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.