A Celebration.



My beautiful village. 

I feel so lucky.   I decided I wanted the opportunity to be able to say goodbye to everyone at my site all at once so a few weeks ago I discussed the idea of having a party at my house the day before I was going to leave my community.  A small goodbye party.  Piet, my host father, was gracious enough to say yes to having a bunch of kids (who like to listen to loud music) as well as all of my Phedisang Project friends and other community members over to the house for the afternoon.  The party planning turned into a bit of a fiasco which I won’t go into but in the end it all worked out (somehow it always does…)?  My interns came and gave a speech, the girls from Camp GLOW were also there (and helped decorate and serve food), the Phedisang staff helped cook food, the kids who I hang out with from the community all showed up, and many community members came out to say goodbye.   Oh, and of course a couple of my PCV friends were there as well.  It was a day that I will never forget.  The day was filled with food, dancing, laughing and, of course, many tears... 

I have a few pictures on some of my friends and family to share. 

Lasts.

This is a week of lasts for me here in Ga-Sekororo, South Africa. The last time I will take a taxi ride to Tzaneen to go shopping. The last time I will go for a run in my village. My last bucket bath (of course it has been pointed out to me that I could continue this tradition back in America…). The last time I will sit on my porch with my host father talking about my day. The last time I will go to the Phedisang centers. The last time I will go to the post office to get my mail. The last time I will hang out with my “kids” playing UNO or hiking or listening to music. The last time I will ever eat rice and beans (I hope). And maybe the last time I will see some of my friends here...

Who knows when I will come back to South Africa. I would like to? I’ve come to love this country. But since I can't say for sure, I will simply say goodbye to my South African family that I have come to love and hope that I can stay connected with them in some small way.

As I finish what started as a far-fetched dream to join the Peace Corps several years ago, it seems strange now to be finishing and going back to my life in America. What will I do? How will life be different? Or will it be the same? And, more importantly, what are my new dreams?  I can’t say for sure that I know what my future holds.  I only know that I will forever be changed by my time here. By the people I met, by the things that I saw, by the places that I’ve been. I feel very lucky to have had this time. Some people have asked if I would do it over and the answer is yes. I don’t have any regrets.

But, I am looking forward to coming home to see all my friends and family back home. I can’t wait to share a little bit of my experience with you and see what the future holds...after I do a bit of hiking in the Wild Coast that is...see you soon!

So many lasts.

This weekend I ran in my last marathon in South Africa (who knows if I will do more when I get to wherever I’m going).  Who would have imagined my two years in South Africa would include a couple half marathons and marathons...and then there was the insanity of that ultramarathon.   But, I decided it would be nice to do one last race.  And I am so glad I did...

I got to run with my amazing friend, Grace (I promised I would run with her the entire race).  It was her first marathon and she did a fantastic job!  She will go on to run in many more races, I'm sure (she is already analyzing her results).  Here's to many lasts...and to all of the many firsts still yet to come.      

My host father.

I imagined being placed with a family. A family that was overflowing with young kids that I could play with after work, who would teach me games, and give me hugs every day. A young mother with boundless energy would show me around the village. And, of course, there would also be a gogo living on the compound and she would share her wisdom (even though we could not speak the same language) – maybe she would be a traditional healer?! This would be my host family in South Africa. Doesn’t this sound grand? Well, this is what I thought I wanted. So, when I was told I would be living with a single man….a pensioner who was retired because of a disability?! I wasn’t very excited. This didn’t sound like my ideal South African family.

But then I met Piet. Mr. Piet Thuketane. And my perspective shifted (isn’t it strange how that happens sometimes)? Well, Piet has turned out to be my lifeline. On days that I thought I just couldn’t stand it one more second, I would seek guidance from Piet. He always had answers (granted, sometimes not to the questions I asked but it usually didn’t matter). Along with teaching me about life in South Africa and the people/places/traditions in my community he taught me so many other lessons. He taught me how to maintain my sense of humor. And how to appreciate being quiet and more observant. And how to be less judgmental. As I would walk home from work, I would look forward to my time sitting on the porch talking to Piet. He liked to know about my day. Then he would ask about my family and my friends. I think I told Piet more about my life than I have shared with some of my close friends? When I was going through a break-up…I confided in Piet. When I was frustrated about a project at work, I shared with Piet. When my sister had her baby, Piet was the first to know. And Piet remembered everything I told with him (it was sometimes shocking). And, oh, he loved having my fellow Peace Corps friends visit (like Ethan “the giant” and Megan “the scientist” and Ted “the china boy”!).

I feel lucky now I didn’t get the “perfect” host family. Because, instead, I met Piet. He is an amazing person. Right now, I can’t imagine saying goodbye to him (I am tearing up just writing this…). And, even though Piet will never see me (he lost his sight several years ago), he may know me better than anyone else. Thank you, Piet, for giving me not just a place to live for the last two years but making it my home.

It's Finished. Finally.

A year ago I helped to write a grant proposal which funded a new building for one of the centres I support. It’s been a year of ups and downs as this building has been constructed. From getting the land donated from the induna (who is like the chief of the village) to working with the local municipality to get the building plans approved and then finding all of the materials and supplies. Buildings and construction (especially in a rural South African village) was not something I had a lot of prior experience doing?! It’s been a long year. But the staff and volunteers did an amazing job of putting in the time and work needed to get the building completed. They were able to move in to the new centre last week which will provide 85 orphans and vulnerable children with meals and after school activities. The children that come to the center have little means for food or enrichment and are put at a disadvantage in pursuing future goals which is the purpose of having the center...and I’m so happy and excited it is ready for use!


We still have many cosmetic features that need to be completed (curtains, more office furniture, shelves, more toys and books would be nice along with much needed burglar bars for security) but I am really proud of the work and time everyone put in to get the building completed.

My heart is full.

I have been really happy these last couple of weeks. Usually, when I get back from a long vacation, I go through a deep depression acclimating back to village life (back to taking bucket baths, eating bland food, slow days, hot weather, limited conversations, blah, blah, blah…poor me). Anyway, this time, I haven’t really felt that way. It’s been easier for some reason. For example, last night, I played a rousing game of UNO until late (okay, late is relative but it was darkish?) into the night with three of my favorite kids. They have a somewhat sick addiction to the game and I find many of my nights eaten up playing this game of my childhood. But I do enjoy it. I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia now that I am near my end of service or finally feeling like this place is my home. Either one, my heart feels really full.

Saying goodbye is going to be hard.

P.S.  If anyone can (quickly) post another few decks of UNO cards...you would be a saint. :)

Last of last month. Or something like that.

December has come and gone. It is now January and I am completely overwhelmed. There is too much to do and too little time...because I will be coming home in 3 short months!!!


But back to December. Well, at the beginning of December I was able to enjoy some time with my fellow Peace Corps volunteers at what was called our ‘Close of Service’ conference. We all reflected on our 2 years of service, talked about what it would be like going back to the US of A, and just generally reminisced. One of the volunteers put together a slide show with many of our group photos which was an amazing collection of shared memories that I will cherish.  Oh, and we also had a dance party (see below). 

After the conference, I immediately faced having a root canal. Yes, I survived my first (and hopefully last) root canal. It was questionable there for a while but with the help of some heavy duty drugs and some hand-holding by a few friends, it is done. Thank goodness as this had caused many sleepless nights for me.

With the root canal behind me I travelled to Johannesburg where I met my Phedisang AYG (Achieve Your Goals) Interns (the group of 12 high school learners I have been working with for the past year). I had planned the trip for the interns to visit several companies in Johannesburg and learn about different careers. We had an amazing few days and it was by far the highlight of my month. We got to spend some time visiting a logistics and transport company where the interns learned about various career paths (human resources, accounting, IT, etc). Then we got to tour one of their warehouses and meet several of the management staff. We also stopped by the zoo and met another young intern who was attending college while also interning at the zoo and she was able to give us a tour and share her experience about going to school and working/learning while helping at the zoo. It was a great trip (and I’m hoping it provided motivation for the interns)!

Then, it was finally time for vacation! With my extended family (the Possins), I was able to explore Northern Mozambique and Tanzania (including several nights on the amazing island of Zanzibar). We flew to Northen Mozambique and then set off for the “Isle de Mocambique” where we enjoyed a fabulous couple of days relaxing on the beach (and by the swimming pool). We also took a dhow boat to another even smaller island and did some swimming and snorkelling. The only challenge was the heat – excruciating. But if you stayed near water and jumped in every once in a while then survival was possible. After leaving the island we had quite the adventure traveling to our next destination near Pemba. I won’t go into the details here but sometime over a drink or a large plate of hummus or a big fruit salad or some chips and salsa (oh, I miss good food), remind me to tell you this story. In Pemba, we stayed with an Italian couple at a beautiful beachfront resort basically doing nothing (seriously, I put on my swimming suit before breakfast and it stayed on until the evening). I have learned that I am incredibly good at relaxing by the beach. Can I include this skill on my updated resume?

Then, we went into the town of Pemba (still in Northern Mozambique) for a couple of days. One of these days was Christmas Eve and we had a great dinner of Indian food – I ate probably one of the best cashew curries of my life (do you see food is a recurring theme)? On Christmas day, we travelled from Northern Mozambique to Tanzania (and ate our Christmas meal of pizza and beer)! We weren’t really sure of our plans for the next few days but decided to head to Arusha where we signed up to do a budget safari to see both the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater. Even though it was a budget safari (leaking tents, no showers, not the greatest guide, etc.), the landscape and animals were beautiful. No, spectacular. This is the Africa you imagine. Wide, open spaces with animals everywhere. We witnessed the beginning of the wildebeest migration where herds of wildebeest move across the Serengeti from Kenya (just google ‘wildebeest migration’ and you will learn all about it). We saw baboons, giraffes, leopards, a cheetah, monkeys, lions, elephants, water buffalo, rhino, and hippos…I really can’t describe how beautiful these areas are and am grateful I had the opportunity to visit.

Then we headed to Zanzibar for our last few days of vacation. We had to take a ferry to get to the island of Zanzibar (or if you aren’t a Peace Corps volunteer you can fly). The island of Zanzibar is another amazing place. There are beaches that stretch for miles (literally, they go on forever) and the most amazing resorts (from extremely high end to the budget backpacker). We celebrated New Year’s Eve on the island with people from around the world (Tanzanians, Americans, Italians, Greeks and Egyptians) with a bonfire on the beach and then decided to head to a local hangout. We recovered on New Year’s Day by relaxing on the beach (yes, my newly acquired skill). As if that wasn’t enough, we finished our whirlwind tour in Stone town (on the opposite side of Zanzibar) which turned out to be a shopping mecca (as well as a food lover's heaven).

I feel very lucky to have been able to take this time to see some of the magnificent places here in Africa. I wish I had more time (and money) to go exploring. But I know that I will come back to Africa someday to do some more exploring. I still have so much to see?!

Now, though, I am back at home in my village. Even though I returned to dead bats in my room, disgusting heat, and those darn ants...I am happy to be home. I missed my host family and the community and am looking forward to enjoying these last few months with them. Happy New Year, by the way!

(And I am putting my vacation photos up...so click over there to the right).