So today it has been 7 years since I lost my grandmother, Lorraine Spinks, to natural causes. Even though she passed in the PHYSICAL she has been with me SPIRITUALLY all the way. I wonder what she would say if she knew that I traveled all the way to South Africa, VOLUNTARILY (daydreaming a little)...
We woke up early today and are now in the SIT office where we have daily lessons and lectures everyday from 7am-4pm. Today we talked about the health of South Africa and had our second lesson on ZULU. Sad Fact: South Africa is .6% of the WORLD population but is home to 17% of the worlds HIV/AIDS cases. Being informed and taking care of our sexual health is pertinent to a healthy and long life. People aren't dying of AIDS as much as they use to because of the advancement in medicine but it would be nice to SAVE all that heartache and just say WRAP IT UP!!
(Ok...Being Serious Now) In my group there are 4 girls who identify with the African American race and 14 boys/girls who identify with the Caucasian race. I must say that in only 5 days I have been offended more than once in this group by the remarks that have been made in observation of the South African culture. Even though I have not yet found my ancestral tribe I still identify with locals. I actually had a local man come up to me and speak Zulu for at least a full minute before I informed him I was american. I already knew I would possibly be offended on this trip and it is has forced me to think before I SPEAK when it comes to other cultures. I see parts of me that I need to change by observing them. By the end of this trip I WILL be a better person, I guarantee it!
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