Two weeks in Africa by Beth Wells.... So today marks exactly two weeks since my arrival in rural Free State South Africa. And it’s been an enlightening, frustrating, overwhelming, intense and amazing experience so far.
The warmth and the welcome from the people I’ve met has been incredible, but there’s a lot that is very different from my life back in the UK…
The pace of life is slow here, it’s hard to get momentum with things and there’s an incredible amount of space which from a girl whose spent the last three years living in a northern UK city pad is most definitely a change of pace!
I purchased a sofa this week and so little happens here that most of my neighbours came round to test it out and sit on it (it’s okay I’ve been told it’s very good and I can keep it, so that’s a relief!).
My endlessly patient Assistant Manager has taken it upon himself (thankfully) to be my language tutor with the aspiration of me learning one Sesotho and one Afrikaans phrase at least per week. I’ve learnt to apologise (profusely) for my poor Sesotho, so that seems to be going a long way in helping when I meet people.
In the community life here is hard, and raw – problems with high unemployment, poor levels of education, teenage pregnancy, endemic racism, drugs and substance abuse are rife and there is just so much need for support that it does become overwhelming. When I think of these things I remember that’s why we as a charity are here, for the vital services that we provide for these young people. Although on a daily and weekly basis I can see the increased confidence and difference in the individuals we work with, it might be that I won’t see the full benefit of our work during my short time here. But 5 or 10 years from now I know we will have made a real and tangible difference to this community.
Beth Wells, Operations Manager - South Africa