Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO - anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere... I have definitely fallen victim to the dreaded FOMO, especially during my year abroad, probably because I just can't get enough of South Africa! To counteract the fear, I haven't really slowed down to process my travels since March - sorry! Here's a brief overview with photos.

In March I learned a traditional Afrikaans partner dance called a sokkie with some church friends. I also attend a weekly bible study and “do life together” with these fine folks.

I also attended a ladies tea titled “Women of Destiny” organized and hosted by my friend / GCS colleague. Attendees were asked to bring gently used shoes and we were able to donate 200+ pairs to a local women’s shelter. That’s what I call - having your cake and eating it too!

Leading up to Easter, I got to turn Grade 1N into bunnies, then spent Good Friday and Easter weekend on a sugarcane farm (Allison Shade’s placement) with a few MCC colleagues and students from Canadian Mennonite University. I also made the front page of my hometown’s paper, the News Virginian.

Immediately after Easter, MCC visited partner organizations Acts of Faith, MOYA, and Guba in Swaziland. Acts of Faith taught me how to do laundry by hand, as we were asked to join one of their caretakers for an afternoon. Guba provides locals with conservation agriculture skills and I was so encouraged by their efforts as well. We stayed at Mlilwane Nature Reserve and enjoyed beautiful sunrises, wildlife, and hikes all week!

Thoroughly enjoy facilitating Peace Club every Thursday afternoon with Grade 7s. In April, each class nominated 4 peers as Peace Club Leaders to help facilitate when my SALT term ends. They have already shown how eager they are to lead; I just pray their passion for peace makes an impact on their school and community.

In April I attended my first rugby game! The national provincial teams from KwaZulu-Natal (Go Sharks!) and Gauteng played in Durban. Sadly, the Sharks lost that game but won a few weeks later at another game I attended with MCC colleagues.

I was invited for a long weekend to nearby coastal town Port Edward by a friend /GCS colleague. We celebrated her birthday on May 1 and I got to experience my first coffee plantation, yum!

From May 13-25 my cousin Shay came out to visit me! This was her first African experience and I loved showing her a bit of what I do here. We traveled to Cape Town for a week - saw African penguins, Robben Island, Table Mountain, the winelands, Cape Point AKA southern most tip of Africa - and celebrated her birthday on May 21.

Pietermaritzburg got cold in June but that didn’t stop me from hiking and braai-ing (means BBQ-ing) at two different nature reserves – Umngeni and Cumberland. On June 10 the Grade 7s put on a skit to show GCS what they’ve learned in Peace Clubs. They ‘graduated’ by receiving their badges as official Peace Club Members and I couldn't be more proud!

I had to say a lot of very difficult ‘goodbyes’ the last two weeks of June, including my GCS colleagues and my host family. June 24 was the last day of school so GCS hosted their pajama day (I wore a onesie) and the Junior Primary department hosted a tea & prayer time for me. My colleagues at Key Ministries had a traditional African dress made for me and we celebrated my last day with a photoshoot. I’ll never forget the God-sent community I’ve found in Pietermaritzburg!

Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident in this - that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

A Month In Photos

Also known as - I was too busy living it up in December, so here's the abbreviated version.

The Barnes family, Allison, and I celebrated Thanksgiving at Inanda Seminary in Durban.

We went to Gandhi's house! Not many people know he lived in South Africa.

The site/ballot box where Mandela cast his vote in South Africa's first democratic election!

GCS Junior Primary put on a beautiful Christmas Concert December 4.

Project Gateway hosted the teachers and staff for an end-of-year lunch.

 

MCC SwaLeSA retreated to Pennington Beach for some R&R (Dec 13-18).

 

How do you celebrate Christmas on a beach? Build a sandman, of course!

Enjoyed Christmas and New Years with my host mom, her children, and grandkids.

That left plenty of time to play hair salon, soccer, and watch Barbie with this kiddo!

Update: The Honeymoon Phase

Hello from the other side!

That is, the other side of this thing called the honeymoon phase (not just a casual Adele reference, although that's relevant too).

I want to take a moment to apologize for this poor excuse of documenting my experiences. I promise that my private journal entries are increasing at a healthy rate and I keep in regular contact with a few lovely, supportive people. Otherwise, I've done a terrible job at taking photos and posting to this blog, so I'm sorry.

It's been three months since I landed in South Africa. When traveling or studying overseas, I have never stayed in one location for so long; I've never surpassed the honeymoon phase of living abroad. Now my mind and body have settled into a routine so that I don't see my surroundings as extraordinary so easily anymore. Sights and sounds, faces and conversations, cultural and institutional habits have all normalized for me. I've reached a plateau, which is a steady, mundane, and comfortable place to be. This contented feeling is both a blessing and an alert to be constantly attentive, vigilant, and dedicated to the work ahead of me. Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly, as if working for the Lord and not for people. (Colossians 3:23)

On that note, my assignment at GCS has picked up! I tutor ~25 students throughout the week, all in grades 1-3 (AKA Junior Primary, AKA the important formative years). At this late in the school year, some students have already been told whether or not they will repeat their current grade. Some students may have fallen behind because of behavioral or financial issues. Some may have entered GCS with very little prior education and have advanced by leaps and bounds, but are still not at the level of their peers. Come what may, we are pressing on, reviewing Math and English every day!

In this season of contentedness and finding motivation, I want to make a few shout-outs of thanks. One to my dear university friends who gave me a deck of cards in a parting gift - who knew that everyday card games could teach Math and be fun?! I've also made a fool of myself more than once while reviewing English Phonics with 6 year-old non-native speakers. For that, I'm grateful for my days as a camp counselor which showed me how to relate to all ages of children in ways that are fun but also fruitful.

Lastly, I'm thankful for and humbled by these beautiful people who have committed themselves to teaching the next generation. This photo I took during National Teacher Appreciation Day shows the faculty at GCS who daily encourage my spirit and respond to my myriad of silly questions. I rely on them a lot, whether it's to provide review materials for the students or experienced teacher tips, which I am admittedly lacking. They call themselves a family; I can see it.

LOOKING AHEAD...

• November 26-27 MCC South Africa celebrates American Thanksgiving in Durban
• December 4 GCS Junior Primary host a Christmas Concert
• December 13-17 MCC South Africa retreat in Durban
• December 19-January 3 I head to Johannesburg and Kruger National Park for the holidays, fulfilling two major things on my bucket list, you can see why here!

The Greatest Journeys Answer Questions...

...That in the beginning, you didn't even think to ask.

Friends, so much has happened in the past month and I apologize for keeping quiet. During that time, I have been discovering the ways to wi-fi in this different cultural context (some of you laugh now, understanding my lifelong struggles with technology). Meanwhile, I have kept a regular journal so that my experiences, observations, and questions are not forgotten. From the months before I left the States to today, I have received and dished out all sorts of questions. In an attempt to please my audience, as well as gain new information for myself, I'm choosing to process this past month using questions.

Some of my favorite questions from the new friends, students, and coworkers I've met in Pietermaritzburg:

• Have you met anyone famous?
• Does it snow in America?
• Do you like One Direction or Justin Bieber more?
• Have you ever seen a Ferrari? A Lamborghini? 
• What is a Mennonite?
• Are you popular where you live?
• Can you sing the National Anthem for us?
• How is South Africa different from America?

The best reaction I've received after telling a class that I was from America- a single boy shot up from his seat, threw his hands in the air, and shouted 'LIES!' as if I had offended him (then again, it wouldn't be the first time America offended someone)...

It's safe to say that I didn't prepare myself to answer these questions before flying halfway around the world; I certainly didn't prepare to become the expert on all-things-American. For example, one Grade 6 Social Studies class asked me 'what are America's main imports and exports?' (If you can answer that one without a Google Search, please do.)

Here are some questions I've been asked from friends and family in the States with pictures to illustrate my answers:

• What do you do every day?

This is the charming Grade 1 class I've been hanging out with. September 24 was National Heritage Day so they all dressed in their traditional clothing. September 30 was Gateway's Sports Day where they held a series of relays like the Sack Race.

• Are there [zebras, lions, giraffes] in your backyard?

No lions yet. I got pretty close to some baby giraffes at Bisley Nature Reserve, which is a 10-minute drive from my host home. Note my giddiness as I approached a wild zebra.

This journey is proving that every day will pose questions that I never thought to ask. College taught me that the world is my classroom, keep asking questions and I will learn. Here's to my new 'classroom' filled with questions and (hopefully some) answers.

P.S. The globe icon on my Facebook app has changed to show the eastern hemisphere, so this must be real life.