Weekend away...

This past weekend we went to Durban to experience being with members of the Indian community. Outside of India, the Kwazulu-Natal area has the highest population of Indians in the world. So it is important for us to learn who our neighbors are. J We stayed at this place in Pennington, right outside of Durban, near Umzinto. Our group was divided amongst chalets and cabins. My chalet had seven girls in it.

This weekend was extremely hot...and humid! So it was kind of tough to have a good attitude about everything when you are in a new place, traveling with a group of 53 people, and in the hot, humid weather, but in the end I did learn some new things. J

Let me first start off with how we got there. What was supposed to be a drive of no more than 2 hours, ending up turning into a journey of 5 and a half hours! Along the way we had many stops for some reason, and the major one was when the professor’s car broke down pretty much. It was kind of ironic, because it was the newest car amongst the entire CARAVAN! I am still adjusting to traveling with such a large group of people, because everywhere we go we get out and it looks like we are literally a traveling circus! J But through it all so far, I have developed some pretty amazing relationships. There are a few girls where we have gotten close through looking at the funny side of this whole journey, especially this past weekend! J

When we finally got to our accommodations, it was really humid (mind you its night time already) and still the temperature of the day! In my head, I was thinking….this is gonna be an interesting weekend. J But the funny thing is that night ended up being one of the best nights ever, because a group of us ended up talking until the early night about all the funny things and moments we have had in South Africa since we got here! J It was the first time that I did not feel homesick, and this whole memory was with people that I was not close with before coming out here. I think God is trying to teach me that there are people around me that He has placed in my life to be an encouragement and for me not to feel homesick. He truly is watching out for me. J

On Saturday, we ended up missing breakfast because our chalet was way out in the boondocks and I guess no one really told us, but it was all good cuz we still got to eat. J One unique thing about this trip was that much of it was not really “plan planned” like most all of our trips are, so it was very interesting from the start. I think that was another thing that God was trying to teach me this weekend, that sometimes we don’t need to know everything and all the plans of things, but believe that he will always keep us safe and watch over us. J

Later in the morning we went to the downtown area of the Indian community, where much of the locals shop and do their groceries. It was intense, because there were so many people there, and it was like almost 100 degrees! One thing that stood out to me was that many of the shopowners were Indian and the shoppers were black. But they had like a meat market, what it similar to a CVS, and a pharmacy, some clothes stores, and very mini little markets on the streets. Later on in the day, we went back to Pennington, had lunch, swam in the pool, and then went to the beach! Yes…I got the chance to swim in the Indian Ocean! The water is so different compared to the water in the States. It’s a lot warmer, and we could walk out pretty far before it got deep. It was a little too warm for me, but that may be because I’m used to cold beaches! J It was still fun though. Later that night, Clive, the Intercultural Communication professor, had invited some church members from the local Indian community to come and bbq and eat dinner with us. So they came and we all hung out and just enjoyed each other’s company.
On Sunday, the group split up and we all went to different churches. I went to the Practical Christians Church. It was not affiliated with any church denomination, but based on their style of worship and later talking to the pastor he said they were the closest to the Pentecostal denomination. Eight of us, out of the group of 53, went to this church, and they ended up dedicating the entire service to us! Yes, so each of us spoke of our thoughts of South Africa, why we came here, our testimony, or a message from the Word. I chose to talk about God’s love and ours and read the passage from I John 4:7-21. That passage has something in it for believers and non-believers and it talks about true love….God’s love. The service ended up being really great and one of our coordinators, Leslie, had a really good message as well. She spoke on how God wants to use us wherever we are at in our lives, and that we just have to say yes. Whether we are strong in faith or weak and lost, He can use us and teach us if we open the door of our hearts to Him.

After church, we were invited to have an authentic Indian lunch at the pastor’s house. The food was good. J We had what was similar to a paella Spanish rice dish (but Indian style), a meat pasta, and salad (without spicy dressing, supposedly J). Desert was fruit and ice cream, which was nice and refreshing on a hot day! One thing that I noticed interesting about the whole experience was that the wife, and the other lady who helped prepare the food, did not eat with us. But rather they ate after us, when we were all done and in the living room talking and having desert. So yeah, the ironic thing to me was that they had prepared all the food for us! I thought how different that was for me to experience and what I was used to back in the States.

In the end, the trip was a long one, but it was a good one. It was nice to get off the campus, because we sort of are in our own little area in the mountains. Its pretty, but it can be secluded. One the way there and back, I rode in the truck( or what they call a buckey) with Leslie and three other girls. So it was a little cooler than the big van/what I call a party bus, that fits 20 people! J haha The girls and I sang songs to some old school classic songs from back in the day. J I’m excited to keep learning about new things and different cultures and bonding with the rest of the group. Until next time….