Yoh! Rhinos

soccer

here are some pics of the boyz playing soccer.

kevin, colin, paul, and luc

boy boy

calvin and puntsa

sphatlo

so finally we have real life images of the famous sphatlo!
highly recommended after a long morning of soccer :)

4 weeks in Soshanguve--from Kevin

The community here in Soshanguve never ceases to amaze me. Simply put, people look out for each other. It’s still hard to get my head around the fact that this “township” has a population between 1.5 – 2 million. Once you enter, it’s a different world than “the city”. I quickly noticed that people here really look out for one another and neighbors know each other. There are several elements to this; houses are pretty close together, most fences are low enough to see over or see through and there are tons of kids which instantly link families. While I’ve just scratched the surface of learning about the culture and people of this place, the close knit community is something that I’m struck by and know goes much deeper than I’ll be able to appreciate in my brief time here. It’s interesting that while “community” is what stands out to me, the stigma surrounding Soshanguve is that it is violent and unsafe. I have yet to ever feel “unsafe” here. I recognize my experience is tainted by the fact that I am an obvious foreigner, but I feel I’ve experienced enough normal day to day life here that I can confidently say that this stigma is not accurate. It’s staggering to think this township is close to the size of Dallas. To get an idea of the social walls that separate the “township” of Soshanguve from the “city” of Pretoria, imagine if the entirety of Dallas had the stigma of being violent and unsafe and nobody from the tons of surrounding suburbs ever went there. Imagine if it was a laughable idea for people in Irving, Lewisville, or Plano to enter Dallas. That’s similar to the social and geographical dynamics here. Obviously there are big discrepancies in the comparison but I think there is something to be said that in general, “mekuah” (white people) simply Do Not enter the townships. It’s a forgone conclusion that you just don’t go there. Local whites laugh at the idea…literally, they often think I’m joking when I say I’m going to Sosh. So it’s strange entering this ‘foreign’ world and finding it completely different from the local perception. I don’t mean this in a judgmental way at all but rather as a source of hope. I think the more people that enter Soshanguve, the more the negative stigma will fade away and the beauty of the people here and their way of life will touch and inspire it’s visitors both from South Africa and around the world. I’ll end by sharing a few examples of how I feel a beautiful community of ingenuity, creativity, and loyalty has grown in and out of the absence of resources and infrastructure.
The old saying “It takes a village to raise a child” seems lived out to it’s most noble ideal here. My host family consistently has neighbors’ kids over for dinner and are a huge influence in their upbringing. Our neighbors to the left recently had plumbing issues and at least three other households have got involved in the repair project, all the way from helping dig a new plumbing line to finding supplies. “Babysitting” is a non-issue on our block. When adults need to leave home, their children, whether infant or adolescent are looked after with open arms by neighbors. As soon folks found out I played soccer I was invited by two different teams to join in on their training. People here get around mostly by local taxis (mini-vans). You squish as many people in as you can and it’s a team effort to make change for the driver and get everybody where they need to be in areas with no street names. Usually people in taxis are very surprised to see me (being white) and are very accommodating. I’ve had everything from life advice to language lessons given to me by fellow taxi passengers. There’s much more to say and so much more for me to learn. But I thank God for the people here and how wonderfully they’ve welcomed me. Four weeks in Sosh has been food for the soul, heart, and mind.

Soshangroovy