This place is pretty incredible. I am having multiple moving experiences each day, which is how life should be no matter where you are, I hope. Some of these moving experiences are inspiring, some are disheartening and sad, some are just plain cool. I’m beginning to become a little more acclimated to the environment and becoming more comfortable with people around campus, mostly the guys in my res. The social racial segregation is already apparent in the res and dining hall. Everybody seems to get along totally fine, but there is clearly separation among people hanging out. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, especially in this country where cultural, class, and language backgrounds tend to move people towards getting closer with people of a similar background. Very often (actually pretty much all the time) I find myself as the only white kid at my table at the dining hall or in the common room watching soccer. It seems to have happened naturally as I’ve just connected with certain kids in my res and they happen to be black. Maybe I shouldn’t think about this stuff as much as I do, but either way I’m just chilling with people. We’re all breathing the same air. I just hope the separation doesn’t become exclusive or negative as the semester progresses. We’ll see.
From playing frisbee with guys who had never played frisbee before, to hiking in the beautiful mountains around Grahamstown, to playing rugby, to jamming with the African Drum Society, to talking about South African politics in the dining hall, to hanging out at the Old Gaol, there are some really cool opportunities here. The environment is really exciting. Sometimes the excitement isn’t always easy to enjoy. Some of the moving experiences are much more challenging to grasp and live with. I met a guy named Bryan (at least that was his English name, he didn’t trust me with pronouncing his African name) on High St., which is the main street in “downtown” Grahamstown. He was asking me if I had any money I could spare. Similar to in the United States, it’s a difficult situation to respond to. I honestly didn’t have much money on me, but I did have 50 rand (about 7 dollars) so I asked him if he wanted to go to Checkers, the local grocery store, and get some stuff. He was a really nice guy. There was a little bit of a language barrier but we managed. He got some bread and milk and chicken to bring home. He was very grateful and we parted ways outside of the store. Some people say not to do this because it creates dependency or on another end it’s just a totally free handout. But it just got used on groceries. I don’t really know. I mean, I’m wealthy, plain and simple. I have a lot of resources and there are a lot of people in the area who don’t. Is this one way to respond? Maybe. I don’t know. The situation is much different than talking with “beggars” (that sounds kind of dehumanizing, but for lack of a better word) in the U.S. because here there is a 70% unemployment rate in this area. I repeat 70% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE. That’s ridiculous. What are people supposed to do? There is such little infrastructure or opportunity for job creation in the area. Even if a lot of the schools weren’t understaffed and undersupplied, the people would have a really hard time to find something to do with their education unless they work one of the too few wage jobs, become an academic, or leave the area.
I don’t know who this is addressed to, but have you ever seen a 7 year old kid looking through a trash bin for something valuable or edible? SHIT. Sorry for the cursing, but sometimes I feel like it’s the only thing that comes close to conveying the confusion and frustration and lack of facility for responding effectively in the short or long term. What should my response be? What should the response of the people of Grahamstown, rich and poor, be? What should the response of the government be? I suppose in one sense I can’t do anything in the immediate, but I’m sure I will continue to meet people and learn when I begin volunteering regularly. And also I guess the money I spend in Grahamstown is going into the local economy, however small its impact it might be, it’s money that wasn’t here before that is here now.
Ohhh life…
From playing frisbee with guys who had never played frisbee before, to hiking in the beautiful mountains around Grahamstown, to playing rugby, to jamming with the African Drum Society, to talking about South African politics in the dining hall, to hanging out at the Old Gaol, there are some really cool opportunities here. The environment is really exciting. Sometimes the excitement isn’t always easy to enjoy. Some of the moving experiences are much more challenging to grasp and live with. I met a guy named Bryan (at least that was his English name, he didn’t trust me with pronouncing his African name) on High St., which is the main street in “downtown” Grahamstown. He was asking me if I had any money I could spare. Similar to in the United States, it’s a difficult situation to respond to. I honestly didn’t have much money on me, but I did have 50 rand (about 7 dollars) so I asked him if he wanted to go to Checkers, the local grocery store, and get some stuff. He was a really nice guy. There was a little bit of a language barrier but we managed. He got some bread and milk and chicken to bring home. He was very grateful and we parted ways outside of the store. Some people say not to do this because it creates dependency or on another end it’s just a totally free handout. But it just got used on groceries. I don’t really know. I mean, I’m wealthy, plain and simple. I have a lot of resources and there are a lot of people in the area who don’t. Is this one way to respond? Maybe. I don’t know. The situation is much different than talking with “beggars” (that sounds kind of dehumanizing, but for lack of a better word) in the U.S. because here there is a 70% unemployment rate in this area. I repeat 70% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE. That’s ridiculous. What are people supposed to do? There is such little infrastructure or opportunity for job creation in the area. Even if a lot of the schools weren’t understaffed and undersupplied, the people would have a really hard time to find something to do with their education unless they work one of the too few wage jobs, become an academic, or leave the area.
I don’t know who this is addressed to, but have you ever seen a 7 year old kid looking through a trash bin for something valuable or edible? SHIT. Sorry for the cursing, but sometimes I feel like it’s the only thing that comes close to conveying the confusion and frustration and lack of facility for responding effectively in the short or long term. What should my response be? What should the response of the people of Grahamstown, rich and poor, be? What should the response of the government be? I suppose in one sense I can’t do anything in the immediate, but I’m sure I will continue to meet people and learn when I begin volunteering regularly. And also I guess the money I spend in Grahamstown is going into the local economy, however small its impact it might be, it’s money that wasn’t here before that is here now.
Ohhh life…
