ABCs of being a PCV in RSA

Apartheid - though democracy is now in its fifteenth year, the effects of apartheid are still so evident in everyone's daily lives.
Backpackers - the accommodation of choice of most volunteers, these inexpensive hostels make traveling on a PC budget possible; also a great place to meet one another.
Crime - last tallies show murder rates in a slight decline, but armed robberies and theft on the rise.  Tough to understand how people live and work in these conditions their whole lives, but they do.
Dust - daily sweeping and cleaning can't eliminate the layers, it's especially bad since most yards and roads (as are ours) are dirt.  Cars don't slow down when passing us on our bikes on these dirt roads, making breathing difficult and our clothes dust collectors.
Electricity/Eskom - though the availability of electricity seems to be temporarily under control, the periods of blackouts are sure to return.  We are not sure how our house/plot escaped the load-shedding schedule of power outages, but we are thankful.
Funerals -  every Saturday morning (or Sunday if a taxi driver died) there is always at least one funeral to attend; too many young people die of 'unknown' causes.
Glass - otherwise known as broken beer bottles, South Africans think it's better to shatter them when tossing them from the kombies and cars, making cycling a constant obstacle course and littering the roads.
HIV/AIDS - scourge of the country, the pandemic seems unstoppable and enters into every aspect of life here.
Internet - who would have thought access would be so available in a Peace Corps country?  If not on your laptop, it's accessible on a compatible cell phone (though not our cheapies!)
Jozi - the city of Johannesburg or Joburg, where we visited the excellent Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and Court, fun Melville, and saw the South African version of the Lion King.  And then immediately left, being that Jozi is incredibly dangerous.
Kombies - the public taxis, volunteers' most common mode of transport, is still rarely used by white South Africans.
Litter - though homes and yards are kept spotless, public areas are full of garbage and it's totally acceptable to toss trash out of vehicles.  Where is their Lady Bird?
Multilingualism - we are still amazed at how almost everyone here speaks several languages, and moves between or among them with such ease and accuracy.
Now now - meaning pretty soon, as opposed to 'just now' which can mean any time in the foreseeable future.
OVCs - orphans and vulnerable children.  With the high death rate from HIV/AIDS, there are drop in centres everywhere and too many child-headed households.
Patience – we heard this word so many times before joining PC, but now we know why.  One develops an unbelievable amount of patience dealing with the frustrations faced daily.  It would be impossible to remain sane without it.
Queue - the ever-present long lines, especially in the bank and post office, are a constant test of the afore-mentioned patience
Religion – the overwhelming influence of religion on everything done here; we often say the missionaries were extremely successful.  We never thought we'd hear Jesus' name invoked so openly and constantly, especially at public meetings and functions.
SMS - with few landlines and the prominence of cell phones, the short message service or text messaging is the primary means of communication; it's much cheaper than talking on the phone.
Transport – always a topic, considering most people don't own their own cars.  For most, as well as us, taking kombis or buses is often the only option, and we know we are going to be in for an uncomfortable ride (if it's a long distance trip) and probably also putting our lives on the line.
Ubuntu – a Xhosa proverb, meaning "people are who they are because of other people" is an often quoted one, and a national theme.
Vendors - selling everything from airtime to hangers to fruits and veggies, these street sellers are on every city/village street, at every taxi rank and busy intersection, and typically offer the best prices and best quality produce.
Walls - every house in the entire country is surrounded by either a wall, a fence or both, and likely to be topped off by an electric fence.  When a new subdivision or house is built, the wall goes up first.
Xenophobia – though it's highly likely that the recent attacks were partially politically motivated, several South Africans themselves were victims.  If a potential victim couldn't tell the attacker the word for elbow in isiZulu (for example), he/she would be assumed to be a foreigner and thereby be injured or killed.
Youth League of ANC – one of its leaders recently exclaimed he would "kill for Zuma"? How is this to be interpreted? This is the future of the majority political party.
Zimbabwe – what else is there to say, just the utterance of the name of the country two hours to our north evokes such emotions.  What does the future hold for this devastated country?  How many billions of Zim dollars will a loaf of bread cost?
Zuma – how can we not mention the other Z name we hear constantly?  Will South Africa be better off with him as a leader?


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"Ubuntu ungamntu ngabanye abantu"
"People are people through other people"
Xhosa proverb

Our Final Month

It's so hard to believe that we finish our service one month from today.  The time seems to have flown, though sometimes when thinking back to our arrival here in July 2006 it seems ages ago.  Has our time here been successful?  According to Peace Corps, even if we feel we haven't accomplished all that our 'job description' states, we have succeeded simply because of the relationships we have built, the lessons we have taught South Africa/ns about Americans, the lessons they have taught us and the lessons we have taught and will continue to teach Americans about South Africa/ns.  But we know that we have made many positive influences in our positions here with our NGO as well.  The big question remains, as usual, as to how much of it will be sustainable?  We can only hope that at least some of it will be.
 

A couple of weeks ago Steph came to stay with us after having to leave her village suddenly.  She was unsafe there, so Peace Corps had her throw all her belongings in their vehicle, say quick goodbyes, and leave.  We are happy that she asked to come to our house, and we enjoyed her stay.  She was able to use the time and space while here to sort through her stuff and repack.  Unfortunately she is leaving South Africa prior to her planned COS in September; we look forward to seeing her again in Milwaukee.  We have always felt close to Steph since being in the same language class at PST, all being from Milwaukee, and being in touch and traveling with her over the past two years.  The last 2 1/2 weeks with her have left us missing her presence.

The week before last our entire group of PCVs, with whom we arrived here two years ago, met for a few days at a lodge near Pretoria for our COS (close of service) conference.  This always takes place 3 months before the end of service, which for us SA 15s is September 20; but we, as are most of our group, are COSing early.  Of the original group of about 82, we were about 70 as of last week; from then until early September, all but about 15 volunteers will have left.  The gathering was, thankfully, not emotional.  The purpose of the conference is to provide us with the information we need to finish our service, as well as help with readjustment and career searches.  We also had to take our final language test; those PCVs who will go on to graduate school or into the foreign service can use their scores on applications.
 

Fortunately the lodge was extremely comfortable and clean, but the biggest plus was the excellent food.  This was in contrast to the place we met in October last year for our Mid-service training, so we all were over-indulging-and enjoying it!!  After the conference ended and we had said our goodbyes to those we won't see again, we spent a wonderful weekend with Steph and Liz.

The clients at our NGO, Reakgona, have been on winter break since mid June and return on Monday, July 14.  So until then we have been working at home: myself spending time with Beth at the library we have built at our children's shelter, and going through all my stuff in the house, tossing what's not being sent or taken home and bagging what's being given away.  Steph was also generous in donating some soccer balls and other toys/games to the children at the shelter; she had some money left over from her unfinished projects.  The kids were thrilled when we delivered the balls and toys last week.  We'll also use some of the funds to order some kids' magazine subscriptions; they will be overjoyed to have mail coming to them monthly.  And we are excited that they will have new reading material.

Dave has been busy still trying to locate a new volunteer with the Polokwane municipality for the position of bicycle co-ordinator.  He has a potential PCV ready to go; they are just waiting for clearance so that they can start working together in Dave's last few weeks.  Though he was never officially in this position, he wrote the plan that the municipality is taking forward for approval; he has developed the contacts and has worked on various aspects of Bicycle Coordinator position that he needs to share.  Hopefully his last month here will be spent finalizing the position for the volunteer.  In addition, he wants to finish the training of our new bookkeeper for Reakgona.  He encouraged her to take the computer home during break so she could practice.  We will see her progress upon our return.

Most of my time this last month will be spent partially at the NGO, helping with the third quarter registration of clients, and at the shelter, putting the finishing touches on the library there.  But with the end of our service now so close, much time will be spent clearing out our house, packing, saying goodbye to friends, and preparing for what is coming after August 8.  And I can't help but say how we will continue to enjoy this wonderful winter; it's been a bit warmer than last year.  Being dry season, there is absolutely no rain; the nights can get cold, making it hard to get out of bed since there is no heat in the house.  But the days have been very mild, many of them staying in the 70's, and even the cool days are in the 60's, all of them sunny.  When we see that the temperature here is the same as in Milwaukee, it's hard to remember that we are in the opposite season.  We will definitely be remembering these glorious days when we are in Milwaukee in mid winter!

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"Ubuntu ungamntu ngabanye abantu"
"People are people through other people"
Xhosa proverb