This past
weekend, Jill (another PCV, my closest neighbor, and one of my best friends
from my class) and I held a girls camp.
Many Peace Corps Volunteers hold Camp G.L.O.W.’s (Girls Leading Our
World) in hopes of empowering the young girls in the villages, teaching them
about HIV/AIDS and decision making, and working with them to strengthen their
futures. Ours was in conjunction with
Scouts of South Africa; specifically we worked with Keep the Dream 196, a Scout
group held in Tzaneen, my second shopping town.
Jill
and I started the process of planning this camp a few months back. There was much to do in order to prepare
properly. First, I started holding a
girls’ club for my grade 7 learners after school once a week. Next, Jill and I invited all of our grade 7
girls to write an essay, answering the question “Why should I go to Camp
G.L.O.W.?” The girls had to write the
essay in English, and had a few weeks to complete the assignment, ample time to
ask for help from teachers, friends, and family. Since money hasn’t started growing on trees
yet (I beg the question when will that begin to happen??), we were limited to
the number of girls that we could bring along.
Once all of the girls submitted their essays, I chose Jill’s strongest
15, and she chose mine, so as to not have favoritism rear its ugly head. Our subsequent step was the grant
writing. Wow is all that I can say. After much help from Peace Corps, and after
many, many revisions, our grant was approved and we were ready to move
forward.
When
it came time to tell the girls who would be going to the camp, I felt
torn. While part of me was so excited to
tell the 15 who would be going, the other part of me was dreading telling them,
knowing that some girls would be disappointed, to say the least, that they were
not chosen to go to the camp. Luckily
Jill and I had done it fairly, and I had that on my side. Before the camp, I had two meetings: one
parents/guardians meeting at Lekgwareng and one parents/guardians meeting at
Ndzhovela. Again, there was the question
as to why there was an unequal distribution of girls chosen for the two
schools. Fairness. Fairness.
Fairness. I do not play
favorites. The parents/guardians
meetings started right on (South African) time, 1 hour late at the one school
and 30 minutes late at the other school.
I can’t complain too much; the parents/guardians of all of the girls
showed, and they seemed pleased with the camp that their daughters/sisters were
about to attend.
After
months of preparation and a week of nail biting that everything would go
smoothly, the day of camp departure finally arrived. First I was off to collect the 5 girls and
Sylvia (my counterpart for the camp, the Admin Assistant at the school, and my
best friend in the village) from Lekgwareng Primary. As we were walking towards the location I had
agreed upon with the taxi company (my biggest stressor leading up to the camp),
there was an empty taxi floating around the village, seemingly lost. This taxi was not on familiar ground (we have
about 2 or 3 regular taxi drivers who come to our village, all of whom I know
by now). This one I did not
recognize. He hopped out, and after much
confusion and a few phone calls to his boss, we were on our way to pick up the
10 girls and Joyce (my second counterpart for the camp, one of the teachers I
work with closely at school, and also a good friend) from Ndzhovela Primary, in
the next village over. You would have
thought these girls were leaving for a month, and not a weekend. Not the lightest packer myself, I couldn’t
criticize too much. But shoo, it was
like trying to fit an elephant in a mouse hole fitting everything, people
included, into this khombi. Luckily,
after much thought and left with little space to breath, we were off to start
our weekend.
Obviously
things couldn’t be that simple, that easy.
For some reason or another, the taxi drivers didn’t have any clue as to
where we were going. Jill and I,
believing that the taxi drivers would have been prepared, didn’t think to print
our own directions…that is why we hired them…We stopped and asked for
directions at a gas station. Then, we
met up with Jill’s taxi and were still without any idea as to where to go. We called the director of the camp, who
thankfully sent someone out to direct us.
We would have NEVER found this place without being rescued by the Keep
the Dream taxi.
After
about 2 hours of travel time, and one much needed pit stop on the side of the
road, we arrived to the camp. It was
about quarter to one, aka FAR past lunch time (here we eat at about 10am). My stomach has adjusted so I was hungry. Fortunately, lunch was ready. It was two sandwiches (one with cheese and
butter, one with poloney and butter) and juice.
Not my top choice, but enough to fuel the fire until dinnertime. We all ate our lunches rather quickly, as our
sessions were about to begin.
While
all of the girls and Jill went off in one direction, ready to start the weekend
of HIV/AIDS training, my two counterparts and I were off to a separate training
– training to become official Scout Troop Leaders. (Now, this was just an introduction course,
so we will need to have additional training down the line). A bit bummed since I had assumed I’d get to
spend time with my girls, I turned my frown upside down; I was ready to make
the most of the situation. For the next
two days I would be with about 40 South African women, all from Drop-In Centers
for Orphans and Vulnerable Children who wanted to make a difference in their
communities. My counterparts and I were
split up, and assigned to our own patrols.
Sylvia was assigned to the green patrol, Joyce to the blue, and I was in
the yellow patrol for the weekend. I was
also in for a weekend of training in primarily Xitsonga. Great practice to brush up on my language
skills.
Prior
to tea time after a few sessions, we had to set up our tindlu, our “houses” for
the next few days. When I say houses, I
mean tents. This was exciting – many of these women, and certainly Jill’s and
my learners, have never been camping before, let alone have slept in a
tent. It was fun being there for such a
first time experience, something I think can be quite enjoyable. As excited as I was that our tent was up, I
was even more excited for tea time. I
grabbed my thermos, and lined up. While
I waited in line, my eyes darted around for the Ricoffee can (the instant
coffee of choice in South Africa). To my
great dismay, there was no Ricoffee to be found. I kicked myself, thinking I should have
brought my own coffee along, just in case.
I figured, what kind of place doesn’t have coffee?? Only tea??
This would be a long weekend indeed…
Grade
7 girls can be dramatic. Grade 7 girls
away from home for the first time, in an unfamiliar setting, can be even more dramatic. Multiply that by 30 grade 7 girls, and you
have a whole lot of drama. There were
complaints of sore throats. There were
complaints of cell phones being collected at the beginning of camp. There were complaints of not enough juice. My counterparts were amazing, my
superheroes. We found solutions for each
“crisis” we encountered, calming any concerns and making sure the girls had a
good time.
Now,
as all of you know, running is my solitude.
Running is my sanity. Running is
my get away. On top of that, I am
training for a marathon in November, and a day without running or yoga equals a
cranky Meg. In order to be ready on
time, I woke up before the sun did. The
running scene was gorgeous. The camp was
situated in the woods, surrounded by lovely trails and trees taller than the
Empire State Building. I was able to get
in some great hills and start my day the way I enjoy before a packed day of
training and trying to check in on the girls whenever I could.
Remember
tea time without my Ricoffee can?
Despite wishful thinking, the next morning, at breakfast time, proved no
different. I surrendered to the fact
that it would be a day without coffee.
It was rough. You know how in
class you get the nods, as Pammycakes says, where you’re like a bobble head
doll and you just can’t stay awake? Your
head and your eyes seem heavier than imaginable. That was me…all day…every session. I truly felt embarrassed, but no matter how
hard I tried to concentrate, I could not help myself from falling asleep. Then, the director of camp, who was surely my
guardian angel, informed me that she had just purchased some coffee, and that I
could help myself. Even better, it was
the real stuff, not just Ricoffee. HALLELUJAH!!
That
night, food ran short. (Did I forget to
mention that the cooks who had been hired failed to show? The staff of the camp, the women teaching the
sessions, therefore, also doubled as the cooks). I didn’t mind waiting. The girls had all eaten and I had had my
coffee. The women quickly whipped up
some more pap, and Louise (the camp director) went off to find food for those
who waited. About 45 minutes later,
Louise, once again, came to the rescue, carrying bags of KFC. It was worth the wait. Coffee and KFC? The day was looking up.
In
order to finish the day (Saturday), we all enjoyed a campfire. Everyone was included, the girls, the women
in the training, the staff. It was
probably one of my favorite moments in South Africa so far. Each of the patrols sang a song for the rest
of the group. My patrol sang “We are
One, One Big Family,” a favorite of mine that the kids often sing at school
assembly. Next we watched a movie – a
classic – “The Jungle Book.” Apparently
the idea of Cub Scouts comes from “The Jungle Book.” Who knew?
Too tired to stay up for the entire movie, I went to sleep and slept
much better thanks to an extra blanket that one of the staff had acquired for
us.
My
next morning was wonderful, knowing from the moment I woke up that there was
the promise of coffee. I had a nice run,
and then I went to help my patrol with whatever they needed before our final
day began. Apparently, what they needed
was pictures. I swear, sometimes I feel
like Santa Claus. The only difference is
that the Santas at the malls have it easy.
It’s one season a year AND they get paid. For me it’s non-stop and there is no
payment. Oftentimes I’m not even asked;
I just realize someone is shooting my photo, and surely enough, there is the
cell phone, right in my face. This time
I was happy to do it. Here were these
women, all trying to learn in order to make their communities better
places.
Remember
the confusion with the taxi’s at the beginning of the trip? The way home was no different. In fact, it was worse. Our group was the last group to be picked up
from the camp, waiting over an hour and a half past the time we were supposed
to be fetched. Was I upset? Yes. I
had told the learners’ parents we’d be home at a certain time. We all wanted to stop at a food store prior
to reaching the village, and it being a Sunday, we knew we were cutting it
close since food stores close as quickly as they open (luckily we made it with
five minutes to spare, literally). We
had paid good money for reliable and timely transport. At about half-past two, our taxi
arrived. He was lucky. I had had my coffee that morning.
I
am surprised that I still have my hearing after the ride home. I could literally feel the seat vibrating,
that is how loud the volume was (I know, I know, I’m such a Grammy). South Africans LOVE their music, and they
like it LOUD. The girls requested the
same song, on repeat, for the 2 hour drive home. I didn’t mind. The girls were having fun. We had successfully stopped at Checkers (a
great food store, that is now selling Starbies!!) and done our shopping. And I
had had my coffee.
Overall,
I’d say the weekend and the girls’ camp was a huge success. Sure there were a few bumps along the way,
but everything worked out. When we
stopped to drop the girls off at Ndzhovela, a few of the parents were waiting
for their daughters. The Moms were so
excited. One of the Moms gave me a huge
smile, an even bigger hug, and said “Na khensa” (thank you). I knew right there that all of Jill’s and my
hard work was so worth it. The next day
at school (Lekgwareng), the 5 girls who attended the camp talked to the rest of
the student body at morning assembly about what they had learned. While we might have to brush up on public
speaking skills, the girls seemed to have retained a lot of information they
had gotten at the camp. At the end of
the school day, Sylvia and I held a debriefing with the girls: what they liked,
what they didn’t like, what they learned, how they would use the information to
help the village, etc. The highlights
included the food, the showers, and the sessions on HIV/AIDS. At least they did include the learning in
there.
While the girls learned a lot about
HIV and AIDS, and while my counterparts and I learned much about Scouting,
there was one important lesson I took away from the weekend. Never assume that there will be coffee. Bring your own just in case there isn’t any. It’s better to air on the safe side. Don’t forget
the coffee.
Le rata,
Meg :)
