the cape town journey continues...

Oh, but these are powerful days, indeed. We continue to experience the complex contradictions of this amazaing place that South Africa is - the incredible extremes of poverty and wealth, beauty and challenge - something that remains strikingly similar to the contradictions of our very own south end of Seattle in many ways. It has been so powerful for us to be here together with the Cathcarts, as we are able to talk deeply about things here, as well as about things at home. This trip is such a gift and blessing to begin with, and being joined by our dear friends - being able to share the experience, has made it all the more wonderful.

We are also quite overwhelmed with the hospitality of our hosts - Pastor Alphonso Schilder, his wife, Crystal and their daughters - Meagan and Micaela. They have welcomed us into their home, their family and their life, which has taken our experience here to a level we couldn't have expected.

Some of the highlights (as if EVERYTHING is not a highlight...)

A few days ago we joined the rehab program men from Pastor Alfonso's church as they serve soup in one of the informal settlement areas of Mitchell's Plain. Three times a week they take their soup cart (a trailer that hooks to a vehicle - quite cool!) into the community - providing for many what amounts to their main (or only) meal for the day. It is wonderful to watch this group work, and a blessing to be able to share in that with them.

Wednesday, Ernie and I joined and shared with the men in the program at their morning devotions - such a incredible testimony to God's redemptive power. These are all men who have chosen to leave the street life of drugs and gangs, and to hear their stories is overwhelming. These are men who are so humble and so committed in their faith, as they have come back from the edge of death - literally. It is such a privilege for us to be able to spend time with them, and bear witness to their work - personal work, as well as their work in their community, as they now give their lives away to build that community up.

We've also had a chance to experience the incredible physical beauty of Cape Town - traveling up Table Mountain, and touring to the Cape of Good Hope. Pictures cannot do justice to the stunning physical beauty, but we'll try.

We have explored markets here as well, enjoying the entrepreneurial creativity of the people. The Khayelitsha Craft Market (Khayelitsha is a mostly black township of about 1 million) is a small market organized by a neighborhood church to create an opportunity for local artisans to have a venue to sell their creations. We also visited Green Market Square in downtown Cape Town, and I'm pleased to say that Matt found a screaming deal on a djembe (drum), so he won't have to look for big blue water jugs the next time he wants to lead folks in some singing.

Saturday we head for Johannesburg and Soweto. There we'll be moving even more deeply into the history of the struggle, and we look forward to continuing to see the powerful commitment of so many as they undertake redemptive work in this amazing country.

cape town!

This will just be a quick note to let you all know we’ve made it to Cape Town – Mitchell’s Plain, to be more precise! We have settled in to the wonderful hospitality of Pastor Alfonso Schilder and his wife, Crystal. They have built an apartment attached to their home that they use as a guest house, and we will be staying here for the week. The Cathcarts (good friends from Seattle) arrived on Sunday, and it is so wonderful to be together with them here – much good reflection and dialogue and reconnecting!

Mitchell’s Plain is a large township – 1.5 million people – mostly coloured. It’s in the area know as Cape Flats, which is the region of Cape Town where the townships were created when the government moved black and coloured folk out of the areas of Cape Town deemed desirable (starting in the mid 1960s) . The scale of things here is much more vast than Port Elizabeth (whose entire population is 1.5 million), and the contrasts of rich and poor are more extreme.
We’ll add a few pictures here, and will try to get back to this and give more detail about things soon. There are many stories to tell, both from our adventures and also of the people and this place.

digging deeper...

So… hard to believe, but we’re left with only two days to go here in Port Elizabeth. Our time has been so full that our arrival into the PE airport a short 10 days ago seems like ages ago. We have become very attached to this place and our new friends.

Andy and Matt are spending their school days at Sapphire Road Primary. Though school has slowed down a great deal, since the students are finished with their exams (the students go out on their summer break – remember seasons are opposite here in the southern hemisphere – in about a week), the boys have good connections there, and enjoy being able to hang with kids, not getting dragged around with us adults. They also have developed relationships with the neighbourhood boys where we are staying, and are enjoying daily soccer matches (the current/informal Drape Academy PE program).

Chrissie and I have visited four more schools in the last two days – rather intense, as we’ve been in deep conversation with the principals – but what a gift it has been for us to be able to spend time with them:

Hamie Peterson @ Jubilee Park Primary

Dan Mavukela @ Noninzi Luzipho Primary

Sipho Matyolo @ Cebelihle Primary

Mandisi Mvimbeli @ Jarvis Gqualama Primary

At each of these (as well as Sapphire and Charles Duna), we have met with school leaders who are doing so much, with so little material resource. These schools are true centers of the community, addressing much more than the educational needs of the students, serving in various degrees as job training centers, feeding programs, health and counselling support programs. These principals represent their respective communities’ mindset of hope – resourcefulness – perseverance…. Optimistic attitudes balanced with the pragmatic approach of making a way through very challenging circumstances – but circumstances they see filled with opportunity. And all of this set in a context where we have been so graciously and lovingly welcomed. Port Elizabeth is known within South Africa as the “friendly city,” and it has certainly lived up to its name.

We do recognize that we have only seen a small slice of the South African reality, even here within PE, and we are careful not to project too much from our limited experience. It is so clear that the South African story – the “new” South Africa – has myriad layers. The communities that we have spent time in represent the challenge the country faces in addressing the legacies of apartheid – economic hardship, racial complexities, health challenges. The dynamics of hardship in SA are quite complex, and the economic story of the country is as well. We don’t begin to presume deep understanding, but are fascinated by stepping into the questions and conversations.

The South African Institute on Race Relations - http://www.sairr.org.za/ – has a website with a series of fascinating articles (news releases section), that if you have the time, are well worthy of perusing. One in particular cites Steven Biko’s legacy as a critical element for the new South Africa (Biko was the main force in establishing the Black Consciousness Movement within the struggle to end apartheid – a movement stressing the need for psychological liberation in the midst of the physical liberation, and was killed in police custody in 1977. The book “Cry Freedom” tells his story) – here’s the link: http://www.sairr.org.za/wsc/pstory.php?storyID=452

This blog entry is perhaps a little more weighty than some of you may be looking for, but it’s important for us, the Drapes, to wrestle through this as we travel, so we’re happy to share our wrestling with you all as well.

Matt answers questions

How is Africa? It is very nice here. So far, it has been hot, but it has been very windy, so the heat and wind mix to make perfect weather.

Do you still have the chicken? Yes, we still have the chicken. But we haven't taken very many pictures lately. One will probably pop up sooner or later.

Is the scenery pretty? Yes, it is very pretty. It looks like Oregon! Port Elizabeth is on the Indian Ocean, and the beach is perfect for body surfing.

Andy and Matt, are you enjoying your school experience? Yes, very much. It is the end of the school year here, because we are in the Southern Hemisphere. We aren't working very much, so it is very easy.

Are the people nice? Yes, the people are very nice. You get a few glances saying, "Why are YOU here?" But otherwise, everyone is very nice.

We were surprised to find out that the teachers can hit the students. - We have not been hit, but we have seen other students get hit, and we are very glad that we have not! The teachers hit the tips of your fingers with a ruler if you act up. [Parent editorial: Corporal punishment is on the way out in South Africa, so this is not necessarily condoned!]

London muggings: No, we were not "hugged" or pick-pocketed in London. This is just a story we heard. We have not been hurt or threatened by anyone on our trip.

WERE YOU PRETTY TIRED AFTER WALKING ALL THAT WAY IN LONDON? Yes, my legs felt like giving out. I had to work twice as hard as everybody else, because my legs are shorter, and everybody else had a quicker pace than me.

Port Elizabeth Update

It's been a powerful last few days, as we have spent time deeply in two schools - Sapphire Road Primary, with Principal Bruce Damons; and Charles Duna Primary, with Principal Nombulelo Sume. These are two extraordinary leaders and individuals, who are not only running schools, but true community centers addressing the needs of their respective neighborhoods (we'll tell this part of the story in more detail in a future blog).

Our second day at Sapphire on Wednesday was highlighted by Matt's teaching his classmates a Nigerian song he learned at The New School (thank you, Jah Breeze!) - "Funga Alafia." Ms. Aileen, the school's Mrs. Everything, even helped Matt search out a suitable drum (big blue jug). It was quite a sight watching the energy for the song spill out of the classroom to the lunch recess, where more students joined the "choir," and Matt unintentionally collected quite a following. He loved teaching his classmates the song, but I think the attention got a little intense for him at recess. Chrissie finished up her beading projects, and continued her growing connection with her new friends.

The last two days we have been at Charles Duna, another primary school serving 958 students in the black township of New Brighton (the student population is 100% black, with many students starting school only speaking Xhosa). Most of the students come from the "informal settlements" (the tin and cardboard shacks that go for miles around the edges of PE) surrounding the government housing within the township - all are very poor - and again there is a 90+% unemployment rate in the community. The government is building more permanent housing, but as soon as one family moves out of one of the informal settlement homes, a new family will move in. There is a great deal of migration into the urban areas from the rural townships, so the government's attempt to move folks out of the informal settlements will take years. While there has been social progress in the years since apartheid ended (1994 was the election of Nelson Mandela and the new government), there is still significant economic work to be done.

New Brighton was an important center of the struggle against apartheid, and we visited a museum in the neighborhood (Red Location Museum - http://www.freewebs.com/redlocationmuseum/) - dedicated to chronicling the struggle, and focusing on the stories from the community. It is a powerful exhibition, and the museum is set in the middle of the community with both "official" government housing and informal settlements surrounding it.

While at Charles Duna yesterday, we also visited the homes of two students (with the students, Principal Sume, and Deputy Principal Cynthia). Both homes were in the informal settlements. While from the outside these homes look like they are barely standing, they are works of significant resourcefulness and perseverance - and are HOMES, not just shelters. One of the families we visited has lived in their home for 18 years! While it felt somewhat voyeuristic to come to see the families in their homes, the families and the school leadership are committed to making sure their story is told outside the community - helping the broader community (in and out of South Africa) to understand that the end of apartheid does not automatically mean an end to the conditions apartheid created.

Today at Charles Duna we worked with a grade 6 and grade 7 class on art projects - doing decopage (sp?) - painting and decorating trays students had made. It was a great time of sharing with and hearing from the students, while exercising the right side of our brains. We were also treated to a wonderful performance of the school choir and dancers.

We have experienced a great range of things in these days, strong connections with colleagues, budding relationships with families and students, difficult situations of poverty and struggle.... In all of this, the constant theme of our time here has been one of exceptional hospitality - at every point we have been warmly welcomed and graciously cared for. This hospitality says so much about the spirit, character and resilience of the people of Port Elizabeth. We are so blessed to have the privilege of building relationships here.

Port Elizabeth - Day In The Life

We spent the day today at Sapphire Primary School in Booysen Park, a township in Port Elizabeth, SA (our host, Bruce, is the principal of the school). We were all busy doing different things.... Sapphire is a Port Elizabeth primary school, serving grades 1-7 (secondary schools serve 8-12). It is home to about 1000 students, and is set in a colored community of PE, with black townships surrounding it (these are real terms in South African: colored = of mixed race, and black = indigenous Africans). The school instructs in both Afrikaans and English, with the third language of the school being Xhosa - the indigenous African language. It's population is about 50% colored and 50% black, but all poor - with 90% of the families unemployed. For many of the students at the school, the lunch the school provides (two slices of bread, sometimes with spread, and a nutritional drink) is the only meal they will have for the day.


The Different Experiences
Chris: I shadowed Bruce all day, reliving my life as a principal - ringing phones, visiting parents, recess duty. Bruce is a remarkable leader, and an inspiration for those he works with, as well as for me. We have had powerful and deep conversations not only about South Africa and education, but about human nature and leadership, and we continue to examine the parallels and differences between our settings (the paradox being there are so many similarities set is startling contrasts). I am inspired by his vision, and his ability to balance the practical (he is South African's version of a notary public and took time out of his crazy day to notarize employment application documents for a young man who came in off the streets) and often unplanned work of a principal in his setting, with the visionary work of being an instructional leader and community leader. I also had the opportunity to sit in on an adult education course that takes place at his school. It is a program run by the SA department of labor, but fits perfectly into the vision of the school (committed to empowering the neighborhood, not just working with the students of the community). These are folks, ages 18-50+ who have committed to going back to complete the schooling they never finished. They are an inspiration, and they represent authentic, student centered and driven learning. It was great to have a chance to sit in their midst.


Chrissie: Mom attended an adult bead-making class most of the day. Since the area around Sapphire has about 90% unemployment, the school has become a parent job-training site as well as a primary school. (Welding, carpentry, sewing, farming.) One of the courses is a week-long bead work class, taught by a school parent and graduate of the program, Lynn. Chrissie was joined by another parent, Theodora, and a neighbor, Latisha, who had some craft ideas of her own to share. They spent the day making necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Bruce has encouraged us not to be afraid to cross boundaries, and to ask probing questions. So Chrissie asked the other ladies what life was like under apartheid, and now, after. Latisha said, "Under apartheid, only white ladies would sit around playing with beads. And now here we are teaching you!"

Andy: Sapphire is almost done for the school year. Their summer break starts in two weeks. (The seasons are opposite of ours here in the southern hemisphere.) So Andy attended a Grade 6 class with Mrs. Williams. The students asked him lots of questions - Has he been to a 50-Cent concert? - What does a dollar look like? Does it have the picture of our president on it? - Has he been to a WWE event? In the classes, if you misbehave, teachers are allowed to pinch you or smack you with a ruler. Lucky Andy, he made it through the day without either!


Matt: Matt attended a Grade 4 class with Ms. Prinsloo. He was also asked lots of questions. In his class, the teacher was allowed to 1) hit your shoulder with a ruler, 2) hit you with a bamboo pole. Matt says his day was good, and he misses everyone who is reading this, and those who aren't, too.

We're looking forward to tomorrow and day 2 at Sapphire. On Thursday and Friday we are visiting a primary school in a black township, so we'll be able to give you a comparative sense of our experience.

Blessings!
The Drapes

photos...

Here are two, for now.

Chrissie, Marie van Rooyen (our housing host) and Chris

Andy, Bruce Damons (our overall host) and Matt in Bruce's office - in front of his vision wall.

South Africa!

From Chrissie: We've arrived in South Africa! Our internet access is limited, and it's dial-up, so we'll just post a quick note for now, and try to load a picture later.

We were greeted at the airport in Port Elizabeth on Friday evening by our host, Bruce Damons, principal of Sapphire Road Primary School. We were treated to a braai (bbq) at the home of Marie van Rooyen, a retired teacher, along with much of the Sapphire teaching staff. We are staying in Marie's home, which she has converted into a guesthouse. It is a comfortable two-bedroom house here in Port Elizabeth, and we are grateful for both the lodgings and the warm hospitality!

We spent the weekend on "holiday" with Bruce, Marie, and Marie's friend Sylvia. We drove along the Sunshine Coast to a small resort in Sedgefield. We stopped along the way to watch nutty people bungy jumping from a very tall suspension bridge. On the return home today, we stopped at Monkeyland, a reserve for monkeys rescued from cages and zoos. Matt has announced that he'd like to be a monkey when he gets to heaven.

Tomorrow, Bruce is taking us on an insider's tour of Port Elizabeth. Then we will be in schools starting on Tuesday. We have a rental car, so pray for Chris as he has to drive on the left! No issues so far, other than turning on the windshield wipers when he wants to use his turn signal. We will be in PE for almost two weeks, and are looking forward to spending time with our new friends, and meeting even more!

London Closing

We’re in our last day of London time – We fly out tonight on our way to South Africa! We’ve had a wonderful time with Grandpa Roger and Grandma Fran adventuring in London. We have walked miles and miles while we’ve been here. And with the extensive nature of the London Underground (subway or “tube” – pronounced “chube”), if we get too far out for a return walk, we can always catch the Underground.

Since the boys’ last update, we’ve continued to explore in and out of London:

We headed out to the Cotswolds – a cozy little countryside full of sheep and beautiful old things. We took the train to Moreton-in-Marsh, and wandered through their weekly market (folks from all over the area selling things from fabulous local food – cheese, meat, scones… - to used books, new clothes, tools). It was a great place to see the real, working aspects of the area. We then took a local bus to Stow-in-the-Wold, an even cozier town. One of the highlights there was walking around and through St. Edwards Church (built in the 1400s). It’s quite an amazing structure, and for you Lord of the Rings fans, lore has it that JRR Tolkien got the inspiration for his door to Moria from the Yew-tree-straddled church door here.

We’ve also hit lots of museums and historical places. A few days ago we took a good wander through the British Library and the British Museum. The library holds many of the museums old manuscripts, and has a very cool exhibit displaying beautiful old bibles and other books of faith, original manuscripts from folks like Sylvia Plath, William Blake, the Brontes, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, the Beatles, the Magna Carta … quite amazing. The British Museum has an incredible collection of things “gathered” from around the world – especially some amazing ancient Greek and Egyptian relics. I suppose this is related to ruling much of the world at a point, though I imagine Greece and Egypt might want some of their things back. You’ll notice Matt getting punched by Rameses II.

Last night, being our final one in London, we lived it up and went to see Mary Poppins. The London theatre scene is over-the-top grand, and the show was fabulous. We’re still all humming along with Mary and Bert today.

I’m not sure what our internet access will be in South Africa, but we’ll update as we can. We’re very excited for this next part of the journey. The first two weeks will be with a school principal and his colleagues in Port Elizabeth, where we’ll be able to connect and hang out with educators in one of the townships of PE, as it’s called. Andy and Matt will be able to go to school during this time, so they don’t have to keep following their parents to museums. They’re looking forward to this. While we’ll still be visitors, we are looking forward to the relationships we all will make in this chance to settle in to a place more deeply.

Cheers!

Andy and Matt’s Do’s and Don’ts of World Travel – London, England Edition

Do’s
*Take the Underground (London’s subway): It’s fun, it’s fast, it’s cheap (kids 11 and under are free).
*Take the Big Bus Tour of London: It’s a tour of London with commentary in a double-decker, open-top bus that takes you all over the city. We learned lots of cool facts (like how old some buildings are; that the Tower Bridge is the only bridge over the Thames where cars have to give way to boats).

*Visit the Tower of London: Cool exhibits where you can learn a lot about the history of the place, as well as seeing the Crown Jewels (all the royal crowns, maces, swords etc. down from history). One piece of history from the Tower of London is that being queen can be short and dangerous - Jane Grey was queen for 9 days before she was beheaded.

*Go to Cambridge: Visit King’s Chapel (at King’s College) – begun in 1446. We went to Evensong there (the evening service that happens every night). If you are already a Christian, it’s great. If you’re not, it can be a little boring. We also learned that Cambridge University is actually made up of 31 different colleges, so don’t go to the city of Cambridge and ask where the university campus is.

*Play football (soccer) in Hyde Park (where you can also see Peter Pan).

*Visit Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station.


*Take lots of pictures.

Don’ts

*Don’t take the bus (regular bus). It’s very crowded and the streets have even more traffic than Seattle.
*Don’t cross the street too quickly – cars don’t stop for pedestrians, and they come from the "wrong" direction.
*Don’t drive on the right.
*Don’t let drunk people hug you outside of the pub after midnight (this is the latest pick-pocket, or love-mugging, trick to get your wallet or phone).
*Don’t eat Cornish pasties.

Also, we’ve enjoyed learning how to say things here, like:
“Football” means soccer
“American football" means football
“Mind the gap” means watch your step (“mind the _____” means pay attention to the ____)
“Cheers” means thanks
“Sorry” means excuse me
"Row" means fight
And… a very important one… “bacon” really means ham.

We’ll tell you some more, later, on Andy and Matt’s do’s and don’ts of world travel.