From Peace Corps to Posh Corps...And Back Again

This blog post goes out to my friend and fellow PCV, Casey. Casey, we all hope that everything is sharp sharp in America and that you can come back to SA ASAP!

I just returned from what I would categorize as one of the best weeks (okay, 10 days) of my life. Our group – SA24 – had our In-Service Training (IST) from the 5th to the 15th of December. Our IST was held outside of Pretoria and focused on life-skills training, HIV/AIDS training, and project/funding planning. While the queen-sized beds, hot showers, scenic runs, swimming pool, and endless amounts of delicious food (and tea time twice a day) certainly helped to make this a wonderful week, it was the people who truly made the experience an unforgettable one. Seeing friends and fellow volunteers from other areas of Limpopo, the Northern Cape and the North West was fabulous; some of these people I saw for the first time since swearing in three months ago. Seeing the Peace Corps staff and the LCF’s (Hlulani, na khensa ngopfu for playing telephone Pictionary) was also amazing. All of us swapped stories, smiled when discussing even the smallest of victories, vented about common frustrations, and laughed over crazy experiences.

Let’s start back on day one of the trip…I have never been known as the “lightest packer.” One of my closest friends here, Jill (Xongile as her village knows her) would rephrase this statement, referring to me as “the worst packer EVER.” I was thinking about how correct Jill was in her estimation of my packing, looking at my suitcase in my rondovel and thinking “how the heck am I going to lug this to the bus stop” when my host mom came in, on her phone, and picked up my suitcase. Like magic, a khombi was waiting for me outside of our compound. Can we say “lifesaver?” When I arrived in Giyani to catch our bus to Pretoria, I was once again crowded by one too many men asking “mi ya kwihi, mi ya kwihi?” Honestly, does it really matter where I’m going? Is it going to change your day? In response, I told them that I was headed to Pretoria, but that I’d be quite alright, I was catching the City to City Bus. Once I saw the cue to buy my ticket for the bus, I nearly died! It must have been a busy travel day. After about 45 minutes of standing in the cue, I eventually bought my ticket – phew, wicked close call (seriously, almost was not able to buy a ticket)! I was all settled in my seat, prepared for a nice relaxing trip to Pretoria when “splash!” went my coffee. Yes, this would be a very relaxing trip indeed…three bus transfers later and a khombi ride where we not only paid for our ride, but also gave the driver additional money for cold drink, we finally arrived at the Peace Corps Office in Pretoria.

The first few days at IST felt like a huge family reunion. We all caught up, as much as possible, on the ins and outs of each other’s lives at site. After big hugs and shouts of joy at seeing each other, questions flew – “What is your site like?” “How is your host family?” “How are the schools?” “What have you been doing?” “How hot is it where you are?” “How many weddings/funerals have you attended?” “Are you still eating pap?” Everyone’s answers varied, but we all understood each other and what everyone was going through, both the good and the bad. It was at IST that I truly realized how lucky I am to have these 50+ other volunteers I am serving with; they have all become like family to me. While we all have our individual experiences, we are all going through rather similar things. On tough days, it helps to know that I am not the only one who is in this incredible, yet sometimes rather difficult, situation.

The real fun started when our counterparts arrived at the hotel. As I may have explained in my latest blog post, each of us was told to bring a life-skills counterpart with us to our training. While many of my fellow PCV’s brought teachers, I brought my host mom, Maggie. Maggie is on the SGB (School Governing Body) and works at the Drop-In Centre for the OVC’s; I thought this training would really benefit her and the village. It was really cool seeing all of the Americans and the South Africans together – definitely a sharing/blending of cultures. I think it was a relief to all of us that our counterparts got the chance to see other Americans (since we’re the only ones they see on a day to day basis). It definitely helped to show how much Americans as a whole exercise!

Many of the sessions during IST were geared towards our working with our counterparts; this was very helpful. On one of the days, we were assigned the task of creating a project in our community. Maggie and I came up with the idea of a Girls’ Club in the village, something I had wanted to do. Beginning next year (when the school year starts in January) I am going to have a Girls’ Club one or two days a week after the school day knocks off. I still need to iron out the wrinkles, but I am thinking that at the Girls’ club we can make bracelets (feel free to send string!), talk about whatever the girls have on their mind, play games, etc. This will be a great bridge to when Jill and I hold our Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World).

In addition to the project planning, we were also assigned the task of presenting a lesson with our counterpart in the life skills department. As luck would have it, Maggie and I were given the lesson on HIV Prevention/Condom Demonstration. Unfortunately Maggie was ill on the morning of the lesson, so I was up to bat by myself. My crowd was great, and my friend Sean/fellow PCV was a great sport in helping me during the demo. Since it seemed as though a banana fairy ran off with our banana, we had to make due and use one of the water bottles. The lesson was not nearly as awkward as I had anticipated, and it led to some very interesting discussions between us and our counterparts. So often in South Africa, sex and contraceptives are a taboo to talk about for parents with their children. This has even crossed into sex education at the schools. However, as teenage pregnancy continues to be an issue and as HIV/AIDS continues to ravage these villages, we all agreed that this is a conversation that needs to take place. It was a big step for this discussion to take place with our counterparts, and I am hopeful that these discussions will continue to take place at each of our sites.

Another session that was held for us and our counterparts was a session on HIV/AIDS done by David Patient and Neil Orr. This was one of the most interesting lectures I have ever attended. David and Neil were both engaging and extremely informative. David is HIV+ and has been for over 28 years. You would never think this if you saw him in passing – he looks like he is in picture perfect health. During this talk, I realized that HIV does not necessarily mean a death sentence. As David is living proof of, you can live a happy and long life with HIV. By taking care of yourself, watching what you eat, exercising, and taking ARV’s, HIV does not mean the end of your life. It is unfortunate that so many people choose not to get tested because of the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS. If more people chose to get tested and knew how to properly take care of themselves, many people could live healthy and normal lives even with HIV. David and Neil taught us about nutrition (everyone, go eat pumpkin seeds) and gender roles in SA as well. David even led some of us in early morning yoga sessions!

Prior to our counterparts leaving, we had a dance/song session in the hot tub. Abby, one of my closest friends from our group/star PCV, helped to teach some of the counterparts how to swim. Once everyone became comfortable in the water, we were singing and dancing in the hot tub (which became more like a whirlpool after about 5 minutes). Songs included Shosholoza, Dipoo, and a host of other songs that I am unfamiliar with. It was definitely one of those “Peace Corps Moments” when you realize just how lucky you are to be granted this experience.

IST seemed to go just as quickly as it came. We all agreed that in the future there should be a weigh-in before and after IST for all of the volunteers – soooo much food! On our last night at IST we celebrated with one last dance party (yes, we had quite a few during our time there – “making the pap” is the newest dance move). I’m still not sure whether or not Chris and Daniel, two of the wait staff, were happy to see us go. We’re quite a lively group, but not in a negative sense of the term; we certainly kept them busy. Saying our goodbyes was hard, but I think we all left feeling inspired and invigorated, ready to start some projects when the New Year rings in. (It also helped knowing that most of us would be seeing each other quite soon for our Christmas vacations.)

As a child you have a difficult time realizing just how much wisdom your parents have; sometimes you even go against what your parents say just to spite them. However, as you grow up, you realize each and every day, “wow, Mom was right” or “oh, I guess Dad had a point there.” Pammycakes always says to me that “as nice as it is to get away, it’s always so nice to come home.” Tonight, as I ate scrambled eggs and beans under the brilliantly starry night, regretting my decision not to apply sunscreen on laundry day, I thought about how last week I was sitting in a plush hotel restaurant eating roast beef, sushi, and tiramisu (no, no, not all together). I have traded in the shower for my bucket bath and the flush toilet for my pit latrine and pee bucket. While some people might think that this is a loss, I don’t. I know this because getting off of the khombi Saturday afternoon, hearing the familiar “Naledi!” from the village kids, listening to my friend Tumiso shout “motswala (cousin)!” and getting to hold Rhulani across the street as she grabbed for my glasses made me realize that I was home. I’ll take Peace Corps over Posh Corps any day of the week.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy New Years to all of my friends and family back home!! I’ll miss being with you during this holiday season!!

Ke a go rata kudu!!
Meg :)
Xoxo

Did Someone Say "Cold Drink?"

     Dumelang & avuxeni everyone!  I hope that you are all doing sharp, sharp!  As the leaves turn colors and you feel the crunch under your feet, as the first nip of cold air makes you catch your breath, and apparently when the first snowfall hits stateside, South Africa is heating up (big time! – some days it gets up to 40 degrees Celsius or about 104 degrees Fahrenheit).  I must say, when I think about it, I miss the fall.  Running in the fall is my favorite thing ever, and it’s always so beautiful.  There are very few things, with this heat, that really quench your thirst and make you feel cool.  One of these things includes cold drinks (aka soda).  Despite my inability to follow every conversation my family/colleagues/friends have, my ears always perk up and my heart skips a beat when I hear “cold drink.”  Although I’m not the biggest proponent of soda, I’ve come to love it here.  Another way to beat the heat is “cool time,” which is a Popsicle that is usually sold in Guava Juice flavor (mmmmm).  When you’re waiting for a taxi home, there are plenty of people walking around selling and yelling “cool time.”  With the change in weather, I feel like I’m constantly sweating, because, well, I am.  The other day my host brother said, “Meghan, you’re always sweating.  When you run, you sweat.  When you bike, you sweat.  When you stand, you sweat.  When you sit, you sweat.”  Thank you for pointing this out.  Apparently no one else here sweats, so I’ll just add that to the list of things that makes me the odd man out in my village.  Maybe my body will adapt in time, but I’m not holding my breath that my sweating will stop.  Sorry Tumelo, you’ll have to get used to my sweating.

                Last week I experienced the first dreaded illness of my Peace Corps experience.  On Tuesday evening, I wasn’t feeling too hot (not in reference to the weather I might add) so I got to bed early.  I must have had some sort of stomach bug, because I literally thought I might die.  I don’t think I have ever slept for so long – I’m pretty sure I slept for over 36 hours!  As terrible as it is to be sick, it’s even worse when you’re sick on a different continent away from your family and your friends (aka familiarity).  However, this experience proved how lucky I am both here in South Africa and at home.  My host family and my schools were very concerned, and made sure that I was taken care of.  My host brother went and got me Sprite at the tuck shop and my host mom bought me tea biscuits.  Luckily I didn’t scare them too much since I’m pretty sure I looked like the Grim Reaper.  My family and friends back home were also wonderful, sending me texts that made me feel much better.

                I was glad to recover and get back to work.  This week has been a really good week at both of the schools.  I am continuing with the journals with grades 6 & 7, and the students seem to be opening up and writing longer answers, which I was thrilled to see.  Also, my grade 7 students are improving their scores on their vocabulary quizzes – this week 5 of the students received perfect scores, and a bunch of the students scored either a 90% or 80%.  I was really glad to see this!  Studying really pays off!  I worked with the Grade 2 teacher at one of my schools, having her students practice writing letters/numbers outside in the dirt.  The students loved it!  In addition, on Friday one of the schools had the Grade R Graduation Ceremony.  In order to celebrate properly, all of the teachers and all of the students came to school dressed in their traditional Xitsonga clothing.  When I arrived to school, in my ever-so exciting plain dress and cardigan, hands flew!  Within minutes I became the first ever Tsonga Barbie, and was dressed head to toe in Tsonga clothing.  It was awesome!  Throughout the day we all danced Xibelani (the traditional Tsonga dance), had guest speakers to motivate the students and congratulate them on all of their hard work, presented the graduates with certificates of achievement, and ate lots of delicious food (and of course, drank cold drink!)  The Grade R students even had their own graduation caps and robes – ADORABLE!!

                Next week I am going to work with Grades 6 & 7 on teaching them about HIV/AIDS, in order to participate in another PCV’s project: Peace Corps South Africa World AIDS Day Art Exchange.  I went to the local clinic to see if one of the nurses/doctors would be able to come speak to the students (since I’m really no expert).  In case this does not come to fruition and no one shows up to speak, I am going to prepare a lesson to do with the students, discussing what they know, what they want to know, and then what they have learned from the lesson (KWL).  After the lesson (which will be one day), I will have the students create art centering on the 2011 World AIDS Day theme, “It takes a village to fight HIV!” or “Swi teka tiko ku hlasela HIV!”  I’m hopeful that someone from the clinic can come, because guest speakers are always fun for students, and he/she will know much more than I do on the topic.  Also, he/she will be able to communicate the information in both English and in the students’ home language.  After the students give me their art work, I will exchange the art with another PCV and submit a few pieces to the Peace Corps Office.

                I’m really looking forward to the 21^st of the month, because I will be meeting with both of my principals to discuss my first few months at site.  I’ll give my feedback, and they will also give me feedback on how I have been doing.  During this meeting, we will discuss my observations, ideas I have for both of the schools, projects they would like me to work on next year, etc.  One of the biggest things I want to do is to start holding monthly teachers’ workshops.  I think this would be a great way to share ideas and different teaching practices with the teachers.  I'd also like to do the "Peace Corps World Map Project" at the schools.

                The next month/2 months are really busy!!  For Thanksgiving, I will be traveling to Vhembe to celebrate Thanksgiving with some other PCV’s.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so I know I’ll be missing home (especially the Gobble Wobble with the family, Pammycake’s pineapple stuffing, and Mrs. Meister’s famous pies).  It will be really nice to celebrate with the other PCV’s since there is no Thanksgiving here.  Straight after Thanksgiving I’ll be heading back to Makapanstad (where we did our training) for my first host brother’s wedding.  I haven’t been to a wedding since training, so I’m wicked excited.  Weddings here are so exciting.  Literally anyone and everyone comes.  From the 5^th-15^th of December, our entire group (SA24) meets for training.  Aside from the fact that I’ll get to see everyone I haven’t seen since swearing in, I’m also looking forward to this because we get to bring a counterpart with us.  I am bringing my host mom, because she is involved in the Drop-In Centre for the OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children).  This will be beneficial since there will be trainings on Life skills, HIV/AIDS and proposals/grant writing for funding.  I’ll be at site again from the 15^th-23^rd, and then I’ll head out for my Christmas holiday for hiking and general merriment. 

If I don’t get the chance to blog again until after the holidays, Happy Holidays everyone!!

Miss and love you all!

Salang Gabotse!

Meg J

You Are My Porridge

     A couple of weeks ago, someone yelled across the street, “You are my porridge!”  At first, I was rather confused by this.  What was this man trying to tell me?  Did he want me to make him porridge?  Did he want to make me porridge?  Then, after a while, I realized that in South Africa, they eat porridge for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Evidently, this was quite the compliment…

            I hope that everything is going well state-side.  Thanks to my brother, Dave, my sports connection to the US, I’m up-to-date on some things so, I’m sorry about the Phillies; that is a bummer!  Hopefully they’ll come through next year.  The past couple of weeks here were really great, so let me update you on my life in Limpopo (which is apparently known as the Eden of South Africa)…

            First of all, I celebrated my first South African birthday last Saturday.  I felt like it was a 36-hour birthday due to the time difference – let me tell you, I could get used to having a longer birthday!  It was definitely weird not being with my family and friends back home (I was feeling a bit nostalgic for Lady Antebellum and birthday cake shots), but I had a wonderful day nonetheless thanks to some of my best Peace Corps friends.  At first I feared that I might be spending my entire birthday in the back of a khombi – the taxi drivers don’t leave until every seat, and I mean EVERY seat plus some, is filled.  Eventually we were off to Polokwane, my head hanging out of the window (I am not quite sure why dogs enjoy doing this) so I made sure not to sweat to death.  When Mardy, Jill, and I arrived in Polokwane, we met up with Abby, Nick, Colin, and Casey at the Mall of the North.  They gave me the nicest birthday card (props to Casey for being a great artist)!  Thanks to my my parents, Erny, and Aunt Barb, I was able to purchase a new pair of shoes (Crocs has some really adorable & comfortable shoes for teaching) and a foam roller (which my host family LOVES!).  After a bit of shopping, we enjoyed a meal at Mugg & Bean, and then headed off to the Game Reserve.  One of the PCV’s from SA23 was the nicest host ever, making us feel quite at home.  The evening was spent eating a delicious cake (Betty Crocker Nick made a peanut butter and chocolate cake – the appearance didn't do it justice!), drinking Top Deck Martini’s (thanks Abby!), and playing a multitude of card games.  The next morning we were able to walk around the Game Reserve, and even see some animals; I’ve never been so close to an ostrich before.  It was definitely an unforgettable birthday.  Thanks to everyone at home for all of the warm wishes; they meant a lot!

            As much fun as I had, it was nice to come home.  Unfortunately the trip back was a little too eventful for my liking – let’s just say that I kind of stick out and get some unwanted attention.  I don’t know how many times or in how many languages I have to say “no, I don’t want your number” and “no, you can’t have my number” and “no, I will not marry you” to get the point across.  Luckily, my host family was home when I returned, arms wide open, to welcome me back which made the khombi ride back a little less upsetting. 

            As for my site – it continues to make me smile, and I continue to be amazed as to how lucky I was to be placed where I am.  I feel like a member of the community now, which is a really terrific feeling.  At one of the schools I am working with, we just began the Reading Intervention program.  I assisted the English teachers and the HOD with different strategies on how to successfully implement the program.  It was so great working with the teachers on this, and seeing how receptive they were to my advice.  I know that while they will learn from me, I will learn so much more from them.  This week was my first time teaching the 7^th grade learners English for the ANA (Annual National Assessment) Reading Intervention.  The lesson – which took about 2 hours – went really well!  I had the learners make their own Personal Dictionaries, and we started doing Personal Journals.  One of the PCV’s who was at our group’s training had suggested the idea of Journals, and I’m so glad that she did; I think it is going to be a successful tool for improving writing.  In addition, I played hangman with the class.  It’s a really great way to get the learners spelling, and learning new vocab.  Since they beat me, I brought all 57 of them cookies on Tuesday, which they were very happy about.  The teachers didn’t mind eating the extras, either!  I have also started the journaling program at the other school I am working with.  Last week, I discussed the reading program – D.E.A.R. – with the teachers.  Some of them have made the corners in their classrooms, which I was glad to see.  I have realized that I will definitely need to be patient on implementing it.

            In addition to working at the schools, I have started teaching the ABET class on Mondays and Tuesdays after school; this is the village’s adult education program.  The secretary at the school in my village goes there, so it really fell into my lap as luck would have it.  Although there are only 6-7 students on a given day, I am really enjoying working with these men and women.  We have had some really wonderful discussions so far.  I never thought that I would be teaching things like Life Skills, HIV/AIDS, how to develop positive relationships, etc. but I find myself doing so and loving it.  I am also teaching them English; last week I taught how to write Diary Entries, and this week I taught a lesson on poetry. 

            For some random notes… I love that when I have a bad hair day, I can simply wear a duku and I manage to get multiple compliments.  I’ve started practicing carrying items on top of my head (pots, buckets, bowls), which I love!  The women here make it look wicked easy, but it takes major skill!  I still need to keep my hands close to whatever I’m carrying to make sure that it doesn’t fall off of my head.  Hopefully I’ll be an expert soon!  I’ve also started to bake with my host mother.  This week we made banana bread which for some reason or another I manage to burn every time.  Luckily, it was salvageable!  Next week, we are going to try carrot cake.  I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out!  I just finished reading Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture” and I am currently reading Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie.”  Both are great reads and are very inspirational.  If you have the time, be sure to pick them up. 

            This morning two other PCVs and I ran a 9k in Giyani!  It was my first race in SA and it went really well!  We were able to talk to the local running club, who we plan on running with a few times a month.

Sala Gabotse!

Love and Miss you All Very Much!

Meg J

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…

Dumelang!  (Hello in Sepedi)  Yes, I am learning Sepedi now; maybe in 2 year’s time I will come back to the states with a few different languages under my belt (not betting on all 11, which is the number of official languages in SA).  Not that I’ll be able to use these languages in the states, but it’ll still be neat to know them.  Sepedi is my host family’s and my village’s spoken language.  My host brothers are constantly teaching me new words and phrases, which is great.  It also serves as entertainment for them since they get a kick out of my American accent.  Sepedi is also one of the school’s where I’m working primary languages.  I am still able to practice speaking Xitsonga as the other school I am working at speaks it as its primary language.  I constantly have to remind myself which language/greetings I should be using when I go between the two villages.  Knowing how to speak these different languages is great; I love going into town and using the greetings, whether it be Sepedi, Xitsonga, or Setswana.  You wouldn’t believe the looks on people’s faces once they realize that this “legkoa” can speak something other than English/Afrikaans (and no, I do not know Afrikaans…it’s wicked hard!  It reminds me of a mix between Dutch and German.)

I have been at site for about 3 weeks now, and I am starting to feel settled as well as very happy at my new home.  My village is great, and the people are so welcoming.  Ubuntu exists just as much here as it did in the North West Province.  The kids in my village finally have my name down pat, which is nice.  Whether I’m riding home from school (side note – never buy an unassembled bike…dish out the extra R100 for the already assembled bike, you’ll be happy you did) or going to the tuck shop, I am bound to hear “Nyeleti” or “Meghan” at least 20 times.  Very rarely, aside from the kids who are under 2, do I hear “legkoa” in my village which I’m really happy about.  I’m still working on getting everyone’s names, but I’m sure it will come with time. 

I feel very lucky to have been placed at the two schools where I am working.  Both schools have a wonderful principal, a very kind staff, and terrific learners.  Since I am working at two different schools (in different villages), the principals and I have created a schedule (a time table) in order to divide my time equally.  I go to the one school Mondays and Tuesdays, and the other school Wednesdays and Thursdays.  I switch on and off at the two schools every other Friday.  The past weeks and up until December Peace Corps has given us a packet of assignments to complete to help us integrate into both the schools and the community, and to find what the greatest needs are/where we can be of greatest help over the next two years (Peace Corps terms this “Phase 2 Assignments”).  This time includes, but is not limited to, interviewing the teachers, interviewing the principal, talking with the SGB (School Governing Body), talking to the students in the village, finding out different projects that exist in the community, etc. 

In addition to the Phase 2 assignments, I have started working on “Reading Corners” for one of my schools.  I am working on putting a “Reading Corner” into each of the grade’s classrooms (Grade R-Grade 7).  Once this has been done, I am going to work with the teachers and the principal to implement D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) into the school day.  I always loved this reading program and looked forward to the 30 minutes of reading in the school day (yes, I’m a nerd).  I am hopeful that this will help with the students’ reading/writing.  At the other school, I am working on organizing the library; eventually, I would love to make “Reading Corners” and implement D.E.A.R. at this school as well.  I have decided that I would very much like to help the students with English at the conclusion of the school day.  Thanks to a Miss Lindsay Jarrett, I’ve been playing “Scrabble Slam” with the kids.  They love it, and the best part about it is that it’s educational without them realizing it!  (I think I might enjoy playing “Scrabble Slam” with them more than “Words With Friends!”  Hard to believe, I know.)

It’s currently turning to summer here, which means it constantly feels like I’m in an oven.  I have stopped boiling water for my bucket baths and I have decided to go running in the morning since in the afternoon it’s about 37 degrees Celsius (apparently it gets up to 40 degrees Celsius, about 104 degrees Fahrenheit – shoo!).  As much as I’m one for hitting the snooze button, I’d much prefer a “cooler” run than having to go when it’s crazy hot outside.  Also, it’s a nice way to start the day.  I have also mastered making my own iced coffee, which my host family finds quite interesting.  It’s no Starbucks, but it does the trick.

Since arriving at site, I’ve discovered some additional differences between American culture and South African culture, thanks to the teachers I’ll be working with.  First of all, my fellow teachers were quite disappointed to learn that no one would be paying lebola for me.  Lebola is what a man has to give to a woman’s family before taking her as his wife; this can be paid either in cattle or Rand.  Apparently the lebola fluctuates due to the woman (i.e.  whether or not she is educated).  I am told that the current lebola can go up to R40,000!!  Additionally, South Africa has multiple cultural dances; there are different dances for whether you are a Venda, a Sotho, or a Tsonga.  My host family has taught me how the Xitsonga people dance which surprisingly I am able to do.  In return, when they asked me to show them how Americans dance (hold your laughter please) I taught them some of my favorite dance moves – the “Q-tip,” “making the pizza,” “the shopping cart” and “reeling in the fish.”  To my friends who actually know how to dance (Katie!) don’t worry, I told them I can’t dance very well.  I didn’t want them to think that all Americans dance like me haha.

I am super excited because I have just finalized my Christmas plans.  Nine of us will be traveling together (some of my favorites from our groupJ).  We will be traveling close to Mpumalanga, going to places like Drakensburg, and hiking for the majority of the trip.  On Christmas Day, we will be doing a 9-hour hike!  It will be very hot then, so it should be interesting!  I can already tell that I will miss the snow!  For New Year’s we will be going to Durban, which is known as South Africa’s playground.  I am very much looking forward to this trip, and I think it will be a great time.  I’m hoping that it will help with any homesickness I’m sure I’ll experience.

So no, there aren’t any flying monkeys in my village nor do I have shiny red slippers like Dorothy (that would be quite the fashion statement), but I can certainly realize the difference between being a Peace Corps Trainee and a Peace Corps Volunteer.   It’s quite a new experience going from being surrounded by 50+ Americans on a daily basis to being the only American in a 50km radius.  I can see why previous PCV’s call the first three months at site the most challenging, what with adjusting to your site, feeling like a fish fresh out of water, etc.  Despite this, I must say I feel very lucky and am doing really well so far.  I adore my host family and I love the schools, so I am excited for what the future holds.

P.S. Khombi/Taxi rides are wicked entertaining here!  On my way here, I was in a khombi with 20+ people, 2 babies, and gogo's sitting on top of people's laps.  In addition, we drove most of the way to town with our door opened!

Until next time, sala gabotse!  (Stay Well in Sepedi)

Lots of Love,

Meg J  

Some lessons I’ve learned in South Africa thus far:

1.       Never leave home without your roll of toilet paper.

2.       No need for an alarm clock when you have roosters and goats outside of your home.

3.       With enough tablespoons of Ricoffy, instant coffee isn’t half bad.

4.       Khombis and cars do not move, so you better.

5.       9 am really means 10 am.

6.       Your best friends will be the gogo’s and the local kids in your village.

7.       It’s so true when they say “When you speak a man’s language, you speak to his heart.”

8.       Always refrigerate your chocolate unless you want chocolate soup.

9.       Prepared to be dusty, all of the time.

10.   Pap completes any meal.

Farewells & Rich Beginnings

     It’s really hard to believe, but I am finally and officially a Peace Corps Volunteer!  As I’m sure my fellow PCV’s would attest, the process to becoming a volunteer is a rather lengthy one, which made our “Swearing In” such a proud and happy day for all of us (I guess it also didn’t hurt that we had the Ambassador and CEO/founder of Operation Hope there).  After over a year of applications, interviews, and the dreaded medical clearance, you are a “trainee” for two months (something we were constantly reminded of).  I loved every minute of training – being with the group, spending time with my host family, learning the language and culture – but I’m thrilled to finally be a volunteer.  It’s like when you’re a kid and your parents finally take off your training wheels, definitely a bit scary, but really exciting.  I’m ready to finally get my hands wet and start working.

                To back track a bit though…following our site visits and prior to our swearing in we had a full week of getting ready to leave our training site.  One of the things we had to do was take our official LPI (language proficiency interview) exam, in which we needed to score an “Intermediate Low.”  Unlike our mid-LPI this LPI was conducted by someone other than our LCF (Language/Cultural Facilitator) and was the one that counted, so it was a bit more nerve-wrecking.  Nevertheless, our entire group performed really well!  I was very pleased to receive a score of “Intermediate High.”  I definitely attribute this to our LCFs, who did a wonderful job teaching us the different South African languages.  They were able to teach us so much information in a mere 8 weeks, something that I am still a bit baffled by.

 In addition to our LPI’s, we had a “Thank You” party for the host families, really the least we could do after all they did for us.  The party was a blast, but I definitely think the best part was preparing for it.  With 56 of us, and all of our host families, we had A LOT of food to prepare.  The night before the party a large group of us came to peel and chop veggies.  We peeled and we chopped squash, potatoes, cucumbers, and carrots until we had blisters (really though).  The next morning, we were fetched at around 6:30am to start cooking.  Since I need as much practice in the cooking area as possible, I signed up for both.  Luckily my 3 cups of Ricoffy helped me to pull through, and it was a lot of fun.  The party itself consisted of thank you speeches (in our respective languages), skits (“Generations” Peace Corps style), singing/dancing, and presenting certificates of thanks to our families.  There was also an awesome traditional dance group who performed for us.  Following everything, we were able to eat the copious amounts of food we cooked – pap, sour pap, pumpkin, cabbage, chakalaka, salad, potato salad, and meat, lots of meat (as is tradition for big celebrations, a cow was slaughtered in our honor).

Saying “so long” to my host family was surprisingly difficult.  It wasn’t fun having to leave them, especially since I just had to say goodbye to all of my loved ones at home not too long ago.  It’s crazy to me how quickly their home became my home, and how quickly I felt like a part of the family.  Their warmth and generosity is something I will never forget, and I hope that I can be as kind to others as they were to me.  Ubuntu truly exists in the South African culture.  I am quite happy though as I will be returning in November for my host brother’s wedding, wearing the gogo dress they had made for me.  I will fit right in, I’m sure!  I am also planning to go back for Easter weekend.  My host father told me that I am always welcome, and I am so grateful.  I also had to say goodbye to my kittens until November.  With all of my luggage I was not able to transport them to Limpopo.  I’m glad to say they’ll be joining me not too long from now!

On a more positive note, I arrived to my site on Friday, the 9^th of September.  My two Principals and my host family have made my transition to Limpopo a very smooth one thus far.  One of my principals met me in Giyani, and drove me to my new home (as Pammycakes calls it, “my home away from home”).  The driver taking us, after lifting my suitcase, asked if I had bricks and planned to build my own rondavel.  Whoops!  Heavy, yes, but it is for two years.  Mom and Dad, I’m sorry but I’m pretty sure I broke the zipper of the bigger suitcase – I’ll be sure to replace it!  J  Upon arriving to my new home, my host brother and his friend helped with the heavy lifting, and I began unpacking.  The next day, before a day of shopping for the essentials, I went for a great run with my new running partner/body guard, who attends the local high school.  My Principal took me to Tzaneen – one of the closest shopping towns – where I was able to get a fridge (essential if you don’t want your chocolate to melt in under 5 minutes), a 2-plate/mini-oven, a bike, a comforter, and my very own bucket bath.  Following shopping, I met my principal’s family and had dinner with them.  He has three kids, and when I did my fishy-face impression for the youngest daughter, she loved it!  Sunday morning I was off to attend the SGB (School Governing Body) meeting and parent meeting at one of the primary schools.  It was really great to see the turnout at the parent meeting, and to hear some of the ideas the teachers/principal had.  I really think that, if implemented, the learners could improve their marks drastically.  To make the meeting even better though, there were dancing gogo’s and we bried at the end!  Definitely the most exciting/interesting parent meeting I’ve ever been to, even though I understood about ¼ of what was being said.  To end the day on a quite different note, my neighbor handed me his pet pig to hold!  I never realized how noisy pigs are!

Tomorrow we are off to our Supervisor’s workshop, where we will work with our Principals and discuss our responsibilities/projects for the next two years.  I am eager to discuss their ideas in conjunction with my own, and to begin working with the teachers, learners, and schools.  I am also wicked excited to have access to a shower for two days.  As much as I have learned to enjoy bucket bathing, nothing beats a shower!

Until next time,

Salani kahle!

Meg J

A Glimpse of the Future

      I must say that only in the past few days has it really hit me that I won’t be going back to BU.  No more GSU, no more on-calls, no more late night trips to UBurger.  I can’t speak for my fellow recent graduates, but it’s definitely a bit sad.  Believe me, I’m super excited to be where I am and to be doing what I’m doing, but I can’t help but to feel a bit nostalgic.  This time last year I was in RA training, swamped with RCR’s and making door tags, but loving every minute of it.  For those of you who are still in college (cough cough Erny) be sure to enjoy and soak up every second of your time.  I never realized it until graduation, but college can be the best four years of your life, and can go by so, so quickly.  You need to have fun.  Sure, crack open your books and study (every once in a while), but remember to spend time with those around you.  You’ll meet some of the best friends of your life in college, and you’ll swap some crazy stories with your best friends back home.

 

            As for the present and looking into the future…I got back from my site visit on Monday!  Like I had mentioned previously, I will be in a small village outside of Giyani in Limpopo Province.  My site visit was really wonderful, with a few moments where I had absolutely no idea as to what was going on.  I’ve really learned to roll with the punches since arriving.  On Wednesday we traveled to Limpopo from the North West Province; it was a very cozy ride, about ten of us packed in the PC khombi with all of our luggage.  Before arriving to our site, a few of us had the extreme luxury of staying in a hotel Wednesday evening…I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a shower more; it’s really the simple things in life that can make you so happy.   On Thursday we continued our journey to Giyani, where we were introduced to our Principals.  I have two Principals as I will be working with two primary schools.  They are very wonderful people, and I am looking forward to working with the both of them.  They seem really excited to work with me, which I am grateful about.  I am the third (and final) volunteer for this site, so I can see both pros and cons.  On the upside, it is nice that they are familiar with PC and what our role as a volunteer is.  The only downside could be constantly being compared to the previous PCVs.  I hope to exceed any expectations they may have, and I hope they understand that I am my own person.  I am curious as to how my time will be split between the two schools once I get to site.  

After a brief introduction (we had to introduce ourselves/what we are doing in Xitsonga!), we were off to my village.  My principals showed me where my bank/post office is located, introduced me to the local police, took me to meet the Induna (a man who works for the Chief), and finally brought me to my host family.  Upon arriving to my host family’s compound, I received one of the warmest welcomes EVER!  One of the women came dancing up to the car, singing.  I couldn’t believe that there was so much excitement just for me.  While at first I thought this was my host mother, it turned out to be my head of department at one of the schools.  She has also claimed me as her daughter, so I’ll have plenty of people looking out for me.  She is amazing, and is very protective which is great.  I then met my host mother, who turns out to be extremely involved in the community which I’m really excited about.  Later that day I met my three host brothers, my host Aunt, my host cousin, and a host of other people from the village.  While everyone remembered my name (Nyeleti is my name in my new village, meaning “star”) I had some difficulty remembering everyone else’s name.  It’s difficult enough to remember the names of my family members, let alone everyone in the village.  Eventually I will get it (fingers crossed).

            On Friday, I was able to see both of the schools.  The grounds for the schools are really beautiful; there is a support staff at each school that is responsible for taking care of the gardens.  They have their own gardens to grow vegetables for the learners and the OVC (orphans and vulnerable children).  I was introduced to the learners at one of the primary schools during assembly.  They were so adorable and I was really excited to meet them.  Following my introduction, my head of department took me all around the village in order to meet everyone and see everything.  During my tour, I received my first marriage proposal (apparently the first of many according to what current PCVs have told us).  Luckily, my head of department came to my rescue, telling the man that she did not find him appropriate…she is definitely not a lady to be messed with.  We went to the pre-school, where the kids sung a bunch of songs for me.  I was also introduced to a group of older women who make beaded jewelry for a community initiative.  After being introduced, they took me to the place where they make the jewelry and before I knew it, I was covered from head to toe in this jewelry (necklaces, belts, bracelets, headbands), having my picture being taken.  Needless to say, I was a bit confused as to what was going on.  Who knows, maybe I’ll end up on a billboard someday.  I would have to say my highlight of the day and the visit was going to the Drop-In Centre for OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children).  The OVC for my village serves I believe 91 children; they provide a feeding schedule/food for the children, education, laundry services, etc.  My host mother works here and is on the board for the Drop-In Centre, and I would really like to become involved in this NGO.  They remain opened even when the schools have break/holiday, so I’d really like to teach while the schools are closed.  I would love to work with the kids on English and literacy.  Lastly, I went to the secondary school (high school).  I met all of the teachers and the principals there, and they were kind enough to serve my HOD and me lunch.  I’d love to set up a Big Brothers/Big Sisters type of organization between the secondary school and primary school, so I was glad to have met everyone there.

            The rest of the weekend was really nice and pretty laid-back.  I spent a lot of time at home, with my host family.  During this time, I was able to go running, which my village finds VERY amusing.  I guess running/exercising, for pleasure, is just not something very common here.  Luckily the handbook that PC gave to our families covers this aspect of Americans.  The first day I went running in the village one of the high school boys accompanied me, and the next day, I had about 30 of the kids join me.  Definitely a bit overwhelming…I was concerned I’d trip over one of them!  Also over the weekend, I helped to cook.  I made spinach and I helped to make chakalaka (sp?).  It’s a mix of peppers, carrots, onions, and beans.  Quite delicious.  While I was cooking, my host brother asked me if I’d like to watch him kill the chicken, to which I politely (I hope) declined (is there even a polite way to say no to observing a chicken being killed?).  I was worried I might lose my appetite…

            As to my living accommodations, my rondavel is very spacious, and I really like it.  So far I have a bed…I’m hoping that I’ll have a few more pieces of furniture when I arrive next week.  In order to get water we use wheel barrels and go to the tap down the street.  My arms are a bit sore, and I’m thinking my upper body strength will improve immensely while I am here.  I live very close to my host family’s house, which I am really pleased about so I can spend time with them at night and watch my fave SA soap – “Generations.”

            I can’t forget to mention the fruit where I’ll be living– lots and lots of fruit.  Limpopo is known for its fruit, and for very good reason.  Oranges, avocados, pawpaw, mangoes, and bananas are plentiful here which I’m wicked excited about!  My host family even has a pawpaw tree in their backyard!  There is also a man who rides by our compound on a daily basis and hands us the biggest oranges you’ve ever seen.  

            Our trip back to the training site was rather uneventful, thankfully.  We were responsible for using the public transport to get back, kind of a test I guess.  Our bus driver took good care of us, making sure we knew where to get off.  In conclusion, I’m really happy with my site placement, and I’m looking forward to working with the schools and with the community.  I already have a list of things I’d like to do, but I need to be sure to take it one step at a time and not to over commit.  I really want to do things well, and to make sure they are sustainable.

Until next time, salani kahle!

Love,

Meg :)