Sept. 25, 2006
Swearing In – It’s Official-Bondo is a Peace Corps Volunteer!!! Yipeee!
On Sept. 21st Brendon and I were officially sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers in South Africa, finally shedding our Trainee status. The week was full of ups and downs with Isizulu language testing, shopping trips to a Pretoria mall to purchase equipment for “Settling In”, a family farewell picnic and thank you program for the 80 gracious families that hosted trainees for 8 weeks, packing and one final round of vaccinations. Although our language proficiency is inadequate for the task ahead, we are now settled in our gorgeous mountain site and ready to begin service at this historic hospital.
Our 33rd wedding anniversary fell on the shopping day at the Pretoria (Sept. 16) so instead of investing in can openers, bath towels, wash tubs, and mountain gear we broke away from the group and had a leisurely lunch at a fine Italian restaurant with calamari, veal and real coffee. South Africa is somewhat jarring to Peace Corps volunteers as they switch between 1st and 3rd world at the flip of a coin. The last two months have been a lesson in the effects of poverty and HIV/AIDS on this country which has great potential as the democratic leader of Africa but has been handicapped by Apartheid. And now the onslaught of the AIDS pandemic and fear of crime. The quality of life is hampered by the grinding poverty of households solely supported by the Gogo’s (grandmother) pension, months with no access to water except for a distant pond and buckets hauled via wheelbarrow, electricity blackouts and little variety in diet or recreation activities. However, the people are very social and practice Ubuntu, the spirit of community and oneness. Brendon and I cooked many dinners at our Mama’s house and were often surprised by neighboring children and adults who were fed and cared for when they dropped by. Our attempts at pizza were a big hit. However, not even the hungriest soccer player would eat our tuna noodle casserole heavy on the curry powder. Likewise, we tried many new foods (including beef lung and mealie meal Pap) but the Pap is challenging as it is used as a spoon to scoop up sauces and vegetable and takes some practice to get the technique down.
We arrived at Mountain High late after the swearing in ceremony and are glad to be settled into our home for the next two years. The setting is stunning and we are enjoying the beautiful trees, mountain views, fabulous birds, wildlife and peace. Brendon managed to get an internet card so we are now wired, howbeit very slow service from our mountain hideaway. Our supervisor surprised us on Saturday by taking us to a ladies annual church conference in a neighboring Zulu town. Events included sewn basket competitions, fundraising conducted by participants dancing to the church altar with their offerings in time to music from a live band, banner competitions, sermons pertaining to prayer and women’s rights, and wonderful meals cooked by the local church women. Although my appreciation of the events was hindered by my limited understanding of Zulu, I was visually thrilled by the variety of Zulu outfits and beading worn by the women. They are fine seamstresses as well as talented artists who express themselves in the colorful, imaginative dresses and headdresses with interesting motifs including pineapples, shields and swords. Sunday brought a more sober mood with 100 women marching down the block in their red and blue uniforms and a brass band. The women of Africa have a difficult role as they are required to keep their families together while suffering from a lack of confidence in a male dominant society. Dynamics between husband and wife are strained as many men leave home to find work and end up infecting their wives with HIV.
Today was a holiday, Heritage Day, so Brendon and I spent our first workday at Mountain High having fun and getting our living space fixed up so that it seems like home. We went on a four hour hike through the mountains and forests to a lumber camp and tea plantation. Although we didn’t spot any game, the road was full of stunning green and brown four inch long crickets and lovely butterflies. The wildflowers are starting to bloom. The day was warm and we enjoyed the beauty of this special place. Tomorrow is our first real day of work so we hope it goes well and we make some friends. We are missing you all but think of you every day. We have hung a wall map of California and have posted pictures of Palos Verdes, our children, our church and some of our travels. The wind is whistling through our home but we feel safe and privileged to be here.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Mountain High
Sept. 8, 2006
Mountain High-A Visit to Our Future Worksite
Brendon and I have just returned from a weeklong visit to our future work site at a TB hospital in the mountains of KwaZuluNatal. This was our first chance to see the beauty of South Africa aside from our homestay village that has been our training base for the last month. We first spent two days at a workshop in Rustenburg, a platinum mining town in the Northwest province and were impressed with the gorgeous rocky cliffs that surround the city. The directors of the hospital for our future work site gave us a hearty welcome and began sharing their vision for the facility. We had a good chance to get acquainted as we drove from the Northwest province through Gauteng, Mnpulanga and then into KwaZuluNatal, locally known by its initials KayZedEn. The scenery changes in each province with the arid flat landscape and mining towns with huge mounts of tailings becoming rocky cliffs and bluffs where Zulu wars and Boer wars were fought. The area we will be living in is known as Zululand with battlefield museums, monuments and bed and breakfast hotels.
We stopped for supplies in the town of Vryheid which we will call home even though it is 80 kilometers from the mountain hospital. I was impressed with the quality of the shops, the tidiness of the homes and the beautiful gardens. The grocery stores could compete with anything in the US with their abundant supplies of produce, including some varieties I did not recognize, and ample offerings of lamb, beef and sausage. South Africans love meat and enjoy outdoor barbeques known as the Braai which always includes some sausage. (Our homestay family is planning a braai this Saturday to honor our Zulu language group). The town has other amenities including churches, a nursery, banks, clothing and furniture stores, restaurants, several hotels and two bookstores.
As we left Vryheid, I began to wonder what life would be like living in a hospital compound 80 km to the nearest grocery store. The scenery became more lovely and verdant as we left town and began the long climb to Mountain High. A short ways out of town we spotted a sign to the local hot springs spa which we hope to visit and may be just the thing after a long bike ride in the mountains. Soon the dry grasses turned to natural and cultivated forests with pine and gum trees silhouetting the hillsides and buttes of the countryside. Some of the mountains had interesting geological formations and steep rocky sides. I made a note to buy a geological guide to South Africa as well as a wildlife guide.
After the beautiful drive up the mountain we arrived at Mountain High and were greeted by the guard at the gate to the compound. The facility consists of numerous small buildings and cottages on the ridge of a mountain with forests surrounding the cleared site. To our surprise the grounds had extensive plantings that looked just like home; bougainvillea, bird of paradise, an lemon orchard, vinca, impatiens, red hibiscus and a poinsettia in our backyard that was still in bloom as this is winter in the southern hemisphere. The hospital was built around 80 years ago and is in the style of sanitariums where patients were taken out to clean air and good nutrition for extended periods until they were cured. Our residence is half of a cottage that contains the business office where I will be working in administration. So my new commute will require only a walk out my front door. Our home looks like it will be comfortable with a hot shower, flushing toilet, electricity and space heater. However it may be confining when the famous mist of the mountain moves in as the space consists of one room with a small hallway containing a sink, stove and shower. The room is bright and sunny with windows on all sides and a gorgeous view. Prime real estate!!
Our whirlwind tour of South Africa included a visit with a Peace Corps couple who have been working for one year in a small city two hours from Vryheid. After a most enjoyable visit, we got on a Greyhound bus and traveled to Pretoria. Bus service in South Africa is pleasureable with comfortable reclining seats, attendants serving drinks, and continuous movies to pass the time. We returned to our village from Pretoria via two Kumbie rides, which almost delivered us to our doorstep. Our mama greeted us with open arms and a delicious meal of pap and chicken.
The week was exciting for us because it gave us a glimpse of what our life may be like in two weeks after swearing in and the compelling nature of the work before us. We will graduate from training and will be sworn in as Volunteers on the 21st. We will then move to our site and begin work. We hope we are up to the task!
Mountain High-A Visit to Our Future Worksite
Brendon and I have just returned from a weeklong visit to our future work site at a TB hospital in the mountains of KwaZuluNatal. This was our first chance to see the beauty of South Africa aside from our homestay village that has been our training base for the last month. We first spent two days at a workshop in Rustenburg, a platinum mining town in the Northwest province and were impressed with the gorgeous rocky cliffs that surround the city. The directors of the hospital for our future work site gave us a hearty welcome and began sharing their vision for the facility. We had a good chance to get acquainted as we drove from the Northwest province through Gauteng, Mnpulanga and then into KwaZuluNatal, locally known by its initials KayZedEn. The scenery changes in each province with the arid flat landscape and mining towns with huge mounts of tailings becoming rocky cliffs and bluffs where Zulu wars and Boer wars were fought. The area we will be living in is known as Zululand with battlefield museums, monuments and bed and breakfast hotels.
We stopped for supplies in the town of Vryheid which we will call home even though it is 80 kilometers from the mountain hospital. I was impressed with the quality of the shops, the tidiness of the homes and the beautiful gardens. The grocery stores could compete with anything in the US with their abundant supplies of produce, including some varieties I did not recognize, and ample offerings of lamb, beef and sausage. South Africans love meat and enjoy outdoor barbeques known as the Braai which always includes some sausage. (Our homestay family is planning a braai this Saturday to honor our Zulu language group). The town has other amenities including churches, a nursery, banks, clothing and furniture stores, restaurants, several hotels and two bookstores.
As we left Vryheid, I began to wonder what life would be like living in a hospital compound 80 km to the nearest grocery store. The scenery became more lovely and verdant as we left town and began the long climb to Mountain High. A short ways out of town we spotted a sign to the local hot springs spa which we hope to visit and may be just the thing after a long bike ride in the mountains. Soon the dry grasses turned to natural and cultivated forests with pine and gum trees silhouetting the hillsides and buttes of the countryside. Some of the mountains had interesting geological formations and steep rocky sides. I made a note to buy a geological guide to South Africa as well as a wildlife guide.
After the beautiful drive up the mountain we arrived at Mountain High and were greeted by the guard at the gate to the compound. The facility consists of numerous small buildings and cottages on the ridge of a mountain with forests surrounding the cleared site. To our surprise the grounds had extensive plantings that looked just like home; bougainvillea, bird of paradise, an lemon orchard, vinca, impatiens, red hibiscus and a poinsettia in our backyard that was still in bloom as this is winter in the southern hemisphere. The hospital was built around 80 years ago and is in the style of sanitariums where patients were taken out to clean air and good nutrition for extended periods until they were cured. Our residence is half of a cottage that contains the business office where I will be working in administration. So my new commute will require only a walk out my front door. Our home looks like it will be comfortable with a hot shower, flushing toilet, electricity and space heater. However it may be confining when the famous mist of the mountain moves in as the space consists of one room with a small hallway containing a sink, stove and shower. The room is bright and sunny with windows on all sides and a gorgeous view. Prime real estate!!
Our whirlwind tour of South Africa included a visit with a Peace Corps couple who have been working for one year in a small city two hours from Vryheid. After a most enjoyable visit, we got on a Greyhound bus and traveled to Pretoria. Bus service in South Africa is pleasureable with comfortable reclining seats, attendants serving drinks, and continuous movies to pass the time. We returned to our village from Pretoria via two Kumbie rides, which almost delivered us to our doorstep. Our mama greeted us with open arms and a delicious meal of pap and chicken.
The week was exciting for us because it gave us a glimpse of what our life may be like in two weeks after swearing in and the compelling nature of the work before us. We will graduate from training and will be sworn in as Volunteers on the 21st. We will then move to our site and begin work. We hope we are up to the task!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
South African Views
View from our new backyard.
These are pictures from our first few weeks. Susan as a open air Maytag. Our new home and office. Initiation day at the training village. A rondoval at the training village. The village down the mountain from our new home at the hospital.
These are pictures from our first few weeks. Susan as a open air Maytag. Our new home and office. Initiation day at the training village. A rondoval at the training village. The village down the mountain from our new home at the hospital.
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