New in this country

South Africa is a country of contrasts. When I stepped off the plane in Johannesburg I didn’t really know what to expect of this new country. After nearly thirty hours of uninterrupted travel, I didn’t much care about anything, to be honest, although I vaguely remember that the thought of bed was incredibly appealing.

The jet ride from Amsterdam was terribly unpleasant: long, uncomfortable, and extremely lacking in entertainment unless you count the seventeen-month-old girl to my left. I don’t sleep well on planes, anyway, and even the slight use of rye whiskey and wine (on the advice of the South African to my right) afforded me less than a couple hours of sleep and only resulted in the customary stiff neck.

Since it was dark when I landed I got no real sense of what Jo’burg was like that night. Fortunately the guesthouse was close and I arrived in short time at a very colonial-looking structure about twenty minutes from OR Tambo International Airport. It all seemed very prim, and indeed my large bed and bathtub were complimented by a fancy-looking bottle that turned out to contain a somewhat pleasant orange brandy. I gathered by the shot glasses that nightcaps are customary here.

The wake-up call seemed to come inappropriately early. I was served a rather proper breakfast that morning, almost uncomfortably proper. I felt a bit out of place, really, in an environment that felt eerily reminiscent of a strong colonial past, replete with at least six to eight black housemaids, cooks, and groundskeepers. As I found out later, almost all of the service industry is vastly and disproportionately staffed with black South Africans.

I suppose in a country with double-digit unemployment this shouldn’t be entirely surprising. The wealth divide in this country is astonishing, although you don’t always see it. Indeed, it didn't really fully sink in until I arrived at my new home in Mpumalanga province, northeast of Johannesburg.

From Canada to South Africa and back again

From South Africa to Canada, December 2008 -

I've spent the last eight months in a rural South African township teaching a leadership and development program for those affected by HIV. I left my home in British Columbia in April of 2008. What I've seen and experienced here in the community of Masoyi has reshaped completely my thinking about our place in the world.

In my community HIV has left thousands of people dying and thousands more without parents or life support. These entries represent my story and the stories of those who have shared my experience. As I return to Canada I want to continue sharing my reflections from my time here.

I hope that these entries will help open a window for you into this life, into this world, and into the lives of those who are suffering, and still loving, in this part of the world.

- Darryl

Note - Many of these entries were written in South Africa. When I return to Canada I will continue to reflect and write about my many experiences here in South Africa.