Happenings at NMMU on a Sunday Night!

Sunday, February, 22, 2009
I decided to go running this morning, but I discovered I had a sliver in my big toe. I had the girls down the hall get it out for me and it was quite the painful process, but it is feeling much better now and I was still able to go running!
I went to student mass at NMMU. The singing was beautiful – even in they did think it was one of the worst performances; it was still much better then what we’ve experienced at Corpus Christi in terms of singing! They were very welcoming! Melissa even got to do the second reading!
After mass, Katie and I rode to the north campus with 2 men who are exchange students from Ghana. They loved talking with us and asking us how we like Africa and encouraged us to get out and see the rest of Africa. They did think it was good that we have been to the townships to get a realistic view of Africa. I thought it was funny they kept describing Africa as though it was a country, rather than a continent, something people in the United States seem to confuse frequently.
The debates, focusing on health care, were interesting, but it was sweltering inside. Azapo or the Azanian People’s Organisation, a group that was not included in the debate but is prominent on campus, stormed the stage. Police had to pepper spray them to get them off. After they were off stage, the moderator apologized because this is not the way South Africa wants to be represented. It was interesting to hear the different parities stance on the issue of health care. On the way home I was in an Alpha (the company Gary prefers to go through) taxi cab and it was very interesting. Our taxi driver said that under the current health care system, private doctors are available but only accessible to about 17 percent of the population because it is so expensive. She also said she thinks the ANC will win this election but that competition is increasing and so it won’t be too long before another party actually wins control of South Africa.