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

Pilgrimage! Day 2

Was supposed to have an early start and ended up oversleeping by half an hour...

slightly feeling the sunburn from yesterday, but I'm surprisingly not bothered that much by it.

A brisk walk over to the church to present the service, nice to see the people, but sad to experience how little they have when we have that much.

Walk to Irene Church. Yes that is Ellis Park!!!!

Brunch with the Josuas. YUMYUM!!! Bacon, eggs, mince, tomato and spectacular people.

Second taxiride was super, well only because we could all go together. To be honest it wasn't as enjoyable as it would be when we had to make our own way (in groups of 2-3).

As the rules of the camp require, the first thing I do on arrival at the Apartheid Museum, off to the bathroom to steel myself mentally and emotionally. (some relief was involved :P)

I feel terrible, Apartheid Museum was extremely emotionally taxing (broke down behind an ancient voting station and cried for five minutes straight). Finding it hard to escape the past.

Time for the taxi ride home. Went with the cool black Josuas. Learned that I am an inexperienced umlungu (whiteman). Quite funny to listen to them bantering in their own language. Interesting too.

Time for a difficult, but insightful racial conversation with the Josuas. Scared witless by their questions...

Nighttime walk to Macdonalds. Yay! We got horrendously lost in the city at night. Eventually walked in a circle to the place and then back to Impilu. City is spectacular on a cold clear night! And the people are amazing (sometimes scary). Met a few cops, the locals call them berets. "Hy gaan jou moer!" was the quick warning. We disappeared rather fast after that.

Gunna sleep so fast tonight.

Big castle/prison building on way to Macdonalds

Except that the girls disappeared. They had went to follow us and find us at the Macdonalds. PANIC! And yet the guard saw no-one leave... Suspicious? Silence, calling parents, silence. And then my amazing hearing picks up laughter. Yes, I have found them. Now just to journey to the balcony and with an amazing ninja feat I am over there with them. Great April Fool's joke girls...

Room at Impilu was U115

Now finally time to sleep.

CHEERS!

Pilgrimage! Day 1

it is recommended that you open a google maps browser and a google browser while reading this blog. i am not really descriptive about the routes or exactly where each location is. so you'll have to be finding out exactly what's going on.

As the title states, it is day one!

i realise in the nick of time that I haven't been to a bathroom yet... Yikes. Luckily I could still go. Unfortunately everyone else had to wait for me to finish...
And what would a walk be without someone falling? i did mine even before our walk began. long day ahead...
And number two. my sleeping bag fell out of my bag. CONSPIRACY!!!! bad things supposedly happen in threes. waiting for number three.









When walking you notice a whole world of of new things. Trees' branches seem so much lower, the road seems so much more uneven. and the sun just that much hotter. Strange to notice that people walk it every day, but at three times your pace.

First stop of the day: Macdonalds for a quick, max R20, lunch. epic fail, trying to share life experiences while reading...

First taxi ride ever!! Fricken amazing. Nice people, nice seats, nice driver. And i never thought anyone could do maths that well and drive at the same time! :)

Neighbourgoods market! Stunning place, stunning people, hot guys. Ransacked an olive stall :P Local guys are totally hot. deny that I ever said the opposite before! especially when they think you come from Europe.
Crazy Busy taxi rank, busiest in the entire country, bree taxi rank. and i mean like run-you-over-and-get-you-completely-lost busy.

Street Performers at Bree

Passed a bunch of landmarks: Luthuli house, the City Public Library, Gauteng Legislator Building, Beyers Naude Square. LEarned some tribal songs but saw my ass.

Badge acknowledging stage 1 received :)

Next task making lunch for a church group (actually an NGO group called M.E.S.) joining us. Went to buy some bread, but got irritated with the slow pace and walked away from the rest of the group. oops. Dinner was a great success, with a nice braai. The youth centre where we are working is a great building. can't wait for it to get furnished! fun foods and happy people :)

final walk to the hospice! we each had to choose a word that represents our purpose and graffiti it all across the city. as i write mine down on a traffic light a normal law abiding citizen stops to teach me that vandalism is wrong... Ouch. (Chagrined cheeks)

at last we reach the final destination. Impilu hospice. it's only 17:20 and i feel like i'm about to pass out on a couch! unfortunately there is a slight shortage in couches an i'll have to settle for the floor... at least there's hot cocolate and tea to end off the day.

View from Impilu room

i must admit i would enjoy a cold shower, a lemon twist and some after-sun gel (forgot my sunscreen) so much...
or no, honestly, a hunters gold would go down nicely now :P




Cheers Peeps

Starting out on a journey...

 My excitement is currently casing my mind to implode. why you may ask. it is actually rather simple! i am going on a backpacking tour of my favourite city ever. my hometown Jozi!!!

the plan is to go backpacking through the city, contrasting the horrendously poor slums with the sometimes disturbingly rich areas. but that is not just the point. it is a pilgrims walk over easter. a way to connect with yourself and a higher spiritual power. the point of the pilgrimage is to be a:
pilgrim, not a tourist.
learner, not a teacher.
listener, not a talker.
and a receiver not a giver.

as per usual we have to abide by a set of ruls:
don't complain.
if someone asks, give
if someone gives, receive
if you see a toilet use it (get rid of your physical, mental and emotional waste)
SLOW DOWN!!

i'm totally going to lose it with the last one. i rush everywhere. someone save me :)

And so with the words of one of my favourite songs i begin my journey...

life is a road that I want to keep going
Love is a river, I want to keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you!!!!!


peace peeps ^_^

Time

ah, the one thing we NEVER have enough of.

i am permanently moaning that i am under too much pressure and that i don't have time to do everything that has to be done, all the projects i don't have time for, the tests i have to study for. and there is never enough time!

but to be absolutely honest, what would i do if i had that time. i would be bored out of my skull. blowing spitbubbles and wondering what my next blogupdate would be about. and to be honest (again), i think i perform better under that "crunch" pressure. and i'm sure most teenagers understand the point that i'm making. that adrenaline rush you have when you realise you still have a project you have to hand in the next day, or the speech you have to give tomorrow.

and i know that that is what i am. human, imperfect, busy and ultimately i am alive...

ooh and this is the part that you ignore cause it's boring. it's the part where i get all preachy (again...). At least when i'm so fucking busy, i don't do drugs, or sleep around or beat people up. i find a creative and energy taxing outlet so i'm not destructive :)

so now that that's dusted
on to the next project!!!
ME XD

What does it matter?

This past weekend I was at a school dance for Valentines day and it was wonderful. Mostly because I was having fun with my friends on some music and just over all enjoying myself. And it was about to get better.

About an hour into the dance a very good friend of mine was gracious enough to borrow me her high heels. And so the fun began. For those out there that do not know me, I'm a gay teen. And I'm horrified of drag <as in pee my pants scared>. But I absolutely LOOOOOOOVE high heels or platforms or boots or pretty much any shoe (gender specifications are irrelevant). And so, to the surprise of my friends I was dancing along in heels better than most of the girls could.

The real rouble came afterwards when I actually started receiving people's opinions. Some of my friends were excited to see me get out of my shell and laughed along to the fun we were having. Those were the reactions that I appreciated most. Others just laughed and shook their heads. Some of the kids only stared. Unfortunately there were those of that had called themselves my friends but had reacted with things like "What the hell are you doing in a GIRL's shoes." or later "I'm glad to see that you finally got out of those ladies' shoes." These comments stung most since they came from people whose opinions I hold dear. And they had unfortunately disappointed horribly. And why? Because they did not want to be associated with a boy who breaks society's rules by wearing heels to a dance?

Why does it have to matter when a guy enjoys wearing heels or platforms. If that's how he gets his confidence boost or truly expresses himself then let him be and be thankful for the fact that he doesn't use make-up or tattoos to express himself. Or that he doesn't feel the need to use Shrooms, Drugs or Alcohol to express himself.

I guess I'm using myself as a metaphor here. Accept people, even with their strange preferences. Because ultimately we are all striving to be accepted.