A Colour-full Easter

I have a pretty fantastic friend named Raymond. He invited me to his home in a place called Uitenhage(I pronounce it "You-tin-ik", though that's probably not completely accurate) so that I could meet his family and see where he grew up. I was equally parts excited and nervous. I was entering a completely different culture than my own - even from what I'd been experiencing in South Africa over the previous two months. Raymond lives in a "coloured community," a culture distinct from the white and black cultures of South Africa. I enjoyed my time there - meeting relative after relative after friend after relative - but honestly, it was an extremely overwhelming experience. Raymond's parents don't speak very much English, and saying "how are you?" in Afrikaans is pretty much the extent of my conversation skills. People came over all the time - usually unannounced - and I spent most of the time being close to clueless about what was happening. It was the first time in my entire life that I really couldn't get by with English. I think that's a good thing - it's a big motivator for me to become fluent in Afrikaans. Needless to say, I was very excited to get back to my comfortable YWAM culture when Raymond's brother Thinus drove us home.

Easter was approaching a couple of weekends later, and Raymond asked me if I would like to come home with him again. I was hesitant. I was proud of myself for making it through just ONE weekend - but was I ready for another one? I wasn't sure. I told him I'd think about it. And I thought about it, and I decided that I would go, on the condition that we would spend half of the four day weekend in Uitenhage and the other half in Jeffreys Bay. He agreed, and off we went on Thursday afternoon. My first evening there was extremely awkward. We went to visit one of Raymond's friends, and as soon as they began speaking in Afrikaans, I zoned out. I thought, "well, it's clear I won't be a part of this conversation" and went into Lindsay-land. I felt insecure and constantly thought, "I don't fit in here." But before the end of the night, I came to an important realization - I wasn't supposed to fit in. I was immersed in a completely different culture and language. I realized that I was experiencing the phenomenon known as "culture-shock." Once I realized that, I relaxed a little. I accepted the fact that I was different, and tried to learn as much about their culture as I could while I was there. I began paying attention to the conversations I didn't understand, trying to pick up even one or two Afrikaans words or phrases. I made more of an effort to practice the few phrases I knew. As soon as this happened, I had a completely different attitude and a completely different experience. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Raymond's family and friends, experiencing their interesting Easter traditions - they spend most of the day preparing and eating a delicacy known as "picklefish," a meal they don't eat at any other time of the year. I'm not even joking when I say that I ate picklefish four times on Good Friday - always accompanied by rooibos tea and delicious homemade hot cross buns that Raymond's mother made. Something else that baffles me about the coloured culture is how welcoming and hospitable the people are. Friends drop in all the time, and they are always included in the happenings of the household. I was always amazed at how many times people would bring me food or take my dishes away. I really did feel like an honoured guest.

I came away with a new appreciation for different cultures. I realized that even though I'd been in the country for two and a half months, I hadn't been immersed in the culture. The YWAM base is a mish-mash of people from all over the world, and as a result has its own unique features and traditions. I am very thankful to Raymond and his family for welcoming me into their home, and for teaching me how special and unique the South African culture really is.


My last night in Jbay with two of my favourite South Africans, Maylene and Raymond.