A gentle chiding--and a South Africa recap

I've been chided by Miss Karali for not posting some thoughts and photos about South Africa. My apologies. Below are some of my thoughts from right after we got back. I'm also including a link to some photos for you to peruse (if we haven't subjected you to them already).

So we're back from Africa, and it was an amazing holiday. We were able to see and do so many things, and I met so many wonderful people. I am amazed at how generous the people were to us even though they had so little. I loved seeing another culture and roaming about the country, but it's good to be back home too. When we got back to our little house I almost cried I was so happy. I had almost forgotten how much I love my home.

Really and truly a life-changing experience. The animals were incredible, the country was a blend of sub-tropical and semi-arid regions, and Chad was a great tour guide. We did a lot of touristy things, and we had a lot of fun. But what will stay with me the longest will be the things I don’t have pictures of and can’t adequately describe. 

South Africa is not a third-world country. It’s the richest country in Africa. But at times you feel as though you were in a third-world country. It’s amazing to go from big cities and sophisticated lifestyles to shantytowns (“houses” constructed from pieces of tin, cardboard, or other scraps with communal water taps and fires) and people fighting for survival just minutes away. 

The crime there is rampant in some areas. Although we were never in real danger (Chad was great at staying away from dangerous situations, even in dangerous areas), you could still feel the uneasiness in the air. Even when we were locked inside the car, we had to be careful not to have cameras or other gadgets out since people will smash in your window and grab the item at a stop sign if they want it badly enough. There were lots of things I would have liked to take pictures of, but didn’t feel like I could. (And Chad didn't recommend it either.)

I also felt my whiteness as I’ve never felt it before. It was really only apparent when we were in the poorest areas. I don’t think these kids had ever seen (or maybe just touched) a white person before. They kept touching my skin, my hair, and signing to me that I had a big nose. 

There were a lot of beautiful experiences as well. The people Chad taught and baptized were amazing. They know what it’s like to hold on to their faith and to have hope. They’re happy with so little. And they have an amazing breadth of knowledge. We were talking to this one young woman (she’s 17) who was amazingly articulate and incredibly bright. She was telling us about the challenges she faces in school and church, and her perspective was so broad and insightful. Compared to the 17-year-olds in my young women, the difference was night and day. She’s experienced life far beyond the breadth and depth of all my young women combined. I’m still pondering on the things she said and the feelings she left me with. My life is definitely privileged. Far beyond what I recognized previously. 

Lots of questions still roam my mind, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had to go. South Africa is an amazing place, and I loved seeing who and where Chad served. I even got a taste of the missionary life when we kept going from one house to the next; exhausting! We also got to go to the Johannesburg temple, which was a neat experience. We were 2 of the 5 patrons in a room that only holds 22. It was tiny and intimate, but so reverent and special. I love that temples are the same no matter where you go. The logistics may run a little different, but the doctrines and teachings are the same. I love that about church as well. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in England, Indiana, Brazil, Idaho, or South Africa; you’ll learn the same basic principles.

And of course, the animals were amazing. I love watching elephants and giraffes move. There's something enthralling about the movement of such huge creatures. At one point, an elephant walked across and down the road right along my side of the car. He was just ambling along, swinging his trunk and flapping his ears to keep cool. I can still hear him breathing and his ears flapping and his huge feet hitting the pavement. It was a completely calm feeling, and as my first experience with the animals, it was totally amazing. It's a sound I don't think I'll ever forget. We saw all of the big 5 animals (elephant, leopard, lion, rhino, and water buffalo) in the wild along with tons of other animals. And we saw a baby of just about every variety. They were so cute!

And of course, one of the highlights was playing with the baby lions. Wow, they were cute. It was a really hot day, so they were mostly just laying around, but one got a little playful and gave us a great photo shoot. He even sucked on our thumbs when we put our hands out. Yes, I have had my hand in a lion's mouth. I know, it sounds more adventurous than it really was, but it'll be a great story to tell for years to come. :)

Kara, I hope this very long post will help you to forgive me for my negligence.