November Snapshots and Sound Bytes

*The goal of the snapshots section is to give you verbal pictures of my experiences in and perceptions of South Africa, which are limited and not representative of South Africa as a whole, just as my experiences in and perceptions of the US do not represent all of the US.
Personal:
- I finished two books; I recommend anyone to read Desmond Tutu’s God Has a Dream, and if you’re interested in reading about the last 15 years of South African politics, read Alan Russell’s Bring Me My Machine Gun
- Talked with Sandy Govender’s 7th graders at a local school about Native Americans and answered their questions as a US representative
- Started a Lutheran youth group
- The youth group got accepted to a regional youth leadership program through PACSA (Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Activism)
- Started a Sunday School program, assisted by the youth group
- Colored cards with my two younger host sisters
- Typed up 300 students’ information, including their birthdays, identification number, languages, ethnicity, and their parents’ information
- Stood in a room with a South African, a Zimbabwean, and a citizen from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Sound bytes
- “He killed our country.” –Eva, referring to Mugabe’s role in Zimbabwe, a housekeeper from Zimbabwe
- “We don’t need corruption.” –A Lutheran Parish representative on his views of some government officials
- “They are a part of us.” –The same representative, pointing to the mud homes along the highway, about how for some people, their lives have not gotten better since Apartheid due to the corruption in politics.