South Africa Arrival

Josh and I flew into Johannesburg on Tuesday the 29th of January after a non-stop 15-hour flight. Luckily we convinced the ladies at the ticket counter to put us in one of the exit rows, which was crucial. Josh’s brother Jeffrey picked us up at the airport along with his wife Rose and their five children; Bruno, Eugene, Isaac, Morgan and Esaie. We made our way to Pretoria where Jeffrey lives and works for the Peace Corps with whom we will be staying. After a few days of taking it easy and trying to get over some wicked jet lag we are planning to take a few excursions around the area. We saw the sights of Pretoria, which serves as the executive capital of South Africa. This upcoming week we are going to Kruger National Park on the border of Mozambique to see some of Africa’s "Big 5" animals.
The main purpose of this trip has been to get involved with some volunteering organizations and do our small part to help. We have been contacting different groups such as Africa Jam and Habitat for Humanity but it is still early so we’ll see what ends up surfacing. I was chatting with a guy in a music shop the other day that suggested that we look into church groups because they do a lot of philanthropy. Anyone who knows me well is aware that I am not the most gung-ho person when it comes to organized religion but this may be an inroad we end up exploring.
What has surprised me most about South Africa so far is how unique and fresh their history is and how it affects daily life. Before this I knew what I thought was the basic history but now that I am here and have read more about it I realize how much more complex it is. Apartheid ended only 14 years ago. That is like being in the United States 14 years after the civil rights movement. But now imagine that the US population is 90% black and how the power structure would have changed. The inequality that still exists here is inescapable. The wealthy suburbs, which are 99% white are separated from the city center and the surrounding townships. We are currently in one such suburb and the security here is like nothing else I’ve ever seen. The crime rate is very high and there is still segregation and a tinge of racism in the way the population is separated. There are areas here that are like being in a posh Miami neighborhood and two miles away there is abject poverty. Jeffery’s house has a ten-foot tall wall around it topped with spikes and four electrified wires. Assuming anyone could get over that there are two guard dogs. After that they would need to get into a house that is completely barred up: every door and every window. Inside there is a security system that automatically calls armed guards only minutes away. The upstairs has it’s own prison style barred door that is closed every night so that no one could get to the bedrooms assuming they could get in. To me it all seems a bit overdone. I just can’t imagine anyone would even fathom of breaking into one of these houses, which I guess is the point.
Me feeding Esaie.