Saturday, September 13, 2008

Here nurses are called sisters. Everything is very family oriented. The proper way to address an elder is to say "Molo tata" (if the person appears to be a male & about your father's age) or "Molo mama" (if about your mother's age). Molo means hello. After the church service (which was about 3-4 hours), there were some snacks they prepared for our group (ordinarily there are no snacks, and there is no bread or communion to share). After we left, we stopped for a short time at the Vangate Mall and ate lunch, and then began our township tour of Khayletisha, the crossroads, and Manenburg. Everywhere surrounding us were small shacks with dirt floors packed right next to each other, with men, women, & children barefooted and roaming around. Everyone turned to stare - we certainly stood out being white-skinned and wearing nice church clothing. Most places didn't even have 4 walls..there were old trucks turned into houses, with a fire in the middle to cook their meals. On the streets was garbage, people openly relieving themselves, and in some parts, outdoor grilling (which they call a "bry" here). We stopped to visit a maternity hospital, which resembled a jail to me. There were cement walls, with open rooms for multiple mothers birthing their babies - no privacy, no comfort, and all patients had to bring their own linens. There was one mother who had just given birth, all alone with her infant, with no family or husband nearby. It was certainly a change from in the States.

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