Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Last Night in South Africa
Tonight is our last night in South Africa and we are filled with excitement, anticipation and deep gratitude for this amazing adventure. We are so thrilled to see our families in a few days and return to America. The week was spent at a Close of Service Conference hearing about life in the United States, career opportunities, adjustment issues for returned Peace Corps Volunteers and catching up on the stories from our colleagues
The medical tests last week took four days but what great news! In spite of daily interaction with HIV/TB patients at Mountain View Hospital, countless rides on taxis with coughing passengers, and many encounters with children our PPT skin tests did not react and we never even had an encounter with TB. The numerous medical tests showed that Peace Corps service is not hazardous to your health. Adjustment to life in the United States may be a challenge but the Bond’s are alive and well!!. Two years spent hiking the dirt roads is good for old coots who love to look at the fantasy scenery and see the game and birds. We are thankful for God’s protection and guardian angels who watched over us in this beautiful country that has its dangers, toils and snares.
The trip back to middle class life takes some work and management. It is a reverse of the process done in July 2006. We are returning to our four bedroom three bath home in a beach community of Southern California. We return with four suitcases filled with momentos of life in Zululand, a very rural section of South Africa. Our suitcases contain baskets, beads, Zulu pots, monkey balls, carvings, ethnic art, kitchen utensils, wooden spoons, and who knows what all. They were packed two weeks ago as we left Mountain High Hospital after two years of serving at an AID/TB hospital serving the poor in the mountains of Kwa Zulu Natal. Our clothing and shoes were worn out and left for the patients and staff at the hospital.
The process of returning is the reverse of the start of the adventure. The movers will return our furniture from storage, our son will move back into our home and we will have the task of unpacking the 44 boxes of housewares, clothing, books, linens and whatever else we thought was important two years ago. We come back without a phone, car, internet connection, or bed but are thankful for our family and friends that will help us readjust and get equipped for US life.
The greater challenge will be to find meaningful work in the United States. Our experience has been intense and we have felt needed, in spite of the challenges of living in a very rural isolated setting. America also has many opportunities for service and many needy people. Hopefully, our service will carry over to our lives in America and we will continue to find opportunities to be of use.
What did we miss during the two years that will be first on the agenda?
Mexican food in Los Angeles. We dream of tamales or chili rellenos from any taco stand or chain restaurant
The ability to get a cell phone with a contract instead of continually buying air time on the pay as you go system for the nonaffluent in South Africa
Driving a car and being able to go out at night, even doing something as simple as going to a movie or church meeting
Having space in our living quarters so that we do not run into each other
Being able to cook with a kitchen counter and a real stove rather than a hot plate
Listening to live classical music
Being able to see the ocean at will and seeing the sunset over the ocean
Hearing American voices and seeing American baseball
Attending church services where global mission is a concern and American English is spoken
Internet and phone service that is not an exercise in frustration
Blending into the crowd and understanding the behavior norms of American society
Toilet seats and paper towels in public places
We will keep you posted about what we miss about South Africa. Tonight we are too close to the experience to recognize what we will be longing for.
The medical tests last week took four days but what great news! In spite of daily interaction with HIV/TB patients at Mountain View Hospital, countless rides on taxis with coughing passengers, and many encounters with children our PPT skin tests did not react and we never even had an encounter with TB. The numerous medical tests showed that Peace Corps service is not hazardous to your health. Adjustment to life in the United States may be a challenge but the Bond’s are alive and well!!. Two years spent hiking the dirt roads is good for old coots who love to look at the fantasy scenery and see the game and birds. We are thankful for God’s protection and guardian angels who watched over us in this beautiful country that has its dangers, toils and snares.
The trip back to middle class life takes some work and management. It is a reverse of the process done in July 2006. We are returning to our four bedroom three bath home in a beach community of Southern California. We return with four suitcases filled with momentos of life in Zululand, a very rural section of South Africa. Our suitcases contain baskets, beads, Zulu pots, monkey balls, carvings, ethnic art, kitchen utensils, wooden spoons, and who knows what all. They were packed two weeks ago as we left Mountain High Hospital after two years of serving at an AID/TB hospital serving the poor in the mountains of Kwa Zulu Natal. Our clothing and shoes were worn out and left for the patients and staff at the hospital.
The process of returning is the reverse of the start of the adventure. The movers will return our furniture from storage, our son will move back into our home and we will have the task of unpacking the 44 boxes of housewares, clothing, books, linens and whatever else we thought was important two years ago. We come back without a phone, car, internet connection, or bed but are thankful for our family and friends that will help us readjust and get equipped for US life.
The greater challenge will be to find meaningful work in the United States. Our experience has been intense and we have felt needed, in spite of the challenges of living in a very rural isolated setting. America also has many opportunities for service and many needy people. Hopefully, our service will carry over to our lives in America and we will continue to find opportunities to be of use.
What did we miss during the two years that will be first on the agenda?
Mexican food in Los Angeles. We dream of tamales or chili rellenos from any taco stand or chain restaurant
The ability to get a cell phone with a contract instead of continually buying air time on the pay as you go system for the nonaffluent in South Africa
Driving a car and being able to go out at night, even doing something as simple as going to a movie or church meeting
Having space in our living quarters so that we do not run into each other
Being able to cook with a kitchen counter and a real stove rather than a hot plate
Listening to live classical music
Being able to see the ocean at will and seeing the sunset over the ocean
Hearing American voices and seeing American baseball
Attending church services where global mission is a concern and American English is spoken
Internet and phone service that is not an exercise in frustration
Blending into the crowd and understanding the behavior norms of American society
Toilet seats and paper towels in public places
We will keep you posted about what we miss about South Africa. Tonight we are too close to the experience to recognize what we will be longing for.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Mountain High Farewell
Today we are headed to Pretoria for a week of medical exams and a close of service conference to make sure we are ready for America. The week was very emotive with highs and lows each day as we grew excited about returning home but had to say goodbye to our Zulu friends and coworkers. We crammed in many hours of last minute computer training, shopping trips to make the cupboard was well stocked for the occupational therapy program, packing/discarding our belongings, and even played tour director for 7 US medical students visiting the hospital..
Wednesday was a beautiful warm fall day, the first warm day for several weeks. After lunch in our flat I talked Brendon into a quick hike up the mountain to look at the gorgeous views before we returned to the chaos of the office. We heard beautiful Zulu singing coming from the chapel and I asked someone if there was a funeral today. He said “No funeral, they are singing for you.” We did not understand and kept on our trek out the gate and up the mountain. The kitchen manager gave chase after us and told us that the hospital (unknown to us) was holding a Farewell ceremony for us and we had better head into the chapel. No funeral here as we walked into the crowded chapel and were escorted (danced with the matron on one side and the director on the other) to the head table. Staff, patients, managers, office workers, school teachers and even the principals from the two public schools showed up to say goodbye to the goofy couple from America that never got the Zulu right but tried to help. South Africa knows how to do ceremony and this was no exception. The Zulu songs continued with solos and duets. The speeches started, mainly in Zulu, but a translator was provided so we did not miss any of the kind words and thanks. The nurses got up and did a shtick about riding a bicycle in 1940, a correct date as they are all well into their 60’s and more. A patient got up and read a passage from the Bible. They sang the “BINGO” song which I used each week to round up the patients for a bingo game. They spoke of leaving one’s country to serve AIDS patients in a very rural place. They sang “For she’s a Jolly Good Fellow” and bid us that we would send more Americans to their community to help them. The experience of being the center of such adulation and praise was embarrassing but also intensely endearing. I apologized for all of our gaffes and our poor Zulu. I told them that they would be in our hearts and minds every day, which is certainly true today as I remember their faces and individual style.
I do not know how much we accomplished at Mountain High Hospital but we were able to experience being accepted into a very different culture and embraced in a very special way. It will be a change to go home, blend in, and be ignored by neighbors and children in the street. We are so grateful that we have had this opportunity and that we have stayed healthy throughout this amazing experience.
Wednesday was a beautiful warm fall day, the first warm day for several weeks. After lunch in our flat I talked Brendon into a quick hike up the mountain to look at the gorgeous views before we returned to the chaos of the office. We heard beautiful Zulu singing coming from the chapel and I asked someone if there was a funeral today. He said “No funeral, they are singing for you.” We did not understand and kept on our trek out the gate and up the mountain. The kitchen manager gave chase after us and told us that the hospital (unknown to us) was holding a Farewell ceremony for us and we had better head into the chapel. No funeral here as we walked into the crowded chapel and were escorted (danced with the matron on one side and the director on the other) to the head table. Staff, patients, managers, office workers, school teachers and even the principals from the two public schools showed up to say goodbye to the goofy couple from America that never got the Zulu right but tried to help. South Africa knows how to do ceremony and this was no exception. The Zulu songs continued with solos and duets. The speeches started, mainly in Zulu, but a translator was provided so we did not miss any of the kind words and thanks. The nurses got up and did a shtick about riding a bicycle in 1940, a correct date as they are all well into their 60’s and more. A patient got up and read a passage from the Bible. They sang the “BINGO” song which I used each week to round up the patients for a bingo game. They spoke of leaving one’s country to serve AIDS patients in a very rural place. They sang “For she’s a Jolly Good Fellow” and bid us that we would send more Americans to their community to help them. The experience of being the center of such adulation and praise was embarrassing but also intensely endearing. I apologized for all of our gaffes and our poor Zulu. I told them that they would be in our hearts and minds every day, which is certainly true today as I remember their faces and individual style.
I do not know how much we accomplished at Mountain High Hospital but we were able to experience being accepted into a very different culture and embraced in a very special way. It will be a change to go home, blend in, and be ignored by neighbors and children in the street. We are so grateful that we have had this opportunity and that we have stayed healthy throughout this amazing experience.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sunday, June 08, 2008
End of the Adventure
Last week’s blog left you stranded in the rhino roadblock out of Hluhluwe. From Hluhluwe the Bond’s headed to a nearby private game preserve to readjust to life in the first world-albeit with a twist as one is required to have escorts from the beautiful chalets after dark as there is no fences; game (including predators) have the right of way. The facilities for tourists in South Africa are fabulous starting with low cost backpackers for youth (and Peace Corps on a budget) and ending with the ultimate in service, comfort, ambiance, luxury and value not to mention award winning cuisine with a South African twist. A few days at the top of the heap didn’t hurt the Peace Corps folks as we have found that true class and excellence is not snooty or pretentious-just staff and facilities that want to do their best. Of course, this experience was helped by a web site “Mtbeds.co.za.” that offers deluxe accommodations for a fraction of their rack rate. This game lodge chain emphasizes conservation in the true sense of the word. South Africa has been a leader in the science of conservation and restoration of lands to their original state- whether it be reforestation of indigenous species, eradication of invasive flora or stabilization of the natural order of the animal kingdom.
So what is it like to stay in a high end private lodge? The bathroom was as big as our flat at Mountain High! The setting was lovely-like a tree house with a deck surrounding the beautiful chalet, outdoor shower and private plunge pool. The room was beautifully decorated in artistic African style with treats and snacks refilled at no extra charge. The floor was not so lovely as it was treated slick cement and extremely slippery when wet. (looked good but almost fatal for old folks not used to walking on wet slick cement). The room had cement steps leading to the bathroom and outdoor deck which also were a hazard in the night as one had no clues in the deep darkness how to find the way. So all is not paradise at the top of the heap! However, the professionalism and kindness of the staff were a cut above normal, not to mention the serendipity surprises just for the delight of the guests. Game drives are included (as is every service one normally is charged extra). On a morning game drive, the guide hurried to a beautiful site by a watering hole to find the staff cooking crepes by the pond on a gas stove with lemons, honey, maple syrup and cinnamon sugar to delight the jaded guests.)
Three days were spent at the private game lodge enjoying fantastic game drives and sightings (cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos, cape buffalo). Cheetahs are flourishing- we saw three family groups during our short visit. The first family group (mother and two cubs) were spotted close to the lodge. The two cubs wrestled with each other while mom sat on an old termite mound looking for a lone impala. Her belly was hollow against the beautiful spotted coat. A wart hog appeared on the scene and the cubs gave chase but were no match for the old wise wart hog. The next day we saw more drama as another family of cheetahs lounged in the grass at the air strip. A family of wart hogs was grazing nearby. The father calmly trotted over to the cheetahs to see if they were any threat to his family. These cheetahs had full bellies and were content to sleep off the afternoon. Such is life in the Bush!
After this amazing experience of pleasure, entertainment, and ease we were ready to return to Mountain High, pack our things and complete the loose ends. The Hospital had a Management Team meeting this week which was a first! A fulltime doctor has been hired who wants to help the poor and is an expert in administrative procedures as well as being an expert at TB/HIV. So we are leaving on a good note. (even if the phones have been out for a week and the water problem has not been solved). Two years is a long time to be gone and we are ready to come home. Today was spent packing and sorting-the reverse of what we did 2 years ago when we moved in. Again we have four suitcases and 3 boxes to ship. Our books, clothes, and household supplies will be offered to a new Peace Corps volunteer in Vryheid, our Zulu teacher, and the staff/patients at Mountain High Hospital. We will travel to Pretoria next week for a week of medical exams, on to a close of service conference and will fly out on 28 June. See you then!
So what is it like to stay in a high end private lodge? The bathroom was as big as our flat at Mountain High! The setting was lovely-like a tree house with a deck surrounding the beautiful chalet, outdoor shower and private plunge pool. The room was beautifully decorated in artistic African style with treats and snacks refilled at no extra charge. The floor was not so lovely as it was treated slick cement and extremely slippery when wet. (looked good but almost fatal for old folks not used to walking on wet slick cement). The room had cement steps leading to the bathroom and outdoor deck which also were a hazard in the night as one had no clues in the deep darkness how to find the way. So all is not paradise at the top of the heap! However, the professionalism and kindness of the staff were a cut above normal, not to mention the serendipity surprises just for the delight of the guests. Game drives are included (as is every service one normally is charged extra). On a morning game drive, the guide hurried to a beautiful site by a watering hole to find the staff cooking crepes by the pond on a gas stove with lemons, honey, maple syrup and cinnamon sugar to delight the jaded guests.)
Three days were spent at the private game lodge enjoying fantastic game drives and sightings (cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos, cape buffalo). Cheetahs are flourishing- we saw three family groups during our short visit. The first family group (mother and two cubs) were spotted close to the lodge. The two cubs wrestled with each other while mom sat on an old termite mound looking for a lone impala. Her belly was hollow against the beautiful spotted coat. A wart hog appeared on the scene and the cubs gave chase but were no match for the old wise wart hog. The next day we saw more drama as another family of cheetahs lounged in the grass at the air strip. A family of wart hogs was grazing nearby. The father calmly trotted over to the cheetahs to see if they were any threat to his family. These cheetahs had full bellies and were content to sleep off the afternoon. Such is life in the Bush!
After this amazing experience of pleasure, entertainment, and ease we were ready to return to Mountain High, pack our things and complete the loose ends. The Hospital had a Management Team meeting this week which was a first! A fulltime doctor has been hired who wants to help the poor and is an expert in administrative procedures as well as being an expert at TB/HIV. So we are leaving on a good note. (even if the phones have been out for a week and the water problem has not been solved). Two years is a long time to be gone and we are ready to come home. Today was spent packing and sorting-the reverse of what we did 2 years ago when we moved in. Again we have four suitcases and 3 boxes to ship. Our books, clothes, and household supplies will be offered to a new Peace Corps volunteer in Vryheid, our Zulu teacher, and the staff/patients at Mountain High Hospital. We will travel to Pretoria next week for a week of medical exams, on to a close of service conference and will fly out on 28 June. See you then!
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Rhino Roadblock
This was a great week, starting on the high note of joyfulness in service. Our church in Vryheid held an AIDS memorial service Sunday, with a candle lighting to remember friends and loved ones who have died of this scourge. Barely able to hold back tears, Brendon and I lit candles, remembering the good-hearted driver who clowned around to make the patients laugh and the hard working kitchen helper. The minister’s sermon was even more compelling as she stated that we are all infected or affected by AIDS and that we are One in this disease as everyone could be HIV positive. Her message was refrain from judging others; rather offer love and kindness. Her final admonition was to “Joyfully serve HIV/AIDs patients, especially the poor.”
I took the message to heart and found that the work at Mountain High Hospital was a pleasure when the “Joyfully Serve” message is applied and that the Sewing, beading and bingo activities went well when my attitude improved. When I come to the patients with a smile and a song, they respond with smiles and warmth. When I am intent on just getting the job done without any supplies pilfered, they are withdrawn and anxious. Joyful service is contagious. This week the Zulu nurse and young male assistant broke into song and started the Zulu stomp dance which raised the spirits of the patients as we
celebrated another day of life. No one complained about the projects for the day or the inadequacy of the materials. The group was united in Ubuntu-the joy of humanness.
Tonight we are at Hluhluw
e Game Park, using up our last few days of leave before we return to Mountain High to complete our tasks, pack up and head to Pretoria for medical exams and a close of service conference. For the Bond’s the Game is the Thing in South Africa and today was no disappointment. Hluhluwe was the Zulu King Shaka’s hunting grounds and the park contains all of Big Five in a lovely mountainous setting in KwaZulu-Natal. The terrain is as interesting as the game with grassy savannahs, acacias and aloes dotting the hillsides, beautiful tree canopies, marula trees that are delicacies to the many elephants and comfortable, reasonable accommodations. At a view stop on the game drive we spotted four Cape buffalo, two elephants and two white rhino on the three sides of the hill, three of the big five with a turn of the head.
We stopped to look at a mother and baby rhino by the side of the road. The b
aby turned to look at our little white Nissan and thought she had found a playmate. The baby ambled towards our car. We backed up but the baby continued forward to meet this new friend. We backed up again and started to get a little anxious when the baby was only 5 feet in front of our car. By this time another car had stopped behind our car and we couldn’t back up any further. The horns on the baby looke
d huge not to mention her mother who started to glare at us ominously. Finally Mother took matters in hand and using her horn prodded to her child’s bottom to get off the road and not play with strangers.
A short time up the road from Mother and Baby Rhino we spotted 5 adult rhinos grazing on the side of the hill. (White rhinos graze, black rhinos browse). They headed up the hill to the road with the intent to cross to the other side which was a hilly embankment. The sight of 5 huge rhinos crossing a narrow one lane road was utterly amazing but the story does not end there. The first rhino to cross the road had evidently taken the wrong path and didn’t know where the trail was on the other side of the road. Soon all five rhinos were milling about, carrying on a rhino-conference, debating the finer points of navigation and berating the poor fellow who led them astray. Traffic began to pile up as cars parked and could not proceed through the rhino roadblock, and of course the rhino’s way was blocked by the cars – gridlock Hluhluwe-style. It is unclear who looked more stupid – the rhinos contemplating possible paths up the hill or the drivers contemplating being stranded by a rhino road block for the rest of the day. After about 10 minutes of indecision, one brave rhino turned again to the hillside and bravely created his own path up the incline. Soon his pals followed in suit and the show was over. Engines started and the drivers moved on to the next extraordinary sight.
I took the message to heart and found that the work at Mountain High Hospital was a pleasure when the “Joyfully Serve” message is applied and that the Sewing, beading and bingo activities went well when my attitude improved. When I come to the patients with a smile and a song, they respond with smiles and warmth. When I am intent on just getting the job done without any supplies pilfered, they are withdrawn and anxious. Joyful service is contagious. This week the Zulu nurse and young male assistant broke into song and started the Zulu stomp dance which raised the spirits of the patients as we
celebrated another day of life. No one complained about the projects for the day or the inadequacy of the materials. The group was united in Ubuntu-the joy of humanness.
Tonight we are at Hluhluw
e Game Park, using up our last few days of leave before we return to Mountain High to complete our tasks, pack up and head to Pretoria for medical exams and a close of service conference. For the Bond’s the Game is the Thing in South Africa and today was no disappointment. Hluhluwe was the Zulu King Shaka’s hunting grounds and the park contains all of Big Five in a lovely mountainous setting in KwaZulu-Natal. The terrain is as interesting as the game with grassy savannahs, acacias and aloes dotting the hillsides, beautiful tree canopies, marula trees that are delicacies to the many elephants and comfortable, reasonable accommodations. At a view stop on the game drive we spotted four Cape buffalo, two elephants and two white rhino on the three sides of the hill, three of the big five with a turn of the head.We stopped to look at a mother and baby rhino by the side of the road. The b
aby turned to look at our little white Nissan and thought she had found a playmate. The baby ambled towards our car. We backed up but the baby continued forward to meet this new friend. We backed up again and started to get a little anxious when the baby was only 5 feet in front of our car. By this time another car had stopped behind our car and we couldn’t back up any further. The horns on the baby looke
d huge not to mention her mother who started to glare at us ominously. Finally Mother took matters in hand and using her horn prodded to her child’s bottom to get off the road and not play with strangers.A short time up the road from Mother and Baby Rhino we spotted 5 adult rhinos grazing on the side of the hill. (White rhinos graze, black rhinos browse). They headed up the hill to the road with the intent to cross to the other side which was a hilly embankment. The sight of 5 huge rhinos crossing a narrow one lane road was utterly amazing but the story does not end there. The first rhino to cross the road had evidently taken the wrong path and didn’t know where the trail was on the other side of the road. Soon all five rhinos were milling about, carrying on a rhino-conference, debating the finer points of navigation and berating the poor fellow who led them astray. Traffic began to pile up as cars parked and could not proceed through the rhino roadblock, and of course the rhino’s way was blocked by the cars – gridlock Hluhluwe-style. It is unclear who looked more stupid – the rhinos contemplating possible paths up the hill or the drivers contemplating being stranded by a rhino road block for the rest of the day. After about 10 minutes of indecision, one brave rhino turned again to the hillside and bravely created his own path up the incline. Soon his pals followed in suit and the show was over. Engines started and the drivers moved on to the next extraordinary sight.
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