Words

As if my article on the 'Ol Geezer' was not enough to get some of our readers rolling on the floor with laughter, I can assure you it is a never ending adventure. Today is my birthday and on our way back from Jenny's appointment with the doctor we decided to pass by the Mugg and Bean (a coffee shop chain in Southern Africa)to get some coffee and some lunch for something special. There is nothing like a never ending cup of coffee to lift ones spirits and to kick the cold that I was welcomed with as my ship landed in the temperate world again. I enjoyed a wonderful burger topped with bacon and blue cheese which made the stop worthwhile. However, my cold continued to interrupt my meal with sneezing and blowing until I was all out of kleenex. I kindly called our waitress over and asked her if she had and "napkins". She paused and gave me a funny look but then said, "Ok" and went to the back of the restaurant. It took one second to look at the scared look on Jenny's face to realize the possible mistake I had made.

"I hope that 'napkin' in South Africa is not that women's thing that nobody talks about," I inquired of Jenny a little scared.

"Maybe?" she replied sheepishly.

I gained my composure and kindly asked my waitress what a the thing she brought me is called in South Africa. Saving my pride she smiled, laughed and said, "Serviette".

I still do not know what 'napkin' means.

Apartheid Museum

Yesterday, we visited the Apartheid Museum. It wound around various corners telling the story of how Europeans came to South Africa and how society moved to the point of apartheid in the mid-1900s to its dissolution in 1994. It is a sad story from whatever perspective one looks at the history because of how people devalued others and chose not to see ways to work together or see each others’ inherent worth. It is also a story of tremendous reconciliation as the leaders worked together to bring about a more just society without the violent ends that could have errupted.

I am struck by the way that we often do not think of the larger systems at work. I am sure that there were many people who lived in Apartheid who did not approve of it or were indifferent but did not do anything about fighting against it, either because they did not care enough or did not have enough time or desire or knowledge how to fight against it. Furthermore, sometimes we benefit from injustice and do not see the injustice and how it affects us. What systems do I benefit from that cause someone else to suffer?

For the past few weeks I have been thinking about a poem that I read several years ago and rediscovered recently. The poem was written by Martin Niemoller, a pastor in Europe during World War II. It goes as follows:

“They came first for the communists, and I didn’t speak because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

It makes me wonder if I would have spoken up if I had lived in South Africa during Apartheid. But even more so, it makes me wonder what are injustices that I see that I do not speak against?

Dumb Questions

The Farming God's Way training which I attended this past weekend was in Bloemfontein about four hours drive southwest of Johannesburg. As I flew in I noticed that it did not look all that much different then the great plains, especially eastern Colorado, Wyoming and western Nebraska. Bloemfontein is a major agriculture producing area in the central plateau of South Africa. It has extreme temperatures like the Great Plains and the major economic activity is farming wheat and corn. As we approached the eye could see large circles where the central irrigation systems made their path. A man in the seat in front of me was visiting South Africa doing articles for the BBC. He commented on the central irrigation systems, pivots we call them in Nebraska because they move around a pivotal point in the center of the fields and water the crops, making large circles on the plains. He was incredibly fascinated by these systems and had never seen them before. This was quite interesting to me since they were almost a natural part of the landscape where I grew up, almost to the point that it might be worth considering putting them in those National Audubon Society books that help identify wildlife on the plains. I can see the description: "Large, multi-legged animal that has a habit of running in circles, though is not very fast. Mostly lives on the ground but will occasionally spend time of climbing houses or grain bins. Largest preditor is migratory thunderstorms and tornados." This all reminds me of how diverse the world is.

On arriving to the airport, which is getting a make over for the FIFA World Cup next year, I sat down to wait my ride which was on it's way from Lesotho nearby. I happened to overhear the neighbor lady talking in Portuguese. English, which is one of the official languages of South Africa and many of our other neighboring countries, I was actually a little surprised to hear Portuguese spoken.

I said hello in Portuguese and said, "Where are you from? I did not expect to hear Portuguese spoken in South Africa."

"I am from Brazil. The Brazilian soccer team came in yesterday for the FIFA Confederations Cup and you will hear a lot of Portuguese spoken here," she replied.

In Southern Africa where soccer is king, I realized my question was like asking why people are wearing red in Lincoln on Husker game day. I ended the conversation there and realized I need to pay attention to the news.

Needless to say, while I will not be able to attend the games it has been a joy to watch teams like Brazil, Egypt, USA, South Africa and Italy play on TV here in South Africa and to feel like I am almost there.