Hand Wash

Yesterday I finally broke down and washed all the clothes that have been accumulating for the last several weeks. It didn't take me as long as I thought, it wasn't as painful as I was expecting, and it felt good when it was all over. When I went to get everything off the line I noticed that all the clothes in the last load were covered in white splotches from the detergent... I shouldn't have pushed it... I should have gotten clean water when I noticed it was gettin' too soapy. I sighed and put them aside to wash this morning. This morning, right before work and right after tea, I went to hang everything on the line. It felt like it was going to be a scorcher so I knew it wouldn't be long until everything was dry enough to put away. I went to work, came home at lunch to eat, eyed the clothes, decided they would be fine, and went to an afternoon meeting just a few minutes away. My whole walk I kept hoping it would rain and was so excited to see a dark cloud hovering over the whole area. As soon as I got to Kodumela and stepped underneath the big outdoor shelter, the wind started picking up, and within seconds hard rain started to fall. It was then that I remembered my clothes. I sat for 20 minutes and watched as the rain made little rivers in the dirt, shook leaves off the Acacia tree people sit under at tea time, and then I came back to my yard and assessed the damage. The clothes were soaked... but more importantly it had dropped 10 degrees in my room! It was a nice and balmy 93 for afternoon tea. We'll just try again tomorrow.


This is where I get my water... for drinking (I boil and filter) and for washing. With all the rain, the barrels have managed to stay pretty full. When the barrels start to run low, then we move on to the water tank behind them which has been collecting and storing rainwater for months. So when I'm running low on water in my room, or it's time to wash clothes, I get a big ol bucket and fill it (sometimes multiple times) right here.


And this is how I wash my clothes! The first green bucket is the soapy water for washing; I use rubber gloves because both the detergent and the scrubbing are really abrasive.
The second one is for rinsing.
The third is really MY wash bucket, but it doubles as a place to keep clean clothes and take them to the line when I'm all finished.


And then the clothesline. This is what my washing looked like just yesterday.

The rains.

Last year at this time it was brutally hot. This year, although we've had a few intense days, it's rained a lot more than was expected. This past week the mountains were covered in a misty shroud of fog every morning... and some days that turned into rain in the afternoon. Rain is good, it cools everything off and it means the barrels for water are full and the mealies (corn) and all kinds of other food are growing. Just a few months ago Metz was brown and dry and now, within the last two months, green has exploded. Cross your fingers it keeps up!

Chips, Masilu, Chips!

Some days just work out really well. Today I was supposed to take some reports from my office to the creche all the way on the other side of Metz (where I used to live). I walked out to the tar road and hoped and hoped and hoped that a taxi would come along shortly... it was too hot to be outside. I don't think I stood there two minutes before a taxi rounded the corner and stopped to pick me up. As luck would have it, it was Jeffrey, the guy who drove my parents, myself, and my office to Blyde River Canyon, Potholes, and Echo Caves back in October... and Jeffrey always gives me free rides. He dropped me off near the post office, right next to Jimmy's (aka Masilu's) chips stand. Jimmy's chips are good. Fresh and made to order. I took my parents there when they were visiting, Keri likes to get some when she comes to stay.... and on occasion I'll stop by just to see how things are going. It's a pretty nice set up... outside the little open air room made of wooden slates there's a big tent that gives shade to people who want to sit at the tables and chairs. As I was walking by, Jimmy yelled out "Happy New Year, Mmapula!" and I walked over to catch up. My dad has been asking me for some photos and Jimmy, who liked my dad very much, was more than happy to oblige. He sends his greetings to all my friends and family in America.

The Bigger Picture

I was able to watch the Inauguration (let's just not mention that I had to look this word up. yes. I used to know how to spell) last night on a freakin' TV!!!!!! A T.V. You'd think, living in a village, that those would be hard to come by... or if you did find them they'd have rabbit ears and the picture would be all fuzzy. No. I may not have a TV (not having one seems to be shocking to some people.. my office once asked if Peace Corps was going to give me money for one), but I definitely had my choice of ones to choose from when I wanted to watch the news... and all those choices came with full cable.. I could have caught an episode of some reality show on MTV! I originally thought I would be able to access a live feed on a news website, but no such luck... my computer can't support such fancy endeavors... so, I walked across the road to my family's house to see if we could all watch together. Fifteen minutes later I found myself in MmaKori's living room (she's in Pretoria right now) with Maite, Karabo, and Lethabo, watching, wide eyed, a moment in history. I finally got to hear Obama speak. I finally got to see him in real time. And it definitely took me awhile to come down from it all. Being in Africa right now, feeling a part of such a bigger, open picture... it feels good. He has a tough, rough road ahead, and a job that I don't think many people envy, but I think he's being realistic... and it feels nice to listen to his words. I'll admit, on more than one occasion I teared up. Part of it was the message of hope. Part of it was that I could feel a connection to his words. Part of it was watching things that were once somewhat familiar be in the distance. Most of it was the overwhelming sensation of being reminded that we're part of something big... that we're just specks, little dots, in the grand scheme of it all. I forget that sometimes. I get lost in the world of the village, in the world going on inside my head, and I lose the scope that allows me to see things while stepping back.
The Bigger Picture. Woo. When people clapped and cheered as the festivities began, Karabo whooped and clapped right along with them. When Mr. President mentioned that the world was watching, even people in a village in Africa, Maite laughed to herself. Last night was one of fitful sleep, goose bumps, and perspective. There are lots of things ahead, a full future, and I am glad I'm able to watch it all unfold.

HUGE

I just got back to my room after watching the 44th President of The United States be sworn into office. I have words, I have things I want to say, things I want to remember, but it's all jumbled right now. I'm making a list of things to remember, I'm putting it in my journal, and I'll write about it when my heart stops fluttering and I've had some time to process.