Sunday was our new YASCer’s (Cortney) first Sunday at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. George and Sarah’s last. Suzanne, of course, put them both on the spot and made them stand up for the congregation. Fr. Eric Kelley was the guest preacher/celebrant. His sermon was bewildering to me, some would say terrible. I say “some” though because I found out later that although there were some harsh reviews by the young American segment of the cathedral, some of the older long-timers liked it and since they are the real congregation per se and we are guests of various lengths, that it’s ok. After mass, we went to 137 High St. Then it was haircut time. Therese cut Sarah’s hair back at the sub deanery and then mine. She did a great job.
The evening service for Sunday was Taize. This was much better put together than the Taize during the festival, which came off “showy.” Plus, no Rastafarians were playing loud music outside to interrupt the periods of reflection.
Monday, Steve, Cortney, Therese, and I went to Amasango School to visit “Mama” Jane and get an introduction to her work there. It is a school for street children that just recently got gov’t funding for enough staff, but still operates out of an abandoned train station that is falling apart. It is quite a site. Rotting buildings crammed with children and staff surrounded by barbed wire. They teach up to grade 7, but have student who are up to 20 years old. Jane is a long time educator in South Africa who is fluent in isiXhosa and has a passion for reaching these kids that is unparalleled.
We went to Mama Jane’s house for dinner that night. We met some other Americans who are in Grahamstown who are from Smyrna, Tennessee of all places. Jane told us incredible stories all night and fed us a dish found among the Afrikaners that is actually Malay and was brought to S. Africa by the slaves captured by the Dutch. It was a sweet meat dish.
Tuesday was my last Morning Prayer/Breakfast/Staff meeting combo for the summer. There I got my preaching assignment for this Sunday’s Student Service: “How Can I Be Sure of My Faith?” which apparently comes out of the Alpha course. I don’t know not having done Alpha, but that is my assignment. After that, my day was pretty lazy. This week, my field ed is “officially” over so other than odds and ends at the cathedral I really don’t have much to do except relax before the Contextual Theology Programme begins next week. What that meant is that we ate baked potatoes and watched 7 de laan and Law and Order.
Wednesday, Therese and I went to Christ Church (Anglican), which is a “Peculiar Church” in Grahamstown. Peculiar meaning that they are governed by an independent board of trustees and are Anglican by virtue of the fact that they have an Anglican priest who is licensed by the Diocese of Grahamstown (Fr. Richard, though, is in fact Church of England originally). The founders were an Anglican woman and a Methodist man so the church is decidedly “low church” and has half Anglican pews in front and Methodist box pews in the back to block processions of any kind. Also, worship there is predominantly out of the Book of Common Prayer 1662, though Fr. Richard has gotten them to agree to alternating An Anglican Prayer Book 1989 on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. We went to the 1662 mid-week service. I couldn’t take the service seriously because of how much this service reminded me of the first episode of Vicar of Dibley before the new Vicar arrives. Fr. Richard is not the kind of guy we expected to be at a church like that. Once everyone left (4 people), he gave us a tour of the building and told us that he is used to experimental/post-modern liturgies and even finds the 1989 liturgies archaic. For those who have no experience with the 1989, it is a more rigid and high and dry liturgy compared to the 1979 in the US. It was interesting to hear Fr. Richard talk about his priesthood and experiences at this church, which isn’t at all like his personal views. To his credit, he loves the congregation and isn’t trying to convince them they’re wrong.
Therese and I then went with Steve to the International Library of African Music where we got a tour by Andrew Tracey, the foremost musicologist on the continent. We went through hundreds of intruments of all types from all over the continent and he would just pick them up at random and play, sing, and dance music from whichever culture that instrument came from. He also showed us the studio where they are transferring all their recordings from around the continent to digital and putting them on their website where people can buy downloads. They are committed to ensuring none of this music is lost forever.
That afternoon the three of us went with Suzanne to the SPCA to pick up a dog for Home of Joy Orphanage in Joza (a township). The children were all very excited to have Sweety come. In the course of this endeavor, we learned that one of the girls there is “retarded now because her dad hit her in the head with a hammer.” That is about the most horrible thing one hears, but it is so sinfully common that it rolls of the tongue of locals with the same ease an American would say, “I ran into so and so.”
For dinner, we cooked a farewell dinner for Suzanne, which included a wonderful cake baked by Cortney.
Thursday, Suzanne left for Lambeth. I didn’t really do anything all day except walk with Therese to Raphael Centre and then to a store to buy a notebook. Later on, I went with Therese and Cortney to the store to buy supplies for “girl’s night.” I was needed to carry back the firewood. Steve and I went to Calabash for “traditional South African.” I don’t know how traditional it was because our meal was very expensive by local standards – R311 for the two of us. I had a Tornado Kowie – a 300g steak stuffed with mussels, and butternut squash and spinach on the side. I also convinced Steve to try escargot for his first time. For desert, I had an ice cream pancake (think of a crepe with ice cream inside). We were going to go see a movie, but dinner took 3 hours.
Friday could have been very relaxing, but stuff kept happening. First, the power went out. It was not our fault like it has been in the past, it was apparently a circuit thing. It didn’t matter because then the alarm went off. Not having a clue what to do, I went to the front to wait for the police and/or hitec security. Steve went to the deanery to find out if someone could help us. HiTec sent an armed response vehicle with two huge Afrikaner guys with vests, batons, and guns. Though ready for battle, they were very polite and understanding. Then Steve returned with help and now we know how to work the alarm.
That afternoon, the four of us went to Raphael Centre. There we found out that a girl at Victoria School for Girls committed suicide the night before with her father’s (a cop) gun. I was later told to seriously pray for VSG because whenever they have a suicide it is usually followed by a wave of suicides for weeks. Last year they discovered a suicide pact of six students – it wasn’t discovered until after the first 4 had hanged themselves one at a time every other weekend according to the prearranged list.
Anyway, we met up with some people from Raphael Centre and then went out to this school for a pep rally/AIDS awareness workshop/distribution of school uniforms for township children. I wasn’t always sure of what was going on, but I had a nice chat with Rev. Kevin, a Methodist pastor, and I really enjoyed the Jabez Choir even though I haven’t a clue what they were singing about.
Today the four of us are going to Addo Elephant Park. Steve and Cortney haven’t been yet and Therese and I are more than willing to go again.
The evening service for Sunday was Taize. This was much better put together than the Taize during the festival, which came off “showy.” Plus, no Rastafarians were playing loud music outside to interrupt the periods of reflection.
Monday, Steve, Cortney, Therese, and I went to Amasango School to visit “Mama” Jane and get an introduction to her work there. It is a school for street children that just recently got gov’t funding for enough staff, but still operates out of an abandoned train station that is falling apart. It is quite a site. Rotting buildings crammed with children and staff surrounded by barbed wire. They teach up to grade 7, but have student who are up to 20 years old. Jane is a long time educator in South Africa who is fluent in isiXhosa and has a passion for reaching these kids that is unparalleled.
We went to Mama Jane’s house for dinner that night. We met some other Americans who are in Grahamstown who are from Smyrna, Tennessee of all places. Jane told us incredible stories all night and fed us a dish found among the Afrikaners that is actually Malay and was brought to S. Africa by the slaves captured by the Dutch. It was a sweet meat dish.
Tuesday was my last Morning Prayer/Breakfast/Staff meeting combo for the summer. There I got my preaching assignment for this Sunday’s Student Service: “How Can I Be Sure of My Faith?” which apparently comes out of the Alpha course. I don’t know not having done Alpha, but that is my assignment. After that, my day was pretty lazy. This week, my field ed is “officially” over so other than odds and ends at the cathedral I really don’t have much to do except relax before the Contextual Theology Programme begins next week. What that meant is that we ate baked potatoes and watched 7 de laan and Law and Order.
Wednesday, Therese and I went to Christ Church (Anglican), which is a “Peculiar Church” in Grahamstown. Peculiar meaning that they are governed by an independent board of trustees and are Anglican by virtue of the fact that they have an Anglican priest who is licensed by the Diocese of Grahamstown (Fr. Richard, though, is in fact Church of England originally). The founders were an Anglican woman and a Methodist man so the church is decidedly “low church” and has half Anglican pews in front and Methodist box pews in the back to block processions of any kind. Also, worship there is predominantly out of the Book of Common Prayer 1662, though Fr. Richard has gotten them to agree to alternating An Anglican Prayer Book 1989 on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. We went to the 1662 mid-week service. I couldn’t take the service seriously because of how much this service reminded me of the first episode of Vicar of Dibley before the new Vicar arrives. Fr. Richard is not the kind of guy we expected to be at a church like that. Once everyone left (4 people), he gave us a tour of the building and told us that he is used to experimental/post-modern liturgies and even finds the 1989 liturgies archaic. For those who have no experience with the 1989, it is a more rigid and high and dry liturgy compared to the 1979 in the US. It was interesting to hear Fr. Richard talk about his priesthood and experiences at this church, which isn’t at all like his personal views. To his credit, he loves the congregation and isn’t trying to convince them they’re wrong.
Therese and I then went with Steve to the International Library of African Music where we got a tour by Andrew Tracey, the foremost musicologist on the continent. We went through hundreds of intruments of all types from all over the continent and he would just pick them up at random and play, sing, and dance music from whichever culture that instrument came from. He also showed us the studio where they are transferring all their recordings from around the continent to digital and putting them on their website where people can buy downloads. They are committed to ensuring none of this music is lost forever.
That afternoon the three of us went with Suzanne to the SPCA to pick up a dog for Home of Joy Orphanage in Joza (a township). The children were all very excited to have Sweety come. In the course of this endeavor, we learned that one of the girls there is “retarded now because her dad hit her in the head with a hammer.” That is about the most horrible thing one hears, but it is so sinfully common that it rolls of the tongue of locals with the same ease an American would say, “I ran into so and so.”
For dinner, we cooked a farewell dinner for Suzanne, which included a wonderful cake baked by Cortney.
Thursday, Suzanne left for Lambeth. I didn’t really do anything all day except walk with Therese to Raphael Centre and then to a store to buy a notebook. Later on, I went with Therese and Cortney to the store to buy supplies for “girl’s night.” I was needed to carry back the firewood. Steve and I went to Calabash for “traditional South African.” I don’t know how traditional it was because our meal was very expensive by local standards – R311 for the two of us. I had a Tornado Kowie – a 300g steak stuffed with mussels, and butternut squash and spinach on the side. I also convinced Steve to try escargot for his first time. For desert, I had an ice cream pancake (think of a crepe with ice cream inside). We were going to go see a movie, but dinner took 3 hours.
Friday could have been very relaxing, but stuff kept happening. First, the power went out. It was not our fault like it has been in the past, it was apparently a circuit thing. It didn’t matter because then the alarm went off. Not having a clue what to do, I went to the front to wait for the police and/or hitec security. Steve went to the deanery to find out if someone could help us. HiTec sent an armed response vehicle with two huge Afrikaner guys with vests, batons, and guns. Though ready for battle, they were very polite and understanding. Then Steve returned with help and now we know how to work the alarm.
That afternoon, the four of us went to Raphael Centre. There we found out that a girl at Victoria School for Girls committed suicide the night before with her father’s (a cop) gun. I was later told to seriously pray for VSG because whenever they have a suicide it is usually followed by a wave of suicides for weeks. Last year they discovered a suicide pact of six students – it wasn’t discovered until after the first 4 had hanged themselves one at a time every other weekend according to the prearranged list.
Anyway, we met up with some people from Raphael Centre and then went out to this school for a pep rally/AIDS awareness workshop/distribution of school uniforms for township children. I wasn’t always sure of what was going on, but I had a nice chat with Rev. Kevin, a Methodist pastor, and I really enjoyed the Jabez Choir even though I haven’t a clue what they were singing about.
Today the four of us are going to Addo Elephant Park. Steve and Cortney haven’t been yet and Therese and I are more than willing to go again.
