Four Teeth

Manansberg
Capetown.



It is like inner city east london but where streets have not been turned on the ends. Here they still have real streets but also describable as slums.
It is a township. Poverty is hurting me.

We came here to visit a home
terrible conditions more like a charity shop with accidental damaged furniture throughout. Worse than that and crammed in a small space.

An Angel was in residence.
Her name was Rachel.
She is from the coloured sector of this large city with her sick elder brother in bed under a blanket as she conducted us around her home.

Every wednesday she cooks a mammoth pot full of meat and potatoes to give freely to humans in her crammed community. Another pot also went to the local church where, without any announcement, the locals came streaming with plastic tub or plate in hand - feeding a family of ten a local told me.
That's why we were here. To help in the prep and the serving of dish - smelling so good even twenty feet away.

I was with Gideon. A local Pastor who was also our chauffeur. It was not safe to walk down the streets.

I did some walking around to shake hands with some young humans - followed by older and older generations as the came within reach of my handshake and to see this strange white man from London.
Many of the men, old and young, had their front four teeth missing.
All were warm.
All greeted me with street handshakes and were up for questions.
I went for it.

Joining a gang here means also taking out four front top teeth and so many are like that. Gangsters.


-- Post From My iPhone

From Capetown. S Africa

My right foot




I have got a right foot full of sharp glass. It is swollen. Worst it has been in 5 days.
Until now I have been able to limp but no bending it. Now it is painful to put weight on.

It is called Gout. I have had it once before. I am on painkiller/antiflamatory tabs. Facts.

Feelings. It hurts even when sat down. It is starting to impact me emotionally.
I am interested in my emotions. I am studying them.

I feel a little fragile. Unusual.
I feel a little heavy hearted.
I believe in doing this study of myself right now.
Emotional Literacy is articulating my feelings. Here goes. Trying with head full of painkillers.

I feel also that I an attracting attention to mr because of my pain.
I don't welcome that attention.
I love interactive attention.
I feel disabled.
I feel annoyed with myself.
Grrrrrrrr

I also feel that am a bit of a chain and ball on the group I am with.
All these little bits = not ok.

Because I can understand these feelings. It helps. So am free in these signals called Feelings.
But the pain is still here.










From Pip's iPhone
¸.•*¨*•♪you♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥¸.•*¨*•♪are♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥¸.•*¨*•♪beautiful♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥


-- Post From My iPhone

Capetown feelings
Thursday 11th November 2010

Love it in Busyville/Longdayville
Working with English speaking locals
Being with them
Communication more difficult with the Norge Humans
It is great
but want it to be greater.
Language, my fault - I have no Norwegian,
BUT I yearn to closer
but that is my desire with everyone..........
..... are you available ?

As usual I like it when I am working
Today was a day of tourism. Educational yes.
Robin Island and District 6, a museum dedicated to
those done a massive injustice.
My soul weeps deep as I see injustice - all committed in my lifetime.
But these things are good but.
Not the best for me as I am restless soul
unless I am doing what I do best and love best.

I am on a boat. Homeward bound
From Robin island
Home is Backpackers Hostel
Capetown

Windy
Boat swaying
Not sick
But it is rough.

I received emails today
First wifi here
Answering some on d boat
Deleting lots

I feel good about the week
Never ever thought
That I would be here
ever.

I feel good with the poorest
All so disturbed as hell.
Every ounce of this-
It is as unjust as Mandela
27 years in Prison.

These poor humans
Seems they have a life sentence
Little kids
Growing in this as their social norm
Living in Tin Town
Illegal miles of shacks
Made from scrap
Mangled scrap
Tin scrap
Human scrap heap
But that is all they have

I feel disturbed to the depth of my being.
I love these little ones. I love their mothers.
All I have looked in the eyes.
All I have listened to them.
Their stories
Their issues.

More more reflection coming
on my day off tomorrow ..............

I am in Capetown South Africa.
23 Norwegian beautiful humans - teenagers and two staff.

So much to spill.
Will do most of that at home.
BUT - my first job here was to bind the Norwegian Group with a group of Capetonians from a school called -'The School of Hope'
60% are from child care backgrounds.
We met at a Bush Camp out in the wilds.
I facilitated games/fun/body contact.
Much more with the aim of it all being
A learning process.

See the pix of communication here
the kinf of communication -
without words
see the fantastic way humans fro different culture
connected with each other
beautiful

.

TRAILER " WOMEN ARE HEROES" from SOCIAL ANIMALS on Vimeo.

Sorry folks.
The blog below.
I did plan to click about the pictures
showing some of the places I am going to
in South Africa.

But I got carried away with feelings stuff.
more important methinxxxxxxxxxxx

Now ..
... me ..
... when I am like this
I always look at my self
and the first question is ..
... feelings.

'Why am I afraid to tell you who I am -
because if I tell you who I am,
and you don't like who I am,
that is all I have.'
That is the title of my favourite book -
and here in internet space
I have the commitment to be as open as honest as I can
because I believe that is good for me,
you,
and us all ..
..... in the journey of self understanding
and everything developmental.....
..... so I want to tell you who I am.

I am feeling positive.
I am reflectively full-up.
I want to reflect.
I want to understand me
to also understand
you.
(and other beautiful humans)

Last Saturday tho
I felt stressed for two hours.
All of a sudden I noticed
I was feeling stressed.

I know what pressure is like,
that is generally good.

I live with pressure all the time.
In fact,
when I am not there,
I am am at my worst.

I like the pressure
I like the relaxing from it too!

But on Saturday
I felt that my blood was boiling
in my veins.
It seemed to be rushing around.
I know that feeling too.
Feelings are signals.
Because I work on my own emotions,
understanding them
giving each a name/word = emotional literacy.
I was able to examine them.

I remember once
back in the early 80's -
I grabbed a picture of the wall in our flat
and just smashed it.
It shocked me.
That was not being emotionally intelligent!

We were living in a flat above a youth and community centre.
Seven days a week.
Pressure and worse kicking off.
I just lost it.

I think reaching our own cliff edge
is good.
It teaches us to only go so far.
I had to learn and
I have been learning ever since -
and I believe you do too!

Have you felt stress recently?
Do you tell anyone?
Do you talk it through?
Work at it?
Or do you contain it
like a capped volcano?
Building up for the next
eruption?

It has got to come out.
There are different methods.
Some are secretly done.
One person silently releasing pressure/stress.

A better way is to spill.
Then SHIFT HAPPENS.

Share with another human.
Otherwise we wear a mask.
We are not being real.
We are not authentic.

Then Shift happens.

We change
We grow.
We begin to love our feelings.
We welcome the signals.
We can read the semaphore.

We can become code breakers.

Emotional Intelligence is for us all.
For our wholeness
Divine ....................

This is the most beautiful photo.
Perfect example of humans communicating well.
Look at the faces.
The tight skin.
The total focus of the eyes.
Other events unnoticed.
All the emotion is on task,listening -
as one other communicates in different way.
All the listeners leaning forward.
Beautiful.




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