Though I am typing this blog at an internet cafe in a small shopping town in Northwest Province -- it was handwritten by headlamp lighting in the darkness of a power outage that lasted all night last night. At the time I could hear my temporary host siblings singing the theme song "food, glorious food" (from the musical Oliver) -- their bellies full from the very Americanized Italian meal I'd just cooked for them: spaghetti pasta with a creamy tomato, spinach and onion sauce I made from scratch and a salad with carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and (forgive me Italy) ranch dressing. In my past 8 weeks in South Africa this was one of the only 2 meals I've been "permitted" to cook for myself.... and, thus, one of the very few vegetarian meals I've eaten in my temporary homestay house. I'm delighted by the romance of having eaten the meal by candle-light (during the power outage).
*Dietary control is easily one of the biggest sacrifices I've made in joining the Peace Corps -- at least for these first few months.
So, now for the exciting news I promised you 2 weeks ago: I LOVE MY SITE PLACEMENT!! Beginning 20 September 2007 (after the swearing-in ceremony in Pretoria) I will be living a in a deep rural village surrounded by a multitude of mountains, fruit trees, and rivers. Apparently, from December through February/March fruit will be so plentiful that I will actually (so the locals say) get sick of eating: Mangos, Avocados, Papayas, Bananas, and berries fresh from trees... I think they gravely under estimate my unfaltering, tireless affection for fresh, organically grown produce!
Despite the lush seasonal produce, my village remains VERY poor. Challenges facing the community include: unemployment, under-education, illiteracy, significant health issues (see previous entry), lack of adequate resources for health care, and terminal illnesses and death from treatable diseases resulting from inadequate access to said health care. During my brief stay in my beautiful new hometown, I was made to hike rocky mountain paths for several hours everyday. It seems, everywhere you are going is far away and LOTS of mindful walking is required. Of course, you can imagine this is both exciting for the outdoors-lover in me, but also disheartening in terms of the community's previously described socioeconomic context.
One afternoon during my site visit, when my supervisor and I were conducting home-based care (HBC) rounds we walked at least an 1 1/2 hours to visit a sick patient. Keep in mind, she and her 19 other counterparts are unpaid, they have been doing this work for free since their organization was founded in 2002. You can imagine the trouble the sick patient, unable to walk or even leave his bed, faces in accessing adequate treatment for his health challenges.
Walking around my village and responding to choirs of people yelling "lekgowa, lekgowa!" (white person, white person) has led me to suspect I am the first white person to live in my village, and am certainly the first white person MANY of the community members (especially the children) have ever seen in person. The majority of their reactions demonstrate outward fear of me, others are clearly confused, but most everyone seems very excited that I've come to live with them -- little do they know: the honor is all mine.
As far as my workplaces are concerned: The clinic I volunteer with is strapped for medical supplies and serving a far larger population than its human resources can manage, and my small HBC organization lacks even a building -- we have meetings under a tree in the clinic yard, where we sit on borrowed benches, and our distant 'drop in-center' for orphans and vulnerable children is a sad little rusted-out, corrugated steel shack that has no capacity for keeping the rain out and nothing but firewood inside... at the same time, the women I met from each group seem full of self-less motivation to improve the livelihoods of those they serve. They AMAZE me beyond words. Equally, but differently, amazing is the umbrella organization I will also be collaborating with (a 45 minute taxi ride over the mountain pass). Their capacity for networking, facilitating outcomes-based programs, and acquiring resources for responding to the needs of the community FAR FAR FAR outweighs that found in my own community -- the organization and its leadership will be great assets to me in the coming 24 months.
To my great pleasure, while volunteering with these groups -- I will spend my next two life-changing years sharing residence with a 53 year-old traditional healer and her family! For those seeking more info on precisely why, as a graduate of Anthropology, I am SOoo flipping excited about the interesting combination of my work assignment and my new homestay situation, please Google: Sangoma and/or Ingyaka. Let's just say: my medical anthropology teacher would be incredibly jealous.
My room is not much to speak of, it is relatively small but has potential to become pretty cozy with some work -- it is attached to one of three 2-bedroom house-like structures within our family's gated "compound" area. In addition to the tree structures, which have electricity but no running water, there are two roundavels/huts on the property -- one for storage and the other for cooking and bathing. My family does not have a functioning stove, so they cook over a fire every night -- mainly Pap/Bagobe (the staple here) and some meat source. Having been a vegetarian for the past three years, and still readjusting to eating meat, you can imagine what a laugh I got when I woke up one morning to find a bag with raw, bloody goat legs (hooves and all) laying on our kitchen table -- and later that night had the pleasure of eating them! I'll never look at local goats the same ;-)
The number of family members living in our compound fluctuates, but while I was there there were 10 --> my Sangoma mother, 2 of her mid-thirties daughters, 1 of their husbands, 2 fourteen year old boys, and 4 fantastically well-behaved children. On my first night there, my host mother had me knell at a small 'shrine' like area that had several rocks and twigs sitting out... she began to speak in her mother-tongue (Sepedi/ Northern Sotho) to each of the rocks and twigs and I quickly understood that each one represented a different one of her ancestors -- she was introducing me to them one by one and explaining that I would be staying there with them and why. Afterwards, I was fed dinner and told my new name: "Pheladi." This name derives from the verb "phela" which means to live/ to be alive/ to survive. So my name essentially means "a woman who is living." To add further meaning, this is the name of my new host-mother's late mother (now labeled 'ancestor') -- who was also a traditional healer and who trained my host-mother in traditional healing. During her lifetime Pheladi managed to earn enough to purchase the compound in which we stay -- so, she is seen as the hero of her family because she has allowed them to be safe and "live here in peace." I was given her name because my new family believes I have come to watch over them. I am incredibly honored and humbled by both the gift of this name and my warm welcome into my new family. Falling asleep that first night, I truly felt I had found my home away from home here in South Africa.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of folks in my village don't speak a lick of English (including my lovely host mother) and that their level of economic hardship is the greatest I've yet to witness, I feel more at home there than I have felt in MONTHS. Though they lack nearly all of the basic amenities that I have been privileged with through out my life, the smiles on each of my new friends, co-workers, and family members' faces transparently reveal their rich relationship with what has often been called "true happiness" <--happiness that is not bound to material wealth or possessions, but resonates love in its most honest and compassionate form. I have so much to learn from these people -- and I see so much space and potential for positive change. It is going to be an AMAZING 2 years!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Thobela!
Thobela from South Africa! I've now been here about 7 weeks... it's been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs but today it's UP: I've got internet access -- if only for a short period of time and A LOT of Rand. So here's the "quick" timeline for you all:
-Staging in Philly (July 17-19) was painfully boring, but the highlight was that I spoiled myself with one fabulous solo date at a Mexican restaurant where I ate my last veggie quesadilla w/ cheese (oh how I miss cheese!) and my last Margarita for a while... That one meal made the whole bore of staging worth it ;-)
-On 19 July, 94 Peace Corps Trainees (including myself) flew out of JFK Airport in New York -- we had a 9 hour layover in Germany and then hopped on another flight where I sat next to a FANTASTIC Swiss family w/ 2 daughters and 1 son. I loved them so much I'm roping them into being pen pals with me while I'm here!
-On 21 July we landed in Johannesburg where, when the customs woman saw I was staying in South Africa for 27 months she looked at me like I was a nut-job and laughed at me like "yeah right -- crazy American." At the airport, while waiting outside for transport we all erupted in a song that some of us had already created and performed at staging: "Sweet Home South Africa." Though we'll all be living apart from one another, I know we will carry that memory and that song with us throughout our time as Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs).
-For the first week in South Africa we stayed at "Mankwe College" a short distance from Rustenberg and Sun City. At Mankwe I had my own room in a dorm, as well as access to a flush toilet and shower with cold AND hot water! (Oh the luxury!!) As a result of the amenities and our isolation from any local communities (aside from our fantastic local staff) that first week I had a really hard time believing I was in South Africa -- well, except for the Zebras and what not living across the fence from us in Madikwe (?) game reserve. During our stay in Mankwe we were taught basic greetings and introductions in both Setswana and Afrikaans -- as we would soon be moving to a Setswana speaking community where any white folks passing through are assumed to know Afrikaans.
-At orientation week I was assigned to learn Sepedi -- a language spoken mainly in Limpopo Province, but also in northern Mpumalanga. My favorite local staff member, Morongoa (Moe-roong-wah) was assigned to teach the language to myself and 3 other girls (Lauren, Ronda, and Tayler).
***Even more exciting: I also learned during Orientation week, much to my relief and excitement, that the assignment PC Washington office had given me was INCORRECT! PC South Africa actually wants me NOT as an education volunteer (which I have no experience in) but as an NGO (non-governmental organization) capacity builder (HIP-HIP-HORRAY)! I feel I will be a far more productive volunteer with this assignment :-D
-On 28 July we were all sent to our respective, temporary 2-month homestay families -- split among 3 rural towns just south of the Botswana border in Setswana speaking Northwest province. Since that time I've been living with a Lutheran pastor, his wife, their son (9) and daughter (5). The pastor is trained in Social Work and Health/HIV Outreach and has been a real inspiration and positive role model for me.
-Not typical of Peace Corps --> my homestay house has both electricity and cold running water. The South African government has placed impressive infrastructure in many rural areas since the fall of apartheid (1994), but even with these improvements the cold running water (including a flush toilet and two sinks) is quite a treat in our rural setting -- not all trainees here have been so lucky, many have to walk long distances to well spouts to access buckets of water for their homes. Overall, however, most of us still have to boil water for our bucket baths each morning and for each time we prepare to hand wash our clothing.
-My temporary homestay location is located in a dry valley surrounded by hills (by Colorado/California standards)/ "mountains" (by local standards). The dirt is reminiscent of red-Utah dirt, and wind gusts often create mild red dust storms. It has been a particularly dry winter season in this area (yes, its winter right now) -- but still there is plenty of diverse plant life. The weather is mild; around 65-75 degrees during the day and 45-55 at night... but bear in mind that means our bedrooms are usually 45-55 at night also!
-Cultural adjustments have been interesting. We are the lone "white folk" in communities that rarely even see white people, and certainly not Americans -- so there have been LOTS of stares! At first, people were suspicious of us and children, in particular, were scared of us! After a while word spread about who we were and why we are living here and more and more people began to approach us and test our Setswana skills (children included :-) I think adjusting to gender disparity in these rural areas has been the greatest challenge for the women in our group. Imagine America before the Women's Rights Movement, in conservative areas that held strongly to the ideal that Man was king and a woman's place was in the home... also imagine a culture where physical contact (and physical dominance of women) is also far more widely practiced than we are accustomed to in the US. It's been a BIG adjustment, coming from our own American culture of far more equal rights between men and women. In fact, August was Women's month, so these issues were all the more present as we watched on the news (some of our homestays have TVs) the folks in Urban South Africa protesting and marching for Women's rights (a fast growing movement overall in South Africa) -- and then attending a local (RURAL) event celebrating women's month and women's day with the theme "The man is still the head" (and the woman is the neck... of the household, etc.). At this event, a male speaker focused on the importance of preserving man's right as head of household, head of local politics, etc... Insisting that women are best placed in the supportive role -- end of story. Fortunately, we later heard that after we left the event a woman speaker stood up and revoked all that the man had said and insisted on gender equality... but it just shows how great those challenges are here... Clearly gender is a key issue to deal with here as we take on work centered around preventing HIV. Quick fact according to SABC news: The number one cause of death in South Africa is STDs <-- resulting in 31% of all deaths. #2 is violence, and #3 is alcohol related deaths. Food for thought.
--> And now on to the exciting BIG news that I just received yesterday!:
*I AM OFFICIALLY MOVING TO LIMPOPO PROVINCE for the next 2 years [that's right Joop and Laura, start looking for plane tickets!]
*My site is located at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains, in the northern part south of the Wolkberg Wilderness Area but north of Potlake Nature Reserve. I've been told that you have to drive though mountains to get to my site, which is surrounded by mountains itself!
*My village is strongly affected by the asbestos mining that used to take place in the area -- meaning one of their major challenges is tuberculosis (TB) and other lung related diseases. The area is also strongly affected by HIV.
*In my village I will be working with a Home Based Care organization, ran by 20 home based carers, as well as the local clinic. I will also be working closely with an umbrella organization in another town in the region that networks with 13 Home Based Care Organizations (including the one in my village). Nathan, another PCT/PCV from my group, was assigned to live near and work with that umbrella organization also -- so I will not be totally isolated from Americans... I imagine we'll see each other at least a few times per month, though we may work on different projects.
*I will be living with a new host family, but in a structure separate from their main house.
Here's my schedule for the coming weeks:
-4 September (happy b-day Caitlin!)--> Myself and the other "NGO Capacity Building" trainees depart for Polokwane -- the capitol of Limpopo Province -- where we will meet our Supervisors for a "Supervisors workshop."
-5 September --> we all leave with our respective supervisors to go visit our sites for the first time. We will stay at our sites for 5 nights and 5 days!
-10 September --> We'll be traveling back to our temporary homestay locations (I'll probably travel with Nathan and maybe my friend Lauren as well as Gregor and Marguerite (a couple from Kansas!) who all live nearby).
-13 September --> Language tests :-| But if I don't do well I get a free tutor :-D
-14 September --> I will present info on Resource Mobilization to my fellow PCTs/colleagues... Hooray for my Firelight experience :-D
-15 September --> Shopping Day... I may be able to update my blog again!
-16 September --> Homestay Family Farewell Party for all remaining PCTs (of the 94 we've so far had 7 go home to the US :-(
-19 September --> Depart from our Temporary homestays and head to Pretoria where we'll stay in a 5-star lodge with a bar -- yahoooooo!!
-20 September --> Swearing in Ceremony where we'll dress all fancy and become official "Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs)" -- this event is extra special and with extra large attendance because Peace Corps is celebrating its 10th year in South Africa!! After swearing in we leave with our supervisors and move to our Sites for good! :-)
-21 September --> First full day of officially living in my new home and working with my new organization(s).
-29 September --> My Language Trainer, Morongoa, is married in HER hometown, just east of Polokwane! The gals from my language group: Lauren, Ronda, and I will attend :-D (Tayler went back to the states in mid August :-(
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PPPAAAAAHHHHHHLLLLLEEEEEEEZZZ, keep those letters coming. They are an essential tool for coping out here and mean much more than words can express -- as all of you who have lived in a foreign land can attest. I'm doing great now (though some of you may have heard I was sick for a couple weeks followed by some emotional frustration) -- and your letters of encouragement really help. Also --> news updates help. I'm currently in a black hole of news access (US or international news), so keep me up to date as you're able on YOUR current events and any other current events that catch your eye.
I'm thinking of you all (yes ALL of you!) and looking forward to getting a system going where I can start writing you back soon (Training has been far too chaotic to allow time for writing -- but that will all change soon :-) Take care and warm wishes to each of you.
Truly Your,
cole.
-Staging in Philly (July 17-19) was painfully boring, but the highlight was that I spoiled myself with one fabulous solo date at a Mexican restaurant where I ate my last veggie quesadilla w/ cheese (oh how I miss cheese!) and my last Margarita for a while... That one meal made the whole bore of staging worth it ;-)
-On 19 July, 94 Peace Corps Trainees (including myself) flew out of JFK Airport in New York -- we had a 9 hour layover in Germany and then hopped on another flight where I sat next to a FANTASTIC Swiss family w/ 2 daughters and 1 son. I loved them so much I'm roping them into being pen pals with me while I'm here!
-On 21 July we landed in Johannesburg where, when the customs woman saw I was staying in South Africa for 27 months she looked at me like I was a nut-job and laughed at me like "yeah right -- crazy American." At the airport, while waiting outside for transport we all erupted in a song that some of us had already created and performed at staging: "Sweet Home South Africa." Though we'll all be living apart from one another, I know we will carry that memory and that song with us throughout our time as Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs).
-For the first week in South Africa we stayed at "Mankwe College" a short distance from Rustenberg and Sun City. At Mankwe I had my own room in a dorm, as well as access to a flush toilet and shower with cold AND hot water! (Oh the luxury!!) As a result of the amenities and our isolation from any local communities (aside from our fantastic local staff) that first week I had a really hard time believing I was in South Africa -- well, except for the Zebras and what not living across the fence from us in Madikwe (?) game reserve. During our stay in Mankwe we were taught basic greetings and introductions in both Setswana and Afrikaans -- as we would soon be moving to a Setswana speaking community where any white folks passing through are assumed to know Afrikaans.
-At orientation week I was assigned to learn Sepedi -- a language spoken mainly in Limpopo Province, but also in northern Mpumalanga. My favorite local staff member, Morongoa (Moe-roong-wah) was assigned to teach the language to myself and 3 other girls (Lauren, Ronda, and Tayler).
***Even more exciting: I also learned during Orientation week, much to my relief and excitement, that the assignment PC Washington office had given me was INCORRECT! PC South Africa actually wants me NOT as an education volunteer (which I have no experience in) but as an NGO (non-governmental organization) capacity builder (HIP-HIP-HORRAY)! I feel I will be a far more productive volunteer with this assignment :-D
-On 28 July we were all sent to our respective, temporary 2-month homestay families -- split among 3 rural towns just south of the Botswana border in Setswana speaking Northwest province. Since that time I've been living with a Lutheran pastor, his wife, their son (9) and daughter (5). The pastor is trained in Social Work and Health/HIV Outreach and has been a real inspiration and positive role model for me.
-Not typical of Peace Corps --> my homestay house has both electricity and cold running water. The South African government has placed impressive infrastructure in many rural areas since the fall of apartheid (1994), but even with these improvements the cold running water (including a flush toilet and two sinks) is quite a treat in our rural setting -- not all trainees here have been so lucky, many have to walk long distances to well spouts to access buckets of water for their homes. Overall, however, most of us still have to boil water for our bucket baths each morning and for each time we prepare to hand wash our clothing.
-My temporary homestay location is located in a dry valley surrounded by hills (by Colorado/California standards)/ "mountains" (by local standards). The dirt is reminiscent of red-Utah dirt, and wind gusts often create mild red dust storms. It has been a particularly dry winter season in this area (yes, its winter right now) -- but still there is plenty of diverse plant life. The weather is mild; around 65-75 degrees during the day and 45-55 at night... but bear in mind that means our bedrooms are usually 45-55 at night also!
-Cultural adjustments have been interesting. We are the lone "white folk" in communities that rarely even see white people, and certainly not Americans -- so there have been LOTS of stares! At first, people were suspicious of us and children, in particular, were scared of us! After a while word spread about who we were and why we are living here and more and more people began to approach us and test our Setswana skills (children included :-) I think adjusting to gender disparity in these rural areas has been the greatest challenge for the women in our group. Imagine America before the Women's Rights Movement, in conservative areas that held strongly to the ideal that Man was king and a woman's place was in the home... also imagine a culture where physical contact (and physical dominance of women) is also far more widely practiced than we are accustomed to in the US. It's been a BIG adjustment, coming from our own American culture of far more equal rights between men and women. In fact, August was Women's month, so these issues were all the more present as we watched on the news (some of our homestays have TVs) the folks in Urban South Africa protesting and marching for Women's rights (a fast growing movement overall in South Africa) -- and then attending a local (RURAL) event celebrating women's month and women's day with the theme "The man is still the head" (and the woman is the neck... of the household, etc.). At this event, a male speaker focused on the importance of preserving man's right as head of household, head of local politics, etc... Insisting that women are best placed in the supportive role -- end of story. Fortunately, we later heard that after we left the event a woman speaker stood up and revoked all that the man had said and insisted on gender equality... but it just shows how great those challenges are here... Clearly gender is a key issue to deal with here as we take on work centered around preventing HIV. Quick fact according to SABC news: The number one cause of death in South Africa is STDs <-- resulting in 31% of all deaths. #2 is violence, and #3 is alcohol related deaths. Food for thought.
--> And now on to the exciting BIG news that I just received yesterday!:
*I AM OFFICIALLY MOVING TO LIMPOPO PROVINCE for the next 2 years [that's right Joop and Laura, start looking for plane tickets!]
*My site is located at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains, in the northern part south of the Wolkberg Wilderness Area but north of Potlake Nature Reserve. I've been told that you have to drive though mountains to get to my site, which is surrounded by mountains itself!
*My village is strongly affected by the asbestos mining that used to take place in the area -- meaning one of their major challenges is tuberculosis (TB) and other lung related diseases. The area is also strongly affected by HIV.
*In my village I will be working with a Home Based Care organization, ran by 20 home based carers, as well as the local clinic. I will also be working closely with an umbrella organization in another town in the region that networks with 13 Home Based Care Organizations (including the one in my village). Nathan, another PCT/PCV from my group, was assigned to live near and work with that umbrella organization also -- so I will not be totally isolated from Americans... I imagine we'll see each other at least a few times per month, though we may work on different projects.
*I will be living with a new host family, but in a structure separate from their main house.
Here's my schedule for the coming weeks:
-4 September (happy b-day Caitlin!)--> Myself and the other "NGO Capacity Building" trainees depart for Polokwane -- the capitol of Limpopo Province -- where we will meet our Supervisors for a "Supervisors workshop."
-5 September --> we all leave with our respective supervisors to go visit our sites for the first time. We will stay at our sites for 5 nights and 5 days!
-10 September --> We'll be traveling back to our temporary homestay locations (I'll probably travel with Nathan and maybe my friend Lauren as well as Gregor and Marguerite (a couple from Kansas!) who all live nearby).
-13 September --> Language tests :-| But if I don't do well I get a free tutor :-D
-14 September --> I will present info on Resource Mobilization to my fellow PCTs/colleagues... Hooray for my Firelight experience :-D
-15 September --> Shopping Day... I may be able to update my blog again!
-16 September --> Homestay Family Farewell Party for all remaining PCTs (of the 94 we've so far had 7 go home to the US :-(
-19 September --> Depart from our Temporary homestays and head to Pretoria where we'll stay in a 5-star lodge with a bar -- yahoooooo!!
-20 September --> Swearing in Ceremony where we'll dress all fancy and become official "Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs)" -- this event is extra special and with extra large attendance because Peace Corps is celebrating its 10th year in South Africa!! After swearing in we leave with our supervisors and move to our Sites for good! :-)
-21 September --> First full day of officially living in my new home and working with my new organization(s).
-29 September --> My Language Trainer, Morongoa, is married in HER hometown, just east of Polokwane! The gals from my language group: Lauren, Ronda, and I will attend :-D (Tayler went back to the states in mid August :-(
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PPPAAAAAHHHHHHLLLLLEEEEEEEZZZ, keep those letters coming. They are an essential tool for coping out here and mean much more than words can express -- as all of you who have lived in a foreign land can attest. I'm doing great now (though some of you may have heard I was sick for a couple weeks followed by some emotional frustration) -- and your letters of encouragement really help. Also --> news updates help. I'm currently in a black hole of news access (US or international news), so keep me up to date as you're able on YOUR current events and any other current events that catch your eye.
I'm thinking of you all (yes ALL of you!) and looking forward to getting a system going where I can start writing you back soon (Training has been far too chaotic to allow time for writing -- but that will all change soon :-) Take care and warm wishes to each of you.
Truly Your,
cole.
