Last week I whined about the worry from late income tax payments (Thanks to our son Erik and his law firm, we are saved from a second federal career at Leavenworth, Kansas). This week we hit a more painful sting!
On Wednesday the beautiful female maintenance worker who is an electrician, came to my office and whispered that she wanted to show me something. I followed her out to the wards and she pointed up to the fluorescent light fixture in the glass enclosed hallway. Hundreds of bees were sleeping on the ends of the fixture in cool misty morning. We then walked through the porch corridor and spotted hundreds more bees sleeping on the fixtures making the white metal dark brown in appearance. Discussion of the ramifications brought some concern as to what might occur when the ward warmed up and the bees came to life. Also the source and purpose of the bees foray into the hospital remained a mystery.
I walked back to the Admin Building and someone pointed out an old chimney on the ward with swarms of bees hovering around the abandoned tower. It appeared that the bees had chosen the old chimney as a hive and the hospital as home. Calls to off site administrators provided several means of dealing with the problem. Get a bee keeper (couldn’t happen until the weekend) or flood the chimney with Fumitabs vapor and quickly seal off the hive. The day was spent in locating the Fumitabs and by Thursday we were ready for war with the bees who amazingly had not stung any patients and were pretty good neighbors.
Thursday morning came and the Maintenance Dept was ready for combat. The Maintenance Supervisor came to my flat and I outfitted him with Peace Corps mosquito netting wrapped around a trekking hat. He and a helper took a ladder and climbed up on the tin roof to the chimney. Alas, instead of throwing the Fumitabs into the hive, quickly covering the chimney and getting the heck out, they dawdled. I went out of the office to see what was happening and was astounded to seem them fooling around with the contents of the hive. Within a few seconds I was swarmed by angry bees that had just had home and hearth ripped apart. The bees were trapped by my long hair and starting stinging my scalp, face and hands. I ran back to our flat behind the office and smashed the trapped bees dead against my scalp. I pulled stingers out of my hands and grabbed for cans of DOOM, the local insecticide. The burn began. I twisted my hair into a tight knot against my head and pulled dead bees out of the tresses. This was one time I wished I had followed several Peace Corps Volunteers examples and gone for the shave. I went back into the safety of the office and the youth chaplain looked at me and pulled a stinger out of my eyelid. ( I don’t know if this has anything to do with Biblical admonitions about beams and motes in the eyes but on this day my stinger was removed by a spiritual healer.)
For the life of me I could not understand all the dawdling and fooling around on the tin roof. When I looked out the window the picture became clear. Its all about the HONEY!! The two maintenance employees were pulling the honeycombs out one by one and throwing them onto the tin roof of the wards, releasing all of the angry bees. I started calling to the nurses warning them to close the windows of the hospital and trying to get the patients into the wards. No one moved from their vigils outside next to the chimney. In fact a carnival atmosphere took over the whole hospital. The meek supervisor of the storeroom arrived with a feather duster and started swatting the swarming bees. (he later had to wear sunglasses to hide his swollen face). Several male patients could not be moved as they said they were used to bees. A female registered nurse was cautioned as she neared the fray but stated that Jesus would protect her. The homeless bees swarmed on the roof on the ward as the honeycombs made their way down to the hungry masses. The ladder slipped as the maintenance supervisor climbed back to the ground but he grabbed the fascia and rolled his legs around the ladder. The booty was moved to the yard next to the workshop and the workers and patients gathered to admire the hunters, gatherers, and treasure. They picked off pieces of the forbidden fruit and bit into the hardwon sweet. Smiles and looks of victory were exchanged.
The next day the price of victory became apparent. Many employees (thankfully no patients were stung) were suffering from beestings. The mood of the hospital was very quiet. This experience was a lesson in differing perceptions of danger and the oneness that Zulus share with nature. However, after 3 days my stings are still smarting and my face is swollen. I may not be ready for another lesson in nature’s bounty. I also wonder if the queen is still in the chimney as a few bees are still buzzing around.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Taxing Troubles
Blog 15 april
Today is April 15 and Uncle Sam beckons for that which is due for 2006. Our taxes have not been filed. The Peace Corps lessons on Patience and Flexibility soften our anger, stress and frustration at our inability to accomplish a business task and the lack of control we have over our former lives in the United States.
Control and security are two buzzwords in America and middle class, middle age types take extraordinary measures to insure themselves, organize their finances and personal lives, and assess the risk of every daily activity. Peace Corps volunteers can take personal security measures but they cannot control communication, business in the US and transport.
Last June as we prepared to leave our home in Palos Verdes for two years, we sought advice on how to file our personal income taxes. We went to a CPA and provided data, documents and contact numbers and he agreed to prepare the tax returns for 2006. When January came along we forwarded the tax documents to the accountant and looked forward to getting the return by mail or email. When no return arrived by March, we emailed him and received the reply that he was swamped and would work on the return over the weekend. By last week we started to be concerned. A phone call to his office produced no response and our property manager’s inquiry produced no goods. The return is too complicated for us to do ourselves as our home was turned into a rental. So we sit today in South Africa feeling somewhat anxious, but utterly helpless as to what action can be taken. (Several of our contacts have tried to reassure us with the fact that taxes are not due until the 17th). Even if they arrived tomorrow, we may not have functioning email and the Hospital does not have a fax. Advice for potential Peace Corps volunteers-Try to cut all business ties to the US before you leave home.
So maybe after our tour of duty as Peace Corps volunteers, we will be housed in another Federal facility, Leavenworth. LOL. So all is not perfect in this beautiful country. In fact, most of the frustrations in our version of the Peace Corps are based on dealings with the US- three weeks for air mail to arrive at great cost; poor reception, delay, echo and disconnect from phone calls; no access to fax machines, intermittent email at night and no email in the day; and difficulty paying bills from South Africa. Control is held near and dear to American hearts. This experience in the third world 12,000 miles away has taught more than flexibility-seek peace and serenity in the midst of discord. The problems we have encountered have worked out, although not on our timetable. Fretting about the things one cannot control is not productive and our tasks here are so compelling that business and personal issues in the US fade in their importance. Our concern today is whether we can get a taxi back to the hospital this afternoon, how far we have to walk with our loaded shopping bags, and how to accurately do the payroll tomorrow so that no employee is cheated out of one rand. Dealing with the patients is a reminder of how blessed we are to have good health, confidence, and hope for the future.
The Jabule group is growing in numbers, energy and enthusiasm every day. This week the patients were hand sewing skirts, fleece hats for winter, dresses for their daughters, shopping bags with beading, and Zulu jewelry. A find was a load of old telephone cable on a junk pile which was stripped by the male patients, producing beautifully colored copper wires which will be woven in baskets. Dangly Zulu beaded earrings with the red and white AIDS symbol were made by some of the patients. Five new women joined the group and made head scarves as their first project. We celebrated a great week of Sizabuntu (Community Helping Project) by making No Bake Cookies on Friday, with the nurses translating the ingredients for the patients. We are outgrowing the small TV lounge and the time required to cut out each project and provide materials to each patient increases but the women are good natured. Thankfully, the Peace Corps grant will provide volunteer helpers to assist very soon.
Today is April 15 and Uncle Sam beckons for that which is due for 2006. Our taxes have not been filed. The Peace Corps lessons on Patience and Flexibility soften our anger, stress and frustration at our inability to accomplish a business task and the lack of control we have over our former lives in the United States.
Control and security are two buzzwords in America and middle class, middle age types take extraordinary measures to insure themselves, organize their finances and personal lives, and assess the risk of every daily activity. Peace Corps volunteers can take personal security measures but they cannot control communication, business in the US and transport.
Last June as we prepared to leave our home in Palos Verdes for two years, we sought advice on how to file our personal income taxes. We went to a CPA and provided data, documents and contact numbers and he agreed to prepare the tax returns for 2006. When January came along we forwarded the tax documents to the accountant and looked forward to getting the return by mail or email. When no return arrived by March, we emailed him and received the reply that he was swamped and would work on the return over the weekend. By last week we started to be concerned. A phone call to his office produced no response and our property manager’s inquiry produced no goods. The return is too complicated for us to do ourselves as our home was turned into a rental. So we sit today in South Africa feeling somewhat anxious, but utterly helpless as to what action can be taken. (Several of our contacts have tried to reassure us with the fact that taxes are not due until the 17th). Even if they arrived tomorrow, we may not have functioning email and the Hospital does not have a fax. Advice for potential Peace Corps volunteers-Try to cut all business ties to the US before you leave home.
So maybe after our tour of duty as Peace Corps volunteers, we will be housed in another Federal facility, Leavenworth. LOL. So all is not perfect in this beautiful country. In fact, most of the frustrations in our version of the Peace Corps are based on dealings with the US- three weeks for air mail to arrive at great cost; poor reception, delay, echo and disconnect from phone calls; no access to fax machines, intermittent email at night and no email in the day; and difficulty paying bills from South Africa. Control is held near and dear to American hearts. This experience in the third world 12,000 miles away has taught more than flexibility-seek peace and serenity in the midst of discord. The problems we have encountered have worked out, although not on our timetable. Fretting about the things one cannot control is not productive and our tasks here are so compelling that business and personal issues in the US fade in their importance. Our concern today is whether we can get a taxi back to the hospital this afternoon, how far we have to walk with our loaded shopping bags, and how to accurately do the payroll tomorrow so that no employee is cheated out of one rand. Dealing with the patients is a reminder of how blessed we are to have good health, confidence, and hope for the future.
The Jabule group is growing in numbers, energy and enthusiasm every day. This week the patients were hand sewing skirts, fleece hats for winter, dresses for their daughters, shopping bags with beading, and Zulu jewelry. A find was a load of old telephone cable on a junk pile which was stripped by the male patients, producing beautifully colored copper wires which will be woven in baskets. Dangly Zulu beaded earrings with the red and white AIDS symbol were made by some of the patients. Five new women joined the group and made head scarves as their first project. We celebrated a great week of Sizabuntu (Community Helping Project) by making No Bake Cookies on Friday, with the nurses translating the ingredients for the patients. We are outgrowing the small TV lounge and the time required to cut out each project and provide materials to each patient increases but the women are good natured. Thankfully, the Peace Corps grant will provide volunteer helpers to assist very soon.
Monday, April 09, 2007
The Ship Came In! Blessings from the Berg
Blog 8 April
Happy Easter Everyone! Blessings from the “Berg” (Drakensberg That Is)
Great News Came This Week!!!! The Peace Corps, using the President’s AIDS funds, approved our $3800 grant request to fund the Occupational Therapy Program for one year at Mountain High Hospital. I was so excited to hear the news and to have our handcraft/sewing group, Jabule (Happiness) SizaBuntu (People Helping), receive this gift which will fund handcraft supplies, two sewing machines, three paid assistants that begin as volunteers, and six weeks of instruction from the Zulu beading teacher. The Jabule group has been a blessing to me as the patients in their blue hospital gowns become individuals with personalities and artistic talent. They tease me and I joke with them as I show them simple beading, cut materials, hand out yarn, and demonstrate cooking. With this funding the program will no longer be hit or miss, depending on the availability of materials (and my access to town) or the demands of the office duties. Local volunteers will be trained to run the program so that it is sustainable and to teach sewing machine skills that may be used when the patients go home.
Thanks to all of the donors in South Africa and America that contributed materials to seed the program. It has been a great success as every day 15 women and a few men clamor for projects and want to learn new skills. They are interested in making practical items for themselves and their children but respond with big smiles when told that their work is Ihle (beautiful). The grant will allow expansion of the program to more men (shoe repair, carving and wire sculpture) as well as to bedridden women who can do handwork. The patients in this TB/AIDS hospital are not old and they are interested in fun, useful activities. What a great opportunity to use those skills learned from Mom and Home Ec in the US. A personal benefit is that the handcraft program has been an excuse to visit every available gift shop to look for new project ideas and admire the Zulu culture.
My skills have been put to use in the Peace Corps-environmental health, disease prevention, infection control, proposal writing, office management, budgeting, data inputs, computer graphics, payroll, embroidery, sewing, knitting, cutting out patterns, cooking, gardening, making pom poms for booties, and church youth programs. It seems that every opportunity for learning leads to a future, parallel opportunity to use that skill even for those of us who are not perfectionists. . So friends, be glad when you enter your prime years because Experience Counts and it can be used in the Peace Corps!
Easter in South Africa is a four day weekend so the Bond’s packed up to visit their neighboring World Heritage Site, Giant’s Castle in the Drakenberg Mountains. The usual scramble to get off our own mountain was worth the effort when we arrived at our mountain lodge and caught a glimpse at the magnificent mountain range which extends over 100 miles and has peaks 10,000ft rock peaks. Giant’s Castle is so named because a silhouette of a giant and castle create the peaks of the escarpment at this point in the range. Some of the other noteworthy peaks are Cathedral Peak, Monk’s Cowl and the famous Champagne Castle. This trip we are on the Peace Corps Budget and did not splurge for the Champagne Castle but settled into a lodge just outside the national park with thatched bungalows, hiking trails and plenty of charm for only $90 a night for two, including a hearty breakfast and dinner. The lodge is full of families enjoying the long weekend and the pond with canoeing, sports equipment, ping pong and cricket. It is hard to believe it is Easter as the leaves here at 5000ft have begun to turn color, the air is cool and the afternoons deliver heavy rainstorms.
The hiking in the national park is great with well marked trails that extend into the lofty peaks and a hut system for overnighters. We hiked to the World’s View, which delivered on its name. The easy trail transversed the mountains and then jutted up to the top of the highest hill where one has a 360 degree view of the entire escarpment and the rolling hills that lead up to the Drakensberg. The tops of the peaks were shrouded in fog but the view was stunning nonetheless. About half way a herd of eland and their young strolled alongside the trail looking to graze on the upper side of the ridge. They were still there when we returned from the top of the view point. The elder large grey males take the lead and rear to keep the young in line. Their movements were beautiful to watch as the herd of around 25 made random patterns but always keeping with the group up the side of the tapestry of flora on the mountain.
The visit to the Drakensberg included a hike to the mountain cave paintings done by the San people, the original inhabitants of South Africa. Drakensberg is a geographic and cultural world heritage site because of the rock wall paintings, which include warriors, sangomas (witch doctors), eland, and mytholocial half man half beasts with two tails and three animal heads. The paintings were dynamic in their depiction of movement and color but were mystical in their meaning. Much of the ancient art from the early inhabitants shows leash lines from the man figure to the animal but the significance of these tethers remains unknown.
Easter Blessings to you- family, friends and neighbors! At the holidays we get homesick for familiarity, comfort and renewal of our faith. This special Easter we seek joy in the Easter Message of Hope and New Beginnings for All. This Easter it is exciting to be in a New Democracy with so many opportunities for service and personal growth. .
Happy Easter Everyone! Blessings from the “Berg” (Drakensberg That Is)
Great News Came This Week!!!! The Peace Corps, using the President’s AIDS funds, approved our $3800 grant request to fund the Occupational Therapy Program for one year at Mountain High Hospital. I was so excited to hear the news and to have our handcraft/sewing group, Jabule (Happiness) SizaBuntu (People Helping), receive this gift which will fund handcraft supplies, two sewing machines, three paid assistants that begin as volunteers, and six weeks of instruction from the Zulu beading teacher. The Jabule group has been a blessing to me as the patients in their blue hospital gowns become individuals with personalities and artistic talent. They tease me and I joke with them as I show them simple beading, cut materials, hand out yarn, and demonstrate cooking. With this funding the program will no longer be hit or miss, depending on the availability of materials (and my access to town) or the demands of the office duties. Local volunteers will be trained to run the program so that it is sustainable and to teach sewing machine skills that may be used when the patients go home.
Thanks to all of the donors in South Africa and America that contributed materials to seed the program. It has been a great success as every day 15 women and a few men clamor for projects and want to learn new skills. They are interested in making practical items for themselves and their children but respond with big smiles when told that their work is Ihle (beautiful). The grant will allow expansion of the program to more men (shoe repair, carving and wire sculpture) as well as to bedridden women who can do handwork. The patients in this TB/AIDS hospital are not old and they are interested in fun, useful activities. What a great opportunity to use those skills learned from Mom and Home Ec in the US. A personal benefit is that the handcraft program has been an excuse to visit every available gift shop to look for new project ideas and admire the Zulu culture.
My skills have been put to use in the Peace Corps-environmental health, disease prevention, infection control, proposal writing, office management, budgeting, data inputs, computer graphics, payroll, embroidery, sewing, knitting, cutting out patterns, cooking, gardening, making pom poms for booties, and church youth programs. It seems that every opportunity for learning leads to a future, parallel opportunity to use that skill even for those of us who are not perfectionists. . So friends, be glad when you enter your prime years because Experience Counts and it can be used in the Peace Corps!
Easter in South Africa is a four day weekend so the Bond’s packed up to visit their neighboring World Heritage Site, Giant’s Castle in the Drakenberg Mountains. The usual scramble to get off our own mountain was worth the effort when we arrived at our mountain lodge and caught a glimpse at the magnificent mountain range which extends over 100 miles and has peaks 10,000ft rock peaks. Giant’s Castle is so named because a silhouette of a giant and castle create the peaks of the escarpment at this point in the range. Some of the other noteworthy peaks are Cathedral Peak, Monk’s Cowl and the famous Champagne Castle. This trip we are on the Peace Corps Budget and did not splurge for the Champagne Castle but settled into a lodge just outside the national park with thatched bungalows, hiking trails and plenty of charm for only $90 a night for two, including a hearty breakfast and dinner. The lodge is full of families enjoying the long weekend and the pond with canoeing, sports equipment, ping pong and cricket. It is hard to believe it is Easter as the leaves here at 5000ft have begun to turn color, the air is cool and the afternoons deliver heavy rainstorms.
The hiking in the national park is great with well marked trails that extend into the lofty peaks and a hut system for overnighters. We hiked to the World’s View, which delivered on its name. The easy trail transversed the mountains and then jutted up to the top of the highest hill where one has a 360 degree view of the entire escarpment and the rolling hills that lead up to the Drakensberg. The tops of the peaks were shrouded in fog but the view was stunning nonetheless. About half way a herd of eland and their young strolled alongside the trail looking to graze on the upper side of the ridge. They were still there when we returned from the top of the view point. The elder large grey males take the lead and rear to keep the young in line. Their movements were beautiful to watch as the herd of around 25 made random patterns but always keeping with the group up the side of the tapestry of flora on the mountain.
The visit to the Drakensberg included a hike to the mountain cave paintings done by the San people, the original inhabitants of South Africa. Drakensberg is a geographic and cultural world heritage site because of the rock wall paintings, which include warriors, sangomas (witch doctors), eland, and mytholocial half man half beasts with two tails and three animal heads. The paintings were dynamic in their depiction of movement and color but were mystical in their meaning. Much of the ancient art from the early inhabitants shows leash lines from the man figure to the animal but the significance of these tethers remains unknown.
Easter Blessings to you- family, friends and neighbors! At the holidays we get homesick for familiarity, comfort and renewal of our faith. This special Easter we seek joy in the Easter Message of Hope and New Beginnings for All. This Easter it is exciting to be in a New Democracy with so many opportunities for service and personal growth. .
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Fall at Mountain High
Fall has come to Mountain High and our home in the sky has been shrouded in mist for most of the week. Today we are in Vryheid, our shopping town, where the skies are bright blue and the air feels like Los Angeles on a beautiful fall day with cooler temperatures and a slight breeze. The days are growing shorter. We are looking forward to a trip to the Drakensburg Mountains for Easter where jagged peaks 10,000 feet high create a 100 mile national park and World Heritage sight.
The 2000 km trip home from Cape Town was a driving odyssey across the southern end of South Africa, along the coast of the Eastern Cape through KwaZuluNatal and Durban to Richards Bay. The southern coast was wild and forested, with wide canyons and bungy jumping across the huge abysses. The garden route was somewhat disappointing as the flowers were not in bloom but the varieties of shrubs, trees and scrub were interesting. We hit rain though the Tsitikamma National Park and fog. As soon as we reached the Indian Ocean the weather cleared and the National Road N2 transversed lovely beaches and port towns. The beaches on the Indian Ocean have beautiful surf but lack the dramatic forests and canyons on the southern side of SA. At Port Alfred the road turns in, making the coast inaccessible. This is the Apartheid homeland of Transkei and the area was the poorest we have seen with few farms, water, trees or signs of electricity where the Xhosa people live. Mandela grew up in this area and has retired to a small town here. Tourist facilities were hard to come by. The coast in this area is known as the “Wild Coast” and can be hiked through a national trails system.
The trip back to Mountain High by Greyhound Bus from the coast taught us more P and F (patience and flexibility). After turning the rental car in, we rushed to the bus stop at the Mac Donalds in Richards Bay. The bus was an hour late due to a broken fan belt. When the bus pulled in the driver stated that the fan belt was broken again and he called to have Greyhound send a mechanic with another fan belt. The mechanic eventually showed up and repaired the fan belt. We cheered the mechanic and boarded the bus. After a 10 minute ride the driver stated that the air system had also failed which affected the doors and brakes. We all got off the bus and waited while the mechanics were summoned again. The crowd was fairly good natured about all of the delays, even the mothers with tiny infants and bored children. At last we pulled into Vryheid at 7pm, a four hour delay and had to stay in a b and b. The director of the hospital was not happy the next morning when it took 2 hours to fill the taxi to transport us back to the hospital but such is life with the vagaries of public transportation. The work has been piling up and new projects need attention. The women in the sewing group have been waiting for supplies and ideas to start new handcraft projects. The cold and damp have piqued their interest in making fleece hats and warm socks. It is a pleasure to be needed and have a job to do although we also enjoy touring this beautiful country.
Our flat was filled with wet clothes that took three days to dry after washday turned into a downpour. It had the appearance of a Salvation Army Thrift Shop with shirts, underwear, pants, socks, and wet towels hanging from every chair and door knob. Besides a car, a clothes dryer is missed most of all American comforts. Washday is a judgement call; the weather drives the decision. Wrong guess and one lives with his mistake with wet clothes competing for space in our small flat. As fall set in, we check the weather reports but they are always 30 or 60 % chance of rain. They are always accurate too!
The 2000 km trip home from Cape Town was a driving odyssey across the southern end of South Africa, along the coast of the Eastern Cape through KwaZuluNatal and Durban to Richards Bay. The southern coast was wild and forested, with wide canyons and bungy jumping across the huge abysses. The garden route was somewhat disappointing as the flowers were not in bloom but the varieties of shrubs, trees and scrub were interesting. We hit rain though the Tsitikamma National Park and fog. As soon as we reached the Indian Ocean the weather cleared and the National Road N2 transversed lovely beaches and port towns. The beaches on the Indian Ocean have beautiful surf but lack the dramatic forests and canyons on the southern side of SA. At Port Alfred the road turns in, making the coast inaccessible. This is the Apartheid homeland of Transkei and the area was the poorest we have seen with few farms, water, trees or signs of electricity where the Xhosa people live. Mandela grew up in this area and has retired to a small town here. Tourist facilities were hard to come by. The coast in this area is known as the “Wild Coast” and can be hiked through a national trails system.
The trip back to Mountain High by Greyhound Bus from the coast taught us more P and F (patience and flexibility). After turning the rental car in, we rushed to the bus stop at the Mac Donalds in Richards Bay. The bus was an hour late due to a broken fan belt. When the bus pulled in the driver stated that the fan belt was broken again and he called to have Greyhound send a mechanic with another fan belt. The mechanic eventually showed up and repaired the fan belt. We cheered the mechanic and boarded the bus. After a 10 minute ride the driver stated that the air system had also failed which affected the doors and brakes. We all got off the bus and waited while the mechanics were summoned again. The crowd was fairly good natured about all of the delays, even the mothers with tiny infants and bored children. At last we pulled into Vryheid at 7pm, a four hour delay and had to stay in a b and b. The director of the hospital was not happy the next morning when it took 2 hours to fill the taxi to transport us back to the hospital but such is life with the vagaries of public transportation. The work has been piling up and new projects need attention. The women in the sewing group have been waiting for supplies and ideas to start new handcraft projects. The cold and damp have piqued their interest in making fleece hats and warm socks. It is a pleasure to be needed and have a job to do although we also enjoy touring this beautiful country.
Our flat was filled with wet clothes that took three days to dry after washday turned into a downpour. It had the appearance of a Salvation Army Thrift Shop with shirts, underwear, pants, socks, and wet towels hanging from every chair and door knob. Besides a car, a clothes dryer is missed most of all American comforts. Washday is a judgement call; the weather drives the decision. Wrong guess and one lives with his mistake with wet clothes competing for space in our small flat. As fall set in, we check the weather reports but they are always 30 or 60 % chance of rain. They are always accurate too!
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