Journal Entry 30: Aaron's Visit

I've known Aaron - I don’t believe I’m about to say this - 13 years. Good Lord! Is that right? In 1994, my brother was a freshman at the College of William & Mary. He and Aaron, the odd-ball New Englanders, had fast become friends with a small group of like minded douches. When I went down to Willamsburg to visit my brother that first year, I was struck by what pillars of maturity he and his college friends were: having water balloon fights in the dorms; elevating the process of giving wedgies into a damn-near religion; and walking around campus shouting “FreshMEN!” in unison to announce their ‘ominous’, by which I mean ‘lanky’, presence.


















Truly, visiting this clan made for some of my fondest memories ever. Ever ever. Having fun for the sake of having fun was their guiding principal. I don’t know how well they did in their classes - well, or well enough I’m almost sure - but in the classroom of life they were at the top of their class. In my opinion, the top of any class.


















Through my brother, Ray, I came to know Aaron pretty well. I’d continue to see him at W&M over the next four years, he stopped in at Wesleyan to help launch snowballs from the top of the (then) campus center with me, and we spent time together when he came to work as a semi-skilled worker in my brother’s summer labor force (with an emphasis on semi). Well, it was that or continue to mow the cemetery-lawns in Bedford, Mass. He was even a chauffer at my mother’s wedding. Dynamic!

After he finished working in the Caribbean and getting his Masters degree in Toronto, Aaron moved to the Bay Area. Before long, he made the jump across the Bay, from Oakland to San Francisco, where we lived together for the better part of two years. My brother and a certain Mathew Mendes lived with us on occasion as well.

Over those two years, Aaron became one of my best friends. We would often go running together (Aaron is an excellent runner), more often eat late-night burritos together, and, with my brother, stay up to watch John Stewart on Comedy Central religiously. We’ve come a long way since wedgies. Aaron even got me into surfing and before coming to the Peace Corps we took a road trip with our friend, Tim, from San Francisco deep in Baja, Mexico searching for the perfect wave. We didn’t find it.

So I was more than excited to see him step off the plane in Oliver Tambo National Airport this March. Not only did I have a great time with Aaron while he was in South Africa but, truth be told, I had just finished my most trying quarter and a familiar face like Aaron’s was just what the doctor ordered. Prancing around Venda, traversing national parks, surfing in Mozambique - err, why don’t I be quiet and let Aaron tell you all about our trip for himself. With no further ado…

It’s getting towards dusk when Eric and I set out – about the time we would have left for an after-work run two years ago. The sun is almost down coloring the surrounding hills a deep orange, and the temperature is still well into the 80’s.

We take a few strides down Eric’s street and immediately hear little voices. “Ma-shoo-doo!” “Ma-shoo-doo!” they call out. Mashudu, Eric’s adopted name, means “lucky” in Venda. Every so often, some of the little voices start running after us. For 50, 100, sometimes 200 meters they sprint alongside us laughing the whole way. I smile at them and laugh wearily as I struggle to keep pace in the dusky heat.

We leave Eric’s village, Tshikwarani, and continue on a wider dirt road, broken up by larger rocks and piles of cow dung. Though we’ve left behind the houses and rondavels (round huts) of the village, there is no shortage of people. A boy runs past us pushing a tire with a stick; older couples wave hello; a man in a blue worker’s smock calls out, “Sho, sho!” There are several small fires on the horizon, adding a slightly smoky taste to the air.

“Ma-shoo-doo!” “Ma-shoo-doo!” The calling starts again as we enter another village. Though we’re so obviously foreign, the villagers make us feel like guests of honor in a homecoming parade. “All riiiiight”, “Yes, yes”, they call out with beaming smiles and waving hands. Their enthusiasm turns my thoughts from jetlag, breathlessness and dehydration to enjoyment of this twilight run.

There are many memories of my trip, but going on that run is my strongest. Wherever I’ve gone, running has given me the best sense of the landscape and a community’s character. And it’s that run which comes to mind when I think about the hills and grasslands of Venda and the out in the streets, open way of life.

Despite the trip starting with a colossal bummer – Ray, Eric’s brother, was not able to come just before we were supposed to leave - the trip was an incredible introduction to Africa. In 10 days, I managed to see Venda, the wildlife of Kruger National Park, the Drakensburg Mountains, the beaches of Mozambique, the Mozambican capital of Maputo, and plenty of roads, towns, and people in between. Here are my strongest impressions:

1) South Africa is a well-developed and remarkably beautiful country.

Supposedly, I didn’t get to see the “really beautiful” part of South Africa: the area in and around Cape Town. But what I saw was stunning and reminded me of California. The dramatic mountains surrounded by fog, the agricultural regions that seemed capable of growing anything, and the weather felt familiar. But going into Kruger National Park and seeing elephants, flocks of impala and zebra, and a giraffe eating a tree was an only-in-Africa-experience. I was definitely not prepared for how awesome it is to see these animals in the wild.

All in all, South Africa is a resource-wealthy country. After going to Mozambique, I could appreciated how well developed South Africa’s roads, communication systems, and other infrastructure are. But, as people often said to me, South Africa is a first-world and a third-world country in one land. Great material wealth is there, as evidence by huge shopping malls, nice cars, and houses, but these seem to be exclusively for white South Africans. Blacks and “coloureds” (a generally accepted term for people who are of both black and white heritage) have so much less, especially those living in the former homelands set up by the Apartheid government.

2) South Africa is brimming with tension and poised to go through a great change.

Traveling with Eric’s friend, Portia, was an eye-opening experience. She’s bright, has a lively personality and irreverent sense of humor. I even got her to start (accurately) calling Eric a “big douche”! She seemed like someone who I could be friends with.

For two days, the 3 of us toured Venda and traveled through Kruger National Park. In markets, on van rides, and in the national park, white and black people constantly stared at us. People of different races really live separately in South Africa and only seem to interact within the context of a customer–server, worker–boss relationships. For the three of us to be together as equals seemed to be a completely alien concept.

I was also shocked to learn that even sport, which can bring such equity, is segregated. While in the city of Makhado, I bought a baseball hat that said “Kaizer Chiefs” as cover from the rain. Eric said that functionally this is no big deal - like wearing a New England Patriots hat in the States. However, everyone would stare. This is because the Kaizer Chiefs are a soccer team and soccer is a “black” sport. Whites, apparently, play rugby and cricket.

People certainly stared. In Mozambique, a white South African approached me to politely suggest that I remove the hat. (I politely told him no.) I found this all incredible considering that South Africa is going to host the 2010 World Cup.

For all the outrage I felt by this separate way of living, I am impressed by how South Africa has handled transition. To think that the government ended its official Apartheid policy, experienced the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, and established a new black-majority government without breaking into civil war is a stunning achievement. And before pointing a finger, I remember that our country only recently ended lawful segregation and that in many communities there is still de facto segregation.

I will be interested to watch how South Africa handles the next few years. The country must find a way to empower and share resources with so many people who have none, while avoiding the inane, reverse-racist policies that have left Zimbabwe in social and economic turmoil. South Africa also has the potential to be the leading force in sub-Saharan Africa, if not all of Africa. Especially with the world’s attention for the 2010 World Cup, I hope that it will continue to progress forward and maintain peace.

3) Big ups to Mashudu!

While in Africa, I read a book called Dark Star Safari, by Paul Theroux, which tells of Theroux’s trip from Cairo to Capetown. It was the perfect travel adventure to read about on my trip. But one area where I found the author unfair was his blanket disparagement of the aid workers and agencies he encountered. Theroux raises the excellent points that African problems require African solutions and that aid leads to dependency. But, is the alternative then to have no interaction among countries and cultures? No. And would Theoroux prefer this interaction to be more of what history has seen – first-world countries and companies taking third-world resources? No.

In my opinion, interaction among countries and cultures is positive when it comes in the form of fair commerce and genuine help. When technical assistance and other resources are offered with the ultimate goal of helping people become self-sufficient, I believe we are all better served. The solution is not to cast aside help, but change the way help is delivered.

From what I saw, I was impressed by the way that Eric is genuinely trying to help the people of his village. The assignment given to him by the Peace Corps is a really hard one – essentially to transform the way that Apartheid-era teachers practiced. While for years, teachers in black schools had only provided what little education was needed for the jobs available to blacks, Peace Corps volunteers are now being asked to get them to teach critical thinking skills and inspire children to become lawyers, doctors, and professionals rather than just laborers. This is going to take generations rather than a few years.

But Eric is doing his best to work with teachers and he’s helping in ways outside the job description. In particular, he’s organizing an AIDS Awareness Day, something that had never been done before in his community. And he’s doing it by getting the local community involved. I saw him speak before the “Civic Structure” to get the local government to inform people about the event. He’s getting a local DJ to provide entertainment and having three HIV positive South Africans speak. I understand he has even procured a cow, as would be customary for local events! Rather than having an event that is planned and run by foreigners, this one is being done according to local customs and really run by locals. All the elements are certainly there for the event to be run by Vendans in the future.

So, Eric, good job my friend. I was impressed by what you’re doing and the way that you have really learned the language and traditions of your region. As people kept saying about him while I was there, “He is a Venda!” Thanks for showing me around and providing a great introduction to Africa.