Merry Christmas Family and Friends

Blessings to all at Christmas 2006

We have been in South Africa for almost 5 months and are still trying to figure out the seasons, holidays and cycles of life. To the credit of South Africa, Christmas is downplayed with no jarring music in the stores, displays are muted, no guilt trips for parents worried about their children’s glee on the big day, and Christmas decorations delayed until Dec 10. Of course, we are separated from mainstream culture as we have no access to TV or general culture but the we are not bombarded with messages about black Friday when the red ink turns to black and retailers are smiling. South Africa does not have the Thanksgiving holiday as a gauge as to the proper start of Christmas decorations but benignly starts the season when Advent is fully underway.
We attended two Christmas parties this week which were similar in spirit although one was the annual Christmas celebration at the hospital with the Zulu staff and the other the Christmas lunch at the English speaking church in Vryheid. The Zulu hospital party was held outside with music, speeches and dancing from each attendee as they were called up to receive their Christmas gift. Both were well attended with all ages represented. Both had menus that centered on meat and plenty of it. The Zulu celebration feature a braai (barbeque with beef, chicken and wurst); the church featured lamb, pork, turkey, and beef. Meat is an obsession in this country and if you are planning a gathering you better have be friends with your local butcher which are as numerous as the funeral parlors. The beef is not marbled but in cut in thin slices, marinated and barbequed over an open fire. Both celebrations featured community and family with plenty of children running around and a good time for all. The Zulus had more interesting music, dance and speeches; the church members were better at flower designs and desert. Sadly the celebrations did not overlap. An attendee at the English speaking church party stated that the numerous ethnic, cultural and racial groups in South Africa do not know each other although they live side by side and respect each other.
Yesterday, Dec. 16 was the National Day of Reconciliation, but no one seemed to know how the holiday was celebrated in Vryheid. Brendon wryly suggested that it was the day when the whole country balanced their checkbooks. We went to town early yesterday, expecting to find the post office a zoo and shops crowded with Christmas shoppers, but were greeted with the quiet found only on New Years Day or Christmas in the US. This seemed unfathomable to us as American citizens- a holiday where the world shuts down 10 days before Christmas? What a true gift for the Christmas weary-a day off with forgiveness of all past injustices and reconciliation with those that have been grieved. This looks better than Thanksgiving. Of course it was not without its inconveniences as the restaurants and post office were closed. Our friends at the Christian hospital never mentioned the holiday or its significance; likewise the Christians at the church in town shrugged when asked about the holiday. It seems like a holiday without a recipient or participant. A check through our guidebooks did not reveal the history or tradition of this day. One more incident for Peace Corps volunteers of misunderstanding a cultural or historical event. A check on the internet shows this as a holiday with a complex checkered and bloody past but an idea to be considered by all civilized people. Thanksgiving comes easy, especially for those with a full refrigerator and gas in the tank. A check on the internet at my home church in Palos Verdes disclosed a sermon about Thanksgiving-the essence of Thankfulness is being grateful for faith, not for things. Forgiveness and reconciliation are difficult, especially with so many wrongs by all sides, extending over hundreds of years. The history of South Africa does not hold up many good guys; however it has been a democracy for 12 years with a proud citizenry that has led the world in peaceful revolutions.
Christmas will be very special for us as our two sons, Erik and Alex, are coming to South Africa to join us. Children are a blessing and a guarantee to keep one humble. Erik is in his second year at the Manhattan corporate law firm and is busy in the litigation department with insurance cases his specialty. Alex is a senior at UCLA, majoring in Philosophy, and is set to graduate in June. They are becoming our caretakers as we are the wandering children who are off on an adventure full of fun and service opportunities. Even after only 5 months we are starting to understand the WHY of this calling and further embrace the WOW! The days are interesting and challenging requiring every once of creativity and imagination that one can imagination. Plus they are full of surprises like the electrical storm that surrounds our flat at this moment on three sides with a light show that would amaze the most jaded. First an intensely hot humid day; then the wind picks up and the clouds darken. The power hesitates, then Darkness, Two bursts of lightning flickering through the venation blinds, crashes of thunder, restoration of power for a few brief seconds, repeat of darkness, cracks of lightning flashing on all sides like a Disney cartoon, thunder and the pouring rain on the tin roof that echoes through the cement walls of our home. The show repeats itself time and time again. On this night we are glad that we cannot travel after dark and are safe from the forces of mother nature who creates her own entertainment.
Merry Christmas to our family, friends and colleagues. Thank you for your support. We feel blessed to be here and hope to be a blessing to the people of South Africa. God bless you and your family in 2007!
With love, Susan and Brendon Bond