Wednesday, September 26, 2007

"how do you find it here?"

just a quick note to report that we've made it to Mumbai, India, and we're staying with my friend Manju's uncle's pastor's family just outside the city in Kalyan. heather is trying to recover from a stomach bug (picked up in Madagascar, we think), and i'm getting over another small sinus cold... while both of us are managing to adjust to the extreme humidity (relative to southern Africa but not to where we're headed further south in India).

we're also eating glorious food prepared by the pastor's wife, Gracey, and trying to catch up a bit on emails at a nearby cybercafe before we head back "home," past a drum ensemble celebrating the end of a recent idol-worshipping Hindu holiday: Ganesh Cathurthi (the elephant-headed god of prosperity and wisdom is immersed in the sea in a ritual "originally promoted by freedom-fighters to circumvent British anti-assembly legislation" (Rough Guide 2005).

tonight we're going to a "prayer meeting" (type of house-worship) and then to a dinner (around 10 pm!) with Manju's precious family... by Monday, we'll head down the west coast (maybe by way of a coastal route) to Cochin/Kochi.

one interesting note is how inquisitive Indians are (even our hosts' neighbor commented on that)... only 2.5 days into our stay in India, and everyone is already asking us how we like it, how it's different, if we're accustomed to eating with our hand (right only), etc...

Saturday, September 22, 2007

if only, "mora mora" (slowly, slowly)

Eleven days is not nearly enough time to learn about, let alone adjust to a place, but I think it might just barely be enough time to get a small taste of the life, culture & incredible biodiversity here in Madagascar... Fortunately, we managed to have a somewhat diverse experience, given the short time and our limited funds, but unlike many foreigners who come here on holiday or on business, we did not spend all kinds of money to go on expensive tours, rent 4x4s, hire personal drivers, trample (too much) along the increasingly trodden tourist path between all the amazing national parks and pristine beaches, invest in the world's largest production of vanilla, or strip the land of its plethora of precious gems, metals and other natural resources... Instead, we stayed with 2 different families in the nation's capital (Antananarivo, or “Tana”), we met up with a few incredible Peace Corps volunteers, we packed into several very tight and deteriorating “taxi-brousses” (the public transportation much like the minivan-type buses of Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa, only they generally they board from the rear door), we took a short “vacation” in the glorious bungalows of Hotel Feon'ny Ala (or "song of the forest") outside of Andasibe (between Tana and the east coast), and we hiked through rain forests of Analamazaotra, Mitsinjo and Parc aux Orchidees (home to much more than the 6 lemur species, 3 gecko species, 5 bird species, 1 snake species, 2 spider species, 2 beetle species and 8 wild orchid species that we saw).

This quick pace and little time in each place is one of my biggest challenges in trying to keep up this blog. Aside from our rather limited access to cyberspace, I don't always know what to say and what not to say about a given place. As a cultural anthropologist at heart, I'm afraid of making any grandiose generalizations about a group of the people or painting such a minute picture of a particular landscape, especially since our experiences are so limited...

Unfortunately, though, that's the nature of this trip — we just don't have enough time to stay put... Nevertheless, I think we're still getting a good global perspective. Thanks to our hosts (e.g. missionaries, old friends, new friends, 2nd/3rd/4th degree friends, random other contacts), to the means by which we're introduced to them (e.g. Heather's call to do youth ministry, our online research, gracious passers-by, friends and family) and to our God-given ability to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the world around us.

Speaking of which, I suppose the only picture I can paint includes my first and lasting impressions of this place... even though I risk defining a place by the 2% I've seen:

• The Malagasy don't regard themselves as Africans, per se, but rather as "island people" -- both in culture and in attitude. They are extremely polite and kind-hearted, but they are somewhat reserved. "Politeness in general is very important[...], and impatience or pushy behaviour is regarded as shocking" (Lonely Planet 2004). We've noticed that men seem to help out a little more than in the other African nations we've visited, and the women are mostly seen as the dynamic force in the society.
• Extremely tight streets, alleyways, parking spaces and traffic "lanes" with virtually no fear of hitting something or being hit, and no city planning other than the feudal-like placement of the Queen's Palace overlooking all her town's people and their decreasingly scattered rice fields around Tana.
• Hints of a declining European culture and architecture (mostly French) like terraces, hanging plants, shudders, steep-shingled roofs, cobble stone streets, and excessive cigarette smoking... amid obvious elements of a severely underdeveloped nation (one of the poorest standards of living in Africa), like simple wooden shacks with tin roofs, some menial subsistence farming, a desperation to sell anything and everything on the street, a need to fit in the most you can pack in before going anywhere (otherwise you could wait hours to leave)... and so much more.
• Not a single functioning streetlight in the nation's capital -- all traffic (auto, bike, foot, rickshaw, ox cart, zebu and wheelbarrow) just flows, and everyone moves in cooperation with each other -- yielding, sneaking in and stopping occasionally (or when there's a rarely seen traffic cop).
• Everything "touristy" is 200x more expensive for non-natives, probably because their average income is only US$250 per year.
• All Malagasy adoptions are currently on hold because of a recently-uncovered scandal of people overseas trafficking children's organs on the blackmarket of medicine.
• Famadihana: a ceremonial exhumation and reburial of dead relatives every 2 to 7 years in the highlands region... the stone door of a family tomb is opened and one by one the corpses are brought out of the tomb, wrapped in straw mats and danced above the heads joyfully. The bodies are re-wrapped in pristine white burial scarves, sprayed with perfume and meticulously labelled by name with felt-tip pens... Joyous music and celebration is followed by solemn and quiet memorial before dancing around a bit more with the bound bodies and laying them to rest in the tomb again.

Well, there's so much more I could say, but I'm too tired to think anymore right now and I've got to get packed and ready to leave for India tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

south africa: a complex rainbow nation

in just 6 weeks, we've visited the 3 most populous areas of south africa (joburg/pretoria, durban/pietermartizburg, cape town/stellenbosch) as well as some stretches by land between places... however, in good-old-fashion-hope style, i'm just now posting something (as we're leaving for the next leg of our trip into madagascar), because i'm still wrapping my head around it all... there are so many misconceptions, misperceptions and interesting complexities about this "dark continent" and about this 1st-world/3rd-world collision known as South Africa that it would take a lifetime to unravel and explain them all... so i'll just name a few that come to mind.

the streets of johannesburg are not paved with gold, but during the gold rush in the late 1800s many fortune seekers streamed into the country thinking that they'd find gold as well as a new and better way of life... today, the influx of immigrants hasn't ceased. people come from all over sub-Saharan Africa, especially from the neighboring countries like the economically distraught country of Zimbabwe, seeking a new beginning.

the result: "a robust blend of nations, races, cultures and languages"* which give South Africa its unique character, incredible complexity and persevering energy.

on the other hand: the grass may seem greener, but it's definitely not equipped to serve the needs of the millions crossing over. these and other "hopefuls" do, sell, hand out or beg for whatever they can on the streets, but many of those who cannot escape poverty (or grips of their vices) turn to violent crime. in fact, almost everyone in johannesburg either directly knows someone or they themselves have been victims of violent crime... it's no wonder joburg is known as one of the world's capitals of violent crime.*

another "developmental" paradox can be found in striking division between races and socio-economic classes here... as a result of colonization and then the inhumane suppression of non-whites. for example, "[historically,] slums were seen by many in white society as giving rise to a multitude of evils. they 'detribalised' black people and denationalised & 'deracialised' the white population. for whites, mixing was supposed to lead to physical, mental and moral degeneration..." this misconception inevitably set the stage for apartheid ("a system of segregation or discrimination of grounds of race in force in South Africa" 1948-1991, Apartheid Museum).

thankfully, segregation is no more and this division is dissipating, but the psychological and spiritual scars run deep... as do the physical scars. in other words, the physical division remains intact in many places because most non-whites have no choice (economically) but to continue living in the shantytowns they were forced to live in the first place. [heather and i spent some time visiting with folks in the following townships: soweto of johannesburg, soshanguve of pretoria, haniville of pietermartizburg, kayamandi of stellenbosch and mbekweni of paarl.] with little to no infrastructure, fires continually break out among shacks and people attempt to protest but still lose everything.

this is just one example of this 1st-world/3rd-world collision in south africa, but the list could go on and on... to include discouraging and ill-fated news of their alcoholic and kleptomaniac minister of health, their ex-deputy president "showering to avoid HIV"* or the deterioration of values due to incessant unemployment, drug/alcohol abuse, sexual violence and blatant inequality in schools*... watch the short south african TV series Yizo Yizo for a provocative depiction of urban youth in townships today.

on a lighter note…

some random findings:

in joburg in particular, shopping malls are used as geographical landmarks, entertainment sources and grocery outlets. people refer to their location in relation to the nearest mall. parking isn’t free at most of them. and there are always “parking attendants” to look after your car and to help you pull out of your parking space (for a small tip usually)…

if there is a TV (in a less affluent home), it’s almost always on in the background or your hosts will turn it on because they think you want to watch it…

traffic drives on the left, and you can’t turn left on red…

vegetables are not considered part of a balanced meal…

fruits & veggies (in bulk) must be weighed & priced before leaving the produce department of a grocery store. otherwise, the cashier will either send you back or ask the bagger to do it for you. so it’s easier to take the pre-packaged ones... also, plastic grocery bags aren’t free…

“bunni chow,” a well-known south-african-indian dish, is merely a half (or a quarter) loaf of bread hollowed out for a curried stew.

some “coloureds” (mulattos) in the western cape consider it beautiful to have their two front teeth pulled…

as whites, we were often mistaken as afrikaaners, but we just smiled and shrugged our shoulders…

no alcohol is legally sold after store hours, except for at bars and restaurants. if you want to buy some as “take away” (or “to go”), you go to a “she-been” (or unlicensed bar in someone’s house)…

since the law enforcement is so corrupt, cameras have been installed along the highways to automatically issue a ticket (sent in the mail with your photo) if you exceed the speed limit. in fact, in some cases, the cameras will average your speed between more than one location, and if you speed anywhere along the way, you’ll get a ticket for arriving at your destination sooner than you should have following the speed limit…

there are no safety standards for playgrounds or for a child’s car seat…

environmental consciousness is virtually non-existent, because there is little to no infrastructure in most areas to support it (like recycling, trash disposal, public trash cans or even private ones in many places). instead, people might pile it up and burn it… along the same lines, these fires (as well as slash & burn ones) are so common that they often turn wild—forming rings that light up the mountain sides and producing huge billows of smoke that fill the sky.

... there are so many more quirks in south africa, but we've moved on to madagascar now so i'm busy taking in its culture at the moment... the bottom line about south africa is that it's very much like the US, only it's in africa.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

evolution & constant challenges of spirit

evolution: "a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development..."; "a motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action..." LIFE

everyday is full of unplanned adventure, profound conversations and spiritual & intellectual challenges, and every moment is part of an evolution of my mind and faith... so, since i'm finding it difficult to capture it in a story or moment in time, i will merely list the series of recent events (in South Africa) in my journey of faith.

heartbreak: letting go of the past

theophostics session with cecile: uncovering and forgiving my past through prayer, finding a completeness in God

nieu communities: intentional living, getting to know God, creating relationships as ministry, and finding some peace

networking: God-incidentally (not coincidentally), we're discovering an incredible web of new friends and family... beginning with meeting our new south african friend karien murray at iSight (an EPC mission church in Black Mountain, NC) a week before we left the States. through her we've thankfully met so many others:
-her sister & brother-in-law (Joburg) -> SAAWE -> Kids Games -> SCAS & ISLS (Stellenbosch) -> 60 beautiful people involved in sports ministry from 30 different countries all over the world;
-colin, retief and alycia from 13th Floor (Pretoria)
-her brother & sister-in-law -> an inner-city mission to love and listen to Durban's homeless

God continues to use us in so many other ways to plant seeds of hope, to love unconditionally, to give time and attention to everyone, and to connect new people we meet with people that we've already met along the way.

challenged by privilege vs pain, blessing vs circumstance, faith vs fearful discrimination, humility vs stubborn pride/arrogance

• films: beat the drum and shooting dogs... pain and sacrifice

question: where is God in suffering, disease, genocide, poverty, oppression and unfounded prejudice? how could it be in God's will that all this exist?

walk in the light: truly feeling the presence of God (from the moment we arrived until the moment we said goodbye), hearing God speak to me through prayer and in conversation with their leaders, then directly confronted with (and challenged by) the reality of SO MANY Africans -- AIDS... Heather describes our experience on her blog.

(then a small break to catch my breath in Cape Town...)

• film: faith like potatoes

cultural sensitivity training at the International Sports Leadership School in stellenbosch: experiencing God... and also discussing the barriers to knowing God? -- historical (and recent) oppression, the first missionaries, the crusades, the war, the institution of the church, the misperception that Christ is "western God," pluralism, and the caste system (i.e. Christians fall below the "untouchables" in India), among innumerous obstacles... how could anyone (including me) overcome these obstacles?

• attending a memorial of a seventeen-year-old girl who was raped and murdered just two weeks before, friends & family sing Xhosa gospel songs, question: again where is God in this tragedy?, epiphany: many more people will be moved by the Spirit stirring in and around this memorial, than there will be lost by her death.

AIDS is an unfathomable problem: pride & shame are huge issues, men don't want to use protection, women have no say in the matter, morals are lost, families don't talk about it, people just say it's a "sickness" without discussing the causes, preventions or realities of it, people don't want to test because they'd rather live in ignorance, even those people who get as far as receiving medication have trouble taking the meds on a consistent basis... there are no boundaries, especially amid fatalistic circumstances (watch beat the drum and read 28: stories of AIDS in africa by Stephanie Nolen)

aftermath of apartheid (or "murder" as someone told us today): racial prejudice is rampant and ingrained in the culture, White vs. Black vs. Asian (mostly Indian) vs. "Colored" (south Africa's label for "mixed race"), the government went from white supremacy to black superiority but continues to deny the gravity of this recent history as well as the rights of "coloreds" and asians... i can't claim to ever really understand fully, but it's extremely troubling to talk with people from each group and hear their stories, their fears, their misperceptions, their anger, their animosity, their hatred and their pain concerning each other.

we are not alone, we are nothing alone -- there is always hope in God and in the profound completeness of Christ's love and sacrifice.

(finally, another small break to catch my breath and taste some wine at vineyards around Paarl...)