Not Goodbye, but until we meet again.

'It's mostly the slower days when you begin to have the most profound thoughts.. And the most profound home sickness.  With about two full days left in South Africa, it has became one of these days. 

This past Tuesday, our team completed our work with Habitat for Humanity South Africa with a brai. At the brai, we said our final goodbyes to the Habitat South Aftica team and the youth of Pelican Park that we partnered with. After working with these great people and forming friendships for almost two weeks, describing it as emotional is an understatement. 

On Wednesday, we took a road trip to the Cape of Good Hope, and got to see where the Atlantic and Indian oceans- Well, the hotter current and the colder currents- meet, also known as where "gin meets tonic". After almost being blown off the top of a mountain, we went to Boudlers Beach on the Cape Peninsula, had lunch, and got to see the penguins of South Africa. 

On Thursday, we split into our project groups and finished up some academic work that we had started back during class the first week of July, then we were free for the rest of the day.

Today, adventures ensued. Part of the group left at 9:30 this morning to go take a photo safari at a game reserve an hour or two away from Cape Town, but Brooke Jane and I decided we were going to rent a car, drove about 45 minutes out of the city, and zip line in the mountains.  Yes- rent a car. That has to be driven on the left side of the road. And has a steering wheel on the right side.  After a series of unfortunate Avis related events that involved two Ubërs to two separate Avis offices at 6:45am, we set out at about 8am. Our four hour zip line adventure featured 11 flights, 13 platforms, a suspension bridge and a 4x4 ride up and down a mountain. 

Now back from out adventure, cleaned up, and waiting for dinner at 7:30, it's one of those lull moments. I'm thinking back on the past two and a half weeks in South Africa, the people we have met, the work we have done, and the things we have seen. From one extreme to another, this trip has been nothing short of amazing. I have seen poverty stricken families who were beyond happy with the little that they had, I have talked to people who packed up and left home just to adventure for their life, went on a tour of a prison led by a former prisoner who had no bad blood for the injustice that was done to him by his imprisonment, and made new friendships with people from Mercer who I would have never met if it wasn't for this journey. Along with all of that, something inside of me has changed. It's difficult to explain, and it's not really something that I want to. I've experienced a personal inner transformation of self, and while some things seem clearer and some more blurry, I have a new outlook on many  things, and a greater appreciation for what I have been blessed with and the experiences I get to experience. 

Along with reflecting on my time in South Africa, I am also thinking about home. It's best put like this: I'm ready to go home, but I am not ready to leave. Three weeks is a long time, believe you me. Especially when you factor in a time difference that makes normal conversation difficult. I've overcome hurdles that I would not have been able to once upon a time, such as leaving home alone for three weeks. Going nearly a week without being able to phone home.       Funny thing is, though, is that all of those obstacles are relatively trivial. Yes, talking to family back home is important, and being able to travel and go on your own is great, but that's not what it is all about. I have really had to take a minute to myself and think about the impact our team has made not only to the people we worked with, or the people of Pelican Park, but also on each other. As a group of young adults, we have all had to overcome personal struggles, but we have had each other through the entirety of this experience to make it a little easier. Although we may have our differences and we may argue, we all have grown because of one another, and grown close. I love my team. I love my world. And I love all of you that have followed me through my blog. This isn't my last post about this trip, did you really think I would go without a proper goodbye? Nope. 

Tomorrow is a tour of Cape Towns wine lands, which is a HUGE industry in South Africa, then Sunday we have one last group meal for lunch then fly out at 9pm. I'm sure I'll find something to talk about on the flights back, but until I'm back on United States soil this is it.

  

Dugha, dugha, dugha!!

Well, it's Friday and our official "work week" is over. We just got back to our hostel, and you can tell everyone is emotionally and physically drained. This past week has been super fun, but extremely busy and very trying at times.

On Monday, we were up at 5:30, leaving the hostel before 7am to get to the Pelican Park build site to help set up, hand out hard hats and vests, and then begin social scoping. While most of the other volunteers for the build worked on site actually helping build the houses, our group was working in the already established part of Pelican Park surveying the residents about the time they have spent in their new home. We surveyed on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Pelican Park is a newer establishment, with most of the residents being there for two years or less. Each member of our team was paired with a local youth to help with translation, and to allow us to not only meet and interact on a personal level with local youth, but also have a sort of guide who was familiar with the area. We went from house to house, knocking on doors and asking the residents how they felt about their homes. To enter someone else's home that is housing sometimes up to six people that is no bigger than 500 square feet is very emotional, especially when the survey goes from a question and answer session to a personal conversation. Sitting in someone's living room/kitchen/bedroom and listening them talk about how sometimes they can't afford meals every day for three days takes a huge emotional toll on you. What was amazing to me, though, was that for the most part everyone was so thankful that they at least had a roof. It was an extremely eye opening experience, and it hit me hard seeing how much these people were struggling to survive on a daily basis and knowing that I have never and probably will never be in the situation that they are in. It's also very hard to have the thoughts while you're sitting there "I have $20 USD in my pocket and will spend it on one meal, and I'm in a house where I could leave this and help them for two weeks." You can't help everyone, and that to me was the hardest thing. I don't really know how to put it into words, but I came to South Africa to facilitate the growth of a community in the long run, not to give them short term gain. That's not the point of Mercer on Mission. Reading that back, it sounds so bad and selfish, but you have to think about it like this- If I left money for one family, and then three surveys later I got to a family who was worse off, I would want to and feel obliged to give them something as well, and then by the end of day one, I would have no money. There's also the fact that I'm walking into a house with three TVs and cell phones, but no food. Me giving money would not help.  Anyways, back to social scoping. It's extremely emotional draining, but so so so eye opening. It really shows me how blessed I am. We had a very emotional team debrief last night, and Dr Brennan made the comment that Mercer on Mission is supposed to drag you out of your comfort zone, and put you in situations that make you really dig deep to keep your head on your shoulders.

On Wednesday, our team actually got to partake in the building process. We mixed dugha, moved blocks, and made sure the walls were properly sealed while Power Construction, Habitat South Africa's building partner, actually laid the block. While I helped Michael, the site manager, most of the day making sure everyone had the proper tools, checking for safety hazards, building morale and going to and from the different houses, I did take a break from that to join my team in mixing dugha. Let me explain this process: 3 wheelbarrow loads of sand, a bag of concrete and half a bag of lime all mixed together, then fashioned into a sort of "bowl" that you fill with water, then you build the mixture up on the side until the wall breaks, then you go crazy mixing it until it's uniform. Sounds like hard work? Yeah. It is. But it was also my favorite thing I have done to date.  Being able to actually see the work I was doing was also a huge accomplishment, because I won't be in South Africa when the information gathered by the surveys is put to use but I could see these houses growing. 

On Friday, the final day of the build, it rained, well, it flooded. All day long. The thing about South African rain, it comes sideways. So we helped clean up the morning meeting area, then went to the build site to help get ready for lunch. 

Now, back at our hostel, everyone is napping or wishing they were. It's a cold rainy day in Cape Town, so no walks on the beach or outdoor adventures. Just recuperation from the past week, which is good because everyone needs it. We get to social scope one, maybe two more days then we have to work on some final project work and then it's back to the United Staes in nine days. It's been an amazing trip, and I can't wait to see what we will accomplish in the next few days. 

I'll try to do better about posting. Miss you all,

Reed    

Slowing Down Before We Speed Up

Friday night was a great night. A big group of us visited the V&A Waterfront and watched the sunset.

After the sunset, we found this Belgium restaurant,  Den Anker, and ate on the dock over the South African bay, then went a rode the Ferris wheel at V&A. 

Today (Saturday) was one of the few free days we have on our journey, but in the morning we all went as a group to Robbin Isalnd to visit the prison where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 19 years. 

My morning started to Matt waking me up and telling me I had 15 minutes until the bus left for the wharf. No breakfast, no shower, but I did remember to brush my teeth, fix my hair and wear my Pi Kapp shirt. We rode to the wharf, and boarded the Dias to make the 30 minute journey from Cape Town to Robbin Island, a distance of about 6 kilometers. When we got there, we took a bus tour around the islan, which concluded at the maximum security area of the prison, where Nelson Mandela was held. Our tour guide for this portion of the tour was an actual former prisoner of Robbin Island, arrested in 1983, and was released in 1991 when all of the political prisoners were released. It was  very interesting to hear about life on Robbin Island from someone who actually spent time there.

On the ferry ride back it started to rain but luckily we had our bright orange three season jackets, dubbed The Brennan Beacons by our group. Wet and cold, we arrived back to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront to find lunch, and Brooke Jane and I chose Café Alfredo. After lunch, we came straight back to the hostel, and slept. I napped from 3-7, and woke up to find that most everyone had already left to go to dinner, or had just gotten back so a few of us went to Randy Warthog, the bar and restaurant at our hostel.

Like I said, today was pretty much uneventful besides Robbin Island. Tomorrow is when the real work starts, and we began to really set up and prepare for the Habitat build. Today was also what I'm considering to be my rut of the trip. Tired and missing home, I got a bit sad for a bit, but then remembered why I'm here. After talking to Momma, I know I have no worry about anything, no stress, and I'm  ready to serve God, alongside my fellow bears and Habitat South Africa.

Reed

Connected and Calm

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a little bit since I've been able to post, but wifi is scarce at best and my phone does not work...at all. But you'll hear about that a little further down.

So, when we left off Brooke Jane and I had just made it back to the hostel from our Internet Expedition. That was Wednesday night (I think, my days are all messed up)

Anyways, so we woke up Thursday morning quite early and visited the Habitat offices here in Cape Town, and helped with organizing materials and marketing materials for next week's Nelson Mandela Build. Somewhat uneventful, but I did learn, well reinforce, a valuable lesson. You can never be too organized, and you can always find productive way to do something. After we completed a task in 15 minutes that was expected to take about two hours, we made our way to Pelican Park. Pelican Park is Habitat South Africa's focus area where, with their partnership with the contractor Power Group, build government subsidized housing for those without homes. Y'all, this place is incredible. It was so empowering and humbling to meet with the Pelican Park Owners Association, as well as some local youth who we will be working alongside with surveys next week. They are so incredibly thankful and amazed that Mercer has a program that reaches out and benefits others. I mean, Be The Bear, am I right?!
After our meeting with the PPOA, we went to the construction zone and began prepping work kits for the eight teams that would be working next week. Six shovels, three trowels, a wheelbarrow, water hose, rake, broom and 20 hard hats later, all eight kits were prepared ahead of schedule, so we were able to visit Table Mountain, but not after ending our work day with a war cry led by our Habitat partners.

Back to Table Mountain. Those were some of those beautiful views I have ever seen. Mountains for miles, with beautiful beaches and clouds draped over the mountain tops like a silk sheet was yet another humbling experience that I have been so blessed to have on this trip. I've caught a little bit (a lot) of slack for how many pictures I've taken already - I think I'm up to 500 in four days - but I just can't help it. This country is so beautiful, and in some places there is such a balance between poverty and natural beauty I have no choice to take like ten pictures of the same area. Oops haha. I'm trying to post pictures on Facebook whenever I have wifi, so look there if you want to see anything.

So, to my phone fiasco. When we landed in South Africa, I turned on my phone on and it connected to Vodacom 3G, then reset. So I turned it back on, but it was locked on the activation screen. Now, if I was able to get to my camera and music, I would just use my iPad to communicate with people. But it was COMPLETELY locked on the activation screen, saying that my SIM card was not valid (Sass moment- UM HELLO VERIZON I TOOK CARE OF DAYS DAYS IN ADVANCE SO I COULD GET IN TOUCH WITH MY MOMMA AND DADDY WHILE IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY . I AM NOT AMUSED.  NOT OKAY AND NOT HAPPY) Anyways, I digress. So, I tried to go to Vodacom to get a SIM card to put in my iPhone so I could connect to their network and use my phone, but that wouldn't work. My phone is literally a paperweight until I get back to the States. Thanks, Verizon. Thanks, Apple.  So, after that hour and a half spent at Vodacom on the phone with Momma who had me on speakerphone with Verizon I still had NO phone and had barely talked to my momma. Let's just say my stress level was the equivalent of Defcon 5, and I was on the verge of my second anxiety attack.       The first one came on the last leg of our flight, from London to Cape Town, when I was sitting in the very middle of the plane. I need to be able to move, especially on a 12 hour flight and I had a slight freak out. Shoutout to Brooke for bringing me back down.  
I began Thursday with two goals. 1- don't kill anyone with sass, because I was stressed, missed my momma and tired. 2- find some way - at any cost - to be able to get in touch with my momma and daddy. Next step, prepaid cell phone. That night at dinner, we ate at the mall with the Vodacom store, so I ate fast and went straight to the store, but the was directed to a Walgreen-esqu store. I had finally found a phone, and all that separated me from it was a glass window, right?  Wrong. In South Africa, every number has to be registered to a name, meaning not only did I need my Passport, but I also had to have proof that I was actually staying in this country. What's one more obstacle and about two more hours? A lot. I tried to keep calm and hold it together, and that was quite a difficult task.  I went back to the restaurant empty handed, but knowing what I needed to get my hands on.

After dinner, we boarded our bus back to our hostel, where I got a bill with my name on it, and then dragged Brooke and Jane back to the mall so I could get my phone. About ten minutes laters, I heard the sweet sound of a dial tone and then my momma wondering who was calling her from a +27 number. You could hear the relief in both of our voices, and then I called my daddy who was equally relieved that not only did I have a way to communicate, but probably that he didn't have to worry about Mommas stress level anymore.

Now that I have a phone, I'm somewhat stress-free and operating at my highest productivity to help the people of Pelican Park. My night ended standing with Charlie, Josh, Kimberly and Martin, who works and lives at our hostel and whose full name is about a mile long- on Table Mountain overlooking  the sparkling lights of Cape Town at night.

It's now Friday, 11:03am, and we're heading for another day on the job. I can only think of all the people whose lives our team will touch and help with our project, and how my life will be changed after this trip. Humbling is an understatement, because there is at least one situation every day that really puts everything in perspective.

God Bless

Reed

Ladies and Gentleman, We've began our final descent

So, I have made it to South Africa in one piece (pictures on Facebook). After some turbulence and a traditional British meal, we landed this past morning- and when I say landed, I mean the plane basically fell onto the tarmac- anyways, I'm in Cape Town safe and sound. After we landed, we left the airport and visited Signal Hill, then rode around to different areas of Cape Town (Oh my gosh, this city is sooo me. Like, modern design, with a hint of English style. Can I just stay here?) Anywyas, I digress. After we rode around, we finally got to check into our hostel, which is apparently not pronounced like hotel with a s.. Who knew? After I unpacked and took a shower (After 33 hours of travel with no shower, I felt like a new man) and then went to explore. 

Side note: McDonalds in South Africa is really nice. 

Okay. Back to the story. After Brooke, Jane and I went on a mini adventure (you can follow their blogs at janealexandragibson.wordpress.com andbrookevogt.wordpress.com), we went to dinner. On the way to dinner,  Brooke and Jane noticed a little Internet cafe "right down the road" from the hostel. 

After dinner, which was great, we made our way back to hostel, then Brooke Jane and I set out for this Internet cafe. Well, it wasn't right down the road. More like a mile and a half. So, we get to this Internet cafe, and it was literally the sketchiest place I have ever seen, and so was the walk there, so I made sure that we weren't going to walk back, and Ubër was the only way to avoid that. One problem, their phones don't have data and my phone is completely not working at all. So what we had to do was find so,we here with free wifi, and use that to get on Ubër. The only viable option: sit down at a restaurant, buy something, and then use their wifi to get on the app and call a cab. Anywyas, our Ubër arrived and we made our way back to the hostel. I'll try to keep you all updated.

Just a few rules for the road:

1- Rand exchange rate Is $1USD = 12Rand. Math in my head, guys. Smarticle Particle.  

2- South Africans drive on the left side of the road. I have to understand that

3- Converse are not rock climbing shoes.

4- 11hour flights are of the devil.

Well wishes, God Bless.

Reed

Somewhere over the North Atlantic (sorry it's late)

Well, it's 2:00am (I honestly don't know what time zone, but I'm guessing EST since my iPad isn't connected to the internet so it doesn't know where I'm at)
Currently over the North Atlantic, somewhere past Newfoundland and south of Iceland.. I know, that narrows it down. Anyways, I can't sleep on the plane due to excitement, so I figured I would fill everyone in.

After I landed in Atlanta, I made my way to the domestic baggage claim. Two points:1) Traveling alone is fun. 2) I've come to the conclusion that Delta is the reason that Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest airport in the world. With a complete terminal dedicated to the airline, as well as a baggage claim area just for Delta bigger than the Savannah Airport, I can't help but to wonder what would happen if Delta pulled all service from KATL. Anyways, would this day be complete if I didn't run into more difficulties? Absolutely not, So when I finally got to the baggage claim, I was in a slight tizzy due to the fact of my late arrival from Savannah,and me expecting the international terminal to be completely swamped. Well, like I said, the Delta baggage claim is HUGE. It basically laid out with eleven carousels, with different flights on different carousels.. At first I thought I was going to have to walk up and down this baggage claim searching for my bag and wasting time that I needed to have on my side to get through security. Much to my excitement,  I found a array of screens saying which flights bags were where (I mean obviously Reed there is going to be one of these..) So, I finally find Savannah at carousel 9. I start walking towards the end, and about 100 feet away from my baggage carousel, I see my two bright red bags. For some reason, I take off running. I don't know why, but I guess that I just figured that once my bags rounded the next corner, I would be without clothes, toiletries, and everything else I needed for the next month. I get to my bags and claim my reward with victory, then realize a group of people staring at me with disapproval. I grab my bags, and wheel them behind me while I try to figure out how I'm going to get to the international terminal to check in to my British Airways flight. I find a tram that would take me to the international terminal.  

My stress has somewhat dissolved, but I was still worried about long check-in lines, and prepared myself to have to wait in line for an hour at security. I make it to the international terminal, and get dropped off.. Yep, you guessed, the Delta end. Much to my surprise the British Airways counter was allll the way at the other end. Still kind of rushing myself, I kinda hustle to make it there, but I am relieved of all stress when I see my professor at the counter checking in. At least now if i don't make it on the plane, I'm with the woman in charge. [side note: it's really cool how the British Airways employees in America had British accents. I don't know if it's a requirement for the job or what, but you go British Air, you go.]
So, check in complete and I begin to make my way to security, preparing myself to endure a line longer than one at an Apple Store on a release day. Much to my surprise (and relief) the line isn't long at all, and in fact much shorter than the line I dealt with in Savannah.

Life up to this point has been pretty much uneventful, but a few facts for all of you viewers back home. 1-  There is a Varsity in the international terminal, and it tastes just like the real thing. 2- I got questioned about my accent at Starbucks in the airport, so I can only imagine how the next twenty two days are going to be with my "Hey Y'all's" and "Bless your heart" 3- The British really know how to treat you. I mean, a full hot meal with pasta, salad, bread, tea, and dessert? What would be better? I'll tell you what, nothing but Zaxbys! 4-British accents make everything sound nice, even though it may not be nice. Just trust me.

Okay, well I have a bit less than three hours until we land in London, and I need a little sleep.
Until the next situation arises,
Reed Jones, World Traveler Extraordinaire

   

See ya, Savannah

We've all seen Home Alone 2, you know, Lost in New York.  Take a minute and think back to the move when we first lose Kevin McCallister. The McCallister clan is running through O'Hare International to make their flight to Miami..

Well, if you switch O'Hare with Savannah - Hilton Head, and The McCallisters with me, you'd get a pretty good representation of my initial experience on my journey.

 

We left home early so we could eat before I was dropped off at the airport, but bad weather slowed us down. When we got to Pooler, Daddy wanted to eat at Longhorns.. Well, that took a little bit of time. When we finally got to the airport, it was 3:50.. At most airports, a check-in under these time constraints would be near impossible, but luckily I always fly out of Savannah because of how close it is to home, and the short lines at check in and security. Well, apparently today was the day to fly out of Savannah. We said our goodbyes, took some pictures, and I was off...to security. 40 minutes later, I had finally made it through. I grabbed my bags, shoes, belt, watch, wallet and phone and searched for a seat to throw my shoes on and take off. (PSA- While converse may look great and match perfectly, they are a little difficult to get on in a time crunch. Stick to shoes you can slip on.) Running through the airport - no exaggeration. I was literally running - I made it to Gate 11, bypassing Starbucks which took all the self control I could muster. To my relief, I saw that my plane hadn't even de-planed yet. I gathered myself and calmed down, and went and found somewhere to put my belt on and reorganize my bags.

Now that I'm on the plane and on the way to Atanta, I can really calm down... At least until I get to Atlanta to do the entire act again, but this time in the international terminal with God knows how many people.  After that, it's smooth sailing (And about 24 hours of travel) until I land in Cape Town.

Until the next exciting event, Au Revoir

From 35,000 Feet, 

Reed