After visiting several places with our adviser, Geoff, I am super excited to begin hanging out and working with people at a couple of different places in Grahamstown. I’ll be spending a few hours every Monday and Friday at Etembheni Senior Service Centre. Wow, what an incredible place! Just at a spontaneous visit today the people were loving and welcoming and appreciated my attempts at greeting them in isiXhosa. The centre is located kind of in the back corner of the townships east of campus and the main part of town. A number of elderly folk in the area go to the centre to chat with people, get a meal or two, and do some other activities. My man Jonny Guatemala spent a lot of time at the centre a couple years ago and the people remember him very fondly! When Jonny came up in conversation, I mentioned to the woman who runs the centre that I am a close friend of Jonny’s and she immediately gave me a big hug. They certainly loved him there as a number of people’s faces lit up at the mention of his name. The place seems very simple and does not really have anything materially flashy to boast of by any means, but sometimes people spending time together in a loving environment is the flashiest thing we could ask for.
Also, if we can organize ourselves well enough, Brittney, PJ, and myself would like to do some work with the Raphael Centre, a counseling and testing centre for HIV/AIDS, located in a residential area somewhat near campus. The woman who runs the centre said she has had much trouble with fundraising and grant-writing and would love some extra hands and minds to help out. The three of us thought it would be a good project to put together our resources and writing skills to work on those fundraising issues in at least some small way. It all seems great and cool in theory, but we’ll see how it all works out. Service and social justice and all that jazz seems really inspiring and cool to talk about, but there are so many issues in reality that are more difficult to fully grasp. But I suppose we can’t let doubt overwhelm and paralyze us (in fact, doubting and questioning probably motivates us to act, as certainty is more likely to lead to stagnation). Where do we find TRUTH, though? Real and practical TRUTH in our actions and beliefs and social structures? When Eve Ensler came to BC last spring she said, “Truth lies in ambiguity.” As much as that might be complicating and frustrating sometimes, I suppose it’s the truth.
Out,
Jeremy
Also, if we can organize ourselves well enough, Brittney, PJ, and myself would like to do some work with the Raphael Centre, a counseling and testing centre for HIV/AIDS, located in a residential area somewhat near campus. The woman who runs the centre said she has had much trouble with fundraising and grant-writing and would love some extra hands and minds to help out. The three of us thought it would be a good project to put together our resources and writing skills to work on those fundraising issues in at least some small way. It all seems great and cool in theory, but we’ll see how it all works out. Service and social justice and all that jazz seems really inspiring and cool to talk about, but there are so many issues in reality that are more difficult to fully grasp. But I suppose we can’t let doubt overwhelm and paralyze us (in fact, doubting and questioning probably motivates us to act, as certainty is more likely to lead to stagnation). Where do we find TRUTH, though? Real and practical TRUTH in our actions and beliefs and social structures? When Eve Ensler came to BC last spring she said, “Truth lies in ambiguity.” As much as that might be complicating and frustrating sometimes, I suppose it’s the truth.
Out,
Jeremy
