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.
It has been a while, and so much has happened over the last
ten weeks. I was officially sworn in as
a Peace Corps Volunteer on March 31, 2016, and was taken from swearing in to
the village where I will work and live for the next two years. Here are some of the highlights that took
place in the weeks leading up to this moment.
On January 18, 2016, I left Ontario Airport in California
for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I met
the other 32 members of my volunteer cohort at an event called staging. We participated in icebreakers and role
plays, which provided a glimpse of how our lives might look as volunteers. We departed for JFK airport at 2am on January
20, 2016. Miraculously, we all made it
to the flight and departed on our 16 hour flight to Johannesburg.
Upon arrival to South Africa we gathered our luggage and
boarded several vans, which took us to a conference center in Mpumalanga
Province. We spent ten days getting to
know each other, attending sessions to learn about our upcoming service, and
learning to which language group we would be assigned. It was exciting and overwhelming, but we had
not even scratched the surface.
On January 31 we were taken to a meeting room in a small
village about half an hour from the conference center where we had been staying
to meet the families that would host us for the next two months. I have never been adopted so I cannot say
with certainty that the emotions I felt were the same that a child feels when
going to meet a new family, but I can only imagine that the emotions are
similar. I was so apprehensive! I had no idea whether my family would speak
English, whether there would be running water and an indoor bathroom at the
home, what chores I would be expected to do, or even if they would like
me. I was matched with a very sweet Gogo
(grandmother), and taken to her husband’s waiting bakkie (pick-up truck). Mkhulu (grandfather) and Gogo drove me to
their home. Mkhulu spoke to me and
pointed to things all the way home, but it was all in Zulu and I had no idea
what he was saying. Upon arrival I was
shown to my room and given a host sister, who turned out to be an absolute
Godsend during my stay!
I spent two months in Gogo and Mkhulu’s home, learning about
rural South African culture, figuring out bucket baths, and learning to wash
clothes by hand. The family discovered
my lack of culinary prowess quite quickly, so I simply helped cut vegetables
and dish up dinner plates. It had been
emphasized to us that we should become part of the family rather than behaving
as a houseguest, so I jumped in and began washing dishes each night. This was in part because I had been told that
I was in a patriarchal society where women are expected to do much of the
housework. Apparently in Gogo’s house it
was expected that my three teenage host brothers take turns washing the dishes,
and the boys simply did not share that information because they were getting
out of doing chores because I misunderstood the rules. I can’t even get mad at that because I would
have done the same thing to someone when I was a teenager! Gogo figured out what was going on after a week
or so and put a very quick stop to that behavior. We took turns after that.
During the day I attended language classes and technical
sessions each day. I was assigned
siSwati as my target language. SiSwati
is part of the Nguni family, along with isiNdebele, isiZulu, and Xhosa. The village in which I stayed spoke
isiNdebele, and the family with which I stayed spoke isiZulu, so I was afforded
the opportunity to practice my language skills at home. At first I would write out what I wanted to
say and read the card to Mkhulu and Gogo (who both speak very little
English). They would look at me confused
for a while, then would read the card themselves and acknowledge that they
understood what I was trying to say.
Eventually I was able to tell them simple things, such as where I was
going and when I would be back. When I
did this for the first time without writing it out first Gogo got a huge smile
on her face, clapped her hands, and chanted “number one, number one” to
me. It was so encouraging! Gogo also gave me my village name on
Valentine’s Day: Thandi, which means “love.”
So much took place in the short two months that I stayed
with this wonderful family. I can now
successfully bucket bathe. I can
semi-successfully hand wash my clothing.
I was able to handle food poisoning using an outdoor latrine (no simple
feat), and I have learned to carry toilet paper with me wherever I go. My host siblings and their friends taught me
so much about the culture of the Ndebele and Zulu people, including customs surrounding
weddings, funerals, and coming of age. I
am so grateful for the homestay I enjoyed, and my host sister and I plan to
visit one another in the future.
I now embark on the next leg of this adventure. I have moved to a region of the Mpumalanga Province
known as “the pocket.” I am 45
kilometers from the borders of Mozambique, Swaziland, and Kruger National
Park. This is arguably one of the most
beautiful spots in the country (everything is so green and lush), and is also
one of the hottest spots in the country.
I will work for a home based care organization in a small village that
has gone to great trouble to ensure my comfort during my stay with them. There will be hiccups along the way (cobras
come out at night here), but I am hoping that after two months I will be as
reluctant to leave my new family as I was to leave my homestay family on March
31. The pastor of one of the churches in
my new village arranged an interpreter for his message on the day I attended. I was so glad he did! He spoke from Jeremiah: for I know the plans
I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you. It was exactly what I needed to hear that day
to prepare me to look past the discomforts and find the positive points in my
new home and new village. The next three
months will be spent in “lock-down” as I become acquainted with my new village
and conduct my needs assessment. If
anyone feels so inclined, a letter of encouragement or a bag of skittles in the
mail are most appreciated! If you would
like my new address, please private message me or my mom to get it.
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