Have a super cool Yule!

If you didn't get a Christmas card from me, Its probably because international postage is bananas.  So just read the following in my voice, and it is kind of the same:

On the Twelfth Day of Danika’s Christmas, 2013 has brought to me……

»»One snowless Christmas (on the beach!) Things will be very different this year in shorts and flip flops eating Malva pudding on the beach, but somehow I think I will manage. J

»»Two incredible new jobs! 2013 has blessed me with this opportunity of a lifetime!  Five days after walking across the graduation stage, I got on a plane to Port Elizabeth, South Africa where I came to work for Masinyusane Development and Mater Dei Church.  The development agency keeps me busy in  many capacities, but primarily I have been working on self-esteem and future plans 18 teens of New Brighton Township, and teaching English to grade three.  I also have been leading a weekly Life Teen youth group of 30 high school students at a Catholic Church.

»»Three super beautiful roommates!  Life living at the Bullpen was the best decision I could have made for myself, but the worst decision for my GPA!  Gretchen, Savanah, and Andrea taught me a lot of things, but most importantly a Friday spent on the couch watching TLC is never a bad idea; PBR is the only option, especially from the Middy; Cards against Humanity is always a good start to any night; Harry Potter actually can be watched on repeated, daily; the enneagram can explain everything life throws at a person; when in doubt, do it some other time; and maybe most importantly.. Its ok to be vulnerable, but only sometimes J

»»Four years at College of Saint Benedict came to a close!  Hands down, best choice I could have made for myself.  So many lessons, so many memories, so many beautiful people to teach me about the world and how I fit in to it!  In May, I walked across that all important stage and got my BA in History, and whatever that means for the coming years, who knows! But for now, ALUMNI STATUS!

»»Five part thanksgiving dinner THAT I COOKED!  To stand in for missing my family celebrations, I hosted a South African Thanksgiving dinner party.  I cooked two stuffed chickens, as turkey wasn’t available, and all the standard accompaniments.  A friend even brought waffles “because that’s what Americans eat, right.” I only burnt the pumpkin pie as I left it in the oven for an extra hour, but as a testament to my new friendships, everyone told me how great it was!

»»Six new babies: Two cats and four toy Pomeranians.  Yes.. you read that right!  I sort of have fallen in love with animals.  It’s weird.  The South African family that I am staying with is wonderful, but Ozzi, Minky, Sam, Elsi, Toots and Eli are even better.

»»Seven months down, seven months left in Africa! Shout out to all of my new friends and family in PE who have made my life quite the journey.  Jim and Fiks provided an excellent model of how to lead a selfless life, and the Life Teen Core has become true family, with build-in bonding opportunities!

»»Eight supportive family members who all think I’m nuts for moving to Africa.  Probably my greatest family memory came from the Father/Daughter dance where Grampa Dennie and I tore up Sal’s d-floor all night long with ma, granny and Christian all there watching!  A week later, dad, his fiancé Mary, Granny and Pops Lindquist were all able to share in the excitement of graduation. Memories of some authentic love!

»»Nine months since I have heard Piano Man sung, and danced the proper way!

»»Ten amazing kids that I don’t know how I will say bye to!  Neo, Snowball, Athule, Lutho, Solly, Breezy, Madoda, Simon, Pikoli, Anele (and a few more, I just needed to fill in 10..) have blessed my life and taught me so much about life! They make all of the frustrating days’ worth it.

»»Eleven students passed exams! When I came to Lwandlekazi High School, the pass rate was 4% for the ENTIRE school.  As much as I tell myself that I cannot solve all of the problems, I needed some quantifiable evidence that my work is valued.  I just found out yesterday that 11 of my grade 10 learners that I have spent so, so, so many hours passed their boards, and have qualified for bursaries!

»»Twelve too many excuses for procrastinating my thesis! Well, probably more than twelve.. 


Thank you to everybody who has helped make 2013 a great year!

Maddie and I made it to Christmas Mass:

 

I am who I am because of you

On a very non-African-note, I have been doing some life pondering again.  I do this sometimes, and my friends usually got pretty annoyed when I got up to these philosophical, life’s tricky question kicks, so here is your warning; stop reading if you like.

So there’s this girl; her name is Maddie.  What a neat woman Maddie is.  Let me tell you her story, and how our paths crossed:

 

Maddie is a Bennie, two years behind me, but in a very different place than I was when I was 20.  She has spent the last 3 months living in a tent in Namibia working for a conservancy, tracking game, and recording population.  See, Namibia is in a major drought, and life for people and animals alike is difficult.  She showered 10 times, and wore the same outfit.  Her fingernails got sunburned, and she ate only tinned food.  She was almost an afternoon snack for a hyena, and has memorized every bird species on this side of the world.  Basically, she is the pretty dynamic, adventurous, earthy type!

Now Maddie is moving her African journey a bit south, as she will now be starting a program with CSBSJU at NMMU, but since she was just over yonder, it made financial sense to just stay in country with me till her program started.  So, that she did, and now we are enjoying quite a bit of bonding time!  She is good for me; in the 3 days that I have spent with her thus far, she has reminded me of my purpose here.  It is easy to get to get caught up in the material world, but what really matters?  It’s easy to say that, but let me tell you, it’s difficult to live it. 

Ok on to the question that I really want to ask:  Would we be the people we have come to be without the people who have come into our life? 

Maddie and I were talking about paths crossing, and people who have spun our worlds.  For example, she had an orientation leader that introduced her to environmental studies, and PRP, which has really helped her decipher who she is.  I have had a similar mentor, or RA, rather who helped me figure out how I fit in this world.  And all of these people that I am working with now! Wow!  So would I have come to Africa, to work in New Brighton, and meet my kids if I didn’t go to CSB?  Would I have found this path through other people?  Would I have been as content, living a lucid life, in… say fashion design, or nursing?  And what about the people I meet?  Would they be on their own journeys if I never challenged them, or annoyed them, or forced them to have these conversations?  Ubuntu? (google it) Maybe, maybe not.

I don’t know the answers- nobody really does.  But I just find it fascinating.  Fate, Freewill, God? Whatever you may dub it, I am sure grateful for the path that has gotten me here, the people in my life that have influenced my decisions, and the opportunities that were presented.  And I hope that, if even in some minuet way, I am opening that door which were opened for me.

 

PREACH.

 

For now, I'm just happy to have a little MN in my life for Christmas.  We are making Christmas cookies and Lefse this weekend. How American!! 

 

Merriest of Christmases to all of you from the greatest place on Earth!!

 

Madiba passing

So Nelson Mandela passed away a few nights back, and funny enough, I first found out from an American friend who posted an article on Facebook. 

I knew this was coming; he has been in poor health for months.  When the world prepared for his death months back, I was actually quite nervous.  There is this insane rumor that upon his passing, black South Africans would upraise and murder everyone.  The township would be off limits for me, and I should have an evacuation plan.  US army troops were even here at one point to help with crowd control.  Months passed, the media stopped 24/7 Madiba coverage, and it sort of slipped my mind.

So the morning after he left this world, every station had something to add to the conversation.  Every Facebook post was some quote of Madiba’s, and twitter trended #RIPMandela.  The world is watching South Africa, and it was quite neat to see the support that this world showed.  And let me tell you what they saw: There are no riot in the streets; no necklaces of burning tires; no slaughtering of machetes.  There are celebrations!  People breaking out in song on my morning run, and people greeting me with a handshake in the que at the post office.  It really has got me thinking, these people know how to mourn!  Why cry when we can dance?  The world lost an incredible person this week, and what these people are doing is remembering his vision.  Maybe this newfound vitalization is what SA needs?  I went to a rugby tournament this weekend, thousands rowdy fans packed the stands, and when the minute of silence came to show love for the fallen Nelson Mandela, it was eerily silent.  I couldn’t believe it.  Not a peep for a solid minute.  I don’t even have that patience when I’m sitting alone, let alone 1000’s of people, all who have had several beers.

Yesterday I was at a braai with a crowd of Afrikaans speaking, educated white men with little-to-no respect for the current ANC administration.  Lots of brandy got them speaking about Mandela in a way I was very surprised to hear.  No racial condemnation!  Twenty seven years spent in the worst of conditions, and Madiba came out able to forgive.  One of the men, who fully admits that he is a white supremacist, stated that Mandela didn’t liberate the black man, rather he freed the white man from the system that they created.  MIND BLOWN.  It’s unfortunate that the world has lost such a good, good man, but look at the dinner table conversations that are being had all over the world in his memory!  I hope that they continue.

Before his passing, I was forever hearing “they say….this, and I’ve heard ….that,” we should live our lives avoiding the challenges that “the other” presents.  If we listen to the fears that people put on us, I would be living in a shell in granny’s basement for the rest of my life.  Call me naïve if you will, but I think that people are innately good; maybe they just need a chance to prove it. 

Fun fact: Inspirational Mandela quotes is trending on Google. lololololol  Here is my favorite:"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."  Let’s conquer this irrational fear, world!

I am alive and safe.  Nobody has murdered me yet, despite all of the loving messages I have received suggesting that I stay bogged down till his death “blows over.”  Rather, let’s not let it blow over.   South Africa is a beautiful place, full of beautiful people, but at risk of sounding trite, we do have a long walk to freedom ahead of us.  Let’s dance it, not walk it.