Ubuntu

"This is a new country, a strange country, rolling and rolling away as far as the eye can see.” Cry, the Beloved Country

“If there is mist here, you will see nothing of the great valley. The mist will swirl about and below you, and the train and the people make a small world of their own. Some people do not like it, and find it cold and gloomy. But others like it, and find in it mystery and fascination, and prelude to adventure, and an intimation of the unknown.” Cry of the Beloved Country

The words above whispered quietly through my soul this morning as we drove by the train tracks and lake to the airport under a light misty blanket. I spent the last couple of nights in Johannesburg. Yesterday, we went to the Apartheid Museum and toured Soweto. I have started to learn more about African culture and ubuntu. Ubuntu means to be human; to have a concern for the well-being of others. Here in Africa, a person’s value and self worth comes through relationships; how you treat others. “Motho ke motho ka botho” is an African proverb that translates- A person is a person through other people.” The people here are very interdependent compared to those in the United States. I will never say that one society is better than another, but I will say that we can all learn different things from one another. The hospitality and selfless love for others displayed by many here in South Africa is definitely something our country could learn more about.

This morning I flew from Johannesburg to Durban and then drove through beautiful never-ending green hills and deep red saturated African soil to Pietermaritzburg. I will be staying here at the African Enterprises’ campus for the next couple months. I had seen photographs online of the campus so I knew it would be beautiful, but when I arrived I was astonished. It is breath taking. Pictures do not do this place justice. From my bedroom window I can see a waterfall (I am listening to it’s soothing melody as I type this), deep green hills and trees, and monkeys everywhere. It is absolutely heavenly. I feel extremely blessed.

To the left: The 10 nursing girls at the Apartheid Museum

Below: The 10 boys at the Apartheid Museum.

Below on the left: Nelson Mandela's former home

Below on the right: Soweto Township

Below on left: Freedom Charter Monument

Below on right: 10 Pillars of the Freedom Charter/ Foundation of 1996 Constitution

Below on Left: Hector Pieterson Memorial

Below on Right: The largest hospital in the whole continent of Africa.

Below on Left: My roommate Jeana and I standing right outside our bedroom.

Below on right: My neighbor who stole an apple.

Below on left: A picture taken from my bedroom window

Below on right: My backyard.