Ke bophelo bja gago, Mmapula! (This is your life, Mmapula!)

Not Too Much And In A Dream-Like State

2009-10-16T05:25:00.003+02:00

3 generations in Gueydan, LA-Milly aka RG Dimple, Megan, Bronwyn, and Peg
It's been a long time since I last wrote. I really didn't think it would take me this long to get on the ol' blog and update about life back home.... but time has flown and I'm not sure where the weeks and days have gone. It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I left South Africa... and almost a month and a half since I've seen all my family and friends in Metz... really hard to believe. The last month has been pretty great and it's been really fun to see family, friends, and Austin again.
Top fun things? I flew with Keri halfway home, we left South Africa together and flew to London where we split up to take our next flights. A good group of friends and my family met me at the airport and welcomed me home. The first week was a daze... I spent lots of time sleeping and sleeping hard at that. Jet lag can really do a number on you... and recovering from about 30 hours of traveling. I've had many good coffee dates with good friends, dinners, Mexican food, conversations, and lots of laughing. I went to visit my Grandma and all my family in Louisiana... they welcomed me home with a nice sign and plenty of hugs. I had coffee and conversation with my grandma and every morning I was there, I was made a bowl of Malt-O-Meal. My cousin June got me a ticket to see Bruce Springsteen in his home state of New Jersey and the concert just so happened to be ON my 31st birthday. An amazing show.. and one I don't think I'll ever forget, I'm glad June and I got to go together. I spent a lovely few days walking around the Baltimore Harbor, drinking coffee, and people watching. I had a chance to meet up with Ronda, who's living just outside of D.C. It's nice to know that bonds are still tight between volunteers even when we're on "this side." Dominique, one of my closest friends, threw me a birthday party where I got to celebrate with some of my favorite people. My friend Jen, who was in AmeriCorps NCCC with me in Denver right after I graduated high school, flew in for a visit over Columbus Day weekend. We had some good laughs and good conversations. I've been 80's dancing and I've seen my friend Brian DJ.... two things I really missed doing.
I can't put into words what I'm feeling and how I'm transitioning... I'm just taking it one day at a time and trying to get settled. Everything feels like a dream. Was I really in Metz Village for 2 years? How small was my room? What did it feel like to be all sweaty and hot and smushed in a taxi? I miss my friends and family there greatly and I feel so lucky to be back home with my friends and family here. I think I've grown up, I think I've aged, I think I've let a lot of things go... I really feel like I'm one person that has lived in two different worlds. Two worlds that don't have much chance of touching... two worlds that only a select few people have seen and know about. It's surreal. Very, very surreal.
I am planning on keeping this blog up for a little while... post some pictures of life in the states, of things I think are important.... it just might be sporadic for the next few weeks, I'm still trying to organize pictures and get used to the internet being so fast and computers being available all the time... shockingly, that's a little overwhelming. So, I'll be in touch... I'll be back on here soon.
This is Megan Mmapula Owen signing off at 11:05 pm, it's time for bed. The Phokungwane family has now been up for a good 2 hours.

last day in metz

2009-09-08T09:24:00.002+02:00

On my last night in the village we had a cake from Taposa. Emma, the woman MmaDiapo has hired to help with things around the house, won R1,000 in a women's running competition and used R50 of it to get a "Goodbye Mmapula" cake. While sipping juice and eating tons of icing, Maite came over to sit with me, said she wanted to tell me a story. Earlier in the week, while they were all sitting on their back stoop, Karabo crossed her legs and was genuinely confused when the family seemed to be amused. "Karabo! Where did you learn such a thing? Are you a lekgowa (white person)? Only white people sit with their legs crossed, we Africans sit with our legs straight in front of us." "I'm not a lekgowa! I saw Mmapula sit like this! I'm just sitting like Mmapula." "Mmapula is a lekgowa, she is white." "No, no, Mmapula is just like me, she is just like you." Maite said she and Margaret were so excited that Karabo would think such a thing... think that I was no different than her in any way, that I was one of the family. That was the perfect end to my chapter in Metz. I know there were a lot of things I wanted to accomplish when I found myself in Peace Corps and in my village, but those things were constantly changing during my service. Now that it's the end, I see that I was pretty successful with my service and am most proud of all the relationships I made and cultivated during my time here. I have friends, family, and a place for life in a little, rural, South African Village.

I left good ol' Metz 3 days ago and it's been a whirlwind of activity ever since.
I'm not sure what all is going to come in the future, what directions I will turn and take, but I'm really, really glad I did this and stuck it out until the very end. There are new adventures ahead. New people to know. Old friends and family to keep in touch with. Food to eat. Bowling and dancing to do. Beautiful places to see. Thank you for this life.

This is Mmapula Phokungwane signing off in Metz Village and South Africa for the last time. Stay tuned for updates on the adventure of transition back to America!

Final Result

2009-09-03T00:37:00.006+02:00

This winter, because it would get dark so early, I spent a good chunk of time making not one, but TWO blankets with the colors of the South African flag...black, green, white, red, yellow, and blue. One for me and one for MmaDiapo as a thank you gift. I sent my finished blanket home with June in her big ol' suitcase and presented MmaDiapo with hers tonight. It's about 5'5" by 5'5", wasn't made off of any kind of pattern, and I couldn't tell you how many skeins I used. I think it turned out pretty well!

A Little Heart

2009-09-01T07:53:00.000+02:00

Thanks to so many giving people that I am lucky to know in the States some pretty awesome things have been able to happen while I've been living in Metz.
My Uncle Hansford, who lives in Gueydan, gave me a little bit of money to do something for my village, and with the help of my high school English teacher, Cohen, I was able to successfully support The Women's Literacy Group of Metz with new school supplies! This is a group of women that comes together under the mango trees in MmaLetsoalo's yard three afternoons a week. They are learning to read and write in their mother tongue, Sotho.
I spent one lovely afternoon with their teacher, Maggy, at her house, hanging out with her family, and going through all the supplies I was able to buy.
Here's Maggy with some of her grandchildren and some of the supplies that were purchased.
And here's the amazing traditional meal we ate together after we had our meeting. At one point, Maggy looked at her daughter and said, "I am eating with my friend Mmapula and it is so nice for my heart."

I told Maggy that people at home wanted to help me support projects in Metz. Her literacy class has done so much for the ladies and we wanted to do a little something to help her be able to teach them just a little bit better. Each student was given a plastic folder with a new notebook, pens, Gueydan Museum pencils, a sharpener, an eraser, and a pencil bag to keep everything organized. A whiteboard with new markers, a filing system, and two books for Math and Writing were given to the teacher.
Some of the money was also used to buy World and Africa maps for the Kodumela office and all 7 of the drop in centers.
Rejoice, June, and I all drove to all the centers to hang them up and give the cookers and kids little lessons in geography. I can't tell you how awesome it was to see kids really interested... and how cool it is to sit in the office and watch people try to find places in the world, have discussions about locations on the maps, and ask me questions about different countries and continents. HUGE!

SO many people are touched by the generosity. It's pretty neat when you think about how much we're all working together.

That R20,000

2009-08-31T19:30:00.000+02:00

This morning, John and Mary came out to visit Metz and all the projects the R20,000 funded. It was a nice visit, with the three of us smushed in the front of their bakkie, riding around different villages seeing the sites and catching up. We talked of how beautiful the mountains are, we talked of how successful Kodumela is, and they expressed interest in trying to help Cedric with his home gardens plan... they may have some funds he can apply for!
Here is what some of the money went towards:
A brand new bed for Ophelia's house!!! She had been sleeping on a boxspring.
The steel doors for the drop in center storage rooms at Sally's Place Creche in Makgaung Village. These doors replaced some wooden ones that weren't holding up well after all the big rains last summer.
Each of the 7 drop in centers got a filing cabinet for the new filing system Rejoice is trying to create. When all is said and done, each center will have a file with a birth certificate, proof of grants, and other personal information about each child on the register.
Ophelia's yard (shown) will have a nice fence going all around it. The new fence will go along with the new toilet and house that was built by the Limpopo Provincial Government. (in the picture you can see the foundation that was laid for her house... she's been waiting for 2 years for this to happen and it FINALLY is!!)
And Mokgadi's yard now has a new toilet and water pipe and tap! I have to say, the new additions go nicely with the house Kodumela built them and their leafy green veggie garden.

RDP Houses

2009-08-31T07:38:00.004+02:00

Here are some pictures of the government housing (RDP- Reconstruction and Development Programme) and the houses the families lived in before they got their new ones. Sometimes there is quite a difference.
This RDP house is still in the finishing stages... it needs a roof!
Straight ahead is the newer government housing and to the left is the house the family was living in before.
Most families move into their new housing and still use their old house for an extra bedroom, storage, etc.

Brenda Fassie Dance Party Awesomeness

2009-08-30T19:46:00.007+02:00

My Sunday evening consisted of dancing with some of the women in my family. Aw yeah. Maite, Karabo, Lethabo, MmaDiapo, MmaKori, Linda, Margaret, Salome, Maria, and I all squeezed into MmaDiapo's living room and danced to Brenda Fassie... the queen of African pop.

Anonymous Donor

2009-08-29T09:58:00.006+02:00

Worcester Primary School.
There is a kid in the WorldVision Sponsorship Program at Kodumela who is attending the primary school in Worcester, a village down the tar road from Metz. When his sponsor heard how many children were attending the school and how much space they had in the old buildings, he donated the funds to build a whole new wing! The new school building doubles the size of the school and it's beautiful. The principal and all the students are so excited for the final touches to be finished so they can move in and start using the new rooms. Thank you, Anonymous Donor, the support you are giving this community is very much appreciated. You are, for sure, helping the future of this country. I hope you know that.

Cold Drink and Simbas. Yeah!

2009-08-28T19:51:00.000+02:00

Today was my Cold Drink and Simbas Farewell Party at Kodumela. With 6 types of Simbas, some peanuts and raisins, sweets, chocolate from America, 4 different kinds of biscuits, and an assortment of cold drink that Nyasha, Rejoice, and I all hauled from Taposa... we had a right nice time. I'm going to miss all of these people so much. When it was time for my speech it went a little something like this:
"Oh you guys, there are no words to really express how much you've done for me. For a long time I struggled to find myself a place in Metz and six months ago, when I walked through the door here and offered to work with you, everything changed. I'm proud of every single one of you, for the work that you do, and the passion you have for helping people in Metz and all the surrounding communities. Please don't ever underestimate the impact you've had on the children and families in this area... and the impact you've had on me. You welcomed me with open arms and there is no way I could ever forget you. You are part of my African family and I'll love you forever."
And then there were speeches from a few staff members that made me tear up. Mosuma, one of the security guards, told me to go well and that God had many wonderous things planned for my future. Ledile said that she wished I didn't have to leave, that I would always have a family in Africa who loves and cares about me as much as the one I'm heading back to in just a few weeks. And Collins' speech. Wow. Collins talked about how much he was going to miss me and how impressed he was with me as a person. That he felt I never drew a boundary between me and "them".... that my relationship with everyone in that office and the community went beyond color and culture. He ended by saying that I would always belong. I didn't cry then, but I certainly cried later on when I was thinking about it. Amazing.
Kodumela ADP with its dairy project, goat project, community garden, 26 lay counselors, 26 carers, 112 home visitors, 30 full time staff members, WorldVision Sponsorship Program sponsoring over 3,000 kids in the local area, 7 drop in centers with their cookers and staff, 15 "kids" sponsored by an ABSA grant for monthly food purchases, overseeing several construction projects in the local area including a disability center and a school building in Worcester Village, arts and crafts trainings for income generating activities, mealie meal grinding, and the list goes on.....
And here's some of the awesome staff....
Our cold drink and Simbas party which included lots of singing and dancing.
Mmapula and Mmapula, the YellowWood Tree, my gift to the office. It's going to grow big and shady, and when it blooms, it is covered with yellow flowers. It was planted right in front of the office.
The teapot I gave Maite so she could continue to enjoy tea times after I'm back home.
Rejoice enjoying her gifts!

Guess Who Smiled!!!!!

2009-08-27T21:00:00.004+02:00

This is the facial expression Lethabo wears most of the time....
BUT you give her some Ritz Cheese crackers from a package and spend the afternoon with her...
and look what happens! I love this kid... and that grin... and those two big front teeth that just came in a month ago.

The Day She Saw A Plane Up Close

2009-08-27T19:45:00.008+02:00

A few weeks ago,MmaDiapo asked me if it was possible for us to visit an airport and see a plane up close before I left to fly home. I told her I would try my level best to see what we could do. Yesterday we had quite the adventure... and it was a day I'm pretty sure none of us will forget.
MmaDiapo, Rejoice, Nyasha (a new volunteer for Kodumela who is from Zimbabwe), and Mmapula all set out on the open road.
First stop was dropping off Simon (pronounced Sea-Mon), Maite's brother, at the banana plantation in Lestitele Valley. He just got a job there. I ate a banana or two and talked to some of the workers...

Then it was off to Tzaneen, with the car SMOKING again (near the emergency brake), to buy some cigarettes at the Cash and Carry to sell in Metz, visit with Solly, MmaDiapo's brother-in-law, AND get the car checked out to make sure we wouldn't blow up.
After running all our errands in town, we, once again, hit the open road. Not 10 minutes down the road, we were pulled over for speeding. As soon as the officer noticed that I was from Texas... we were free to go after a brief conversation about America and about how the speed limit signs were just a little too hard to see.
THEN we made it to Polokwane International Airport. Yep. Up until this point in her life, MmaDiapo had only seen airplanes on TV...
MmaDiapo, Nyasha, and Mmapula.
We made it just in time to see a commuter plane from Jo'burg land, have all its passengers unload, refuel, and then prepare itself for another trip back to Jo'burg. We had the perfect view from the second floor of the airport, in a little room with windows all around. It was pretty loud and VERY cool. We saw a plane land and then, a plane take off... and we were RIGHT THERE.
Then we went and stared at a big plane they had on display outside and took photos of the whole experience.
Lunch time was spent at Maxi's... a restaurant that is a step up from Wimpy. We all stuffed ourselves silly with avocado, chips, and chicken plates and sandwiches.
And MmaDiapo very much enjoyed a Passion Fruit Milkshake.
The whole ride home, between long periods of silence because we were so tired and full, someone would pipe up and say, "Woo, eish! That was a nice day! A very nice day." And everyone else would agree. Man, it was a nice day.

That ABSA Bank

2009-08-26T08:00:00.000+02:00

Mmapula, Rejoice, Jane, and Gift with some of the "kids" who go to Pick 'n Pay once a month to buy their groceries through an ABSA sponsorship. Jane is the Customer Service Manager and goes above and beyond the call of duty. Any time the store has food that it must donate or find a home for, she said she thinks of Kodumela. That's what I call networking, folks.
I am SO excited to announce that a proposal Rejoice worked on and sent in to ABSA Bank (here in South Africa) a few months ago has been accepted!!!!! The drop in center program has received a whopping R480,000 for the next year! You know what this means? This means more balanced meals at the centers! This means TWO meals can be served a day instead of just one! This means there are no worries about the centers running out of food any time in the next year! This means all those kids are going to get to eat! This means Rejoice rocks!

Talk It Out- Transition SUCKS

2009-08-25T11:24:00.003+02:00

I never thought I would count the days. My whole goal was to be present, be in AFRICA, while I was in Africa.... but, yeah, that whole idea has been thrown out the window. It's Tuesday and although there are plenty of things I could be doing at Kodumela, I feel like there are a ton of things I need to do at home... because they need to be done and because I need to chill out and tell myself everything will get done. I need to chill out. Last week I was talking to Matt online and he asked how I was feeling about my impending departure from the village and my return to good ol' America. You know what my response was? I told him I was feeling nothing. And.. I really was feeling nothing. I could care less about deadlines, I was focusing on having fun with my family and coworkers, I didn't feel like I had all that much stuff to pack, and I couldn't even think about everything that might happen when I found myself back on American soil. A few hours later, Chris called me on his way to his last day at his job in San Antonio (he's moving back to Austin!!!!) and I told him the same thing when he asked the same question. While on the phone I was standing in the middle of a garden at Kodumela. I ate a piece of Spring Onion, I weeded around a tomato plant, and I listened to his excitement about a new change, moving back to where he wants to live. I was so excited for him. A few minutes later we said goodbye and I headed back to my desk. As soon as I sat down PANIC hit me. Heart pounding, tears coming to my eyes. What about a job? What about adjusting to a town I once knew so well? What are my friendships going to be like? What the hell am I going to do when I'm still adjusting, but I've been home long enough that people are used to me being around? How am I going to say bye to all these people? How am I going to leave Metz without kicking and screaming because I'm not sure I'm ready for the unknown... or sort of known? I think this lasted about 15 minutes and then I distracted myself or someone asked me a question....
I have decided, once again, that I hate transition... and I've never been good with change. These feelings, of course, don't stop me from trying new things and putting myself out there, but man they suck. With that being said, I wouldn't trade all the people I know, the love in my heart, and all the amazing experiences I've been given to not feel the pain of saying goodbye and to not face all the weirdness of change and adjustment. No, I wouldn't, and I'm going to remind myself of that weeks from now and months from now.
From the Africa side of things... I'm trying not to stress too much about saying my goodbyes and finishing up last minute things. I'm also not going to add any more things to my to do list... time is running short and I have to stop thinking so grand. And I'm still trying to figure out how the hell you say bye to people who mean a lot to you, who have carved places in your heart, and you're not sure when you're going to see them, some people you'll never see again. That's a toughie. In some ways, although I'm going to miss a lot of things, I'M JUST READY FOR THESE LAST FEW DAYS TO JUST SPEED UP.
From the America side of things? Can I say that I can't even go there yet? I have plans to hang out with people, watch them laugh, hear all about what they've been doing since I've been gone, get plenty of hugs, and just hang out. I have visions of meals I want to eat. I want to walk around Austin and soak it all up. I want to go to Gueydan and have coffee time with my Grandma. Then the plans stop. I can't go any farther. No, no, it's not denial... not at all. I'm aware that things are going to be different and there are most certainly going to be challenges. I get all that for sure. I just can't think too far ahead because I have NO idea what to expect. When you have NO idea, how are you supposed to make plans? How are you supposed to know what you're going to be feeling or what you're going to want to do if you're not in that situation yet? Uh huh. It stumps me.

The Keepers Of The Goats

2009-08-22T17:41:00.004+02:00

Kodumela used some of the money they got from one of their funders to purchase a herd of goats for part of a project they wanted to start with some local kids. Everyday, after school, about 5 boys walk from Metz, across the tar road, through the front gates of Kodumela, and to the area where the goats have been grazing all day. All the goats are then herded into their pen for the night, given fresh water, and the gate is made secure. Then all the boys tramp over to the big garden they're working in to check and see if any new veggies have made an appearance. The kids are doing most of the work to raise and grow their own food.... they acquire skills for food production AND they take home food they've grown for their families to eat. Once the goats are old enough, they'll be distributed to some of the families and child headed households Kodumela helps out... goat's milk and meat will be very much welcomed. Not only is the whole project off setting the need for large food parcels for each family every month, but it's also teaching the kids to be self reliant.

Man, they have some great smiles.

That Blue Sky

2009-08-21T19:30:00.000+02:00

Tonight, after work, I drove to Letsitele Valley with MmaDiapo and Charlie to pick up MmaDiapo's brother, Daniel. Daniel comes home on the weekends when MmaDiapo has enough money for petrol... and his weekends aren't full of a lot of downtime. This weekend he's going to a funeral on Saturday morning and one on Sunday as well. All that time in between funerals? He's still working on the house he's building in MmaDiapo's yard.. brick by brick. We were quite the roadtrip crew I tell ya. We drove to one petrol station near Metz to have someone check out the right front tire that has a slow puncture. They sent us on to a tyre place just down the road. Those guys filled the tire with air and said to come back when it got low again. We stopped at the next petrol station for petrol and while sitting at the pump SMOKE started curling all around the interior of the car. "Uh MmaDiapo, I think the car is smoking." "No no... that must be the dust reflecting in the light." "Uh, no no, I really think it's smoke, it's not going away." There was no smell and after some investigating by the station workers under the hood, it was summed up that the smoke was coming from somewhere around the tire. Yeaaaaahhhhhhhh. They said it would be fine, so we drove. I silently prayed for us to make it back to Metz in one piece. Prayed for the car to stay on the road and for us to NOT have some sort of blow out. After all the pit stops, we were running late to pick up Daniel. When we turned at the cross near Nkowankowa the sun was starting to set. Letsitele Valley is gorgeous. Orange groves on either side of the road. Papaya orchards full of row after row after row of sweet fruit. The sides of mountains have been cleared for banana plantations. This is the area of Limpopo where the Letsoalo and Phokungwane families of Metz used to live. They lived there right before the government forced them to move to the Metz area and, basically, start their lives over. It was 1958 and MmaDiapo was a young girl. She remembers the move and how long they had to live in tents while they built new homes in the area.
We drove to the end of the tar road and kept going straight on a gravel road full of potholes (please, please no blow outs!!!). We found Daniel at the farm he works on... full of orange trees and packing warehouses and headed back home a little after 6. On the way home I noticed how many funeral processions we were passing... a total of 6 when driving TO Metz... I can't report how many we saw when we were heading in the opposite direction. It's clearly Friday. It's that day of the week where you're done with the everyday work and you're ready for a rest, except a rest won't come because you have two funerals to attend over the course of the weekend.
Tomorrow a cousin in the Phokungwane family is being buried. She was 28 when she died just last week. She was HIV positive. She had gone to a sangoma (traditional healer) when she started feeling sick and he had told her that she was too sick for his help. She went to the hospital, they told her she should start on some medication, she never took the meds, and they're burying her tomorrow. Some people in Metz believe she was bewitched by her in-laws... some believe that she died because she didn't get on medication.
We discuss everything as we're heading home... the headlights just don't seem to be bright enough for how dark the night is....how many funerals are going on, Eish! Too many people dying, it's going to be a packed weekend, and Hey! We should find bananas to make bread tomorrow! Such is life in the village.

Sweet Po'tater

2009-08-20T20:03:00.001+02:00

The biggest sweet potato I've ever seen. I think June's expression about covers it. Thanks Phokungwane Farms!

How We Do

2009-08-19T19:27:00.000+02:00

The bucket bath. Yep. I've taken my fair share over the last two years. I get pretty clean and I've learned the art so well that my skills have come in handy whenever I'm in the city and the hot water goes out in the shower... I wash parts of my body one at a time.
I usually heat up a kettle full of water and put it in my wash bucket... but when summer rolls around, straight cold is the way to go, gotta have some way to lower the ol' body temperature.
I first wash my face by wetting it with water from my pitcher... apply soap and lather... then rinse with my pitcher. I then hang over the side and wash my arms and chest before hanging my head over the side to wash my hair
Here's Keri showing us how it's done. You lather up your hair, use a cup to use water in the bucket to rinse,
then lather up again, and use clean water for the final rinse. It does the trick.
After washing my hair, I step in my bucket and wash the lower half of my body, ending with my feet. When all is said and done... I dump my wash water outside under the tree and use my mop to soak up all the sloshed out water.
If you have a guest, after the washing of bodies and feet, before bedtime, you have an excuse to drink wine out of a plastic cup with flamingos all over it.

Jika Ma Jika, Cake And Family

2009-08-17T19:01:00.018+02:00

When I look at this picture, I once again realize how lucky I am. Not only am I part of the badass Phokungwane family of Metz Village, but I also got to share my big day with June, Virginia, Keri, Nick, John, Mary, Christy, Christy, and Zana... my cousin and some of the volunteers who make up my South African family. This picture shows love.
Keri and June dancing with the band!
Part two was the cake cutting, dancing, and a toasting time with some champagne that was presented to me when I was being escorted out of the yard for my costume change.
After a huge meal of traditional food, everyone at the VIP table was led out of the yard and over to the house across the street so we could change. My second outfit was actually the "uniform" of the party. MmaDiapo had made a skirt for me and I matched about 30 other women who had the same skirt made for them (by MmaDiapo... WHAT?!!!!?). We all changed and then danced while being escorted by the band back to MmaDiapo's yard and the big tent.
All those Phokungwanes! Here I am with all the Phokungwane family members who showed up for the day! Some came from far to celebrate.
Mmapula and the MC for the day, Collins. He was quite entertaining... give the guy a mike and he can talk. Since he double booked himself for the day (there was a mayoral celebration happening just down the road), he wasn't able to fully be MC at my party until it was time for cake cutting, dancing and choosing my Mr. Party.
At one point, Collins, wanted the Americans to show everyone how they danced... I felt this was a good time to bust out some old favorites, The Running Man and The Cabbage Patch. When I was really gettin' down, MmaDiapo ran up and threw 10 rand at my feet. Yeah!
If you have to have a Mr. Party... and I didn't think I had to have one... you're lucky if you get Mogale. When it looked like I couldn't go on as a single Mrs. Party, he volunteered himself and went through the whole process of cake cutting and all with me. Yes... it really was like a wedding.
June, Rejoice, and Mmapula. 'Nuf said.
Here are the cousins! (Motswala/Mokogotse)MmaDiapo treated us both to traditional skirts.
Last Winter (a year ago), MmaDiapo hosted 3 Eskom (the national electricity company) workers for a week while they were trying to "electrify" a few homes in this area. Every night, I sat around the fire in the yard with Sheriff, Alphius, and Ellen. They're all pretty awesome people, hard workers, and good conversationalists. When they heard about the party from MmaDiapo, they drove down from Nkowankowa, the township where the live that's 40 minutes away, to celebrate with us! MmaDiapo and I posed with them for a photo and some other guests wanted to get in on the fun... check out the guy in front... quite a poser!
Here are the ladies who were responsible for the traditional beer. They worked for days to make a big enough batch for the party... and I'm here to tell you they were quite successful. According to tradition, only the older people and men are allowed to drink traditional beer. After most guests had left June and I snuck in the shed to try some... I only got to take a sip before people came in to see what we were up to. It tasted like beer with an old shoe thrown in. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take too much to get you drunk.
After a really packed day of celebrating and hanging out with good people, we all fell asleep to a steady rain against the tin roof. A day for Mmapula, Mother of the Rain, and the rain comes? That's pretty special.

You Mean There Is A Costume Change AND I Have To Sit At The VIP Table?

2009-08-16T20:16:00.000+02:00

A day full of dancing, the brass band, speeches, present giving, hugs, and a lot of fun...

Part one involved us being escorted into the yard by the band and everyone sitting at the head tables being led under the tent, one by one. I sat at the head table, surrounded by all my guests, listening to speeches by neighbors, friends, family members, colleagues, pastors, and The Word of God.
Here's my first traditional outfit. Beautiful, eh? MmaDiapo and I matched and it was pretty great. I gave a speech that was pretty off the cuff.. but didn't forget key people I wanted to remember because I had written all their names on post its- The Phokungwane Family and MmaDiapo, The United Presbyterian Church of Metz, The Rapola Family, The Ladies Literacy Group of Metz, Maruleng Community Home Based Care, Kodumela ADP, The Post Office, Lafata Project and all the drop in centers in the area, and the community at large.
This was the present line. It got pretty long with some people bringing actual gifts and some people giving money. I received all kinds of traditional bowls, baskets, mats, spoons, pottery, sheets, towels, and even got a new teapot! As for the money, 2,100 rand was collected which is, well, a lot. Each person who gave something had their name written in a book and the list of names covered 4 pages front and back. As Mrs. Party, I had the responsibility of deciding what to do with the money. The only request I had was that MmaDiapo buy Emma, a woman who's been working for her, and her family mealie meal and some other foods.. the rest was to go towards party costs. MmaDiapo ended up buying mealie meal for several families, paying Emma and another woman who helped her bonuses, and gave many other people extra money to treat themselves to cold drink for a job well done. That was above and beyond what I expected.. but I am not at all surprised.
MmaDiapo, Rejoice, Mmapula, and Maite representin' all that's traditional. Word! We've got some Sotho, some Venda, and, of course, some Bafana Bafana, the South African Football team.

You Need Pap And Butternut For 150 People

2009-08-12T19:14:00.007+02:00

The party was out of control. The party was huge. The party was a success. The party made a lot of people happy. The party was awesome. I've thought about how I would write about it, but once again, words don't seem to cover everything... so I've opted to tell the story of the party through photos and little blurbs. It was quite the day... starting at 4am for all the ladies cooking and getting things ready and 7 for Keri, June, and I... and going until close to 9, when the last of the serious party people wobbled and swayed out of the yard with the band leading them home.
This is the woman who organized EVERYTHING and has taken such good care of me while I've been living in Metz. My African Mama.
Yes, a cow was slaughtered in my honor. While we were off running errands and buying a ton of food in town, the men of the family came to MmaDiapo's on Friday and chose a cow from her kraal for the celebration. While it was hanging in the garage waiting to be cut up on Saturday morning, I thanked it for its life.
This is the cake Keri, June, and I all picked up on Saturday morning before all the action started. They weren't quite ready for us to take it home when we arrived, so Keri and I took June on her first South African taxi ride, while we waited for it to be ready.
This is where I tried really hard to help out.. and found out that I need some serious upper arm strengthening. African women are STRONG.
And this is what it really looks like. They take the big spoon (oar. ha!) and turn and turn and turn the pap so that it gets fully cooked and doesn't burn in the bottom of the pot.
And after working up a sweat with the whole trying-to-stir-pap-adventure it was the BEST time! TEA TIME! So Keri, June and I all grabbed water from a kettle over the fire, grabbed some biscuits that were made the night before, and settled down in front of my room with our pal The Sponge.
What's a party without some snacks being sold out front? Yes. A popcorn machine was set up on a table across the road. I think those guys made some money!

A Disability Center Building In Progress- Sofaya Village, Ga-Sekororo

2009-08-11T18:59:00.003+02:00

To the good people putting their hearts, love, and energy into the Kodumela area through Choko...this is for you. Over the past few months I've gone to visit the students, teachers, and community members who will benefit from the disability center that it is being built in Sofaya. I just wanted you to know, from the very bottom of my heart, that we, the whole Kodumela staff, sincerely appreciate all your hard work when it comes to raising funds and supporting this area.... soon, when this building is complete, the activities and classes that are now being run out of a local church will move to the new building. The students are excited! The teacher is excited! And you are helping, more than you know, to help people, who might otherwise be overlooked, receive services and resources they very much deserve. Ke a leboga, kudu, kudu.

Resiliency

2009-08-10T21:39:00.003+02:00

I spent a good part of my afternoon hanging out in MmaDiapo's sewing room. I was lying on the bed asking her all kinds of questions about her childhood, what it was like when her family was forced to move to the area that is now Metz, how she put herself through school by being a cook, how she's always wanted to be a farmer, but going to school for agriculture was too expensive so she became a teacher instead... the pay helped build up her life in Metz and support her 5 children, and how she became so talented on the sewing machine... she was designing and sewing the skirt she is making MmaMmapula back over there in Austin. The more I learn about this woman, the more blown away I am by her resiliency, courage, determination, and good heart.
Here she is sportin' the tekkies (tennis shoes) June left behind AND drinking some of the tea June brought her.... she wanted to make sure June knew how much she was enjoying everything.
Happy Women's Day 2009! I am so lucky to know so many strong, loving and amazing women.

The Sponge Helps You Prepare For All Those Adventures

2009-08-09T12:30:00.001+02:00

I've been busy... yeah, yeah there are some reports, essays, and write ups I keep complaining about that have to get done before I leave the village (and, really, even before that), but they haven't kept me busy... I've been focusing on fun. FUN. Fun, I tell you. And it's been so much fun.
As you know, my dear cousin June came to visit me for the whole of last week, and we toured the whole Metz area like there was no tomorrow. We did everything and more... and June was a trooper... always interested, always asking questions, hangin' with my coworkers, kids, and family members, eating traditional food with her hands, wearing a traditional skirt, dancing with a band, learning people's names and how to greet in Sotho, eating at some fine South African restaurants (that's sarcastic and not at the same time), listening to me chatter away about every possible thought that crossed my mind (hey! I know I'm a talker, but it isn't everyday that I have someone with me in my room and around for me to bounce ideas and thoughts off of), and she even brought two huge bags filled with clothes that she and Rishi (the other Gupta. Hi Rishi!) wanted to donate. We've covered this before, but for clarity I will say it again... June and I are cousins AND friends.
Because we did SO much, in such a short amount of time... I'm just going to post some photos from a few of the highlights of her visit.
The Sponge. This is where June slept every night. It takes up every inch of open floor space in my room and has a couple of fans... people seem to love it. Every morning it would be moved out to the garage for safe keeping and so we could move around. MmaDiapo gave it to her with the warning that she shouldn't sleep on one side of it because a chicken had ripped a hole in it, wanting to lay her eggs and nest. So June, every night, slept on the non holey side.
Here's June and Charlie posing with an 80 kg bag of mealie meal we picked up from the grinding mill in Lorraine Village just down the road. It seemed to weigh the car down a bit... it is quite large, the size of Charlie as you can see. The meal was used for bogobe/pap at the party and for the oh so important traditional beer making.
We visited every drop in center to hang up World and Africa Maps and to deliver new reporting tools to the cookers. We sang with kids, kids sang to us, we prayed, we watched Rejoice get down in some jump rope, and we got to eat two meals, including samp and beans.
We met Rejoice's whole family. In this picture we're posing with her nephew and her son (far right), Sean. So awesome! I was really excited!
We went to Kruger and spent a lovely day talking to a founder of an income generating project, touring around the park seeing animals with Rejoice (it was her first time to visit since she was very young), and finished the afternoon off with a nice lunch and coffee time at Satara Camp where Surprise and WonderBoy made us some pretty good coffee and Rejoice put her usual 3 packets of sugar in her tea.
And while the party prep was underway.... Keri and I took June to the bakery to pick up the cake and while we were waiting for them to put the finishing touches on, June took her first South African koombi ride! We took it to Lorraine and then hopped off to catch another one back to Metz. I think the drivers were a little confused.
Mokgotse waka. My friend. AKA Renilwe. This is Emma's son and he's totally cute... also totally scared of me. June got to see the tears firsthand.
Another fine South African dining establishment... Spur. I think the one in the airport is called "Soaring Eagle" or something like that. They're all decorated with a sort of Native American theme... tomahawks, feathers, pictures of chiefs in headdresses, and with names such as Cherokee, Arkansas, etc. June had her last food in SA at a Spur... Keri and I thought it was only fitting to help her ease back into America.... and she hadn't had Malva pudding yet, and the only other place that offered it was Wimpy. 'Nuf said.
Word.

You Stand Right There And She Stands Somewhere Else And You Will Find Each Other

2009-08-09T11:30:00.002+02:00

So the night that June flew in her plane was delayed 2 hours. No biggie, I went to the food court in the airport and got a chai, a paper, and then spent the next hour talking to Katey, a RPCV I met there who was on her way home after finishing 3 years of service in Zambia. Yay Katey! Katey was flying standby back to the states, she was trying to get on the plane June was arriving on. At about 7 I headed to the terminal doors to wait for June's pretty face coming through the doors. When Bron, Mary, and Ed arrived, I was in the wrong place and only met up with them after they were all situated and ready to go... I was determined not to let that happen again. June's flight landed at 7:15 and I kept repositioning myself on different sides of the terminal... which way would she head after she came out? Around 8, Rishi called to see if she made it OK and I had to tell him I hadn't seen her yet. I still wasn't worried. Then at 8:30 or so her plane disappeared from the arrival screen and I felt it was time to do some investigating. Maybe I was in the wrong place. Where do you go when you need information? The information desk.
Mmapula: Hello. How are you?
Info Guy: I'm fine.
M: Um, my cousin was on the flight from Atlanta that landed at 7:15 and I haven't seen her. The plane number was just erased off the screen, do you know how I can find out any information?
I: No.
M: Well, can I page her? I'm afraid she's in the wrong place.
I: We don't page.
M: You don't page?
I: For security reasons we don't page.
M: Ok... well do you have any suggestions of where I could look for her? How I can locate her? A desk or person I can talk to?
I: Nope.
M: I see.
I hadn't given up hope at this point... even if this guy, the INFORMATION BOOTH GUY, couldn't help me.. someone had to be able to. I bumped into some people waiting for a passenger on another flight and they were very sympathetic... patted me on the back.. told me it would be OK. I went up to passport control, the guard there was very nice, but really couldn't do much and suggested information guy. I went back to the big desk with the i.
M:Hi, it's me again! I still can't seem to find her and I was wondering if you could maybe call someone who could help me. She has no way to get ahold of me and I'm the only person she's planning on meeting tonight.
I:There is nothing I can do.
M: Is this the first person who has ever been missing in this airport? What do you do in such situations?
I: There is nothing I can do.
And then... I sort of lost my cool. I held up my hand and I said..
Well that is JUST GREAT (and slammed my hand down on the desk for added effect). I am SO glad that the INFORMATION GUY IN THE BOX AT THE AIRPORT cannot do ANYTHING to help me locate my cousin. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.
And then I saw a little police booth and thought they could help me.
Five men in uniform leaning on a table with a SAPS flag...
M: Hi! I'm missing a passenger from a plane that landed about an hour and a half ago. She has no way of contacting me, can we page her or can you contact your buddies all around the airport to see if someone is looking for me? I'm not even sure if she made it in on this plane.
Them: No, we cannot page, for security reasons. She should have your phone number, she should just call you. She should have a cell phone.
M: (frustration rising) Yes, she has the number... but what if her phone doesn't work in South Africa?! or she doesn't have money to spend in SA yet?
Them: Well, then I think you should just stand right there and she will stand somewhere else and you will find each other.
M: WHAT?! How will that work?... I think we're already doing that.... and we haven't found each other yet.
Them: We are sorry... we will pray for you.
And then I had to walk away. I walked away backwards...pointing at them... saying things in a loud voice like, GREAT! I Feel SO REASSURED NOW! AWESOME! I THINK THAT'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN GETTING ON YOUR WALKIE TALKIE!
And then I called Jess and I vented and I cried out of frustration and then June's beautiful face came through the doors... and I ran up to her and hugged her and welcomed her to South Africa with a tear stained face... and she told me all about being searched by police in customs and how long the flight took.... and then we both sighed and hoped that it would all be downhill from there.

When You Know You've Had Enough

2009-08-08T19:41:00.007+02:00

Sooooo... Keri and I got back from visiting her host family in Ga-Matamanyane Village on Thursday and within minutes of getting home, I was feeling sick. I guess running around for the party, all the excitement with June's visit, trying to finish up some last minute things, a visit to Pretoria for medical appointments, and then good ol' Ga-Matamanyane did me in. For the last two days I've been locked away in my room, on my bed, breaking a fever, watching movies, drinking fluids, and eating very little 'cause I couldn't keep much down. BUT I am happy to say that on this fine Saturday night I am feeling MUCH better and am happy to start reporting on all the exciting things that have happened since I last wrote. Yeah!

The Gupta Hits The Metz

2009-07-28T22:06:00.002+02:00

June is here! Yay! We got into the village last night and have had a good time watching my family prepare for the party, make traditional beer, laugh at me when I accidentally wore the "uniform" skirt that MmaDiapo made me for Saturday because I didn't understand it was for Saturday, hung world maps at drop-ins, met and hung out with Rejoice's family, went to the post office, ate peanut butter sandwiches, made a visit to the hospital to visit MmaKori, saw the dentist office where my African aunt, Linda, works as a dental assistant, visited Lafata and picked out beaded awesomeness, AND ate my favorite drop in center meal, samp and sugar beans. June is great.. so interested in everything and really grasping the language.

Pen Paling

2009-07-24T15:28:00.002+02:00

My pen pal and friend, Matt, just sent me this essay he wrote for one of his writing classes at school and I thought I would share. It seems I'm on trip down memory lane... July's in the past have held some pretty big events in my life... camps, finishing up AmeriCorps NCCC in Denver, flying to South Africa for Peace Corps... In 2005, it was the month when I met some of my pen pals.. people that have since become good friends of mine. Some people may think the whole situation as crazy, but when you put yourself out there, sometimes you get the sweetest of rewards. The short story? Dominique and I were unemployed and passing our days at a local coffeeshop, playing Yahtzee, making friends, and having fun. I posted postings on the Craigslist sites for Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Madison, Chicago, Boston, Philly, Minneapolis,accidentally Austin, and Columbus. I had something like 80 email responses, I ended up getting letters (at a PO Box) from 30 different people, and now I keep in touch with a handful of people. I got letters from Michael who went on a little touring of the west and he used writing to me as a kind of journal. I went on a 6 week long roadtrip with Jeremy from Austin to Portland, where he now lives (he was originally from Philly). Dave from Vancouver has a typie and a love of trains so I know we're friends forever. Becky and I have written of the ups and downs and exchanged all kinds of good music. I met Dave from Austin for Korean food and coffee and vinyl record browsing and he was a serious calm for me right before I left. I met Michael of Austin right before I left and gave him my favorite Springsteen album (Nebraska) to help with the building of his vinyl collection. And Matt... good ol Matt. He moved across the country from Philly when I moved to South Africa. We started our adventures around the same time. He sends me pictures he's taken and writes me from the tops of hills overlooking the waters of the west coast. This all proves that it is truly possible to have friends you've never met. And they're good friends. Happy 4 years of pen paling you guys!
And here is Matt's essay....

Saying It Slowly
by Matthew

For the most part, getting in touch with close friends, to say how I am, to report my life, voice anxieties, seek advice, all of those things which one seeks friends for; I can, like most people, usually rely on a text message, an email, Facebook, or a cell phone call that more often then not will find the person that I am looking for no matter where they are. This process is so fast that it becomes impulsive. I feel a rush of loneliness and a few alphanumerical clicks reaches out with “what u up 2?” Whether I get a reply or not (and more often then not I do) I can relax and be at ease, confident that my presence in the world is known and appreciated. What I have to say is irrelevant, as long as I am heard. It seems that with the speed of instant communication, that which needs to be to be communicated speeds up as well. My worries and anxieties, rather than needing to be processed, are cast into the world for someone else’s ingestion and interpretation. I need feedback before I can process. Momentary things become news. Or rather, my life becomes momentary. What’s happening in this moment is all that there is. Even though I will forget tomorrow what is happening right now, now is when I need support.
It is because of this dynamic that makes pen-pal-ship a beautiful thing. With a pen pal, life is not so immediate. While techno-enthusiasts might scoff at the idea of correspondence through “snail mail” as old fashioned as platform shoes, there is something about the slowness of this process that can’t be found in an email or instant message. When I write my pen pal (Megan, of Austin TX, now serving in Peace Corps, South Africa) I know that the immediate, day-to-day things that are on my mind will be simply a memory by the time my letter reaches to her, and more than likely will be totally forgotten by the time I receive a response. What happens here is that the slowness adds depth. I have to step out of my life in order to report a bigger picture, because I need to sum up my life, not in the moment, but in the week, the month, the season. Slowness commands attention. The feeling of a pen in the hand, and the way that it applies ink to the page engages in the process of communicating in a way that an instant message can’t compete with. For a different tactile experience, I can get out my manual Smith-Corona, and my thoughts roll out with a gentle ‘’pat-pat-pat-pat’’. Thoughts take different form when they reach the page through the smell of keys pressing ink and the ding of the bell.
Although I’m usually not so creative, Megan often chooses interesting stationary, colored envelopes, and various flat things to fill envelopes, photographs, feathers from the hens that live in the yard of her South African home. The experience is tactile. There is an envelope to tear open and contents to explore. The time and space given to this process is removed from the clutter of a PC desktop and a bursting email in box. There is simply ink and paper. It is this slowness and lack of distraction that allows for the collection of myself, which finds its way onto paper and is shipped half way around the globe.
Letter writing is not the only method of communication which once required more removal from life in years past than in present day. In days long past, telephones were often located in front hallways of homes, creating the sense that to answer it is to invite someone into your home just the same as you would the door. One steps out of his routine to do this. We have come a long way to our current situation, where to be cut off mid-sentence for someone to answer a cell phone is so common that it is barely considered rude. Is it not a shocking adjustment that phones are now a thing of a person, and not a thing of a household? A number belongs to a person and not a place. What of the anonymity that caller ID has done away with? If you don’t answer, am I to understand that you don’t wish to talk to me? On the other side, am I entitled to be unavailable to be reached? Perhaps returning home to find mail in the mailbox and messages on the machine is a better time to process correspondence than to be in a constant state of knowing who is getting in touch.
Today, making plans with friends involves phrases like “I’ll call you when I’m on my way” or “call me and let me know where you are and we can meet up.” How much more confident were friendships of days past, when time and place had to be predetermined, with no opportunity for adjustment along the way? What of meeting a new romantic interest, and committing their digits to memory? Now the numbers associated with those who are most important are entrusted into an electronic catalogue in a device manufactured to be given away free with a contract.
In a world where the speed of communication is constantly being applauded for making life easier, we must remember that with a change in technology comes a change in the communication itself. Content and vehicle are forever intertwined. While the speed of interconnectedness of our time can be a wonderful thing, remembering the richness of slow and inconvenient communication reveals a depth unable to be imitated.

Welcome SA-20!

2009-07-24T14:46:00.002+02:00

I'm in SA-16... and SA-20 is arriving on a plane in a couple of hours... so that makes me... OLD. Thinking back to almost 30 hours of traveling 2 years ago and it's hard to tell you how I was feeling. I remember the bus to JFK from Philly... and 4 1/2 hours in line to check my bags... and sitting next to Justin and Nathan, watching them act out the safety videos on our way to Frankfort.. and I ate a lot of chocolate... and I went to the casino with Claire in the Frankfurt airport and won 60USD... and I slept like a rock in the dayroom at the Frankfort Airport Hotel... and I thoroughly embarrassed myself by playing the age game with 3 sisters on my flight to Jo'Burg (and that happened within the first 10 minutes... we still had 9 hours and 50 minutes together)... and buying the last Harry Potter book in the airport)it had just come out and it was my first purchase in country!)... and the bus ride to Mankwe Teacher's College where I ate ostrich jerky and slept, slept, slept. I wasn't particualrly nervous or sad or scared, it was surreal and I was so out of it thanks to exhaustion. Under the exhaustion, though, I was pretty excited. South Africa, huh? And I'm going to live here for a little over two years?
Yep. I lived here for two years.

Going To Get Water

2009-07-23T07:34:00.003+02:00

MmaDiapo is pretty set up when it comes to access to water around here. She is lucky. I am lucky. This is not the case for everyone. She has the big rain water tank that fills during rainy season (and the water tastes so good) and she has a tap in her yard that works on occasion. There is never any warning about when the tap may be working and there certainly isn't a schedule we can rely on, but when that water is acomin' the hosepipe is hooked up and all the barrels in the yard are filled. And then family members come over and fill up their buckets, too.

The tap hasn't been turned on in awhile so we've been relying on rainwater for the past month or so. Maite and Margaret headed to the communal tap the other morning to get some water for a couple of days. This is how they do it... wheelbarrows and big jugs filled to capacity. After this load they took a rest and had a teatime. Good thing I made scones the night before! I gave them a treat to have with their Five Roses.

Selahle

2009-07-22T10:03:00.002+02:00

Flashback: February 2008. I'm standing in the paint aisle at CashBuild in Tzaneen... trying to decide if I should get the blue paint in a can or buy the white paint and get some blue color to add to it. It all came down to what was cheaper. My walls were leaking in my room and I needed something to seal the concrete... thought I might have it be a pretty color as well. A man and his wife were all the sudden next to me, speaking in Sotho, asking if I needed help. We ran through all the language I knew and then they switched to English. They said I still needed some practice, but I had done pretty well. They asked how I was getting all the paint home and I shrugged and told them all about the taxi to Metz. It soon came out that they lived in Metz... in the big house, right across the ravine, with the two water tanks, on the way to the post office. The husband said he knew where I lived before I could even tell them.... they were friends with MmaDiapo. He would come see me some time to prove that he was telling the truth. Then we parted ways... and it was one of those days where that whole conversation and their help with the paint made the day just a little bit easier. I hauled three huge paint cans through town and then onto the taxi. I was ready to get my room in some sort of homely shape. I got home that afternoon and started the prep work. Right before the sun went down, MmaDiapo was at the door saying that we had a visitor. Selahle (say-la-clay) was standing in the yard laughing. He really did know where I stayed. We all had a good laugh and I walked back into my room happy to have some new friends. From that day on, I would wave at them when I saw them in their yard on my way to the post office. I'd talk (only in Sotho, they wanted me to practice) to his wife when she was catering a lunch for a meeting at Kodumela. We saw each other off and on.... and pretty soon a year and some months goes by.
This morning I greeted MmaDiapo, shook hands with all the kids in the yard, and turned to head to work. Before I was at the gate, MmaDiapo yelled after me that she had some news. "Your friend Selahle has passed." "What? When?" "Last night, late. He had taken a rope to his farm, right next to mine, and hanged himself. It is sad, clearly I had no knowledge of what he must have been feeling or thinking." And that is it, he has passed. I hope he knew how much I appreciated him talking to me, feeling at ease with me. I hope he knew how much I liked his family. I think he did.

This Side Of Paradise

2009-07-21T20:55:00.002+02:00

You think these dudes only crow at the first sign of light? Not so much. I am here to tell you that my experience with the roosters in Metz Village has taught me that some roosters, I won't go so far as to say all, will crow any time. 4pm? Yep. 2am? You betcha. 3am? Uh huh. They sure do have some pretty feathers though, huh? I'll have to remember that the next time one is RIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW CROWING HIS HEAD OFF.

Party Prep

2009-07-18T09:53:00.002+02:00

Oh, the party. OUT OF CONTROL. For the last week, every morning when I have emerged from my room to head to work, I've been greeted with all the women in my family and Emma, a woman MmaDiapo has hired to help her, working on the yard, preparing for the party. They've got all the kernels off the mealies that have been drying filling big buckets and awaiting departure to the grinding machine... they'll all become meal for the porridge that's going to be cooked.
And they've been working on putting down traditional cement.
Here's Margaret finishing up the final touches on the first layer, which is made of dirt and water.... mixed in a wheelbarrow and then applied by hand.
In this picture you can see the first layer (closest to you) and the final layer(farther away). For the final layer, cow manure and water are mixed together and applied to the mud and water layer. Usually some sort of pattern is made with the application. For MmaDiapo's yard, they've been making the "com-com" pattern... the way they move their hands, in a fan like fashion, looks like they're saying "come, come."
Pretty cool, huh?

Wood Fires

2009-07-17T18:00:00.000+02:00

This week, Rejoice and I spent a good chunk of time in the work bakkie driving back and forth between Kodumela, the drop in centers, and Ofcolaco (a small area with a dairy, butchery, store, post office, hardware store, petrol station and fruit and vegetable sellers who sell bags of big avos for 7 rand! There's also the Ofcolaco Club just down the road that serves drinks and burgers... all these things are left over from back in the day when there was an officers club for military in the area). Turns out the guy who's been providing us with wood for the drop in centers' cooking fires has been arrested.
All the drop in centers have cooking shelters where they use the traditional three legged pots (huge) to cook the porridge and beans/chicken/vegetables for the kids. The wood he was selling us at around 340 rand (about 50 US bucks with the current exchange rate) a month was from the bush and it's illegal to cut wood from the bush.
So we used a little bit of money Rejoice had left over from some funding to purchase gas cooking stoves for all the centers.... and went around picking up the gas from Ofcolaco, dropping it at the centers, and Cedric gave demonstrations on how to properly connect the gas line to the canister. Turns out the gas canister only costs a few rand more a month to buy.
And... while we were at the drop in center in Makgaung Village I made a cultural faux pas. I was so fascinated by the fact that the ZCC (Zion Christian Church) has its own coffee (although not really surprised) that I picked up this box and started reading the side. Ledile mentioned something to me about holding the box, I didn't understand, and before I could clarify, she was already out of the room. Seconds later Rejoice, giggling, told me that the church didn't allow women to handle the coffee... it may have been blessed and me holding it was canceling out any powers it may have. I quickly put it down and looked up to say "sorry, sorry, sorry" to the cookers... all of them had looks of horror on their faces. Oops. When will I learn? At least I know not to do that again!

Two Years

2009-07-16T18:04:00.003+02:00

Today is the official two year mark since I was in Austin, TX. Hard to believe, eh?

MmaMashego 10 October 1969- 15 July 2009

2009-07-16T17:30:00.004+02:00

I think other PCV's will agree with me when I say that the loneliness they've felt here, in this experience, is nothing like loneliness they've ever felt before.
Yesterday, early in the morning, my coworker Esther, from my first office in Metz, passed away.
As I was heating up water for tea last night at a little after 6, I got an SMS from Rejoice letting me know the news. Rejoice said she wanted to write me earlier, but she wasn't sure how to do it, didn't know how to break it to me gently. So last night, I spent a couple of hours numb. I had no reaction. I was shocked, but as far as tears or sadness, it hadn't hit me. Around 8 or so I lost it. I felt really alone and I cried for only a few minutes, and every time I closed my eyes all I could see was her. I had no interest in doing much of anything, so I spent hours lying on my bed. Fast forward through a phone call home, some more crying, and a few hours of staring at my roof, and you'll get to 2:30 am when I finally fell asleep. You see, I spent a long time thinking about my past with Esther, how things were left when I walked out of that office in March, and things are just really complicated.
I walked into Kodumela this morning and walked into hugs. Maite and Rejoice hugged me repeatedly, told me they loved me, and asked if I was OK. All day long people asked how I was doing, if I was OK. I talked to Ledile for a long time in her office... told her I was trying not to cry, and she responded with, "Oh Mmapula, we are all trying not to cry"....and then we cried.
I think now I'm going to go work on my color (Maite said it was a little off)... I'm going to get in bed, eat some supper, and call it a day. Before I close my eyes, I'm sending good thoughts to Esther's children (an 18 yr. old, 14 yr. old, 9 yr. old, and 2 yr. old) and her husband... and will remember that day when we had so much fun at her house, where we watched The Young and The Restless and drank cold drink from the tuck shop.

SA-16 CHOP

2009-07-15T11:13:00.002+02:00

I was in the taxi yesterday morning... one of those rides where I was okay sitting still and watching the mountains roll past for the 45 minute trip to town. The driver had put on an IPCC CD and Rejoice was translating the Sotho for me. After a while, everyone settled into their seats, and there was silence, only the music was playing, at a normal volume, through the speakers. I got lost in thought. There are times like this where I love to follow where my mind takes me.... I jump around... I have revelations... I can pass the taxi ride coming up with new ideas. It was on this taxi ride that it hit me so clearly how important the SA-16 CHOP group is. We are tight and very, very close. A couple of weekends ago we had our last get together before everyone starts going their separate ways... and it was great. A full 36 hours of hanging out, talking, staying up late, drinking coffee, hugs, laughing, good food, story telling, and a general feeling of comfort. As I was thinking back on all the conversations we had that weekend, some things became even more crystal clear. We are strong. We all came to South Africa with our own insecurities, confidences, and baggage. We all were knocked down on more than one occasion. Most everyone has a story of hitting bottom and getting back on their feet. At the end of two years, many of us can't really put this whole experience into words. "What a wild ride!" covers it.. but not really. It's a pretty amazing feeling to be part of a group of amazingly strong individuals.. people who I know have my back...that will always get my experience here. I may not have words, I may not know how to explain it all, but they'll always be around to say, "I totally get it, I understand....remember that time when..." Thank you SA-16 CHOP for walking with me on this journey. You know I have your back. I wish I could say more, describe it all so eloquently, but, hey, you guys totally get it...

Initiation School

2009-07-14T10:13:00.001+02:00

The boys are always followed by a couple of guys who are around to lead and protect them... I'm still unsure if these are the guys with them in the mountains.

Last Monday when I left home to walk to work, I had to make my way through, easily, a couple hundred people. I have to say, I always get a little nervous when I have to walk through a crowd in the village... one person notices I'm walking through and inevitably attention from everyone near me turns ONTO me. Some days I can handle it, Mondays not so much. Last Monday was different though... no one seemed to care if I was there or not. Yay! I made it to the little stand Salome (MmaDiapo's younger sister) sits at everyday and asked her what was going on. She pointed across the tar road and it was then that I caught sight of all the boys, in their traditional grass skirts and masks, who had come down from the initiation school they are attending in the mountains. So for the last week, while on my way to town with the office or standing on the side of the road waiting for a taxi or walking home or sitting at Ledile's desk...when I've seen a ton of people all walking in the same direction, I know one of the boys isn't too far away. Initiation schools and what goes on in them remains a mystery to me... I've asked a lot of questions to a lot of different people and have come up with very little... it's pretty secretive. This is what I've come up with:
*The schools last around 30 days (some are 3 weeks, some are 7 weeks, some are a month) and are the time when a boy becomes a man... when he finds his place in tribal society.
*Families pay the chief of the village to have their son attend the school.
*Boys are to stay in the bush on their own with no contact with family or friends. They can be brought food by family members, but only men are allowed.
*Some believe that the boys should attend two years in a row... the first year to become
circumcised, the second year to learn more about being a man.
*The school starts with the circumcision that is done by a traditional healer or a sangoma.
*In my area, initiation school is very expensive and some families feel it is more important to
pay to have their son attend initiation school, than to pay school fees for him to attend public
school.
*Some families believe that in order for their son to learn to be a man, he must attend an
initiation school, some believe that if their son attends such a school he will return an evil
person. If a boy does attend an initiation school and comes back to the village returning to his old ways, hanging out with the same crowd, participating in mischief, he is deemed a failure and sometimes is shunned.
*The boys aren't allowed to speak to anyone, they communicate with each other by whistling.
People follow after the boys and it becomes, more or less, a game. They chase the boys, the boys protect themselves by whipping a stick in their direction. On Monday, our taxi was slowed down because there were so many people on one of the dirt roads in Metz.
The boys have come down from the mountains to have people in the village see them and also to ask for offerings. Money, bread, cold drink... you name it. I offered these two boys some coins and in return they let me take photos. (I'm such a tourist and a blogger!)They phaphata-ed (kneeled and clapped, a sign of respect at the offering) and picked up the money. Check out all the bird feathers on their headdresses! Some of them get even more elaborate.
They then danced for me, moving their grass skirts wildly and to the delight of all the people who had gathered around us. Some girls in their audience sang and clapped while they swished.
At the end of the 30 days, the boys are returned to their families and there is a celebration. Some families slaughter a goat or cow and homemade beer is made. In some cases, a boy is presented with a girl to prove he is a man... and to make sure everything still "works". In recent years, a myth began circulating that in order to prove their manhood, boys recently released from the school must have sex with a female who is not their partner.... sometimes new partners who are considered of "lesser value" in the community. Initiation schools have become another controversial point in the whole traditional vs modern situation many South Africans find themselves in. Some believe that initiation schools, dating back thousands of years, are essential, and others believe that they are helping with the spread of HIV and sex with multiple partners, some partners who are very much unwilling. Sex with multiple partners and the use of a condom strongly discouraged, with these new beliefs emerging, the numbers of rapes and HIV infection are rising. The Department of Health has come up with some new guidelines and trainings for traditional healers, sangomas, and other leaders for the schools. The guidelines hope to reduce the numbers of rapes and rate of HIV infection by helping encourage the teachings of not only lifeskills, leadership skills and the responsibilities of being a man, but also human rights and information on HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections.
When I talked to Cedric, from Kodumela, about his experience with an initiation school, he said that a lot of things have changed since he did it. He believes that when he did it there was more of a focus on teaching boys morals and survivals skills. When they went out into the bush for his school, they had no contact with people from home, and lived off the land. Now, when he sees all these boys coming into the village multiple times a week and having such contact with villagers... he can't help but think that they're learning how to beg and depend on other people for their livelihood when they're asking for offerings.

That's Our Girl

2009-07-12T18:00:00.002+02:00

I've known this little girl her whole life. Sunday morning, at church, Lethabo took her first steps and then the whole afternoon, with all of us watching, she took more and more steps. It's like she's hitting major milestones all at once. She just turned 1 a couple of weeks ago, she's talking in a language that hopefully one day we'll all be able to understand, she calls me Mma (we're working on the Pula part), and she's walking. I took this photo just as she was starting to cry... along with growing up and doing all of these grown up things, she's also now afraid of the camera. Eish! Since I was in Pretoria on her first birthday I bought Maite a disposable camera to take photos with. She said she was curious as to how the pictures were going to turn out considering Lethabo cried every time the camera was brought out.

MMEB (Megan, Mary, Ed, Bronwyn) Hit Up South Africa

2009-07-11T08:50:00.011+02:00

I am so lucky. I know I say that and think it multiple times a day... but yesterday when I was sitting at Ledile's big fancy desk at Kodumela and Maite was asking me questions about my family and home in the States... I had to say it again. Over and over. I showed her some pictures from when my parents came to visit. And then some of when Bronnie, Mary, and Ed came for a couple of weeks. And then we discussed plans for my cousin June's visit (!!!!!!!!!!) to Metz in just a couple of weeks. I can't even begin to put into words how great it's been to have people visit me here. It's been HUGE. Not only have I gotten an opportunity to show them where I've been living and what my life is like here, but they get it all just a little bit more. When I talk to my parents on the phone they always ask about the family. How is MmaDiapo? What has she brought home from the farm? Wow, Karabo, Charlie, and Lethabo have all gotten so big! Has Daniel finished the new house? Tell Maite, Mabu, Daniel, MmaDiapo and all the family hello for us. We're all family and it's really nice.
When Bron, Ed, and my cousin Mary all came to visit it was a nice break. January and February of this year were especially tough months and it was nice to see familiar faces, have people to talk to about some of my struggles.
We spent two weeks tooling around South Africa and Swaziland in a VW Polo. Yes. I met everyone at the airport the day before New Year's Eve and we managed to pack 5 people (Keri was on the same flight back from a visit to the States...she spent the first few days with us!) and all kinds of luggage from America into a VW Polo. I say impressive. Thank you to Ed for his fine navigation skills. Thank you Mary and Bron for being cheerful and flexible travelers while riding in the backseat completely surrounded by STUFF.

While in Jo'Burg we all took Mncedisi out for his birthday. He was Chris and Keri's Zulu teacher in training.
Their first morning we were all awake at 5. We showered, dressed, and went to the only place open early for breakfast... McDonald's. Yes. Then we (I mean Ed and his map skills) made our way through Jo'Burg and spent a lovely afternoon, the last in 2008, at Gold Reef City the big amusement park that helps fund the Apartheid Museum. Keri and I screamed like little girls on all the kid roller coasters and I made sure everyone knew that I was a little more than not happy about being on one of those flying swings.
For New Year's Eve, we spent the evening ringing in the New Year eating cornflakes and drinking champagne and dancing around with Afrikaners to music in Afrikaans. How African, right?
We went everywhere in a short amount of time... St. Lucia to see the hippos and crocodiles in the wild. While on a hippo tour Bron and Ed were fascinated by the hippos coming up to the side of the boat. Mary and I were fascinated by all of our fellow boat passengers. It was only fitting. We tried to go on a turtle tour one night to catch a glimpse of endangered Leatherbacks laying their eggs on the beaches of the Indian Ocean... but had to turn back when a huge electrical storm dumped tons of rain on our group. We were all in awe of Gary our guide, who totally needs his own show on Animal Planet, and the way the lightning was striking out over the ocean while we attempted to make it down the beach a little ways. Dark, dark night lit up by strikes of lightning across the sky. Incredible. We huddled under the roof of a souvenir shop, drank tea, ate muffins, and watched Gary tell us stories of his travels and touring past. One day Bron and Ed went snorkeling off the coast and Mary and I found a rooftop deck and drank Pina Coladas. Ah, vacation.
Then we spent a couple of days in Swaziland. Actually drove through the whole country from South to North. We stayed in a pretty cool backpackers (where we met a research team from Texas A&M) in the valley very close to where the King and the Royal Family live. One day we tried driving to their compound, but quickly turned around when we saw the big gate and guards with guns.
We drove through a wildlife reserve and checked out all the animals... even watched a crocodile dine on a zebra floating in a pond. We dropped Ed off for a hike through the reserve, went to scope out some traditional arts and crafts, and then picked him up so we could head to dinner at a restaurant that served traditional Swazi food. (the owner and chef bought all of the food from local women, kept everything organic, and was really, really cool).
And I dragged the girls to a traditional Swazi village where they danced (the Swazis AND Bronnie and Mary!) and we were taught the intricacies of traditional Swazi Village life.
We, of course, went to Kruger and scoped out all the animals there. We didn't catch sight of all the Big 5, but saw two male elephants battling it out.
And we went to Metz. Right smack in the heat of the summer. Troopers my visitors were... troopers I say. Every night we would go to bed covered in sweat and in the morning we would wake up covered in even more.
Everyone brought gifts for MmaDiapo so they all posed with her in her flowers in the front yard.
We even spent a day at the Lafata bead project... buying souvenirs for people at home. My favorite purchase is the one Ed made. A cone shape, covered in black cloth with some beads sewn, and black yarn spilling out the top. He eyed it and asked what it was. "It's decoration." And so he bought it.. and man, I couldn't get over such a find.
We escaped the village a day early because it was just too hot and made it to cooler climates... tried to catch sight of Blyde River Canyon, saw the potholes, haggled for souvenirs, saw a movie, ate Roman's pizza, and then spent some quality time drinking tea and eating muffins before everyone got on their flight home. It was sad to see them go, but it was also reassuring to know I would see them later on in the year! We wouldn't have to wait so long between visits this time.
To Bron, Ed, and Mary... I love that you're my family AND my friends. You rock.

Monitoring and Evaluating

2009-07-10T11:38:00.010+02:00

This week Ledile (Program Manager for Kodumela ADP) got an email from the WorldVision National Office requesting that Rejoice do some interviews with people from a drop in center (for orphans) and a creche (a daycare) supported by Kodumela, so information about their services could be gathered. It was decided that the managers, staff members, and a couple of the children on each center's register would be interviewed and we would take some photos to document everything. It was pretty impressive to see. After working so long with an organization that wasn't really in a place to monitor and evaluate any of their programs due to lack of funds and lack of programs... it's interesting to see the opposite end of the spectrum. Kodumela is, in my opinion, a very high functioning NGO. They receive funding from a variety of different sources... the NDA (National Development Agency), WorldVision, PEPFAR (The United States Presidents' Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), and The Department of Health and Social Development (Limpopo Province). Sally's Place in Makgaung Village and The Lafata Project in Madeira are two huge successes (and two of many successes for the program)....the idea is for Kodumela to continue to help with capacity building, to help them become more sustainable... and then, eventually, they will be able to stand on their own and Kodumela can focus on other drop in centers and schools in the area.
Rejoice interviewing a young mother who brings her little girl to the creche everyday.
Some of the kids who come to Sally's Place standing with their teachers. Sally's Place is a beautiful building that was built with funds from a family in the UK, the parents wanted to build something in memory of their daughter, Sally. Their generosity has, clearly, helped and affected many children and the community as a whole.
And here is the Lafata Project. One of my favorite places in all the local villages. Home to the famous bead project, a greenery, a chicken and egg farm, and a drop in center... all in one.
Rejoice interviewed Radikgong (Johannes) and Linah, the Project Manager (and amazing woman all around).

The Wimp

2009-07-09T11:17:00.002+02:00

September 2007. Lerato Onkwe (Keri Dodge), Kealeboga Pule (Chris), and Reamogetse Sebogo (Me) at the Wimpy in Zeerust, NorthWest Province. Lerato got coffee, coffee, coffee. Chris got a burger and iced tea (neither of which tasted like stuff in the States), and I had a cheese, tomato, and egg toasted sandwich.
Wimpy is a fast food chain in South Africa that is EVERYWHERE. The coffee isn't bad, they have pretty okay milkshakes, they offer waffles with different flavored syrups (toffee and chocolate) and ice cream for breakfast, I've heard their burgers are pretty awful, and, for some reason, I've been there a bagillion times. There was the Wimpy in Zeerust, our shopping town while we were living in Gopane, our training village. We went there a few times for breakfast when we were trying to readjust to some modern conveniences we could find here after being in the village for a little while. There's the Wimpy in Tzaneen that I went to with Wanda right after we moved to our villages. We wanted a place to sit and calm our nerves after trying to buy things for our new living spaces and struggling with being on our own at our sites after 2 months of constantly being around other volunteers. We ended up next to the ball pen and jungle gym area for the kids in the non-smoking section. It was not calming. There's the time I was in the Riverside Mall in Nelspruit with Keri and because every restaurant was packed, we settled on Wimpy even though we knew we just might regret it. And every time someone has come to visit, I take them to Wimpy because it is a place a lot of South Africans seem to love. When my parents were here we went back to the one in Zeerust after we spent the day in Gopane. It still wasn't very good. I took my sister, my future brother-in-law, and my cousin, to the one in St. Lucia. When I'm in Pretoria and on my way to the Peace Corps' office, I get a takeaway cup of coffee for the walk or taxi ride. When Abby and I were on holiday, staying in a hut without amenities, we welcomed ourselves back into South Africa with a trip to Wimpy for breakfast. I seem to find myself in a Wimpy quite a lot more than I ever thought I would.
A couple of weeks ago, Jenny and I sat in a back booth in the Tzaneen Wimpy and drank coffee. A Wimpy Mega Coffee for me and a Cafe Mocha for her. I've been on the hunt for a Mega Coffee cup for a while now... and finally was able to purchase one. As the manager who sold it to me said, "You just want to remember all those times you had a good cup of the best coffee in South Africa. You want to take this back so you can remember all your fun times at Wimpy restaurants." Um, yes, yes... you are right. I think that just about covers it.

Coping Mechanisms Two

2009-07-08T12:19:00.003+02:00

I feel relief after typing out all those last asterisks. Relief and then in some ways, a little guilt. I want people to know the realities of here...but at the same time, I don't want people to focus on only the bad. There is good battling evil, trying to outweigh evil... there is... and some days I really have to remind myself of that. I need to look at a little kid who doesn't seem scared of me. I need to hug Charlie and Karabo, give them kisses on the cheek. I need to look up at the stars and the mountains when the sun has finally set. I need to read letters and emails from people I love and who love me. I need to have a group hug with the ladies at the bead project. I need to sit with MmaDiapo and have her tell me about the farm and how hard she worked that day. I need to have tea and Milo with Rejoice and Maite in the morning. I need to talk to Ledile, someone who totally gets it, and know that we're in this together. I need to send SMSes and buy airtime to talk to my fellow PCV's who also totally get it.

Those Coping Mechanisms

2009-07-08T11:54:00.001+02:00

I was once numb. I once thought I was desensitized to certain things I see in Metz, in South Africa. Now, I'm thinking I had to let those coping mechanisms kick in so I could protect myself when faced with all the little things that seem to present themselves in my everyday life.
Things I will never forget, that have affected me, but I didn't have quite the emotional reaction to them as I would have expected:
*Car accident on the way to Tzaneen. There's a body on the road, the face and torso are covered, the feet are sticking out from under a wrap of traditional fabric. Our taxi stopped and waited for traffic to clear. My eyes were fixed on the feet.
*Visiting a home based care patient. He's sleeping in the living room of his mother's house. He has a sponge (big piece of foam) as his mattress and a couple of thin blankets to cover his thin body. He is HIV positive, he has TB. I hold his hand.
*Another car accident. I'm in a taxi, as we pass the scene is a blur, I see feet sticking out from beneath a teal cloth.
*Kids at a church daycare. 20 of them, in the middle of winter, running around in a small, bare room, waiting for teatime. The daycare is waiting for funding for food... then maybe they can think about getting some toys.
*gates, gates, gates. locks, locks, locks. bars, bars, bars.
*The post office robbery. The next day a man tried breaking into a general dealer (store) and was shot and killed by the overnight security guard. This week a taxi driver carrying women to deposit money from their society in the bank, is shot and wounded... the cash is taken.
*Serious assaults, violations, thefts, beatings, rapes all experienced by other volunteers, my friends, in the group I came in.
*Homes made of tin, board, cardboard, and tarps.
*Sitting in a dark movie theater when all the sudden the exit door is opened and some jokesters yell something in Afrikaans and run off. My heart is beating 10 million times a minute, I was sure they were coming to rob us, and the rest of the movie is shot because I can't concentrate.
*Working with and for so many good people. People I've come to rely on and who have come to rely on me. Seeing their faces and their hearts affected by all that I've seen as well....and more.
*Another accident, 3 bodies this time. Our car has to pass into the other lane to get around. Feet are sticking out, feet just feet from my window. We all comment on how horrible it is, how horrific, but after that I am silent. I am ready to talk about something else.
*Walking to the backpackers in Pretoria after seeing a late movie. Nathan urges us as a group to move to the other side of the road because he has just noticed a guy that looks suspicious. I had no clue.
*Wheelbarrows used to carry water back to the house from the community tap.
*People standing up in the back of a bakkie, so many wedged in they don't move much when it hits bumps. Wind is in their hair.
*Woman standing outside of Pick 'n Pay in Tzaneen. I'm eating an ice cream cone and the cream starts to melt and run down my hand as I watch her, unable to tear my eyes away, beat her son in front of at least 30 people. Punching him in the head. Shaking him. He cries, but silently, and every time a tear starts to roll down his cheek, he wipes it away quickly.
*Walking to work I come across several policeman. They're standing around with BIG guns. We greet each other and talk about the morning. They tell me they are patrolling the area more. They want to catch a so called gang that has taken to robbing people at random. Guns make me uncomfortable. Those big guns don't have me batting an eye.

That Party

2009-07-06T19:06:00.005+02:00

We're going to play the two years ago game.

Two years ago my little sister, Bronwyn aka Katlego (her African name meaning "prosperity and success"), posed with me in the "photo booth" at my going away party at my parents' house. Bron was channeling a lion. I knew very little of Africa when this picture was taken... and now I know a little more than very little.

Conflicting

2009-07-05T17:27:00.007+02:00

Oh yeah that's a chicken foot. A "walkie".
Flashback: A little over a year ago Tanya and I went to town to celebrate getting paid and buy some groceries (I'm pretty sure there was a trip to the Woolworth's coffee shop, too). In the taxi heading home we sat in the front two seats by the driver, me in the middle and Tanya by the window. After our taxi filled and was on its way out of town we made a detour to the petrol station to fill up for the ride. The driver had gotten enough cash from all our fares. We were sitting at the pump, talking about what a nice morning it was, when all the sudden we made eye contact with a woman running out of the station's office. A white woman running out of the office. At first I wasn't sure where she was headed, but as she got closer it was pretty clear she was coming to talk to us. The conversation went something along the lines of.....
Woman: Oh, hello! I wasn't sure if I could believe my eyes when your taxi pulled up. I saw you two in the front, but that doesn't happen very often, you know people like you sitting in the front of a taxi. Where are you from?
Us: We're from town right now, heading back to where we're staying.
Woman: Are you traveling?
Us: No we live here. Heading home now.
Woman: Well, just so you know, you're safe. They won't hurt you. They are gentle people. They will help you get where you need to go. Do you feel safe? Do you feel okay? There's nothing to worry about, they really are gentle people.
Us: We're fine. This is how we travel. We've done this before. Thanks for your concern.
Woman: Well, of course! You really should stop by for coffee some time. Please come back soon.
And then she walked away....and Tanya and I sat there stunned. How could we recover? We were certain that most people in the taxi could understand all that was being said. And REALLY?! I've never seen that woman again.
The longer I'm here the more strange things don't stick out much anymore. Funny, huh? Now I shrug more and move on with my day... I'm moved or a little disturbed, but I have to keep going, gotta keep truckin'. If something comes up that seems to be conflicting in some way, I have the choice to go ahead and address it, feel confident in addressing it, or just walk away. At one point I was afraid I was becoming desensitized to pretty disturbing things, but now I'm going with the idea that it's my coping mechanisms kicking in. When I'm faced with some chaos, some racism, a wounded country, stressful situations, poverty, death, loss, frustrations and challenges, loneliness...I tend to just focus on what's in front of me... sometimes that's just making it to the next activity, the next hour.
A couple of days ago when MmaDiapo was putting the sheep back in their pen the rope that ties them up outside wrapped around her leg and stripped it of a good chunk of flesh. I saw it pretty soon after it happened and it looked pretty raw, red, but like it could heal nicely. This afternoon she spent hours sleeping and when she woke up her face clearly showed pain. When I asked how she was doing, she limped down the steps and said her foot was bothering her, her leg was swelling. I looked at it and noticed the wounded area was black. I asked what she had been using to help it heal and she replied with "brake fluid". Um. I told her to be careful... that sometimes cuts can get infected and that if hers does it could affect more than just her foot and that area of her leg... it could affect her whole leg, her body. I didn't tell her that I think what she's doing might not be the best thing for her, I didn't tell her that I disagreed... I just wanted to help her with other options.... and asked her if she was interested in going to the clinic. She said she was going to wash it and then rest for the night. I told her to call me if she needed anything, if she started to feel worse.
2 big points to make.... 1: Brake fluid isn't exactly good for an open wound is it? I mean if you can't drink the stuff and your body looks at it as poison, putting it on an open area of your body might not be the best thing, right?
2: Situations like this always make me think. As a PCV I'm always walking a line, I have a unique place in South Africa. I'm American, I'm able to mix and mingle with people of all colors and backgrounds, I have enough money to travel, to go to town, to get a break from the village, to make a choice about where I live and what I do, I have medical care, I have access to resources, I have a freakin' blog... the list goes on. I stand true to my belief that I want to work to help people live the lives they want to lead... so the modern beliefs running parallel to the traditional, the white middle class American female in her 30's who would buy some sort of antibacterial cream for a cut being a daughter to a Black South African retired teacher in her 50's who uses brake fluid on a cut and has little access to antibacterial cream is yet another thing I have to handle with care, another thing I have to sort out.

Those Frilly Bottomed Skirts

2009-07-04T19:28:00.004+02:00

Last year when my parents came to visit they brought along 17 Texas Longhorns' t-shirts (compliments of Walgreen's) for all the Phokungwanes. Aw yeah. I gave MmaDiapo one that matched the one I kept for myself and she sewed us matching traditional skirts. This is how we go to church.

Braces

2009-07-03T19:10:00.003+02:00

Yet another adventure in South Africa... After 18 years of having my braces off... am I really that old?.... I got half a mouth of metal back in May. Yep. Three months ago the wire that was holding my teeth in place, for those glorious 18 years, broke while I was in Metz. Around the COS conference I had an orthodontist appointment. After taking off the broken wire and seeing that my bite just needed a little tweaking, there was a consultation with Melissa (the PCMO, Peace Corps Medical Officer) and Dr. Heloise, and I got braces put on. It was actually a pretty nice day.. Melissa sat in a chair next to where I was and watched as they glued all the little brackets in place. She kept saying funny things. I kept trying not to laugh. Then we went to lunch and stuffed ourselves full of nachos that taste like ones in America and Chai Tea.
My two favorite responses to my braces by people in Metz? "Man, you white people do some crazy things" and "Oh Mmapula, they are beautiful! Do you get to keep them forever?"
I'm happy to report that thanks to a mouth full of copper and steel my teeth are almost back to normal and I'll have a brand new permanent retainer in place when I head to COS in September.

One Thing For Sure

2009-06-24T15:03:00.002+02:00

The other night MmaDiapo came to my window and asked me to come in her house and greet a visitor. I greeted and we all sat around her sewing room talking. The lady asked me how long I had lived here and was shocked when MmaDiapo responded with one year and 6 months. She asked when I was leaving and I said I didn't have too much longer, it was a month and some days after THE farewell party. And the conversation went along... we talked of the weather and THE farewell party and how beautiful all the skirts MmaDiapo made me were. All the while MmaDiapo sewed, passing pieces of material under the needle of her sewing machine. Just as I was gathering my things to head back to my room she stopped and said, "Mmapula, you know, I hope you do not forget me, forget us. Please try your level best, try 100% to remember us when you go." I admit, I stumbled over my words. I told her I wouldn't, told her there was no possible way, and when I felt like I had reassured her, I walked back to my room. That night was the first night I cried in a long time. It's starting to hit me that I'm really leaving. It's a big topic of conversation with people in the village, at Kodumela, with other volunteers, and with people at home. Time is flying and I'm trying to enjoy my last months and days here, trying to focus on one day at a time, while balancing thoughts of a big change.
How do I even begin to describe how grateful I am to MmaDiapo for taking me into her life, heart, and home? How do I put into words to the whole Phokungwane family that I think they're pretty incredible, some of the strongest people I've ever met? How do I tell Rejoice that her true friendship is something I'll carry forever? And what about the kids that always yell "Hiiiiiiiii Mmapula!" when I'm on my way to work? Or John at the post office? Or Ledile, Mpho, Maite, Collins, Enos, MmaTapa, MmaMichael, Mosie, Letebele, Danny, Cedric, Millicent, Maria, Mosoma and everyone else at Kodumela? The ladies on the corner selling vegetables? Phenyo and Tshepiso? I don't think I could ever find words that would carry all my feelings, I really don't think it's possible. "I love you, guys" doesn't seem to cut it and "thanks" seems too simple.

Christmas 2008

2009-06-22T13:08:00.025+02:00

Vilanculos, Mozambique, December 2008. In the morning the water would recede and anchored boats would be stranded on the sand. In the evening the water came right up to the walls lining the ocean edge of town and your footprints from earlier would be washed away.
When you're far from your home and family and friends in the States over the holidays... you spend time with your Peace Corps family and travel. Yep... since it's June and "winter" here (although it's still pretty hot), I thought I should post photos of my trip to Mozambique... that memorable trip to the country just to the East of South Africa.
We took a taxi from Nelspruit, South Africa to Maputo, Mozambique one afternoon and the very next morning we were taking a taxi at 4:30 to catch the bus that would take us to Vilanculos. A bus ride that included: a chicken, a man practically sitting in our laps,
stops where people tried to sell us cashews, bread, bottled water, cold drink, thermoses, suitcases, shoes, and so much else, heat, humidity, dust (I still have dirt in the clothes I wore), dozing, a point where every hour or two we would all just look at each other, say "uh, is this really happening?", and then laugh hysterically,
and a view of the man we so affectionately named "barrel" who was sitting on a barrel in the aisle, surrounded by fermenting tomatoes, luggage, and bags of mealie meal.
On the potholed road that resembled Swiss Cheese, we would drive for a long while without seeing a town or even people, and then suddenly there would be a little pocket of houses made of thatch.
The heat and humidity were pretty incredible... not to mention the South Africans who were also taking their holiday at the backpackers. By the first day I had a routine down... After a night of trying to sleep, sweating, praying that music at the bar would be turned down just a little bit, and swatting mosquitoes (even under the net!), I would wake up early and head out to the lapa (thatched roof over an outdoor sitting area) to drink tea with anyone else up. A little while later I would go get ready to venture into Vilanculos, the village we were staying in, for some exploring.
Nathan and I would walk about 15 minutes to the coffee shop and on the way we would always run into Jeremy. He was selling these woven wallets. A nice kid who became part of our routine.
Cafe Mozambique is where Nathan would get an espresso and I would order a cappuccino. Sergio always made them well and helped us choose the local pastries we should try.
We would sit at a little table and plan out our day... where we would walk and what we would check out. One day we walked the whole length of town and visited the school where there was a UNICEF tent (donated when there was a typhoon that hit in 2007), the local CARE (international relief and development organization)office, stood in the office of a fancy hotel and soaked up the air con, visited a restaurant where Richard Gere once ate, saw the more touristy and "white" part of town, and then caught a ride with some locals to a nearby port.
Yes, I gave that woman next to me my bottle of water so she would pose with me.
After a walk through town, we would go back to the backpackers we were staying in. It was right on the beach and had a nice view of the Indian Ocean. The walk always took a lot out of me... it was just so hot. I would then spend a couple hours in a hammock reading my book (Nathan was usually in the other one reading his) and would sometimes be lulled to sleep by the whir of a sewing machine. A local woman would come each day and make all the tourists skirts, shirts, pants, and bags out of traditional material.
One of my favorite places was the market....
With its material...
fish...
food and people. The market was full of all kinds of little walkways, stalls selling everything you can imagine were everywhere.
Mpho and Mmapula. A few of us spent a nice morning haggling and buying material. See the bags we got made? The fabric mine is made of has tea kettles all over it. This photo is compliments of Paul and Jess Vig.

Rat Proofing? Maybe.....

2009-06-20T20:10:00.004+02:00

When you have a rat that crawls through holes between the top of your wall and your tin roof and scurries across the middle log of wood that runs right over your bed... you do what you can to stop it.. you get creative. I now have many plastic bags plugging up all the holes, taking away any entrance it may have... and I think they help with the drafts, too.

Whew!

2009-06-19T14:56:00.003+02:00

I got an email from Tamiko this morning letting me know that all my letters to her class made it! Yes! Yesterday was their last day of school and they were being dismissed at 1:05... my big envelope full of replies to their letters and a beaded animal for each of them was received at 12:15. Thank you international mail!

Radikgong Johannes Maake

2009-06-18T17:58:00.011+02:00

Last week right before Rejoice and I went to Woolworth's we went to a bunch of stores in Tzaneen to piece together a school uniform for a schoolboy the ladies at Lafata Drop In Center in Madeira Village had identified as "one of the most in need" children. We went to the uniform shop and got him a pair of trousers (maroon) and then shopped around some cheaper stores for 3 shirts (yellow, blue, and white), socks, a sweater, and some shoes. Since this is my wedding gift to two of my friends who recently got married, I wanted to go all out... get him everything he might need... and am still trying to figure out if a track suit for winter is one of those things.
So that was Monday.
Tuesday we got sidetracked with stuff in the office so we didn't venture out anywhere.
Wednesday Cedric and Enos were running around Madeira buying eggs and getting seedlings from the greenery (both projects of Lafata) so Rejoice and I caught a ride.
It was Wednesday when we met Johannes. Wednesday morning when we walked across the football (soccer) field with a view of the mountains covered in fog, and huddled against each other when we were walking in the wind. We went to the primary school just past the field, talked to one of the teachers, and were immediately led into a portable building that was acting as a classroom and the principal's office. We were offered chairs and asked about our business at the school. We introduced ourselves and asked to speak to Johannes, we had a present to give him. He was called and a few minutes later, a lean, tall boy, with a big shy grin, walked into the room. His white shirt was worn and his grey trousers were too small around the waist, but man, that grin. My heart leaped. His grin grew wider when we handed over all the purchases... we shook hands, the principal thanked us, graciously, for our help, we took some photos, and not 10 minutes after we had walked in, we walked out.
Johannes is 13 years old and taking classes in Grade 1 at the primary school because he missed so much school throughout his childhood. Both his parents are living, but he is considered an orphan and at risk because his mother doesn't want to care for him and his father's wife doesn't want to raise him. He was living with an aunt last year, but she died, so he moved in with another aunt. No one really knows much about his current home situation (we're working on that), but he's on the register at Lafata and comes to eat when they're serving food.
It was a bittersweet meeting. Hearing the way his life has been going leaves me with a heavy heart... BUT I'm glad Rejoice and I, along with the ladies at Lafata, his teachers and principal, could show him that there are people who think and care about him and are very interested in doing what they can to support and help him.

A Hat? Hair?

2009-06-17T18:32:00.000+02:00

A couple of weeks ago MmaDiapo gave me a ride to town VERY early in the morning so I could catch a taxi to Pretoria. We left Metz about 6:30 so I was still waking up when we got in the car. As we turned onto the tar road I caught a glimpse of something on her head and had to do a double take. I couldn't figure out if what I was seeing was some new hair she had gotten or a hat. After we had been talking awhile everything was clarified and I was told that her oldest daughter had crocheted her new hat out of some fancy, fuzzy yarn.
Fast forward to last weekend when we were all sitting outside and Salome showed up with a bag of "funny hair"... all the kids insisted on putting one on and man, we got a good laugh.

Youth Day

2009-06-16T20:05:00.012+02:00

It’s Youth Day today, a big South African holiday. It’s a day where all the children of South Africa are recognized and celebrated… they are important and the future of the country after all.

So many little details and so many things that have happened before this day… I’ll try my best to give a summary of just a fraction of it. It's a piece of history that helps to explain a little bit about the present. I am providing facts about the history... but I want to be honest... this was hard for me to read about. Although I see a lot of hope in my everyday life here in South Africa, I live in a place where there are no white people...there are no coloureds... and there are only a few Indians who live outside the village, but who own shops and commute to Metz each day to run them. I live in a place where people are identified by their color... where the words Black, Coloured, Indian, and White are used to describe people. I live in a place where my host mother has asked me if in America, the blacks live in villages, too. I live in a place where people want to talk to me because I'm white. Where people don't want to talk to me because I'm white. Where most people who aren't from around here, who don't know me, are always taken aback when they hear that this is where I stay. In some ways, I think things are getting better... but that doesn't make my heart hurt any less when I think about all the people I love here and the history of their country.

The beginnings….
The Bantu Education Act of 1953 was a law which enforced the separation of races in all educational institutions in South Africa. Whites, Blacks, Indians, and Coloureds were all sent to separate schools.
The introduction of the act led to the government greatly reducing funding and aid to schools serving black South Africans, black teachers’ salaries were very low, many black teachers weren’t properly trained, and the funding the black schools were getting was coming from the taxes paid by black South Africans… many who were poor. For South Africa’s white students, education was mandatory, of high standards and FREE. They had teachers who were properly trained and buildings that were in good shape. For Blacks, Indians, and Coloured students school was not free and if education was available, it was at times held in buildings without electricity, plumbing, and access to water. According to the Wikipedia article on the Soweto riots, in the 1970's the per capita governmental spending on black education was one-tenth of the spending on white. There was a VERY uneven distribution of resources in black (and other non-white) and white schools. Within the National Party (white government party) it was a common belief that there was no need to provide good education to people who would never be able to use it. Afrikaans would be a good language to know when working on the farms, higher level math wouldn't be needed because no job a Black or Non-White would get would require such skills.
On the morning of 16 June 1976, thousands (I’ve heard 20,000 is a good estimate) of black students marched through Soweto (SouthWestTownships, outside Jo’Burg) protesting the use of Afrikaans in their schools. The “Afrikaans Medium Decree of 1974” forced black schools to use Afrikaans for math, arithmetic, and social studies, English for the sciences and African languages for religion, music, and culture instruction. The plan was for a peaceful protest. When students walked along their planned route, they came upon police barricades, so they switched their course…. and eventually ended up near Orlando High School (Orlando is a section of Soweto where both Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu have homes). There are different accounts of what actually happened… some say that students/children threw stones and provoked the police, while most of the students marched peacefully.… some say that a few police officers opened fire when they saw that they were surrounded by students. Whatever happened resulted in chaos. Tear gas was thrown, shots were fired, there was looting, people were wounded and killed.
Hector Pieterson, a 12 year old boy, was one of the first students to be killed. To this day a photograph of him being carried down the street by one of the other protesters, with his sister wailing as she walked next to them, is well known and a reminder.
There are varying accounts of how many actually died and were wounded that day, I’ve heard estimations as high as 566 school children were killed, while over 1,000 men, women, and children were wounded.
The events on 16 June were just the beginning of other protests, riots, and strikes by South Africans of all colors and backgrounds throughout the year.
You can read more here
In Metz, I went to church with my family and took pictures of the celebration they threw for all the kids. Everyone was dressed up, there was singing, dancing, and lots of praying....
Everyone at church listening to the sermon.

Here's the pastor and the lady who was speaking for the day. They sat at a table in the very front.

About a dozen plates full of Simba's, Marie Biscuits, and sweets were passed around for everyone to snack on before the kids got their presents, took pictures, and we cut into the cake!

Here are all the kids lined up to get their treats. They're all dressed up in the traditional church uniform... white shirt and black pants or skirt.

Each kid received a bag of Simba's, their very own tin cup, an apple, and a sucker. AND they got their picture taken by Mmapula.

Traditional

2009-06-15T18:26:00.006+02:00

MmaDiapo has been sewing every free minute she's found since the beginning of September last year. I hear the whir of the sewing machine on the back stoop early in the morning, late into the night, and all day some days. First she was trying to make matching dresses for a group of women going to a wedding in November. Then she was trying to finish up new orders that began pouring in when women in the village saw all the new dresses. And THEN, when I thought she had some time, I bought some material for her to make me a few traditional skirts. She can knock out a beautifully sewn and designed traditional skirt in a day... made to fit me. (If you look right behind her on the wall there's the peg bag she made out of scraps from all the dresses)
Today I wore her latest creation and got so many compliments. People were really impressed and everyone at Kodumela kept saying that I looked African. The skirt is sebotse (beautiful). By coincidence, Cedric, the Development Coordinator for Kodumela, and Rejoice were also wearing their traditional clothes, so we all had to take a photo.

Make Up Your Face

2009-06-14T18:18:00.000+02:00

Maite told me that Karabo watched Margaret put on her makeup one morning... colored in her eyebrows, put on a little eye shadow, used some lipstick. That afternoon Karabo used the crayons I had given her to try and put "color on her face like Ouma (grandma)."

To The North And To The West Of Metz.. You Have Ga-Seleka

2009-06-13T16:12:00.001+02:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to go visit my dear friends and fellow volunteers, Thato and Boipelo Seleka (Paul and Jess) who live in the lovely village of Ga-Seleka with Safiri, the cat. Who's down for a few days of good food, good conversation, good people, nights spent in the mission house of the Dutch Reform Church, touching big baobabs, visits to the primary schools, girls' club fun, and checking out Seleka sites? Me.

Over the weekend we cut apron kits for their Girls' Club Apron Project and so the girls from club could sew their own.

We ate lunches of hummus, pita, tomatoes, and cucumber... treats we brought back from Pretoria. And Paul treated us to his mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe from home... cookies made from chocolate chips from AMERICA!

And we drank wine.

Morning prayer at the lower primary school.

There is NOTHING like standing in front of hundreds of school children in time for afternoon prayer. Pretty amazing to hear them speaking altogether.

The girls' club craft was making "Bohemian" necklaces that Jess and I tried out on Sunday afternoon.

Mma Seleka, one of the Grade 7 teachers and a girls' club leader (club meets in her room every Monday) and Mmapula.

Here's Jess with her girls' club student council girls.

Paul played baseball with some of the neighborhood boys on my last night... then we built a fire in the yard and sat and talked over supper while watching the logs burn down.

With coffee in go cups Jess and Paul walked me to the taxi that was going to take me to their shopping town... the start of my travels back to the village.
Woo! It was a good visit! Paul and Jess have a lot going on when it comes to helping out the schools they were placed with. Paul is running computer classes for some teachers twice a week, Jess is doing the prep work for girls' club and keeping on top of all the apron sales, and they also have to balance visiting with all the people they've befriended during their time in Seleka. Did I mention that on top of all that, they're good friends? They're good friends.

Thank You, America.

2009-06-09T19:51:00.005+02:00

The KFC Family Meal can be found ALL over the world! Never Fear! Here in South Africa, KFC really knows their target audience... instead of the biscuits you get in The United States... The Colonel provides customers with mini loaves of bread.

The Trousers and The Belt.

2009-06-08T19:30:00.002+02:00

A few weeks ago when Rejoice and I were on our way to a drop in center our taxi driver asked her, in Sotho, what I was doing with her. Her reply? She is my belt and I am a pair of trousers, we go everywhere together. It's true, we do. In Kodumela, we share a desk in the front room of the office, we look up funding opportunities, we talk to the managers of all the drop ins, we run errands in town, we laugh a lot, and I think we work well together. I help with teaching her the ins and outs of Google searches and her Gmail inbox, patting her on the back, coming up with ways to describe what Kodumela is doing and what Kodumela would like to do to possible funders, getting excited about good news, encouraging her to keep trying when she hears not so great news, talking about the world, how we see some things the same and some things differently, and being a good friend to her. She helps with supporting ideas I have, calling me at all hours with plans she has for projects, being passionate, caring about all the kids she works for and with, being open to new and different things and...like I told her recently, "saving" me earlier this year. After staying so long in a not so positive situation with my first office, working with Rejoice has put air back in my sails... seriously... these last few months have renewed my faith in my service. We are a team and I love it.
Today we went to town to buy a school uniform for one of the orphans in Madeira Village. After getting all of our business taken care of, I took her to Woolworth's for hot chocolate and chai tea. We talked about our childhoods, we laughed, we high fived, and we talked about work for a long time. When there was a lull in the conversation and we were both kind of staring off, Rejoice said,"People are staring at us." And they were. Blatant staring from more than one table. There were no traces of ill will in any of the expressions, more curiosity than anything, but it made us stop and think. When you looked around, we were the only table with a black person and a white person. Could people tell how close we are? That we're not just colleagues, but we have a deeper appreciation for each other and are very good friends? We then started to realize how many times, over the course of the day, people were a little stunned when they found out we were shopping together... the uniform store, KFC, Roman's Pizza, the furniture store, the Indian Restaurant, the man on the street who asked where I was originally from and what I was doing with "the black lady".
I have to shake my head, sometimes such situations still throw me for a loop.

Do You Hear The Beat?

2009-06-07T19:08:00.003+02:00

So after a crazy day and some miscommunications about THE farewell party being on 05 September instead of 01 August... things are all in line. Yes. Affirmative. THE farewell party will be on 01 August. Yes. Affirmative. As of about 1 this afternoon, THE farewell party will include a Big Brass Band playing for entertainment! My family knows me too well!!!

An Errand Day

2009-06-06T19:23:00.009+02:00

Since this week was a little nuts and I haven't been out of the village for a couple of weeks, I decided to go to town and take care of a few errands today. I didn't really wake up in the mood to go, but had to go to the post office to mail off my final letters to THE Schilling Stallions, so I knew a walk would put me in a better head space. I walked down the tar road (usually I take a back way to avoid all the taxi traffic) to see if I could catch a taxi, but nothing came along. It was a beautiful morning and not many people were out and about... it was actually pretty quiet. In the distance I could hear the same brass band at the funeral... and even passed the procession on its way back from the graveyard.
When I was just past the tuck shop where everyone gathers to watch the football (soccer) games on TV, I met Mike. He was walking a little slow due to a limp, so I caught up to him, and we exchanged greetings and comments about how HOT it was even though it was early in the morning AND winter. After a minute or so a full conversation followed. He was with the Department of Housing and was coming out to Metz to walk to all the RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) houses being built. He wanted to make sure all the people who were responsible for the construction had shown up. It was a nice conversation. We didn't walk long before a friend of his pulled over and offered us a ride to the post office.
Mike and Richard, our driver. I told them that they shared their names with two very cool guys I know back in The States... my uncle and my dad.
On my way back to my room to pick up some last minute things for town, I ran into one of the guys working on the tar road. He wanted to know who he could talk to about a family of orphans living in Bismark, the next village over. I pointed him to Maruleng CHBC and Kodumela... told him someone at either place would know what to do... and thanked him for looking out for people in his village.
When I was in my room, I talked to Mabu, the shepherd, about the rat that has been in my room. YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT.... A RAT. For the past week a rat has been coming in a hole between my roof and the wall, crawling across one of the beams (directly above my bed!) that holds up my roof, and then escaping into a hole between his room and mine. I thought I could live with it... but then thought better. I REALLY don't want to get some paralyzing disease or have it fall on me during the night... so I was going to invest in poison. Mabu speaks very little English, I speak very little Sotho, we can all guess how the conversation went.. I used a lot of hand gestures, made my fingers into ears and showed my teeth... made a pretend tail... and finally just drew him a picture.
"Ah! Legotlo (Lay-ho-klo)! Yes, yes Mmapula!"

The Beat of the Drum

2009-06-05T18:43:00.005+02:00

I am so glad to be home.
Today was a long day.
Rejoice and I went to a workshop that the Provincial Government was putting on... and although I think all the information they were giving us was relevant and important, it's FRIDAY. They held it in Nkowankowa (about 40 minutes from Metz) so we left fairly early this morning to make it on time. We got there at 9:30, sat until 10:45, had teatime, and things finally started happening at 11. I was antsy, I couldn't understand most of what was being said, but was trying to be a part of the discussions, so I was exhausted, and more than a few times a few representatives from other NGO's couldn't understand why we would have a hard time finding funding if I was white and from AMERICA. Days like this are draining... after a few hours I'm so tired of being "on".
When we finally knocked off at 3, we had to catch a taxi to Tzaneen (even though it's in the wrong direction) to then catch a taxi to Metz. Since we were having to go to town anyway... Rejoice thought we should do something fun. So we did.. and man, it was fun.
In the ShopRite Mall not too far from the bank and The Hungry Lion (a fast food chicken place) there's a store by the name of Jet Music where we are regular customers. Rejoice stocks up on reggae and gospel, I'm trying to find some of the music I've heard on taxis and in the office to take home with me.
Today I was interested in purchasing the ZCC's (Zion Christian Church) Brass Band Collection. Awesome. I've been to a few ZCC funerals and weddings and one of my very favorite things about them is the big brass band that plays. They play and people march behind them. (Just like a New Orleans' Jazz Funeral!) When the band is used for church, the men and women are all dressed in their church uniforms and they "march to Heaven". To make sure the collection was the CD I wanted... the guy who always helps us, Solly, put it on in the store. Pretty soon everyone was marching to Heaven. We all marched to the beat and swung our right arms in time.
Sipho, Peggy, and Solly from Jet Music with my ZCC Brass Band CD!

Now I'm in my pajamas, about to go to sleep, and somewhere deep in the village, the Friday night vigil for a funeral is in full force... I can hear the drums and the trumpet. Not a bad way to go to end the day.

I LOVE Those Schilling Stallions!

2009-06-04T19:17:00.010+02:00

A picture for me from Jessica

Woo! My 3rd grade pen pals went all out this last time... beautiful pictures, really long letters, and lots of good things to say. I just finished writing them back tonight and I'm glad I took a little longer to think about it all, decorate their letters a little more. This is one of the first big goodbyes I'm doing. The kids that side are finishing school at the end of June so this batch of letters is the last one. I'm going to miss their funny comments and drawings and am SO glad I had an opportunity to write them. They don't know how much writing to them saved my sanity at times... and helped me to open my eyes to noticing different things about my experience.

Dear Schilling Stallions,
No, you guys ROCK! Thanks for being such good friends and pen pals! It's been really fun writing you, it was always such a treat finding your letters in my mailbox. I hope you continue to learn all kinds of new things about the world, because there is so much to learn!, and that you remember two very important things... be nice to yourself and others AND have fun! Good luck with school next year!
Your Friend,
Megan

Tamiko said while they were posing with the bulletin board she put up in her room for all the things I sent, they all wanted to say "Ta-Da!" So... Ta-Da!

Not so much...

2009-06-04T19:08:00.003+02:00

An update on the post office...
as of today, they've caught two of the guys involved in the robbery and, well, even though I really don't like what they did, not at all, I feel sorry for them. The payment for committing such a crime? You're arrested first and then the cops beat the truth out of you. People are mad... and they're on the hunt. No one seems very interested in waiting for the police (and in some ways I totally get that... some of the police aren't exactly law abiding individuals themselves), so if the other one is caught, let's hope he's not beaten to death. Geez.
And now, on to happier things, pictures of cute children, new friends, and fun!

Not Optimal

2009-06-03T07:35:00.005+02:00

Yesterday afternoon I just wasn't feeling work. Rejoice was in a meeting with people from the AIDS Foundation (one of the drop in centers' bigger funders), there were some people from the WorldVision national office working on a pilot project they have chosen Kodumela for (giving all sponsored children ID's so they can be scanned every time there's a home visit...pretty fancy, eh?), and there were some people from The Population Council running focus groups with caregivers and children for some research they're doing. People were everywhere. I was holed up in Ledile's office trying to recover from the post office news and get some work done. At 2 I asked Rejoice if she needed me... I had a plan to just go lie on my bed, stare at the ceiling, and maybe take a nap. She sent me home.
As I was walking home I greeted all the people I know at the stands selling fruit, simba's (chips), cigarettes, sweets, etc. at the Metz Cross (where the main tar road meets the tar road in Metz). I greeted a group of people sitting with one of the regular women and before I knew it she was yelling, "Tsamaya, Mmapula, Tsamaya!!". That means go... run along... I didn't understand until it was too late and some man, drunk man at that, from Jo'Burg, was walking along with me asking what I was doing, where I stayed, if I needed a husband, and telling me that the people whom I call my family in Metz couldn't possibly be my family because they are black and I am white. "No they're my family... I live with them, they live with me, I love them, they love me... that's the story."
He walked me to my road where I encouraged him to go back to his friends and I walked on to see Maite, Karabo, Lethabo, and Charlie.
Sigh. Like I said up there... not optimal. I usually can get away with not getting too annoyed and distraction seems to work best for me in those kinds of situations... but I WAS NOT IN THE MOOD.
I walked into the yard and had Charlie and Karabo screaming and yelling, "Mmapula! MMMMMMMAAAAPUUUUUUULAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" and we all giggled and jumped up and down and gave each other fives and "Sharp!'s". Margaret was frying fish, the kids were drawing with some markers my mom sent (Charlie had more marker on himself than anywhere else), and Maite was sweeping the back stoop. I sat in a chair and replayed the walk home... they laughed, we laughed, and then we all agreed that the marriage proposals get old for all of us.
"Maite, did you hear about what happened at the post office?! I really can't stop thinking about it, I'm just so mad!"
"I wasn't going to mention it to you, I know how much you like going there and I didn't want to scare you... I was there."
And that's what started a conversation about her being in line, seeing the gun, the three men taking her phone and her money, and seeing them drive off in another woman's vehicle. She talked of how she couldn't sleep that night... she keeps picturing the gun.. she's so glad the kids weren't with her... and she's just really upset.
When she started to tear up, I started to tear up... and then we quickly composed ourselves, laughed with the kids a little longer, and then I headed home. I told her at the gate that she could talk to me about anything, that I was around to listen, and I knew that what she went through in the post office was traumatic. She nodded.
The afternoon passed with me using peak airtime to call my parents before work to have someone listen to how mad I was, how hurt I was that so many people I care about were violated in such a way. I felt better when I hung up... and then, just a few minutes later, I got a phone call from America and it was a dear childhood friend of mine from Austin just calling to talk. Perfect timing.
I spent the rest of the evening washing some clothes to hang out this morning, washing my dishes, and finally settling down with my book and some comfort food (mac 'n cheese).
And today... I'm going to the post office to see how John is doing and make my regular appearance.

Armed and Dangerous

2009-06-02T12:41:00.003+02:00

My Metz Village, good ol safe Metz Village... feelings of safety have been rocked. The Metz Post Office was robbed at gunpoint at noon yesterday. Totally freaks me out. I understand that there are people who are desperate and might resort to desperate measures to get some money, but THIS? REALLY? There are certain times of the month when the already long lines at the banks and post offices are just a little longer... the times of the month when people are given their paychecks and pensions. Yesterday was the first, this past weekend was month end... if you're going to rob a place that takes deposits of money (the post office has a "Postbank" program), the first of the month would be a good time to do it. John, the Post Master, said all the money that had been deposited before the gunmen showed up was safe and had been sent off to Polokwane. The only money available for taking was from the people standing in line to deposit... and it was a long line. Pensioners and I'm assuming that a lot of those people were poor. It really sucks. The little village world of safety is a little rocked right now. They didn't know the gunmen... which means that, of course, they were outsiders. That's the way it turns out usually... people in the community wouldn't dare take such a risk... too many people know them... and well, they know that the consequences would be great (beating is high on the list).
Keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.... if someone's whole pension was taken, that doesn't look good for the rest of the month.... and I know it was scary to witness such an event... I am so thankful that no one was hurt, although John was a little shaken up.
Eish.

Invitation

2009-06-01T18:00:00.005+02:00

MmaDiapo is planning a big farewell party for me and the projected date is 01 August. Pretty exciting, but woo! there's a lot of planning that's going to go into it. She said she wanted it to be the "most perfect and marvelous party". Turns out that most perfect and marvelous means that we will be giving invitations, family members from around Polokwane (the provincial capital about 2 1/2 hours away) are renting a minibus to be in attendance, I will have a new traditional skirt to wear... AND there will be speeches.
While I watched her scrub her pots, before the sun went down tonight, she told me that I needed to find someone high up in the community who will speak at the party... "Please find someone who knows what you're here for, what your work is, and have them come explain it to the rest of us." HILARIOUS.

Networking and new friends

2009-06-01T12:45:00.003+02:00

This is a true adventure. Every single day provides new things to look at, new things to soak up, new things to do. I'll admit, there are days when I am tired... I just want some calm, I just want some stability... and I've learned that when that's the case, I just give myself calm and stability, I've finally found ways to do that.
Here's the adventure and unexpected excitement for today....
Ledile, Kodumela's Program Manager, is off at a workshop in Jo'Burg for the week, so I'm sitting in her big chair, at her big desk, using the outlet in her office. Woo, this would be a big chair to fill!
I just signed on to check my email and start on some emails about funding that Rejoice and I are seeking and had a most nice surprise. I had an email in my inbox that had me yelling to Rejoice and Maite in the next rooms... had them running to read it, too. After we all read it aloud we were beaming big, big smiles!

Here is the email that brought big smiles:
Megan,

You may remember we spoke for a while when I was part of the Choko trip to Kodumela a few weeks ago (we were standing under the acacia tree by the office).

One of our party was Googling on Kodumela on our return and they discovered your blog, and the entry about your visit to the sponsored children with some of us.

On behalf of all of us, I wanted to thank you for such a lovely posting - I have shared the link with Celia, Tony and Anjie so they could see what you had said and see the photos.

I have really enjoyed reading through a lot of the other entries (better than working....) and it is great to hear what an experience you have had in the ADP, and to hear the messages of hope you share.

It was lovely to meet you, and your gift of time to Kodumela is inspiring. I wish you well for the rest of your posting, and a safe and happy return to Austin.

Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future.

Warmest regards

James
Choko
www.choko.org.uk

A few months ago I wrote a posting here about some visitors Kodumela had from the UK. It was a good week full of little reminders: making connections with people is important, working with Kodumela is important, children are the future and that's important, how much this whole community that I've lived in for the last almost 2 years is thought of around the world. There are good things happening, there is hope... we can never, ever forget that... and we can never stop trying.

Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down

2009-05-31T19:18:00.009+02:00

It was a beautiful day in the village, a nice Sunday. I worked on my afghan, read some of my book (I just started Anna Karenina by Tolstoy), and spent some time with the family and the neighbors. My high school English teacher is a magnificent package sender so we had a good time with all the chappies (Dubble Bubble) she sent this last time, watching our mouths turn different colors, making huge bubbles, and trying out all the different flavors.
Phenyo and her big bubble.

We kept trying to get a picture where we all had bubbles at the same time. Mine popped!

Then Margaret and Karabo played ball... at first they were playing with a grapefruit, but it landed on the ground so much, they switched to a netball.

For supper MmaDiapo cut up a HUGE pumpkin she picked at her farm today.

And then she made us a traditional dish that mixes pap (mealie meal porridge) with the pumpkin.
Yum!

From PST to COS.

2009-05-30T19:00:00.000+02:00

Here's a little compare and contrast for ya. Pictures of the NGO/CHOP (Community Health Outreach Project) group then and now.

Then: August 2007, the very end of our PST (Pre_Service Training), right before we swore in as official volunteers.
Back row from left to right: Tom, Jim, Elisabeth, Justin, Brooke, Jed, Serena, Me, Chris, Keri, Erin, Jess, Nick, John, Maggie, and Craig.
Middle row from left to right: David, Nancy, Nathan, Ronda, Cole, Abby, Jennie, Rose, Jami, Wanda, and Virginia.
Front row from left to right: Gregor, Lupe, Megan K., Joyce, Kristy, Joey, Susie, Amanda, Lauren, and Jaceson.

And now, May 2009, COS Conference
Back row from left to right: Jed, John (who left in Novemeber 2007, but came back to hang out with us!), Nathan, Serena.
Middle row left to right: Keri, Erin, Abby, Jami, and Serena.
Front row left to right: Kori (APCD), Ronda, Virginia, Nick, Craig, Wanda, Rose, Tom, Justin, Me, Jess.
Very front: Jaceson, Matseke (APCD)

And because Gregor was taking his language test at the time..... Back row: Keri, Erin, Abby, Jami, and Serena. Front row: John, Rose, Wanda, Nick, and Gregor!
*Not pictured: Brooke... she had to work and we missed her!

COS Conference

2009-05-30T11:11:00.010+02:00

Up until the COS Conference I had the idea of leaving in the back of my mind, I knew the end of my service was coming to a close, and my focus was on how to say goodbye to my friends here and finish up certain projects I have going on. Then there was the conference. THE conference. It was the first time both the Education and the NGO groups had been together since Swearing In in September 2007 and man, some things have changed since then. Is it possible to age ten years in the span of 2? Just curious. We had some brainstorming sessions, feedback sessions, and lots of time to focus on how far we've come. Some questions we were asked to think about?
*What South African food will you miss the most? My answer: Pap and beans, a good drop in center meal.
*If you could pack up one person from your time here and bring them home with you, who would you bring? My answer: Rejoice.
*What is one thing you are most proud of from your service? My answer: Making it work in my village, finding a place for myself, and becoming a true part of my family.
*What part of South African life will you make part of your permanent life in America? My answer: The idea that everything will be OK. Things get hard, there are struggles and challenges, but things will eventually work out... even if it's not in the way you expected them to.
*What South African word will you try to integrate into your American lingo? My answer: What, what.
*Craziest taxi ride? It's a tie.... one from Pretoria to Tzaneen when the driver played the Clarence Clemens Live album on repeat and all the windows were closed. Erin, Elayna, Jaceson, Virginia, and myself were all privy to hearing the song, "Strokin'" (the live version... at least 10 minutes long) at least 10 times and trying to breathe in stagnant air. AND the bus ride from Maputo to Vilanculos, Mozambique. 10+ hours sitting with boxes, fermenting tomatoes, a chicken, mealie meal, an empty cooler (that was threatening our lives), with a man we so affectionately named "barrel" sitting on a water barrel right in front of us. OR the ride back to Maputo from Vilanculos that involved rain, potholed roads like Swiss Cheese, a crazy driver, some near misses with koombis, stomach issues, and lots of laughing for about 12 hours.
*If you could choose any song to define your Peace Corps experience, which song would it be? My answer: "I Know I'm Not Alone" by Michael Franti and Spearhead.
*Who or what has made the biggest impact on you in your service? My answer: A lot of people... in so many ways too many to count... Rejoice, MmaDiapo, Maite, Ledile, Maite, Karabo, Margaret, Mma Modiba, Esther, Synett, Mogale, Loikie, SA-16 CHOP, Nick, John and Mary.... and more... including people I only had brief encounters with who helped me get to this point.
It was a time of reflection, talking and hanging out, and movies on the Hallmark Channel. The hotel we were staying in was pretty fancy with a spa, putt putt golf, a game room, heated pools, and lots of places for us to just hang out. Since we all parted ways I've been thinking more and more about making a plan for my last 3 months, finishing up all the PC paperwork I need to turn in when I leave, and also giving a little thought to where I may find myself when I get back to the States. This is a huge transition. HUGE. I'm trying to take things one day at a time....things will work out, they always do.
Craig, as our scribe, during a brainstorming session.

Ronda and Abby leading the feedback session.

Me, Ronda, Nathan, and Keri during the feedback session.

Keri, Erin, Abby, Jami, and Serena waiting for our flu shots.

My neighbors!! Me, Jenny, and Jaceson.

Sandy, Abby, and Jed-how we do teatime, 'cause teatime is the BEST time!

VSN and Pretoria

2009-05-28T12:21:00.001+02:00

Any trip to Pretoria involves taking care of 3 priorities: Eating, seeing other volunteers, and having fun.

Megan (Education Volunteer SA-16), Katie (Education Volunteer, SA-16), Abby, Keri, and Megan at Tings and Times in Pretoria.

There is ALWAYS a visit to the Indian Restaurant... everyone has their favorite dish and it's nice to sit, eat, and talk in a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. This night was especially nice. Abby, Jess, and I sat and talked over Masala Tea.

The host is always really nice. A few months back he pointed out my dimple and told me that I had to keep smiling. This time around, I discovered he ALSO has a dimple... that's a photo opportunity right there, fo' sho'.

I'm one of the SA-16 representatives for the Volunteer Support Network. VSN is responsible for providing a listening ear and support for volunteers in country (we now have volunteers from 4 different groups- SA-16 to SA-19, 20 will be arriving in July), in addition to advocating for more attention to be focused on the mental health of Peace Corps Volunteers. It's been a really good group of people to work with. This is our whole group as of May 2009.

And this is the 2008-2009 Moetladimo Gang! Christy, me, Nick, and Zana... these are my closest volunteers and some of the best people I know to talk to and walk to the post office with.
Three very special things happened while in Pretoria this last time:
1)Melissa, the PC-SA Medical Officer, threw a braai at her house after our VSN meeting. There were enough volunteers in town for trainings, conferences, and medical appointments that I'm sure there were easily 50 volunteers there all at once. It was really nice to have a chance to all be together in a relaxed environment with GOOD FOOD.
2)While in PC transport to the bank and to medical appointments the new driver, Madala, pointed out the window and said, "There's Zuma." AND THERE WAS JACOB ZUMA, THE NEW PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA. He was sitting in the backseat of a Mercedes Benz catching up on the headlines in The Daily Sun (which is the only paper offered in Metz and close enough to a tabloid).
3)I spent a lovely evening talking and spending time with Ronda, Justin, and Abby before they headed on a plane back to 'Merica.

It Is Nice To See You So Happy, Mmapula

2009-05-27T19:57:00.006+02:00

Dinamune (Jan), Kori, and Kenny (a regular Peace Corps driver)
While I was sitting at my "desk" in Kodumela this morning, while I was thinking out the longest To Do list ever, while I was trying to figure out how I should go about making a plan for my last 3 months in country, I heard a noise and looked up to see Kori, (my APCD-Associate Peace Corps Director- who is basically my direct supervisor on the Peace Corps side of things) and Jan (PA-Program Assistant) walk through the door. Whoa. It was quite a surprise. Site visit! They had driven to Limpopo from Pretoria yesterday and were traveling through my area to check in and see how things were going. As much as I could have been a little nervous... things went really well. Kori talked to Ledile about my work and how things were going with me around, Jan and I sat and talked about how were things were going from my perspective, and then we all met up and talked for a good hour and a half. I was asked a series of questions... how are things going with the other office? Are you doing okay with going from very little work to a lot all at once? How are you feeling about working with Kodumela? Do people treat you well, are you welcomed, is the work load something you can handle and filled with things you're interested in working on? After taking their photo and hugging them bye...Kori turned to me and said, "It is nice to see you so happy. I'm glad things really worked out for you." I am happy. I love my work. I love the people I work with. I love that after so many struggles, so many tries with my first organization, I am ending my service on such a high note, things are working out, and I am finishing with grace (that goes out to you, Judge).

16 May 2009 The D. The J.

2009-05-26T19:17:00.003+02:00

So, two very good friends of mine, from back home in Austin, got married a little over a week ago... 16 May 2009 to be precise (hence the title). They got married in the evening, in their backyard, surrounded by family and friends, and let me tell ya', I wish I could have been there. I'm still working on the whole trying to be two places at once idea... still no leads.. but I'm still working.
While I was in Pretoria, I went searching for the most perfect "congratulations on your wedding!" card I could find.... and my search ended with that lady up there.
Mmapula: Excuse me? I was wondering if you speak Afrikaans?
CNA Employee: I do... don't you?
M: No, I don't... I was wondering if you could help me.
CE: Yes, yes, what is it you need?
M: Weeeeellllll, I'm looking for a card, for a wedding, that's in Afrikaans and I can't read any of the words.. can you point me in the right direction?
CE: Yes... they're all right here... (and she pointed at specific words like "bruid" and "bruidegom" so I could just search for those).
M: Thanks for your help!
later on...
M: Um, excuse me again? I was wondering if you could help me translate the card I picked out. See it's pink and flowery and has all this fancy writing.. its gotta say something good, right? Can you translate the inside so I can write that for my friends so they'll understand what I'm trying to tell them?
CE: Your friends don't know Afrikaans?
M: Uh, no.
CE: Why are you sending them such a card?
M: I was looking for one in Sotho, but it looks like your store is lacking in that area. I'm not even sure wedding cards in Sotho are even made.
CE: Oh! Yes, yes, I will help you.
So, for about 10 minutes we walked around the store. My new friend was translating, I was trying to keep up with her and remember the gist of everything, and then another customer, a little old lady who couldn't see very well, was following us trying to get some help.
The result? The translation went a little something like this: "It says, good wishes, um, I don't know that word, happy, love, you, life, hands, and lots of other words that sound really nice and exactly like what you would say to some people you know who are getting married."
Uh, thanks.
And I ended up helping the little old lady find the items on her shopping list.
Because the whole event... and it was an event... was so classic, so something that would happen, I asked if she would pose for a photo.
M: My friends in America will LOVE this!
When I went to print photos later on I printed her a copy and delivered it to CNA before catching a movie. She teared up and thanked me profusely... dragged me to meet her manager and to show him her photo..... totally worth a card in Afrikaans that I can't understand...
Happy Wedding Dominique and Jack! Love you guys and please know I was with you in spirit!

Besides Hot Chocolate, What Else Is Good About Winter? Um, Avos. Yum.

2009-05-25T19:08:00.008+02:00

Tonight MmaDiapo gave me a treat... she had just come from her farm with avocados she'd picked. These are all from the second crop this season. The first crop was, according to her, "very, very wonderful". These aren't as big, but they're sooooooo good. Had one for supper in fact.

They're all bagged up so they can ripen. She's using a mealie meal bag to keep them in the dark.

Her harvest from one tree.

The big one is from her farm and the smaller one is from town.

Huge!

Memorial Day That Side... This Side? It's Monday.

2009-05-25T18:41:00.007+02:00

I was awake at 6:30 this morning, but I didn't find my way out of bed until closer to 8. It's the way it goes... it's Monday... it's the first day back after almost 3 full weeks away... I took my sweet time. I took a bath. I washed my hair. I read a chapter in the last Twilight book... I took care of all my priorities.
When I got to Kodumela the whole office was quiet, nothing really going on. After talking to Maite for a few minutes, getting the scoop on how everything was going in the office: Mphoyane had her baby boy, they're starting to make ID's for all the sponsored kids, the internet wasn't connecting on her computer, I settled down at an empty corner desk and took care of some Peace Corps paperwork. The day was slow, but really good. Every time someone passed the door of the office Maite would yell, "This is OUR office! Mmapula has moved in! You can find her here from now on." And every time she left the office she would say, "Mmapula I am not leaving you, I am coming now now." (Which means she'll be back very soon). We had tea and half a loaf of white bread at the morning tea time and then at 3, for afternoon tea, we split a 1.5 liter bottle of Fanta Grape and the rest of the loaf with Collins (he spells it this way, but calls himself Collin). Collins said, "Mmapula, I have no problem with you possessing the ownership of this yellow room", and I was so happy... I'll be there tomorrow.
Maite and Collins. We laugh a lot.

Check out these poses!

On my walk home I ran into Salome from Madeira (a village down the road just past the hospital). She was carrying home all the freshly ground mealie meal she got processed at Kodumela.

And just as I was about to cross the tar road to home, I ran into Lerato (the far left) and her friends carrying empty cans from the shebeen home.

The Ode

2009-05-24T14:13:00.006+02:00

A little over a week ago Wisconsin got one of its cheese lovers back and one of my favorite people/ Peace Corps Volunteers. Dear Abby. I am really going to miss daily SMSes, phone calls with no worries over airtime, finding quiet places to have pow wows, laughing hysterically, talking about how much we're not alike, but how much we love each other all the same, vintage cheddar and good bread, traveling and letting our bags explode all over whatever room we were sharing, hours and hours of public transport with a great companion, talking about life. Barberton was lucky to have you. South Africa and Peace Corps were lucky to have you. I am lucky to have you.

In class we learned how our ancestors turned on lights, they didn't use matches Mmapula!

2009-05-24T12:51:00.006+02:00

MmaDiapo sifting rubbish out of freshly ground mealie meal.

After being on a taxi all day, struggling with all my bags at ShopRite when I stopped to get some groceries (um, of course the lady at the parcel check remembered me, who shows up with a big backpack and another bag to check? A Peace Corps Volunteer), and taking one of the last seats on the taxi to Metz, I had a big grin on my face when I opened the gate to my house. MmaDiapo was catching me up on all the news, funerals, travels, and how her farm was doing. Maite, Lethabo, and Karabo all ran over to welcome me back. Phenyo waved at me from the road and promised to stop by the next day.
When I was on the way to the post office, I heard feet running up behind me, and a few seconds later a little girl named Mokgadi slowed up beside me. We exchanged greetings, she asked my name, I asked hers, she asked where I was going, she walked me to the corner where she turned off. She turned off and two boys pushing a homemade wire car pulled up beside me, That car is beautiful! Did you make it? Yes? Wow! You have such talent! And they smiled big grins and offered it up to me.
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind, so many changes, so much information, so many goodbyes, some good bonding time.... lots of good. I went to Pretoria for a few days for some orthodontist appointments and a Volunteer Support Network (VSN) meeting. SA-16 Peace Corps South Africa CHOP/SCRP (NGO and EDU) groups spent a few days at our Close of Service (COS) Conference. I said goodbye to a few of my dear friends out of our NGO group (does that ever get easier?!). I got to visit Ga-Seleka, village home to Thato and Boipelo Seleka (aka Paul and Jess). Then to finish off the whole trip, I spent a few more days in Pretoria... back to the orthodontist, a meeting with good ol Melissa-PCMO (medical officer), and some movie watching.
It's good to be back. I feel more on my feet... it's nice to have my stuff around me, clean clothes (and "easy" access.. hahahaha... if buckets count..to clothes washing), I can blog again, I have a ton of books to read, I don't have to take taxis anywhere for a while!!!!, I need to start on all the stuff that needs to be finished by September, and after a couple of weeks of so many things being thrown at us about leaving, transitions, goodbyes, reports, service descriptions, friendships, rules, options, choices, and plans... the village feels normal... I feel more at ease. I'm soaking it all in, taking still shots of village happenin's with my memory. Is this because the end is near? Everything becomes rosy at the beginnings and ends of change? Because the end is near, I'm finally letting go a little more, focusing on things I want to remember?
A few nights ago, I think it was the last night I was in Pretoria (I had a dorm room all to myself and was really enjoying all the Twilight books), I had this very vivid dream that's stuck with me. I was sitting at the end of a very long table full of familiar faces. Conversation was flowing, people were chattering, there was lots of arm flailing and laughing. The whole dream I was sitting and watching, big smile on my face, taking in all that was going on around me. I was quiet, don't think I said a word, but was perfectly content watching all the action. For the last couple days I've gone back to that dream more than a few times. It shows two things I've been trying to put into words (for myself) for a few months now.... still not sure I can describe them well enough... but I have time to work on them, tweak their descriptions. Two important things all the same though. 1)I am very much looking forward to sitting and just talking, watching, and laughing with people I've sorely missed over the last couple of years.... and in the same breath I can say that it's going to be very hard to leave behind people I've gotten to know and love here. 2)There is no way I can put all of this into words... no accurate description. I used to think that I could explain it and if people didn't get it... THEY weren't trying hard enough, but now I KNOW it's that I'll never, ever be able to put the magnitude of all my experiences, heartache, loves, laughs, frustrations, and things that make me shake my head, into words. There's no way. Too many details make up each day, make up the adventure, make up life in general...In January I starting posting more pictures on my blog. Part of the reasoning for that was that I was tired of focusing on all the emotional parts of this and it was going to be easier on me if I just tried to focus on other aspects of my service. (and with a few entries, I just wanted to tell myself to stuff a sock in it). And then part of it was that I felt I was losing a grip on words. My English isn't that great... I've been a little out of practice... and my Sotho is less than desirable... but I mean descriptive words. How do I talk about Mokgadi? How I smiled to myself and welcomed her company on my walk? How do I put into words the immense gratitude I feel towards MmaDiapo? Rejoice? Maite? Phenyo? John and Mary? SA-16? Maite? Ledile? Thato? Mama Mable? Or how I'm pretty sad that 3 of my good friends from this experience left to go back to 'Merica a week ago? Or how tight I've become with the people who work at the Metz post office because they're not from around here either? Or how striking it was to see the movie Milk (really moving and I highly recommend a viewing) and then walk through the streets of Pretoria... greeting people who would avert their eyes when they passed me, greeting people who seemed shocked that I would acknowledge their presence, passing wall after wall after fence after big gate after extra security measures of razor wire and codes while I'm looking over my shoulder and slightly paranoid? Pictures help me remember all the little details I don't want to lose... all those words I can't come up with... and they help give a little glimpse into all of this... this being South Africa... Metz... the Phokungwanes... Kodumela ADP.... taxis.... cities/towns...travels... me... geez, and so much more.

The Peg. The Rich. The Mom. The Dad. The MmaMmapula. The Mpho. The South Africa.

2009-05-03T19:29:00.020+02:00

In true Owen/Hair Family fashion... when I say I'm going to do something... I'm going to do it. It might take me awhile to get around to it, I might think a little too hard about it, but it will get done. And when it gets done, man, more often times than not, it turns out pretty OK. A letter, a present, and in this case... a blog post.
I am lucky. I'm not sure how to put that in more words... not sure how to string them all together and have them make sense, relay all that I'm trying to say. SO... I'll say it again. I got lucky. I am lucky. Something out there was looking out for me and I was born into a pretty great life. I've had options and opportunities. I've always managed to live in an environment where I could feel love and know what it's like to love and be loved. I've seen things that have blown my mind and have left me hungry for more. I've heard things that have made my heart sing... and at times it has hurt. This whole experience has been incredibly challenging (that's the word we're using at the moment). We all know this. It's been challenging, but.. but... but.....
I have things to make it a little easier, to soothe me. I have friends and family who send me packages and letters and text messages and emails. I have people who call to check in. I have a great support system here when it comes to all my PCV friends (damn, you guys are amazing). I have a pretty cool African family that loves and cares about me. I know I'm strong, I can do this, I have done this. It's good. There are rough patches and there are low points, but I always try to bring myself back to the center... right where I can look out and see all these comforts and loves.
This goes out to my parents... Rich and Peg. Mpho and MmaMmapula. The Owen's. They have given me a good life and I can only hope that I can pass on to others all that I've learned from them. I love you guys! Thank you for being right beside me through this whole experience.
The Journey to South Africa, when my parents came to visit.
(This was a HUGE trip... these are just some highlights)

In Metz Village:
We danced.
We washed.
We walked.
We talked with the neighbors.
The Mamas met each other.

We went to the office....
We took the office on a field trip...
To Blyde River Canyon
in the taxi to the Potholes
and to a fancy traditional lunch....
where the waitstaff and the chef wanted to get in the picture, too.

We went to Gopane and met my first African Family....
We went to Kruger, we toured Soweto, we visited a traditional Tsonga embroidery warehouse, we ate dinner with John and Mary, we ate at Wimpy, we locked the keys in the boot of the car, we ate Malva Pudding with custard, we laughed a lot, we got frustrated with the maps and the signs on the roads not matching, we tasted some wine, we tasted some cheese, we went to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, we visited the Cape Town Botanical Gardens THREE times and drank tea and ate scones,
and had chai tea and scones at a Tibetan teahouse, we stayed in backpackers, in flats, some pretty sketchy motels....
And some way fancy places (where we washed our clothes in the bathtub and hung them to dry on the balcony)

These people rock.

The Doctor Is In

2009-05-02T20:10:00.002+02:00

After a lovely tour around Makotse and then a nice lunch at Galito's (a chain chicken place) in the Lebowakgomo taxi rank, Keri and I were off again. That night's stop? BDTJF, aka Beautiful Downtown Jane Furse, home to Tom from Lincoln, Nebraska, who is working on his second tour with Peace Corps. BDTJF is quite the happenin' place... lots of activity, lots of people, lots of taxis, and they just got a new Barcelo's (a chain chicken restaurant).
Good ol' Tom. What a fantastic host! We got a brief tour of his office, met all of his coworkers, and spent a nice evening talking, making supper, and catching up on our TV watching. It was really good to see his site, home, and office... nice to get a chance to talk to him and find out more about his life before Peace Corps.
Here's Tom at his desk in the room he managed to clear out and make into an office.
And here we are, posing and squinting in the sun, in front of his NGO's sign.
And, yes, our wonderful host provided us with a pretty wonderful, relaxing evening. Here we are in front of the TV chowin' down on baked beans, grilled cheese, salad, and corn on the cob!
Thanks for being such a good host, for always making me laugh, "getting it", working hard and making it through your service with grace, Kamogelo.. you, too, have made forever made a difference in your community and have had a profound affect on me.

Those Peanuts.

2009-05-02T19:51:00.002+02:00

Today Zana came over and we shelled all these peanuts MmaDiapo had brought from her farm. Stick them in the ol FuchsWare oven, with both the bake and grill switches turned on, and wait a few minutes. Soon I was chompin' on some hot roasted peanuts and preachin' to Maite that the only way to go was straight from the farm foods. So good. This goes for mealies and sweet potatoes and green beans, too.

Ronda and Her Good Job

2009-05-01T09:22:00.011+02:00

That title up there sounds like the title of a children's book... and I'd like to think a children's book with such a title would be all about adventure. Here's a little story about the day Keri and I went to visit Ronda.
First off, I have to say.. when I think of Ronda... I think of taking a big red crayon and drawing a big red heart around her. Right before I left Austin, I realized that certain people represent calm for me.... they represent a place for me to go, to sit, when I need to hash out the not so good, and celebrate the highs. My PCV friends are calms for me. And Ronda is one of my good PCV friends. I'm so glad I got to see her home and work before we all start finishing up our time here.
Ronda lives in Makotse village just south of Polokwane and just down the road from the town of Lebowakgomo. Keri and I left Makhado (Louis Trichardt) in the morning, stopped at Wimpy to get takeaway coffee, and then drove south. Our first stop was at one of the Polokwane taxi ranks. Yeah, yeah, it sounds crazy... it was crazy... but that taxi rank was where we found two very important things we were in search of... 1)traditional material for the African quilt I'm making when I get home and some for skirts MmaDiapo is making me... and 2)Cool Time, the icy, sweet, sweet, plastic bag full of frozen Guava flavored goodness. This taxi rank was Keri's stompin' ground when she was at one of her 5 sites.... so she's an old hand at tracking down some Cool Time.
Keri with her Cool Time.
We drove into Ronda's village around 4 and met her on the road. After unpacking our car we spent the next several hours before bedtime catching up, telling stories, laughing, drinking wine, and eating the yummy coconut curry she treated us to for supper. Here's Ronda with her house. The whole building used to be the office her organization was in, but they have since moved. The house is still divided, with partitions, the way it was when it was an office so Ronda has rooms for everything she needs. There's a kitchen, her bedroom, the living area, a storage room, and a wash room... complete with buckets and the "shower" she's rigged up for herself.
And like a lot of volunteers, when it's night and you've locked everything up... if you need to pee you just rely on the chamber pot. At Ronda's that was an option, but when it's light, you can make your way through the maze of mealies to her pit toilet. The door is wired shut, so when I went to pee, and tried to unwire it and not have the whole door fall off, I wasn't too smooth. I ended up peeing with the door open. Not so bad... a nice view AND no one can see you through the forest of mealie stalks.
This is a project Ronda has been working on during her time at Makotse Women's Club. Hydroponics. A couple thousand tomato plants in their own pots set up so that they'll eventually grow up and over lines that have been strung up above them. Here's Ronda with Mac and Spencer the two guys overseeing the gardening aspect of it all. Very impressive! When the plants start producing the project will become an income generating activity for the Women's Club... they would like to eventually have contracts with ShopRite or other big stores.
When Ronda was giving us a tour of the hydroponics project we passed by some of the carers that work for her organization. They all wanted a photo... so we all took a photo.
And here we are in front of Ronda's office, the Makotse Women's Club of Makotse, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Good Job, Ronda! I'm proud of you and I know you have forever made a difference in your community.

Musina, Musina

2009-04-30T08:55:00.002+02:00

Back in December, when it seems that Zimbabwe was at the height of the Cholera outbreak, a good number of aid agencies and organizations from South Africa and the world set up information/aid stations and tables at the showgrounds on the edge of town. Fast forward to a few months later when the South African government kicked them all out citing unsafe conditions. When Keri and I drove by the showgrounds, I only saw one tent up.. the one belonging to Doctors Without Borders. According to some friends I've made who have come to South Africa from Zim, things are starting to look up there... even if it's just a little bit. When we were in Musina, we didn't have to look hard to find evidence of what was going on.
There are still big trucks driving the N1 and delivering needed supplies into the country.
People near the border crossing (we didn't get that close), selling water.
And a billboard we passed asking people to think about their neighbors.
*Keri and I also visited the IOM (International Office of Migration) office in Musina.... we just wanted to check the place out since we had heard a lot of good things about it from Abby who was networking closely with them. We stayed only a few minutes, but that was enough time for the woman we talked to mention she was heading to Tzaneen within the next week to check places that were capable of building pit latrines. Turns out they needed toilets for a lot of the farms in the area that were employing migrants from Zimbabwe. I quickly handed over the card in my wallet that I had for Tsogang, John and Mary's organization. One week later, over tea in Tzaneen, John thanked me, told me that they had written up a proposal for the job with IOM and they were in the final stages of closing the deal. NETWORKING! It WORKS!

Oh Baobab, Baobab, Where You Be?

2009-04-29T08:17:00.003+02:00

We had no set plans for the day we were spending in the Makhado area. Since we had a car and were so close to Musina and the border of South Africa and Zimbabwe, we decided to drive north and see where the day took us. All along the N1 (the toll road between the two towns) we counted baobab trees and tried to find our favorites. Oh the Baobab. They're beautiful. Stunning, actually, and, along with the Acacia Tree, many people associate them with Africa. According to an African legend, after creation each animal was given a tree to plant and the hyena planted the Baobab upside down. And then Rafiki, from The Lion King, made his home in a Baobab. Limpopo Province (what, what!) is home to one of the largest Baobabs on record... with it's average diameter being a whopping 50ft. (Thank you Wikipedia). And one more little fact, Baobabs store water (thousands and thousands of gallons) in their trunks to survive drought like conditions where they tend to be found.

Here's a Baobab about 45 minutes from Metz. See how much bigger it is in comparison to the tree on its right?

And here I am with My Schilling Stallions' shirt showing just how wide one of the bigger Baobabs we saw on our way to Musina was.

Buzzard Mountain What What

2009-04-28T18:40:00.000+02:00

One thing that's always fun about traveling with other volunteers is the way your days turn out. There's never really a set plan that runs parallel to set expectations... you wing it. Seeing new things is fun, adventurous, and exciting, but the most fun, adventurous, and exciting part about each day is being free, being able to decide where you go, what you will see, how long it will take you to get there, how you will get there, and what food you can eat along the way. After driving through the Enchanted/Sacred/Holy Forest and having such a good time with Patrick and his family, Keri and I drove onto Makhado (aka Louis Trichardt) to spend the night in a cottage on the side of a mountain. One thing about using the internet or guidebooks to make your reservations and help you find lodging in your price range, is that you never know what you're going to get. The Buzzard Mountain Retreat was a functioning farm that also had multiple cottages for rental all up the side of the mountain. Since we were driving a Chico (no powering steering, and most certainly no 4w drive!), we stayed in the cottage closest to the main road... and that cottage was still 2km up the mountain.
The road leading up to the ol homestead.
On our first night, we showed up after dark and tapped into our provisions when it came to supper.
Our cute, little, REMOTE, cottage. All the electricity was run on the power of a car battery, the water heater was heated by a pile of wood, and although it was big enough for us to each have our own room and bed, we ended up sleeping in the same bed night two after being spooked.
Our second night, after driving all the way up to Musina and checking out baobabs along the road during the day, was quite a vacation fun time. We built up a fire in the braai pit... roasted marshmallows, made s'mores, and drank ciders/beer while the sun settled behind the Soutpansbergs for the night.

Happy Freedom Day!

2009-04-27T20:27:00.004+02:00

Freedom Day is the South African public holiday that commemorates the first post-apartheid elections held on 27 April 1994; a day in which every person of voting age (18 and older) and from any race group could cast a ballot for their choice of candidate.
I spent the morning hanging out with my family, playing with the kids, and trying on one of the traditional skirts MmaDiapo is making me (beautiful!!!). In the afternoon, Nick came over and hung out. We talked, walked to the post office, and sat with everyone outside, in the shade, ate grapefruits, and learned how to pop kernels off of mealie cobs so that the kernels can, eventually, be taken to the grinder at Kodumela.
Then, for supper, I made myself some pancakes... they turned out really well and I'll get to eat some for breakfast in the morning.

That Fine Weekend in April

2009-04-26T20:56:00.003+02:00

I love hanging out with Jaceson and Jenny... we always have adventures. After Keri and I visited a couple volunteers at their sites over holiday, I realized that I was,very much, due for a visit to Nkowankowa and Jaceson and Jenny's site. On Friday morning I set out to town to meet up with Christy and Zana for coffee, stopped by John and Mary's office for a visit, and then, after a lunch of pizza, I ran into Jaceson at the taxi heading out to their place. Lots of talking, some music swapping, a lovely hike in the mountains, chips and salsa, macaroni and cheese, laughing, and even an episode of Cold Case on TV... a very relaxing weekend all around.

One of the many forests we walked through. Jaceson and Jenny my trail guides.

Our destination was Bob's River, all the way down the side of the mountain we were on. Bob's River was pretty cold, but felt so good. We spent a couple hours sitting on some rocks taking in the waterfalls, eating sandwiches, and watching Jaceson swim.

The view from the top of the mountain and where the trail started. Isn't it beautiful? You can see farms that stretch for miles.

It Makes the World Smaller

2009-04-23T07:48:00.005+02:00

I got an SMS from Nick last night that said he was glad I was working with new people and will leave with good memories and experiences. How right he is. After all those months and months and months of trying and working to come to some sort of resolution within myself and within the organization I worked with, it really was time for me to leave. Time for me to leave and it was the right time, for me, to leave. Since I've separated myself and have had to deal with the political and emotional backlash, it's been nice "recovering" in a place where I feel totally accepted, free, loved, heard, and of use. I put up with certain things for a looooong time. With all that being said, there are definitely times where I wonder what good I'm doing here, or really what they could need me for. It's silly, it is. I know. This is a job and clearly that's thinking a lot about the experience. It's just there are times I feel as though I've learned WAY more than I've given back to the people I've come into contact with, people I've worked with and strangers alike. Then days like yesterday happen and I'm sent reeling... things become very clear and focused. It's emotional for sure... on so many levels.
For the last few days, a group of visitors from the UK has been touring around the area checking out some of the projects Kodumela has done in local villages. All these visitors are connected to two organizations.... WorldVision UK that partially funds Kodumela's activities (have you seen the sponsor a child commercials? Yep, they're one international organization that has such a program) and CHOKO (people from the village of Chosley in the UK who have started a "community linking" project with Kodumela. CHO=Chosley, KO=Kodumela). It's been a fun few days and I'm glad I've gotten to tag along and see everything. CHOKO has raised some money in their community and sent it to Kodumela to help build up the community here, communities helping communities... what a beautiful concept. We visited the site of a disabled center that is in the process of being built with CHOKO money and saw the new football kits (soccer uniforms) that a team in Enable just received with some of the funds. Then yesterday morning, after some people had gone to vote and although it was a national holiday, a small group of us met up at Kodumela. Some of the CHOKO/WorldVision representatives were going on home visits to meet kids (and their families) they have been sponsoring through the WorldVision program. This is where the emotional stuff comes in. What an experience! I was in a group that Maite (she oversees the sponsorship program at Kodumela) and Solomon (he's a development worker who works in the Turkey villages, he knows the kids and families we were going to see) were taking into Turkey 4, 3, and 2. We were visiting 3 families and had 3 sets of sponsors with us. I watched as sponsors got excited, nervous, and "wobbly" right before they were going to meet up with the children they had written to and seen pictures of. I watched one woman comment on how much the children had grown since her last visit a little over a year ago. I saw the families' eyes grow big when boxes of provisions (mealie meal, sugar, salt, pilchards, baked beans, macaroni) were brought in their yards and presented to them. I saw kids be shy at first and then open up a little the longer they sat with their friends. I saw their eyes light up when they received gifts. I watched as the sponsors asked questions and greeted everyone formally and with respect, standing up and shaking hands, thanking the families for allowing them to visit. It was pretty incredible. According to Maite, the Kodumela office oversees the sponsorships of 4,391 children...3,065 of those are sponsored by people in the UK, 1,326 are from here in South Africa. Those 4,391 children are from Metz, Turkey 1, Turkey 2, Turkey 3, Turkey 4, Enable, Worcester, Butswana, Moshate, Sofaya, and Madeira villages.
This is Anjie from CHOKO with her sponsor child, Saul, and his family. Maite played translator. Saul was really shy and reserved when we first met up with him. A couple hours after we had left their house, we needed to go back for some forgotten things, and Anjie said he smiled when he saw her and showed her how he could play with the yo-yo she had brought him.
This is Tony and Celia's visit with Dennis and his family. They presented him with his very own football and kit! (He looks very smart doesn't he?)
When we got back to Kodumela, I overheard a woman thanking Ledile for such an experience. She said she wasn't sure how to find the words, but that it was such a special experience for her to see the child she's been writing to for awhile now. She kept waving in the air and gesturing, trying to find the words to describe all the feelings she was having... and then she just smiled and said, "It just makes the world smaller, you know?" I was sitting under the Acacia tree watching their conversation and I nodded in agreement. I do know. Two parts of the world were brought together... people supporting each other, caring about each other, and becoming a sort of family.... and I was lucky to be there to see it.

The Election This Side

2009-04-22T18:45:00.003+02:00

When you have cast your ballot you get a mark on your thumbnail with a permanent marker.
The last few days have been crazy here in the village. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights the shebeen was blasting traditional music on repeat with car hooters (horns) hooting (honking) to the beat.... all in celebration of different political parties' closing rallies. Yesterday, while we were delivering mealie meal to some drop in centers, Letebele (the driver for Kodumela) honked the horn and he and Rejoice rolled down their windows and hollered out of the bakkie. Whooping it up for their party. Then today... a national holiday and, the oh so important, Election Day... when I emerged from my room to walk to Kodumela, there was silence. No one was out, there was no whooping, there were hardly any people out and about. Where was everyone? Everyone was voting! Yes. Voting stations are open until 9 and I think it might take a little while before all the votes are counted... so we'll have to wait for a results. It was pretty cool to be in South Africa during the 4th democratic elections.

It's (maybe) Really Time for the Hot Chocolate!

2009-04-21T19:08:00.013+02:00

It's chilly! For the past couple weeks it has been getting lighter and lighter, earlier and earlier...the sun has set by 6:15 the last week or so. This morning I wore a scarf, short sleeved shirt, jeans, and shoes, not flip flops, to work and was cold all day... should have brought my jacket. It's a nice 70 degrees in my room right now and I think tonight I'm going to use an extra blanket while I sleep.
Besides busting out extra clothes, people in Metz have been busy preparing for Winter for a couple of months now. Mealies have been harvested, morogo has been cooked and then dried, and all the blankets and duvets in the house have been washed.
MmaDiapo has been cooking up a storm in order to have some food ready for the upcoming months. She picks the morogo (leaves of various vegetable plants... pumpkin, green beans, etc.) at her farm, packs it in a bag to carry home, and then spends a few hours every afternoon cooking in a 3 legged pot over the fire. People prepare it all different ways... it's all a matter of taste... MmaDiapo prefers a simple recipe of onions and some spices. Once the leaves have been cooked down and are the consistency of steamed spinach, they are scooped out of the pot onto a big piece of tin (the same kind used for my roof!) to dry in the sun. When it's all dry, it's stored in big mealie meal bags to use when Winter comes. In order to cook the dried version, you just add water to it and cook until it's back to what it looked like when you first cooked it down.
Woo! Then there are the mealies. Here they are drying in the sun in the yard. Once dried they will be used for chicken feed and ground into mealie meal for the coming months... until it's time for mealies to grow again in the Summer.
Here's the grindstone my family used to use when it was time to make meal. They'd sit under the guava tree and grind the mealies into a fine powder. But, like a lot of things, some people in the village are moving away from (some) traditional ways. A few months ago Kodumela was able to purchase a new grinding machine, bigger and faster, with money they had made with their old one.
And here's Danny working the machine. All the mealie kernels he's pushing through are going to become samp (sort of like hominy ), the bag directly underneath him is catching all the kernels, the bag to the left and in front is to catch all the chaff. The other side of the machine grinds the kernels even finer, into meal, and the chaff is collected in the same place. On any given day, this guy is covered from head to toe in white dust.... just yesterday they started wearing masks. When I hang around them long enough, the dust and smell very much bring me back to working rice harvest in Gueydan (What, What Gueydan, LA!). Hard work for sure... but there's something to be said for having a part in your meal and where it's all coming from.

This is What Makes Work Fun

2009-04-20T20:42:00.005+02:00

I'm really tired so posting about the grand ol vacation will have to resume tomorrow after work. I got home a little while ago after spending 10 hours trying to get some fruit and vegetables in town for all the drop in centers. It was quite the fiasco. This morning, after getting checks signed and turning in a check request, we got a ride to town from a woman who was visiting Kodumela. When we got to the bank to cash the check, the check wasn't filled out correctly, so we couldn't get any money (one thing that's hard about relying on public transport and living an hour from town). We hiked up the hill to John and Mary's office to pick up some receipts that I had asked for, picked up some popcorn and two ice cream bars along the way, then hiked back down to the taxi rank to catch a taxi going to Metz. We got back to the office, got a new check filled out, and then headed back out to the road to find a ride (hoping it wouldn't be too hard considering it was after 2). With the help of Aubrey (a taxi driver) and Rufus (a teacher leaving the high school he works at in Lorraine and heading home to Lenyenye) we made it back to the bank with a few minutes to spare and were able to cash the check before they closed. We met up with Polivia and another woman from the office and walked to pick up some Jik Bleach (used by carers for water treatment at patients' homes). The four of us carried 5 boxes from the pharmacy across town to the Fruit&Veg. Rejoice and I carrying our boxes in our hands, Polivia and the other woman walking with them on their heads. At Fruit&Veg we managed to buy enough butternut, cabbage, potatoes, and onions for the 7 drop in centers to serve one veggie a meal to the kids for the rest of this month. We piled all of the food into the back and Selo (who seems to be our regular driver for food purchasing) drove us to each center to drop everything off. Here is what we looked like in the Fruit&Veg parking lot... the parking attendant guy even wanted to jump in.

And now it's time for Rooibos, my book, and my bed. This is Metz Village signing off.

You Come Here to Cleanse Your Eyes in the Beauty

2009-04-19T09:15:00.012+02:00

That's what our new friend Patrick said when he was giving us a tour of the tea estate he works on... man was he right.
{The posting extravaganza plan is still on... we just had a slight hiccup yesterday when the electricity was out from 10-3:30. Man, was it hot. The sun usually does all its good baking right around then. So, I didn't get to put up posts (Crispin, the ol Apple, has a dead battery and must be plugged in in order to run}
After leaving the all you can eat breakfast we drove West towards the Soutpansberg Mountains and Makhado (Louis Trichardt) where we were staying the night. Beautiful winding roads, red, red dirt, and just a feeling of being a little more rural and remote than in other places I've traveled to. We turned on to the wrong road in town and ended up seeing a good section of said road, repeatedly, while we tried to find which dirt road off to the side would connect us to the other tar road to the north that we wanted to use. After driving through a village and hoping we wouldn't run out of petrol, we made it to the tar road, and just around the corner, to a petrol station as well. Because we were on an adventure, after filling up, we turned up a tar road by the station that seemed to lead right into a huge tea estate. We thought maybe we could get a tour, at the very least, an amazing view from up high, of the valley below. So we drove. We had only gone 2km before we passed a man, a woman, and a small girl walking up the hill with grocery bags, a big jug of cooking oil, and huge bags of flour (that the woman was carrying on her head). We offered them a ride up to the top.
Meet Patrick, his wife Koni, and their daughter, Winfrey. This is a true story of how you're never quite sure what you will see and what will happen in your day. How some people are truly kind.
It turns out that they were a family living and working on the tea estate. Patrick used to pick out in the fields, but was promoted to an office/administrative position, Winfrey goes to creche on site, and Koni wakes up every morning at 3 to start cooking fat cakes (fried dough, like a funnel cake or beignet) to sell to people as they head to work in the fields. They were just coming back from buying fat cake supplies for the coming week. We drove them to the top of the mountain and then back into the staff area so they could drop off their stuff. After snapping a family photo, Patrick offered to take us around and show us some of the local sites. We spent the next couple of hours driving through the estate hearing all about the tea production process and all about his life. In one breath he would talk about what leaves are to be picked off of a tea plant and then shift into stories about his childhood, growing up half coloured and half Venda, never feeling like he was accepted anywhere. He hasn't seen his mother since he was very young and Koni's family always treated him as a son. His hope is to save enough money to one day build a house for Koni and Winfrey and have a place for his mother to come stay when she decides to come back to him. He also kept mentioning that we were the first white people Winfrey didn't seem to be scared of. She was fascinated by our hair and spent a good amount of the time we were with them taking us all in.
We drove down the tar road to Phiphidi Falls and took Winfrey on her first tour of the waterfall. There was a "bridge" made of several smallish logs that you had to cross in order to get a good view. Patrick told Winfrey to sit on a rock and wait for us while we, shakily, crossed over the river to get to another piece of land. After we had taken photos and soaked up the view, I started waving at Winfrey... jumped up and down a few times.. and yelled "Hi Winfrey! We're coming!". She started to cry. "In our culture, Mmapula, when you wave in such a way, it means you are saying goodbye, you are leaving." Oh, Winfrey, Winfrey, we're coming! I'm sorry! And she cried and howled until we crossed, shakily, over the "bridge" once again and her dad was able to pick her up. (in the photo, all the way to the left, is a pink dot otherwise known as Winfrey)
In all the guidebooks two things are mentioned as must sees.. Lake Fundudzi and the Sacred/Holy/Enchanted Forest (it has a few names). So we went. We, of course, passed the turn off the first time, but found it when we back tracked (which really has now just become a rule for me when driving in SA). The road up to the lake view and to drive through the forest was about 30km long, one way, potholey, covered in ruts because of recent rains, and lined with huge patches of clearcut forest... cause all the land seems to be owned by logging and paper companies. (The only people we saw on the road were workers heading back to work after the weekend).
The Sacred Forest is a little bit of land that has been preserved in the area.. nothing can be cut or tampered with, it is protected. So after many kilometers of driving through ravaged land, all the sudden (but not really, cause you take a few wrong turns along the way and it's one big maze) you find yourself at the entrance of a jungley looking forest that has been saved from all this clear cutting because of its importance to the ancestors and spirits of a local tribe. From one side to the other the drive through takes less than 10 minutes. It was a nice break before we were plunged back into the sun and fairly barren landscape.
Then it was off to the view of Lake Fundudzi. The lake is considered a sacred site, as it is believed that its water came from the great sea that once covered the earth before land was created. It's also one of the only natural, freshwater lakes in South Africa. Since guests aren't allowed to visit the lake without permission from the Netshiavha tribe, we figured it was best to just see it from above. According to tradition, when seeing the lake you must view it with proper respect... which means turning your back to it, bending over, and viewing it from between your legs. So throwing all feelings of looking silly out the window, that's what we did.

On our way back down to the main road to Makhado we met a couple obstacles along the way... cows standing in the middle of the road and getting our car stuck, going downhill, in two ruts. Luckily, things were on our side... right after we got stuck, a man in his truck came around the corner. Within 15 minutes, after we had been pulled out, we were back on our way... heading to our cottage at the Buzzard Mountain Retreat.

Oh Limpopo, Limpopo!

2009-04-18T08:27:00.000+02:00

After staying with John and Mary, the best hosts ever, we went to the Pick'n Pay and Woolworth's before leaving Tzaneen to head north into Venda and other areas we hadn't seen. That night's stop? The Vivisa Lodge (cheapest nightly rate we could find in Lonely Planet) in Thohoyandou.
Along the way, just outside of Modjadji (home of the rain queen), we stopped at Sunland Nursery and saw the Sunland Baobab. It's huge! Carbon dated at plus or minus 6,000 years old, this puppy measures almost 47 meters across (a little over 51 yards). A few years back, when some farmworkers were trying to rid the tree of a snake infestation, they ended up burning the inside and ultimately hollowing it out. The owners of Sunland decided to turn such an accident into something more positive and built a bar within the trunk of the tree. When we were there it seemed to be quite the happening place with chalets, a pool and deck, and even a quads track, but the bar wasn't open for business.
We kept driving north to the town of Thohoyandou and, although, as usual, there were a few wrong turns, we made it in good time... just in time to find the taxi rank and see about finding some traditional Venda material. We parked and went into a PEP store (cheap clothes and other miscellaneous things) to ask if anyone knew where a fabric store was and if we could find some traditional crafts. After an hour of walking around with two guys showing us the way, the fabric shop being closed, and the taxi rank being too busy for me to make any decisions about buying traditional beading from a woman, we headed back to the car and called the Arts and Culture Center. Yep. Thohoyandou is like a lot of towns... has it's share of cheap clothing stores, cash and carry's, a ShopRite, and a huge taxi rank, but it's different when it comes to this building, most towns don't have such a place. The building was full of arts and crafts and Keri and I showed our support by buying a full Venda traditional outfit... she has the skirt and I have the matching top wrap. Beautiful red, white, blue, black, yellow, and green striped material with accents of embroidery in black and white thread and light blue and yellow polka dotted material on the edges. Truly a find.
As we were leaving the Arts and Culture Center, as soon as we turned right, there on the side of the road was the Vivisa Lodge. It looked to be under construction and, in my opinion, sketchy, so I suggested we head back to the taxi rank to check out the big casino across the street. Aw yeah. We sprung for a room and spent the night watching satellite television and eating grapes, hummus, crackers, cheese, and carrots for supper. In the morning we enjoyed a full breakfast buffet with unlimited coffee drinks. Yes!(You don't have to twist my arm!)
Like many things in South Africa, it was pretty extreme. On one side of the road you had the taxi rank, on the other you had this pretty nice hotel with a casino, 24 hour security, beds with top sheets, and breakfast included. The view of the Eastern tips of the Soutpansberg Mountains was beautiful and were calling us West.

Fast Car and Take Away Coffee

2009-04-17T23:05:00.000+02:00

Ok a Chico isn't really a fast car... but we had Tracy Chapman in the CD player and first stop, after picking up the car, before hitting the open road, was for take away coffee.
Second stop? The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center. The center is a place that has become a safe haven for a variety of endangered/vulnerable animals, as well as a conservation facility that focuses on breeding/boosting species' numbers, and doing anti-poaching work. We spent an hour in a safari truck driving around the property checking out cheetahs, a tiger (that had been rescued from mistreatment while working for a circus in Portugal), a lion (who had been sick), packs of wild dogs (which are wild here in South Africa, but are a threat to farms and, in turn, farmers are a threat to them), a Sable Antelope, wild cats, vultures, cranes, and a variety of other types of birds. The center is only about 45 minutes from Metz, yet with public transport being the only option, no one in the village has really heard of it.
The center gives fresh meat, on the bone, to follow strict diet rules for all the animals. When it's time to feed, the animals are brought into smaller and cleaner enclosures where they eat and then are observed for an hour or so afterwards, so staff can be aware of any changes in their stools, behavior, etc. When the bones have been cleaned by the first round of animals, they're gathered up and brought to the "bone yard" for vultures to pick clean. Here is a vulture sitting on the wall above all the bones. When the bone yard gets to be full, the center sells them to a man in town who grinds them down to bone meal.
An orphaned zebra and a sheep are the best of friends. Sheep are very good surrogate mothers, they can teach their foster children what's needed when it comes to survival... where to find food and what to eat.

And Grandma, they eat parts of the chicken I've never seen before!

2009-04-16T20:32:00.009+02:00

Back in the day, when I was living in America, I didn't eat much meat. Because of the taste, red meat was not an option (and it's been that way since I was 11 or so), chicken was on occasion, and I'd eat fish when I was craving protein or a seafood platter. If given the choice I would have chosen vegetables, tofu, beans, etc. for any given meal. Like a lot of things, choices, conveniences, and options, when I got to South Africa that all changed. I had decided that if I found myself in a situation where something was being offered to me and it would be culturally insensitive or rude to not try it.. I would try it. At the very least I would try it. I'll try something once. The first week of training when I was at the teacher's college with all the other volunteers, I could get away with eating all the sides, but when I got to Gopane it was a different story. Mma Mable's family didn't have much in the way of money, but they were a little better off than some people in the village. Every night we would have a decent size meal made of two things.... macaroni and tomato sauce, pilchards and rice, pap and chicken. I remember one night in particular sitting on the porch with Thato waiting for Mma Mable to finish up the cooking (it was her night). We were watching the stars coming out, giggling about the wishes we were making, and because of the dark we couldn't see very far in front of us. When supper was served, Mma Mable handed me a plate and I dug in with my right hand. I put a huge bite of morogo (greens) in my mouth, instantly started to gag and gagged quietly, trying to recover from the shock of chewing a large glob of a greens and chicken livers. I tried to feel around on my plate to pick out the livers, but they were cut up into small pieces and it was a lost cause. I eventually ended up going the passive route and just stopped eating. I didn't say anything, I just sat there with my plate on my lap and mulled over what the best way to handle the situation was. When it was time to take all the dishes in the kitchen Mma Mable glanced at all my uneaten food and, like a good mother, took it from me, put it in a leftovers bowl, and told me to make myself a bowl of Corn Flakes. In Metz, I haven't had many awkward interactions when it's come to food. MmaDiapo can't eat red meat cause it makes her sick and usually there are enough sides at traditional meals for me to avoid the meat. And then there was that time when I managed to eat everything but the chicken on my plate and the woman next to me was so exasperated with how slow I was, she just grabbed my chicken and ate it for me. Now, whenever I'm given chicken at a catered function, I just hand it off to my neighbor. I'm not going to eat it, but I know someone else will and there's no need to waste.
I've eaten my share of "different" things here... mopane worms (caterpillars), termites, grasshoppers, a ton of different kinds of morogo, pumpkins, roots, fruits... but there are three things I can think of, off the top of my head, that I'm not sure I can try: chicken heads, chicken feet, and tripe or intestines. That's just not my bag. I understand not wasting anything, using all the parts. I understand why people here eat everything. I get it. I just don't think I can do it.
Chicken feet takeaway lunch.

Maite preparing supper for the Phokungwanes.

All those heads and feet.

I'm now a close friend of Megan, we eat chocolates, popcorns, apples together

2009-04-15T19:59:00.004+02:00

Maite (from Kodumela) wrote that in an email today. Cracks me up!
I look at this and it makes me feel better. The last night of our holiday, right before Keri went back to work, we made this huge bowl of popcorn "Rich Hodge" style, and I made tea in my new teapot. Isn't it great? I found it at a coffeeshop/pottery place in Pilgrim's Rest, Mpumalanga. I couldn't stop thinking about it and eventually decided to buy it, throwing all worries of how I'm going to get it home in one piece out the window. I'm using it to have some Rooibos right now. Yes, yes the spout is an elephant's trunk!
Today wasn't necessarily a bad day, not at all, but crying fits and bouts of loneliness don't always come on awful days. I think today is just that special time when some of the things I've been sittin' on for the last few days, weeks, oh 21 months, burst forth and I'm once again faced with a lot of stuff I thought I was OK with. It's fine. I say that cause that's how I'm going to move on and keep going and 'cause in a lot of ways it is fine. I mean crying, feeling lonely, it's all part of the experience and those are all natural reactions. Some "little" things floating around:
Yesterday marked exactly 5 months until I COS (close of service). 5 months. Yikes. That's still so far away, yet it's not enough to start a lot of new projects and work.
I know I'm going to have to say goodbye to even more volunteers in my group, I just know it.
The other shoe has dropped and some issues have come up in regards to me turning in my "resignation". This is going to be fun. Not really.
I am antsy and trying with all the energy I can muster to be present and not think too much about September.
I'm missing Dominique and Jack's wedding in one month and that hurts. Hurts a lot.
And that's all I got... well, all that I can write on here. I'm going to enjoy my teapot and try to get some sleep... tomorrow, because work is going to be light at the office the next few days, I'm going to start a posting extravaganza!

All Over The Map

2009-04-13T22:15:00.003+02:00

A map drawn by a carer working for one of the organizations I'm working with in Metz. The Department of Social Development wanted some record of all the houses that were visited and where they are located in the community.

(Thanks for your comment Andrea! I just put my email up so if you have any questions or want to write back and forth about Peace Corps, I'm all about it!)

With the Sun Just RIght, Those Big Mountains Cast Shadows on Themselves

2009-04-13T19:59:00.004+02:00

I'm back! It was one of those traveling days where you're tired, things are fuzzy, and you know you're suffering from withdrawal... coffee consumption and movie watching has come to a swift halt. Keri and I had a great vacation up north and once I get all the photos in order you better believe I'm going to post some... probably several. We got back to White River this past weekend and I spent a few days just hanging out on Keri's couch watching more than my share of TV show and movie DVD's someone connected to her organization let her borrow. This morning it was hard to face the fact that I was heading back to site... multiple taxi rides sounded exhausting and leaving meant actually admitting that the holiday was over. I love that I've gotten to see so many things and have managed to see so much of Southern Africa, but always living in transition, things always changing, living out of a bag, always moving and staying in different places is starting to really take its toll on me. After getting a ride and skipping over having to take one of my many taxis, the traveling of the day went pretty smoothly. I took a taxi from Hazyview (Mpumalanga)to Bushbuckridge (Mpumalanga) and then one from Bush to Acornhoek (A-cun-hook). When I was dropped off at the Bush taxi rank I got a taxi that took just minutes to fill. I got to Acornhoek by noon (I left Keri's at 8:30) and waited there for an hour... the taxi to Hoedspruit/The Oaks needed to fill. After an hour of waiting we were on our way... and I was home, in my room, by 2:15. As soon as I stepped off the taxi and got my change from the driver, I heard "Mmapula!" and was excited and relieved to see Phenyo walking to the bakery to buy some airtime and bread. She helped me haul one of my 3 bags home and hung out for a little while before I went to tell my family across the road I was home. Once I was back in the village, I was fine... it's so good to see everyone.
A few highlights:
My first taxi was so old and rickety, I'm surprised we made it from Hazy to Bush.
*we went about 60km the whole time
*it started to rain pretty hard and the wipers were as slow as molasses
*at one point, the driver got out to put some oil under the hood and didn't put the emergency brake on... we rolled backwards for a little ways until the middle front seat passenger leaned over to jerk it up.
*our soundtrack was a mix of Celine Dion, R. Kelly, DJ's from South Africa, and Milli Vanilli
*I sat next to two young girls who were traveling by themselves and everyone was looking out for them
My last taxi was a special ride that included:
*Culture Spears ( a traditional singing group from Botswana) on the stereo
*I had the front passenger seat and there was a guy sitting on a cooler in between the driver and myself. When we passed the traffic police it was his job to hold my seatbelt so it would look like it was buckled.
*Our front seats were reclined so much I was practically in the lap of the woman behind me
*The woman behind me had a gorgeous smile and was holding two live chickens
*about 10 minutes into our ride we got a flat, that was changed in a record 5 minutes, we then drove 65km per hour because we were driving on the spare
*All the people we dropped off were heading back to the farms they work on after Easter break

A few weeks ago I was in a taxi driving through the middle of Metz when "Holiday" by Madonna came on the CD the driver was listening to. I got so excited and said, "Hey! This is Madonna!!" and he turned around with his passenger friend and smiled... "Yes it is! Do you know her?! You have heard her music?" Um, yeah mister, I only grew up listening to her and can't help dancing every time I hear her on the radio. "Of course! She's my homegirl!"