life in De Aar.

Today Friday, it was more of a free day for me. I had usual classes. Because for the last two days, the monsignor had gone to Bloemfontein for some matters and so I did not have classes. Just today we were practicing reading. This was about the Sacrament of Baptism.  After the reading practices, I just typed about Pakistan, hub of Terrorism. After the lunch, I wanted to take a nap, but I could not. Because it was raining so heavily. When the waters fall to the roof, it makes big noise and I could not sleep. But as I lay on my bed, the rain got bigger and bigger. I just opened the window to look outside. The road was already flooded and the water was running like a river. So I took my mobile phone and took some snaps of it. Today Bishop has gone one of the parishes, where there are some problems. He will be back only next week and so I have no internet. He has turned off it and locked his office and gone. So in the afternoon I was trying to connect with my mobile phone to the computer, it was just dialing and I could see that it coast so much. So I have left that idea and wait for Bishop to come for using of internet.

Today evening, I celebrated my first Eucharist in the cathedral. Till now I was only concelebrant. So I was in little tension, I think I was sweating a bit, though it was cold outside. After I thought about it, why did I sweat, but I could not find any reason. May be because it was the first mass in the cathedral. After the Eucharistic celebration, as I see, there is fog coming out of the mouth of all who spoke, it was really cold now outside. But still I went for my evening walk. Every day I walk to the end of the city. It takes one hour to come back to the house. So it feels good to walk, because the weather is not making one sweat. But I had bad experience in the beginning of this week when I went for evening walk.

As I reach the end of the street, I see a group of youth sitting there on the other side of the road. I just walk and was about to come back. Suddenly they started to whistle at me. But I would not mind them. But they started to clap and shout looking at me. Suddenly one of them runs to me. Hello sir, good evening, I reply to him. Sir can you give me five Rand for a bottle of beer, asked he.  No, I have no money, I said. There comes a second one, asking the same. I said, look here, I have no money. I am a catholic Priest and I do not carry money with me. Oh, so you are man of prayer, ok sir, u can go. I said, yes, I stay in the bishop’s house here in De Aar. Ok sir. They replayed and went back. But they already smelled alcohol. Yes, here in South Africa, many are addicted to drugs and alcohol. I don’t know how can help them. What can I do for them? I am thinking these days. But nothing striking my mind.  Now and then I see alcohol smelling girls passing me on the street.  Many street children wandering around. What can I do for them????

When I was in Aliwal north, and now here, they advice me not walk in the street when the sun is gone. Anyone can attack you. Not for getting anything, but they take pleasure in that. But still I walk in the street in the evening.  

While I am typing this in the night, it was raining outside heavily. For all the people, here in SA it’s a wonder, how come that it still rains because the autumn has come one month before, and still it rains, can one believe that???? 

Third Sunday of the Easter. Since I have to celebrate the Eucharist in the Cathedral, I got up at 6.30 from the bed. It freezes here. I was ready in the church. I had enough time to prepare for the Eucharist. It was some seven minutes before the time Eucharist, they started to sing. So I started the Eucharist. But at the end of the Eucharist people came to me telling, father time before the Mass we start singing, but that is not the time to begin the Mass. Ok. I understand. In the Eucharist, during the offtary time there were two flasks of rose flowers. On each flower there were some quotes. The man who brought the flowers whispered to me, father give them to our mothers after the Eucharist, today is Mother’s day. Oooh ok, I understand. So at the end of the Eucharist, there was queue of all the mothers, present the church to receive the flowers. Good. But before the Eucharist was begun, one of the parishioners came to me telling; father, we will be happy to have you for lunch with us. I said yes. I knew this family even before I came to South Africa, through the face book. So after the Eucharist in the Cathedral, I had to go to the next parish-Uganda martyrs. I was celebrating the mass, in English, many of them were answering in Xhosa, they were singing in Xhosa too. After the Eucharistic celebration, when I came back it was about 12 in the noon. So I decided to just go and practice sometimes with the car. So for half hour I went out with the car. It was good. I am getting my confidence with the car. Though for many years I am riding bike, I had / have no full confidence with the car. I need to practice car and get my confidence.  So by one the man came with the car to fetch me to his house. They are living just below the mountain of De Aar. There are lots of Portuguese families. Their families were there. It’s a bar attached home. I was very careful that I will not have any alcohol. So I had only soft drinks. So the delicious lunch was started at 2 with lots of meat and chicken. It was wonderful lunch. I was in their house till four in the evening. There were two orange trees, so they gave me some oranges to take home. Wonderful. I am back at home and just for some refreshment and a rest. Later a very good evening’s walk.

On Monday, as we were having our reading practice, monsignor interfered with my reading and corrected, but there was no mistake, after a while again he interfered. I asked him, what was the wrong in what I read father, he was furious at me and said you are very proud. I could not believe that he would say like that. From the beginning I notice that he had a tendency to mock sister who taught me reading while I was in Aliwal north, then now and then he interfered with the reading unnecessarily. Two or three times before too I had asked him, please tell me what is that wrong what I read, he would say, don’t cross with me, but go on. Ok I adjusted it. I feel bad when he said that I am proud because I asked him what was the mistake that I read……

After the reading practice I was typing to computer the new formula of Baptism in Afrikaans. And then typed matters for the blog.