We Have Arrived!

Arm in Arm in Africa: Safe journeys - we feel your presence with us!

Jeff and Rita Nohner have volunteered to act as scribe and shutterbug for this journey to South Africa. Jeff is also the designer of the www.ArmInArmInAfrica.org website which we encourage you to visit.

The 12 travelers from Minnesota have arrived in South Africa safe and happy to be here (especially after the long flight). Our departure from MSP airport was uneventful, albeit very early. Most of us stayed up all night rather than trying to wake to arrive at the airport by 3:30 a.m.

Traveling through Atlanta before boarding a direct flight to Cape Town on South African Airways (SAA) was a great decision. SAA recently upgraded some of their fleet with new video equipment which meant Pat Murphy and Becky Rose could spend most of the flight playing video games! It was a good flight, but all of us were still quite exhausted when we arrived.

No matter how tired we were as we passed through immigration at 8 a.m. Cape Town time, the joy of arriving swept over us. For those who had been here before, it meant greeting friends that they had not seen since last year. Fr. Jim Cassidy was the first to announce, "I see Jan" (speaking of Professor Jan Du Toit) as we cleared customs. Of course Rev. Spiwo Xapile, of the J.L. Zwane Memorial Church was also there to meet us. Both have spent many days with visitors from Minnesota and have also had opportunity to be in Minneapolis to discuss the programs they're supporting here. For us, it was the end of the first part of our journey, and the beginning of the next. Pat said, "I felt like I was returning to my second family... and when Spiwo and Jan greeted us with hugs and smiles I knew I was home again." We may have felt like we had come a long way, but we knew our journey had just begun.

As we made our way to the two rented vans, Jan and Spiwo appeared somewhat astonished at the volume of luggage that were stacked on our carts... but they smiled widely, when they realized that more than half of what we carried was medical supplies, school materials and items donated for various programs. A change in schedule was made so we could deposit this part of our luggage at Spiwo's house. That way there would be enough room for all of us in the vans.

As Jan drove us from the airport through various areas that were previously segregated, we passed over a small bridge. You immediately saw a striking difference in the neighborhood. Jan said, "now we're in the township. Ahead is Guguletu." Part of the difficulty of this trip is the range of economic and social differences one sees immediately. From lavish homes to rickety shacks in a matter of a few blocks. One just has to think back to the distance of a 14-hour flight from Atlanta, to realize that the minute to pass a few blocks here is a far more dramatic ‘journey’.

Jan driving us into Guguleto

Fr. Jim Cassidy reminded us that there are many people elsewhere who travel with us. "We couldn't do this trip without remembering and appreciating the support of family and friends. We really feel their presence while we're here." So, we hope to send back thoughts and experiences of our journey.

We'll be sharing in the diversity of South Africa, starting tomorrow (Saturday) when we go to the Golden Girls Orphanage and attending a funeral. But, we'll also be able to tell you about some of the great things this country and its people have to share. Some are natural wonders, like Table Mountain we visited today (a mountain set along the coast that is the juncture of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans). It's big and beautiful. Others are small and simple. For example, Kate Cummings excited to share with us first-time travelers a South African treat called Koeksuster. Jan had shared it with her during her first visit last year. Think of small twisted roll of deep fried corn meal dough, covered in syrup and served chilled. Yummy.

Today we leave you with an Ethiopian proverb found on the wall of the J.L. Zwane Center...