22/12/10

Finally made it back to Inharrime after about a week in Maputo for REDES business, and then a few days in Pretoria finally just hanging out. I met up with Ann and Emma in Pretoria as they returned from a trip to Victoria Falls which they raved about. And Anna joined up with us because her brother, who was supposed to arrive in Johannesburg, got stuff in Dublin and she was sitting alone in Joburg waiting for him. It was nice to walk around Pretoria, it seems like a nice town, but it was mostly nice to get to hang out with Emma one last time before she left for America. Note: we stayed at 1322 International Backpackers and it was incredible, they were so nice and helpful, the ambiance (including a pool and outdoor lounging areas) is wonderful, and it is within walking distance of many nice restaurants and shops. Out at a bar one night young men kept walking up to our table and speaking to us in Afrikaans. We would apologize but explain we didn’t speak that language. So then they would say something in English…and we would have to apologize and explain that we still didn’t understand them. The blatant racism we encountered was pretty alarming, but we still had a great time getting to hang out with each other and especially with our dear Emma who we will miss incredibly.
This afternoon we went to the mission’s farm for the tri-monthly distribution of supplies to families that are part of the assistance program. Through a “godparenting” program (that you can support if you visit www.friendsofinharrime.org) the mission supports over 600 kids and their families in the area. Today we handed out rice, bars of soap, and sugar to these families, I will post pictures.