Final Day of Work

Thursday was our last day of work at the Athlone District Advice Center. Which, after Wednesday, was a bittersweet day.

Wednesday we held a youth forum for the community. The four of us plus Nicole planned the workshop for the youth in Athlone to give them a chance to come and discuss hot topic issues such as education, health issues such as AIDS, HIV, and TB, their role in politics, moral leadership, homosexuality, and active citizenship.

We had an amazing conversation comparing these issues between the United States, South Africa, and a surprise third country: Tanzania (someone showed up who was from there).  We were able to discover a lot about each other's country, and were able to give viable ideas to each other.

At one point, we got to trying to "fix" each others problems. We got so involved at this that we had to take a break and realize that what worked in one country won't necessarily work in another, no matter how similar our histories may be. We had to remember that we weren't there to give solutions but to share and learn from each other.

The funny part was that the local newspaper ran an article on our "Equality and Equity" workshop from the week prior, and it made the front page, where everyone could see it. And people did. In fact, most of the people who were supposed to show up didn't, because, as Nombulelo said, "They were intimidated by the Americans."

I think that speaks volumes. They were intimidated by us because we were curious and asked questions that required hard answers and made you think. Which all in all is fine, but the problem is that most South Africans don't know their rights. It's very unfortunate because the South African Constitution is considered the world-leader in inclusion of Human Rights. The root of the problem is that people don't know what they are and are not entitled to, which is why open discussions are so important in a community setting.

Thursday we did absolutely nothing. Nicole brought in her computer and Doanise had hers and we just played popular music and talked for the whole day.

I'm truly going to miss Nombulelo and Nicole. They have both been amazing hosts, countless times taking time to help us get comfortable in South Africa and getting us immersed in the Culture. I truly believe that both have an incredible amount of Ubuntu, and I take pride in calling both of them a friend. I truly hope that one day our paths cross again.

Until then, it's not a goodbye.

Till Next Time....