nagedagtes

Africa Photoblog

2008-07-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

While in Africa, our personal blog will be www.kristivandermerwe.blogspot.com and my photoblog will be at www.eyeingafrica.blogspot.com

my blog and I are moving

2008-01-22T05:27:00.000-08:00

This blog will be on hiatus while Kristi and I are in The Gambia.
Please continue to visit us at our new combined blog
http://vdmsingambia.blogspot.com/

Nawlins'

2008-01-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Kristi and I have spent the last few weeks with Kristi's family in Louisiana. So far our time here has been awesome. We had the privilege of becoming members at Kristi's grandpa's church last Sunday. It's great knowing that we have a church home that will be praying and supporting us as we depart for The Gambia. We were also able to go into New Orleans and enjoy the day there just walking the streets and seeing the sights. The photos document the vibrant street life.
The Broom man
Tap dancers making a living.
A family of street musicians
sneak shot
Shoe shine
Tuba player
Show me the money
Stoker looks stoked
too cool for school

Switzerland Trip

2007-12-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my family took us on a skiing trip to Switzerland. On the way there we picked up my brother Hugo from boarding school in Kandern, Germany. We stayed in Interlaken which is located on a lake surrounded by the Alps. The day before we arrived they had their biggest snow fall in December for the last 10 years. The weather was great and the skiing conditions were incredible. Here are some pics from our trip.

Sun peeking over the mountains and through the clouds.

Tree line in Kandern.

Mountain top shrouded in a veil of white.

Panorama taken from Busalp where we went "sledging".

Sephia tree in Kandern.

After sledging i noticed that Kristi had frost on her eye lashes. Here is a pic.

Three tree symphony.

Black birds in a white world.

A lonely cabin.

Some new pictures

2007-12-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

Thought it was about time to write a new blog but writing requires a lot of effort and posting pics is easy. I also added a link to my flickr site where you can see some more albums.

last boat crossing in Geneva

Sammie and the windpump.

Same windpump close to our house.

Sunset over Geneva.

Kristi weathering the storm. (Geneva)

not so Kitsch (for Aron)

2007-11-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

We recently had Morgan, Tara, Matt and Elizabeth come visit us here in Paris. We had a wonderful time seeing the sights and exploring some new places. Here are some pics documenting the not so everday life in Paris.

My Girl...making Paris seem like a blur.

Putting some glass i found on the sidewalk to use.

Yes even Paris has a birdman...quite a few actually.

Not actually Paris, but about 30 km outside in a town called Senlis.
Artist, writer and master of sudoku.

Horseman from the apocalypse.

Begging on the Champs cant be too bad for business.

Jammin' on the streets of Paris.

Arch de Triomphe and more

2007-10-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pics of trips we've had to Paris.

Aspiration Statement

2007-10-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

As part of our application process Kristi and I were required to write an aspiration statement. Here you will find the questions and our answers. A lot of the questions were somewhat vague which made them difficult to answer especially considering we weren't in-country yet.

Aspiration Statement

Jacobus Van Der Merwe

The Gambia

February 1st, 2008

A: Professional attributes that I have used extensively in the past and which I believe will be helpful include, leadership, conflict resolution, and entrepreneurship. I am very disciplined and self motivated, able to work with little or no supervision. In the past I have also been responsible for conducting needs/strength assessments. All these attributes along with the skills training I will receive at PST will make me more than capable of being successful for my assignment in The Gambia.

My first aspiration is to gain a greater understanding of humanity by living in conditions similar to which the majority of the world’s population lives in. By doing so, one gains new insight into understanding their concerns, passions and needs. I believe that in order to make a lasting difference there has to be a bridge of cultural understanding, and often that can only be built through putting oneself in the another person’s shoes. My second aspiration is to start successful projects that are sustainable through local participation. Once again the success of these projects is often in direct correlation to our understanding of the problem. If a project cannot be adopted by the local population, then it will merely be a two year novelty.

B. Successful strategies that meet needs depend on an honest respectful relationship, a common vision, cooperation between local/national/international interests, and an adaptability of the game plan if needed. From my own experience, for projects involving multiple individuals to work effectively, it is necessary for there to be respectful communication and a vision/goal that each person has a stake in. It is essential to get as many people on board with your project. I will attempt to have project goals be determined by need and not by personal bias or an individual agenda. In areas where I can provide leadership, creativity or consultation I will do so.

C. Personally, the major skill I will be utilizing during the process of cultural adjustment is flexibility. This flexibility applies not only to adjusting to a new culture, food etc, but also to my expectations. Throughout my application process I have repeatedly told myself to have little or no expectations. By expecting nothing, I have nothing to lose or be disappointed about. My motto has been has been and will be “it is what it is.” The fact of the matter is The Gambia will not be like the USA and I should not expect it to be. It is unique and different, with its own cultural quirks and taboos. The one does not have to be better than the other, simply different and I will appreciate these differences for what they are rather than attempting to compare them. Having grown up all over the world, I do not foresee having any problems adjusting; however, if my plan does not to work I will be flexible enough to change it.

D: From pre-service training I hope to gain a ground level view of how local development projects operate. This includes everything from assessing needs, to creating projects, to funding, to implementation and finally reevaluating the effectiveness of the projects. Furthermore, I would like to know which avenues to pursue if I require more resources or information. Finally, I hope to be functional at a local language and have the tools to develop this into fluency while on the field.

E: My personal/professional aspiration is to live a life of service; using my talents and gifts to help those less fortunate than myself. My major reason for joining Peace Corps was because I felt that my aspirations aligned with the aspirations of Peace Corps. Peace Corps will afford me the opportunity of doing actual field work, which in the long run will help me discover what degree I want to pursue in graduate school and which sector I would like to work in.

We've been invited to Peace Corps!

2007-10-04T04:57:00.001-07:00

So after jumping through more hoops than we ever thought possible, Kristi and I were finally invited for Peace Corps Service. Since September it seems that our Peace Corps bus has experienced numerous flat tires, delaying our departure on multiple occasions. I do not lie when I say that i am utterly amazed and even flabbergasted at how it hard it can be for two college grads to work for free in Africa. So now after more than a year of having our brains, bodies and will power tested we have finally been seen fit for peace corps service.

So where will we be going? Drumroll...... THE GAMBIA! ...so now that you know where it is, you might still be wondering "where is it?" The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa located on the west coast, roughly twice the size of Delaware. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Senegal. I feel very honored and excited to be working in a country that prefixes itself with "The" or if you please "Da".
We have been designated to work as community and health developers. Kristi will focus more on the health side, especially dealing with women and child health, while I will focus more on developing sustainable community projects. Our departure date will be January 29th at which time we will spend 3 days at staging in the USA before leaving for Africa. I am excited that it is a country that i have not been to so that the experience will be a completely new one for both Kristi and myself.

drive-thru Europe

2007-08-17T02:19:00.000-07:00

Kristi and I have returned from our trip through Spain, France and Portugal. I never cease to be amazed at the incredible world that God has created. The diversity of peoples, the ways of life, and the landscapes, always make me realize that my corner of the world is very small. What's even more amazing is that despite all these thousands of differences, there exists the common experience of mankind. Poverty is poverty, sorrow is sorrow, and happiness is happiness no matter where you go. Sure their forms and expressions differ, but the experience is commonly shared. What an amazing God we serve that despite all these differences and despite all the commonalities, He reveals Himself to all. A God who is mighty to save not just those of certain regions, certain life stories, or certain races- but a God whose arms reach around the world to anyone who calls on Him. Last night my family and I went to a Hillsong church in downtown Paris. There were people from all over the world; Koreans, Africans, Americans, Australians, French and who knows who else, gathered with one purpose-to praise our wonderful Creator. During the service while watching all these people worship in their own unique ways, I had the feeling that this is what Heaven would be like one day. Where color, background, nationalities and possessions mean nothing. Where the sole purpose for coming together is greater than ourselves. What a great God we serve, a God more than able to save anyone who cries out to him from anywhere, in any language.

Porto, Portugal

2007-08-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

sitting in a internet cafe here in porto portugal with 13minutes left of web time. just updating to say we are safe and enjoying our euro road trip very much. Planning to hit seville, granada and lisbon on our way home. will post pics and more info on out return to civilization.

from euro

2007-07-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

So Kristi and I have been having an amazing time here in europe. We spent last week with my good friend Aron (aka: swedish tour guide extrodanaire) exploring the streets of stockholm, which was absolutely incredible. he showed us all the ins and outs, coffee shops, pubs, "trendy" clothing stores and how to ride the swedish metro. As Aron and I sat out on his balcony at midnight enjoying the white nights and chit chatting about life, I realized how much i missed our friendship this last year. All i can hope for is that God allows our paths to cross again in the future. i write and wait here in france while kristi is somewhere in England. I walked around a rainy paris yesterday, attempting photography through the cloud breaks, and also took pics of some of the fields behind my parents house. I'm think about moving here...soon...peace corps?... we'll see...

SWEDEN!!

2007-07-05T14:46:00.001-07:00

Kristi and I arrived safely in Stockholm, Sweden. We have had an awesome time and Aron has been an amazing tour guide. It so nice just to relax and not be flooded with thoughts of things i need to get done. Here are some pics and i will post a blog with more details later.

good news!

2007-06-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

among the loads of stress and frustration we have finally gotten some good news. Peace corps medically cleared us! I faxed over some heb b test results and received the news a few hours later. Now we are eligible to be considered for placement. From what i've read invitations normally follow about 1-4 weeks after medical clearance. YEA! Pray for Kristi and myself as we head out on monday...hopefully.

update

2007-06-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

so kristi and i leave the USA on monday the second of july if all goes as plans. the last few weeks have been crazy and at times i feel like im losing my mind. we finally got a response as to our medical status after aprox 6 months. they needed more info, so between working kristi and i scurried between doctors offices and dental clinics. kristis info seems to all be in order and they are just waiting on a heb b result for me. added to our drama was the fact that kristis passport has not arrived. we were told 2 weeks ago to call within 48hrs of our departure date to set up an emergency appointment at the new Orleans immigration office. so today we called and were promptly told that sorry we do not have any appointments available anywhere in the us and there is nothing further we can do for you. Kristi and i decided to call back and were able to secure an appointment for 8am on monday (the day of our departure) but due to the 3hour drive kristi will not have made it back on time to pensacola to catch our flight. so for the price of another plane ticket to france we scheduled her a flight out of new orleans to philly where she will meet up with me as we cross the big water to sweden. Needless to say my nerves are shot and my brain is about to explode. we still have not done any packing and havent sold her car. I cant wait for the moment we board the plane and know its all over. whats done is done and what isnt done is well.. not done. hopefully my medical clearance will be soon and then we should get our invitation from peace corps stating where we will serve and what we will do.

life is good in the neighborhood

2007-06-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Life is good, just pulling teeth and selling cars. Time to leave is coming very soon. We will miss some things and not a lot of others. Weather is hot and people are sweating. Peace corps is waiting but then so is sweden, france and our great family road trip.

Update

2007-05-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Kristi recently spoke with someone at the Peace Corps medical office and they informed us that they don't have to clear us medically until July 22nd. (one month before our expected leave date) We went ahead and bought our tickets to France for the summer despite not knowing exactly when we have to be back. We figure if they need more medical info we will get it done by a doctor in France. Currently, we are set to leave july 2nd, spend 5 days with my good friend Aron in Sweden and then we will fly to Paris where we will remain until august 25th. My dad is busily planning a road trip from paris through spain to morocco, so we are super excited about that. I recently bought a new camera to document our trip with the peace corps, here are some pics from around pensacola.

in some more news

2007-05-11T05:21:00.000-07:00

Apparently Africa has nominated Zimbabwe to be it's chair at the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development. Why not nominate a delegate who hails from a country where free elections don't exist, the economy is so hampered by poor leadership that they can't even feed their own population, and where human rights are violated if you oppose the ruling party. Thank you Africa for your great choice in nomination, Zimbabwe is such a shining example of sustainable development, I'm sure we can all learn something from her.
I remember receiving a flyer (which i will attach) during my stint at FSU that advocated for the world to wake up because Zimbabwe is dying . I think too often being so far away from suffering we get lulled to sleep by the comfortable lives we live. Perhaps it is time for us to wake and I hope this helps by shaking your conscience a little. (courtesy of www.zimvigil.co.uk)

WAKE UP WORLD! ZIMBABWE IS DYING

What is happening

· more than half population starving (8 m)

· food only to Mugabe supporters

· clampdown on charities

· unemployment over 70%

· inflation out of control (200% and rising)

· state approved murder and torture

· press muzzled

· judiciary subverted

a weekend in the woods

2007-04-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

So this weekend as Kristi visited her friend Jill in Cincinnati, I kindly asked her if she would drop me off in Smoky Mountain National Park. At the park I met up with my friend Nick and his dad from Michigan. Being first time back country hikers, we got a little over excited and bit off a hike which was almost bigger than we could chew. We started at Clingman's Dome (at 6670 feet it is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail), which had just opened that day after being closed all winter. Over the next 3 days we followed a 31 mile loop back to where we started. Each night after we set up camp we frolicked in the mountain streams. Here are some pics of our adventure.

Peace Corps Update

2007-04-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

there is no update...
i am floating in limbo somewhere between medically approved for service or "sorry the body God granted you is not fit for Peace Corps." Post my medical application submission, I have experienced some strange new symptoms such as being easily excitable, which led to insomnia, followed by anxiety of "I'm not getting any sleep and i start work in 4 hours" and finally paranoia as i run through my mental checklist of things to do over and over and over.... well you get the point. I think it's been classified as pctsd- peace corps traumatic stress disorder. (just in case my peace corps medical officer is reading this, I'm just kidding about everything i said). Well as my future lays on the desk of a medical officer thousands of miles away, pray that i will have patience in this process. It is comforting to know that God has already picked out the perfect spot for Kristi and myself. He knows where we will be, what we will do, and how He will use us. well my insomnia is wearing off so i better go to bed while i still can.

t'was the day after christmas

2007-04-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Layers by Stanley Kunitz

2007-04-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Read a great poem today and thought you might enjoy it. (whoever the ambigious you might be)
The Layers by Stanley Kunitz

I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was,
though some principle of being abides,
from which I struggle not to stray.
When I look behind,
as I am compelled to look
before I can gather strength
to proceed on my journey,
I see the milestones dwindling
toward the horizon
and the slow fires trailing
from the abandoned camp-sites,
over which scavenger angels
wheel on heavy wings.
Oh, I have made myself a tribe
out of my true affections,
and my tribe is scattered!
How shall the heart be reconciled
to its feast of losses?
In a rising wind
the manic dust of my friends,
those who fell along the way,
bitterly stings my face.
Yet I turn, I turn,
exulting somewhat,
with my will intact to go
wherever I need to go,
and every stone on the road
precious to me.
In my darkest night,
when the moon was covered
and I roamed through wreckage,
a nimbus-clouded voice directed me:
"Live in the layers, not on the litter."
Though I lack the art
to decipher it,
no doubt the next chapter
in my book of transformations
is already written.
I am not done with my changes.

“We are healed from suffering only by experiencing it to the full.” - marcel proust / Peace Corps.. five months and counting

2007-04-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

After about a gallon of drawn blood, a change in nationalities and soon to be missing 3 wisdom teeth (I'm hoping it won't affect my intellect), Kristi and I are eagerly awaiting for peace corps to pick a town in Southern Africa and say " hey why don't you come live here for 2 years?" It has been an experience in itself just to get this far. Lately I have been reading about other individuals experiences and it has ranged from the worst experience of their lives, to a two year government paid vacation. I remember during our initial interview I was asked why do I want to join peace corps and I have been thinking about that a lot lately. What is it that makes me want to leave the US and dedicate two years of my life laboring for free in a less fortunate country? Is it a self righteous altruistic mission..? No I am not that naive. Is it to soothe the guilt of us raping the third world for the last century..? perhaps a little. More than anything it is the fact that poverty, disease, warfare and aids rubs the comforted soul the wrong way, and I like that. There is this scene at the end of Little Miss Sunshine where Frank and Dwayne are standing out on a dock discussing suffering. Frank brings up the great french writer Marcel Proust and states " he gets down to the end of his life, and he looks back and decides that all those years he suffered, those were the best years of his life, 'cause they made him who he was. All those years he was happy? You know, total waste. Didn't learn a thing." So if I get anything out of the experience, it is to learn. To learn more about the world God has created, the people that live here and how exactly i fit into that. I've often heard that to those who much has been given, much is expected. I feel this is but a small sacrifice compared to the blessings that have been bestowed on me. It is so easy living in the US to be lulled to sleep by the temporary self satisfaction of this material world. I hope this trip shakes me to my core that i may once again realize the reality in which most of the world lives.

Often I wonder what will i think when I am 70 and look back over my life. Will my highlights be that nice car I bought, or a house i got at the beach. I hope not. We are the few, the lucky, the ones living under a regime that strives for freedom. However for most of us, this was not our choice but rather handed to us on a silver platter. Others don't have that privilege.

2007-03-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can not be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. "
-- Mark Twain

Let the great adventure which is life not find you where she left you.

"In Africa even the flies are happy" - breytenbach

2007-03-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

yo i be back from hiatus to fill yer little minds with more of me worthless rhythms and rhymes. i look into the crystal ball of me future and see much turbulence therefore it is well that the world knows how i feel. me wee heart says bring all that this life can for when she spews me out on the other side i will certainly have more character. be forewarned that me mind is not consumer friendly and i make no excuses for bringing any form of discomfort to yer complacent soul. (for more entertaiment read the previous post with an Ali G accent)

deja vu

2006-10-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

(Paris 01/01/06)

we once followed dew laden cobblestones
to catch the early train out of Ponthierry

eyeing through windows
as villages left dots through farm fields,
fields to outskirts, and outskirts to Paris

handlocked we wandered through history
afraid we might lose ourselves never to return

acquired champagne and fleur des savannes
just before France threw down her evening blanket

discovered ourselves at under Eiffel's skirt
naturally, in French tradition she was ornately dressed in stars

amid chants and cheers time inaugurated another year

that night, I held you in my arms as the city rocked us to sleep

yes it's true,
we once found New Years in Paris

Calle Marina

2006-10-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

After a week of blogging, I've almost decided to quit. It seems so egotistic for me to write and post it to the world as if I have something prophetic to say. I struggle wondering what would be worth someone else’s time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy writing for myself but blogging seems to be quite the opposite. Really I have no great revelations or experiences; most days are fairly monotonous, wake up, work, eat, gym and sleep. Knowing that, read my blog at risk of wasting your time. Perhaps in the near future, my wife and I will be exploring some foreign continent and at that time I will feel inspired to write about a not so ordinary day.

on old Calle Marina's corner,
where tram cars and busses meet,
we will sit under the Prince of Barcelona's patio cafe,

Clouds hang like dry dream promises,
clanging cups and unintelligible smiles
school girls with night hair,
and aging men's silver rimmed mouths

memories ring distant stories,
time isolated by miles,
a catalonian rediscovery of america

the foreign tongue has become a lover's song,

2006-10-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

"the road is too long,
the sky is too vast,
the wandering heart,
is homeless at last"
-Leonard Cohen,
(book of longing. harpercollins publishing 2006)

in the beginning

2006-10-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

So here it is. Ruco has finally got up with the blogging world albeit through much prodding from my wife and friends. They must think i have something worthwhile to say but I beg to differ. I guess introductions are in order. My birthplace of Capetown can be found on the southern tip of the great continent of Africa. It clings to a mountain that overlooks the intersection of the Atlantic and the Indian ocean. Like the oceans, for centuries cultures and peoples have clashed on these shores. There I was born, a white african (ironic in itself). For most of my life my skin color was my passport. In a country made by whites for whites, I knew no apartheid only priviledge. Now it is I, that in the eye of the ignorant bear the face of apartheid. The heritage of the Afrikaner is ever present but perhaps this is the price the innocent pay for years of injustice. Scratch that... nothing can repay the injustice, all we can do is to tell the truth and reconcile. But what do I know, I have experienced no great war, seen no depression, and felt no poverty. Currently I am living in Pensacola Florida, but Africa is calling and soon.. very soon I will return. (God willing).