Two Weddings and a PC Death

So, what are some of the downsides to Peace Corps service other than the discomforts and communication frustrations? This weekend is cold, grey and miserable as we are huddled in our bed at a B and B in our shopping town. Our thoughts are centered 12,000 miles away in California where our niece is getting married tomorrow and we will not be there. My sisters have been writing and calling with all of the details, plans and excitement about the wedding. I am missing my family and two sons. The obvious sacrifices in the Peace Corps are easy to adjust to but the intimate family parties and events cannot be replaced and weigh heavily at this point in time. Travel to the US for a wedding is nearly impossible as it is a 3 day trip each way and Volunteers are allowed only 2 days off a month. So we are thinking of Debbie and David and their families and wishing them the very best wedding and a wonderful life full of joy and discovery, and happiness.

Ironically, today a driver from the hospital is also getting married, no easy feat in South Africa. He paid the 11 cow dowry (called lobola) and finally is able to tie the knot. The wedding will go on all day but like the wedding in California, there is no transportation to the small village so we cannot attend. (In addition, Saturdays require travel by taxi the 80km to our shopping town for groceries and by the end of the week we are sorely in need of food, a change of scenery from the hospital, and a break from our own cooking.) Lobola may contribute to the AIDs problem in South Africa as it is a hindrance to marriage and causes many men to travel to distant work sites to earn the money for the cows thus creating havoc in relationships.

On Monday the hard drive died on my laptop computer so I am now a PC volunteer without a PC. The boot up was getting slower and slower. Monday brought only the cursor light with a dim blink. Total vegetative state! All of those admonitions about Back Up are now ringing in my ears as I am a computer dependent spouse and have lost a year's worth of photos and docs. Repair of a Compaq hard drive in a remote rural town is no easy task. After many emails, Compaq has directed us to a repair site in Durban, an 8 hour bus trip from our town. Further bad news was that the warranty ran out two months ago so we must navigate the repair and trip to Durban. Might as well make lemonade out of the lemons so next week looks like a trip to Durban with shopping for the patient’s handcraft program and laptop repair. Maybe we will venture into GAME (the South Africa version of Target) to look for the two sewing machines included in the Occupational Therapy grant.

A bright spot on Friday was Vusi’s return, the cobbler guru strikes again. This week he taught the patients how to make sandals out of impala skin and fur. Impala fur is part of the Zulu culture and clothing/shoes are made out of the soft skin which is white, tan and brown. He demonstrated cutting strips of the fur and gluing them to vinyl, then nailing them to the soles made of discarded tires. Old whitewall tires were cut into strips and separated so that an interesting white strip bounded the tire sole. Another style of sandal was made from tire strips covered with white vinyl. Interesting geometric designs were cut into the white vinyl, revealing black underneath. Vusi was a true craftsman and took great pains with his astute skills to make the sandals sturdy and lovely. Next week the patients will give sandal making a try. I worry about accidents from the matte knives but the men (and women) have strong capable hands and know their way around knives as they must venture into the forest and cut wood for their stoves at home.