Week 16 - “Take me to the end so I can see the start…”

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Recently one of my friends back in the US posted a Facebook status about how cold it’s been there; she made a remark to about breaking out her fur coat. Her friend commented about how it’s seventeen where she is farther north. Meanwhile, at my desk in Cape Town, I sat missing air conditioning in the 90ish (31 C) weather. It’s funny; you’re just as likely to hear “Winter Wonderland” or “White Christmas” here as you are in a mall back in the States. How about that?

While I may be more aware than ever before how frequently the word “snow” appears in so many songs on my Christmas playlist,  it doesn’t dampen my shining Christmas spirit , which grows brighter with each white candle lit on the wreath at St George’s Cathedral (is pink and purple an Episcopal thing?). Christmas parties are in season and the ASF office has closed for a three-and-a-half-week holiday, which starts with a public holiday.

Today is the Day of Reconciliation, which came into effect in 1994 after the fall of apartheid. The day is mean to foster national unity and the spirit of reconciliation after so many years of divisiveness. After apartheid, new holidays were introduced and old holidays were - in some ways – tweaked in the spirit of being a day that every person in the country could observe. Before 1994, 16 December was known as the Day of the Vow, which celebrated the victory of the Boers over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838.  The white Afrikaaners prayed before battle and promised God that if they won, they would hold the day in reverence for all time.

In commemoration of this day, I spent the morning walking around Cape Town on a special community walk organized for the day. With Suzanne and many others, I walked from St. George’s Cathedral to a Temple on the City Gardens and then to the oldest mosque in Cape Town. The whole thing took about two hours since at each location we heard a speech from a different person; each speaker was of a different faith, as well.

Apartheid ended sixteen years ago. The Civil Rights movement in the US was over forty years ago, but there are still too many lingering views of hatred between neighbors of different colors or faiths or backgrounds or lifestyles. My parents were still in college during the Civil Rights movement. When apartheid ended, I was eight-years-old, ending first grade and starting second grade. At twenty-four, that time in my life sounds so far away, but what about in the life  - or the mind - of a nation?

Week 15 - "Above is the summer moon..."

Summer has set in and schools have let out, so as we make our way deeper into advent, things are getting pretty quiet here in the Anglican Students’ Federation office. The chaplains’ conference is usually the last big show of the calendar year, so now that that’s done we’re looking towards the 2011 provincial student conference, which will be for one week in June next year. My boss, Odwa, the ASF organizer, and I will probably be going to Limpopo, the future conference site, in January to start more planning. Around that time, students will start to come back and I’ll be able to help out with Bible studies and such again, but for now, it’s pretty quiet here.

Still, since it’s Christmas season in Cape Town, there’s no shortage of exciting things going on. A few weeks ago, I went with some new friends to see the Christmas lights come on in the city bowl; it reminded me of the tree-lighting ceremony in Watchung, where I grew up – only, you know, a WHOLE lot bigger (oh, and there wasn’t some gorgeous pine tree all ugly-ed up with vertical lights, but you know…).

There's definitely no shortage of gorgeousness around here...

Silvermine

Very near where I live in the suburbs, in a carefully position right by the mountain, is the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.    I’ve gotten to see a bit of its gorgeousness on a couple of occasions.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

While Longwood Gardens back home is getting all lit up and featuring Christmas music, Kirstenbosch is kicking off its summer concert series! Every Sunday, they feature a different artist live in a special pavilion area in the park. Sweeping up from the pavilion is big grassy hill with a few small seating areas off to the side. The vast majority of concert-goers bring a blanket, a picnic supper, and a bottle of wine – which is exactly what Suzanne, Amanda, and I did this past Sunday when we went to see Mango Groove in concert. I hadn’t heard much about Mango Groove before and only had a two-day crash course from Suzanne’s CDs, but the show was AMAZING! The energy of the show and of the crowd was awesome, and the music made me just want to get up and dance. Sitting on a grassy hill in the sunshine only added to the ambiance; it was so much better than sitting in bleachers in a stadium.

Mango Groove Concert

This Sunday, we have tickets to see Freshly Ground (who sang the “Wacka Wacka/This Time for Africa” with Shakira)!
Sometimes, it’s difficult to remember that it’s December when I’m wearing shorts or applying sunblock or missing air conditioning. Also, for the first time, advent’s “light in the darkness” themes aren’t reflected by a season of shortening days leading up to 21 December, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.  Still, it’s Christmas, and one of my favorite times of year! I love the “waiting for the light” theme of advent and listening to Christmas music (although it did seem kinda funny to me to hear “Winter Wonderland” playing in the mall), and while I miss my family this time of year… ;-)

 I’m so excited for Christmas here – and the YASCer visitors that it will soon be bringing!

PS  – Let’s go Blue Hens! I hope there’s a football victory to celebrate when I wake up on Saturday!

Week 14 – “O come, desire of nations bind in one the hearts of all mankind…”

…And what were you thankful for this year?


I can appreciate how wonderful my life is without trying to count my blessings and running out of fingers… and toes. While I may have been an ocean and more away this year from the distinctly American day, that only made it easier to leave behind the not-so-great parts when Amanda and I decided to share the holiday with our new friends here in Cape Town. For instance, in my mind, Thanksgiving is about being thankful, spending time with family, consuming gluttonous amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie, and starting the holiday season – my favorite time of year. I felt no longing in my heart for the missed opportunities of Black Friday, the over-crowded airports and interstates, and the holiday’s swept-under-the-rug history.

Let me tell you a little bit about how my Turkey Day was spent here in Cape Town… After picking up some supplies, Amanda and I headed over to her apartment to cook our first turkey and a delicious batch of cornbread dressing. Since the bird and its dressing were reserved for our Thanksgiving feast on Friday, Amanda and I celebrated the day with a dinner of turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce, KinderEggs, and cinnabons (the original)! While the bird was in the oven, we passed the time with a marathon of all the Home Improvement Thanksgiving episodes! Our culinary adventures lasted the better part of the day, but I still made in home in type to skype with my family. It was so wonderful to see all of their smiling faces or, in the case of the Box branch, hear their voices and the accents of home. I think the most vivid reminder of why I bought my webcam would have to be when my five-year-old cousin Daniel showed me the Thanksgiving turkey he made at school – ‘cause you just can’t do that stuff over the phone!

Friday morning, we made the mashed potatoes and green beans and then headed over to the Hope Africa office to serve our friends. In addition to our work, Suzanne made some scrumptious pies (apple and pumpkin) and her friend Peggy made some delicious gravy. Then, we served the whole glorious meal to a dozen of our friends at Hope Africa. As a thank you, they bought us Dr Pepper – a rarity in South Africa and an American staple I had never actually tried before (but there’s no time like the present). Between courses, we even went around the table to all say something we were thankful for. While I thought lovingly of my family back home, I couldn’t have wished for a better South Africa Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving in Cape Town!!!!

Later that week, I helped out with a Christmas party at Bishopscourt, the home/offices of the Archbishop of Cape Town (ie the Presiding Bishop of the Province of Southern Africa). Suzanne organized a party for the children in Anglican homes around the Cape Town area – all 160 of them. It was a ruckus – a wonderful exhausting funny rewarding ruckus. There was food and games and swimming and lots of exhausting helpers, but even after lots of preparation and managing long lines of children wanting lunch or popcorn, even seeing all the games they played, the best moments were when I actually got to talk to the kids. They were so sweet and so appreciative of the party. It warmed my heart and filled me with holiday spirit