JR feeling blessed

I feel very blessed with the opportunities that I have been given over the past few weeks.  Through my internship, we were able to go to a pay point to hand out pamphlets to inform people on their rights.  It was refreshing to get out of the office and into the field to get to see our work in action.  It was interesting to be out in the field and see how our work affects the community; we had several people thank us for being there, and we were able to hand out a lot of flyers, which hopefully people will read and get informed. 

JR enjoying sense of community

 Another opportunity I was lucky to have was the ability to stay in Ocean View this past weekend.  My roommate Carl and I were lucky enough to stay with an interesting family, one that was very open with us on anything we were curious about.  I was very interested in hearing people’s ideas on South African government, and we were lucky that our family was not shy in giving their opinions, many of which surprised and intrigued.  It was very interesting to hear how Uncle Roger has no remorse about switching parties to the Democratic Alliance, a rival party in SA, while our Aunt Roseanne still has those ties to the ANC, the party of liberation for blacks and coloreds in SA.  It was also nice to be able to draw comparisons between South African policy and U.S. policy, particularly the profiling of blacks/coloreds and how it mirrors the policy of the U.S.  Roseanne mentioned how if a black person is caught stealing, he is labeled a thief, while if a white person is caught stealing; they are given counseling, because something must be wrong.  It was really an honor and a pleasure to be able to talk to them about the way of life in South Africa, as well as life in the U.S.

I was also very impressed by the sense of community in Ocean View.  Our host family kept reiterating to us that “everybody knows everybody” in Ocean View, and that because of that everyone looks out for each other.  Kids are free to roam the streets, knowing that there’s somebody with an eye on them, somewhere in the neighborhood.  It made me nostalgic to a time I’ve never been to.  My Dad would often talk about how when he was a kid he would just go outside and just to be back home when it got dark.  It’s a shame that we can no longer do that in America, with a majority of folks paralyzed with fear over “stranger danger”.  To me, it leads people to be skeptical and afraid of anybody that unfamiliar to them, which I think is a hard way to live.  I felt a real sense of togetherness in Ocean View that I’ve never felt anywhere in the United States.