I will NEVER understand...

There are some people in this life that I will just NEVER understand.

Like idiocy and stupidity (I get very irritated with those). Or those people who look horrible in a shoppingmall (did you not look in the mirror before coming?). Or doctors for that matter. You have to be insane to be able to handle everything you see every day.

But recently I have discovered a new kind of personality that I cannot understand.

Frequently when we finish school for the day, my mum can't come fetch us immediately. So we stroll to the local library. Recently we have been joined by a fourth person in this pilgrimage to the library and home (he joined our lift club). Darren*.

The other day we reached the library as usual. This is usually the best time to do homework, because I don't have a lot of time at home and there's wonderful referencing materials. So I pull out my books and quickly run through my maths and science. (okay, maybe it didn't exactly go quickly...). After finishing my homework, my favourite library activity is to forage between the rows of books for a new discovery, that I have yet to read. Finally  find a tempting specimen and grab it off the shelf, not really intending to borrow it, just to read as far as I can. I make my way to the table where I did my homework and there it hits me.

There is Darren*, sitting with his body spilling over the far too small chair. Sitting there in a room FILLED with books. Full of other worlds, full of interesting personalities, full of breathtaking adventures. A treasure chest of  literary gold. There he is, sitting smack-bang in the middle of a library. On His Stupid Ever-Present CELLPHONE!!!

I nearly fell over dead right there. Have children just not learned to read. Do they even know what they are missing. Is our world so illiterate that we would rather "txt" and "game" than pick up a good book and read the hours away?

Come on peeps! prove me wrong!!!!!!!

*name has been changed for fear that he will be persecuted by book lovers internationally.

Love it!

I have recently been reminded in a very unexpected way that I have a blog. And a public ;P And that I haven't posted in AGES!!!

So here's me thinking of what to babble about this time...

Of course I could talk about being sick (blegh). But my dearest sister at Under the Sun (http://underthesun-marli.blogspot.com/) already did that...
Then again I could spin another story about homosexuality and acceptance, but I've done so many on those already.
I could rage about my activities and what I have done and achieved through it, but honestly, that's plain boring.

So I decided on making this one about little kiddies.

I recently released an absolutely ridiculous statement to my friends. Even when I am a doctor with no life and no romantic partner, I will either adopt children or look for a suitable surrogate mother. For nine months before I adopt or the nine months my surrogate mother is pregnant, I will pretend to be pregnant (without putting on weight). Doesn't it sound ideal? Yelling and screaming, having totally messed up emotions, millions of cravings and blaming it on the hormones caused by my soon-to-be-but-not-quite-yet baby.

For those of you who have by now not guessed, I go crazy for kiddies. I love playing with them and comforting them and holding them when they're distressed.

I had this spectacular (but extremely obvious) revelation while working for some community service at our hospital. While standing there, pinning down a baby with a laceration over it's left eye, screaming it's head off. Blood streaming from his brow. And with every stitch that brought us closer to the end, I felt more and more attached to the poor screaming kid. It sounds cruel, but knowing I changed the kids life (well at least his early health) made me happy.

I WANT SOME OF THOSE!

Oh well. Kids are kids. Screaming, crazy, snot-nosed, little, beautiful, disgusting, lovely kids.
Peace!!!!

Pilgrimage! Day 5

The last ultimate and final day of an amazing journey.

Wake up after a wonderfully comfortable and refreshing night under the stairs.

Have to rush to get ready in 15 minutes. I'm done, but I'm pretty much the only one. The bathroom queues are so looooong...

Finally we get away. On a Rea Vaya bus to the city center. Cool experience. They look great and run extremely well. People aren't as friendly as in the taxi's though....

Another taxi ride. Out to Cosmo City. Feeling rather sheepish. Everyone else fits because they're funny or witty or friendly or just fit into the group. I can't do any of those... Guess I'm still looking for where I belong.


Arrived at oasis office in Zandspruit. Had an interesting conversation on human trafficking and prostitution and that awareness is the only way to prevent it. Feeling kinda freakily interested. Poor girl in our group was used to demonstrate. She was so confused ^_^

Nice minibus tour through Cosmo with a breakfast of rolls, doritos, bananas and mango juice on the go. Yumyum :)

Soccer game between local school teams. Really good. From real soccer to street soccer where our "city" team dominated! That and the street dancing with the people. JIKA MA JIKA!

visit the clinic. They do amazing work for the community. And of course, a dreaded HIV test. A quick prick of my finger. And the wait for the solution to float up. The result: a single stripe - NEGATIVE! extremely relieved.

Time for our final group meal. At the Motswako Pot. Cool restaurant with a meal similar to last night's. Ultra delish. Pap and meat and salad. What amazing fun. That and beer. Find it amazingly funny that I was supposed to be drunk after one beer. Eish! insulted ;P










Final taxi ride too. Sad that it wasn't a real one. But I'm having fun.

Stop for an ice-cream. Wow i'm gunna miss these people.













Back on home ground. Had an amazing experience. Can't believe it's gone. Done. Finished. But I'm at peace :)

Gotta run. I got a taxi to catch!

Pilgrimage! Day 4

Wake up with a sore throat from belting songs until 12 last night with the dominee's daughters :) enjoyed myself so much.

DMZ (Doomz, or dominee) woke me at half past 7 telling me that we leave in 10. Oops. Overslept again... Becoming a trend with me. Must say I'm gunna miss the amazing people of riverlea.

In the taxi

Catching the taxi

Got a taxi (again as a group). Well at least this one was big enough for all of us. Dropped us off in Soweto. Almost got on the wrong road, but we found our destination, the YMCA.

Yes, you heard me right. The YMCA, there really is such a place, it is not just a song and it is right here in Soweto... (really hungry right now).

Walk to the Hector Peterzon museum. Sad and hectic, but better than the apartheid museum, easier to take it all in. Walked on to the Madiba house. Nice to see the history of such a great man. And here comes the personal opinion part that loses me all my readers. I personally feel Madiba has earned the right to die in peace. Away from the mediaand the world. He is now 93 and still plagued by journalists daily. I pity him and wish that on no-one in their old age. The poor man "deserves" a well earned peaceful death.

Walking down Vilakazi street

Awesome graffiti of that iconic photograph

My shadow in front of Madiba's home

On a lighter note, we stopped for bunnychow at the "Madiba Family Restaurant." (highly doubt that they have the support of the Mandela family. they would have at least ensured a non-leaking roof.). The food isn't even that great. But the other pilgrims are. Happy memories of Russians, Dogs' Milk, Fish Milk and some other shit.

Disappointed at not being able to visit another hero of mine's (Desmond Tutu's)  house. And yet he is about the same age as Madiba. contradicting thought eh? Oh well...

And for the first time ever being street smart means I'm a mindless criminal. I'm "robbing a family of their food" because i know never to accept a vendor's first price. Is that right? Do I deserve it?

You gotta love it!

Longest walk to where we are sleeping. Swear we were zig-zagging there. Throats rasping and bodies tired and legs burning... Feels like I'm on the verge of death.

Orlando Station Bridge

Went to the local spaza shop to play some pool and learned my first two Zulu phrases:
1) Give the beer - Leti biea
2) Here's the beer - Nayi biea
Totally feeling the multicultural vibe ;P
Oh yeah, have to admit, nothing quite as hot as a guy playing pool. Hm-mm...

On our way back to the church where we stay, we smell the smoke. A corner shop is burning. Rush to fight the fire. Unfortunately we're of little help. At least the fire truck shows up before the fire spreads to the guy's house.











Feeling like a complete fool. Don't really fit anywhere. Wondering what happened to the communication abilities i had when i was 2 (you know, you could talk to anyone and still sound normal - well as normal as a two-year-old anyway). Can't seem to talk to people anymore. Wish I could remember how. It would make this all a whole lot easier.

Dinner done! Ate pap, meat, salad and bread with my hands! Walking home after we received an offer of 20 000 for our friend's hand in marriage. Almost sold her, then decided 20 000 wasn't nearly enough.

Street soccer going to from dinner

Walk home in dark Soweto was fun. Specially when they gave us a lesson on Limpopo traditional healers (sangomas) versus the evil guys (witches). Did you know a witch can fly on a broom, a spoon or a loaf of brown bread? And that they can send you a heart attack via e-mail? Or the street product of a heart attack or a stroke in a bag? Or that they can kill people with lightning? Well it all depends on you perspective, doesn't it?

Heard gunshots. They still freak me.

Had holy communion. With some yummy hot cross buns.

Taught some astronomy, was fun to feel so smart again.

Amazing conversation about what belief truly is and how we fit into the world. And the concept of eternity (relative to life).

Thinking of passing out soon. Sleeping under the stairs tonight like a real hard-core Spaceranger ;P

Pilgrimage! Day 3

Wake up at 06:45 for breakfast at seven. So screwed...
Come to the breakfast room and we find out we are not expected for another hour. Yay. Fortunately the staff are super nice and start preparing the meal immediately. We have breakfast half an hour earlier than they expected and later than we expected.

Packed and ready to leave Impilu after two nights' wonderful stay.

Took a taxi to the city so we could visit the youth center. Real taxi ride, with normal city people. Got off two streets early though (the girls were anxious...). Was extremely fun but ended up walking two blocks.

Olive has now officially been declared as the word for a hot guy :P

Got confronted with my habit of wearing flowers behind my ears... I never thought I was making it harder for anyone to accept me. Feeling angry and sad with myself and the world for it. Hard Stuff. Feel strangely exposed after throwing the flower away...

Drank great coffee at a tiny coffee shop. Went for a walk up and down Jozi again. Found the coolest little bar ever! (5 cent floors, chandelier made of lightbulbs, different lampshades outside, wall of books).

Morning coffee

Walking in Juta street

My Reflection in the windows of the peppermint cafe.

Wall of books

Lightbulb chandelier

5 cent floor (worked out, it's about R80 per square meter)

Arrived at the FNB building for lunch. Feeling like a fugitive with my camera. Full three course meal. Fricken amazing. Cheesecake, salad and lamb. Yumyum!!

The Lunch Room at FNB

"Underground Photography" at FNB ;P

View from FNB Lunch Room window

Another walk back to the youth center to pick up our bags. Quick rest there turned into a nap on the roof...

On a taxi out to Brixton. Overloaded with like 15 people in one taxi (max capacity of 12)... Nearly died right there. Stopped for the best Kotas (quarter bunnychow) in the entire Jozi at Jo-Burger Take Aways. Long walk ahead to Riverlea.

Jo-Burger Take Aways

Did i say long walk? UNDERSTATEMENT! Sho. Hectic long walk (had to pee for the last two kilometers). Saw a beautiful sunset :D swear the sleepingbag is conspiring against me. Fell out of my bag AGAIN.

Beautiful Sunset over the sign to Riverlea

People here are refreshingly friendly (and afrikaans!!!!) and really badass on the drums.

Played a series of games with the local church and had some more fun. Praise and worship (yes dancing too) included in the package.

Tired now. Had a wonderful shower and am staying with an awesome guest family. Seriously loving it.

Nighty night. :D