The Times They Are a Changin’

Disclaimer: Sometimes I wish I had someone to follow me around and dictate my thoughts. I have so many stories to recap, but when I sit down to write them, I seem to be at a loss…

Change of Plans
Since I last wrote about my site placement, there have been a few developments. My site and organization have changed. I will now be working for the Molemole municipality. This is not a huge change since it is still a part of the Capricorn district where I was originally assigned. I found out about this last minute change while at the supervisors workshop. Because of this change I did not have a supervisor or housing. I ended up staying with the Masipa family, who hosts another PC volunteer. They were very welcoming and took me to visit my potential housing site. My landlord lives in the main house, which has American amenities. However, the building in the back in which I have a room is back to basics. It’s a good size room, but I’ll have to designate areas for bathing, cooking/eating and living. I have electricity and I can access water via my landlord’s outside tap. I will be cooking via a large size toaster oven/hot plate combo, which should make for some interesting food concoctions. In comparison to the living conditions of other PCVs I fall somewhere in the middle. Some people have running water and the associated amenities, others are replacing PCVs and therefore have already furnished homes, some have to walk to get water and others still do not have housing. I will move in sometime this week; in the mean time, I am staying with the Masipa family again.

The biggest news is that I have transitioned from being a PCT (PC Trainee) to a PCV (PC Volunteer)! I was sworn in on March 24, 2011. It was a nice, simple ceremony; it kind of felt like high school graduation. Everyone was clean and fresh since were able to shower at the college and we were wearing our Sunday best. I, along with five other volunteers, was interviewed by the U.S. Embassy. The video will be posted on the Peace Corps and Department of State’s websites. This year PC is expanding into the Eastern Cape; in addition my fellow volunteers will be in Limpopo, Kwa Zulu Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces.

Despite the complaining about PST (pre-service training), it was nice to have a built in 24/7 support network. I consider myself to be an independent person, but I do not think I have ever experienced anything close to what lies ahead. This is simultaneously exciting and unnerving. I am still unsure of what my job entails. Overall, I think it is to serve as a liaison between the municipality and NGOs (nongovernemental organizations). In what capacity I go about accomplishing this is unclear. On Monday, I will be visiting Drew’s (another PCV) site—two schools and an OVC (after-school program for orphans and vulnerable children) since it is within my municipality.

Culture Corner
I have come to discover that South Africans have a more open conversational approach when meeting people. After meeting someone for the first time I have been asked if I am married, have children, etc. A few men have told me that I should already have children or that I need to find a South African boyfriend/husband. (As such, I have been on the lookout for a wedding band.) These questions are not meant to be invasive, but they can seem that way at the time. I have been trying to come up with diplomatic answers for the questions that make me feel uncomfortable. I have learned how to say, “I have a boyfriend (Ke na le lesogana).” However, it has not been as effective as I would have hoped.

During my time with my host family, I was introduced to traditional village food. This mainly entails a diet of pap and meat, with occasional vegetables. One night I thought my family was serving broccoli, which I was delighted about. It looked overcooked and sprouty, but in my excitement I did not think twice about it. However, once I put three pieces on my plate I realized it was something different. My host mother pointed to it and said, “nama,” which means meat. She then said another word and pointed to her stomach. I grabbed my language dictionary and discovered the word she was saying was “intestines.” I politely said I would eat one piece. I was more psychologically than physically disturbed about eating it. It was chewy/rubbery and I only managed to eat a bite or two.

As a result of being fruit and vegetable deprived, I have extended my food repertoire. For those of you have eaten or cooked with/for me, you know I have some food issues. I would like to announce that I am now eating: onions, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, beets and yams. Whenever I have been in town or during our field trips I have been lucky enough to choose from an array of cuisines (excluding Mexican). During my recent trip to the supermarket I found soy and oyster sauce, curry, chutney and other yummy condiments that I used regularly at home. Throughout training we have had many conversations about the first vs. third world dynamic in South Africa. In towns/cities there are many similarities to the amenities you find in the U.S.; however once you drive an hour outside to a village, the landscape drastically changes. There are corner stores, shebeens (illegal bars), kids running barefoot in the street, trash in the road and occasionally animals moseying along. You also see corn fields, chickens, cows, sheep and/or gardens in peoples’ backyards. I have been told unemployment is at 30-40%, which adds another dynamic to the environment. As a PCV here, the challenge is transitioning between these two worlds. The temptation to live as I did in the U.S. will always be in the back of my mind.

Phase two
I have already bought most of the things I will need for my home, minus major appliances. It has been taxing to coordinate transportation. It is not like the U.S. where I can drive or take reliable public transport. Taxis (or Kumbis, as they are called) run on semi-erratic schedules, there is limited space for bulky purchases and they do not depart until they are filled with passengers. Therefore, it is best to ride during peak hours. I am approximately an hour and a half from my shopping town including one transfer. I was warned to avoid shopping during the second and last weekend of the month because those are pay periods. As I saw for myself on Friday, the shops and bank queues were obscenely busy. As I was jostled around I caught someone trying to open my purse. When possible, I will try to avoid shopping at these times because it is more stressful than productive. I am also restricted by the early store closings and the unofficial curfew of being home before nightfall. Lately, it has been getting dark by 6:30pm. Depending on when my day starts, that means at least 12 hours of solitude. One volunteer is living without electricity, which I view as my saving grace.

As I try to cope with the change in my lifestyle, I was inspired by an article in the PC monthly newsletter. A PCV wrote about how he keeps his life exciting while in service. We all decide to apply to PC for a variety of reasons, but one is to take ourselves out of our comfort zones/routines. However, the PCV pointed out that once we are at site, we develop new routines and it easy to fall into the same trap. He suggested mapping out activities and projects to keep ourselves engaged and challenged. So far, I have come up with the following:

*Language lessons
*Cooking new meals
*South Africa related reading
Home Décor (please send craft/decorating ideas)
Yoga/exercise (aka become a hot babe: please send exercise articles requiring minimal equipment)
*Home made beauty remedies (send me suggestions and I'll be your guinea pig)
*Reading books from my goal list (I’m always in the market for suggestions.)
*Starting a club/meetings

Please feel free to send me more suggestions.

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” ~Langston Hughes

p.s. Please hold off on sending me post until I obtain a post office box. Any mail sent to the office will be delayed now that I have finished training. Thanks!

Book recommendations:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murukami

Music recommendations:
Black Coffee
Ray LaMontagne
Sara Bareilles