A friend of mine from Pretoria emailed me to ask how I was doing. So i replied, in depth. We studied together at Tuks, and now he is Grahamstown studying and waiting to become an Anglican Priest. For those who are asking 'How G, how are you" i thought the email would help.
Hey Vernon,
Everything is fine here. As often happens, when people really ask "Are you okay" I sort of think that there should be something wrong. But I can't think of anything. Class is going well. As usual I'd enjoy it if I were more structured and disciplined with homework etc, but some things don’t change. I get frustrated when people don't understand what I'm saying (accent), and the food is very rich.
- Woah - there's quite a storm going on outside! Hail too. I'm glad I didn't stay for American Football -
I've connected with one guy, and my 2 housemates (female), but still feel somewhat groundless in not having long term friends. Because I left them all at home I guess ;) I am enjoying the classes, and beginning to feel more confident to give my opinion now and then. There are also always people who want to introduce me to people who have visited South Africa or know South Africans (sorry, long sentence). It gets a bit tiring at times.
I'm really enjoying cycling around - independent, affordable and environmentally friendly - though Atlanta is not a cyclist friendly city at all. The 'smallness' of the seminary is a blessing and a curse. There is the sense that everyone knows everything, and nothing is private. Being one of the 'international students' I'm sure there are conversations going on about me. Us foreigners do tend to stand out somewhat! With my past history here (dating Emily and visiting last year) it is also as if everyone has heard of me, and I don't even know their names!
So, overall, I'm doing very well. Thanks for asking! I watched a great movie today in the Men in Ministry class called "Around the Bend", so I'm still in the 'just got out of a movie' zone and tend to be more open and sensitive - and thankful too. I need to find a meditation place here, but there are lots of mosquitos and trees.
Take care,
G
PS - Seeing that this was such an in-depth report, I think I'll put it on my blog - is that cool with you?
Here is a pertinent piece of theology from one of the top African theologians. It is something i need to remember while i'm over here - to ask questions whose answers will help when i'm back home. The title is "theological impotence" - i like that.
We could go on and on asking basic questions about the whole meaning of the Christian revelation, the Church, salvation, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and a host of other fundamental theological issues as they apply to the church in Africa today, and in the 21st century. For those of us who belong there, who work there, who live with these and other concerns of survival, theology as we have learned it according to western tradition is very much called into question. If seminaries in Europe and America allow African students, whom we send to them for theological circumcision, to return to us with no idea of the theological meaning of our big words, of our life and death concerns, we will feel rightly betrayed. And the cause of Christ will be gravely imperiled. We send you the sons and daughters of our churches to be truly and realistically equipped for the calling of the gospel in Africa today. Please do not send them back to us as bastards or bearing a watered-down theology. If you educate them in the theology of hope, for example, let them theologise hope in terms of feeding the hungry, eliminating famine, providing employment, being remembered in church after death by one’s children – in terms of what is nearby, reachable, desperately necessary. Otherwise the individual and the community will not survive long enough to have their hopes realised.
… The Church cannot exorcise demonic forces in today’s world through guesswork. It must be squarely involved in human concerns, and it must not look back. Theology should assist the church in this task, and to do so, it must itself be freed from inhibitions handed down from past generations. Christianity has exploded in Africa, and theology too must explode. It can no longer be done only according to St ABC Seminary in Athens or Rome; it must find its own method, its own direction, its own voice, where the people of God are, so that it may mediate the meaning of God in Christ for them. The African theologian who has experienced the agonies of having a burning appetite but nothing to eat will surely theologise differently on the same theme of food from the American theologian who knows the discomfort of having a plate full of steak but no appetite.
John S Mbiti, Theological Impotence and the Universality of the Church,
in Lutheran World XXI/3 1974. Lutheran World Federation: Geneva.
I was thinking i need a more upbeat post than the last one, something 'happy'. But maybe i don't need a new post. Perhaps one should sit a bit with sad news, think, mourn, shout - instead of just moving on to the next new news. Our culture doesn't have any time for failure, sadness or death. Maybe it is because it shakes the illusion of us 'modern' people being in control of our reality.
My parents got down to Cape Town safely, and are still there with Brian (Rita's husband). The memorial service will be in Bedfordview on Friday. Brian sent me a picture taken of Rita this last week - she was looking great.
I also ended a great friendship with someone back home, so it feels like part of me has gone too. I have done some journalling, and spent Friday night at home. Last night i went with Sarah and Maggie to Everybody's Pizza and laughed alot! We have bonded well, and joke around nicely. It was great to laugh for a whole evening. It takes more than that to get over the tragedies of life, but it was a good release.
On a sadder note ;) (notice the need to insert humour to lighten the mood) - i skipped Frisbee on Saturday to help Sarah remake her room. Put up shelves, hang lights, paintings, sweep etc. It looks great. There are (un)fortunately no 'before and after' pics, but it looks good now. Yesterday it rained, so there was also no Frisbee, so i'm having some withdrawal symptoms.
Class today was good, i'm feeling more confident and sharing my views. Tomorrow i'm having supper with a family from the area (sort of host family thing).
Enjoy Heritage day, South Africans.
Rita Bruce (a wonderfully vivacious and creative and family friend) passed away at 9am (SA time) today. She had a broken heart (from a whole bunch of not-lekker traumas) and was waiting for a heart transplant. Now she has a new heart, but we can't share it with her. She was a great hostess, made wonderful tapestries and jewelery, liked my voice and always tried to kiss my brother ;)
My folks are driving down to Cape Town now to be with Brian and for funeral things. Apparently all flights are full for the long weekend. Travel safely.
Travel safely Rita.
Just in case i had forgotten (and it does sometimes slip my mind) i was reminded of this important fact by... a large pink billboard last night!
I'm sorry i didn't get a picture of it, but it was very funny. We were on our way to Athens, GA to listen to some bluegrass bands. Athens (not the one in Greece) is about 1.5 hours from Atlanta. The car in front of us (Sarah, David and Steven) had a walkie-talkie and we were playing 20 questions on the way. Our car (Maggie, Katherine, Whitney and I) couldn't get 'Michael Jackson' because they said the person was black. They didn't guess our object either - the ever popular 'mullet'.
They radioed to us to look at the sign on the left and above the trees was a huge pink billboard with the name 'JESUS' on it. I made some remark about there being a Jesus shop nearby, and they are advertising. We laughed and drove on. When we looked back we saw that the other side of the billboard said, in equally large pink letters 'IS COMING'. Always good to know! We laughed some more.
The evening was great! Athens is a big student town, so even Thursday night, 2am when the gig finished, the streets were busy. The music was awesome and we had so much fun. The first act was The Everybodyfields - chilled emo blue grass stuff. Then we heard The Avett Brothers. Two brothers - banjo and guitar with a high hat drum and a base drum at their feet - and a double-bassist. They had loads of energy, hilarious clothes and a great time was had! Not being a bluegrass expert, i was told this was not typical bluegrass. Whitney says it is "System-of-a-Down Bluegrass" because they screamed now and then. Katherine says it is Rockabilly. I say it was great!
We got back late, and i slept in.
This is the crowd that went (l to r) - Steven, Katherine, Sarah, David, Whitney, Maggie, Gareth. I'm beginning (i typed 'begging' but Mat pointed it out - shot!) to make some friends. 3 hours in a car helps a lot.
I haven't got a digital camera (i'll have to do some budgetting to see if i can get one), so i borrowed Sarah's tonight. Here are a few pics of some stuff around the house. I'll get a pic of the house when it is day time.
Classes are still going well, today was especially inspiring. After class I played a round of disc golf with some of the students. There is a made up course on the campus. Tomorrow i'm going to look for a hairdresser. 
I've only paid for a hair cut twice in my life. That number will increase while i'm here. I may just borrow a shaver from a friend though. Haven't shaved in a while too. Going for the scruffy-african-bush look!Classes are going along very well. There is a whole bunch more reading here than at Tuks, and if I don't keep up with the work each day, then it gets too overwhelming. I mentioned the course i'm doing on Men in Ministry (all the lady students are jealous), here is the great reading list:
I had a paper due yesterday entitled 'Man Enough? What it meant to be a man.' It was okay. Tomorrow I'm playing Ultimate for the fall league team i'm on (no name for us yet). Some seminary folks are coming over to the house to watch college football as well. Sunday I'm going church hopping. Elizabeth and I may try the Society of Friends (Quakers) and see what they do.
Here are some hot quotes that I read last night in The Spirituality of Men. For some reason they appeal to me.Discernment is a way of life. To live a discerned life is a commitment to a way of being. It is to stand before God and other persons somehow holding what I value most from what I have learned from life in such a firm and gentle grasp that it does its work for me; yet I can let it go to be fashioned further. Discernment is not something to be turned on and off- to be pulled out at decision time and then filed away again. Commitment to discernment is fidelity to a way of life in which I sift through the movements I feel within myself. Through this process I gradually experience a congruity which I recognise.
Rosemary Roner, Discernment.
There is a truth within the self which yearns to be known, and the expression of this truth makes a person exist, be real, in her own eyes, ultimately in the eyes of others. The collective wisdom of [hu]mankind holds a deep and abiding belief in the idea that there is, within each person, some substantive truth waiting to be known, waiting to be expressed. When psychologists speak about someone as having an 'authentic personality,' they mean that the individual has managed to express what is genuine, truthful and real about himself to others.
Marsha Sinetar, Ordinary People as Monks and Mystics
Here are the three classes i'm signed up for this semester at Columbia:
I have class on Monday 1-4:30, Wed 1-4:30, Thurs 1-4 and a Thesis writing seminar thing on Friday mornings. The next trick is to wake up early (something i struggle with) and go to the campus to get work done. Like today. So i'm going!
In Jo'burg, tuesday night is Ultimate night, and my Spring League team (The red russians) are playing the White team tonight. So, if, in a parallel universe I were not here, I'd be on the field with them.
Grant sent this great motivational email to the team today:
They call themselves “White Wash”…. We call them “Omo” - this is what we plan to do to them:
(Apparently that means “destroy” in Russian)
Go the Red Russians!
Yes! I have finally arrived, and made it onto the vast interstellar world map called the Google search engine. Margot lost my email address, and being the resourceful person she is, she googled me. Of the thousand of 'gareth' and 'beyers' that came up, 5 of the first 10 were the real me! Woohoo! 4 of the five had to do with Frisbee, and one was a Columbia post. But i'm there nonetheless! 
There is alot of talk here about identity theft, but i don't think this will be a problem. I've also been deconstructing the whole new craze around 'blogging' and the desire to have your journal read by the whole world. I haven't come to an answer yet, but i'm sure it has something to do with the need of modern people to: be connected, be known and be on the map. I keep on telling me that this little site is to keep family and friends updated on my movements and not to have to email everyone.
It is nice to say 'visit my blog' though. Like i'm important or something.
Now i can also say - 'google me'. Thanks Margot!
To my credit, i have thus far resisted the many efforts people are making to put a cell phone in my hand, so they can contact me at their whim. With Skpye i can call normal phones in the States for free, and they can't call me back! You of course (being close friends and family) can call me on Skype if you want.
Today classes officially started! We had the 187th Convocation (opening service thingy) of Columbia TS with pomp, ceremony, academic dress and a nice meal. All the new students were introduced to the rest of the school and then we got down to work.
I have the BEST CLASS EVER! it is called Men in Ministry and we met today. There are 15 guys and a great prof. I have a paper to write for next week on "Real men! What it means to be male". We will look at spiritual, physical, emotional aspects of manhood through film, fiction and setwork books. We have snacks in class and end with a 2 day mountain RETREAT in Decmember!
I need to embellish a bit more, but just to say for now that i am thankful for this class, it will be very helpful for me personally, and working in a church where the mojority of people will be female.
I also played touch American Football, and mowed the lawn.
Here, in the South, you don't really talk about religion and politics. This conversation normally happens in other ways, like through bumper stickers. I have found a few that are really funny, so here they are - from the locals themselves. Some are rather explicit, but this is what they say. And yes, there are some people here who didn't vote for Bush! I'll try keep this list updated.
Monday was a holiday (Labour Day), yesterday and today were all about orientation. I think i'm all oriented-out now. To fill the time the facilitator asked us what we found was different here than from home. My contributions (which were the majority of responses) were:
I am trying to have a spirit of trust, openness and acceptance of the culture here, to enjoy it all. This is rather than suspicion, superiority or prejudice, so that i can better deal with the misunderstandings and confusion that will come.
Oh, Sarah (housemate) didn't enjoy the fact that all i said about her was 'maternal'. Her and Elizabeth are great. No really, i am really lucky to have it all sorted out so well. They are the life of most of the parties (because they are often held here) and bubbly, full of life and spunk. I hope those adjectives are better Sarah. Oh and she can dance too - many a London nightclub has seen that!
Tomorrow is the Convocation - some formal year start thing, and my first class starts. I'll post the classes i'm taking here next. Keep posted ;)
There were no lectures, but orientation for the international students. I already feel rather oriented, but it was nice to meet everyone. We have (from r to l): Rohilio (25 from Panama), Me, Kamau (Kenya), Shirley (UK), Grace (and Li-Hyuck, South Korea), Csaba (30? Hungary) and Claudia (Mexico). It is a nice group and i've enjoyed hearing their stories. I'ma bit tired of having to retell mine, but everyone is new.
