Na mi tsundzuka

Na mi tsundzuka eAfrika Dzonga...I miss you South Africa...

It has been just over a year since my return to the states from the experience of a lifetime...the Peace Corps in South Africa.    I figured this was a fitting time to write a blog post, commemorating my year back home.  I must admit, my writing feels a bit rusty, so bear with me dear readers.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my two years in South Africa.  I have been thinking of my time there more recently, in disbelief that it has already been a year since I landed in Philly, greeted by my family and friends.  

A year later and there are so many things that I miss about South Africa...the people, my host families, my friends, my fellow PCVs (now RPCVs), the learners, my counterparts, the culture, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the joy in a short conversation about the weather, the community where everyone knows your name, the crazy long road races, the diversity, even the goats and the cows passing by on my way to school.  The list goes on and on.  I am lucky that I have Nick as well as other RPCVs to look back and discuss our time and memories with.  We laugh when we think back to our different pit toilets, we sweat just thinking about how hot it would become in the months of December and January, and we become quite nostalgic when we talk about our host families and counterparts.  Our conversations and our reminiscing keeps everything more alive rather than making it all feel like a wonderful, distant dream.  Still, I wish that the time hadn't gone so quickly.  I wish I had known how short two years truly is.  In addition to these conversations, I am also quite fortunate for technology.  Apps like "Whatsapp," Skype, and Facebook allow me to communicate with my South African family and friends on a regular basis.  I am able to keep up with them and see how they are doing.  While it is not the same as sharing a meal of pap, gravy, and cold drink, it is something and for that, I am grateful.  

So, what have I been up to this past year?  How is life in America different?

For one thing, I love that I can see my family fairly often.  Although I am in a different state than they are, it doesn't take a day in an airplane to see them.  Rather, it's a short trip.  I get to enjoy holidays and family gatherings with them, which is amazing.  I get to be present for new additions to the family and I am able to have phone conversations with them without worrying about when my airtime is going to run out.  

Some family highlights this year...This May my older sister Kim got married.  It was so nice to be a part of her and Jim's special day.  In July, my older sister Jeannine welcomed Caroline to the family, making Ben an older brother.  She decided to join us right before Nick and I hit the road, which we appreciated.  Nothing like an early morning hospital visit and breaking visiting hours!  Now that I'm home, I get to get my butt kicked by Erny on runs and I was able to run the Broadstreet Run with both her and Pammycakes.    

I also love the fact that I can look nice and don't have to wear moo-moos.  While I believe Nick when he says he doesn't care if I wear makeup or not, it is still a good feeling to look pretty, which is much easier here with showers, hairdryers, and other current day amenities.  In addition, I don't have to worry about a 6+ hour taxi ride to see him where I have been sweating profusely and drooling on my backpack.  Rather, I have a much shorter, air-conditioned commute.  

Food shopping is now enjoyable.  I don't have to worry about the number of bags that I come out with, since they all fit comfortably into my car rather than stacked upon my lap and scattered throughout the taxi.  I can now buy one of my favorite foods and fit it in my freezer...ice cream!  My grocery store is a walk away rather than a 45 minute taxi ride away.  Despite the proximity, I still drive...

Teaching is also quite different.  I am starting my second year at Northern soon, and I feel blessed to be teaching where I am.  Not only does the school have qualified, dedicated, and friendly teachers and staff, but it also has everything available to be an effective teacher.  I have working technology and air-conditioning, I have books and paper, I have pencils and pens.  I have time to collaborate with the other teachers and we have professional development on a regular basis.  If I need anything, all I need to do is ask, and I have it the next day.  This is much easier than requesting it from the states and having it show up weeks later in the mail if I'm lucky it wasn't "lost" in transit (thank you Marcy for all you did for us and our kids while we were away).  Northern is a well run school where my students and I can be successful.  Sometimes I wish my current students could see the village schools in South Africa so that they could realize just how fortunate they are.  Since they can't, I share tidbits of my experience so they can be more globally aware.  While in South Africa I primarily taught grades 6, 7, and adults in the village, I teach senior English at Northern.

Running is a lot different as well.  Don't get me wrong, I still put one foot in front of the other.  Form hasn't changed drastically.  However, I feel much more comfortable going out for a run.  It isn't looked at as strange.  There is no real fear for my safety and there are tons of other runners in the area.  

Some running highlights for the year: This year I ran the Greensboro Half Marathon in October, the Philadelphia Marathon in November and the Boston Marathon in April.  All are amazing races and I'm so glad to have participated in them.  It was nice to be back in Boston, my home for four years.  I was able to catch up with a lot of friends from college as well as friends from the Peace Corps and participate in one of the most emotional races I've ever ran.  In addition to my own running, I am coaching both Cross Country and Track, so running is now a part of my job...not too shabby.  

Unlike South Africa, sadly, I don't know my neighbors.  It is not the tight-knit village community I lived in for two years, which I miss immensely.  I haven't been given a dozen bananas at the end of the day or a handful of grapefruits just because (one other thing I miss...the abundance of good and cheap fruit).  The local kids don't yell "Naledi!" when I come home.  I'll have a friendly conversation in passing when I see my neighbor, but that's about it.

Sometimes I find myself drifting back into my pre-Peace Corps mentality.  Just a few months ago, my faithful Volkswagen beetle died on my way to a catering event.  You would have thought the world had ended with my reaction.  I'm so thankful with what my Mom said.  "Meghan, you have lived in the middle of nowhere, in a South African village.  You can handle this."  She was so right and she brought me back to reality.  No one was hurt, it was just a car, and I could handle it.  I had spent two years riding in questionable khombis with hangers for doors and getting to places in the back of a pick-up truck.  I did end up having to get a new car which worked out a'ok.  I guess everything is situational.  When you are without, you learn to be without so many things: running water, air-conditioning, reliable transportation.  When you are in a place where you learn to depend on these things, however, you find that you "can't" live without.  I try my hardest to remind myself just how lucky I am and how I have more "with's" than "withouts."

Not many people are given the experience that I was.  The experience to travel halfway across the world, immerse themselves into a different culture and live, and (hopefully) make a difference for two years.  When I become nostalgic or sad that my time in South Africa is over, I remind myself that at least I had the time.  I was able to be a PCV, which changed my life forever.  Not only did I meet Nick, the love of my life, but I met countless other people who will stay with me forever.  I was able to accomplish quite a few things during my time in Lekgwareng Village and I am quite proud of that. I still believe that South Africa did more for me than I did for it, which I think is true for a lot of PCVs.  South Africa made me into a stronger individual and my experience there has helped me in my transition back to America.  The transition back wasn't always easy, but I am very glad to be back in the states.

Nick and I have already started saving so that we can visit in the next few years.  As much as I miss South Africa and all of the people I met there, I know that I will see them soon enough, which makes me happy.  

Thanks for taking the time to read about my experiences in and out of South Africa over the past few years.  I hope you've enjoyed reading about them as much as I enjoyed my time as a PCV.

Until next time,
Meg