completed mural for the health promoting schools launch. a bunch of kiddos helped me add color and draw people around the school grounds. it was super fun!



smooching on fresh vegetables courtesy of mamma#1! god bless leafy greens. so delicious, august 2011

to everything, turn turn turn, there is a season

hi guys!

the rainy season has officially started! for the first time since
april the sand is wet. 3 days of soft cloudy skies and rain on a tin
roof. it's so nice.

updates since late june! this is going to be another long one.

i finally got to walk with my host mamma #1, sister thandeka, and some
neighbors to madotsheni, the wetlands area of the village where
community gardens are plowed. the walk was about 7-8k through the soft
mostly flat grassy sand. the wetlands are literally on the border of
mozambique so we walked to the fence that separates the countries. on
this slight detour mamma #2 utilized her time by pulling up reeds from
the riverside. she collects them in huge bundles, carries them home on
her head, and spreads them out in the sand to dry for three days
before selling them in town.

the gardens were beautiful. the river flows all through the area and
tiny streams help to designate the different family plots. here banana
trees, sugar cane, beet root, sweet potatoes, carrots, lettuce,
spinach, onions, tomatoes, and local fruits flourish. as we were
walking around i followed my sister as she leapt across the streams
and landed in the muddy black soil. my host mamma was being a mamma
and yelled at thandeka not to take me that way because it was muddy. i
pretended to not understand and jumped right into the mud. i was mess,
and we all laughed. we sat around for while munching on sugar cane. so
delicious.

because the soil is sand and water can be quite a distance away in the
village, the community largely does all the subsistence farming in the
wetlands. the plowing is mostly done by the women who makes this trek
on an almost daily basis during the sowing and harvesting seasons.
many women take extra veggies and fruits to sell in town or at school.
for some families this is the only source of income.

during the winter school break i was extremely blessed to be with my
closest friend and boyfriend Danny, and his visiting mom and brother.
they came for about two weeks and invited me to come along with them
for several days. we got to peruse around our shopping town made new
and exciting again by the fresh eyes with us. we visited the lake
system near the estuary which puts the town on 'some' maps. we took a
sunset boat cruise through the salt water lakes and saw incredible
birds and hippos! next we drove through swaziland and stayed the night
at an eclectic bed and breakfast famous for Bushfire, a huge music
festival. im not sure i can really explain how weird it is to be
driving through beautiful brown mountains, stricken with poverty, turn
off on a road and be at this perfectly manicured green ridiculous
modern venue. really throws your mind off. the buildings were almost
completely done in mosaics and lush green gardens surrounded the
grounds. here we enjoyed delicious food and hot showers!

the next day we drove to our destination, Kruger National Park. this
is the most famous game park in south africa and is known for almost
guaranteed sightings of the big 5- the lion, water buffalo, elephant,
leopard, and rhino. we went on a safari with an experienced driver who
took us around the park all day. he was part of a safari company and
so he and the other drivers would communicate with each other and
report sightings in various locations via radio. if there was
something good, we would quickly drive to the spot to see the animal.
in addition to the big 5 we saw many hippos, giraffes, baboons,
monkeys, crocodiles, tons of birds, impala, kudu, wildebeest, and
vultures. it was really incredible. it was kind of strange though
because there were so many cars driving around on paved roads and you
knew something was around each time you came up on lines and lines of
cars with people hanging out the windows with binoculars.

everything we did was so much fun and at times unbelievable. just
being with danny and his family was equally, if not more amazing. it
was so nice to be together with his family and to talk and enjoy each
others company over meals and wine. they were all so welcoming to me
and i can't express my thanks and gratitude enough for letting me join
them. it is one of my favorite experiences thus far and definitely a
vacation i'll never forget it. i feel so lucky.

after the park i parted ways with danny and his family. they went on
to explore more of south africa and i went to visit my volunteer
friends maggie and mike in limpopo. this was my first time to really
see this province and the landscape reminds me a lot of new mexico,
which i loveeeed. soft red desert mountains and brilliant sunsets.
different province, different culture, different language. (side
tangent, at first i thought it was awesome that south africa has 11
official languages, but now i feel like it might be a bad idea because
it seems like no one can communicate with each other! everyone is
learning english and afrikaans is also widely spoken as a legacy of
apartheid. the next most widely understood languages are isizulu and
northern sotho. point being, south africa is home to so many languages
and cultures that it could easily be several smaller countries.)

after the long immensely enjoyed holiday it was back to the village. a
4 hour taxi ride from durban (1st world) is still much too abrupt of a
transition back to the village(3rd world+cell phones).

it was the end of july and going back to school was a hard adjustment.
what was even harder for me to process were the months remaining. it
had been just over a year that we arrived in south africa but we still
had 26 months of service left. in peace corps this time in service is
not so affectionately known as the 'one year slump.'

somedays i was slumping really hard. i think the slump happened to me
for several reasons:

1. understanding more about the place and culture
2. homesickness
3. mentally processing another year of volunteer service
4. questioning my efforts here

i have a much better understanding of what's going on here than i did
a year ago. granted probably 68% of the time i have no idea what's
going on, it's a drastic improvement from the 98% of the time when i
first arrived. quite frankly south africa feels like a laid back
twilight zone.

understanding more is a sort of double edged sword. it's so nice to
understand more of the language, approximately how long things take,
when to expect transport, understand how teaching works, the school
schedules, etc. but also, i understand all those things so i know it's
going to take a long time when the only ride to town is with the
slowest driver, or that when the learners are taking their
standardized tests it's nearly impossible to do anything at school. i
can more accurately predict situations and know what to expect, which
is both good and bad. but almost always requires waiting. which is
really helping me to develop lots and lots of patience.

i've felt really homesick over the past months. the newness and
romanticism of being a volunteer has well worn off. that's not to say
i don't still love being here and i don't get excited about things
anymore, just that a certain element is gone, the realness has set in.
somedays it's hard to imagine being away from the people i love back
home for another year. besides people, what i miss the most is riding
my bike. but, i knew this would happen and i was prepared for it.
sometimes it is just hard.

being a volunteer for another year at times (i can't emphasize enough
how temporary these feelings are) has felt incredibly heavy. mentally
processing this, and all it's implications has been difficult but is
forcing me to grow a lot and to find purpose and meaning in the time
i'm spending here.

as a combination of these things i've been questioning my efforts
here. 'what am i even doing?' 'why am i here?' 'does it make sense
for me to be here?' 'who/how am i helping?' etc etc. and so this has
lead me to first, feel pretty terrible, and second to dedicate time to
thinking and reflecting upon the projects and people i am working
with. i've learned that i have to engage myself in something i enjoy
doing, or im not going to be happy. and i know i am already doing
that, its just that some days all the struggles and challenges of
working with people get to me. so currently, im trying to reflect and
think about how to spend the next year. i want to be doing things that
the community needs, that are possible, that i have the skills for,
and that i want to do. searching for that overlap. i think many of the
projects im involved in meet these goals, and so i want to make sure
im on the path to making an impact.

peace corps is letting me feel the full range of my emotions,
sometimes all in one day.

right after the break i was busy working with the library committee at
the primary school to prepare for the library's grand opening. we've
been working on cataloguing, organizing, cleaning, and 'finishing' the
library since about february. i was able to teach the educators and
some learners about the dewy decimal system and the alphabetical
arranging of the fiction books. we also taught the learners how to
prepare a book to be used in a library. we showed them how to make the
card holders, where to put the issue slips, cards, labels, etc. a
class of grade 7 learners prepared over 250 books in less than an hour
with very few mistakes! the books kindly donated from my high school
history teacher Mrs. Judy Falls, are proudly displayed on a shelf with
a sign reading, 'donations from america.' we are so thankful for them.

we held the grand opening on the 3rd of august. a teacher and some
learners erected a chalk board in the sand outside the library and i
got to draw a sign announcing the day. i recruited some learners to
help me and it was definitely the most enjoyable part of the process.
how i love murals. we had library orientations with all grades in the
morning where we went over the rules and policies of the library. we
also gave them a tour of the books and study areas. i led the first
orientation with the committee members and they led the rest of them.
for the afternoon we designed a program which included prayers, songs
from the learner choirs, poetry readings, questions and prizes, a
guest speaker and a ribbon cutting ceremony (my principal's idea)! the
committee worked with the learners to write songs and poems about the
library and the value of reading. our guest speaker was a librarian
from town who encouraged us not to let the library become a white
elephant. i asked the learners questions from the orientation and gave
out bookmarks as prizes. at the end of the program we went outside and
cut the ribbon to officially open the library!

and alas, as of now, the library is a white elephant. but let me
explain why by explaining what happened next.

right after the grand opening we were preparing for the biggest
function of the school year, the Health Promoting School Launch.
everyday was busy. teaching was almost put to a stop in order to
prepare the school for this function as 'the big wigs' from the health
department would be attending.

it's all sort of a haze right now but the days were spent cleaning the
school, gardening, re-writing policies, printing pictures, practicing
songs and plays, securing food donations, and many more details. and,
this went on for about 4 weeks. haha.

i was able to another mural with the kids for the event. it was so
much fun and took us about 3 hours. the kids were very proud to have
worked on it.

the event mostly went smoothly. a huge tent was erected and almost all
the important people who were supposed to attend made it, with only a
few getting lost trying to find the school. some volunteer friends
from the area came and we were repeatedly referred to as 'the team
from america.' we helped with cooking by to cutting up the lunch, an
entire kudu donated from a nearby game reserve.

despite all the fuss, the purpose of the day was to celebrate the
school's promotion of health. i'm not really sure if that happened but
regardless, these kids know when to wash their hands. and for the most
part they do. they've been taught about food, safety in the area,
hiv/aids, malaria, tb, and they can can produce an awesome garden.
it's a beautiful foundation for these kids to grow up with.

and so, temporarily the library was put on hold. after the event
teachers frantically were preparing for national exams and so the
library was again put on hold. but our white elephant will not stay
white! our elephant will be vibrant, starting... next term. haha.

in the midst of all this there was a 10k in our nearest town! it was
so mysterious. i saw a poster in the grocery store and another
volunteer called the number to see who was organizing it/if it was
actually a real thing. and he was told, yes it's happening and
dumisani is organizing it. dumisani being just a guy's name. haha. so,
we went with about 40 others ran through the town.a running club from
a big town came and domintaed the race along with other serious
runners. there were about 9 females running and i got 5th place, about
$15 and a trophy! really weird. my host family was so proud of me and
told everyone that i practice every day after school and that i work
very hard. haha. they are so supportive and hilarious.

i'll continue the updates in another post. until then stay super well!
enjoy the changing colors of autumn, i sure miss those leaves.

much love!

shenanigans

i can't believe it's june! time is going so quickly.

'when it's cold outside,
ive got the month of may.'

greetings friends! it's winter here in the southern hemisphere and
may, may is cold! and by cold i mean maybe 50 degrees, but 50 degrees
in a concrete house with no heat is definitely cold! i'll be honest,
my bathing has decreased. i much prefer this weather to the summer
though and i am enjoying the lack of insects.

updates from february to now now! (now now is a very important tense
in zulu and one of my favorites. it actually means now. now just
means... sometime today, or tomorrow, or next week, or even next year.
but now now, now you mean business!)

school has been moving at lighting speed this year! since the
beginning of the term ive been teaching grade 6 and 7 english and for
a brief time i taught grade 9 and and even briefer time taught grade
8. there have been some slight issues at the high school.

grades 6 and 7 have been very enjoyable. i co teach with a very
dedicated educator and he is truly a pleasure to work with. we still
have our miscommunications but they make the days and classes that
much more interesting. i'm getting to know the learners and finally
seeing their personalities and growth in english over the months. it's
already been a very rewarding experience.

at the high school the teaching has been much more rocky. an educator
has transferred schools and the department will not replace her. thus,
the school is short an educator and kids are without teachers. the
teacher so happened to have several english classes. this was a
problem because i was helping her with the classes and for me to teach
the content required by the department, the co teacher is essential. i
do not have the zulu skills to teach english literature to kids who
barely understand english. and they dont yet have the english skills
to understand me. teaching here for me is a team effort and without
translation i'm not helping the kids. i could stick with basic
fundamentals of english and i would be fine alone, but they are tested
over much higher competencies. this was an ongoing saga of, is the
teacher actually leaving? who will take her classes? terri's mother
tongue is english, we dont need to replace the class with an educator,
she can go!

so, this caused a problem. the principal wanted me to teach alone
until they could get an educator. (which wont happen.) i wasnt
comfortable with this and being responsible for an entire class is not
why i feel i'm here. one of the reasons i feel i'm here is to work
together WITH teachers to teach and to help with teaching methods that
build their skills, not just to be a classroom teacher. the principal
disagreed in a very passive way.

to deal with this problem and miscommunication of my role, i went to
my other principal and asked for advice. she thought we should have a
meeting with him and discuss again my role as a peace corps volunteer.
and so we did! and it went very well and he agreed that i should not
go to the classroom by myself.

and the very next day he asked me to go to the classroom by myself.
hahaha. and i listened to him and told him again that i would not. and
i haven't. and things seem to be fine. i've realized that i cannot do
anything about it. i can't fight through the power structures of the
school and force the principal to simply redistribute the classes and
assign an educator to go to the classes with me. and while it's
frustrating things are working out.

i don't feel like the relationship between the principal and i has
suffered at all. strangely enough. he's is quite a peculiar man and i
don't think i could really do or not do anything that would really
upset him. which i guess is nice?

so, now i am helping teach grade 12 english. the school has recruited
yet another volunteer, a zulu man who wanted to go to uganda and
become a priest (something didn't work out for him there, not really
sure the full story.) he is going to teach grade 9 and i think i'll be
joining him next term. but honestly, who knows! just going with the
flow.

at both schools i'm busy with libraries. at the primary school i'm
working with the library committee to organize all the books and set
the library up for the grand opening next term. it's been lots of fun.
we held a motto contest for the learners and educators. the winning
motto, which was voted on by the majority of the school, is 'We shine
with education.' a group of 7th grade girls came up with this. I
really like it and we want to hold another contest to design a logo,
and from there a mural. i have high hopes of slapping a beautiful
image of a sun on the outside walls of the building. at the high
school we received a donation of books to start a corner library. we
have formed a committee with positions such as chair person,
secretary, treasurer, security officer, technician, and CEO. lols.
they want me to be the CEO. i'm really not sure what this means. i
think it means they are busy overworked teachers and they want me to
be mostly responsible. which is fine only i insist on involving them
in all decision making, so far things are going well.

at the primary school i've also been able to work with a community
member and the school secretary to establish two clubs.

the first is a kids club through an NGO. i'm working with a woman
named Betty, a community care giver (a health worker focused on
orphans and vulnerable children) who lives just about 800 meters away.
she is a wonderful hard working woman who brings me lots of bananas
and other fruits! she speaks very little english and so we communicate
in zulu, which i love and i am learning lots more zulu because of our
relationship. the club is for an hour during school and is made up of
20 kids who are orphans. the intention of the club is to provide the
kids with extra support. we are doing this by creating a space for the
kids to talk with each other and us, play games, and have a creative
outlet. spending time with the kids gives Betty the opportunity to see
if they need any medical attention, food parcels, school uniforms, or
interventions in their home lives. orphans are very common here. 49 of
the 246 learners at the primary school are orphans. roughly 1 of 5.
these kids have very tough lives and often live with extended family
members and sometimes live in child headed households, meaning the
oldest sibling takes the role of the parents. it's truly heart
breaking and i am very honored to have the opportunity to work with
Betty and these beautiful kiddos.

in the club we play lots of games and sing songs. the kids range from
grade r (kindergarten) to grade 5. (something i really love about the
culture here is that age doesn't matter so much. my 25 year old sister
will play with a group of kids from 7 years-early twenties and not
think a thing about it. lots of things get in the way here with
education (like health issues, having or caring for someone with TB or
HIV/AIDS, deaths, work and the need for money to support the family,
and so on) so its not uncommon to have kids 4-5 years older than the
typical age in a class. and no one minds!) so we play games and we are
going to start working on hero books. which is exactly what it sounds
like, a book about your hero. the NGO has organized kids clubs at many
schools in the area and is holding a competition/exhibiton of the
books sometime in the future. i'm very excited about this because i
hope to use it as an opportunity to teach art.

the second club is a girls club for the young ladies in grades 6 and
7. i'm working with the school secretary Sindiswa. She is an
absolutely wonderful passionate woman who since our first lengthy
conversation has wanted to do this. girls clubs are very popular in
south africa. essentially the club is a space for girls to come
together and talk about lots of issues related to being a young woman
in south africa, play games, make crafts, and have lots of fun. some
of the topics we'll be talking about are puberty, relationships,
HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, rape and abuse, self-esteem, career
opportunities, leadership, and many more. many of these are very
sensitive topics and are quite taboo. the girls club helps to erase
the taboo and provide the space for the girls to ask questions they
otherwise might not be able to find accurate answers for. lots of
myths surround topics like HIV/AIDS and sex, and it can be hard to
find the truth, talking about these things is critical. Sindiswa is
the perfect woman to work with, she is a great listener and very
knowledgeable on these issues. her heart is enormous and she truly
wants to be here for the girls.

so far we've had two meetings and in the meetings we have played some
games and talked about leadership and asked the girls to give
suggestions for the name, motto, logo, and topics they want to discuss
for the club. we decided that it was best to let the girls make as
many decisions on their own about the club so they can take ownership
and really feel comfortable. they have chosen their colors, pink and
lime green! we have also given them a baseline questionnaire to see
what they know about the above topics. we are going to give them the
same questionnaire at the end of the year so they can see how far they
have come. i'm also looking forward to the opportunity to make art
with them.

i've been thinking a lot about what it means to me to be a volunteer
and the things i want to be involved with/the needs of the community.
i am so happy about the formation and counter parts im working with in
these two clubs because they both provide the space to work on health
issues and HIV/AIDS education in an informal setting. i very much want
to be involved with these things but i lack the communication skills,
knowledge, and time to work on major community health projects. our
training here prepared us for the school setting, not the community. i
think i am trying to work out my expectations for what peace corps
service would be/what i hoped to do and what it is. i can't change my
volunteer role from schools to the community, but i can still work on
health issues through the school in these clubs and im so thankful for
this opportunity.

so between teaching, sagas, libraries, and clubs i've found myself
very happily busy!

here on some updates on things apart from projects and teaching.

in february the US consulate held a 50th anniversary event at her
house in durban for all the volunteers in the province. these events
are taking place all over the world and in the US to celebrate 50
years of service. the event was probably the fanciest thing i've ever
been to. the house was ridiculous! on the hills of durban, overlooking
the bright blue ocean, tennis courts, lighted basketball courts,
interior design that would kick matha stewarts ass, and MONKEYS just
running around. what an experience! there were speeches, hors
d'oeuvres, a bar tender, peace corps staff, people from the embassy,
volunteers, and it seemed like lots of ass kissing. but who knows!

in february my family found out i kind of had a birthday. everyone got
a huge kick out of my leap year birthday and it is now a popular joke
that i'm 5 years old. as my host sister thandeka and i got out of the
truck from going to town she came over to me and said, 'sisi i don't
have much money, but i want to give you a present.' she gave me the
most beautiful permanent purple flowers and not to sound cheesy but
i'll never in my life forget the moment, the conversation, the warm
wind, the tears swelling up in my eyes. she gives me so much and
without her i'd be so lost here, she has no idea how much she means to
me and how beautiful the gift.

in march i ran/walked a half marathon organized to provide
scholarships to high school students in rural areas to attend schools
of higher standards. many people from home responded to an email my
mom sent out and graciously donated to the cause. i can't thank you
enough for your support. the contributions are helping to change the
lives of very deserving disadvantaged kiddos. i decided to do the
race/got the details last minute and was unable to blog about the
cause before hand and i apologize for that! the race was through a
beautiful part of the country in the mpumalanga province near blyde
river canyon, the third largest canyon in the world! after the race i
went hiking and camping with some friends and had a blast. the area is
simply gorgeous.

also in march there was a peace corps training. the focus was on
health and it was sponsored by PEPFAR. we stayed in a ridiculous 5
star mediterranean themed hotel in johannesburg. it was quite a shock
to get full meals, hot showers, and clean sheets every day for a week.
we got to see the other volunteers and catch up with our old friends.
while the training was disorganized and frustrating at times i took
away lots of valuable things. overall the experience was entirely
overwhelming. i don't think ill ever be able to smoothly make the
transition from village to westernized city and all the luxuries
without being overwhelmed. the economic disparity blows my mind. south
africa is so rich in resources and has a strong economy, yet the gap
of distribution is among the largest in the world.

in april i celebrated easter with the volunteers in my area by going
to one of their sites and walking to the ocean for an easter morning
swim! yes, a volunteer lives literally a 3 hour walk from the ocean.
he loves to talk about his private beaches. we are all jealous. it was
lots of fun.

may was full of school with few breaks and so i stuck around the
village mostly.

this month the second term is closing and there is a 3 week winter
break. for the break i think i'll be staying in the village and then
going with a wonderful friend and his visiting family to Kruger
National Park to see all those wild animals! from there i plan on
visiting another friend in the limpopo province, a part of the country
i have yet to see.

being here has given me the opportunity for lots and lots of
reflection. i've been thinking about time and how wonderful it is to
be here for 2 years and why it's important to not only be here for a
few months to accomplish the goals peace corps has set out. being here
almost a year now has allowed me to really feel comfortable with where
i live, the people i work with, and to have a much greater
understanding of everything around me. and in turn the people i live
and work with are also more comfortable with me. our personalities are
coming out so much more than when i had only been here a few months.
i've seen real emotions, anger and fights, tears and passive
aggression at its best, and i've been included in conversations of
complaints about teachers and principals, i've heard secrets and
gossip, and i've trusted and been trusted. and i think these things
are all relatively new in the past months and i know it's simply
because of time. relationships take time and this is just one of the
many reasons i'm seeing that as humans, despite language and culture,
we share more similarities than differences.


silly/random/where am i moments

host mamma #2 wearing only one white glove while driving us to school... mj?

the lady behind me in line at the super market buying two cow legs-
hair, hooves and all

being asked what shenanigans means

a teacher explaining to me that he loves his wife but he loves his
kids more, and then using the anology of a cliff to further explain
his feelings, 'there is a cliff. (hands raise to a pushing position) i
would push. i would push my wife. ...etc. (lols... why so extreme?)

recruiting the bravest boy in the bush, 8 year old khanyiso, to remove
the biggest spider i've ever seen in my life from my house. now the
kids around my house know im scared of spiders. today they came over
and said, 'ngungu!' and pointed behind me, and then laughed themselves
silly. i only fell for it once but they did it probably 30 more times
and thought it was just as hilarious.

being given a huge pumpkin simply for visiting a friend

signing a teacher up for facebook

hearing students say, in english, 'bye bye miss dove i will see you
tomorrow afternoon!' and their intonation of 'bye bye' being
remarkably similar to mine

almost teaching calculus at a friend's school, (had a crash course
before but didnt get to teach because the class mysteriously ended)

going to a science expo and watching learners explain why the
helicopter they built, that can't fly, is an improvement and solution
to a current problem of helicopters (where did they get this idea to
make a helicopter?)

learners being tested by the government over subjects that are not
offered at the school

buying three gigantic scones for about 75 cents

my sister, mamma #2, and i forgetting our one year old little brother
at school but it not being a problem because it's second nature for
kids to look out for each other, (he made the 400m walk home just fine
with the neighbor!)

eating wilder-beast! tastes just like chicken!




i hope you stay safe, healthy, and happy! sending much love, now now.

i swear i heard the goat say ngiyapila.

A belated happy holidays and new year to you! It's nearing the end of
summer here in South Africa and am I ready for the cool air. Here's a
quick update of what's been happening since October.

The last term of the school year is all about revising/reviewing and
national testing. The primary school has become a "Health Promoting
School" meaning we have met the criteria set forth by the Department
of Health, which includes- a clean environment (no trash), nutritional
food, hand washing, HIV/AIDS educational programmes, gardens, secure
fencing, etc. Gazini Primary school is the 1st school in the district
to gain HPS status, and we are all very proud! There was a series of
meetings in which the school was evaluated at the district, municipal,
and provincial levels. The assessments were tough and we stayed
sometimes until 5 o'clock at the school preparing the needed paper
work and evidence. (They say evidence for photographs and there is a
big binder called HPS Evidence File which includes pictures of the
learners and teachers in the garden, singing, washing their hands,
etc. hilarious!) It is still, at times, a shock to me to be
volunteering at this school and to work with such motivated educators.
My expectations for Peace Corps are constantly turned upside down. The
high school however, is more of what our training attempted to prepare
us for- to work with tired unmotivated educators and schools
struggling with infrastructure, a lack of resources, etc. I find
myself experiencing an echoing of the sharp divide of this country on
a daily basis when I walk 100m in the sand from one school to the
next. For me this is still a confusing place.

The second week in December we had our final phase of Pre-Service
Training. We stayed in a lodge for 5 days and attended workshops on
grant writing, literacy, food security, health, and more. We got to
take hot showers, have food cooked for us, and enjoy being together
with out fellow volunteers.

After training I did some traveling with a few volunteers. We visited
Pretoria to go to the PC office and take advantage of the internet and
we attended a cricket match! India vs South Africa. It was my first
time and we had no idea what was going on. Again the divide of the
country was visible in that we were surrounded by white people and the
food got really expensive! Next we went back to our training site to
visit our original host families and to see my host sister get
married. The wedding also illustrated this dynamic country with it's
two part structure- contemporary white wedding gown, flower girl,
suit, church, the whole works, and part two- traditional Ndebele
attire, traditional dancing, food, a huge tent, and the beloved South
African house music. After that we went to a few beaches/estuaries and
spent days in the sun and warm water of the Indian Ocean. We saw
monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, tons of brilliantly colored birds, and
the touristy side of the country. About 40k from my village is Kosi
Bay, an estuary and system of 4 lakes, immense wildlife, and
picturesque white sand and blue waves. I spent Christmas with a at a
volunteer's site and we attended the host families' traditional Zulu
wedding. It took place on a mountain top with lots of dancing,
singing, and sweet Zulu beaded threads. One day I'll add some photos.
For New Year's I was in my village. I stayed up late with my family
and at 12 we yelled and yelled and yelled and watched the few crickets
(fireworks) explode against the dark blanket of stars.

For the rest of the break I spent time with volunteers in my area, and
with the help of a friend finally painted my house and put up some
shelves. December-March is summer time here and also begins mango
season. I think from Dec-Jan I ate mangos every single day, and it was
wonderful! I've tried many of the Zulu fruits without English names
and my sister Thandeka lets me help her grind and pound the food in
the hollowed out tree stumps sometimes. One day I was ukugana
(grinding moneky nuts (peanuts)) and she thought it was hilarious! I
got tired really fast, and she made a video of me with her cell phone.
My host sister made a video of me with her cell phone! That is
definitely something I never expected that would happen in Peace
Corps. Oh also I suppose it's goat birthing seasons because the 40+
goats are now 50+ and very vocal. The little ones squeeze through the
bars on my door and visit me.

The new school year started on the 17th of January. This year I am
co-teaching English to Grades 6-9. So far the experience has been
everything from a joy to almost intolerable frustration, and the
spectrum keeps the days exciting. It's a beautiful challenge to try
and teach english with another teacher, and to teach in english
learners who don't really understand english. Eish. All in all, I find
that I love going to school. Apart from teaching I'm working on the
development of libraries in both schools and starting a girls club at
the primary school. One of my teachers from Cooper High School back
home, Mrs. Judy Falls, so kindly sent a box of books for the primary
school which we are all so grateful for and excited to read!

Speaking Zulu is still a challenge for me, kodwa ngiyazama (but i
try.) In the afternoons I spend time cleaning, reading, writing, and
more recently painting and drawing. Sometimes kids come by for help
with homework, which is this difficult language barrier I'm glad
you're here and I wish we understood each other kind of thing. It
provides some good laughs for all of us. I go jogging and a handful of
kids run with me, I love their company.

I'm becoming much more comfortable and relaxed at my home and in the
village. I think I have a healthy range of emotions and feelings
ranging from 'I love living here and 2 years doesn't seem long enough'
to 'how many more months do I have?'

At training one of our staff members asked us, as we stood in a
circle, to describe a Peace Corps moment, meaning a unique experience
we've had because we live here. Here are just a few I'd like to share:

Catching the sunrises and sunsets

Push starting Baba's truck down the hill with Thandeka and jumping on
the bumper once it gets going, riding, laughing, and finally jumping
off.

Host mama #1 knocking on my door during a heavy down pour, all to
quickly ask how I am and to give me a bowl of sweet potatoes, then
swerving around the sand, belting out Zulu gospel, enjoying the bath
from the sky. Sure do love that crazy lady.

Host mama #2 giving my KFC for dinner when I have friends visit.

Walking into grade 9, 62 learners, and teaching them about pronouns
with the song we learned in elementary school, "I and we, he and she,
it and they and you!" and listening to them sing it, and being
completely floored when it sounded like a professional gospel group
with harmony and all. It seems like everyone is born singing and
dancing here.

And all end with a quick story and a quote. At the high school the
teachers like to ask me what random sayings mean, like 'it's raining
cats and dogs.' I contsantly wonder where they get these things. DS
Mthembu says, "Terri, what does 'A rolling stone gathers no moss'
mean?"