Out of Africa

JOBURG

For photos of this trip, go to this link to view:
https://picasaweb.google.com/110694280613933350423/SouthAfricaPhotos2011#

I just got back from 2 days on the road to Limpopo province where Grant (Re-Solve) and Sammy (Coca-Cola) and I drove up (5 hr drive) to this remote north eastern village to inspect the water project there.

The drive up was beautiful, especially the last 2 hours. We stopped at a hillside restaurant/hotel and sat on the balcony overlooking the valley for lunch. You would swear you were in Vermont. The scenery was lovely!

We got to the village and met with one of the Trust Funds that helps to manage the Coca Cola Foundation money. We started touring about to see the stand pipes that distribute water at various 'corners' of the village, along with the bore holes that contain new sources of water. The water that these people are using has been contaminated with nitrates and is at dangerous levels. (It is currently their only source of water so they are drinking it regardless, unfortunately. It supplies about 8,000 people). They say nitrates appear in the water from the fecal matter of pit latrines that eventually seep down in the earth far enough that it enters into the water stream. So this is what they think is happening. Water from further away will have to be pipelined in, electricity brought in, etc. It's a big job that will require a lot more money. Coca Cola looks like they will continue to sponsor and fund the project to finish it off.

Several hours later, we drove to our African Safari lodge and I'll tell you: it was an Out of Africa movie experience. You should see this place! Thatch-roof huts with huge balconies overlooking the river and the expanse of land on the other side of it. We kept looking for hippos or crocs (not that I needed to see either of those up close to me)!

I was feeling as remote as can be when I walked into the bar to have a beer with Grant and Sammy and there was the shocker of the trip: there on ESPN was being broadcast the Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens hockey game. I kept rubbing my eyes in disbelief. It was wonderful!

We have a huge braai (BBQ) with, you guessed it, MEAT. Lamb, steak, sausage...oh man, if I never eat another piece of meat again, I think I will be fine. I actually think that this drastic diet change is the source of all my nightmares!

As we sat around the campfire (because, as any true South African will tell you: only wimps use a Webber (gas BBQ). You have to make a fire with wood to have a true braai). Then unfortunately, the stories started....How Jason (Re-Solve) got bit by a black mamba rattle snake not far from the Safari lodge. How Luke got highjacked in Joburg and pulled out his gun and shot the guy. How Sammy got highjacked 6 times: once while he opened his home gate and pulled into his driveway and two guys were waiting for him and slipped into his yard as the gate opened. They had him at gunpoint; how at an ATM one guy pulled a gun when he turned around and made him open the locks to his car and forced Sammy into the trunk while they drove out of the country. They eventually dumped him on the side of the road.

So you're thinking that maybe this is a black vs white issue? No, not at all. Sammy is black and grew up in a poor village. Got an education. Advanced his studies. Got good job after good job. This is a rich vs poor issue. This is pure and simple Crime - "I have" versus "I have not".

Yup. You guessed it. I had a horrible sleep that night. Added to that the massive (and I mean mammoth) spiders that were in my room when I went into my room to settle in for the night.

So for all of you Canadians, Americans, and Brits reading this blog: when you go to bed tonight with no black mambas under your covers, no mammoth spiders in your room, no one lurking in your driveway or at a stop light with a gun wanting your car, your money or your life, thank the good God above. Because unless you've lived in a developing and/or dangerous country, it is incomprehensible and impossible to register what you have that others do not. Thank God that you live in a country where you have opportunity, rights, a safe place to live and raise your children, a park, grocery store or pharmacy in your neighborhood that's safe to walk to. Because I am telling you: a lot of the world does not have this, and Joburg seems to be one of these places.

And so please remind me of this when I eventually get home. Because being Canadian and loving Canada as much as I do, I KNOW that I take it for granted. Just like the water that comes out of that tap that isn't poisoning me every time I drink it. Just like the window that I leave open when I drive or stop at a stop sign because I want some fresh air. Just like the parcels that I leave on my passenger or back seat because it's convenient.

So Thank God every chance you get and pray for those who don't have what we have with such a great country such as Canada. Our politics are boring. Our streets are clean. Our crime is mostly robbery and not murder. Our yards are not fenced in or electrified.

You can say what you want about the annoyances. But in the grand scheme of what we have that others don't, it means very little.

As Bono from U2 sang:
"Where we live should not decide whether we live or whether we die"

Hugs, Lisa