Quick visit in South Africa

On our way to Namibia we stayed in South Africa for three days. It was so goooood to meet our friends from Arethabeng School once again. Unfortunately we didn't get to the school on time in order to see the kids because of our flight. But we met the whole staff. Once again we felt the importance of this friendship. In Arethabeng they had toughts of the children of this friendship school project on their wall. I enjoyed reading them.
In the evening we had braai (barbecue) in our host family. Most of tha staff of Aethabeng came there too. I love their way of getting together and spend time talking and eating in a very relaxed way. Everyone is working together to make it happen.
The next day we were taken to Haartebeespoort Dam. That was an amazing place about 45 minutes away from Pretoria. The scenery was so beautiful!
We also had a short visit in Pretoria. Jacarandas were still blooming even tough the best time had passed. We loved those Jacarandas!
The view from the union building:
On our way back to Soshanguve we saw a wedding seremony. That was so interesting. The joyful dancing and singing on their way to the seremony tent was something different!
First came six pairs dancing (I guess best mans and pride's maids), then came the bride and groom and others followed them. It was so cool!

In the evening we had braai in a white South African family. We enjoyed that a lot too. Somehow I didn't take any pictures there. Anyway we get to swim in a pool and eat meat that was actually hunted by the man of the house. The food was soooooooo delicious and we loved the company. But the highlight of this short visit was yet to come.
In the morning we went to the local lutheran church with our host family. It was something different. I can't find the words to discribe the experience! When we walked in the congregation was singing hymns in voices and the church chimed! So right from the beginning we felt God's presence. The seremony was in Sesotho but even tough we couldn't understand anything we didn't get bored. I think we would need more of that spirit into our churches.
Anyway even tough we had just two-nights visit in South Africa it was once again an experience that won't be forgotten. And even tough it was already the third time in South Africa it was unique and something very special. Part of my heart definately belongs to South Africa.

Visiting Namibia

In November I had a chance to visit Namibia for a week. We had a story crafting workshop there in our new friendship school. The week was very interesting and Namibia is definately a country worth visiting.
This time we stayed in a hotel right outside of the city of Windhoek called Country Club Resort. Of course it was luxurious but I would have prefered staying at homes like we always did in South Africa. That way you get to know the people and the country and its culture better. Inside the hotel you felt like you could have been where ever in the world. Well, you don't get to eat crocodile in a hotel in Finland!
Namutuni School (our new friendship school) looked a lot like same our friendship school in South Africa. Classes full of enthusiastic learners with a great volume of singing. One thing was different. These learners and teachers already new a lot of from Finland. Actually the principal and two other teachers were educated by Finnish missionaries and the language they used got its written form by Finnish missionaries and Finnish Martti Ahtisaari played a very important role in Namibia's strive for independence. Many teachers and kids had Finnish names.

We had a story crafting workshop for the teachers in Namutuni School. We have used story crafting in our friendship school activity with Arethabeng school from South Africa earlier. Then we published a book Tunne kieleni - Tseba leleme la ka.

We like the simple but powerful method. It's simple: Someone tells a story and other one writes it down just like the person told it. It's a way for us to give children a voice. There were three of us from Finland and two from South Africa in the workshop and the whole staff of Namutuni School. We really had good time together and results of the workshop you are going to be able to read from our next book done with Arethabeng School, Mikkola School and Namutuni School. It will be published in next September.
The dancing group of Namutuni School performed us some traditional dances. I enjoyed that a lot!

While we were in Namibia we had to go to see some animals too. We enjoyed watching the animals and in the evening we ate rather many of those animals in a local restaurant. I didn't like the crocodile but zepra and specially the ostrich was very good!

Can you see the crocodile?
Look how close to the car the rhinos came. It was almost scary!
This is how the animals look on a plate (kudu, ostrich, sprinbok, crocodile and zepra).

In between the workshop days we had time for shopping in downtown of Windhoek. Windhoek is nice little town with modern shopping malls but Katutura the township where Namutuni School is felt more like Africa.
One evening we took a taxi to take us to the near by mountain to see the sun set.We had many beautiful moments and sights in Namibia but the most important thing we gained is new friends. Here with us two teachers, Veripi and Martha, from Namutuni School with us (me and Tuuli another teacher from Mikkola School).

Voortrekker Monument

On our visit to our friendship school we also visited several places after school, one was Voortrekker Monument. It was a very impressive place to visit. It was also interesting to hear some history of the whites in South Africa while we were most of our time with blacks and we didn't have any contact to white population. The Monument was built in honour of the Voortrekkers (Pioneers), who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854.

It's been estimated that 12 000 Boers (farmers in Afrikaans, the trekkers) migrated from Cape Colony because they weren't happy with British rulers, they wanted to find more fertile land to farm and avoid border wars with xhosa-speaking groups. It's called the Great Trek. During their trek Voortrekkers got in conflict with Zulus. On December 16, 1838, Voortrekkers were able to defeat the Zulus in the Battle of Blood River. The Boers attributed their victory to a vow they made to God before the battle: if victorious, they and future generations would commemorate the day as a Sabbath. Cenotaph, the central focus of the Monument, is there to remind people of that vow. Through an opening in this dome the sun shines at twelve o'clock on 16 December each year onto the middle of the Cenotaph.

The Monument is huge: 40 metres high, with a base of 40 metres by 40 metres. It's situated on a beautiful place right outside of Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. The view from the Monument is amazing. After passing through the gate one finds oneself inside a big laager consisting of 64 ox-wagons made out of decorative granite. The same number of wagons were used at the Battle of Blood River to form the laager. There is also

Monument was massive also from inside. I only had hard time with our pupils while I tried to translate at least something to them of the presentation to keep them not to die of boredom. Of course I couldn't do it - listen and try to understand and translate at the same time. Well, I enjoyed all I could see and rest I can always study afterwards...



There is a beautiful frieze inside the Monument. It's made of marble. The frieze consists of 27 bas-relief panels depicting the history of the Great Trek as well as the every day life, work methods, religious beliefs and way of life of the Voortrekkers.
I am little pit scared of hights so I didn't feel very comfortable up on the Monument but as I mentioned earlier the view was beautiful. Just don't look straight down! And it also helps that the Monument is built of granite and made very steady and strong. Go and experience it yourself!