Day 5: Soshanguve (Block P)

10AM

There's a lot of finger pointing in the U.S. about our unemployment rate. I believe it's 9ish percent. In South Africa, half of the employable population does not have a job.

We visited one of the newest campuses of a faith-based education program called Popup. They serve those they call the "disempowered". They give them a foundation in faith first. Then they teach them skills that can help them start a business or find work. This campus is in the township. That means the skills they teach here are welding, bricklaying, plumbing...like that. There is constant need here for skilled laborers because the government, with international grants, is helping people who live in corrugated metal shacks by tearing them down and building new brick homes. This is creating jobs as well as homes, and more importantly, it is allowing town residents to start businesses of their own. It's cool to see a new economy emerging.

1230PM

We got to see the venue where the rally is going down. We met some of the crew we'll be working with. It's gonna be pretty rad. We haven't practiced at all yet. So we should do that.

2PM

I learned cricket today. I'm an excellent bowler. Tulani is teaching us the rules but we're too busy wreaking havoc with with the bat.

Here come the kids. Time to get in it.

5PM

Block P kids got attitude. This one dude was ragging on my shoes.

Him: what are your shoes called?
Me: Um...converse?
Him: Not all-star?
Me: No, one-star
Him: Ha! You only got one star!
Me: Little punk...

They sang to us, which ruled, but we were all taking pictures and video at first like they were some kind of spectacle. I didn't realize until afterward how we must have looked. Pastor Albert made us sing a song with them.

Pastor Albert, by the way, teaches old school. If you sit down with him, he'll just start preaching to you. If you try to converse with him, you better be on it, cause he'll straight call you on stuff. Like he was explaining how his church does not just bring people into the church but that they go out to bring Christ to the community and help orphans and widows. I chimed in with "that's what Jesus called true religion". He looked at me sideways and said "that's in James" and he called out chapter and verse. I was like "oh". After that I didn't say things.

Anyway, after the singing and the eating and the tambourine making, general shenanigans ensued.

530PM

Today I washed dishes, cleaned tables, carried this heavy-ace pot of chicken like a block and a half, played with kids, stapled paper plate tambourines, and tied shoes. Seriously, I don't even know who I am anymore. This really is true religion. I don't know who said it; Jesus, James, whatever. They were brothers or something right? So they were pitching around the same lines anyway. The point is, it's true. Normal religion is for wusses.