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Subj: Fwd: South Africa: week 1

Friends and Family,

I arrived in Johannesburg Wednesday and was promptly greeted by three Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) staff members. As we were exchanging greetings and taking photos the staff's phones and tablet were stolen: welcome to Johannesburg. When we asked the security guard for assistance a man rushed over with the devises apologizing for "accidentally" taking them.

While in Johannesburg I will be working at JRS and staying at the Dominican Convent School just down the street. There, I have a small private room next to the 8th and 9th grade girls boarding hall (think "Madeline"). To pay for my room and the boarding food I will tutor the high school students twice a week. There are also three students from Notre Dame staying at the school doing similar service work at tutoring students.

At JRS I will be revising their database. They were recently denied funding because they lacked adequate data and were excited to hear that I have experience working with Catholic Charities' database. I explained that my experience consists of filling in missing numbers on an excel sheet, to which the regional director replied, "You American's and your funny terminology 'filling in numbers.'" They seem sure that their American intern can fix all their technological problems. 

I will also be working with JRS's Livelihood program that teaches beading, sowing, and English to women who have been abused. It just so happens that they did not have an English teacher and that all the current women in the program speak French so I was a welcomed addition to the team. 

In all, the people at the school and at JRS have been very kind and welcoming and I am never made to feel alone. My new South African friends are teaching me all kinds of new words like robot (traffic light), draft (checkers), and bride (barbaque).

Best,
Becky Seipel 


Subj: South Africa: week 2

Friends and Family,

I call this week "culture shock."

My first culture shock came in the form of computer literacy. At the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) office I have begun working on their database. JRS currently has two databases: one being used by the reception and one being used by the Livelihood's program. JRS hopes to incorporate all departments on to one database. My task this week was to determine which database is best and then talk to the staff of the various departments in order to determine how to go about adding them to the database. Computer literacy is lower than I am accustom to and I encountered a great resistance to using a database. I am told that it is not uncommon for an individual with a six year degree in social work to not know how to use Microsoft Word. In order to overcome this problem it has been determined that once I am gone and the database is off and running JRS will hire someone whose primary job will be to enter in data.

Beyond computer literacy, my second cultural adjustment has been the weather. Winter has set in and, while it is in the 50s and 60s during the day, it gets down to the 30s at night. Both the JRS office and the boarding school where I am staying do not have central heating. Furthermore, both locations are comprised of small buildings connected by courtyards. Doors and windows to these courtyards are frequently kept open. I am accustom to it being 40 degrees outside, not 40 degrees inside. Luckily, the boarding director drove me to the store to buy cold medicine, warmer clothes, and a heater.

On the positive side, the cold front has solved my refrigeration problem: I no longer need a fridge for my fruits and vegetables, my window sill works just fine. (The South African diet is comprised of meats and grains: culture shock number three)

Best,
Becky Seipel

P.S. I have attached a photo of one of the courtyards at JRS.

Subj:  South Africa: week 3

Friends and Family,


Tomorrow is Youth Day, which celebrates the role of the South African youth in the anti-apartheid struggle. In a country that glorifies Nelson Mandela in much the same way America exalt Martin Luther King Jr. it is refreshing to hear of a holiday that recognizes that social action is not a result of one person. 

On this long holiday weekend I decided to spend my extra time visiting Wits Art Museum. There, I saw its exhibit on migrant mineworkers in South Africa. The exhibit's themes of the struggles and resilience of the migrant mineworkers reminded me of my work with the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS). 

When I am not meeting with the staff to discuss possible changes to the database or teaching English I spend my days entering in initial assessment forms into JRS's existing database. These form include the individual's reasons for fleeing his or her home country and his or her current living situation. Much like the mine workers who slept on concrete slabs in communal dorm rooms, many of JRS's clients share one room and one bed with his or her entire family. And as the mineworkers showed their strength and resiliency with their songs, the women I teach share their strength in their eagerness to learn and bright personalities. 

My database work at JRS continues to be a steep learning curve. This week I was pleased to meet my new partner, Patrick who is a Nigerian scholastic (Jesuit in training). Patrick and I have discovered that being asked to improve a company's database feels a lot like being asked to solve all the communication problems in the office. After particularly heated meetings Patrick always congratulates me for being "so tough." 

My internship at JRS is full of challenges but I appreciate having a concrete task and look forward to going back to work on Tuesday.

Becky Seipel

Subj:  South Africa: week 4

Friends and Family,

My database work at JRS is steadily progressing. All the needed changes have been decided on. My task this week is to teach the reluctant staff that an electronic filing system is more efficient in the long run.

Beyond work, this week has been a time to learn about South Africa. In a country with a Gini index of .631 (vs. the US's score of .378) wealth inequality is visible everywhere. Johannesburg boast of having the richest square mile in Africa while, at the same time, it is surrounded surrounded by slums. And, as South Africa attempts to transfer into a post-industrial service economy, the news papers tell of the Platinum mining strike; the miners are fighting to triple the entry level salary to $1,153 a month.

The newspapers also tell of something else: tribal culture. Today's front page story was about a princess who was given as a gift to a visiting journalist. The insult appeared to be not so much that the young woman was given away as a gift, though this was denied, but that she was given to a "commoner." My coworkers are eager to share their cultures with me. From the driver, Floyd, who shares his lamb head with me for breakfast to the teacher, Cynthia, who tells me how she is waiting for her boyfriend to save money for her bride price I am learning new things everyday. 

To balance out this more authentic taste of South Africa I embraced my identity as an American tourist and went on a safari in Kruger National Park this weekend. I was not eaten by a lion though I did see some cheetah hunting wildebeests.

After the long weekend, I am happy to be back at the office to see what challenges and opportunities await.

Becky 

P.S. I have attached a photo of my English class as well as one from my safari.

Subj: South Africa: week 5
 

Friends and Family,

This week I was able to observe some of the social workers in order to more fully understand how serving urban refugees differs from serving refugees in a country of resettlement, like the US. In America, refugees are screened by the UNHRC and then selected by the US government. The US government then tells nonprofit organizations, like Catholic Charities, exactly what services they must provide the refugees. 

Here in South Africa nonprofits, such as Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), have to screen all the refugees and asylum seekers themselves. At JRS, the refugees are screened at the office and then the social workers visit the individual or family at their place of residence to verify their living situation. During my time with the social workers it was eyeopening to see the unsanitary and crowded places where some of the refugees live. 

Unfortunately, there is great distrust between the social workers and the refugees because refugees often try to take advantage of JRS. I was able to see some of the difficult decision that the social workers have to make; is the Muslim woman truly in debt to her brother-in-law or is she his second wife trying to get money for their collective family of 15? JRS cannot help everyone. The social workers must identify not only who is most vulnerable but also who will make the best use of the three months of emergency assistance to get back on their feet.

Beyond my experience with the social workers, I continued to meet with staff to learn how to improve the database. This work is frequently interrupted by coworkers who, living on "Africa time," insist that after a whole hour of work we must take a tea break. I do not complain.

Becky 

P.S. Attached is a photo of one of my students. At JRS's Arrupe Women's Center women study English, sewing, and beading in order to become more self-sufficient. 

Subj: South Africa: week 6
 
Friends and Family,

My work at JRS is steadily progressing. Given the bias against using computers, arranging meetings with the staff often feels like pulling teeth. Nevertheless, my Jesuit partner and I are slowly making progress with both departments. 

The weekend was a time of further cultural sharing. Friday I made a traditional 4th of July meal for my African coworkers. Naturally, they added extra meat and starch to the menu. Sunday I was invited to see my partner give a homily at a local parish. All of the dancing and singing stretched the mass an extra hour; it was truly a celebration.

Today JRS took a new batch of applicants for small business grants and adult education. There were nearly 200 people waiting outside when I arrived for work, mostly women. Lucky for me, my coworkers packed me some extra cow heels for a nourishing lunch. The rest of the week we will be interviewing the applicants. I am told goat heels and worms are to come.

Best wishes,

Becky 

P.S. I have attached a photo of my 4th of July celebration. Being winter, it gets dark quite early so we had to grill with a flashlight, or "torch" as they say. 

Subj: South Africa: week 7
 

Friends and Family,

As my time slowly comes to a close my work with the Jesuit Refugee Services' (JRS) database picks up.  As you might imagine, database work can be quite dry and, at times, feel out of touch with the needs of the refugees. Last week, on a particularly slow day, I went on a home visit with the Health Team who provides money for medical care, food, and transportation to the sick. During the visit I met one of JRS's long term clients: a young man with HIV who was recently paralyzed. It was heartbreaking to see the conditions he is living in and to hear that, due to low funding, his monthly stipend has been cut for $80 to $40. I learned three days later that he fell into a coma. This visit provided me with the needed motivation boost to improve the database so that JRS can maintain its current funding and perhaps get more.


Further challenges this week include a terrible cold front which sent me calling upon my Jesuit friends to employ their Christian goodness and drive me to nearest store so that I might buy a second heater and a heated blanket. Two days later the school and the JRS office had the second power outage in two weeks. Again, my Jesuit coworkers saved me by going with me to a warm coffee shop.

Today I say goodbye to three of my Jesuit friends. My partner, Patrick will stay for one more week. Thank goodness because we have a lot of work to do!

Becky

P.S. Attached is a picture of my cow heel lunch with Mama Francina.

Subj: South Africa: week 8
 

Friends and Family,


My eighth week here in South Africa was a time of celebration mixed with some of the usual frustrations, including my lack of transport and the South African near carnivore diet. At times, I feel helpless as I cannot control where I go or what I eat, yet, I strive to embraces these experiences as a tangible reminder of the powerlessness the refugees, who cannot even choose where they live, experience and the importance of JRS's capacity-building approach; JRS's Livelihoods programs focus on building life skills to return the refugee's sense of power and self determination


On Tuesday Mina, one of my English students, told me the following day was her birthday. When I asked if she would be doing anything special, like eating cake, she simply smiled and said she had no money for a celebration this year. Appalled at the idea of birthday without a cake I arrived in the next class with a chocolate cake. After singing and eating the other students made Mina dance and give a birthday speech. I think she enjoyed the attention.


Over the weekend I journeyed to Cape Town with the two Notre Dame students who also spent the summer at the Dominican Convent School. Apparently the guys like near death experiences but not to worry, after dirty bike racing and a particularly parlous mountain biking trip I made it out alive and got to see some breathtaking sights in between.


Becky


P.S. I have attached photos of Mina's birthday and Cape Town.

Subject: South Africa: week 9 

Family and Friends,


I am happy to announce that my time in South Africa has come to a fruitful close. Today I finished installing the database software, trained the relevant staff members, and submitted a report to the UN's High Council of Refugees (JRS's funder) on my work on the database. In few weeks a recent graduate from Boston College will arrive to continue my database work and JRS will hire a professional IT consultant to further assess the database situation.


My time with JRS has proven to be one of my most positive work experiences. I enjoyed having a task to work on with tangible milestones. This task, along with teaching English, provided me with the perfect balance of working at a structural level to improve JRS as well as building relationships with the refugees. I will miss the friendly JRS staff and the relaxed work environment.


As stated before, I have often been frustrated by my lack of control over my food and transportation during my time here. This irritation has invited me to realize the high standard of living I have come to expect that many people throughout the world, especially refugees, simply don't have.


Tomorrow I leave for Louisville. I am eager to see you, my friends and family, and to begin the next chapter of my work with refugees as the housing coordinator at Catholic Charities in Cleveland, Ohio.


Becky


P.S. Attach is a photo of myself and my Jesuit database partner Patrick.

For many students a service learning semester abroad is an excellent way to immerse themselves in a different culture and be challenged to look at life through a whole new lens. But for those whose interests or finances make that impossible, a semester at home might be the answer. 
 


It was for Becky Seipel, a Xavier University student who spent a semester living in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, taking classes on urban issues and volunteering 10 to 20 hours a week with social service agencies there and here at St. Leo’s. 

Becky, a Xavier history and peace studies major, who got hooked on working with refugees as the result of a summer internship at Catholic Charities, will be going to Johannesburg, South Africa this summer for a six week internship with the Jesuit Refugee Service to work with refugees from a number of countries in Africa. 

Next fall she will be working with Catholic Charities in Cleveland as refugee housing coordinator as part of a program through Americorps and the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. Americorps handles the job aspect while the Sisters provide the spiritual part of the placement. Volunteers live in community and share spiritual reflection weekly.