To integrate yourself into another culture isn’t as easy as one may think. Sure you can learn their language, support their sports teams, and wear clothing that resembles their own, but does doing this actually allow you to be a part of their culture? I don’t believe so. I can speak some Spanish, my favorite soccer team is FC Barcelona, and I wear some of the same clothing many Spaniards wear, but does that mean I am immersed in their culture? No, and this remains true for South Africa as it does all around the world. To integrate yourself into a culture you must live with the people, do what they do, walk in their shoes. Living in Masealama has given me many wonderful ways to dive into the region’s culture and become more of a local. The best ways I have found to do so are some of the littlest things I can do, but no matter how little the activity, they have proven their importance.
Living without running water in my home has not only given me a greater appreciation for having clean drinking water coming out of every tap in my home back in the States, the ability to take a shower without needing to use an urn to heat up only enough water to fill a small bucket to then pour over myself, or the ability to flush a toilet without requiring me to pour water into the toilet bowl to force the waste down, but it has also given me the opportunity to meet many people and have conversations with them that would not have occurred without this small inconvenience. Before coming to Masealama, I would complain if the water tasted funny, if there was no warm water left to shower with, or if I had to hold the toilet handle down in order to be sure it flushed properly. What I should have been thinking, is how thankful I am for having clean water to drink, water to shower with, and a toilet that flushes.
You may be wondering why this has caused me to meet more people or why I have been talking about the way I bathe or how I get rid of my bodily waste to others in my host community. I promise you, I have not had any conversations about either of those activities with the residents of Masealama. As a result of not having running water in my home, I must fetch water. In my house, I have a large water drum that holds perhaps 250 liters of water. To get the water into this drum, I must use a wheel barrel and a few plastic containers to collect the water from the “water tower.” When I fetch water, I walk to the water tower, and to give you perspective is between one and two city blocks away. Then, as long as there is water in the tank, I can begin filling my plastic containers with water from the taps. In order to regulate water consumption, the taps are only open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6am to 6pm and then again Saturday mornings until noon. As many people want to fetch their water before the heat sets in for the day and to ensure the water doesn’t run out for them, they fetch their water early in the morning. I have made the mistake of attempting to fetch water in the afternoon, and have been left with an empty water drum for the next few days. So, I try to go in the mornings before heading to work at the crèche and this has given me the opportunity to meet many of the residents of Masealama that are out fetching water and/or walking around. Although the conversations at the water tower are rarely deep, simply my presence at the tower allows my credibility to increase as they see I struggle alongside of them to have clean water.
Due to not having personal access to a car, I have the opportunity to frequent the local taxis, or combis as they call them, from place to place. Now the taxis are different than what you would think of when envisioning those that crowd the streets of New York City. Instead, they are more like the old VW vans with some eighteen-odd windows in them. Sure, some of combis are nicer and newer than you might imagine based on that picture, but they are generally found in town, not in the more remote villages like Masealama. Again, just as people are surprised by the idea that I fetch water as they do, they are equally intrigued to see me riding in the taxis. Although normally white people in South Africa do not ride the taxis, I believe people are surprised for another, simpler, reason. That being they are not used to seeing a white man at all, for around Masealama and the surrounding villages there are no white people. To see me riding joyfully along in a taxi through their village, I would imagine would be a bit of a site to them.
As they are intrigued by me, many of the riders will chat with me and get to know me. After the general, “Hi, how are you doing?” and “what is your name and where are you from?” questions, they begin to ask what I am doing here and love hearing I will be her until next July. Since taxis are used by most commuters to get around the area, I see many different people each time. However, after just one month of being here, I am seeing many of the same faces and am eager to greet them. Through being seen riding the taxis that I will be more accepted into the culture, showing them that I am here to be with them and ride alongside of them.
Of course I do not always have in-depth conversations at the water tower, riding in the taxis, nor when children shout my name when they see me, but what each instance creates is an opportunity. The opportunity that the next time I see these people I will recognize and know them, allowing me to have more conversations with them. Thus, allowing our relationships to develop and grow. Walking with the people and being a part of the people is an important aspect to immersing oneself into a new culture. Integrating into a culture is not through learning their language, supporting their sports teams, nor dressing like them, rather through doing the little things every day that they do too.
