May 27, 2009...Excursions in South Africa

The plane ride from London to Jo’Berg was 11 ½ hours. The majority of the flight took place in the late night and early morning but we all found it hard to sleep on the plane so as we neared the end we were exhausted and sore from sitting so long. As we started to descend to the Jo’Berg airport the sun started to emerge from a vast sea of blackness in hues of bold yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks. It truly was amazing and we couldn’t help but be excited because we were finally here. We met Mark, Sonya, Martin and AB in the airport (Mark and Sonya are the people from Luther who helped set up our trip, Martin in a professor at Luther who teaches courses in South Africa and came along as a tour guide, and AB is our newest friend and bus driver).

After a quick run in the airport to get food and cash we were again on the road. This time it was in a 20 person bus on our way to Pilanesberg where we would spend the night and go on an African Safari. The 3 hour drive to Pilanesberg was our first opportunity to take in the scenery and culture of South Africa. I think anytime you travel to a new place you have certain things you expect to see and no matter how you imagine it, it is always different. I think we came in thinking South Africa would be a flat plane of dead grass, dirt and rocks but it is actually hilly and has more green vegetation than I would have ever imagined. The most shocking thing, though, was the homes that we passed. They were all extremely small, maybe a little bigger than our dorm rooms on average, and some of them were made out of sheets of tin or ply wood. On every corner and every street there were people mostly women and children selling things. It made me sad for everything I have taken for granted.

We made a small pit stop half way through our drive to stretch our legs and get a snack. We also met up with Adam Bohach, a Luther Alum who graduated in 2006 and is currently in South Africa in the Peace Corp. He came with us to Pilansberg to join our Safari and later talk to us about his experience in South Africa. The second half of the drive went fast and we pulled into our chalets right before 3:00. The chalets were two levels, the lower level had a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and master bedroom, and the upper level was a loft with three single beds. It was very cute and comfy. We stayed in the chalets long enough to quickly shower and put our things away and then we met back at the vans to go to the game park!!!

Though still exhausted we were all energetic and excited as we pulled into the park. We were set on seeing a giraffe for Marci and a blue-butted baboon (BBB) for Sam J (the BBB is an inside joke because no one knew if baboons had red butts or blue butts so I settled on saying baboons have red butts except for when they are in heat in which case they turn blue and Sam believed me). Almost immediately our vehicle saw wildebeest and impala and before long zebras and off in the distance a giraffe! We traveled down to a small hide that was hidden on the side of water hole. While we were here we saw a hippopotamus, more giraffes, and two rhinoceros’. It was so amazing to see these animals in the wild surviving and interacting in their natural habitats. We took so many pictures I wouldn’t be surprised if the animals thought they were going blind. As we left the park the sun was setting in a beautiful reverse image of what we had seen flying in to South Africa and the last animal we saw was a giraffe that was 20 ft or so from our vehicle. It must have known Marci really wanted to meet him.

We pulled back to the chalets around 6:00 (yes the sun goes down at 5:30 here). We had waiting for us a South African barbeque known here as a Breei. The food was an assortment of dishes and some were truly an experience in themselves. Most of the food is really plain. They use a lot of beans and fry a lot of meats and potatoes in grease. Something we have found in South Africa is that it is hard to find drinks we are used to. The pops all taste completely different, their juices are really thick, and the water takes some getting used to. None-the-less the breei was wonderful and it was great to take in real South African food.

The last thing that we did today was actually my favorite part. We got to listen to Adam’s story of his time in South Africa. He explained to us about how it was when he came and the obstacles he had to overcome being the only white man in his village. He said that they had so many misconceptions of Americans and thought he was only there to spy not help. He talked about cultural things here that he had to get used to like lack of personal space and their continued acceptance of alternative healing remedies like witch doctors. He talked about the issue of aids/HIV and how common funerals are here. He said that they have a new funeral almost every weekend and how as an individual you almost become numb to it. He ended by telling us what he had done here in the schools with the kids and how now after almost two years they finally except him as a child of the village and they have renamed him Tabo which means joy. Adam’s story was so uplifting to hear and was a good insight in the different culture and life styles of the people that live here. It impacted all of us greatly and I couldn’t help but think that even though our time here is short we will forever be changed by this experience and the people that we encounter for the better.

It is 8:30 and we finally get to go to bed now. After over a day of straight flying and half a day of driving we are exhausted and can think of nothing better to do. Tomorrow we are getting up at 5:30 to go back to the game park and hopefully see more animals that we did not see today!

Jackie Miller