All Play and No Work Makes Thomas a Bad Missionary

Well, I have been in my placement proper and working for 2 months now. I should tell you all what is it that I do. To do that, I will give you a quick breakdown of the hierarchy I answer to. So, at the top is the Episcopal Church, for which I am serving as a missionary through the Program YASC (Young Adult Service Corps). YASC sends us out to various programs and parishes throughout the Anglican Church worldwide. So, as a member of YASC, I have been sent to work for a program Called HOPE Africa. HOPE Africa is a social developmental program that works within the Anglican Church in Southern Africa (different than just the country of South Africa). HOPE is based out of Cape Town. Now, Hope has their fingers in all types of pies spread out through Southern Africa, and one of them is the Overstrand Care Center. They help raise money and find donors as well as providing training and all kinds of things, along with sending along YASC volunteers when they get them and they have the proper skills. Which is exactly what HOPE has done in my case. So, to simplify it, my “chain of command” is as follows; YASC> HOPE Africa> Overstrand Care Center. Simple enough, right?

Now, the Overstand Care Center (OCC) is basically a Hospice center located in Hawston. The medical system and area being what they are, we receive a lot more than just terminal patients near the end of their life. We get used for all types of things, from patients freshly on HIV/Aids Medication that need a place to recover and start/ learn their medication regime and learn about their condition, to amputee patients who are waiting to find alternative accommodation/have their place adapted to their new lifestyle, to patients with depression or other mental illnesses (who are non-violent) who need to be monitored as they begin a new medication and need the time to balance out, to stroke victims, to patients that are invalid or need assistance taking care of themselves but their usual care givers need a break or have to take care of issues or are going on holiday. We also receive the standard end of life patients as well.

The OCC can, at max, house 15 patients, 6 in the male ward, 6 in the female ward, 2 in a private ward, and 1 in the Compassionate (end of life) room. Of those 15 beds, only 7 are funded by the state, meaning that we receive money to spend on food and other necessities for only 7 patients. I have yet to see us really drop under 7 patients, with the average being between 9 and 11 since I have been here. The intended time for a patient to be in the care center is 21 days. If the patient is still in the center after 21 days, extensions can be given for up to an additional 21 days. That’s 41 days that any one patient should be in the center, max, if they REALLY need it. That is how it is on paper at least. In practice patients stay for as long as they can and we have the bed space, especially if they do not have alternative accommodation.

“Where do you fit in to all of this?” You may ask. “Well, thanks for asking kind reader, let me tell you”. In the States, I am a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC), a medical professional that is trained in everything from injury screening and prevention to injury rehabilitation and return to play (and I mean EVERYTHING in between. We are kind of the Jacks of All Trade when it comes to the medical field, especially sports related injuries). They don’t have Athletic Trainers in South Africa. The closest I could find (and what I end up telling everyone I am) is a Physio (in the states we might call them Physical Therapists [PT]) that specializes in sports. Yes, you there, the one in the back with the hand up, what is your question? “But Mister, how can a Physio (let alone an ATC) help in a Hospice Center?” Excellent question, and the truth is, my skills apply to this population better than one might imagine. The care center receives visits from both a state employed Physio and A state employed Occupational Therapist, but they only come once a month (sometimes more, sometimes less). So into the gap I have stepped.

If you remember, we get all types of patients. A large portion has been Victims of CVAs (stokes). It apparently goes along with the higher rates of HIV and TB. Now, stoke patients are something that can fall squarely within the scope of an ATC, especially one that is working in a PT setting. Also, amputee patients can be equally served with some physio. While they are not a population that I am used to, the skills and techniques I have learned and used in rehabilitating and retraining athletes, can be modified to help these patients. My time has been spent helping the patients in the center by devising and implementing programs to help them recover and regain use of their bodies as well as adapt to their limitations (easy example is in the case of amputee patients, teaching them how to use crutches). So far the majority of my services have been rendered in the inpatient portion of the care center. There is also a Home Based Care service provided from the OCC as well, and I have spent some time with them, working in the community employing my services there.

As needed as the service is, as much as I am helping people that have a very little chance of seeing a real physio, it is a limited service. I am only one person, and can only do so much, along with the fact that I am only here for a year. In an attempt to preserve my efforts after I am gone, as well as improve the services already being offered, I have decided to undertake a special project. I am spending time trying to compile and organize a guide of exercises and stretches that the care givers of both the home based service and the in center service can use. I will include different types of exercises to use in various situations with all maner of patients, as well as some of the basics they need to know for designing and implementing physio programs. I will also work closely with the care givers to instruct them on how to do the exercises as well as when to do them and how to best render this side of the service. That is the main goal I would like to achieve with my time here.

What I have described so far sounds like it could take up all of my time here and then some, and while it does occupy a portion of each day, it is not everything I do. My other activities, in short, are anything that is needed of me. I fall somewhere in between the care givers, the Nurse coordinator, and a physio in the clinic. Whatever Martin (the nurse who coordinates everything) asks of me, I do. This ranges from making phone calls, helping prepare and dispense medication, doing administration tasks (I completely redid and streamlined the manner in which they kept track of stats here at the care center, as well as updated some of the forms), assisting in procedures (like drawing blood or giving injections) and anything else. I also assist the care givers in any tasks that I can, such as transporting and lifting patients, helping with the meal times and snacks, taking and recording the routine observations (BP, Pulse, temp, etc.), and anything else they need.

I have really enjoyed my time working here so far. I have learned a number of new things, as well as been able to teach some of my knowledge to those here. I look forward to continuing to grow and change the work that I do here throughout the year. 

What do you mean Thanksgiving is an America only thing?

I am thankful for many things. My family. My wonderful girlfriend. This wonderful opportunity to work and live in a different country and culture. The chance to grow and challenge myself. The supportive people who have enabled me to undergo all of their, either through moral or financial support. The fact that I was born in this day and age, allowing me to experience some of the best convenience and technology the human species has developed so far. The fact that I was born in a country to a family with the means to allow me to experience these things. The list can go on and on. This Thanksgiving I was able to add a few more things to this list.

Every year, HOPE Africa, the organization I am working for, has the YASC members assigned to them prepare a Thanksgiving meal for the office. Since Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that South Africans don’t typically celebrate, the office decides make the Americans they host feel welcome by participating with them (this can also be read as scamming some unexpecting young adults into cooking a meal for them). Now, I have never cooked a Thanksgiving meal before. In fact, I don’t believe I have ever even assisted in preparing one. Typically, my family travels to my father’s relatives in Cleveland for Thanksgiving. Since we are traveling the day of, we don’t help prepare that actual meal, and instead bring the food for Friday’s meal (Quiche, because it is easy to make then transport and reheat the next day. Now quiche I can make). So this leaves me without the faintest clue as how to cook a turkey or make stuffing. It’s ok though, because there is another American here, Lacey, to help, and surely she knows how to… to make… No? She doesn’t know either? Never done it?  Despite the fact that neither of us knew how to do it, HOPE still insisted on the event. They even said that ever previous year the YASCers also have had no idea how to cook thanksgiving dinner, and everything turned out fine. So, with literally no clue what we were doing, and no real research done, we undertook the challenge.

Thursday morning, I caught a ride back to Cape Town with Hananja (friend of the former YASCer in my placement, as well as a dietitian who helps at the Care Center) and Lacey and I set out to make the meal at the HOPE office. We quickly discovered that we didn’t have enough supplies and took another shopping trip (we knew enough to buy the turkey and let it defrost the day before, so at least that was fine). We manage, with the help of Delene (CEO of HOPE) and Thandeka, to actually get the turkey in the oven and cooking along with the stuffing prepared (Shout out to my Aunt Sally for providing the recipe). Shortly after this we discovered that the second oven in the offices kitchen, wasn’t actually functional. This is when the second big wave of help, and the real day saver, occurred. There is another American missionary working in the Anglican Church office, Nicole. She works for the Growing the Church office, but it’s a small compound, and we rub elbows quite often (also, Lacey and Nicole actually graduated from the same university). We had invited her to our office thanksgiving earlier in the day, and once we discovered that our office’s kitchen wasn’t going to cut it, we went in search of another oven. We asked Nicole if her particular office had an extra oven we could borrow. She informed us that they did not, however, she lived close, and didn’t have any pressing work that needed turned in that day. We loaded up her car and took a little trip to her abode. This actually turned out really well, since it enabled us to have a slightly better equipped kitchen (I still don’t know why I thought the Office kitchen would have all the material we needed) and it allowed the Americans to talk about our Thanksgivings and our time in South Africa and all of that while frantically preparing and cooking mashed potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs, roasted veggies, and the stuffing. It certainly helped make the time pass faster and before we knew it we were done and it was almost 6pm (the dinner was originally supposed to begin around 5). We loaded everything back up and raced back to the office. Those left in the office had set everything else up, in spectacular fashion, and the turkey looked fantastic. The dinner that followed was a delight and everyone agreed that it was delicious.

All in all, it was a very successful first attempt at making a thanksgiving dinner that would have never succeeded without the help of many wonderful people. If you look closely enough there might be a lesson to be found about asking others for help and giving assistance, even when the practices aren’t particularly your own culture. There is also a lesson buried in there about being appreciative of what you have, the time with your family, and the hard efforts of those that usually prepare your fests for you. However, my brain is still muddled from all the tryptophan and work, so you will have to hunt those lessons on your own. God bless, and thank you all. 

I'm bad, I'm bad, I'm really really bad... at blogging.

There is no hiding it. I am horrible at this whole blog thing. I have been here in South Africa for almost 2 months, with 5 weeks under my belt in Hawston, and I've barely updated my blog since my arrival in Hawston. It's not like I haven't been doing and experiencing things. Quite the opposite in fact. I have had many new experiences and adventures. Truth be told, the problem is my desire to present my time here to the best of my ability.

I have started writing at least 4 separate blog posts about various events I have attended. Each one ends up saved in my documents, with the intention to come back later to finish it. I never seems quite happy with my work. I am always wanting to add more to it, to express myself better, to find some greater truth in my experience and find the best way to represent it. I never end up finishing the post, because the next one begins to form. Eventually, I feel like the information is too out of date to post. which is a shame, because I really have had a wonderful time here, and some of my activities make such great stories. Instead, I will just try to give a quick list of my highlights with very little details, so as to keep this post short.

1) HOPE Africa, the program I am working for, purchased a bicycle for my use while here, since I have no other form of transportation. This has been invaluable both as a means of getting myself around as well as being a stress reliever and a great way to see the beautiful area I am in (I am currently working on a Facebook Page to share all of my pictures of my time here).

2) A few weekends ago, I cycled into Hermanus, which is roughly 14 km one way. For those of you using the imperial system, that is a little over 8.5 miles. I don't think I have even biked for such a distance before, and I was very proud of myself for doing it. accomplishing this means that, if the need is great enough, I can make it into the closest thing that has a substantial amount of activities to keep myself busy. Most people in the area do the majority of their shopping in Hermanus, and it has some wonder spots to observe the ocean, as well as plenty of activities and shops for me to visit (the draft of the blog I have for this one speaks at length of the metaphor of freedom and independence and blah blah blah).

3) Keri, the YASC member that was in the placement last, put me in touch with some of her old friends when she was here. They have been life savers. They immediately accepted me with open arms and I received multiple invitations to dinners and events from them. Malan and Ria (short for Maria) where the first ones to reach out to me. I spent my first Saturday in Hermanous enjoying a Braai at their house, where I got to meet their son and his family (wife and two children). We watched the South African Rugby team unfortunately lose to the All Blacks, knocking them out of the Rugby World cup. We also watched the championship game of the South African rugby League. We then enjoyed some wonderful braai along with some stimulating conversation. Overall, I could not have asked for a better first Saturday in Hawston (thought they live in Vermont, which is the town right next to hawston towards Hermanous. It is less than 3.5 km away from Hawston). Next, I was invited by Hanaja, Keri's best friend here, to a dinner at Stefan's, another one of their mutual friends, houses. There I was able to meet the entire friend group. It was an evening filled with delicious food and an opening and welcoming atmosphere. They then invited me to a film on the 30th of October (that Friday) in Cape town. It was an interesting collection of outdoor/extreme sport short films from a Film Festival. Most of them were very interesting and exciting.

There have been many more highlights, and I could go on and on, but I must stop. This blog is starting to fall to the same failures of previous ones, in that I am starting to go on and on. So instead I will just end it here, with a promise to do betting with updating my blog. Hopefully. I will get into a routine of a few short blogs ever week or so.

All work and no play makes Thomas a dull Missionary

So, the post everyone is interested in. The “adventures” I have been on so far. I may have only been in South Africa for a little over three weeks, but I have still been able to have some good times.

The first one I should mention occurred the first weekend I was in Cape Town. One of the other workers at HOPE, Jenny Dick, invited both Lacey (the other YASC intern) and I to a braai (known as a barbeque in the states) on Sunday, October 4^th. It was wonderful to attend, as we got to meet her husband, her brother, her sons and her daughter as well as her grandchildren and some family friends. They were all very wonderful to us and we had a great time getting to know them and enjoying some delicious food. I’ve never really been one to enjoy the spot light, so it was nice to be able to share it with Lacey. We were always asked to take the first share of each dish, which is something I hate doing, because I never know how much to take. The braai also turned into an early birthday celebration for Jenny and I, since we both share a birthday on the 8^th of October (she discovered this on my first day in Cape Town and we immediately became “Twins”). Overall it turned into a wonderful Sunday afternoon spent enjoying the company of a very loving and caring family that accepted us into their home and made us feel welcome.

The next event worthy of note would have to be my actual birthday. Besides the birthday celebration we had in the office (luckily the responsibility for lunch and cake was shared between Jenny and I) I was able to visit Table Mountain. Table Mountain is the ever present watchman of Cape Town. It literally overlooks the city, and is the most prominent landscape feature in the immediate vicinity, with the city sprawling around and out from its base. It stands roughly 1,086 meters (3,563 ft) high at its highest, and the mostly flat plateau from which it derives its name stretches approximately 3 kilometers (2mi) from edge to edge. It turns out that South African citizens get a free ticket up the Table Mountain Cable Car for their birthday, which can be used at any time during their birthday or the 7 days that follow, and Jenny regularly goes up to the top every year. Luckily for me she knows someone who was able to get me a ticket as well. We left the office shortly after lunch and traveled to the cable car station and took the ride up to the top. Talk about beautiful views. I ran my phone battery dead trying to capture the amazing views of Cape Town, the sea, and the surrounding area. Trust me people, the pictures do not do it justice, not in the slightest. We spent a few hours walking around, taking in the sites, hiking and jumping over rocks, and generally just en


joying the beautiful views and weather. At one point we witnessed a double rainbow in one of the ravines. I highly recommend to anyone who visits Cape Town, or South Africa in general, that Table Mountain be on your list of things to do. You can take the cable car ride to the top or hike up one of its many paths, which I look forward to attempting one day.

After my first week in Cape Town, I changed residences from the Schoenstatt retreat center to Ann House, which is a student accommodation house offered by the Anglican chaplaincy and run by St. Paul’s in Rondebosch. This is where Lacey is living for her year with HOPE. The combination of now having a person I knew that was also from the States, as well as having access to more things to do, meant an increase of possibilities. Ann House is located right next to the middle campus of UCT (University of Cape Town), and there were many more opportunities than there was at Schoenstatt (which had lovely surrounding areas, but not much to do within walking distance). The next week or so found Lacey and I, accompanied by either Coworkers or other residents in Ann house, exploring the area and trying different restaurants usually suggested for their selection of craft beers (Lacey is a self-professed beer snob). One place, the tap room, had an amazing IPA as well as the best lamb burger I have ever had. Another place had a nice outside eating area where we were able to watch the US rugby team get absolutely steamrolled by the South African Rugby team in the Rugby World cup. Wandering around the UTC campus was interesting as well.

The most recent excursion that was undertaken was my last Saturday in Cape Town. Ignatius (Iggy) France, another member of HOPE, had tipped us off about a craft beer festival occurring in his town of Stellenbosch on the 17^th of October. We traveled out there and met up with him his girlfriend and went to the festival. It was great. There was a variety of interesting craft breweries there with some really great wares. My favorite had to be either the Wild Beat stout or Everson’s mulled cider. To top off the day the

festival showed the South African rugby team playing the Wales Rugby team. Imagine a ton of slightly tipsy to roaringly  intoxicated (the group next to us) South African fans and a few wales fans (only one of whom had their jersey on) all watching the game together on a giant screen under the sun just enjoying each other’s company, some good beer, and life in general. It was great. To make it even better, the Springboks won.

Only three weeks in, and I’ve had a great time. I can’t wait to see what I will get up to now that I’m in beautiful Hawston, with a world renowned whale watching village, Hermanous, nearby. 

Three weeks in, might as well start posting.

I’ve been here for around three weeks now, and surprising that makes updating my blog that much harder. If I were to include everything about my time here, we would end up with another very very long post, so instead I think I will break it down into more manageable posts over the next few days.

Let’s begin with my work. Today, the 21^st of October, was my actual first day working at the Overstrand Care Center in Hawston. The delay in beginning my work here was due to some issues with arranging housing in Hawston. Those issues have been sorted for a little while by having me stay with a local family who lives across from the clinic (I will cover more about that in a letter post). During the first two and a half weeks of being in South Africa I was staying and working in Cape Town in the HOPE Africa main office.

My very first day here was spent at a HOPE Africa Retreat. Once a year HOPE gathers all of their workers together for workshop day where they spend time in reflection and gathering of themselves facilitated through a day of mostly silence and meditation. It was a very interesting first day with the organization. The second day I tagged along to a presentation that HOPE was giving to an organization called the Mothers Union, which is like a group of women in the church. Mothers unions are very influential here and HOPE has worked with many of them throughout Anglican Church of Southern Africa to enact many of their programs. This particular group had traveled in from one of the more remote areas to hear presentations from HOPE as well as some other organizations within the Anglican Church. The presentations were set up to happen in the fellowship hall of the church that was just a few blocks from the HOPE main office. Ignatius France and Melanie Pakoe (HOPE Africa Staff) as well as Lacey Oliver (another YASC member assigned to HOPE’s office) and I all arrived early to set up the hall for the presentation.  All was well, until we received a call from the Mothers Union’s liaison. Apparently there had been a dispute with the bus drivers (like tour buses, there was about 90 of these Mothers union member here) that they had hired to bring them from their hotel to the church. They were unsure if they would be able to make it in time. Since there was a time crunch between this event and another even that we had to be at, we packed everything up and hoped in the car to go to the hotel to give the presentation there (this was after waiting about 45 minuntes to see if they could resolve it with the bus drivers). On the way to the hotel we received another call saying that it had been sorted out and they were on the way. So we raced back to the venue and set everything up again as quickly as we could Ignatius (Iggy) gave HOPE Africa’s portion of the presentation, and when that was finished we hopped in the car again and set off for our next appointment. There was a daycare center in one of the townships where there was to be a program of handing out school uniforms to the children of the area. Hope had helped collaborate on this project and so we attended. Iggy again spoke a little, but it was more just this time being a part of the collaborative group. After that it was the end of my first two days in South Africa and the beginning of my first weekend (more on that in another post).

The next two work weeks found me in the HOPE main office doing what I could to help out. I received orientation and found out more about what the program does in all its aspects. I was put in charge of emailing out information on the Sustainable Development Goals, which are goals set by the UN to end poverty and improve the wellbeing of all the world’s citizens (anyone familiar with the Millennial Developmental Goals will understand it as a continuation and evolution of those). I gathered some of the information and then sent it to the Bishops and Parishes in our contact list. That takes a lot longer than it sounds when the Bishops are being emailed individually and the contact list has over 2,500 people on it. After that I set about compiling all the emails that were kicked back as incorrect emails.  Also, a task that takes longer than it sounds. After that it was mostly just helping out on projects as I was asked, gathering information, and doing other intern related tasks (getting lunch, making coffee and tea, the likes).

My First day in the clinic has gone well. As far as I can tell the work will be a little bit different than what I am used to as a Certified Athletic Trainer, but I will hopefully be able to find my place. They do a lot of longer term care, and I worked mostly with the stroke patients who are receiving physical therapy. I will also be working with the in home care givers helping those patients receive physical therapy as well.

That is all I have for the work aspects of my time here so far. Stay tuned for the really exciting stuff, what I have done with my free time (Celebrating my birthday in South Africa is just one of my adventures so far).

It's like thanksgiving in September!

     I absolutely loath it when companies and society decides it’s ok to start holidays early. I mean, I LOVE Halloween, but the fact that stores already have decorations out for it, and have for a week or so now, kills me. And then there are those stores that put up thanksgiving and Christmas decoration the day after the previous holiday, or even worse, before the previous holiday is soundly in its bed to slumber for the next year until its’ time to shine once again. Despicable.  

Which is why it pains me to do this, but with my impending departure, I feel I must do it now. I need to have my thankfulness post now. I’ve come a long way in this journey, and many people have helped contribute to it and assist me on the way, both finically and more importantly spiritually, morally, and ethically. The following is in no particular order, and is instead just in the order that people leap to my mind who have helped me.

     Let’s start with the big one, God, without whom none of this would be possible (as I believe; you are free to believe differently and I respect your view. Adherence to my faith and beliefs is not required for this blog, or any type of faith or beliefs really. You do you and let me do me and I will respect you). After that comes my parents, Timothy Balch and Janice Bickham (who kept her last name after marriage because she’s a proud southern woman who is comfortable with her family name and my father is a loving caring northern gentleman who understood that he was lucky enough she was willing to marry a Yankee to begin with and so didn’t push the issue). Their love and care during my upbringing is one of the strongest factors that have influenced me and shaped me to be the person I am today. Next on my list would be my wonderful love, Alexis MacGregor. Throughout this process she has been loving and supportive, despite the fact that she would have to go a year without me (and the fact that the interview/discernment weekend happened to fall on the Valentine’s Day weekend). She was wonderful in understanding that this was something I felt called to and needed to do. She is the person that has ferried me to and from the airport for every time I had to fly for the program (a total of three times) and she will be the one to drop me off at the airport when I leave. She has listened to everything and helped be a sounding board while I was deciding to do this program as well as for thoughts and fears I have had since.

     In the program itself I need to thank a number or people. Elizabeth Boe and Grace Flint the two leaders of the program that we interact with the most and thus are the most relevant in the mind. Next is the Reverend David Copley, who, despite being a big shot in the church and the missionary branch of the church, made sure to be present at all of our discernment and training sessions. Then there is, of course, Yanick Fourcand, whom I have mentioned in previous posts. She was the one responsible for coordinating travel and logistics for all of the YASC participants and is a genius at it. Arranging for 40 young adults to arrive for discernment and then for close to 30 to arrive for training and orientation from all of the country and successfully getting them to survive New York, as well as getting them to their placements around the globe, is an amazing feat. She also has been wonderful and patient with me and my habit of getting paperwork in late and with all the other delays and hiccups I experienced, as well as being great about exchanging close to a billion (more like 10) phones calls on the day I was in New York applying for my actual visa. Her help in navigating the city and then helping deal with the issues at the visa office was a real life saver.

     A special ‘thank you’ is in order for the Brothers of the Holy Cross, who acted as the hosts for both the discernment and the training and orientation weeks. They welcomed us into their monastery with open arms and loving hearts. I know that many other participants sought them out for guidance and advice both during the discernment weekend as well as the training. They are all very wonderful people who loved sharing their time and lifestyle with us as well as praying for us and holding us in their thoughts as we undertake our individual journeys. [More about the order in general is at http://www.holycrossmonastery.com/OHC/OHC.htm, and the particular House we were in at http://www.holycrossmonastery.com/index.htm.] They were all spectacular people, whom I cannot wait to see again.

     Then there is of course all those people who helped sponsor me: the Reverend Raymond Hage, the Reverend Deborah Rankin, Sally Carey, Barbara Blackburn, Kathleen Bledsoe, Cora Teel, Faith Balshaw, Wayne Norman, Darlene Daneker, John and Susan Hash, Bill and Becky Cryus, Jack and Sally Bogers, Marjorie McKee, Tom and Linda Wilkinson, Nick and Mary Beth Reynolds, Abe and Shyla Abraham, Pat Pierce, Shyla and Abe Abraham, Kristen and Travis Austin, and Courtney Cross and Pat Hooten. All of these people, and then some, donated to my fundraising, and I appreciate them all. Some of them sponsored certain days and will also be recognized on those specific days.

I want to also thank the Reverend Lisa Graves, her husband the Reverend Chip Graves, and the Reverend Deborah Rankin. They are the priests at the local Episcopal Churches in Huntington and they have been the base of my support during this time. They offered me time to speak at their congregations and helped support me with donations of their own. St. Johns Huntington, my home parish, and St. Peters, another local parish, were wonderful hosts to me and both had general collections for me. I want to thank both congregations for being so generous and giving from their hearts to my cause.

     If I have missed anyone (and I know that I have), it is not out of maliciousness, but out of poor memory and limited space. I could take any one person or group here and expound on their influence and how they have helped me for another page or so, but unfortunately I do not have the space. I just hope that they (and you, dear reader) know how much they mean to me and how I appreciate all they have done and continue to do for me, even if they don’t know it. So thank you, and God Bless. 

Rollercoasters

     Rollercoasters, am I right? Now stay with me for a second. Rollercoasters. I love them, and I know many others do. In my 22 (almost 23) years on this earth, I have ridden many rollercoasters, and become familiar with the phases of riding a rollercoaster. (Remember that this next bit is coming from a guy who has ridden many rollercoasters and keeps going back for more.)

     There’s the first stage, when you are approaching the line/ are in the line. The fear and apprehension doesn’t exist at that point is well hidden at that point. You are joking around with your friends and companions. Talking about anything; plans for the day, gossip involving your friend base, plotting the best route through the park to hit all the rides, discussing where you want to eat, even talking excitedly about the ride, since at that point it’s still abstract. You know it’s there, you know you are going on it, you can see it, you can even hear the screams from the current riders, but it’s not real to you yet.

     The next stage is on the platform. It’s almost your turn. You can see the front of the line. You’ve already picked which part of the car you want to be in (the very back is the best, but sometimes the line is too long, so you take the second to last car or even the front, if you like the wind). The fact that you are going on the ride is a little more concrete here. The option to not go is still there though. Something could happen. The ride could break, one of your companions could chicken out and you can agree to sit it out with them so they aren’t alone waiting on your group, you can change your mind yourself, you could trip and break your leg and thus have an excuse to not go, you could be struck by lightning, the sky could open up and the voice of God could descend upon you and tell you not to get on, etc. You want to go on the ride, you love rides, but all those things could still happen, and you tell yourself that the nervousness you feel is BECAUSE these things could happen, and that their occurrence wouldn’t be the answer to your silly nervousness.

     Then you are actually in the car. You are fastening your seat buckle, the bar is descending, and the ride attendants are making their rounds. You are 99.9 % DEFINITELY going on this ride. You are locked in. But that can still change. The ride could not start, you can still raise your hand and get off, the weather could still change in an instant, that lightning bolt is still waiting in the wings to strike. But you don’t. Those things don’t happen. And the ride lurches forward and leaves the station.

     OH CRAP! THE PANIC HITS! THIS IS HAPPENING! YOU AREN’T READY! YOU AREN’T PREPPED ENOUGH! WHY DID YOU AGREE TO THIS! YOU HAVE NO IDEA IF YOU WILL SURVIVE OR NOT! THE CAR COULD JUMP THE TRACKS, BREAK DOWN, YOU COULD GET STUCK, THE BAR AND SEATBELT COULD MALFUNCTION AND YOU COULD BE THROWN OUT! WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU AGREE TO GO ON THIS DEATHTRAP?!?!

     That is the stage I’m at. The car lurched forward for me last night when I opened the email from Yanick (the logistics master for YASC) and saw my enclosed ticket for the 29^th of September to South Africa. I saw that, and it hit me. I’M DOING THIS! It is actually happen. I’ve been close to this before; if you look at the previous post you will know that I was supposed to be on the plane on the 17^th originally. I got all the way up to the platform and had one leg in the car last time, but one of those little things happened and I didn’t make that plane. Due to a misunderstanding with the South African Consulate my original Visa was denied, and so while I should have had my Visa by the 9^th or even the 11^th, I actually didn’t receive it until this past weekend, well after I should have been on the plane. (Interesting fact, it actually wasn’t until the 17^th, the day of my original flight, that I found out what was taking my visa so long and what had gone wrong. When my ticket was cancelled on the 14^th I was still in the dark and had no idea when it would be coming it. I was still hoping to have it by the 16^th). But like I have said, being on the platform and even being in the car, is very different from actually feeling it moving.

     At this point, it is set. There is nothing (other than packing) standing between me and South Africa. And that is TERRIFYING! It’s terrifying in a way that I expected, that I knew was going to happen, I’ve been working towards this moment for some time, I knew it was coming, I’ve known that I’ll be doing this, I did my time in line, I’ve watched myself inch towards the car steadily and witnessed those that got on before me, but now it is REAL in a way that it never has been before. I’m going to be gone for a YEAR! I’ll be 6-7 time zones ahead of everyone I’ve ever known and loved for a YEAR! I won’t be in the same town as my parents and brother, something that hasn’t happened since ever. The longest I’ve been away from my family was the summer I worked at camp, and even then we were still in the same state and I could call them regularly and even take a trip back to see them. Even worse, I’ll be 8,000 miles away from my girlfriend of 5 years. I won’t be able to see her every day, something that hasn’t happened for a sustained period since the summer I worked at the camp and the following semester of college when she attended the other state university. Even then though, there was still the ability to communicate regularly and reliability and the option to visit (which was taken advantage of multiple times). I haven’t lived outside of my state, and only outside of my city for a period of 3 months, for my entire life. And now, starting TUESDAY, I’ll be gone for a YEAR. All this hit in an instant. Fear, doubt, excitement, everything set in.

     The best part is, it’s not over yet. For me, the scariest part of the roller-coaster isn’t the initial lurch of movement. For me the worst, and best, part of the ride is the clickety-clackity of the ascent up the first hill. Knowing that everything is out of your hands, but having all the time in the world to think of everything that could possible go wrong, everything you wished you had done or could do, and being afraid that you’ll never do them, watching the top of the hill approach at a steady pace. For me, this part will be the actual plane ride.

     My comfort in all of this is that the cycle isn’t over yet. Every ride I have ever been on always has those initial stages. But they don’t end there, because I always crest that hill. The car always takes that plunge and I always enjoy the rush that follows. Sure, I’m terrified right now. I can focus on how difficult it will be, all the obstacles I’ll face. How difficult it will be not seeing my girlfriend’s beautiful face every day and how much I will miss her. How I’ll miss important life events with my friends and family. I know that I’ll be lonely and feel isolated in a place that I have never been and whose culture is very different from mine. I can take all of this and let it overwhelm me, I can get caught up on everything leading up to the crest of the first hill, or I can know that the ride will be amazing and enjoy it. Sure it will be difficult, but it will also be a once in a lifetime opportunity to grow and experience things that I may have never been able to otherwise. At the end, when I stumble off the ride (plane) a year from now, the question will be, “did I throw my hands up in the air, scream my lungs out, and love it?” and I firmly believe that the answer will be yes. And that is why I willingly get on that ride.

This is Actually Happening? On September 17th?

This is actually happening? I'm actually going through with this? This is actually coming together? WHAT?!?!

These were my thoughts on August 20th as I stared at the itinerary that Yanick (the amazing Logistics Master for YASC) sent me for my trip to South Africa. The date on it read September 17th. I just stared at it for a second. I knew I was going to be leaving for my year of service soon, it was always supposed to be late summer or early fall, but having that date, that copy of tickets for an 3 stage international flight sitting in my email inbox, made it more real. Made it so SOON. After all the work and preparations and forms filled out and training undergone and travel done, I find that I STILL have so much more to do, to pack, to figure out, to get done, to say, etc.

And so begins the scramble to make sure I have everything. Last week I flew up to New York to apply for my visa, so hopefully that will be done soon. I am starting to figure out what I need to bring and how to do it. As an aside, I realize while preparing that I do not own a single piece of luggage. All my life I've either borrowed suitcases from my parents or someone else. I have a few small suitcases and duffel bags that, along with backpacks, have been sufficient for any trip that I did not need large luggage for.

Even with all the challenges that still stand between me and my (hopefully) September 17th departure date, I am extremely excited. I am looking forward to starting this wonderful experience and embracing all the challenges and joys that are coming my way.

Thanks for coming along with me for them all. (Hopefully I will keep up with updates better than what I have been).

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.- Neson Mandela

What is this?

Well Hello there, dear reader. My Name is Thomas Balch, and this blog will be dedicated to my time spent working for YASC (Young Adult Service Corps). It is the first blog I have ever done, so it may be a little rough, but bear with me as I embark on this amazing journey.

First things first, what is YASC? YASC is a program in the Episcopal church that is for adults between the ages of 21-30. The participants agree to spend a year of their lives answering the call of God and doing mission work internationally. The program sends participants from their home parish to parishes throughout the world to assist them in the ministries that they are conducting, such as teaching English, of working with migrant workers, or assisting in health clinics, or whatever else is needed. It takes a great amount of courage and compassion to take a year and dedicate it to being, if not the only, then one of the few, people like yourself in an area of the world.

Now, who am I? I am a 22 year old, graduate of Marshall University from Huntington West Virginia. I graduated with a bachelor of science in Athletic training and am a Certified Athletic Trainer (certified health care professional) I enjoy reading, playing video games, talking to fiends, spending time outside, and animals. I am hoping to attend graduate school after my year with YASC and become an Physicians Assistant. Most importantly, I have felt the call to participate in YASC, and have agreed to spend a year with HOPE Africa. 

HOPE is the social development program of the Anglican church of Southern Africa. It stands for Health, Opportunity, Partnership, and Empowerment. Their mission is to promote and implement a social development programme for the Anglican Church in Southern Africa for the improvement of the Spiritual, Physical and Emotional Well Being of the Poor and Oppressed People of Africa on a non-denominational basis. this is carried out by understanding the needs of the community, developing the capacity of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa to respond to the needs, and creating a support mechanism for community development. They have assigned me to the Overstrand Care Centre in Hawston South Africa. 

The Overstrand Care Centre is an intermediate care facility in Hawston that is funded through NGO contributions, including quite a lot from the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, and partially through the South African government health system. It has a couple different branches, including an inpatient unit, a home based care team, and a social work/substance abuse program. Hawston is a fishing village on the western cape of South Africa, about an hour South of Cape Town. it is 1.80 sq mi and has a population of 8214 (Huntington WV, my hometown, has around 50,000).

This blog will be a recounting of my time spent in service. I hope you enjoy.