Saying I do in South Africa

Disclaimer: the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.

Over the first weekend of December I was able to witness all of the festivities surrounding a traditional wedding in South Africa.  The daughter of my next door neighbor, who is also one of the caregivers with whom I work at the drop-in center, was getting married.  I was able to witness everything taking place in the days surrounding the festivities, as most of the events took place in the front yard of my neighbor’s house.  The wedding took place on a Saturday.  On Tuesday a tent was erected in front of my neighbor’s home and relatives began to arrive.  On Wednesday and Thursday night church services were held in the tent, and on Friday many family members gathered for the payment of lobola and to cook the food that would be served the next day at the wedding.

Lobola is the tradition in which a bride price is paid by the groom and his family.  Historically this payment was made in cattle or other animals and was a way for the groom to thank his new in-laws for the care they took in raising the woman that was to be his wife (makambaonline.com).  The price for lobola can be higher for different reasons, including the level of education of the woman.  The negotiation process for lobola takes place prior to the wedding, with payment made (in this case) the day before the ceremony.  While this matter was sorted inside of the house, the female relatives of the family were outside cooking up a storm.  There was a flurry of activity as a bakkie (pick-up truck) full of groceries was delivered to the yard and the women began to prepare and cook the food in traditional crockery over an open fire. 

On Saturday morning we went to the nearby church for the ceremony.  The ceremony began with the procession first of the groom, then of the bride and her party.  The bride wore a dress made of a beautiful blue fabric.  The wedding party had different styles of dresses made with the same fabric. Vows were taken and the bride and groom then sat in front of the church while other elements of the ceremony took place.  Three languages were used during the ceremony: Xitsonga, Sepedi, and English, because the bride and groom come from different language groups.  There was traditional dancing, some organized routines and some spontaneous outbursts of dancing by the crowd.  Speeches were made by friends and family representatives, with a choir breaking into song between each set of speeches.  Cake was cut and a toast was made with a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage.  The ceremony took about four hours (quite typical of the various events I have attended in this region) and likely would have gone longer had the MC not requested that speaker be brief due to the fact that it was over 100 degrees outside and even warmer inside.

Following the ceremony everyone made their way back to the home of my neighbor and to the yard of the home where I live.  The same meal was served at both locations, where people found places to sit outside while they ate and socialized.  After about eight hours of socializing and festivities I was spent, but the party next door was just getting started.  People danced the night away, with the party coming to an end somewhere around 2am.  The wedding was a great event that brought two families together and gave the entire community an opportunity to celebrate with one another. 

Seeing service with fresh eyes

Disclaimer: the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.

On September 27^th my mother arrived in South Africa for a three-week visit.  I wanted her to see so much of what the country has to offer, but it was especially important to me that she see the village where I live and work so she could have a better understanding of what I am doing here (and I also thought she needed to ride the public taxis for the full experience).  This experience was great for her, but it also really encouraged me in my service to see things through the fresh eyes of a visitor, and to hear the things that members of my community said to her.

We arrived in my village late in the afternoon on Sunday, October 1^st.  It took a grand total of one hour for this news to spread and for many neighbors, children, and community members to find their way to my door to greet her.  The kids thought she was the best as soon as she passed out Jolly Rancher candies to each of them, and she and kokwani hit it off immediately.  Some of the members of the community stopped by to tell her about the work I have been doing, which was incredibly eye-opening and encouraging to me.  I had no idea that so many members of the community knew of, or valued, the work I have been doing so much before I heard them tell my mom about it.  It made me think that perhaps some of the programs I have implemented will have a lasting impact on the community, and perhaps some of the programs will even be sustainable.

October 2^nd-4^th my project manager and I had planned a Grassroot Soccer Camp for the children.  Grassroot Soccer is a program that uses soccer drills to teach children about HIV and TB, and is fairly straightforward and easy to implement.  Evidence suggests that class sizes under 25 learners work best for such programs, so I delivered letters to each of the schools in the village that explicitly stated that only the first 25 learners to sign up would be accepted.  I gave the children two weeks to sign up, but the children from Mashangani Primary School had filled the roster in just two days.  One of the teachers at Mashangani Primary School read the letter and volunteered to assist me with the camp.  Mr. Mashaba was an absolute Godsend!  We kept the children each day from 10am until 3pm, giving them a small lunch in the middle of the sessions (so kindly prepared by my mother).  On day two of our camp there was a mobile clinic taking place in the same vicinity as the camp.  When parents saw what was taking place in the camp they asked how they might involve their own children in a future camp.  The camp was a great success, the children learned so much, and the community and my organization are already expressing interest in future camps. 

After four days I decided my mom had bucket bathed and used an outdoor latrine enough and we did the tourist destinations of Kruger National Park (where we saw the Big 5!) and Cape Town.  We had a great time, and it was nice to get away for a bit.  Since I have returned to my village every question I have received has been “where is mama?”  I guess those Jolly Ranchers really made an impact!

Chasing Hydration

Disclaimer: the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.

The heat is upon us!  One of my favorite things about living in my village is that I have known the words for “too hot” (ka-hisa ngopfu) and “cold” (ka-titimela) pretty much since my arrival.  The similarities to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has been a source of amusement for me, but I agree wholeheartedly with my neighbors…ka-hisa ngopfu!  I do my best to drink enough water, but sometimes it feels like I am chasing adequate hydration like a hamster on a wheel.

Things were pretty busy for me through August and much of September.  I implemented Zazi for a second time at the secondary school for grades eight and nine.  I asked three girls from grades ten and eleven to assist me as student leaders, and in exchange I would write letters outlining the work they had done so that they could include them with their applications to schools or jobs.  The leaders were so fantastic at classroom management and at explaining things in Shangaan for my learners when we detected confusion.  Overall the intervention was successful, especially since the student leaders are likely to be able to help with future interventions, but many of the girls failed to attend on the two most important days: teenage pregnancy and HIV/STIs.  I was disappointed by the low attendance for those sessions, but was happy that at least some of the girls were there to hear the message.  The worst part of the low attendance was that I had purchased over 50 bananas in town for condom demonstrations and dragged them back with me (50 bananas are extremely heavy) and only 10 girls showed up that day.  I sent the girls home with the extra bananas because there was no way I could finish them before they went bad.

I began teaching the caregivers at the Home Based Care on Friday mornings each week.  We used the manuals developed by the Aurum Institute in Johannesburg for layworkers on HIV and TB, doing a chapter each week.  I would then offer a lesson on an issue pertinent to their clients, based on their reports.  For example, I offered a side-by-side comparison of hypertension and diabetes, and when the heat hit suddenly I offered a lesson on dehydration, emphasizing the importance of watching the elderly people and young children for the signs and symptoms of dehydration.  The caregivers were really annoyed with me when I told them that water intake should be increased and soft drink (aka cold drink) consumption should be decreased.  Many of the caregivers were completely annoyed by my lessons and some asked me why I was not paying them a stipend to learn the material, but there were a few who would ask me questions and I would see a notebook full of notes and perfect copies of the pictures I had drawn to accompany the lessons.  I think this experience is a pretty good analogy for my service: often surrounded by frustrations, but then there will be that one shining moment when I am so happy that I am doing what I do.

Of course my favorite thing about my service has far and away been my work at the drop-in center.  The Explorers Club is ongoing, but lately the financial manager told me she wanted to teach the lessons.  She takes the lessons very seriously, and even kicks me out with the younger kids if I try to give the learners hints for answers to questions she asks.  Her desire to teach has made me so happy, as I hope this means that the program will be sustainable after I leave.  The creativity days are still a huge hit, and I absolutely love coloring with the kids.  It is great to see them grow more and more confident and independent through such a simple intervention.  If you follow my Instagram you may have seen a recent video I posted of the boys dancing while holding an unattached piece of playground equipment quite precariously (I usually have about five near heart attacks a week with them).  The spontaneous dance party came after I told them we would have a movie day.  We watched the cartoon version of Disney’s The Jungle Book.  I was laughing harder at the strange parts of the movie that had them giggling.  They were especially amused by Ka, the snake, which I found so strange as I always thought Baloo was so much funnier. 

It has been a busy, but satisfying term.  My mother will be arriving next week for a visit, so I will enjoy traveling around South Africa for a bit with her.  We will spend four days in the middle of her trip in my village so that I can do a Grassroot Soccer Camp with the kids.  She will depart and I will return to my village just in time to teach the kids at the drop-in center about American Halloween.  I am excited to help them decorate masks, teach them the trick-or-treat rhyme and pass out candy, and to show them the movie Hocus Pocus.  It should be a very fun cultural exchange!

67 minutes to change the world

Disclaimer: the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.

Today I joined the caregivers from the Home Based Care in my village as they commemorated Mandela Day by offering 67 minutes of service to those in our community.  Mandela Day began in 2009, and is celebrated on Nelson Mandela’s birthday each year (18 July).  According to un.org: By devoting 67 minutes of their time – one minute for every year of Mr. Mandela’s public service – people can make a small gesture of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global movement for good.  It is such a small part of just one day, just a little more than an hour.  Can you imagine what would happen if every person on the planet gave just one hour in the year to work towards making the world a little more pleasant for just one other person?  Talk about a ripple effect!

So today we went out to the community.  The caregivers split into teams and each team went to the home of a different patient.  The teams assisted the patients with sweeping their yards and with light housework.  The people we visited were so happy; except for one kokwani who asked my colleagues if I was there to shoot her (I look pretty menacing with a gogo broom in my hand).  Our work was completed almost as quickly as it began, and the yards and homes looked great.  

In just 67 minutes we can make a difference in the life of another, but often we are so caught up in looking for a “dare to be great” moment that we miss all of the little opportunities that are just in front of us.  Wouldn’t it be fabulous if we stopped looking for moments and started taking action?  To quote Archbishop Desmond Tutu: do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.  What can you do with 67 minutes?  Happy Mandela Day!

June without the gloom

Disclaimer: the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.

The Explorers Club wrapped up and we were able to use the projector to show the children Moana.  The caregivers were amazingly inventive as they figured out ways to suspend the sheet we were using for a screen and to cover the windows so it would be dark for the show.  The kids were very excited to watch the movie, and each child even got a little sweet to celebrate the end of the term.  As I have mentioned before, things have a way of not quite going according to plan, and this was no different.  The sound on the projector, which always seemed loud enough when we tested it, was no match for the wind, the birds, and the fidgety children.  Luckily we were able to hear the songs well, and we have since managed to acquire speakers that should help us to better hear our next movie.  Adding the creativity component to the Explorers Club was amazing.  The children are loving coloring and when they write their names on their pictures it is assisting us in identifying those who might need literacy help.

The kids were absolutely tickled when we adults sat down to color with them

Zazi for the caregivers also wrapped up.  We enjoyed lively discussions and many laughs as we worked our way through topics such as relationships, gender-based violence, sexual health, and healthy living.  The discussion about diet modifications was not met with enthusiasm, as salt and sugar are a big part of the diet here.  One of the things I have found to be the same in both the US and South Africa is that the food that is affordable to those who are struggling financially is rarely the food that promotes health and well-being. 

Certificates for the caregivers after the completion of Zazi

I had the opportunity to attend the South African AIDS Conference in Durban from June 13-15.  The conference was amazing.  I found the sessions fascinating, and am so impressed at the advancements being made here in South Africa in the fight against HIV.  The sessions I attended covered so many topics: vaccine trials, topical ARV trials, phylogenetics, universal test and treat, and so many more.  A particularly interesting study observed the risk-taking behavior of participants as far as alcohol was concerned.  In the study, some participants were given alcohol, some were given a non-alcoholic beverage that looked and smelled like alcohol, and some were given water.  The study found that risk-taking behavior increased in people who consumed the non-alcoholic beverage but thought they were drinking alcohol and becoming drunk.  The conference reminded me why I first became interested in working with HIV, and inspired me to continue working in this area after the completion of my service.

Me and fellow PCV, Kolbi, taking a quick picture at the conference

July will be a very busy month, with both a camp and a conference pulling me from the village, but there should also be some time for preparation for term three.  Term three will include conducting Zazi sessions for both the home based caregivers and for the secondary school girls, more of the Explorers Club, and in-service trainings for both the home based care and the drop-in centre on HIV and TB.  It will be a very busy term, but I can’t think of a better way to get through the winter.

The kids are already enjoying their winter break...these boys chased me down the street to ask me to let them color.  Of course I said yes!

My fire has been brought-en

Disclaimer: the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.

Over the final weekend in May I had the opportunity to attend an event in Swaziland called Bushfire.  Bushfire, now in its 11^th year, is a celebration of arts, culture, and music.  The festival takes place at House on Fire in Ezulwini Valley.  Ezulwini is siSwati for Heaven, and the valley and festival were indeed heavenly.  All around us were signs that told us “wemukelikile” which means “welcome,” and were we ever made to feel welcome.  Thus far this event may top the list of amazing things I have done and seen since coming to Africa. 

Getting to Swaziland took six taxis over two days, with an overnight in Nelspruit.  Luckily Ben, the taxi driver who always assists me in Nelspruit, was able to direct me to the appropriate taxi that would take me across the border and into Mbabane.  Thank goodness for people who know what to do!  I crossed the border at Oshoek, which was a bit confusing, but I was able to get through fairly quickly and without any issues.  From there the driver took me to a taxi rank where I was able to catch another taxi to Legends backpackers where I was staying.  Many of the people who attend Bushfire camp, but a backpackers is pretty much the limit I will go to when roughing it, especially with night time temperatures dropping into the 40s Fahrenheit.

Day one of the festival began on Friday at 6pm and went until 4am.  Very well planned out, there were shuttles available to take us to and from the festival every hour on the hour to keep people from drinking and driving.  While waiting for the shuttle there were even musical performers entertaining us at the pick-up spot.  From the pick-up point and into the festival there was such a good vibe.  People were so kind to one another, just so relaxed and having a good time.  There was amazing food all over the place, and three different stages with live music.  While I definitely wanted to stay until the very end that night, the long days of travel caught up with me and I had to find my way home around 2am (the Vegas girl in me was a little ashamed of the early out).

Day two began with a lovely breakfast at Mugg and Bean, and arrival at the festival around 1pm.  The festival was already in full swing by that time, so friends and I found a nice place to park, relax, listen to music, and (my favorite activity) people watch.  I made several visits to a food stand that offered “American” corndogs and fried oreos…can’t get enough of that greasy carnival food!  I also made my way to a booth for Condomize Swaziland, where I made a condom into a discreet pin covered with fabric (others made earrings) and answered a quiz question to win some pretty sweet swag (a scarf and sunglasses that say “condomize” in hot pink).  The booth was providing excellent safe sex education in a country that has struggled with HIV for years.  I heard a man say that he was so surprised by all that he had just learned about condoms, and that he was very excited to try them out that night.  Night two ended just a bit early for me due to rain, but was awesome nonetheless.

Day three was more low key than had been the previous days.  The music had a jazzy vibe, perfect for relaxing on the grass and eating cotton candy and more corndogs.  The weather was a bit finicky due to the previous night’s rain, so I purchased a toasty sweatshirt that should be nice to have now that winter has descended upon us.  Day three was a perfect way to wind down the wonderful festival that brought people together from so many countries and cultures.  Even the transport hiccups inevitably encountered on the trip back could not bring down my spirits.  Bushfire was a fabulous event, one that I would highly recommend to anyone in Southern Africa at the end of May, and Swaziland is a beautiful country to visit anytime!

The most powerful weapon you can use to change the world

Disclaimer: the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or the South African Government.

Term two is off and running…sort of.  I decided to take a break from leading Zazi at the secondary school this term so that I could focus my efforts on the drop-in centre and the various programs I wished to help the caregivers to implement.  We worked together to develop a calendar which detailed our activities for each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for the term.  We had plans to divide the children according to age so that we could focus age-appropriate activities on the correct group, and because it is much easier to engage two groups of 25 children than it is to keep the attention of one group of 50-60.  It was all so well-planned - I even made up flipcharts with maps of the drop-in centre and a weekly calendar so everyone knew exactly where they should go on a given day.  I went to the centre the first day of the term energetic and so excited for the day, the week, the month, but things have a way of not quite going according to plan here.

 

The Explorers Club passport, oh the places they'll go...

I heard somewhere that it is advisable to write down all that you would like to accomplish in two months as a volunteer, then to make that your plan for the two years of your service, and as I began to work in the community that advice really resonated with me.  This is not due to a lack of community support; in my community I not only have a great amount of freedom to implement various programs, but I also enjoy the full support of project managers, school principals, traditional leadership, and many others.  For some reason things in South Africa just never seem to go as smoothly or as quickly as we westerners might hope.  This could be for any number of reasons: cultural differences, misunderstandings of expectations, miscommunications, and any number of other factors.  Plans failing to go smoothly may be an annoyance to some, but to a perfectionist with a touch of OCD this can be beyond frustrating. 

 

There were a few challenges that were beyond our control at the beginning of the term.  Prior to the end of term one the drop-in centre had been burglarized by someone who stole the food that would have been used to make meals for the children.  Once the food was gone many of the children stopped coming, as a nutritious meal is one of the main reasons for the children to come each day because many receive only their school meal and their drop-in centre meal each day.  It took us about one week to spread the word to the children that the food was back, at which point they began to return, but there went one week of planning.  Another challenge was getting everyone on the same page with separating the children according to age and determining who would lead each activity.  One day I was left alone in a room with 75 children and a laptop.  I decided to teach about two countries from the Explorers Club, but many of the children were completely lost as teaching in English does not begin until standard 3 (grade 3).

We now seem to be heading toward the same path, which is remarkable just two weeks into the term.  One unexpected blessing was that the caregivers asked me to facilitate the Zazi curriculum for them, which has enabled us to interact one morning each week for about two hours before the children arrive.  This has allowed us to enjoy open discussions and many laughs together, often followed by a chance to discuss our goals for the day or week with our programs.  We have even been able to practice with the SOUNS blocks, which promote literacy and can be used to teach both English and XiTsonga, and I have been able to begin teaching them about different countries and about the earth in general.  We are currently working together on what constitutes evidence-based interventions and how to document results so that they can be reported in a quantifiable way, and how such programming can be of great benefit when applying for funding through grants.

Despite the frustrations that have accompanied the start of our term two programming, I have to say that there are brief shining moments that really show the value of what we are working toward.  One such moment was the day that I brought books that had been donated and a bookshelf that I was able to purchase using fund from the Let Girls Learn grant that I was awarded in January to use for both Zazi and the Explorers Club.  The caregivers watched curiously as I tried to build the shelf (no easy task with the humidity that comes with living on top of the Tropic of Capricorn), and began loading it up with books.  The children arrived slowly that day, but as they arrived they were drawn to the books like little moths to a flame.  I thought they would grow bored quickly and want to go outside to play a game, but they did not.  They sat down on the floor in groups and began reading the books and looking at the pictures, stopping only when it was time to return the items to the shelves and line up for their meal.  Another highlight was when I suggested to the project manager, Masingita, that we appoint students to care for and monitor our library items.  She suggested Promise, one of the older girls who I already had in mind for the responsibility.  She readily agreed to assist us, and even suggested a counterpart from among the older boys.  I am hopeful that their leadership will encourage the children to take ownership of the books in such a way that they want to care for and preserve them for future use.

 

Our student librarian, Promise

By far my greatest moment of the term so far was when I was inside with one of my counterparts, Mavis, administering a pre-test for Grassroots Soccer, an evidence-based curriculum that uses soccer to teach children about HIV and TB, to the children ages 10 through 13.  We were having a pretty good time with the pre-test, they got a kick out of some of my XiTsonga pronunciations and we all had a good laugh at some of the English pronunciations.  There was one moment when I looked outside and saw one of the caregivers, Grace, who was leading the children ages 5-9.  Grace had taken the SOUNS blocks and had the children sitting in a circle around the blocks and was encouraging them to spell their names out with the blocks.  Watching the small children become so engaged in a learning activity and listening to their little giggles as they tried to spell things out with sounds the letters make was incredibly heart-warming.  I would be a fool to think that I will not experience more challenges this year, but I have very high hopes for the children and for the caregivers.  I doubt I will get to witness them fully tap into their intellectual potential in the few months I have remaining in my service, but what a privilege to be able to help plant the seeds that may enable them to grow into free thinkers and change-makers. 

She's got the whole world in her hands