina and Camille

June 1, 2009...Honored To Be The First!

It’s strange to think that we have already spent a week in South Africa; it feels as if we have only just arrived. There have been so many amazing experiences just like today, from the beautiful scenery to the life impacting interaction with the South African people.

Our seventh day was packed with activity. After another early wake- up call we awoke with the intentions of seeing one of the most beautiful places we have yet to see in South Africa. The drive was just under an hour and arrived at Cape Point, with another twenty minutes of vigorous hiking to the peek. Half way up the trail we began to feel the burn in our legs and the one thing that kept us going was the gorgeous oceanic views we were promised at the top. Once there, we were rewarded with one of the most beautiful sights I have witnessed in my life. With the ocean surrounding us on three sides, and the view of bay from a distance we stood there with our breath taken… literally! Once we saw the beautiful sight there wasn’t a hand without a camera. After the many photo-ops we started to make our trek down to get some much needed food in our hungry bellies. Before arriving at the clinic we stopped at Boulder Beach, which is made-up entirely of boulders with many penguin inhabitants. With the excitement of getting our feet wet in the ocean (which was absolutely freezing by the way!) we saw Jackie “train” a penguin to stick its neck out and follow the movement of her foot. Personally I think we were all waiting for it to attack her. After some more pictures we reluctantly left once again on our way to the clinic.

We were off to our next destination and the energy level in the van was very much depleted. It’s amazing how short a trip can be when you sleep 90% of the way. Within fifteen minutes everyone was asleep. I guess all we needed was some fresh air and a good hike to wear us out. When we arrived at the clinic we were very surprised to find that there were 150 children waiting for us. We were under the impression that we would only be demonstrating drills for coaches. We were pleasantly surprised and excited to be able to work with the children once again. After a quick reorganization we, the players, split up individually and demonstrated a different fundamental to twelve different groups of eight or more children. It was harder to work with the children here simply because of the language barrier, but with some magivering and some translation from the coaches we were able to teach the children the fundamentals of basketball. We ended the clinic with a short four on four scrimmage; I can say that this crowd was the loudest cheering section that I have ever heard. Lead by the couches the children began to cheer traditional South African athletic chants. After the scrimmage we shared some of our own. After demonstrating our Luther “L-U” cheer we said began the long process of saying goodbye to the children and coaches. Before we left we talked with the Hoops 4 Hope director and we learned that we, Luther College Women’s Basketball, are the first women’s basketball team to ever come to South Africa and teach. As a group we are honored and completely taken aback to have the opportunity of being the first. While leaving we said goodbye to the children again and while walking in the parking lot some of us got the chance to dance to the music coming from one of the children’s vans. We loaded up our van and we were off to our way back to the manor to shower and find some more grub.

While at dinner we shared our experiences from the day and ate delicious pizza and pasta. Along with our pizza we received three small bowls, one of which was filled with minced garlic. Now most of you know Jackie, you know that she is quiet the dare-devil and will not back down from a challenge. After being dared by Camille and bribed by Martin, Jackie preceded to eat two heaping spoon fulls of the garlic. Sadly to say Sam, Camille, Marci and Michelle were all sitting around her and got some very potent burps in their direction. Let’s just say we are all avoiding Jackie for the next two days… or at least until she does not smell anymore.

Taylor & Sam Laventure

May 31, 2009...Family Around The World

The morning of Sunday, May 31st began by waking up at 7:30AM to a delicious breakfast prepared for us by Vic, the hilarious bed and breakfast owner. There was a selection of cereal, toast, yogurt, and fresh fruit. After our hearty breakfast, we took off for the church service in the Cape Flats. Before arriving at the church, we met with Pa Koni and his family, who belong to the church that Martin arranged for us to visit. They immediately greeted us all with smiles and hugs, making us feel right at home. We then drove though the Cape Flats on our way to church. The Cape Flats are neighborhoods of middle-class homes packed tightly together, creating a close-knit community amongst the families living there.

We were warmly welcomed by the congregation at the beginning of the mass. They went out of their way by conducting the entire service in English, rather than Afrikan, their traditional language. The church service was an eye-opening experience for all of us. We started out with up-beat songs that got everyone singing and dancing. Some of us even went to the front of the church to dance with other members of the congregation. In the middle of the service we went in front of the church to introduce ourselves and we could see the excitement on their faces from having us as guests. The entire service was filled with singing, dancing, and shouts of worship. The focus of the service was on how we are all the same; the titles we create mean nothing because we are who we are. This was very fitting for us because we were able to connect it to all our experiences on our trip in South Africa. When the service ended, we met with other members of the congregation who greeted us just as warmly as Pa Koni and his family. They were very excited to hear about our lives at home as well as teach us about their own lifestyle and culture.

We returned to Pa Koni’s home where a feast was prepared for us and the entire congregation. While we waited to eat, we were able to mingle with Pa Koni’s family and friends. The conversations ranged from what we had done so far on our trip, to our own lifestyle at home, to random questions we had about their lives. Everyone was extremely hospitable as they let us enjoy the delicious food first. There was an entire table filled with chicken, lamb, rice, salads, and a tasty white cake covered in a layer of warm custard.

Once everyone had finished their meal, we all split up, some of us playing on the playground with the kids, some chatting with the adults, others playing soccer or learning new dance moves on the street. (Hoota-no sore feelings; any one of us would have been shown up by that youngster…he was quite the dancer!) We had planned on leaving in the early afternoon but because we were having such a good time we decided to stay longer. By this time we had accumulated about 20 more kids to play with (not exaggerating) from the neighborhood. A group of the kids got together and sang a couple of gospel songs they learned in their choir. They then taught us another song in Afrikan that we all sang together in a big circle. They wanted us to sing them some of our songs but sadly the best we could do was teach them our L-U chant. The rest of the day was filled with games with the kids and something we like to call the “spinning-wheel-of-death” even though it was the kids’ favorite. After hugging all of the kids at least 3 times we finally loaded the bus and headed to the mall where we got a bite to eat and did some shopping. We were practically zombies walking through the mall, forcing us to call it a day and head back to Vic’s where we quickly shared our favorite moments of the past 2 days and then crashed in our beds.

Tomorrow we are planning on going on a hiking extravaganza and having our coaches’ clinic! So excited for another beautiful day in South Africa!!!
We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we did writing it because you know we giggled the entire time. It didn’t help that it was way past our bedtimes making things way funnier than they should have been…good times in South Africa! Feel free to giggle but you may have to read between the lines for our humor 

-Sam Jewell and Courtney Grutz

Saturday May 30, 2009...Children of Soweto

Today we put on a clinic for the children of the orphanage. Children ranged from ages 8-16. It was hard not to fall in love with them quickly. They were so eager to learn and they listened very well. We taught them offence and defense skills. They played some fun games and then it was time for them to watch us take on the University of Jo-burg Women’s Basketball team along with some national players.
The court wasn’t ideal to play on. The chain nets were not all there, the court was hard concrete and very uneven, the sun was blinding, and the air was thick with smog. However, it made the experience even better. We always play on polished courts with fresh air, but being in the middle of Soweto made the experience unique and capturing the emotions and feelings of the day.

Gina, Sam, and I (michelle) were injured so we got to sit on the sidelines with the children during the game. That was an amazing experience, getting to talk to the kids more. They told us about their favorite things to do and their dreams. One boy told me how he wants to start his own business someday. It was really hard saying goodbye to him. I was speechless and about to cry and he just looked me in the eye and said “Until I see you again.” It was really sad knowing that I probably won’t ever see him again or hear if his dreams came true.

Another thing that was fun to do on the sidelines was to teach the children our cheers. We taught them our “d-d-d-defense” along with many others. It was so cute watching them cheer for Luther. They really got into the game and wanted to learn whatever they could about the players. We really were celebrities to them.
Hearing the children chanting on the sidelines was priceless. It probably made us pull out the victory with all the fans cheering! At the end of the game, all of the Luther players and South African players got together with the orphanage children. It was special and felt like a big family. One thing is South Africa I found is everyone treats you like family. They are warm and welcoming before they even know you. It was a real treat to be around so many natives to South Africa to learn about their culture.

We then had lunch at the orphanage with the children. It was fun getting another chance to hang out with them and talk with them. We learned some facts about the orphanage, and then got a tour of it. While taking the tour, we saw the small rooms they sleep in and their living spaces. It was very tough going into the nursery and seeing all the newborn and little babies all alone. It was hard to come out of there with a dry eye. Every one of us was impacted by this experience in one way or another.

And now we’re off to Cape town for more adventures…

Bethany, Michelle, Katie

Friday May 29, 2009...Apartheid Museum

Friday May 29

Today we went to the apartheid museum. It was shocking to hear the history behind this, never learning anything about it before in grade school. Learning about segregation in the United States, it was hard learning that similar things were happening in South Africa up until 1991. We heard about how the blacks were imprisoned on the sole purpose of being black. They passed laws insuring that blacks could only get to a certain level of education so as not to become too intelligent and keep them as maids and servants. In schools, blacks got the hand-me-down furniture from the whites, did their school work on dirty floors, and had little textbooks and resources to work with. Many people were imprisoned for ‘made up reasons.’ Blacks sometimes spent 90 days in small brick cells with little or no sunlight and no restroom. The apartheid categorized everyone. One man ‘started out’ as being black. He lived in the slums and was very poor. Then one day the apartheid came around and re-categorized him. Based on where he was born and the color of his father, he should be considered white. From then on the man lived in a nice house and had a nice job. Even though this was a blessing for this man, many others ‘started off’ as white, and their lives would completely change if they were changed to a black category.

Our taxi driver was actually a part of the apartheid. He shared his personal and moving stories with us. It was interesting to hear firsthand how badly he was treated due to the apartheid. His high school was one of the first to protest about the apartheid. Many of his classmates were killed because of this. It’s unimaginable to think that this could happen to someone.

It was hard listening to how humans treated other humans, not based on the content of their character but on the color of their skin. Being in the South Africa, we can still see some effects of the apartheid. Although there is not segregation any longer, it still plays a part in people’s lives.

We spend the afternoon shopping at the markets where we found many good South African items and learned the art of bartering. We actually saw a model and an actor.

That night, Martin called two of his young friends to escort us out on the town and experience the night life. Unfortunately we did not pack for the occasion. We came down with jeans and nice shirts and met our dates in dress pants and button ups. After seeing them and having them crack jokes about us not being in high heels, we went back upstairs for a costume change. We decided on the only other outfit we had; nice shirts with church skirts. Embarrassing. We ended up going to a dance café. There was a live band and we danced our hearts out.

This was a great day. We learned a lot of new things about the history of South Africa and their culture.

Bethany, Michelle, Katie