Thank You South Africa

How is it that a small town boy from Saskatchewan, Canada end up working on HIV/AIDS in Africa? Easy answer: AIESEC. This organization truley is the platform for individuals to discover and develop their potential.

On August 14th, my time in South Africa came to an end. Over the last four months, I have been excited, challenged, shocked, and enlightened. These things did not happen by chance. They occured because I took a challenge and stepped out of the bubble I was used to.

While in South Africa, I experienced a country that is vastly different from my own and realities that are also vastly different from my own. I had the opportunty to interact with over 30 of the most incredible individuals from all over the world. Each one with a different set of perspectives and experiences to share. I had the opportunity witness the realities of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

So to everyone, I had the pleasure of meeting or working with in South Africa, I would like to say Thank You! You have truely challenged my world view and changed my life!

Please stay in touch & I hope to see you all again in 2010!

Safari & Sun City resort

The time is counting down until my return! Only about 2 more weeks to go. For me, this fact officially sunk in about 2 weeks ago. I realized that I have been in this beautiful country for about 4 months and really haven't gone outside of Jo'burg to see the sights. So when a few other Canadians mentioned going on a day trip to game reserve and lavish resort, I couldn't resist.

We left Johannesburg about 6am for the 2 hour trip. We stopped over in Pretoria to pick up two other Canadian girls. As soon as we were about 15 minutes outside of Pretoria, the scenary completely changed from big city to rural Africa. This was very exciting as it was a lot more what I was expecting from the country. The houses got smaller, the mountains taller, and everything was much more laid back. We arrived in Pilanesburg at about 10am. The reserve itself was in a huge mountain range and it's incredibly beautiful. We entered the park and immediatly saw a family of warthogs. Over the 6 hours we were there, we saw everything including zebra, elephants, giraffes, deer, springbok, impalas, rhino, hippos, turtles.

It was really such a relaxing experience and I even got to drive around the park....my first time on the left side of the road!

Another feature of this area is a resort called Sun City. In the beginning, we were'nt sure if we were going to go because it was getting a bit late. However, I think we were all completely amazed by this lavish place. When you drive in there are rock walls on either side. As we looked around, we noticed the buildings were a very popular attraction for monkeys. There were monkeys everywhere! In the distance, we could see an extravigant castle. This castle is know as The Palace. This is a very appropriate name because it is truely grand. On either side of the palace are lakes being fed by waterfalls. When you enter there are huge fountains welcoming you. Unfortunatley, entrance was only allowed to guests and tours, so we had to bask from the outside. We then went back to where they call the entertainment centre. Here they have gaming, international food court, gift shops, an arcade, movie theatre, and conference center. On the opposite side of the entertainment centre is the Bridge of Time. It is basically a long bridge with elephant statues on either side acting like sentinals. In the mountains surrounding the bridge there are carvings of elepants, monkeys, and lions. Apparently during the day, there is a simulated volcano under the bridge that pretty impressive. Unfortunatly, or fortunately, we were there in the evening. Everything was lit by torch light, which added a certain magic to the area. In the distance, the palace was also illuminated by torch light. We walked to the end of the bridge and found that it over-looked the Valley of the Waves, which is a simulated ocean where people can lie on the beach, swim, and even surf.

We all decided that was all we could take for the day. We all left feeling like we had really experienced something incredible. All the pictures I took are available on my site and there will be more to come!

Live 8

Last week, I had the opportunity to take in the Johannesburg Live 8 Concert. Live 8 is a series of simultaneous concerts around the world with the aim of "Making Poverty History". Each venue features 8 prodominant world musicians, such as U2, Maddonna, Coldplay, Sting, Paul McCartney, and Elton John. The South African concert put emphasis on National bands, which were all very good.

I attended with a few native South Africans, who were really excited about all the performers. We arrived early in the day and stayed until the end. In total, I would geuss there were over 200,000 in attendance. Each person there put out a certain energy and it gave the whole event a special vibe. Everywhere you went there were groups of people dancing and really into it.

All the energy made the day very special for me, but the final appearance made it one I will never forget. The host came on stage and started talking about this incredible person. A person who has changed South Africa through his strenth and un-comparable determination. A person who spent 27 years in prision for what he believed in - Freedom. The crowd immediately errupted. Then an old, hunched over man canned his way on stage. I was in complete shock....could this be Mandela? When he came to the podium he became alive as if he were young again. His presence was immediate and the crowd became instantly silent. He began speaking about the need for reform in the way the world views poverty. It was one of the stangest feelings I have ever had. I felt like this was really a historical event and I was a part of it! What makes it even more significant is that this speech will likely be Mandela's last because he announced his retirement. What an incredible experience!

Happy Canada Day!!

Hello Everyone!
Just wanted to send out some greetings for Canada Day! Myself, I really enjoy Canada Day...hot weather, many barbeques, and great fun! For some reason, South Africans don't seem to be in the same holiday mood as me!? I am decked out in a Canadian hoodie and an I AM Canadian hat. Maybe a bit excessive ;)

I always find it interesting how people become more patriotic when they are away from their home country. As you can tell, I am the one exception to that rule ;)

South African Youth Statistics

Hey Everyone,
I found this article in a local magazine and thought it was very interesting. Check it out and feel free to post any comments.
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If South Africa was represented holistically in terms of 100 young people (aged 5-15) in a room, it would look something like this:

80 are Black
9 are White
9 are Coloured
2 are Indian

50 live below the poverty line

50 will not work in the future

18 are HIV positive

24 speak Zulu as their first language
17 speak Xhosa as their first language
14 speak Afrikaans as their first language
8 speak English as their first language

30 are unlikely to be married by 35

57 live in urban areas

2 head a household

17 say Nelson Mandela is their role model
12 say Rebecca Malope is their role model
5 say President Thabo Mbeki
10 have no role model

68 believe racial prejudice still exists

51 are homophobic

75 attend township schools
53 will continue until grade 12
36 will complete it
8 will go onto University

3 have had abortions
41 have had sex
29 are regularly sexually active

6 have used cocaine
11 have used heroin
6 use club drugs
11 have used inhalants
23 are binge drinkers
21 smoke cigarettes

17 have tried to commit suicide

30 have been in a fight this month
14 are in a gang
17 have recently carried a weapon

8 have forced someone to have sex

0 have lived under structural apartheid
100 live with its economic effects

Birthday in South Africa

On June 9th, I celebrated my 23rd birthday in South Africa. This was the first b-day I did not celebrate in Canada. At first it all was a bit weird, being away from friends and family. As the day went on, it became a bit better.

Apparently, there is a South African tradition to pour water on the person who is having the birthday. I came home for lunch and Abey and Saratu decided to continue the tradition. I was quite soaked and then Bende came home and got me again. I can't wait for someone else's birthday so I can join in myself.

In the evening, everyone made me a very Canadian birthday supper - Steak! This was the first time I have had steak since getting here so I really enjoyed it!

Children's Day

On June 4th, Me and a few members from the Epiphany program took 30 children to the Johannesburg Zoo. All the children we took were from an HIV/AIDS orphanage called Cotland's. Cotland's has both a sanctuary for children who have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS and a hospice for children living with the disease.

We had been planning the day out since I had arrived in Jo'burg because we wanted to make it special for the children. The food for the event was sponsored by Shoprite & Coca-Cola. Shoprite donated about 60 oranges and Coke donated 48 drinks. When the kids saw the 8 of us walking up with all those oranges and drinks they were so excited. We decided to give them the food at the beginning of the day so they could focus for the rest. A slight misjudgement by us. These treats made the kids super hyper. This made the experience a bit more interesting to say the least.

Overall, both the kids and the hosts enjoyed the zoo a lot. I especially loved seeing all the animals I had never got to experience in Canada. This particular zoo boasts over 340 different species of animals including: elephants, lions, polar bears, giraffes, and monkeys! The entire place was so big we could not take it all in over the course of a day!

Convocation

Yesterday was the University of Saskatchewan's Spring Convocation. Needless to say, but I was unable to attend. In some ways this did not bother me, but in others I wish I could have been there. Instead, my yesterday was basically like any other weekday. Work from 8-4 and then go home and relax.

In the evening, two guys from AIESEC International came in from Rotterdam, Netherlands. They are here for AIESEC South Africa's Strategic meeting. They got in at about 10pm and they wanted to go over the 4 day agenda. We worked on that until about 1 am. By that time we were all so exhausted that we could not even focus, so we all went to bed.

Convocation has come and gone. The price you pay for experience!