Happy Anniversary!

So this weekend we had a reason to celebrate.  My fellow Limpopo volunteers of Peace Corps South Africa group 21 (we were missing one of the group!) got together to celebrate our one year anniversary of living in South Africa. I have a few pictures of our weekend in my photo album (we even went to a coffee place in town which was a highlight)!
And now for a bit of reflection time. I never thought I would make it this far. Through the application, leaving everything that I know and love, giving up the physical comforts of my very blessed American lifestyle, trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing in my project (and how to communicate in another language which is still definitely a work in progress)…and now I will use a cliché. It is the toughest job you will ever love. And, strangely, I do love it. Not to say there aren’t moments (or, okay, let’s be honest, even days) that I have hated it. But I am so glad I took this leap. I am doing something that only a few people will ever have the chance to do. And what makes me love it the most to be honest are my interactions with the kids.  They see me as a part of America - a place that they will probably never get to see (and many of them will never even leave this village).  But I have this opportunity to share part of what America is and who I am with these kids. It seems less and less about the big things (although I’m still trying the big things and some work, some don’t). But the exchange and sharing of culture is something I will never again take for granted.

Here's to one year in South Africa! 

Strange.

I had a week that was filled with strange and interesting things. But, I must confess that it was one of thost emotional roller coaster weeks for me. One day I was feeling the lowest of low - why did I come to South Africa?  This is crazy? The next, I was on a high - this is amazing?  I am making such an impact!  If I have learned nothing else being a Peace Corps volunteer, it is how to simply “keep going.” And, if you just keep going you get to see and do some amazing, strange and interesting stuff – and meeting amazing people along the way.

To highlight a few of the strange and interesting things this week...
• I was locked IN at work. Yes, I could not get out of the locked gate that surrounds our center for several hours.  I tried to call people and finally got in touch with someone who came and let me out. 

• I discovered that there is a pyramid selling scheme that is moving around my village that some of the people are participating in – and the products are made in Scottsdale, Arizona! How weird is that! It’s some kind of aloe product that you sell and then get other people to sell and then you can make money…I have been solicited to buy these miracle products several times. 
• I was sitting on my porch and one of Piet’s friends was putting shoe polish on her feet. I asked why? She said because it cures her pain. Oh, I said. Why not? I guess the rumor is that brown (you can’t use any other color) cures corns.

I thought I needed to pass these strange items along…and they made me feel happy about being in South Africa.

And, tomorrow, I will get up and keep going so that I can learn more strange and interesting things.

Thank you.

I first must thank my girls club donors to date (and there’s still time to make donations if you are feeling generous)! My fabulous friend Christine – you are most amazing. Grandmother – I love you. Chad, Lorrie and Kathy…I will buy you a drink when I get back (that is, when I get a job)! :)

I am working with the primary school here in my village to organize the first meeting (remember, things move via SLT but have no fear)…and I will keep you informed as to our progress. I am very excited!

So I read an article in the paper during my holiday break that I enjoyed and wanted to share…I will try to find the link and post. For now, let me at least share one small part of the article (which was about aging and living longer). The author, Robert Rowland Smith, talks about aging not along a continuous axis where you might be tempted to keep doing the same things.  He states that the challenge (and opportunity) of getting older is to make abrupt turns which might not only make you better but essentially these turns could make you a different person. I like that.

Here's to some abrupt turns for all of us in 2011. 

Ain't it beautiful.

Ahh, vacation. So I now understand why people flock to Cape Town. It is an amazing place. For the holidays (so I wouldn't be depressed without the comforts of my family and friends for Christmas and New Year), I embarked on an amazing adventure. I think I could have spent another several weeks in Cape Town and been quite content (it might have also been the showers and free use of a washer as well)?  You have the ocean, wineries, mountains, shopping, great food, museums…the list goes on. I, again, traveled with the wonderful couple, Chuck and Michelle, who have taken me under their wing and into their family (which can be confirmed because the three of us shared a flat for a week with one bathroom which did not have a bathroom door – this took a bit of coordinating but we managed…hey, it was a free accommodation). We climbed Table Mountain in record time, watched African penguins in Betty’s Bay, walked along the cliffs of Hermanus hoping to see whales (no luck), toured several wineries where I tried to taste the asparagus in my wine (no luck again but I drank it anyway), ran up Chapman’s Peak, watched a concert in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on New Year’s Eve, and enjoyed the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Parade on New Year’s day.


I must admit I was a glad to be home after my almost 30 hours of travel…but it was well worth the journey. Please view the pictures of our amazing adventure. Happy New Year.

To eat or to look at the mountains?

Before I tell you about my holiday vacation, I realized I forgot to tell you about (and put up pictures) of the day trip we took with the leaders from my project.  We selected the top 12 kids from the Leaders Program to go on a day trip to a nearby area called Blyde River Canyon – it’s an amazing area with many scenic spots that people come from all over to visit but unfortunately people from most of the rural communities in the immediate area don’t oftentimes have the opportunity to go because of cost.  I’m happy the kids got the experience and it was a really great day but I said to my host father afterwards as he was asking me about the trip that there is some universal, built-in programming whereby all teenagers, no matter where they come from, are more interested in eating sweets (this is what candy is called here) and chips and listening to loud music in the car rather than looking at beautiful scenery and learning about the history of the country. Oh, well, what can you do?