Ready to Depart

Tomorrow we leave for South Africa. I've been overseas before, but the older I get, the more real mortality feels. It's just a matter of time for us all. But I've written my "just in case" letters to wife and kids, recorded me reading Bible stories for my girls on CD, and printed up all my life insurance information. I'm as ready as can be!

Here are some of the things I've learned in the last few weeks, as the group has met and planned and trained in preparation for our trip:

I learned that there are more AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa...11.6 million...than there are African-American kids in the whole United States. Imagine the Indianapolis-Metro area. Now multiply that 10 times--that's how many fatherless and motherless children there are in Africa because of this disease. What can be done with so many kids? What will be done when the grandmothers, who are caring for large numbers of them, become too enfeebled to do so? Nobody's got a good plan for this, that I've heard yet.

I learned about the tradition of izibongo (closely related to the Zulu word isibongo, for "family name"). Izibongo is, in essence, the family-tradition of praise-poems, or panegyric/encomium. Each clan will have its izibongo, detailing not only the triumphs but also the flaws of its famous leaders.

I learned about the troubled history of the area known now as South Africa, with the native Xhosa, Zulu, and other tribes, plus the Dutch (Afrikaners or Boers), then the British...and now the latest class, some of mixed race and some from India or other South Asian nations, which occupy an interesting middle-ground. I also learned that my wife's Great-Grandfather was a prisoner of war in one of the Boer Wars.

When Geoff Wybrow, the founder of LSA, heard that I'm related to a man who fought in the Boer Wars (and he's an absolutely FEARLESS guy), he slowly turned from the board where he was writing notees for us and said, "I...wouldn't mention that, if I were you." Comforting.

I learned that the typical Zulu is much more reserved, in terms of sharing personal information, with strangers than the typical American. That'll make my job of getting good interviews more challenging. I'll need to do a lot of mirroring, listening, and reflecting before I start to earn the right to ask penetrating questions. That's disappointing to hear since I don't have much time to build such a relationship, but it will be what it will be.

I learned the three basic 'clicks' of Zulu, and I learned that I've really only got a shot at correctly pronouncing two of them. The 'lateral' click only ever results in a full-stop for me. I can make the click, but I can't do it in a word and move on to the next syllable!

I learned our three signals for security: 1 whistle--everybody back in the car, NOW! We're going! 2 whistles--split up, scatter, run and hide; the men with guns are here. Then, if we get carjacked, of course we'll give them the car and anything else they want...UNLESS they try to take a hostage. If they take a hostage, yell, "Code Red!" At that point, we ALL get back in the car and force them to kill us all. Carjackers aren't serial-killers--they're in it for easy profit.

I learned what Ricoffy tastes like (chicory coffee). The answer: not as bad as I'd heard from Jay, our group leader...but not really good.

I learned that, for an American doctor in Indianapolis, his regular appointments with HIV+ patients are sometimes almost pro forma.

There's a lot more to learn, and I'll start tomorrow.

God bless, thanks for reading, and Lord willing, I'll write again in May!

Marcus