I know this is quite a bit delayed and I apologise for that, but due to certain circumstances and a very busy schedule (blame IRIS for that, not me!) I have been unable to blog about what many considered the most important and the best experience of the SA Youth Ambassadors Programme 2008, i.e. the mid-west state of Iowa, and more specifically, the "college" town / city, Ames!
So we wrapped up in the District on the 5th of July and departed for Des Moines, IA in the late afternoon. I must admit, I was sad, reluctant, unhappy perhaps, and even scared of what lay ahead! I mean, who has ever heard of Ames? And with the population of the state of Iowa being almost as much as the population of the greater Tshwane (formerly Pretoria) Metropolitan Area I was definitely not expecting much in terms of excitement! (Ames, during the school term, has about 50 000 residents, incl. college students, in other words my university has more students than the city!)
I think I was particularly dreading the "home-stay" period of the visit to the United States because of the uncertainty associated with it: "who are these people? how do they live? what do they value?" and many more such questions went through my head. However, we (Phumlani and I) were greeted with open and friendly arms by the Symons' and despite our 2 hour flight from DC, our tiredness and the long day behind us, we settled right in and talked, discussed and shared with our family the beauty, diversity, complications and general characteristics of our country until after midnight! I realised that I couldn't have asked for a better American family to stay with at about this time, and really felt at home within those first few hours. Okay, I did feel guilty because Jonathan gave up his bedroom... but I'm also grateful for that! It was a pretty cool bedroom (and an amazing bed!) I slept like a baby!
However, IRIS didn't spare a moment and we were (just about) dragged to technical training at the Ames City Hall (in the Council Chambers - depicted below) on a Sunday!
It was also here that I learned about some of the keywords that describe Iowa "society" as included in my presentation (more about that later), specifically the words community, trust and volunteerism.
We were also introduced to Suite 30, 600 5th street, which would become known as our "home away from home away from home" for the next week! Here, in the IRIS Office (below) we were briefed on technical aspects of the programme (i.e. blogging and other PC-related functions) by Dr Leah Keino - who would also become my "African" mother in America!
At home Phumlani, myself and our family spoke about the different marriage customs within South African and American societies as we were BBQ-ing outside. BBQ-ing, however, still does not compare to braai-ing!
Our home in Ames!
The dining room.
The back garden!
In exchanging these ideas I became more and more familiar with the still very much entrenched cultural gap that existed in South African society, primarily or most visibly, between traditional African society and the European-descended white sections of South African society. It is actually sad that these distinctions are not spoken about, or discussed, publicly and on a more regular basis. I believe that allowing it to just fade into the distance without allowing either side to reflect upon the differences, discuss it, promotes and leads to conflict and misunderstanding that - although initially sub-conscious and away from the public eye or discourse - erupts violently and is brought to the fore in the most horrific ways.
I don't think American society has dealt with issues of racial and cultural (even sub-cultural) divides adequately either, but I believe this is rooted in our human desire to "keep the peace" and pretend everything is okay. I believe discourse and discussion educates and exposes, which in turn facilitates respect, understanding and ultimately tolerance. I think instead of focusing on how to unite diversity, we should (as Gloria maintains) attempt to celebrate diversity (as mentioned in my presentation).
It is even more incredible (and funny) to learn about the differences between South African and American English and seeing how a language - a means of communication - adapts not only to the people and their collective history and heritage, but also to the context and setting. Basic differences in what we call things causes a number of reflective pauses and gasps as enlightenment and understanding set in! I am specifically referring to my use of the word "dustbin" versus "trash can", and "washing" versus "laundry!"
Super Walmart (or however you want to label it) was incredible! It was huge and it even had a Sushi bar and a hair salon / hairdresser! And it's open 24 hours a day! Amazing...
For all the differences in speech, language, accent, culture and heritage or history; it was clear that we shared a common feature in that we were all human, whether American or African / South African. And this humanity transcended language and cultural barriers, allowed for open communication and effective education - something I believe essential to maintaining and deepening our common sense of humanity. Simunye - which is Zulu for 'we are united' - and yes, we are united by our mere existence, a union that should constantly be strengthened and built upon through exposure and education. Especially by programmes like this, facilitated by IRIS, because of its 'grass-roots' immersion and introduction to the realities of American society.
But, I am jumping the gun...
So we wrapped up in the District on the 5th of July and departed for Des Moines, IA in the late afternoon. I must admit, I was sad, reluctant, unhappy perhaps, and even scared of what lay ahead! I mean, who has ever heard of Ames? And with the population of the state of Iowa being almost as much as the population of the greater Tshwane (formerly Pretoria) Metropolitan Area I was definitely not expecting much in terms of excitement! (Ames, during the school term, has about 50 000 residents, incl. college students, in other words my university has more students than the city!)
I think I was particularly dreading the "home-stay" period of the visit to the United States because of the uncertainty associated with it: "who are these people? how do they live? what do they value?" and many more such questions went through my head. However, we (Phumlani and I) were greeted with open and friendly arms by the Symons' and despite our 2 hour flight from DC, our tiredness and the long day behind us, we settled right in and talked, discussed and shared with our family the beauty, diversity, complications and general characteristics of our country until after midnight! I realised that I couldn't have asked for a better American family to stay with at about this time, and really felt at home within those first few hours. Okay, I did feel guilty because Jonathan gave up his bedroom... but I'm also grateful for that! It was a pretty cool bedroom (and an amazing bed!) I slept like a baby!
However, IRIS didn't spare a moment and we were (just about) dragged to technical training at the Ames City Hall (in the Council Chambers - depicted below) on a Sunday!
It was also here that I learned about some of the keywords that describe Iowa "society" as included in my presentation (more about that later), specifically the words community, trust and volunteerism.
We were also introduced to Suite 30, 600 5th street, which would become known as our "home away from home away from home" for the next week! Here, in the IRIS Office (below) we were briefed on technical aspects of the programme (i.e. blogging and other PC-related functions) by Dr Leah Keino - who would also become my "African" mother in America!
At home Phumlani, myself and our family spoke about the different marriage customs within South African and American societies as we were BBQ-ing outside. BBQ-ing, however, still does not compare to braai-ing!
Our home in Ames!
The dining room.
The back garden!
In exchanging these ideas I became more and more familiar with the still very much entrenched cultural gap that existed in South African society, primarily or most visibly, between traditional African society and the European-descended white sections of South African society. It is actually sad that these distinctions are not spoken about, or discussed, publicly and on a more regular basis. I believe that allowing it to just fade into the distance without allowing either side to reflect upon the differences, discuss it, promotes and leads to conflict and misunderstanding that - although initially sub-conscious and away from the public eye or discourse - erupts violently and is brought to the fore in the most horrific ways.
I don't think American society has dealt with issues of racial and cultural (even sub-cultural) divides adequately either, but I believe this is rooted in our human desire to "keep the peace" and pretend everything is okay. I believe discourse and discussion educates and exposes, which in turn facilitates respect, understanding and ultimately tolerance. I think instead of focusing on how to unite diversity, we should (as Gloria maintains) attempt to celebrate diversity (as mentioned in my presentation).
It is even more incredible (and funny) to learn about the differences between South African and American English and seeing how a language - a means of communication - adapts not only to the people and their collective history and heritage, but also to the context and setting. Basic differences in what we call things causes a number of reflective pauses and gasps as enlightenment and understanding set in! I am specifically referring to my use of the word "dustbin" versus "trash can", and "washing" versus "laundry!"
Super Walmart (or however you want to label it) was incredible! It was huge and it even had a Sushi bar and a hair salon / hairdresser! And it's open 24 hours a day! Amazing...
For all the differences in speech, language, accent, culture and heritage or history; it was clear that we shared a common feature in that we were all human, whether American or African / South African. And this humanity transcended language and cultural barriers, allowed for open communication and effective education - something I believe essential to maintaining and deepening our common sense of humanity. Simunye - which is Zulu for 'we are united' - and yes, we are united by our mere existence, a union that should constantly be strengthened and built upon through exposure and education. Especially by programmes like this, facilitated by IRIS, because of its 'grass-roots' immersion and introduction to the realities of American society.
But, I am jumping the gun...
2 comments:
Marius,
Thank you for this very insightful reflection!
Enjoyed reading through your blog. Great pics. And I see you like Neil Diamond! I hope that have a chance to see him in concert while you are in the USA. He's currently touring the country.
Post a Comment