South Africa Day 5

Finally some sunshine today!  It has been torrential raining since I have arrived, weird weather Riana says for summer time.  I am at Daniela and Lucas' house in Pretoria.  Lucas is in Namibia for work and Daniela is also working.  I am staying in today because I have been fighting some kind of cold bug and trying to rest and be 100% before camp starts Friday. (This ended up being little lengthy please read when you have time)

Recap of the last few days: 

Riana and I did go to Pilanesburg animal reserve on Sunday.  A 4 hour drive Joburg I got to see the country side along the way.  You wouldn't believe how green and lush it is right now.  Aside from being the largest man made forest in the world (in Joburg all the trees were planted by man and continue to with dedication) there are rolling green hills outside the city limits, it reminds me of my favorite part of the drive to SF right before you reach Vallejo.  

The animal reserve is enormous and gives a sanctuary for wild animals. It was very Jurassic park, imagine Riana has a FJ cruiser and you drive along trails anxiously searching for animals.  As soon as we drove in we saw a male elephant....oh my god he was massive and so beautiful.  Super pumped we watched him for bit and continued driving, that day we say impala, springbuck, pumba pigs, other kinds of buffalo, giraffe and much more.  We then checked out Sun City resort which is nestled in the mountains...you should google it.  It was a palace/hotel/resort meets wild waters.  We had lunch at Santorini restaurant which surprisingly had amazing kefthedes.

Riana got called into work for a surprise audit so her friend Aret offered to host me.  Aret is in her 50s super sassy and youthful and married to Henrick a lawyer.  They live in a swanky beautiful suburb Kilanesburg with their youngest of 5 children Christian.  They are all incredibly tall and gorgeous, speak perfect English and are super kind and not pretentious.  I spent two days with Aret where she talked my ear off (I was warned by Riana and Daniela), but we truly had a great time.  We discussed everything from politics, apartheid, medicine, education, Reno, my family her family...on and on.  She was very knowledgable on everything South Africa so I was excited to pick her brains. The first day with her we checked out another game reserve where I played with 4 month old white lion cubs...cutest little things ever...even when they try to bite.  Don't worry I took lots of pics and video. Also saw a rhino and her baby out feeding, literally so beautiful.  We also went to Maraping also known as the "cradle of civilization" which refers to this part of SA where there are about 13 archeological sites of fossils of our Original ancestors.  The best skull found here is called Mrs Ples and she was Australopithecus africanus and another full skeleton at another site.  There was a great museum discussing all the hominid ancestors and discussing evolution, earth origin etc.  it's the first time I've ever seen one of these hominid remnants that I have learned about for so many years in biology class.  

The second day with Aret we checked out the gym where is I was in a sea of GORGEOUS people.  South Africans are very vain, very concerned with the state of their skin, hair and body, and very very nice to look at.  I had to laugh because I was literally speechless when I walked in the gym....although it could have been the spaceship I was trying to operate that was the treadmill.  This treadmill had so many buttons: iPod, tv, movies, fan and also joysticks for incline and speed.  I'm telling you I have not seen anything like them in the states...and who do you expect is behind this wonderland gym that also played incredible house music so loud I felt I was at burning man instead of running my ass off...Sir Richard Branson.  Apparently Virgin enterprise now operates gyms and health centers...well played Sir, well played. 

I had an interesting situation with Maria, Aret's family housekeeper of 27 years.  As per usual custom in the states to take the sheets off the bed you used at a friends/relatives house i proceeded with it thinking I would give her less work.  Well later that first day, I learned I was staying another night since Rianas audit was ongoing, I walked to my room and there was Maria. I say "hi it's so nice to meet you Maria, I am Anna Maria" she gives me a sassy look and points to the pile of sheets I had stripped. I said "oh yes I'm sorry I took them off because I thought I was only staying one night" she stands their with her hands on her hips and mumbles "mmmhmmmm" I said "no really, I'm sorry that's how we do it at home, I was just trying to be nice" she says "uh huh yeah ok" clearly not convinced and probably thinking I'm sort of princess that needs her sheets changed everyday. Nuts.

Which leads me to an interesting aspect of SA life, everyone has a maid/housekeeper/domestic and a gardener.  All of them are black and some will literally walk 3-4 hours to get to that job.  Some are treated very well, like the ones Aret, Riana and Daniela employ...for ex Aret's family bought her a house in the township, buy her medicine and clothes and sometimes share special holidays together.  Others are paid half as much and are treated with the same racist attitude as in apartheid.   Today Daniela's "domestic" is here, her picked out English name is Future, very young and sweet...but I am so uncomfortable around her. Not because she is Black, but the idea of a Black person working for white person in the house just makes me think of the south and US history.   The concept is such a stigma for most of us in the US and I certainly never grew up having maids around so it's very hard me for to grasp.  Same with Maria, they both have treated me a certain way, with respect and trying to follow me around to clean up after me and I've had to say, "it's ok, I can do it" :).

This country suffers from a violent past and old wounds that have not healed.  The new ANC Or the African National Congress serves as pretty much the main political party here.  They currently have a member of their group, Zuma, serving as president.  Zuma apparently has no experience in politics, government or social work.  He implements corruption and hardly does anything for his own kind.  White people, English and Afrikaaners are the minority now in this county.  The president has created mandates that give their jobs to Black people.  Trying to create more balance is fine, but poorly educated Blacks are being given positions of power in government, education, trade etc and are failing...thus giving into corruptible behaviors. This leads to a crumbling of basic needs, like education: a school district did not have books for a full year because someone took a kickback from a supplier of textbooks, the textbooks were never delivered and later found floating in a river. Hundreds of textbooks gone.  There are kickbacks everywhere: a guy comes up with a fictitious business and bids on a government project.  He bids high and over estimates costs.  He then gets in touch with a government official working with the project, he offers a cut of the bid award if he is given the job.  He get the job, he gives the cut, takes the rest and the project is never completed.

What makes sense to me is it is a typical example of colonialism.  A native people overtaken by foreigners, then told how to live their lives and by what means usually finds themselves relying on said foreigners for everything.  That is exactly what is happening today...there is lack of initiative and sometimes such utter despair that it is easier to just ask for the handout or turn to crime.  Mix in tribal values then overrun by Christian missionaries, you now have native population living on values that work when they want them to.  On top of that, they see a happy life as one full of cars, $$, houses and clothes and they strive for that.

Not to say that the whites are angels over here.  Apartheid was awful, truly awful and they continue to pay for past decisions and mistakes.