…Home Sweet Home…

We made it, after an awesome week traveling around South Africa and a 19 hour plane ride, we are back. I have never had a blog before, but I feel pressure to make this last entry into some sort of climax or finale. That might be difficult considering the looming research paper on community assessment due in 48 hours, and that it was exactly 48 hours ago we were discharged from the metal tube that carried us across the Atlantic into the sultry early morning humidity of Virginia. For maybe the first time, it felt right to stand outside and inhale the moist half-breaths provided by August in the eastern US. A half a world away from the beginning of our day, we arrived welcomed by the hottest days of summer and with renewed perspective only beginning with what constitutes nice weather.

With our project finished and most loose ends tied up we were finally able to travel to some other places in South Africa. Actually, we first got gas and I crashed the car for a second time on a not-so-visible curb in my haste to get a 20 cent ice cream cone. Then, after the rough start and some vulgar language, we headed east towards a northern gate into Kruger National Park. Admittedly, when I first signed up for this trip I googled parks in South Africa and found this one. Seeing pictures from here provided plenty of incentive to sign up for just about anything that might be an acceptable reason for UVa to send me to this place. When we made it through the gate it took about twenty minutes until we were greeted by the first elephant Ashleigh or I had ever seen in the wild. It was LARGE, and cared not about our existence as it munched on the foliage of the scrubby trees that grew throughout the landscape. On the rest of the four hour drive we saw impalas, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, baboons, an assortment of awesome birds, and just before sunset a lioness.



On our way back to Johannesburg we also visited a canyon that made me feel wonderfully insignificant the way canyons do.

Remembering the events of only a week ago today feels more like remembering a dream as I sit in the health science library and stare out at McKim Hall next door. Currently, many of the windows in this historic building are awkwardly giving birth to air conditioners. I can also see a functional streetlight allowing the passage of nice looking single occupant cars across an intersection. The rest of the construction site otherwise known as UVa seems pretty much in order too. I have always enjoyed the weirdness of returning home and noticing the things about one’s home country that a traveler’s perspective yields.

South Africa was a country of such varied landscapes and cultures it is impossible for anyone to cover it in the course of a month or a few journal entries. Being home now and still slightly jetlagged, I can’t seem to wrap my head around what would be the essence of South Africa because it doesn’t seem to make sense. Consider America with half of its infrastructure, distribute most the wealth to one out of five people, and add a public health crisis that involves 20% of the population suffering from terminal illness. Now interface contemporary living with an ancient way of life, and don’t forget to include the infinite other variables that seem like they would lead to inescapable chaos. Lastly, understand that in South Africa a kind of harmony exists amongst these elements that defies reason and provides a beautiful example of the willingness of people’s, and a country’s ability to persevere and rise above what seems like it would undermine any function of society. Of course problems will persist for a long time to come and their size is daunting. Still, I have learned once again that much good can come from the adversity and daily struggles we must face. The passion for life that is easily observed in the people of South Africa is something special and an asset that can’t be discounted in solving the problems of this region. I strongly recommend anyone visit this place of paradox and I appreciate everyone who has encouraged me to share this experience. The end.

For your consideration...

.... Hello All, apologies are in order for a lack of correspondence. This internet thing is much more of an obstacle than I had previously considered. Things are good. Most days have been dominated by finishing requirements for completion of our project since the last entry. We have finished the majority of our work, and have only a days worth of translating left to do before we can move on to the next phase, coding and coming up with the themes that community members have been discussing throughout.

We have also been making time for some recreation with our new friends here. A recent presentation of all of the various projects being conducted in this community was a significant source of stress for us all during the last week. We invited the community to attend and had a great turnout considering the difficulty with transportation and other logistical obstacles that needed to be overcome. The presentation we gave was condensed to half its original length so that we didn’t have to keep them more than a few hours extra because of the extra time it takes to translate everything. Regardless, everyone was very happy about getting recognized for the work we have all done. Maybe the best part for me was when all of the UVa students were given sweet tracksuits as a token of thanks. Of course, it resulted in a theme party hosted by Ashleigh and I complete with an impromptu indoor soccer tournament and a mock racial flare up. Then we sat and had some beer way before Obama ever thought of it.

Today we are making arrangements for our visit to Kruger National park, home of the big five (Big Game Hunters coined this term meaning Elephants, Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, and Hippos). Some of our friends have already visited and seen some spectacular things. I should be able to tell you more about what we might see but I fell asleep on the field guide I found in the library. The park is also near the third largest canyon in the world, which we hope to visit as well. We will be arriving back in Johannesburg by the weekend in order to fly out Monday.
After looking at a calendar, it seems we have eclipsed the half way point and are already nearing the end of this adventure. It passed in the blink of an eye. Being busy and tired most of my time here has resulted in a personal feeling of confusion as to what exactly happened. Still, it is at least a daily experience that I am confronted with a scene or an exchange of such beauty that I must take a step back from whatever I am doing to think, “awesome”, for a moment. We have met adversity and have had our share of frustrations but it will likely be the first thing we forget about and the last thing we remember. Also, we appreciate the support we have received from family members. It definitely does not go unnoticed and we thank you. We are (were) looking forward to our arrival back home (even if it already happened)....