Tsotsis and Share taxis...and a new handshake

On my second day at Themba I went with them to the Johannesburg correctional facility, e.g. jail--they kept asking me if I was okay and not freaked out and I reminded them that I'd been in jails in the US already and that we are the premier nation of incarceration...Themba performed their play in two units, and it was very well received. The men asked lots of questions and intervened in the play. They are just like the men I meet in SF County Jail, honestly, we just have spiffier facilities in San Francisco. I have already been invited to dinner by Themba's board and to Soweto this weekend with several women on staff who live there...they have been so very nice to me, as has everyone in Africa, again and again. This afternoon I experienced my first combi ride, along with Tsepho from Themba--there is no way I would have done it alone...combis are beat up minibusses with no markings as to their route and they leave when packed with people. People get on and off when they want. A true African experience. Tomorrow I teach a workshop, and am hoping that I'll be able to share something valuable...