Tara's blog rocks!

So it is about 6:30 on Sunday morning. We are leaving Capetown today to head into the wine country. After dinner last night, we all went our separate ways. JB and I headed to bed after an amazing and extremely tiring day, and Tara, obviously, worked on her blog. You have to check it out since she figured out a way to load pictures. Here it is: TARA. They are great photos, and she did an amazing job recapping our day in pictures. I have no idea how she loaded them, but I'm glad she did.

We are staying at this really funky "hotel" called BIG BLUE BACKPACKERS. It's a hostel. JB and I have our own room which actually has a bunk bed in it that could have been utilized by two more people. However, for about $13 a night, our three travel companions are in a really nice bunk bed filled room with some strangers :). They are keeping their personal belongings in our room but staying in the group room. It's a great place with internet, and a kitchen for cooking, and just young people hanging out all over the place. Very fun. Maybe I wouldn't think it so nice if we were doing the Nigeria portion of our trip pre-travels, but either way, it was a good find.

We have booked all of our lodging already and have a great outline already established for the next two weeks. I made an outline of this and posted it on my blog sometime ago. I can't seem to find that post right now though. We are trying to eat out only one meal a day (although we didn't start well and yesterday did two -- a great lunch on the beach and then a Thai dinner by our hostel for dinner) but that is the plan. We hit a grocery store early yesterday morning and got some fruit and cheese and drinks. If all goes according to plan, we hope to have a picnic in the wine country today.

Friday afternoon and Saturday were amazing days. As I briefly mentioned, a flat tire started our arrival in Capetown. This was a little bit of a downer, but getting the new tire went very smoothly. The flat tire was technically JB's doing, but the poor guy was having to learn how to drive in moments on the other side of the road (Nicole -- how hard is that?!), but not just learn, do it in a stick with the stick on his left hand! Then, add to that the fact that there are hills EVERYWHERE here and the curb outside our hostel is a foot high, and he hit the curb with the left back wheel. This experience made me a little nervous, especially when yesterday, I rode shotgun (which is actually the driver's side in America.) The guy at the tire station (who was adamant that THEY drive on the WRONG side of the road) said the key to successfully navigating in a backwards area is a co-captain. I did my best to do that. However, as we navigated down Chapman's peak, a breathtaking view but a windy, cliff-hanging adventure, I realized that the front seat is the worst place to be as everything is moving backwards for you! I also forbid Kelsey from using the word "plunge" on this drive.

Needless to say (and Tara's blog can prove this for you), this was one of the most amazing travel days I have ever spent. Ajit explored on his own today so JB and his "three wives" (inside joke -- don't worry ... I am still his one and only) were off on their own with John know a professional driving. We drove all the way down the Cape and then returned to the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. We had been there the previous day with Ajit while Kelsey and Tara had explored Robben Island (the jail Nelson Mendela was imprisoned), but Tara and Kelsey wanted to see it, and JB wanted to go back with his "good" camera. JB also cracked me up when we walked in when he said in a nice way that I should go explore with the women so as to not bug him to move on and "finish that photo already". So I did. It was amazing that nearly everything I saw this day were things that I hadn't seen the previous day. This play was ginormous! (Yes, I made that word up.)

We also took a cable car to the top of Table Mountain. This was awesome. (I have used that word a lot on this trip. It's hard to come up with something else when everything is just stinkin' awesome.) It was especially awesome because we got the last car up of the day so there were only us and one other group on the car. Amazing!!!

South Africa, so far, is fantastic. One thing, however, that greatly bothers me here is the division between the races. As I understand it, there are only about 15% whites here. However, wherever we go, that is basically all we see. When we go out to eat, the restaurant is basically all white but all black doing the serving. There is a HUGE division between the races here. Much of the black population lives in its own housing areas very segregated (segregation due to economic differences) lives. It was amazing how instantly I noticed this. It may be because we are frequenting tourist areas, but it is still troubling. I read that the white population makes about $10,000 a year but the black population about $2,000.

Aside from our time here in South Africa, I am overcome with the fact that we are no longer in Nigeria. The saddest point of the whole departure on Thursday was getting in our big bus and seeing Papa (our cook), and Musa (our house help), standing there, waving, Musa looking like he was going to cry. We all gave Papa and Musa some gifts before we left, and Musa hugged JB so hard and was so thankful. To look at them and wonder if you will ever see them again, is very difficult. It is also difficult to think that as we pull away, we are pulling away to electricity, running water, and our old homes, and they will continue to work over kerosene lanterns and wells. I am not sure how to reason this.

I was also shocked by how quickly I reverted to old behaviors. After not having great bathroom access for a month, I walked into a bathroom in the restaurant we had lunch in yesterday and quickly remembered all my old tricks to avoid germs like grabbing the paper towels to open the door. This after not even having a place to wash our hands after using the bathroom for a month and not usually having a toilet to flush with the push of a button! It keeps nagging at me and relieving me at the same time.

Our last few days in Nigeria continued to produce new and eye-opening experiences. We went on three home visits with Ashom and Ezekial two days before we left. They are both HIV positive men and both a part of Faith Alive's Home Based Team. They have also both lost a wife to HIV and were basically "rescued from their death beds" early in Dr. Chris' years starting Faith Alive. They have now devoted their lives to helping others. They aren't doctors, just trained health aids.

Each of our three stops was equally amazing and difficult. All three individuals were HIV positive and all, according to our guides, doing much better. The first woman was literally skin and bones but apparently seemed to be responding to the new ARVs she was on. (These are drugs that work for a time but then, can often stop working. In the U.S. there are tons of different ones to try. Here at Faith Alive, there are only about two that they can afford and get their hands on. Again, your death is determined by where you live and how much money you have.) This woman was 26 years old and truly looked like a skeleton. However, she was still so blessed to see us and managed to sit up to say, "You are welcome." She lived in a fairly nice home and was responding well to the new drugs.

The second stop required us to get out and walk quite a bit as cars couldn't get into this village. The area we walked was rocky and steep and truly felt like what you would picture in Biblical times. The man we saw was staying in a 2 room house, fighting TB and HIV and as a result, bad bed sores. This home was unlike anything I have ever seen. In the U.S., anyone who lived like this would be considered homeless. He was on a plain mattress in his own room but the other room, was nothing more than a cement floor with some bed mats. A few woman were napping in here. Everyone was so happy to see us even though we offered nothing more but support and prayers. They don't even have a medical kit. They simply speak to a doctor when they return and then try to bring medications back when they come back in a day or two.

The third woman was an HIV widow with two children. She was staying at her parents' home. This home seemed a little better but was still just a plain room with uncovered mattresses and pillows. She was using a catheter and had extreme pain in her legs. Ezekial told them to buy some ibuprofen and that he would try to return soon with some more pain medicine. I reminded JB of a plastic bag in his pocket with some Tylenol and ibuprofen in it as he had been having a headache that day. We gave Ezekial the bag, and the family was very thankful to have a few pills. I wished we had a few bottles. Just helping with pain would help this woman so much! And it was ibuprofen, something every one of us has in our medicine cabinet. It would have been so helpful if this team could carry some sort of medicine kit. But that is a luxury currently not available.

We know Faith Alive will continue to grow and prosper. I look forward to seeing what they can do in just a short period of time. This is an amazing organization which has come so far in 10 years. It will be amazing to see where they go in ten more. Just ten years ago, Faith Alive was only a dream. Dr. Chris was a one man show in one room, offering counseling and encouragement, but no medicine, to patients. Naomi (the woman I worked with on the magazine) was his first patient. And she has been his most loyal "worker" -- a daughter to him and his wife. The organization now has hundreds working for them and will one day be, the "Mayo" of Africa. However, despite an operating budget of about $80,000 a month, only about $500 comes from patient donations. The rest of the money is through donations from outside their organization. The U.S. and UK are two of their biggest supporters. All of these donations started from people who simply visited and then went home and told the story. Through this, people continued to donate and one church donated their entire building (a palace according to the standards of Jos) after a fire destroyed the previous building. Like I wrote earlier, Dr. Chris is, without a doubt, this MOST AMAZING MAN. I am excited because if all goes well, he will be at the medical school graduation and speaking at the Christian swearing in ceremony. Our families will get to meet this little Nigerian man with a heart so big you just can't help get in line with his dreams. I truly love this man and his family and all of Faith Alive.

Another interesting thing I must note is that Jos is not how all of Nigeria is. As we returned to Abuja (about three hours away), I was amazed at how developed it was in comparison. I didn't really notice this on the way in since this was my first initial glimpse of Nigeria. We have spoken with Tunde and Deola (in person and via email while we are gone.) They both lived in Nigeria and did not live (as I understand it) as we have lived for the last month. They did not live like we have lived while in Jos. What is difficult, however, is that Jos and its surrounding areas exists as it does. Nigeria is the 6th largest oil producer. The technology is there for running water and electricity and yet the money is not with the people. It would be one thing if there weren't light switches. But there are light switches and the power doesn't get there. That is even more frustrating.

Okay, so I have gone on for an exorbitant amount of time. Better return to my room and get ready to check out. Like I said, I have so much to say. I'm sure I'll be saying it for months to come. I hope you aren't tired of me.

I'm definitely not tired of our adventures!!!