Top Ten Things I’ll Miss When I Return Home

by Nathan Clendenin on August 16th, 2005

NOT REALLY

10. Dialup – Usually a web guy’s kryptonite, but not me. I love paying $10 and waiting an hour for photos to upload.

9. Separate Faucets – Who needs warm water? I much prefer either scalding or freezing.

8. The Looks – I’ve really gotten used to being stared at everywhere I go, and I’ll really miss the myriad kids yelling, “Shoot me!”

7. McDonald’s – somehow it took coming to the opposite end of the world to find my hidden love for the largest chain of grease peddlers on the planet. I will especially miss the pukey-burp aftertaste.

6. Mental Math – I never was good at it, but I’ve grown to love dividing by 6.5 (or multiplying by 1.4 in Spain) in my head in order to figure out I’m definitely paying more than I would back home.

REALLY

5. Community – from burying loved ones to visiting neighbors, these people know how to care for each other.

4. People who still love Americans – I’ve gotten plenty of “ohs” and “we don’t like Bush” comments everywhere else I’ve been, except South Africa. I’m actually respected here — people come up and thank me for taking pictures at their loved one’s funeral.

3. Having all day every day to shoot photos – busy but focused is how I like it. Grad school is more like busy, unfocused, tired, stressed, wish I could just find time to eat a real meal.

2. Singing all the time – I’ve been doing it since I was 2, but here I’m just another voice in the crowd. I’ve been learning some African songs, but there’s never a shortage of good old American 80’s music around here.

1. Beautiful Shining Faces.

Originally Posted on Vicarious Summer Blog 

Kruger National Park

by Nathan Clendenin on August 14th, 2005

On Friday we (Vincent and family) hopped in the donkey (the affectionate term for the rental car) and headed north for Kruger National Park, home to many wild animals including the “Big Five”. On the way we saw some beautiful sites including a natural bridge and a wonderful view of the mountains called “God’s Window.” We spent the night about 50 km from the park and got up early on Saturday to hit the park when the animals were out and about. From the car we saw some amazing animals including: lions, hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffalo (quite different looking here), monkeys, baboons, warthogs, jackals, antelope, wildebeests, and most definitely some elephants. We actually got into a high speed chase with the elephant you see above; apparently the donkey upset him and since they never forget anything, we didn’t come back that way!
Vincent, his wife Gloria, and daughter Busi were packed in the car with my gear. It was quite a long day, especially with a 4-hour drive to get back to Mamelodi. But it was well worth it, to say the least. Now that I’ve gotten most of the playing out of the way, I am very anxious to get started on the remaining thesis work. In 5 days Vincent and I will photograph and interview a grandmother and the orphan children of her two deceased daughters, the gravedigger and more funerals, a woman valiantly living with AIDS, a prostitute and anything else that comes up. Like Vincent says about services at his church, “We plan, but sometimes God steps in.” I am expecting a great (and busy) week.

Originally Posted on Vicarious Summer Blog

Capetown

by Nathan Clendenin on August 10th, 2005

On Tuesday Will and I explored Capetown with a hike up Lion’s Head, one of the smaller peaks that lines the oceanfront. We had wonderful blue sky weather with just a little chill. Even though we’re at the southernmost part of the southern hemisphere in winter, it’s not that cold. After snapping some shots of Table Mountain and the 12 apostles (sort of like Mt. Rushmore but natural) we drove south toward Cape Point along a beautiful highway that had us wedged between steep cliffs on the left and blue waters on the right. We ended up missing the entrance time to the park that leads to the Cape (5pm) and instead checked out some penguins then headed to a small town where we had a really great seafood dinner and Guinness. We got home late after a stop at another lookout to take some night shots of the city from above.

At 5:15am today we got up for our shark cage diving excursion. They picked us up at our door and drove us all the way to the small bay about 2 1/5 hours away. The fed us and then we boarded “The Baracuda” for a 20 minute ride out the Shark Alley. The minute the anchor was set down we spotted a Great White circling our boat. The captain gave us a quick briefing and we suited up to get into the cage alongside the boat. We would sit in the rather chilly water until the captain told us, “Down, Down,” and we’d take a breath and go under to view the beautiful animals going for the bait they had out in front of us. At one point I was face to face with a shark with only about 2 feet in between us. It was a great experience, and another day of beautiful weather. I did spew in the water from motion sickness but felt just fine after that. Many on the boat had to leave early, due to sickness, on a dinghy that came out to rescue them. Will and I are about to hunt down some good food and relax tonight before I head back to Mamelodi tomorrow.

Originally posted on Vicarious Summer Blog

Powerhouse

by Nathan Clendenin on August 8th, 2005

Vincent’s church is called Powerhouse. And boy was it a house of power! Besides the wonderful singing, it was just beautiful to see the shining faces, full of happiness and praise. Will and I got up and shared a few words and what I told the congregation (about 150-200 people) was that despite the fact that many people look up to the U.S. church, we have so much to learn from them about how to worship and how to pray. I’m still processing all my thoughts on it, so I won’t share it all now, but as expected, I will not return to the U.S. the same person at all.

Will and I are in Capetown now. The weather changes about every 10 minutes, but it’s been pretty nice so far. Tomorrow should be a full day of seeing the beautiful sites. It’s really beautiful here.

Originally Posted on Vicarious Summer Blog

Finding the Story

by Nathan Clendenin on August 5th, 2005

This week 32 people will be buried in just one graveyard in Mamelodi. On Saturday I will shoot the majority of the funerals that will take place more or less simultaneously. After that’s over I’m heading to the airport to pick up my friend Will Brown (since we met at L’abri back in 2001, we’ve been doing trips) and then straight to a wedding that Vincent is officiating. I am looking forward to Will’s visit, and our excursion to Capetown next week. It will be good to take a step back from this project and see where I am what I need to accomplish in the last 10 days I am here.

In a story as obvious as “People are dying of AIDS in pandemic proportions” it takes some thinking to avoid the obvious pictures. My struggle so far has been to search outside the box for little moments and images that keep things interesting. Since the last post Vincent and I have been all over the place (Vincent has been the biggest help). He’s really making the process much easier and is always cheerful and laughing. We’ve interviewed an AIDS orphan, prayed for AIDS victims in their home, been to the graveyard a few times, talked to many different people and even visited a barbershop today (see pic of man with baby). One of the side stories I am hoping to pursue is about the many little shops people have set up to earn a living. This is how they fight poverty, through innovation and entrepreneurship. Poverty is the real problem here, not AIDS.

Originally posted on Vicarious Summer Blog

Mamelodi Moments

by Nathan Clendenin on August 3rd, 2005

I had quite a full day here in Mamelodi. I awoke at 5am to the beautiful sounds of the morning prayer meeting just outside my window. The singing was so beautiful, and it was great to just listen to it. Vincent and I ate some breakfast together around 9am (when I finally got up), then went out to meet with some older ladies at the YMCA. They welcomed me with tea and sandwiches. Apparently most of Mamelodi knew I was coming, so I’ve met lots of people eager to meet Vincent’s visitor. We also had lunch at the Y, after some singing and dancing. It was a great time. Afterwards we went to meet the gravedigger at the cemetery. He told us in Zulu all about how he got started digging during Apartheid, when it was the only job he could get in order to stay in the town and not be forced back to the countryside where he came from. He buried many victims of government killings and even endured threats and attempted murders from blacks who saw him as an extension of the government. This man will be a very interesting person to record audio with, and we’re going on Thursday morning to photograph at a funeral. Vincent has been such a blessing, helping find all kinds of people. And he really knows what I am looking for without me really asking. We’ll be riding along and he’ll say, “I know this orphan, his parents died of AIDS. We will talk to him”. And I say, “Yes, that would be very good.” It’s been working like that so far, and we have lined up that orphan, a woman who works in an AIDS ward, and possibly a prostitute with AIDS (the women who do that here do it for lack of any other way to get money, not because of greed or anything else, really).

Safety here has not been an issue so far. I have felt completely safe in every place I’ve been, including a very “dodgy” looking housing complex leftover from Apartheid (a hostel is what they call it). Plus, Vincent is with me all the time. I haven’t taken many photos yet that will actually be used for my project, but I’ve included one here of a neighborhood boy. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Originally posted on Vicarious Summer Blog

Pre-Africa Thoughts

by Nathan Clendenin on August 1st, 2005

I’ve had many different thoughts in the past week or so in anticipation of this last leg of summer. This is the part that really matters and in many ways the part I’ve been preparing for. I have many thoughts and ideas in my head about what it will be like, but I’m also realizing things may utterly surprise and shock me. At the church service here in London this Sunday, worshipping among a crowd of strangers who welcomed me, I realized that in a week I’d be worshipping with another quite different crowd who no doubt will also welcome me. I look forward to joining in their worship, seeing a different part of the diverse body of the church. I spoke with my host today on the telephone (well, I was on Skype) and they are excited to see me and will be at the airport waiting for me. I have no doubt they will be wonderful hosts to me in many different ways. I just have to make it there on a 12 hour flight! My flight into London from Santiago was twenty minutes early, by the way, so I’m 7/7 on irregular timings and I hope the upward swing keeps moving upward, shaving time off this flight and the one coming back.

You may not hear from me until the weekend, but I promise to post something as soon as I can.

“The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” -Frederick Buechner

Originally posted on Vicarious Summer Blog