What If?

It's kind of fun to play the What If game.  You should try it!
• What if it was winter in South Africa right now?
• What if I could understand every word that was spoken in every conversation in my village?
• What if I had all the answers?

• What if I could drink tea all day? Wait. I can!

• What if my skin was black but I was still the same person?

• What if I wasn't a vegetarian?

• What if I did take that random guy who stopped me walking to work this morning back to America with me (he suggested he could live with my family)?

• What if I could get people to put trash in a trash can? Then what?

• What if I changed my clothes more than once a week?

• What if Tia (!) could cook for me every day?

• What if I could learn how to play that game where the kids throw trash and stack rocks?

• What if I could have birthday cake tomorrow?

• What if I could plant grass outside my house to sit on and read my books?

• What if I could go home to America…just on the weekends?

• What if I could take a shower once every 3 months?

• What if the frog at my house jumps on my head while I’m sleeping?

• What if my fingernails continue to rot and fall off?

• What if I couldn’t leave my village? Ever?

• What if I run out of toilet paper tomorrow?

• What if the donkey I saw this morning can’t hear anymore because he was missing an ear?

• What if I can’t find a job when I come home?

• What if I was a Peace Corps volunteer…in Italy?

• What if my name really was Lethabo?

• What if I could drive to Walgreens later?

• What if I had a pet chicken?

• What if my fan breaks and I die because it’s so hot?

• What if I had to eat pap every day at every meal?

• What if my friends and family back home don’t even miss me?!

So I will be heading to Pretoria for the weekend/next week. I am going to a Peace Corps workshop to learn about gardening. Yes, gardening. It is a skill that most of us volunteers do not possess yet find would benefit us here since many of our organizations have space and the need for an additional sustainable food source. I am taking one of the women at my organization. Hopefully I won’t kill any plants. Wish me luck!

Free form.

I'm just going to share a few thoughts/tidbits/pieces of information.  

• South Africa (particularly the area where I am located in Limpopo) gets really hot.  We are coming into the "spring/summer" (it all seems the same) - from what I have experienced so far, it is kind of like living in Phoenix without any air-conditioning with an intense, burning sun.  
• But, no one will open the window in the taxis even though it is like a sweat box in there.  Too scared of getting the "flu."  This is the termed used to describe basically any ailment here.
• This weather is "boring." Or, that person is "boring."  I hear the term boring a lot and was first very confused.  Now I just use it too.
• I also have adapted other words (which are slang/english) that include:  "eish"(an exclamation like "wow"), too much (it's too hot, too far, too difficult), spoiled (ruined), bhaki (truck). 
• Mosquitos are starting to arrive. 
• Water is a real challenge in many rural areas.  Including the area where I stay.  There is a water tap in the yard of my host father's compound.  Most of the time it doesn't work (I can't really explain why).  There are large water storage containers that families keep water in because of this problem which are called "jojos".  In order to fill your jojo one must take smaller containers to a water source (usually a river) and carry them back (in a wheelbarrow or on their head or, if you are lucky, with a bhaki). 
• Nothing ever starts on time.  SLT.
• I was actually complemented on my language skills the other day (I still am not that good...at all) but I proudly accepted the complement by saying, "ke a leboga!" 
• As I walk through the village, most of the little kids now like to yell out my name (repeatedly until I am out of their range of vision), "Sesi Lethabo! Sesi Lethabo!" It always makes me smile.

I am now goig to go sit in front of my fan and think about snow.  Love to you all! 

My work.

I don’t feel like I have talked about my work much? Probably because it’s so difficult to define. I can remember taking a walk one day in beautiful Colorado with my mom before coming here (ahh, I miss our walks so much, mom!) and sharing one of my concerns about coming here. From the little information I had received, read and heard from other volunteers, there seemed to be no defined “job” as a volunteer. You really create your own role it seemed?

So, having now been a volunteer for a few months, I would probably agree that there is no defined role for the typical volunteer.  Which can be really good because you have a lot of opportunity.  And also one of the many difficulties of life as a volunteer.  Let me explain as much as I can.

There are two programs that a volunteer would be working with here in South Africa – Education (which would mean they would be working as an educator at a primary or secondary school) or one would be part of the CHOP program (the Community Health and Outreach Program). I am a CHOP volunteer (this was determined prior to me coming to South Africa). As CHOP volunteers we work with NGOs (non-profit organizations) which usually fall under one of two categories – home-based care organizations or drop-in centers (there are a few other NGOs that a volunteer might work with but these seem to be the primary two types). These NGOs work as organizations that have formed primarily due the demand and need to provide care and support for individuals and families that have been impacted in some way by the pandemic of HIV/AIDS here in South Africa…but it doesn’t mean these organizations provide direct health care. For example, a drop in center might provide food, support, etc. - the net can be cast wide as an organization helps their own community determine its needs.
The organization that I work with is a group of drop in centers (which mean that we work with children that “drop in” to the center before and after school). Our centers provide food for children ages 6-18 as well as after school activities. The organization has been around for a while but there are many changes that we are dealing with this year (for tons of reasons which I won’t go into right now).

So, what I do. I am trying to help with some of the infrastructure issues so that this organization is a sustainable fixture in each of their communities. Helping with things like training for the volunteers and staff (think basic leadership development, computer skills, financial management, etc). In addition, I’d like to develop some more meaningful activities and programs with the kids. While we have a great start, there is an opportunity to do more.

But, the challenge is sometimes not making it about what I want and making sure it’s what the organization/community wants and will support long after I’m gone. That can be a difficult lesson sometimes. Okay, it can be a difficult lesson quite a bit of the time.

Does that help give you a sense of my work?  Maybe.  Maybe not. 

The Run.

I did participate in the “Mayor’s Tournament” this weekend which I must tell you all about – it was a fabulous day.
The event is a day to celebrate women! It typically takes place every August which is Women’s Month in South Africa and our local municipality holds the event to celebrate the very important (and very difficult) role that women play in their family and culture but it also highlights women's continued struggle for equality. The event is open to women ages 18 to 80 (or older if they want to come!) and there is a run, soccer tournament, netball tournament (not this year though), traditional dancing contest, beauty contest (yes?!) and fashion parade! I had no idea?!

My friend, Lebo, came the night before to tell me that I needed to be on the tar road by 6AM because the local ward councilor would pick me up to take me to the start of the race. Sure enough, she was there to pick me up and we drove to the registration line and start of the run. It was clear that I was an anomaly. There was a bit of “talk” among the racers as to my attendance (why was I there?!) but then they figured out that I was a “local” and it was fine. It was also discovered I was from AMERICA (always an exciting discovery here) and then I became an instant celebrity. We had to wait for a while so I talked to people – asking about where they were from and why they were running. I must share a few information tidbits about the race:

• A free T-shirt can motivate any person, across any culture (there were free T-shirts given to all runners). I almost got mauled when they started passing them out.

• I wish I could have shared a picture of the runners at this race compared to a race that you might be picturing. DO NOT picture an American race. These women were in skirts, jeans, shoeless or not in appropriate running shoes (ie, flip flops, keds, holes in shoes, etc.). I only saw one woman actually wearing running shoes (other than myself). But it didn’t matter. They were so excited to be there.

• The gogos that were at the race were awesome! These are the grandmothers of the villages. They were in their headwraps, skirts, many were toothless, dancing and laughing (often at me trying to dance)! Ready to run (or kindof).

• If you have to use the bathroom while waiting for a couple of hours for the race to start, you just go. In the bush.

• Even though this was called a marathon, the distance was only about 5km. There is no way that these wonderful women could have “run” any further. Maybe a few of them, actually, with a little bit of understanding of pacing. They would sprint and then stop. Sprint and then stop. I tried to get them to slow down but it was sort of a lost concept?

• I did NOT win the race. For many reasons. General confusion about what was happening (and when the thing actually started – I thought we were still just singing and then all of a sudden everyone was running)? But mostly because I “ran” with several girls who wanted to hang with me. And then I encouraged the gogos for a bit. But that’s okay. There’s always next year!? Although, Piet, my host father, was quite disappointed to hear I didn’t win!

Next year, I hope to help the local municipality plan the event (with maybe some donations from my wonderful friends and family back home of running shoes?!). I was lucky enough to meet the mayor and the speaker as well as several of our local ward councilors. It was such an inspiring day.

And, I can’t even begin to describe the soccer playing gogos. This was truly a sight.

Some days are "too difficult."

I must tell you about my day on Saturday. I was supposed to run in an event called the “Mayor’s Marathon.” I thought this event had been planned for quite some time because it seems to be an annual event (my first time competing of course) but it’s been quite challenging to pull information from people about the actual details so who knows? Well, the day before the race I was trying to figure out where I was supposed to go for the start of the race and people started saying that they “heard” it was postponed? I am not exactly sure why…something about a party was being hosted for the mayor and this seemed to be a conflict. I sent a text message to someone I hoped would know and sure enough the race wasn’t happening. Now, I’m not exactly sure how they told all of the other runners but I just try to not ask questions sometimes. The race is now happening next Saturday just so you know (wish me luck that I figure out the details).
Since I wasn’t doing my race, I decided to go to town (I did run anyway since the race does seem to be happening next week now…we’ll see)! After my run and bucket bath (yes, bucket bath every day!), I went to the road to catch my usual taxi. Well, this particular taxi was overloaded meaning they put too many people in the taxi with the assumption that some are getting off sooner rather than later. Too bad for the driver that the traffic cops were out and we were stopped. I found it strange though that the driver was smart enough to recognize they were being stopped and pulled over before the road block to change drivers because he was driving on an expired license (don’t ask) yet he didn’t think about the overloaded taxi so was fined anyway.

Then, coming back from town, I was accosted by one very drunk man who said he loved me and would in fact marry me (he even gave me a pair of earrings as a sign of his devotion). I have received this kind of attention before but it was a bit excessive. Luckily, I had the help of a few kind women on the taxi and they helped rid me of my potential future husband.

Upon returning to the village, I was greeted by my friend at the local shop telling me I am looking very “fat.” While I thanked her for her kind words (she also told me I’m looking quite wrinkly and red and need to wear a hat), I explained that this would be considered rude in my culture (she didn’t care). She said it means I am happy in the village – that I have an open heart. So I reciprocated and said she also looks very “fat.” 

Ugh. Some days are "too difficult."  This phrase (too difficult) can be said to most people here and they understand the meaning so I say it a lot.