Adaptation.
Mamelodi Township - PC: Bonnie Sanders
The first few days in South Africa demanded a host of adjustments.
Adjustments to the time difference (6 hours ahead), to the season (winter), to the temperatures (low 40s to mid 70s) but most notably and obviously to the location.
There were sights and sounds that were fresh and new, like cars driving on the left side of the road, giant three prong electrical plugs and colorful language that tickled my ears with hard 'Ts', rolled 'Rs' and clicks. There were also many that were surprisingly familiar, like trap music on the radio (granted, in a different language but with a beat that went just as hard as any decent US trap record), “fat cakes" (sweet, fried dough) just as fluffy and as tasty as Guyanese “bakes” prepared by my mother and Milo, a mildly bitter chocolate hot drink I also grew up with.
Fat Cakes - PC: Grace Chuang
Each and every moment, there was just so much new information to take in and soak up and I loved every second of it.
One of the very first sessions we had as a team was a cultural briefing. We were taught that greetings were very important. Unlike in America where you might just hand over your purchase to the cashier at a register, in South Africa it was standard to greet and exchange a few words before the actual transaction took place.
We were also informed that personal space meant something totally different in South Africa. While I was used to shaking hands from a good foot or two (or five...) away, I found myself frequently pulled into hugs or having my hand (for lack of a better term) massaged for the duration of a conversation. At first, I’ll admit, it was alarming. I don’t tend to initiate hugs. Not even with people I’ve known for a little while. It’s just sort of this threshold that will be crossed eventually and I’ll realize, “Welp, I guess we’re here now,” before accepting the new status of our physical relationship. But this clearly did not fly in South Africa. And that’s okay. It was an adjustment I eventually grew to like. Grew to love.
Dancers in Soweto - PC: Chris Lawson
We were also taught greetings like “ashe” (ahh-shay), a formal 'hello' usually reserved for elders, and “heita” (heeyy-tah), a more informal address. I tried these out as soon as I could and was delighted when it brought a smile to people’s faces. Unfortunately on some occasions, it also eventually brought an embarrassed and flustered return to my main tongue when anyone attempted to continue the conversation beyond that.
I was surprised a couple times when a few people walked up to me and started speaking to me in a foreign tongue and saddened when I opened my mouth and exposed myself as hopelessly western. But thankfully, most people extended me grace.
I remember initially feeling homesick and worried about fitting into another missions team after experiencing one in Boston, but more and more as I was immersed into South African culture, I began to feel at peace and at home.
Kilnerton Center, our home for the month - PC: Alena Adams
