Finetastic Adventures

The Final Chapter: Part 2

2008-11-25T17:03:00.002-06:00

Though we left the 'real' Africa behind when we flew out of Rwanda, we weren't yet on our way back to the US. There was still the trip to Cape Town; that was our destination--via Addis Ababa where we had to spend a night before arriving, once again, in South Africa on September 14. This part of our post Peace Corps trip was added just before departing Polokwane, when our daughter Alyssa informed us that she and Laval had decided to get married. After much thought and research, they picked the wine country outside of Cape Town as the site for the ceremony. Alyssa had lived in Cape Town for a semester during college a few years before, and the area remains one of her favorites.

We were the last ones to arrive; Alyssa, Laval and seven members of his family flew in from Mauritius the day before, as did our son Larry and his girlfriend Laura from Atlanta. After two full days in Cape Town, we packed the 13 of us and luggage into three small rental cars and drove to the beautiful wine country an hour away. A wine farm in Franschhoek was our home for the next three days, where we had three fantastic, beautifully situated cottages. The lawn in front of our cottage rolled down to a pond with mountains in the background―an idyllic spot for a wedding. Alas, we awoke on Thursday, the wedding day, to what was undoubtedly the worst weather we had seen in our two years in South Africa. The rain, fog and cold wind forced the ceremony indoors, with a roaring fire in the fireplace to serve as not only the backdrop, but as our source of warmth-instead of the usual blue sky and big sun to which we had grown so accustomed. But all still went well; the marriage officer arrived on time from Cape Town (on time even by American standards); the cupcakes from Charly's Bakery were delicious; and the wines which we had tasted the day before were perfect.

After Laval's family, Larry and Laura left on Saturday, Dave and I were able to spend three more days with the honeymooners in Cape Town. We had perfect weather, and enjoyed what we knew would be the last time with them for many months. We said our goodbyes at the airport, not only to Alyssa and now son-in-law Laval, but to Africa. Being in Cape Town, at least, was not like the Africa we had known, so we hoped this would ease our transition into the West. So began a long flight to Chicago, and a long separation from our kids. What comes next for us? Only time will tell....

The Final Chapter

2008-11-13T08:42:00.002-06:00

Though we've now been back in the US for over a month, madfineadventure (marti and dave fine adventure) isn't complete without a short description of our backpacking trip through East Africa. I had hoped to be able to post some of our goings-on while we were traveling, but time at internet cafes was too limited.

We said goodbye to Peace Corps and South Africa on the 10^th of August from the Johannesburg airport, where we caught a flight to Blantyre, Malawi. Going overland had been prohibitive: time constraints and the fact that unstable Zimbabwe stood between South Africa and Malawi. We stayed over one night in Blantyre before catching a couple of kombis to Zomba, the former capital of Malawi. These public taxis made those of South Africa look pristine, and this fact would remain throughout every country we traveled on this entire trip. We had a full day in Zomba to go up to the Plateau; once on top we hired a guide and hiked to a couple of viewpoints where vibrant Zomba town is visible below. Coming down the mountain we got our first exposure to the use of bicycles in Africa as cargo carriers; in this case men loaded the bikes with wood that they cut down from the forests atop the mountain, and then guided them down the mountain road while fighting to keep the bike upright. This sight became a common one throughout East Africa; the only change would be the type of cargo the men carried on their bicycles. I vowed never to complain about carrying a heavy load on my bicycle again!

A crowded, hot bus ride took us from Zomba to Monkey Bay, on the southern shore of Lake Malawi. Alighting from the bus we were met by a 'beach boy', a local who is looking for a tip after guiding visitors to an accommodation. We tried a couple of guest houses in the desolate town before deciding to walk with him the 2 km to Venice Beach Backpackers, which we found very suitable and affordable. There were only a couple of other guests, and the beach was quiet. Shortly after settling in, we heard a familiar voice—Lizbeth, a fellow PCV who had been traveling on her own for a couple of weeks already, arrived. She had plans to meet another Peace Corps friend there who had also been traveling. Erica arrived the next day; then the following day we all boarded the Ilala ferry.

The ferry was crowded; but the four of us found space on the first class deck, where we would sleep on the floor. Our two days aboard the Ilala were enjoyable; the lake is beautiful, the shore lined with small villages amid the hills and baobabs. We were treated to two beautiful sunsets (and sunrises), and the phenomenon of lake flies. It was now, after hearing from other travelers (primarily Liz), that we changed the remainder of our itinerary. Instead of going from here to Zambia and Lake Tanganyika, we decided to head north and put Zanzibar back into our plans, then head to Rwanda through Kenya and Uganda. Our second night's sleep was permanently interrupted when the boat docked and many of the men who boarded at 2 A.M. headed straight to the bar. That would have been ok except that our floor space was very near the bar, and it re-opened to serve them. Then we had the awful experience of disembarking at Nkhata Bay. Liz and we escaped being trampled; Erica had gotten off at one of the islands the night before. Even with its problems, we loved the Ilala and being on Lake Malawi. A rowboat from Mayoka Village met us at the dock and delivered us to one of our favorite places in which we stayed during this trip. Fortunately I had chosen this place to spend our next two nights, thanks to recommendations from friends. Our chalet overlooked the lake; the food was delicious; and the owners ran a socially conscious business. Nkhata Bay was a thriving village and one that we liked a lot.

Two days later we left, reluctantly, with Liz on a kombi headed north. We thought we would only make it part of the way that day, but with Liz's encouragement, and to our dismay, we crossed the border into Tanzania and arrived by bus in Mbeya well after dark. Another couple from Mayoka Village arrived even later at the same hotel; it had been recommended by the owners there. We had more time than expected in Mbeya; the Tazara train was very late arriving from Zambia. We were able to get a first class compartment when we bought our tickets that morning, and were told the train would leave 5 hours late, at 8 PM that evening. But a phone call from the ticket office informed us we wouldn't leave until 1 AM, so we booked a dirt cheap room for the 3 of us, resting until we left for the train station at midnight. Arriving at the station, we found the entire lobby filled with sleeping bodies and luggage. We too tried to sleep, without much success, until the train finally did arrive at 9 AM, 18 hours late. Our four bed compartment, which we had planned to have only for us three, ended up being filled with another American. It worked out fine, and was very comfortable. The ride through southern and eastern Tanzania is beautiful; the large, open country is dotted with small villages, fields, baobabs, and hills. Half of the 22 hour ride to Dar Es Salaam was during the night; we arrived in Dar early on the morning of August 22 and, at the suggestion of our cab driver, found a comfortable room at the Safari Inn, a backpackers in the city centre. Here we parted ways with Liz; she was off to meet up with other PCVs. We found Dar to be a friendly, safe city, where we were able to walk to dinner after dark. The following morning we boarded the early, fast ferry to Zanzibar.

I could ramble on and on about Zanzibar, the exotic island off the coast of Dar. We spent a glorious 5 days there, three nights in Stone Town and two nights at Kendwa Beach. Stone Town is an African-Arab town whose narrow alleyways and buildings reminded us of Jerusalem. We spent one day on a spice tour, learning and seeing dozens of different spice plants that used to be a large part of the industry; now only cloves are exported from there. Our two wonderful days at the beach near the northern tip of the island were picture and book perfect. The accommodations at Kendwa Rocks were very comfortable ; the food was great, and the beach....ah, the beach. Soft white sands, and the most crystal clear, turquoise water. With no waves (not sure why) it was possible to see several feet to the bottom. Tofo Beach in Mozambique had been like paradise; Kendwa probably only beat that because of the lack of the waves-allowing the visibility. The one other thing I must mention about Zanzibar, because it was the first place we saw this, was the prevalence of Obama stickers and signs! They were everywhere, from bumper stickers on cars to handwritten scrawls on homemade pushcarts. The upcoming election was big and important news to Africans everywhere; we never had trouble finding a local to talk about it; and Tanzania seemed to have more evidence of Obama supporters than in any other country we visited.

After a very bumpy ferry ride back to Dar, we arranged a two day safari from Arusha, in northeast Tanzania, where we were headed the next day. We fortunately nabbed two of the last seats on a 'luxury' bus for the next morning. The all-day bus ride passed near Mt Kilimanjaro, though it was covered by clouds. Arusha was our least favorite city, being filled with touts, who constantly bombard tourists selling either souvenirs or safaris. The city's location near Kili and the Serengeti make it a busy place. We spent a fantastic two days/one night on a safari that took us to Lake Manyara National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. Prior to taking this trip we had decided we wouldn't be doing any safaris or game drives; we had done our share already and seen most of the big game. But this safari was so different; we are so glad we listened to other travelers' advice. Lake Manyara was beautiful; the crater was exceptional. The drive starts out on the rim, then you descend into the huge crater; it's filled with large herds of animals. We had seen all of these animals before, but the sheer numbers were amazing. Wildebeests, or gnus, by the hundreds, as well as the dwarf antelope, the dik dik, roamed the crater floor. Hyenas, warthogs, gazelles, hippos, elephants, buffalo, rhino, and so many birds were sighted. The only animal that doesn't live in the crater, understandably, is the giraffe. But we had seen them the day before in the Park. Giraffe had become my favorite park animal during our stay in South Africa; and here I was treated to seeing a new species, the Masai giraffe (as opposed to the Cape giraffe). The crater was definitely another highlight of our trip so far; we began recommending it to other backpackers as well.

Our last day in Arusha was spent at the International Tribunal for Rwanda Genocide. This is something we were very interested in visiting, knowing that we would be ending this trip in Rwanda, and having read about it in a book in preparation for the trip. Unfortunately, most of the day was spent waiting--sometimes waiting for a trial to start, but primarily waiting for one of the three courtrooms to have an open session. Anyone with a passport can watch the sessions, but only a few of them aren't closed to the public. We finally got to watch and listen to about one hour of testimony from a man who had apparently murdered several people. It wasn't very exciting, being slow and repetitive, but it was still eerie to be there watching this proceeding.

The following morning we caught a shuttle (small bus) to Nairobi, Kenya. Mt Meru was still clearly visible that morning, as it had been the day before. At one point before crossing the border, looking out the window at the dry and mostly flat landscape, I spotted a lonely giraffe. This was a timely sighting, saying goodbye to Tanzania by seeing my favorite animal in the exotic Great Rift Valley through which we had been traveling.

Nairobi is a huge, bustling city, and supposedly dangerous. So we were cautious since we stayed in the city centre, walking to dinner while it was still light out, but taking a cab back the 6 blocks later. We were able to have a delicious lunch and spend an afternoon with Krupa, a PCV whose family lives there. We had expected, with Kenya being Obama's father's home, to find much more Obama paraphernalia here; there was literally nothing--how odd! We finally happened upon a store with a t-shirt in the window--turns out the Indian owner has another store outside Chicago and goes there often. We had him make us each a t-shirt, that we had to pick up before noon, since Ramadan had just started. After two nights in central Nairobi, we caught the morning bus to Kampala, Uganda.

Though this was truly one of the nicest buses on which we had ridden, the ride was also the worst. The roads were in horrific shape; some were being redone, but for long stretches of several kilometers there would be no evidence of workers or equipment. But the scenery was beautiful. Lush green hills, tea plantations, and oh, the bananas. Nearing the Ugandan border and for the entire rest of our trip, bananas were everywhere. In Uganda we rode near Lake Victoria, and at Jinja we crossed the Victoria Nile, one of the 'sources' of the great river.

Kampala is a crazy city; we arrived after dark and so caught a private taxi to a backpackers. The driver was helpful, showing us some of the sites while driving through this city built on seven hills. The moto (small motorcycles used as taxis) drivers are insane; thousands of them are on the streets day and night and swerve dangerously in and out of traffic. When we walked to town the following day we were afraid to cross the streets; we escaped being hit by any of them but it made walking a nightmare. While at the backpackers we found a brochure for a retreat on an island in southeast Uganda; one of the women there had been to this place and recommended it. The price was right, and they had a 2 bed dorm available for us, so we booked it and left on a bus for Kabale the following morning. The bus was very late in leaving, so we were forced to stay in Kabale overnight when we arrived there after dark. It was another beautiful ride; Uganda is very green and lush. Throughout the country we saw so many men riding (or walking) bicycles loaded down with loads of all sorts, but mostly bananas. It was an enjoyable ride too, not too uncomfortable and with other passengers to whom we could chat. The man sitting next to us spoke excellent English, and of course, the American election came up. He, as usual, knew a lot about the election; but, not as usual for a black African, he was not an Obama supporter. He, like only one or two other people with whom we spoke, was a Christian who could not support pro-choice. We began to realize how important this election was to everyone in Africa, and around the globe, and how the outcome would affect them. No wonder many of them wished they had the right to vote too!

We left Kabale the next morning with a young Israeli couple whom we met at breakfast; we had to travel by private taxi to the boat dock of the island retreat where we all had reservations for the next couple of days. Lake Bunyonyi has several small islands that have private lodgings; our island was a 50 minute dugout canoe ride away. Two canoes took each of us couples on a perfectly quiet, relaxing smooth ride to Byoona Amagara, an absolute paradise which would become our favorite place at which we would stay on this trip, and possibly in our more than two years in Africa. Only a few other guests were there; the deck/dining area of the wooden lodge overlooks the lake and an adjacent island to the west, where one can snuggle up with a good book and watch the gorgeous sunsets with the volcanoes of the Virungas in the distance. The food was incredible; not only fresh and delicious but more varied than food anywhere else we had stayed. The library/resource center and computer lab serve guests too, but primarily they are used in an after-school program for students who are brought over from the island to its west. This retreat not only boasts wonderful accommodations for travelers, but the NGO that runs it provides services for other students too; meals are prepared and boated to several hundred needy students on the mainland. When Dave and I heard from the manager that the NGO was getting a Peace Corps volunteer later this year, we were envious of that lucky soul! We took a short hike around the island (the only option since it's small); and rented a dugout canoe. What an experience; we had canoed before but we had read about the 'Muzungu corkscrew' in the guidebooks, and did we oblige! We hoped no one could see us, but we laughed at ourselves until we finally sorta figured out how to make the canoe go sorta straight. (Muzungu refers to white people.) We were proud of ourselves for being able to dock the canoe without calling out for help. (We later learned that David and Talia had captured our hilarious moments on video!) After two glorious days and nights in Paradise we hired a canoeist to take us back to the mainland The taxi driver who met us at the dock agreed to take us all the way to the Rwanda border, which wasn't very far. There we walked across to get a shared taxi to Kigali, which fortunately didn't take too long to fill.

From the moment we entered Rwanda until the day we left, we were amazed at this small Central African country. Not only is it beautiful, with its green hills which are covered with terraced fields, but it so doesn't seem like a place that underwent the worst of genocides just 14 years earlier. The entire country is clean; we learned that one Saturday every month is cleaning day - countrywide. Kigali is a vibrant, clean, safe city. For the first time in years, we crossed streets on crosswalks, and the traffic actually stopped to let us cross. Walking alone at night, anywhere, is safe; what a thought! We collected our gorilla tracking permits that we had arranged and paid for three months prior, and had a beer on the pool patio of the hotel known to Westerners as 'Hotel Rwanda'. Then a funny thing happened. While walking through town we saw a sign above a building door with the name of an organization for which Alyssa had worked near Chapel Hill before she moved to Mauritius two years ago. We knew they did work in Africa, and had met her boss once while on a visit to see Alyssa while she was doing research for them. We had time to kill, so we went inside just to see what was there. When we told the receptionist our story and asked if by any chance Alyssa's boss might sometimes be there, she didn't really answer but asked us to follow her. After going up and down several flights of stairs and her talking to coworkers, she said that "yes, Candice was there, in the building somewhere". Well, sure enough, a few minutes later we surprised Candice. She was only in Kigali for the week, having to present a paper the next day; that paper was the one Alyssa had done research for and Candice showed us Alyssa's name as a co-author! Though it was in French, we were excited to see Alyssa's name on a project that had come to fruition after 3 years, and in the country for whom it was done. What a small world!!

Several hours were spent at the Genocide Memorial: a short, safe (helmeted and slow, normal-driven) motorbike taxi ride away from city center. Though the genocide had ended less than 14 years before, this memorial opened a few years ago to commemorate the atrocities, not only of that genocide but of others worldwide as well. Over 250,000 bodies have been moved to the site. It is very well-done and though difficult, is well worth seeing. It is a testament to the fact that this country and its president see its citizens, Hutu and Tutsi, as one people-Rwandans.

Two days after arriving in Kigali we had a beautiful two hour bus ride to Ruhengeri, where we caught a kombi to the village of Kinigi, in the north of Rwanda. We got lucky and caught a lift the last few kilometers to the guest house where we would stay for two nights; park headquarters were just a few hundred meters up the road. Finally the time had come for us to visit the National Park of the Volcanoes for gorilla tracking! In the morning we 56 permit holders gathered at headquarters to be divided into 7 groups; each group would track a different mountain gorilla family. Dave and I seemed to be the only ones without transportation, which is necessary to reach the beginning of the trek. A young couple graciously agreed to let us join them in their truck; the four of us plus four other visitors with their drivers followed our group's guide to the start of our walk. Porters were waiting for us; hiring one, though unnecessary, is expected; if not, these men go home without this day's wages. Even though no one has more than a light day pack, we all hire one and I will appreciate the walking stick and my porter's hand once we hit the hills. A tracker has been in the hills for hours following our gorilla family and now communicates with our guide so that he knows in which direction to lead us. Our long day begins easily enough, hiking through fields of potatoes and pyrethrum. Bamboo fields are dense and dark; then the climbing begins. After about one and a half to two hours of difficult trekking, our mountain gorilla family is finally spotted. It is quite an amazing site, though only six of the eleven are within sight. We are too far away, and so the arduous approach is begun. At one point there is a vertical drop of about eight feet, but the wet undergrowth makes the going treacherous. The guides had to literally catch each of us as we slid down; otherwise there's no telling how far down the mountainside we might have gone! The rain had begun falling; by the time we reached the gorillas it was pouring. Though we were within the allowed 7 meter distance of them, the rain kept the remaining silverback and infant nearest to us from being active. So for about 15 minutes we sat in the rain and heavy mist, watching the two of them sit--the silverback with his arms folded and head down, the infant at his back trying to stay warm. It was disappointing not to be able to see the silverback stand and possibly beat his chest, but it was still amazing to sit so close to these marvelous endangered creatures in this beautiful country. Dian Fossey's “Gorillas in the Mist” had been appropriately named. The trek out was equally, if not more, difficult; the mud often forcing us to slip and slide and leaving no one with unmuddy pants—I know I butt-slid down more than once. If not for the kind hand of our porter and the strong hold of bamboo, I would have tumbled downhill more than once. We were exhausted and muddy after walking back to our lodge, but we were exhilarated too. Seeing mountain gorillas up close is a truly awesome experience and well-worth the expense.

Three teenage boys accompanied us on our walk to Kinigi village the following morning and we paid for their kombi ride to Ruhengeri; we were impressed with their English and dedication to school. We arrived back in Kigali a couple of hours before we headed for the airport. Rwanda had been a perfect country with which to end this amazing journey. It was with mixed emotions we flew out of Central Africa; we looked forward to our return to the States, but knew that Africa would always be a part of us.

PCVs no longer

2008-08-09T02:44:00.001-05:00

Well, the time has finally come. Over two years ago we landed in South Africa, not knowing where we would end up living and what we would be doing. Now we leave this country, not knowing where we will end up living or what we will be doing. Funny how some things never change! The one thing we can count on is that no matter where we do live, English will be the primary language!

It's been an amazing time. Sometimes it seems as though our service here has been for naught, but when writing down on paper our accomplishments, the list is surprisingly long. Most of these we have written about in previous blogs; suffice it to say, there is much more we had hoped to get done. But we leave behind co-workers who will hopefully continue using some of the skills we have taught them. And a library for the OVCs. And a promising position of a volunteer bicycle co-coordinator for Polokwane. And, and, and. So we know we ought not to kick ourselves too much; besides, when it came to fulfilling Peace Corps objectives 2 and 3 (see previous blogs for those) we know we leave here as successful volunteers.

Our last week at site was very busy. We spent the last weekend with Beth and Leketi, and Joanna and Rob and 1 year old Roscoe at a wonderful cabin in the mountains near Venda just over an hour from home. The cabin was built around a large boulder, had no electricity, and wonderful views (even a great loo with a view). We hiked both days and enjoyed the incredible night sky with no ambient light to interfere. We cooked a turkey and baked bread in the outdoor charcoal oven, and enjoyed a delicious thanksgiving meal with our friends to whom we had to say goodbye.

The week was busy with cleaning out drawers at work and showing coworkers things for the last time. We were given a farewell party one afternoon and were treated to touching songs by the Reakgona choir and traditional dancing by some other clients. We were pleasantly surprised that there was almost no prayer. The afternoon was followed by a feast, and then Dave and I were at our supervisors' house for dinner and another farewell by everyone who lived on our plot.

I donated blood for the last time and turned in my library card. We had gathered several bags of clothes and household items to give away, mostly ours but also from Steph and Beth. A coworker drove us to the poorest area of town, where another coworker lives and we had made arrangements for the give-away. Within 10 minutes of our arrival at the appointed time, every item had been claimed. We limited each person to 1-2 items, and it was wonderful to see everyone walk away happy.

As promised to Trek when we were given our bicycles, we each found a deserving person to whom to donate them. On Thursday afternoon we met each of them at the local bike shop and turned them over. A young man from Beulah Children's Shelter received Dave's bike; he is going to school to learn to be a mechanic and will use it to get back and forth to school in Seshego. I gave mine to a man who rides from Seshego to Flora Park (over 15-20 km) to sell ice cream from his bicycle; he had been riding an old beat up bike.

Last Sunday we closed up our wonderful little house in Dalmada and took the kombi to town for the last time. The bus ride to Pretoria was uneventful, as always hoped for. This last week has been full of the logistics of COS (close of service) for Peace Corps. We completed our medical and administrative requirements and exit interviews. Fortunately only 4 of us were COSing this week, so we weren't inundated with goodbyes. We were able to spend some quality time with a few volunteers with whom we have been close.

I don't think it's really hit us yet that we are leaving; I am not sure when this will happen. Though our time here has been challenging in many ways, we are also sad to leave. After living here for two years, this feels like home. But on Sunday (tomorrow) we fly out with one loaded backpack each to begin our post PC travels. For the next few weeks we plan to visit Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda. I don't know how available internet cafes will be, but we'll try to post a blog or two during that time. If not then, it will have to wait until we get back to the US. Until then, 'sala ga botse' (stay well). And from you, we hear your 'sepela ga botse' (go well).

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

ABCs of being a PCV in RSA

2008-07-29T02:03:00.001-05:00

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?

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

Our Final Month

2008-07-08T09:26:00.001-05:00

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!

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

From the Wild Coast to the Sunshine Coast, with a bit of fever in between

2008-05-16T11:45:00.001-05:00

The Wild Coast and the Sunshine Coast, with a bit of fever in b

The day after Larry and Alyssa's departure in early April Dave and I headed to the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape. Ever since hearing Alyssa rave about the five day hike (though she brags how she did it in four days, mostly barefoot) from Port St Johns to Coffee Bay, we knew we couldn't leave South Africa without completing this trek. And did it meet all our expectations! This hike is along one of the few remaining unspoilt coastlines in the country; it's mostly inaccessible by car. The village-based accommodations were very comfortable, and the group we attached ourselves to was friendly and welcoming; but it's the amazing coastal area through which the trail passes that makes it so special. We spent the first two days with our own guide, but hooked up with another guide and his group of 5 for the last three days. It's a long story (and one typical of South Africa), but having reserved the guide months in advance proved to do more harm than good. In the end all worked out well and we had a terrific time. The hike is 60 km and for close to a quarter of it we hiked along the beautiful sandy beaches of the Indian Ocean. Otherwise we climbed green hills for wonderful views and walked through small Xhosa villages, spending the nights in a rondavel belonging to a villager who hosts trekkers. My favorite day was the third; much of it was spent walking along the water, where local fishermen were casting from the rocks. It's the middle of crayfish (lobster) season, so we bought several, plus some zebra fish, for an incredibly low price, which our guides carried until we stopped for lunch at a nature reserve. They then cooked them over an open fire, and we had our most delicious seafood lunch. It's not hard to understand why the Wild Coast has become one of our most favorite places.

The fever referred to in the title occurred upon our return to site after the hike; and it takes on two forms. The first was the hectic, feverish activity we came back to at our NGO. Clients returned the same day we did, and the place was abuzz with construction, rearranging of furniture and shuffling of offices. This is the most movement we've seen in our entire time here! And we're not sure why, but it continues even until now. The other fever hit us about a week after we returned. Both of us knew we weren't feeling quite right, but it wasn't until I got a text message from one of the young Germans with whom we had hiked that we knew it was more serious. He asked if we were feeling ok because the three of them were at the emergency room getting tested for several things, including tick bite fever. Our own visit to the clinic the following Monday morning verified this. Indeed, for the next week we experienced almost every symptom connected to this fever. Five days of antibiotics took care of it, but it wasn't a pleasant week.

The day we were finished with our treatment, our NGO closed for another week. This was only two weeks after being in session following Easter break. Three national holidays, including Freedom Day celebrating 14 years since democracy, occurred that week, meaning most people headed for holiday, including us. I know it seems like we are gone more than at site, but I honestly think it's because I write more about holidays than work, since work is typically the same from week to week.

So we headed back towards the ocean, further west this time, to Jeffrey's Bay, on the Sunshine Coast just west of Port Elizabeth. This time we rented a car and picked up a couple of friends along the way, meeting other friends in 'J Bay'. Eight of us shared a house that belonged to the co-worker of one of the group, and we had a splendid week. Every night was an eat-a-thon, with different people cooking each night, except for the night we went out for a wonderful seafood dinner. The beach there is beautiful, with soft perfect sand, amazing shells, and its calling card – the home of the perfect wave and the supertube. No wonder this is the surfing capital of the continent and home to an annual international competition. One day we drove to nearby Tsitsikamma National Park where we hiked a difficult 3 km along the rocky coast to a waterfall, and returned. Another day some of us visited Addo Elephant National Park, but decided it should be renamed Addo Warthog Park. The mere two elephants we saw should have warranted us a refund of our entry fee! But there was no shortage of giant warthogs; the park itself was worth the visit, with its green rolling hills and valleys.

A two day drive back to Polokwane, after dropping off our friends along the way and putting over 3500 km on the rental, ended almost two weeks ago. Last week at work was the same continued frenzy, and there is no sign of it slowing. Dave was able to have our NGO buy a new computer; he's been teaching our financial administrator who is anxious to learn. We both just got assignments to prepare business plans for separate projects to request funding from the government. And I am excited to get back to the library. While Larry and Alyssa were here we spent time at the shelter with the children, showing them some of the new books that Beth had just received. They are so excited; and I look forward to spending time there reading to them and helping them with schoolwork. It was great to get back after Easter break and find that they had used the library in my absence, and kept it in good order. Soon Beth and I will be adding some puzzles and word games to the book collection so they should enjoy it even more.

For now we are really enjoying the perfect autumn weather; the days are sunny and warm, with blue skies and degrees in mid 20's C (mid to upper 70's F). This makes for very comfortable bicycle riding (still riding almost daily to work), fast line-drying of clothes (hung out each morning), and great sleeping temperatures. But I am not letting myself forget that last year at just this time we had 3 days of bitter cold, when we wore every layer of clothing we had and weren't able to take our hats or gloves off all day. I'm just hoping we don't have a repeat of that.

So now we're down to our last few months, and we think that's one of the reasons our assistance is being sought after at work so much more now than before. We approach COS (close of service) with mixed emotions, but the closer we get the more we look forward to returning to family and friends in the US. And I guess that's the way it should be!

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

Last Family Vacation #3

2008-04-25T10:42:00.001-05:00

Now, after so many months of waiting and preparation, Larry and Alyssa have come and gone. Their twelve days here flew by; it just wasn't enough time. We have a running family joke; it seems every time in the past few years when we get the four of us together I've assumed it will be the last time. (I thought at this point it would be hard to get all of us together, or that gatherings would include significant others.) Well, this is the third time I've been proved wrong, hence the title, and I am thrilled!! And looking forward to #4.

The two of them arrived on March 20 and spent the night together in Pretoria before coming to Polokwane on Alyssa's birthday. After a few days making sure Larry was familiar with our hometown and ways of living and had met our friends, we headed to the beautiful Escarpment. We met Jessica the hippo, spent a day in Kruger, toured the Panorama route, and went to fellow Milwaukean PCV Steph's village. Though they would see each other in Sabie, we wanted to make sure Larry and Alyssa met Steph and spent some quality time with her, and vice-versa; each had heard so much about the other. We ended up in Sabie for the weekend of Longtom. You'll remember from my last blog entry that this was the culmination of all the hard work I'd done for KLM. I am happy to report that the weekend was a huge success, both financially and fun-wise. Over $20,000 was raised; two PCVs completed the ultra-marathon (56K); and everyone seemed to have a good time. Larry ended up helping us out tremendously; he took tons of photos and then helped upload his and the other photographers' pics to a website for KLM and the PCVs.

The next day or so was spent working our way towards Joburg, seeing whatever was of interest along the way. This was the only part of their time here that wasn't planned, so the spontaneity was fun. We spent their last afternoon at Constitution Hill and Court in Joburg; and that night we had a special dinner in Newtowne. On April Fool's Day, they both flew away to their respective homes, leaving us to wait for the Last Family Vacation #4.

Marti's Objective One and Beyond

2008-03-16T08:23:00.001-05:00

By reading Dave's last blog entry you should know what I mean by working towards Peace Corps' first objective: helping the people of our host country in meeting their needs for trained manpower. Three goals were established by the Peace Corps Act of 1961; numbers two and three have to do with our being 'ambassadors', #2 – promoting a better understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served, and then #3-upon completion of service, helping Americans understand the culture of the country in which we served.

So, my attempt at Goal #1: doing the job I have been assigned to do and leaving something sustainable behind. In this vein I continue to help our NGO that serves intellectually-impaired adults, primarily by supporting the office work that keeps the organization 'flowing', though sluggish at best. The accounts receivable and other forms that Dave and I have created over the last 18 months are being utilized as much as we've come to expect-which of course isn't anywhere nearly as much as they should be. With the welcome addition of a financial assistant who really seems to want to learn and do things properly, Dave and I have both been busier in the last month or so. Until just this past week there was no electricity at our primary site for months, so at least once a week I go to the site of our children's shelter where I can use the computer and printer to update our work. The lack of concern for proper management of the organization initially led to utter frustration on our part, which was eventually replaced by apathy. So lately I have just had to be content with doing what I feel should be done, hoping that one day long down the road someone in the organization will see the benefits of our work. Sustainable? Who knows, but doubtful.

Frustration leads one to find alternative ways to not only fulfill the desire to 'make a difference', but to fill the time. I have done this in a couple of ways within our organization First, since last September, I've been the coordinator of our 'drop in center' for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children). About 10-12 children are fetched twice a week after school and brought to our location for a hot meal, help with schoolwork (which they never have), and some games. I use the term 'drop in center' loosely; since we are not located near the school, the children can't just drop in. They must be collected and returned and with our unreliable transport; this often proves to be a disaster. When we do have a car or bakkie available, the driver will most often pile all of the children, even if there are 10, into it and not think anything of safety. I have learned to 'deal with it'. The second program connected with my NGO on which I am working is very exciting. In December's blog entry I noted that a friend who is lecturing at the nearby University of Limpopo approached me about starting a library at our children's shelter. Beth is here on a U.S. State Dept fellowship grant; she often receives funding for projects. One of these was to be used to set up a reading room in an orphanage; she knew of my affiliation with the shelter so asked me last year if we could do it there. When we met with the kids at the shelter they were ecstatic! They have nothing to do there except to watch television; not much attention is paid to them and there is no comfortable, quiet room in which to retreat. Beth and I painted the room a few months ago and I was successful in getting books donated by two organizations, one South African and the other American. We used some of her grant money to purchase more books; at this moment they are in Pretoria awaiting delivery to us. We have posters to put on the walls; bright colored bean bag chairs, and a rug. Bookshelves were built and the ceiling and lighting are finished. We plan to finish putting it all together next week so the kids can use the room over their 3 week Easter break. Once Beth and I return from break we plan to go there after school to read to the kids and help them with homework. And just four days ago four women from one of the large banks here dropped in to visit. They have funding to make some repairs and improvements, as well as wanting to volunteer. I was happy to show them the library (which I had just finished cleaning) and they loved it; they want to come some days after school to help the kids and it's the perfect space. Beth and I are both very excited!

But I must say the project that has been surprisingly rewarding, though time-consuming, is my work with KLM/Longtom. You may recall that last year Dave and I spent the last weekend in March in Sabie with about 60 other PCVs, having fun, but there to run/walk a half marathon and raise funds for KLM. We didn't really spend much time fund raising, but had a great weekend. When I was initially approached that weekend about co-chairing the event this year, I declined. A month or so later I received a call from one of last year's co-chairs, again asking me to consider helping out. There was already one other PCV who had volunteered; they needed one more. Reluctantly I agreed, though I did know that signing on meant my full-fledged commitment. In August I met one of the co-founders of KLM when he was visiting South Africa; I was very impressed. He and another PCV had started KLM when they served here a few years ago. The foundation provides funds for a needy, carefully-selected child in one of the area rural or farm schools to attend a high-quality, private secondary school near their home. From the beginning KLM has affiliated itself with the Longtom marathon as a vehicle for fund raising by PCVs. This is its fourth year and I am now so excited about raising money for them that I have spent countless hours working on this project. My co-chair has been involved more with the logistics of the weekend (accommodation, transportation, etc) and my primary responsibility has been communication. This means I have written many emails and sent countless text messages, not only to register the runners/walkers, but to encourage the PCVs to raise funds. I composed sample letters for all the volunteers to send home to solicit funds, as well as wrote articles for our monthly PC newsletters. I don't want to scare my replacement in this position with the amount of time I've spent on making this a successful year, but for me it's been so fulfilling. I figure what better way to leave something behind than to help educate a future leader of this country? Plus, I have a short story that has motivated me from the start:

A friend of ours, who is now head of a department at the University of Limpopo, grew up extremely poor in a rural village just outside Kruger Park. In about 1990, when he was struggling to finance his recently-begun university education, a German couple was finishing their holiday in Kruger. On passing through our friend's village they were taken aback by the depravity after having just left the opulence of Kruger. They stopped and asked to speak to the Chief to see what they could do to help this poor village. In his wisdom the Chief suggested they fund our friend's education. They continued to support him through his master's program at Wits University; he completed his PhD at Michigan State University on a Fulbright scholarship. Without his benefactors' help, he never would have been able to become the leader and educator he is today. Whenever I think of the children benefiting from KLM, I think of our friend and the difference made in his life by being able to attend a good school.

Katy (my co-chair) and I are very proud that so far we have raised more money than at this same point in previous years. We have over 70 PCVs registered for the run (more than ever before) and most of them have had donations made on their behalf, and the run is not until March 29! Not only am I excited about working with KLM on this project, it's actually been a lifesaver. Without this work, not only would I not have had enough to keep me busy, but I would never have felt so good about my time here. I won't go on about this anymore; you can read more about KLM yourself: www.klm-foundation.org

So, my PC objective number one is now primarily being met by the construction of the library and my KLM work. Life is good; time here is running out. Though I am in no hurry to leave, I do think more about coming back to the US and what will happen once there. Many of you have asked if we'll be back in time to vote - ga gona matata - no worries. Thoughts now though are concentrated on Larry and Alyssa's arrival here in just a few days!!! We are so excited to see them; I haven't seen Larry in 18 months!

Check out our latest travel photos on our gallery site: finetastic.com

Update on Dave's work: Since he last wrote, Dave had a great meeting with the mayor of Polokwane. He says it took writing his blog to make the mayor finally return his call! The mayor is ready to move on having Dave become the volunteer bicycle coordinator; now it's just waiting (again) for the follow-up with one of his lieutenants. Stay tuned.....

Dave's Objective One

2008-03-03T11:51:00.001-06:00

For those familiar with Peace Corps, it should come as no surprise that nearly all Volunteers go through a frustrating period when it comes to their jobs and/or living situation. In fact, there seems to be someone moving to a new site at least every other week. Our living situation has been terrific. As you know from previous blog postings, we have a nice little house which we do not share with a host family, electricity most of the time, a flush toilet, and a bathtub. Since I put up screens (cut apart a mosquito net and got real creative with the frame), we have had few flying bugs in the house. We are still washing dishes in plastic tubs placed in the bathtub which forces us on our hands and knees. We also wash our laundry by hand in the plastic tubs in the bathtub. (Most of the time we wash the dishes and clothes separately). The hot water tank, known here as a geyser, has not worked for months. We boil water before bathing and dish-washing. But given that we like our location, these minor inconveniences are a small price to pay. Plus, from a South African Peace Corps perspective, we have many conveniences. So, we feel fortunate.

Work however has been a challenge. While our supervisor is a lovely woman and a very successful entrepreneur, she prefers to manage without much support. I was able to develop an accounts receivable program which has been very successful for collecting fees from our clients. However, after trying several times to gain her attention on many other efforts, I finally gave up. I spoke to her and said that I will be available to the organization but given my (lack of) work load, I want to search for more things to do. She agreed, which was a nice relief. We have heard about supervisors who do not allow their PCV to do other work during operating hours.

So, I went on a search for "secondary projects". This is Peace Corps speak for finding work to do when your primary project assignment does not fill an entire day, it does not work out, or you simply can find time to do more work. My assignment does not fill an entire day.

My 'job hunt' turned into some frustrating situations and some great projects. And, as I will come back to later, work at my primary assignment appears to have come full circle - sweet.

I'll start with the more frustrating efforts so I can end this blog entry on a high note. My initial secondary project goal was to become the Volunteer Bicycle Coordinator of Polokwane. I spent around four months working my way through local government, bike clubs, bike stores, and others. I put together proposed bike routes, got the bicycle co-coordinator of Madison, WI, Arthur Ross, to offer his support if/when I needed it, and received help from the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation. But finally, it came down to a meeting with the Mayor. Unfortunately I have not heard back from him even though his secretary has assured me that he is interested. Even if he should call back now, it might be too late.

At the same time, I was working on a program to sell bicycles with no-interest loans through payroll deduction. I got hooked up with a USA NGO and a guy who was a former PCV working for this NGO in South Africa. Well, after cold-calling various businesses and lining up my first big 'sale', my contact returns from the USA and tells me he is leaving his position. Then, he tells me the bikes that I had been 'selling' and showing, to my prospective customers were no longer available. Plus the shipping program was too complex. My first prospective customer was a builder and cyclist who had actually taken my sample bike for a ride as did one of his employees during the sales process. When I got back to him and told him the bike he sampled was no longer available, he simply did not return my calls. I was at least able to salvage a sale to my co-workers and told my bicycle supplier contact that I am not planning on paying for the sample bike he provided. Consequently, I passed the savings of the free bike on to my co-workers who ended up with a great deal. That felt good!

Just a brief note so you understand why I feel these programs are so important. Marti and I are paid about R2000 per month which is similar to the pay received by the lowest paid workers. In our case, if we were able to get the least expensive form of transport to work (not the most convenient), it would cost R18 per day per person. Assuming 21 working days per month, my transport would be R378 or about 20% of my pay. To provide another perspective, it would be about a week's worth of groceries or a month of school fees for a child. This is one reason we are infrequent riders of public transport. Unfortunately, most S. Africans feel bicycling is not safe and they do not have enough money saved to buy a bike even if they feel it is safe. The bicycle credit program would have allowed people to divert their transport money to pay for their bike. As Volunteer Bicycle Coordinator I was planning to design safer routes and help people feel comfortable in using a bike for commuting.

So while all this craziness was going on, some good to great things were happening. After failing with one micro-economic support agency, I approached another and was welcomed with open arms. As of late, I am mentoring two fairly new and small businesses. One is a bakery and offers luncheon meals delivered to offices. The other, believe it or not, sells cleaning chemicals. This has been a great deal of fun. In the meantime, I am waiting for a call to mentor a few more co-operative businesses and /or help them write their business plans so they can receive financing.

I spent a few days at another PCV's NGO helping them develop a new project. They may want to expand their charter to directly support orphaned and vulnerable children. I developed a next step outline for them which I hope gives them some guidance on their path forward.

Almost a year ago, our organization had a desire to purchase a new bus or get our old one fixed. I approached the local Mercedes dealer and asked if they could take a look at our ancient Mercedes bus, 1950 vintage, for no charge. This led to building a relationship with the sales manager who had some awareness of our organization. The dealership asked us if we wanted to participate in a fund raiser they wanted to organize. Well, the event just occurred at the end of February and given our estimate of attendance, I expect several thousand rand will be raised and donated to our children's shelter.

In the meantime, I have been developing a tri-fold brochure for our organization that supports the intellectually-disabled. When it is completed I'll send it out as an attachment to an email.

I am having a great time getting to know the owner of our health club. Yes, he offers us free membership. In return I told him we can discuss his business issues from time to time. He has become a friend and has been kind enough to change his schedule to give us a ride to Pretoria (3 hour ride, R100 by taxi) and taking us on a day hike to a beautiful area which is very difficult to get to on public transport. The reason that I bring this up here is that I am raising his awareness of the poor black community that surrounds him and he employs. In one of our conversations, he was not aware of the transport costs for one of his workers; a full 20% of this employee's pay was going to transport. He instituted a pay raise for this employee right after our conversation. And, his sensitivity to the issue seems to have increased.

Then in mid February, I had my best full Peace Corps week! Another PCV located near Richards Bay organized a meeting of rural people, mostly women, who needed to learn how to start and make their businesses successful. They were interested in sewing school uniforms (a big business here since all children must wear uniforms), cater events, raise and sell live chickens/eggs, raise livestock for parties and bride price as well as sell fresh vegetables. Their business skills were nearly non-existent and so was their English. I prepared a three day business plan/development seminar and then we had 2 days of private consultation. My translators were excellent and Marti provided great support. Everyone attended ALL the sessions, which for RSA is incredible (said with an Israeli accent - inside Milwaukee joke). I am hoping they will send their next version of their plans to me via email since it is a two day journey via public transport to the NGO.

As you know from previous blog entries, Marti and I have been working on a site development program for Peace Corps. In a nutshell, Peace Corps' first objective is to help your site per the job description the site provided to Peace Corps or that Peace Corps developed prior to the Volunteer's arrival in-country. (This blog is focused on Objective One, hence the name chosen for the blog.) It was our opinion from our own experience and from speaking to other PCVs that Peace Corps does not do a good job at site development. While we did get an ear from our Country Director, it seems with all our staff turnover and differences in Peace Corps philosophy about site development, this project will not move much further. We hope this will be one of those suggestions that will find a future life. There is some concern about this at the Washington level. I have no doubt that site development is a major opportunity for Peace Corps to improve.

It's time to come back to our site. Within the last year, I have provided several recommendations to our supervisor concerning setting up financial systems, better employee records, standardized menus/recipes across our three facilities, among other things, so that we can improve our service and costs. As far as I could tell, these were all rejected. It was one of the reasons I simply began to look for other work.

In the last couple of weeks, a former employee was asked to return to the organization. Marti sees her at the office one day and ascertains that she is very excited about the new challenges that have been given to her. Our supervisor has asked her to build a financial system for our four organizations. While she is capable, excited and hard-working (don't see that everyday here), she really does not know how to proceed. Nor does she have the computer skills to do the job properly. (Little does she know, neither do I). But she has asked for my support. I am very excited to help her with the project as I know it will really help the organization. She is also hoping that once we get our costs, allocations, and cash flow under control, we will have more money for programing and food for our clients. She is right. I expect for the next few weeks, this could be a full-time job. Oh, that is if we get our electricity hooked up (have not had any for 3 months), the one extra computer we have actually works, and my supervisor does not squash the project once it gets going.

For now, I have a full plate. I hope to go back to Richards Bay to help with the rural business development. But, I will need to see about my work load here. In the meantime, I am feeling good about the work I have accomplished - even the stuff I tried but failed to accomplish. I know that I learned a lot and I am hoping through my various meetings that I have raised the awareness of people with whom I have been in contact.

A Busy Festive Season

2008-01-19T23:31:00.001-06:00

Now that our clients have returned to our site and we've been busy with their registration and such, it's time to recall the wonderful holiday season of December. It's so hard to believe that we've had two summer school closings, and our last. But we did take full advantage of it!!

Three Weeks with Alyssa and Laval

The first three weeks of December we were treated to a visit by Alyssa and Laval from Mauritius. I must say the time with them was so special; not since she has been in high school have we had such quality time with Alyssa. There were no friends that she had to visit, and no schoolwork to occupy her time. So in essence, this is the most time we have spent with her in several years. Reakgona's clients had left at the end of November, so we left in a rental car on December 3 and headed to Botswana. Francistown was a stopover on the way coming and going; what it had to offer was a great Chinese restaurant. After leaving there we spent two nights in Kasane, near the Zambia and Zimbabwe borders. On the road to Kasane there were two separate occasions when we saw first just one elephant, then several, right on the side of the road. Knowing there are thousands of elephants in the country, we didn't stop to take photos; of course we never saw another elephant that whole week! But there was never a shortage of wild donkeys either on or near the road; there are more of them than people living here. Our full day there was spent on a day trip to Victoria Falls, and other than the fact that we could have done it on our own, it was great. The Falls are definitely deserving of being a 'wonder of the world'; the only hard part was being in the town of Vic Falls where the Zimbabwean dollar is worthless and the people are so desperate. In fact, we bumped into some Peace Corps friends and she gave me a 200,000 Zim dollar bill worth less than a US dollar. Though we debated the choice of viewing the Falls from Zambia vs Zimbabwe (Zam vs Zim), I am glad we stuck with the superior views from Zim. Not that we relished paying visa fees to their corrupt government, but it was good to support their citizens hawking their wares at the market. Before leaving Kasane the following day we took an early morning game drive in Chobe National Park, but it wasn't a great time of year to see lots of animals. The early rains meant early migration to different areas of the country, but it was still a beautiful drive along the Chobe River where we did see the water animals. We had hoped to spend time on the Makgadikgadi Pans, but the rains also prevented that, so we just hung out at a very neat lodge, Planet Baobab, near there, for two nights. Their pool and food and the whole place was really enjoyable, so it wasn't time wasted. The last two nights were in Maun, on the edge of the Okavango Delta, and we did a day trip on the Delta in a mokoro (dug-out canoe). A poler moves you slowly along the channels of this incredible, huge delta, sort of reminding us of the Everglades. Poling apparently isn't as easy as it looks; Alyssa tried it when we were finished and ended up in the water. After our last night in Francistown we re-entered South Africa at the Platjan border crossing; that in itself was a feat. I was glad Dave was driving-they call this a bridge! It's nothing more than a concrete slab, just wider than the car, crossing the Limpopo River. And the two border crossings near Platjan were closed because of the water being too high; I would have hated to see them! Before returning to Polokwane we stayed a couple of nights in the very north of Limpopo; we spent a day in SA's newest national park – Mapungubwe and were awed by the scenery and the always intriguing baobabs.

Before Alyssa and Laval returned to Mauritius we hung around Polokwane for a week, during which time the ANC national conference was being held here so the place was abuzz. Then we drove them to Joburg, where we did a day tour of Soweto and the Apartheid Museum, one of the best museums I've ever been to. It was a great visit with them and now we have to wait only two more months before she comes back while Larry is here.

The Drakensberg- one of our favorites

A year ago when Alyssa was here we spent some time staying and hiking in the 'Berg. Dave and I fell in love with this beautiful mountain range that borders the province of KZN and Lesotho. So we decided to return to see some new spots with some friends. After dropping Alyssa and Laval at the airport, we filled the rental car with 3 other PCVs and headed south. This would be our first vacation with volunteers our own age, and it was fun!

We split the trip into 3 segments with the first near Royal Natal and Golden Gate Parks, where we stayed in an incredible backpackers. Brenda wasn't feeling great over Christmas Day when we had decided to hike Sentinel Peak via the chain ladders. This hike is one I had been wanting to do since being there last year, and I am proud to say that all four of us completed the climb and descent on the ladders, which are pretty scary, seeing that they cling to the side of a cliff at the end of the hike just below the plateau. Once up the ladders you are on top of the Amphitheatre in Royal Natal and at the source of the Tugela River, so after hiking across the plateau the top of the Tugela Falls are reached, with Sentinel Peak right there. This too is a scary proposition; there are no guard rails or warnings about the sheer drop. In fact, two days earlier a young man had fallen to his death here. (We knew because a couple staying at our backpackers had done the hike that day and got to the plateau as the helicopter was landing.) We enjoyed the amazing vistas from a safe distance and returned to the backpackers in time for a wonderful turkey dinner which Brenda had prepared while we were hiking. We had gone shopping the day before, but the herbs were straight out of the garden in the yard.

After another hike in that area the next day, we drove to the Southern 'Berg' and stayed 3 nights near the Sani Pass. We did another amazing and beautiful hike for a day; we spent the other day on a 4x4 Sani Pass tour. Four wheel drive is necessary for this road over the mountain into Lesotho, and again I was glad not to be driving!! The 27 tortuous hairpin turns on a narrow, rocky road while gaining 1330 meters in 8 kms is exhilarating and peaks at the highest border crossing in the country. The current controversy here is about paving the pass; personally I hope they leave it dirt/gravel to discourage too many drivers from using it. After leaving the Underberg/Sani area we stopped at the village of a fellow PCV; it was great to see Brad and where he lives and works in the shadow of the 'Berg. It was also fun to learn what happened the day before during his mother's and brother's visit from the States. His host family wanted to give them a party, which means everyone in the village is invited. For this occasion, in addition to having traditional vegetable dishes and pap of course, they slaughtered two goats. Brad and his brother did the dirty deed; then the tradition is to pour the bile on the people who slaughtered the goat. And after that, to sleep in a room with the dead goats, which he did with his mother and brother. We missed the party but were fed some leftovers and got to meet Brad's host family and his USA family.

We then traveled along the Midlands Meander, stopping at some places of interest, as well as art galleries and a goat cheese factory, before we reached our destination in the Central 'Berg. For the next 3 nights, over New Years, we stayed at a lodge that Dave and I had enjoyed the previous year with Alyssa. We were kindly given a 6 bed dorm for the 5 of us, as promised, and though it was fully booked, we didn't have to share our room with a sixth. One more hike to some waterfalls was done on New Year's Day, along with some hanging out and visiting the great bakery and weaving center on the Eve. That night's dinner was the only one of our 10 days that we didn't cook ourselves, so it was nice to sit and be served and just chat with the other guests.

It was another terrific holiday, and we made this one with no flat tire. (In Botswana, as well as each other trip we've taken, we've had at least one flat – thanks to the condition of the roads.) Though we loved having Alyssa and Laval here, and we totally enjoyed our trips, it was nice to get home and to have it all to ourselves. Now it's back to the routine, though now it's a bit hectic with the registering of our new and returning clients and setting up the books for 2008. In our next blog update we'll fill you in with what's happening in our NGO, secondary projects, and Peace Corps. Happy and healthy 2008!

p.s. Photos will be posted soon!

Polokwane in the news

2007-12-20T10:19:00.001-06:00

Finally, Polokwane is getting back to 'normal'. I haven't heard a helicopter for a few hours, and I think next time we are on the highway here the police roadblocks will be gone. Our friends who live on the University of Limpopo campus will be able to come and go as they please, without having their car searched each time they enter. Beth happened to be with us on Tuesday night when we, along with Alyssa and Laval who are still here, sat around with the portable radio listening to the voting results. The scene must have resembled those from years ago with families sitting around their radios awaiting election results. Though the results were 36 hours late, it was as expected when Zuma won the leadership of the ANC in a landslide. Now we'll have to wait to see if he is convicted of corruption before his time to succeed Mbeki as President of the country arrives.

What an exciting time to be in Polokwane; I am sure this is the only time of our Peace Corps service that our fair city will be in international headlines. And probably the only time I will be in South Africa for a national election of the ANC. Now, to see what this country's future holds.....

Our Second November in Peace Corps

2007-11-28T09:27:00.000-06:00

Even though we missed celebrating Thanksgiving - again- with family and friends back in the U.S., there is much for us to be grateful for. In the past month there have been close, scary calls on two separate occasions involving Peace Corps. The first was a coombie (public taxi) accident involving two PCVs whom we see quite frequently. Their villages are not far from here. There were fatalities in the other vehicle, but we are thankful that our two friends escaped with relatively minor injuries. The emotional trauma is probably the most lasting effect; in fact, it prevented one of them from coming here for a Thanksgiving meal on the weekend following Thanksgiving. Friday and Saturday were heavy rains and made the roads treacherous. The other incident is very frightening; one of the PC drivers was carjacked at gunpoint(actually 6 guns). He was extremely lucky to escape with his life, and we are just so thankful he did.

We were able to celebrate the actual holiday in Pretoria at the Ambassador's house. All PCVs, along with some other Americans here (visiting friends and Marines) were invited for Thursday afternoon. We were treated to a full-course, home-made dinner with all the trimmings, plus a fully stocked bar. But the most surprising part was that the Ambassador and his wife waited on us; they were gracious hosts. About 30 PCVs attended and we all stuffed ourselves til in pain; then we had to dance. It was a great day. We celebrated again here on Saturday with neighboring PCVs and other friends. The rains forced us to change the venue from our house to a friend's, but it was another awesome meal and enjoyable evening. (We needed to use our porch to have room for everyone here, but it was too wet.)

Speaking of rains, at times now I feel like we are living in a different country than last year at this time. You'll probably remember how we waited many months for rain; well, now we are waiting for it to stop! Apparently, neither is normal. But we are looking forward to a day without rain, which I never thought would happen. Though I must say the electrical storms have been amazing. And, we have grass that we didn't even know we had!

As for my projects, I am very excited about a new one that is just beginning. Beth is a good friend of ours who is lecturing at the University of Limpopo nearby; she is here on a US State Dept grant and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Eastern Europe a few years ago. She got a grant to start a reading room in an orphanage; she approached me about placing it in our children's shelter. I was thrilled when our director agreed to accept. In the last couple of weeks I sent in a proposal for free children's books in native South African languages, which was just approved! And Beth and I are beginning to prepare the room that we chose for the library. On Monday we bought the paint and supplies and plan to paint it one day this week, then our organization's woodwork instructor will install a ceiling. Next will come lighting, rugs, bookshelves, bean bag chairs, and books. When we met with the children they were very excited about having a quiet, comfortable space where they can study and read. The older children will also help with the preparation of the room, thereby fostering ownership of it, which will hopefully help prevent their abusing the room and its books. I am very excited about this project for several reasons. First of all, the children have no books, other than their schoolbooks, and they are never read to or encouraged to read. Secondly, they have no nice, quiet space in which to retreat. And lastly, giving to the organization in this way I am in control of where the money is going; just handing them a check, even if meant for a library, doesn't guarantee that it will happen. We hope to have the room finished not long after the beginning of the school year in January. But this being South Africa, I am prepared for it to be delayed. But with Beth in control, it won't be by much. She and I are planning to then spend time reading and studying with the kids in their new library.

I am also staying a bit busy as co-coordinator of the PC Longtom committee. In late March the Longtom Marathon (though it's actually only an ultra and a half marathon) takes place over the Longtom Pass in Mpumalanga. I am sure I wrote about our participation in the half marathon in our blog this past March or April. In future blogs, I'll talk more about KLM Foundation and Longtom, but I am excited about helping to raise funds for KLM and organizing the weekend for about 50 PCVs. I just submitted an article for the next PC monthly newsletter, and on Sunday I will attend the In-Service Training of the group who just arrived so I can talk up the event and register them.

But the most exciting thing right now is that Alyssa and her boyfriend will be arriving from Mauritius in a few days! Friday, Nov 30 is the last day of our school year, which means our

clients go home until Jan 9. So we have plans to go to Botswana and northern Limpopo with Alyssa and Laval. Their last week here they'll do some day trips on their own while Dave and I work. To have them with us for 3 weeks will be incredible. I believe if we counted the weeks spent with Alyssa since we've been here, they would definitely add up to more than we've spent with her since she started college. And what's great about these times together is that we truly are 'together', uninterrupted by her having to visit friends or studying.

We'll head out after they leave for a local trip with 3 other PCVs for the period of Xmas and New Year's, then return so we can help prepare for the return of our clients for the new school year. It's so hard to believe that 2008, our last year in Peace Corps and Africa, is right around the corner. We'll be headed back to the U.S. before we know it.

At Last – Pula e ana

2007-10-18T10:50:00.001-05:00

At Last – Pula e ana

Yes, at long last the rain has finally fallen. As far as we can ascertain, by reading our journal plus talking to locals, we have basically had no rain since 2006. So you know how desperately it was needed. Though of course it's not enough; it needs to rain all summer. But I must say we were spoiled by having our clothes dry on the line in a couple of hours, even if they were hung dripping wet. (I gave up squeezing all the water out when I realized how fast the dry wind and sun would do the job.) And for the first time we had to dress appropriately when riding our bikes; plus we have to now learn where the muddiest spots are and which roads to avoid. What the rains also brought are the beautiful purple blossoms of the jacaranda trees; maybe this year our driveway will be lined as it should be.

Work has stayed basically the same since the last blog. The drop-in center for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) is running fairly smoothly, two days a week after school. We currently have about 12 children who attend regularly. Though it was very upsetting a couple of weeks ago when I had to call the school principal to tell him we didn't have transport to fetch the kids that day. That was only half the truth; we also had no cash on hand to buy food for them that day. I think they enjoy coming here; we do feed them a good meal, talk to them about school, play soccer or dance. I do wish there was schoolwork to help them with, but most of the schools here give little to no homework. I have spent some time with the older girls on English conversation; that's something I can easily continue. And soon I hope to be able to get some games and toys for them.

At the same time Dave is busy with other projects, some of them secondary to our NGO. He is training several co-workers on the computer, primarily teaching them Excel. He has designed a brochure for the NGO and is working on the job-placement program for our clients. Secondary projects include reaching out to the community in order to improve bicycling and another is supporting startup businesses. These are both still in the development phase as he waits to hear from his sponsors; right now things look positive.

The newest group of Peace Corps volunteers has sworn in and is at site. We had been expecting to have someone located just outside Polokwane, but that didn't happen. So now that the SA 14s have left, we are the only ones here. Our closest new PCV is about 20 Km away, and another couple our age is about 35 Km away. So we will definitely get to see them. Since they are on travel restriction for their first 3 months Polokwane is as far as they are allowed to travel. We have met them in town to show them around and helped them to buy cell phones. This weekend 3 of them will be visiting; Saturday is the final game of the Rugby World Cup with South Africa against UK, so we'll be watching that (and hoping that our TV reception will be decent enough to distinguish the two teams).

School was on break the last week of September, so our NGO was also closed. We took advantage of the time off to travel a bit. First we attended the swearing-in ceremony and tenth anniversary celebration of PC in South Africa. This was a terrific gathering of many of the PCVs and staff held in Pretoria on the grounds of the home of the US ambassador. We left from there with Sbu and Sarah, two young PCVs in the education sector. For the next 9 days we drove over 4000 Km down through the Northern Cape province. Our destination was Springbok in Namaqualand. In springtime this desert is filled with a spectacular flower display. We arrived at the tail end of the season, but we were able to find many stretches of desert in bloom, filled with many different colors and types of flowers. It really was beautiful. We all wondered how it must look in its prime since we were awed by this meager display. The one advantage of missing the peak was that we also missed the crowds. We came home via Augrabies National Park/Waterfall and Kimberley, home to DeBeers the Big Hole (diamond mine, the largest hand-dug hole in the world), and also home to a new and interesting museum. In the area are a few sites/caves with San rock art paintings and engravings, which we really enjoyed.

The Saturday we got home we found out that our supervisor's husband had bought a new car. In the African tradition, we were told, it's important that the family share its fortune by inviting members of the extended family and close friends to join in a meal. So we were invited to come that night for a braai (bbq). Even if there is not much food, it's imperative that everyone gets a small piece, thereby sharing in this good fortune. Of course, as with every other event we have ever attended, the event cannot start without a prayer session. And the prayer session of 90 minutes ended up being almost the entire evening; sharing in dinner only took the final few minutes. But it was the anointing of the car with the symbolic blood of Jesus that was a first for us. The depth of religion here is incredible; the missionaries have definitely done a good job.

Last week we attended our MST (mid service training); it's hard to believe we are on the home stretch. This time we didn't have to travel; the training was held in the township just outside Polokwane. So 30 of us NGO PCVs from four provinces gathered there for the week. Both of our APCD's (immediate supervisors) were recovering from surgery, so the Country Director facilitated it alone. It was fun to see other PCVs that we hadn't seen for a while, and we did have some good sessions. In particular we had a speaker who updated us on the national policies and practices concerning HIV/AIDS. Dave was excited that our lodge was close to the basketball courts; he and several of the guys were able to get into some good games with the locals almost every afternoon. We also hosted several PCVs at our little house, both on the weekend before and after the training. I never thought we could squeeze 6 extra people into this space! (And thank goodness for the terrific selection of DVDs we have been sent; there was something for everyone.)

Months ago Dave and I had approached Peace Corps about helping staff with site selection and development for incoming volunteers. From our own experience and that of fellow PCVs, it is clear that not enough time is spent on selection and preparation of sites. Even if the South Africa PC office is fully staffed (and it hasn't been for most of our service) there just isn't enough time for them to travel to every prospective site and spend adequate time evaluating it. Our proposal was to allow us veteran PCVs to assist in this process. Who better than a volunteer to help assess a site. As part of the pilot program after presenting our plan to the staff in Pretoria, Dave and I were asked to visit a local prospective NGO. We met with the supervisor twice and ultimately recommended that PC go forward with placement at her NGO; we were impressed with her objectives and plan. Plus, if she gets a PCV from the next group it would mean another neighboring volunteer for our last several months of service. But what is very exciting is that PC has agreed to move forward with this idea, taking our plan and enhancing it. It was presented at our MST so that others of our group can undertake the evaluation. The fact that it has been whole-heartedly accepted by the staff here makes us very proud. No matter what happens with our NGO, we know that at least we have accomplished this sustainable plan for Peace Corps. Our hope is that future volunteers may find their supervisor and co-workers ready for their arrival, thereby providing a more satisfying experience for both the volunteer and the NGO.

Winter becomes Spring

2007-08-23T13:10:00.001-05:00

Winter becoming Spring

I write this in what should be the dead of winter; at least as I think of it when remembering late February days – the northern hemisphere counter to August. But the days are warm to hot, and the flowers are blooming as they should in spring. Upon coming home last weekend after being gone for the week, we were welcomed by full blossoms from as yet unidentified bulbs that we didn't know we had. We moved into our house in late September last year and almost immediately left until mid October when Dave's father passed. So we have now come almost full cycle and shouldn't find too many more surprises. But we are enjoying the sunny, warm days (70's to low 80's) and the cool nights (40's). Frankly, I can't remember the last time it rained; it must have been in March or April. And with the winds of August we are once again finding dust in and on everything.

Since I last wrote in July, we have been busier in both our NGO and Peace Corps work. Let me fill in a bit with what's been happening in both areas, then tell what's going on otherwise in our lives.

I have become involved, acting as volunteer administrator, in our NGO's drop-in center. Funds have been received from the government to support this after-school program for orphans. We will transport about 12 children from a nearby school to our location twice a week for a couple of hours. During that time we will feed them, help them with schoolwork, and counsel them. We may even begin doing some home visits in the near future; all of these orphans now live in shacks in a nearby settlement. I look forward to this project beginning, which it should next week. We also just opened our VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) clinic for HIV/AIDS. Not only will we test our clients, but open the clinic to the neighboring community. The advantage of this clinic is its anonymity, appearing more like a wellness clinic. So those entering can do so without the stigma of being tested. Dave and I have both been occupied in the last month with job placement for some of our intellectually-impaired adults. Many of them are very mildly impaired and very capable of holding a job. We have just this week submitted resumes to a tentative employer in town, who was very receptive to our proposal. The South African Bill of Rights requires companies to employ a certain number of disabled persons, so we actually saved him from searching for qualified individuals. We are hopeful some of our clients will be employed in the next couple of months.

Dave has taken on a couple of secondary projects which help to not only fill his time, but gets him active in bicycling advocacy and cycling as a mode of commuting. He will write more about those in a separate blog or email.

We spent all of last week in the NorthWest Province at the training of new volunteers. Over 85 trainees are about halfway through their PST; at present there are 10 couples in the group. So Dave and I went for several purposes, the main one being to 'counsel' the couples. Serving as a couple has its advantages but also offers different challenges, the primary one of being together 24/7. We discussed several issues during an hour long session with 8 of the couples, and hope we alerted them to some hurdles they may face. I also attended as co-chair of next year's Long Tom Marathon, and in general we were there just to meet and chat with the new recruits. Dave and I both felt this was a very worthwhile week, both for us and the trainees. One of the most enjoyable parts of the week was spending time with the other PCVs who were there, all of whom we knew but hadn't spent any real time with. We had some great conversations and cooked some great food. Our host mother is an incredible woman who generously housed 5 of us for the week, and claims we were her favorite group.

Another Peace Corps initiative we just began today. We approached PC a couple of months ago about wanting to involve PCVs, particularly ourselves, in helping to develop sites for the incoming volunteers. So today we visited a local NGO who will be getting a new PCV next month. We spent time discussing the orientation period for the volunteer, as well as what this supervisor should expect from him/her. PCVs receive cultural training at PST, but the supervisors don't get training on American culture. We also wanted to insure there was appropriate housing for the new volunteer. We hope to continue this site development program over the next year. We definitely have the time, and the PC staff is short of time. We can also offer the perspective of an experienced American volunteer.

Otherwise, we are doing well. We continue to ride our bikes to work every day, sometimes stopping by the health club on the way home. That's right, health club. (There go your images of us as Peace Corps hut-dwellers.) We stopped by one about 5 K from our house and explained to the manager that we are here volunteering for another year. When we told him we get by on a small monthly stipend but wanted to exercise regularly, he didn't hesitate to offer us a free membership! So we go, sometimes together and sometimes not, to do our weight training that we both miss. (We were lifting our free weights at home, but it was lacking in several areas.) But the greatest benefit has been the showers!! Especially since our geyser (hot water tank) has been broken for many weeks now, we truly appreciate taking a hot shower occasionally, Even if I heated water in every pot we own, it barely fills the tub enough for a proper bath. (And there go your images of our cold water bucket baths.)

We had our first American guests a couple of weeks ago, other than Alyssa's visit in December. Max and Nancy from Milwaukee spent 4 days with us and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it; check with them for their take. I must say I was rather apprehensive about their visit; what could we do to occupy 4 days in Polokwane? But for us the time flew by with rarely a dull moment. They were able to visit all of our work locations, meet co-workers, take public transport and sleep on the floor previously only used by PCVs. We celebrated National Women's Day by driving to and in Kruger before they headed to the airport. Not only did we truly enjoy their company, we would undoubtedly win the 'best household linens' award among PCVs, thanks to Max and Nancy. Future guests will definitely benefit from their generosity.

When we were at PST last week we got the phone call we had been waiting for from Alyssa. She excitedly announced that she had gotten the grant for which she had applied. Her Fulbright extension is almost at an end, so this new grant from a research council in Mauritius will allow her to finish her analysis, extending her stay there another year or two. I know this is hard on her family still back in the US, but Dave and I are glad she will be nearby for the rest of our service here in South Africa.

The next month promises to be another busy one. The beginning of September brings the new group of NGO volunteers to Polokwane for their supervisor workshop. We will most likely house 1-3 of them for several days, showing them around the community and teaching them the ins and outs of being a PCV. A couple of weeks after that we will go to Pretoria for their swearing-in ceremony, which coincides with a 10th anniversary celebration of Peace Corps in South Africa. Our NGO and schools are closed the following week, so we will take advantage of the time to travel to Namaqualand in the Northern Cape, where we hope not to have missed the spring display of wildflowers.

It's just hard to believe that we have been here for over a year, and that now our group are the veterans. We look forward to our second year, hoping it brings a visit in March from Larry and many more wonderful memories.

Back at Site

2007-07-19T04:27:00.001-05:00

Back at Site

After what seems like forever, we are both back at our site in Polokwane. One month ago Dave left for Detroit to be with his ailing mother for two weeks. Though it forced us to change our plans for visiting Alyssa, it was better that he be with her then. He was able to spend some quality time with her, and left her in better condition than when he arrived, though she is, of course, still weak and ill.

While Dave was in the US, I worked for a few days then left site when our NGO sent its clients home for winter break. We are fortunate that we are able to take seven days of vacation leave, without using accumulated annual leave, when our organization closes, as long as we stay in South Africa. So I used my week to travel with another Peace Corps friend to the province of the Northern Cape. Sarah lives in the Northwest Province, so I spent a couple of days with her before we headed west towards the Kalahari. She had taken annual leave so she was able to drive (the only time PC allows us to drive) and we were fortunate to have rented her landlord's car for the few days. We gradually entered the desert and it wasn't long before we came upon the red sand dunes of the Kgalagadi. It is beautiful; I can imagine that the huge dunes of the Namibian desert must be awesome. But we stayed in-country and thoroughly enjoyed our time. We entered the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which is shared with Botswana. The only problems we encountered were road-related. It took us almost 2 hours to travel 40 K; even with that slow speed we had a flat tire, definitely caused by the rocks as evidenced by the gaping hole in the side of a new tire! Thank goodness we had just reached the tar road when that happened; the jack had no support in the sand. We could have handled changing the tire on our own but were glad for the kind soul who stopped to help. After spending one last night in Mafikeng with Sarah I headed back to Polokwane via taxis (arriving just at dusk), to spend two nights at home before heading back to Pretoria to meet Dave upon his return from the US.

We had tickets for Mauritius on July 4; he arrived late on July 2. So I got tickets to see the Lion King in Joburg for the night of July 3 ^rd. (We had originally had tickets to see it after our return from Mauritius, but had to sell them.) We had so looked forward to seeing it, and we were not disappointed. Neither of us had seen it on Broadway; seeing it here in South Africa was simply amazing. The theatre was built especially for this production; all the cast was local. Some of the lyrics were changed slightly for this audience. (I believe the major change was having some lines spoken in Afrikaans.) So every South African in the audience could understand almost every word spoken or sung, which is different when it is performed outside the country. It was just so incredible; words can't describe the feeling of seeing this production here. In fact it is so popular here that the theatre was sold out and Dave and I sat on opposite ends of the same row - the last two seats left!

We spent ten glorious days with Alyssa in Mauritius. The country is a very small, beautiful island east of Madagascar, about a 4 hour flight from Joburg. She lives in the town of Quartre Bournes, an inland urban center virtually devoid of tourists. Most of the population of about 1.2 million lives in the urban areas; the capital of Pt Louis is a harbor city. You can be at the beach from almost anywhere in the country in about 30-40 minutes. Each beach is different, with different sand, but the water is absolutely beautiful in all of them. It's clear, and though it's the middle of winter, several people were swimming and many (including us) just went to relax and walk. Most of the island is surrounded by a reef, which means the waves break far enough out from shore so that swimming is possible, but surfing can only be done at the one beach where there is no reef.

Almost 70% of the population is Indian, 25% Creole (mixed descendants of African slaves and Europeans) and a small percentage is Chinese; the combination of these cultures leads to excellent food. Needless to say, we ate our way through the ten days, and loved every minute of it! It would be a great place to bicycle, but most of the roads are not conducive. The streets in the urban areas are extremely narrow, with deep ditches on one or both sides of many of them. Driving there (or just being a passenger) is a nightmare. No wonder Alyssa doesn't really want to drive; the combination of narrow streets and terrible drivers makes for a dangerous situation. Some days there we rode the bus with her, which was a pleasure in itself, especially compared to our S. African experience. Passengers there actually wait for the bus to stop before they even leave their seat to exit; it's so civilized. Other days we were chauffeured around by either her boyfriend or other friends of hers. She has some amazingly generous and wonderful friends, mostly our age, who have helped and watched over her. One of them is another Fulbright professor, who actually just finished his year there this week, and into whose house Alyssa is moving. He drove us to the national park there for an incredible hike to the highest point in the country. In addition to the coastline, the country has beautiful jagged mountain peaks on most of the island. This peak is reached from a trailhead that starts well above sea level, so it's not as hard as it sounds. But the final 50 meters or so is straight up, and with the mud from the day's rain it was treacherous, especially coming down! We were so glad that mud washes out of clothes and shoes! It was a harrowing experience, but well worth it. The 360 degree view was obscured most of the time we were on top, but the clouds opened enough for us to see in all directions. The rain was a nuisance, but the real damper that day was that Alyssa's phone and my cash (though I had very little with me) were stolen from the trunk of the car, most likely while we were at a viewpoint before going to the trailhead. As is the case in South Africa too, it's not the phone that's of most value; it's the SIM card inside with all your messages and phone book. Mauritius does not have the violent crime that South Africa does, but it does have its fair share of petty theft. But we didn't let that spoil our time there.

We went with Alyssa to her gym where she is leading spinning classes, and which is now a short walk from her new house. She tried to tire us out and she did. We spent one day up North at a picnic, on a beautiful quiet beach, with her French class members and teacher and their families. A couple of days we were driven to different parts of the island by her Mauritian friends, and saw that fields of sugar cane do indeed cover most of the country's land. Tea is also grown there and we spent one afternoon touring and tasting, and buying some to bring home. All of these social outings and most evenings involved eating out at either restaurants or from street vendors, and I think I can safely say that there was no food that we didn't enjoy! It was mostly wonderful just spending time with Alyssa, and meeting all the people and seeing all the places she had talked about since last year. She is now waiting to hear from the local Research Council about a grant for which she applied; this will allow her to extend her research for another year or more. If we were in the US I would be hoping she wouldn't extend, but since we will be in Africa for another year or so we are hopeful that she will continue to be only a 4 hour flight away!

What's going on with us

2007-06-18T00:26:00.001-05:00

Though we just recently updated the blog, there is much that we would like to chronicle. The blog is not only a good way for family and friends to keep up with our goings-on, but it serves as our permanent journal. My handwritten journal is great for personal ramblings, but this is the best way for us to remember not only our insights, but the whens and whereabouts of our time here. As you may recall from the most recent post, our weekends had been extremely busy; so I want to recall what has gone on.

Dave and I made a friend here months ago who lives nearby and is our age. She is single and is a sales rep, which means she has a company car. We enjoy being with her, and were thrilled when she decided she needed to take a break from work for a long weekend. So, for four days, we took day trips from our backpackers in Hazyview, in the province of beautiful Mpumalanga. It was a long holiday weekend at the end of April. Though we had seen a lot of this area (our IST had been in nearby White River and the Long Tom based in Sabie) we hadn't seen many of the sights that require a car. We spent one full day in Kruger, spotting 4 of the 'big 5' (no rhino), half a day at a terrific garden in Nelspruit, and saw some waterfalls and vistas that are breathtaking. On the way home we stopped at a very interesting animal rehab center. We also took advantage of having a car by stopping at a sports store to buy some free weights; for months we had only bricks and rubber tubing to use for staying buff. And it would have been difficult to haul the weight set on either our bikes or the taxi. (For photos of our 'gym' and this trip, check out http://www.finetastic.com/main.php?g2_itemId=8979 And it turns out we were fortunate that her company didn't ask for payment for petrol, so the trip costs us little - true to Peace Corps spirit!

We headed to Pretoria the following weekend to meet on Saturday with the director of the PC from Washington, Ron Tschetter. One of his initiatives is to recruit more 'mature' volunteers, so he had asked for a meeting with those of us over 50. About 15 of us talked with him for a couple of hours and were hopeful that he really heard what we had to say.

The next weekend we had 4 PCVs come to stay with us. All are in their twenties and in the education sector (as opposed to NGO). We had a full house indeed, with the married couple staying in our 'second bedroom' and the other two in our 'lounge' area. Four is definitely the limit for sleepovers; this is the second time we've had four and it is the cutoff! A fifth person would have to sleep on the bathroom floor and risk being stepped or pissed on at night! We had a great weekend; Sunday was Mothers' Day and they presented me with flowers. We spent most of that day at the home of a couple we had met earlier through the bicycle club; food, drink, and conversation were great - and we stayed out after dark!

In mid May we spent Friday and Sunday traveling to and from Potch(efstroom), about 6 hours by bus from home. A fellow PCV turned 30 and we had been invited weeks before to attend the celebration. Well, it was like being back in college. We stayed with a PCV who lives in a room near campus; fortunately we were given our own floor space in a separate hallway, while the 6 or so of them slept all over her room. We even attended a birthday party for a 21 year old friend of hers; it was a costume party and, without even having to dress for it, we went as older people. It was a fun weekend, being accepted again by a different age group, but I must say I am glad we don't live in Potch. (sorry Liz)

For a couple of days in mid-late May we were freezing! Winter solstice is just around the corner now, but those two late fall days were a shock to our system. We found it too cold to ride our bikes to work, and while at work all day we kept on everything we had worn, which was several layers. With no heat in homes or at work, you are no warmer indoors than out, unless the wind is blowing. Lately most of the days have warmed up after starting off cool, but not those two days! I was glad to have gloves and a hat; but we haven't been that cold again and the weather is perfect, rising to the low 20's (low 70's F) during the day. This kind of winter we can stand!

The last Friday in May was a day that PC ordered us not to report to work; it was the beginning of the public sector strike that is still looming. So a PC couple who lives in a nearby village came over on Friday for dinner, which (remember) means staying overnight. A 'mature' volunteer based in the NorthWest Province came to stay for the first weekend in June, and the following Saturday a PCV from near Nelspruit came for dinner and the night.

So of course we were really looking forward to this last weekend, one week before we were due to visit Alyssa in Mauritius. But this was not to be; Dave had to leave unexpectedly for Detroit on Saturday when we got news that his mother was not doing well. Seeing Alyssa will have to wait; as we await word of Dave's mother's progress.

In the meantime, I will work and spend my first time alone in South Africa. While Dave was in the air on Fathers' Day I had a wonderful long bicycle ride; and watched the Comrades Marathon on tv. This is an incredible, grueling 89 Km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, now in its 82nd year, and it is covered live for 13 hours on one of the three national channels. (Coverage of races here, both running and bicycling, is one thing that still amazes us.) Comrades is quite the event, and at least two PCVs ran it this year. I will head to Pretoria at week's end for a meeting and an appointment, and possibly visit another PCV for a few days since our NGO is closed for winter break. And wait for Dave to return with good news.....

On Being in South Africa

2007-06-13T02:43:00.001-05:00

On Being in South Africa

It's hard to believe we've been in South Africa for almost a year; the time has flown by. What's even more amazing is how this now feels like home, which is good, since it is for now! The sights, sounds and smells that were once so novel and intriguing are now commonplace and don't elicit shock from us anymore. Maybe that's bad in some ways, but I think it speaks to our feeling at home. Of course we still get stared at at times, and there is, and will continue to be, the disbelief of South Africans when they figure out we don't understand or speak Afrikaans. And of course, I don't think they will ever get used to our walking; after all, whites don't walk. We've been stopped several times and asked either "why are you walking?", "where is your car?", or "you must need a lift, eh?" Twice now, the second time was just last week, a car has done a U-turn on the highway (crossing the median illegally) to give us a lift. Once we were glad and did accept; last week we wanted the exercise - try to explain that one to a South African!

Work is about the same; most of you probably read our last email about what we have been up to. We have some projects on the back burner and will keep everyone informed about them, if and when they come to fruition. Our NGO is in the process of moving to its new location, so we decide each morning to which location we will ride. But it shouldn't be too long before all the office work will be done at the new offices, which are just beyond town and about a 50 minute bike ride. One more hostel needs to be built so that all the males will live there; all the females are currently residing in Seshego at the original location. Our most recent project involves the food service program: setting up menus, inventory, shopping and food safety.

This past week has been spent helping Alyssa edit her proposal for more funding for her sexual harassment research. If she gets this grant from Mauritius then she will be there for many more months to complete the quantitative analysis of her study. At least she would be on the same continent as we are for a longer time! We haven't seen her since December and have plans to visit her later this month, so we are very excited.

Not that we have lacked any in the social department lately. We noticed after checking our calendar that we have been busy either traveling to, or being visited by, other volunteers, or in Pretoria for the last seven weekends! This coming weekend will be our first with no plans, and we are looking forward to it. Saturday we were able to go for a 50 Km bike ride, but maybe next weekend we can just ride all day! But it has been fun spending time with such a diverse group of people.

You might have read about what's been going on in South Africa for the last ten days. The public sector strike is affecting more than one million workers, and threatens to continue for a while. The unions are requesting a 12% raise; the government is offering 6.5% plus many other benefits. It has become more than troublesome for the schools and government offices; the public hospitals are dangerously understaffed and some are closed, making health care very scary indeed. We are hoping that this will end soon; so far we haven't been personally affected , but the country has enough problems without more turmoil, not to mention the children who are missing so much school, especially when they are due to write exams next week. Today we are at home, for the second time since this began, under orders from the Peace Corps for us not to report to work and to limit travel. There have been some violent demonstrations in the cities today (we have heard nothing happening in our city) , so we will follow orders and hope for a peaceful outcome to this strike.

Now that our first year is coming to a close, I have some thoughts that I'd like to share; I'll just call it:

You know you're not in Kansas anymore when:

or You know you are in (South) Africa when:

you need to know 2 different names for cities, town and villages (the pre- and post-1994 names and both are still used)
you hear one person speaking three or more languages fluently and interchangeably
the termite mounds are as tall as you are
you buy an umbrella, and carry it 9 months of the year, to protect yourself from the sun, not the rain
you don't use your cell phone to make voice calls; instead, 95% of your calls (incoming and outgoing) are text messages
you don't have a land line
you buy prepaid airtime, or you just go without and use your cell for receiving calls only
you take your cell phone with you when you visit neighboring countries and just buy an inexpensive new SIM card upon arrival
you check your parcels at the entrance to the grocery or retail store
you sweep your dirt yard, with a stick broom
you see trash being tossed out of vehicle windows
your car (if lucky enough to have one) is considered dirty if it wasn't washed today
you eat with your hands (well, only the right one) even if utensils are available
everything you do is slow and deliberate
you wait in line, patiently, for an hour or more at the bank, post office, etc
the water or electricity goes off, and stays off, unannounced and for no apparent reason
you do your laundry by hand and hang it on a line or fence to dry
you polish your shoes daily
the majority of surnames start with an "M"
you eat pap daily
Jesus' name is invoked in prayer at every meeting
flowers are in bloom almost all year
your attempts at speaking a native language are greeted with broad smiles
you hear people singing anytime, anywhere
AIDS posters are everywhere; AIDS prevention ads are on all tv and radio shows
you see adults and (mostly) children of all races go barefoot in stores and other public places
children are held in an adult's lap or are seated (or standing) unbuckled in a car
bathing every 3 or 4 days is just fine
your ID number is not private, in fact, it's used in all transactions
online banking is a rarity and almost impossible to set up
you'll do something 'just now' which means it can be done anytime
you can go to Church every Sunday and a funeral every Saturday
there is no heat so you add clothes or blankets to stay warm (remember, it's winter here!)

More to follow.....

Long Tom, Mozambique and Back

2007-05-02T23:43:00.000-05:00

Long Tom

We had a really enjoyable time traveling to Sabie for the last weekend of March. This time we weren't lucky enough to snag a ride so we took coombies (public taxis), but none of them took too long to fill so we arrived there by 2 PM on Friday. There were over 60 Peace Corps volunteers there to either run or walk the half marathon on Saturday. Dave ran and I walked the 21 Km, mostly downhill, from the top of the Long Tom Pass. Dave even beat his goal of two hours by nearly 15 minutes! On the other hand, I barely made the 4 hour gun; I was walking with a few others and we took our time enjoying the scenery, the food stops, and cheering on the ultra marathoners. It is beautiful there, plus it was fun seeing so many PCVs, some of whom we hadn't yet met from the SA 14 group. Peace Corps supports this run as a KLM fundraiser for a school scholarship for a worthy child.

Mozambique

Sunday was spent traveling to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Luckily there were 3 groups of us going from Sabie, a total of 14, so we were able to fill our own coombie. This was fortunate since we spent 2 ½ hours at the border trying to get our visas; if we had been only the four of us on another full taxi I doubt the driver would have waited for us there. It is possible to get a visa ahead of time, but it costs six times more. We were also lucky that a trailer was attached to the taxi at the rank in Nelspruit, so we were not forced to hold our bags on our laps. It was a comfortable ride and we were delivered right to the door of our backpackers, though it took a while for the driver and his assistant to locate it.

Maputo is a big city, and upon first setting eyes on it, it looks like a war-torn city. Buildings and sidewalks are in disrepair; many large buildings seemed unoccupied. It's a city rebuilding itself after civil war ended about 13 years ago. We spent all day Monday walking the city, trying to find the fish market and sidewalk crafts. The nice part about being there was being able to go out at night, though always in a group and vigilant about our surroundings. We started our week-long fill of seafood and fish, which we don't get in South Africa. Plus the Portuguese bakeries, yum! We were glad to have Steph and Charlene with us, but the bonus was that their Spanish helped us communicate with the locals.

The three groups of us were together again as we traveled by bus to Tofo, a village on the Indian Ocean about 8 hours north. I say 'about' because, depending on the day, it can be anywhere from 7 to 9 ½ hours. Since this 25-seater bus was full from Maputo, we got to Tofo in about 8 hours. And full means not only of people, but bags. They get piled anywhere there is space in the bus, which means climbing over mounds of bags when getting out at the pit stop.

Our three days in Tofo were awesome. This is by far the best beach I have ever been to. Other than 3 backpackers, the only commercial development on this long stretch of beach is a restaurant and a dive shop. No hotels or resorts. The village itself is small, but has a few places to eat and vendors who sell a few food items. So there were no crowds, even though this was just before Easter weekend. The beach was wide and easy to walk; the water was warm and little to no undertow. We collected beautiful shells, something I haven't done since I was a child, since it seems beaches I have been to lately have none. We continued filling ourselves with seafood, and just relaxed. You can't go to Tofo without swimming with the whale sharks, so we spent a couple of hours on a snorkeling tour, but only found one whale shark with which to swim. These are the largest fish in the world, though ours was only a teenager and several meters long. Being docile fish it's possible to swim right alongside them. We did go to Inhambane one afternoon, about 30 min away, to use the ATM and walk around. It is a very delightful town, and we had a good dinner there before heading back to Tofo that evening. Needless to say, we hated to leave this little bit of paradise. But we took the bus back to Maputo for our last day in Mozambique. Unfortunately it ended on a bad note, with Steph getting sick enough for us to take her to the clinic, and to add to that, fending off a mugger on our walk there. On another note, we experienced one of those 'six degrees of separation' moments. One of our fellow PCVs came to Maputo while we were there; we knew he would be there with his sister, who was visiting him before returning to the US after traveling abroad. Turns out she is the girlfriend of one of Larry's good friends, though he has yet to meet her. Maybe by now he has though, since she was planning to move to Atlanta on her return just recently. So I was able to send Larry a hug with her. Talk about a small world.

And Back

We made it home to Polokwane before dark after leaving Maputo on a morning bus to Nelspruit. It was Easter Monday, a national holiday, so the taxis filled very quickly all the way home. Ordinarily we would not have tried to make it home; we would have needed to leave Nelspruit by 10 AM at the latest. But on this day we left about 12:30 and made it in record time.

I unfortunately brought home one thing I didn't want: giardia. I began feeling ill the night we got home, probably 7 days or so after I either drank some tainted water, or had ice or salad not cleaned well. I wasn't careful the first day in Maputo, so most likely picked it up then; after that I drank only bottled water, but it was too late. I got meds at the clinic here and took care of the bug. This was my first time being ill since moving here 9 months ago, so I guess I have been fortunate on that account.

Second quarter began at our NGO when we returned from Easter break. We have been busy continuing the work we began first quarter, most of which involves computerizing the records. The organization is well-established but the record keeping had not yet entered the digital age. So we have spent a lot of time on the financials and client roster, creating new databases and spreadsheets for all the information. We created new registration forms for new and returning clients and spreadsheets for all the financial records; by training the staff to use these programs we hope to make this work sustainable. We are also involved somewhat in helping design curriculum for some of the workshops, teaching the kitchen staff to take inventory and create menus, and helping them to become more organized and efficient in general. Dave has been helping to coach a few of the clients in basketball; there is a provincial tournament coming up in which they will play. We attend district and municipality meetings that focus on organizations that work with the disabled. Still to work on are gaining employment for some of our clients and setting up HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, and family planning, for the males and females. There is no shortage of work to be done.

We have submitted 6 articles to the local newspaper; so far 4 of them have been printed. There might be another in this week's paper which I will get on the way home today. We attended a meeting of the local bicycle club last week; we hope to work with them on improving the safety of cycling in Polokwane. We continue to ride our new Treks to work daily, and on the weekends for exercise and errands. Last Sunday our route took us through farmland just north of town; the quiet road reminded us of cycling in Wisconsin, with its rolling hills and fields, except for the mountains in the distance! The weather has been wonderful for cycling; only rarely have we been threatened by storms on our way to or from work.

Some of you have asked why we are sequestered in our house after dark. Though we have not been threatened at all in South Africa, the night is not safe. If you are in a private car and can drive directly to a destination, or take a private taxi, that is fairly safe. Though you still have to be careful about parking your car. We got a ride to and from the cycling club meeting last Friday evening, and most attendees preferred to park in the gated lot by the building. If you go out to dinner or a movie, you must have the attendants watch your car, even during the day, for a rand or two. (Sometimes we have them watch our new bikes, even though they are locked.) So the only way we get out at night is to either fetch a ride or catch a private taxi. But frankly there isn't much to do anyway. Most locals spend time in homes of friends or family, or at church functions. The couple of times we have gone out, to the concert in December and to a night-time movie once, we caught the private taxi home. Other times have been with people who have picked us up on their way, either to a friend's (which is rare) or to a meeting (even rarer). So, hope that answers your question. We do feel though that our social life has improved with time; we have more pcvs coming over or we have been busy traveling. We have 3 volunteers coming to spend a weekend next month, and on another weekend we are traveling to attend a birthday party in Potch, about 5-6 hours by bus. So life is good.

Though they may not yet be labeled, you can check out photos from Long Tom and Mozambique at our gallery site.

A Busy Couple of Months

2007-03-29T15:13:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that we have now been in South Africa for 8 months and that it's been 6 months since we were sworn in as PCVs and working at site. Depending on the day, or even the time of day, it can seem like we've been here forever or that we just arrived. Either way, it's been enjoyable, frustrating, educational, relaxing¿ the full range of emotions has been elicited.

Since IST in late January/early February we have stayed pretty busy. Most of our working hours have been spent in the office of the children's shelter where many of our adult intellectually-impaired client reside. There is a computer in the office so we have been setting up admission databases, financial spreadsheets, creating new application forms, and writing parent newsletters/updates ¿ taking full advantage of having the printer and copier available to us. It's not going to be overnight, but our hope is to train the staff to use the tools we are creating. Up until now all record-keeping has been done by hand, which can lead to accounting errors as well as inefficient analysis and client management.

Our NGO is in the process of building a new facility, so within the next couple of months our office should move, along with many of our clients. Over the next year or two the plan is to have all clients living in the new location, where their workshops will also be located. At present we are sharing space with the children's shelter, which not only means it's overcrowded, but that our clients who are intellectually impaired live with the younger orphans and vulnerable children. This isn't good for either population though, so everyone is excited about the upcoming move.

We've been kept occupied outside of work too. Since IST we've returned to the same area of Mpumulanga for more Peace Corps training; this time it was Life Skills, but we were only there for a couple of days. It was held in mid March, and since it ended on a Thursday and we couldn't make it home before sundown, we stayed over for a night in Nelspruit, then traveled toward home the next day by taxi. It took all day to get to a village which would have been about a two or three hour drive. Some of that time was sitting in the taxis waiting for them to fill; another long wait was at the last stop before the village where we had to wait with the driver for at least someone else to show up besides us. So we sat outside the tuck shop until a couple of other people needed a ride to the village that was only 12 km away. We stayed overnight there with another PC couple (older than us even) whom we had not met, but enjoyed their company, talking late into the night. The next morning (Sat) we had to leave by 7 or we would have stuck there until Monday. As it was, we were left behind by the bus driver, who left early, and fortunately found room on the only taxi headed out of the village.

We have our new bikes! Dave worked tirelessly for months, and he came through. Trek donated bikes to 14 of us volunteers who had been patient through the process; they are wonderful! Since we ride our bikes to work every day, having a comfortable bike with parts that work is incredible. We donated the bikes we had, and when our service here ends, we'll donate these too. That's part of the agreement with Trek: that the donation is actually to a needy South African but we get to use them in the meantime. Since I also use mine as a means of exercise, I really appreciate having a decent bicycle. I go for a 40 K ride every Sunday morning; I hope to increase the distance once I find more roads that I can ride on safely. In addition to riding to work and for exercise, we also use the bikes to go shopping and run errands. You'd be amazed at how much stuff we can load on the bikes!

Last week we spent a couple of days and nights in Pretoria, the big city. Dave was appointed to the VAC, yes, another acronym. This is the Volunteer Advisory Committee. There are representatives from each group, SA 14 and 15, as well as from Education and NGO. In all there are 12 members. Since our NGO is closed for school break, and will be until April 11, I tagged along to check out the city. While Dave spent many hours in the meetings on Thursday and Friday, I hung out with some of the many, many PCVs who were there for all kinds of reasons. We ate our first Chinese meal since arriving here 8 months ago. We have several new staff members at PC South Africa, so Dave was able to get to know them better since they were in meetings together; not only did he have his VAC meeting, there were other planning meetings as well. In the last few months we have a new Country Director and two new APCDs, our direct contacts with the office.

Our local newspaper asked us, at our suggestion, to write some articles about how Americans see South Africa. So we have written and submitted 6 articles to be published over the next couple of months (though he published 2 in last week's paper, guess he needed to fill space). We call them "Through the Eyes of Americans", each having a subtitle reflecting the topic. We actually took some of our past blog material to produce several of them. For instance, there is one on language, similar to my recent blog. Other topics include: business and banking, riding the bus, the perception of all Americans being rich, separation of church and state, and shopping. If they are well-received (how will he know this?) we will be asked to write more.

With our NGO being closed now for the next two weeks, we are working from home and preparing for our next adventure. On Friday we, along with about 60 other PCVs, will travel to Sabie, in the same area where our two recent trainings were held. In our commuting back and forth over the last couple of months to this area, we have ridden over the Long Tom Pass, the site of the upcoming marathon and half marathon which Peace Corps is supporting. The half marathon run/walk, which most of us are doing, begins early Saturday morning at the highest point of the pass, ending in the town of Lydenburg, 13.1 Km later. With only a couple of uphills, we'll be trying to protect our knees and toes on the long downhill. Dave will be finished long before me since he'll be running; I'll be walking along with a couple of other PCVs. Later I'll post photos; the pass and surrounding area is beautiful, verdant with forests of pine.

It won't be easy to get up early the next morning, but we must. We'll be heading to Maputo, Mozambique, along with Steph (our Milwaukee gal) and Charlene and, from what it sounds like after talking with other PCVs last weekend, several others, probably enough to fill our own taxi. From Nelspruit it should be about a 3 hour taxi ride, not counting the time at the border to get our visas. We'll stay in Mozambique for a week, traveling north to Tofo beach for a few of those days. Not only is the beach supposed to be gorgeous, but that's where you go to swim with the whale sharks, which are the largest living fish, docile and enormous (like school bus size). We are just hoping it won't have cooled off enough for them to have moved offshore too far. Maputo is a popular destination for PCVs based in South Africa; we'll be able to go out at night (wow!), seafood should be great as well as the Portuguese bakeries. We'll come back to site right after Easter, when our NGO opens back up after break.

Night before last we joined a couple of PCV friends for dinner at their house; they've been wanting us to come over for a while. But a dinner invitation here also includes sleeping over, since dinner typically ends after dark (which is about 6:30 now). The only alternative to staying over is to call a private taxi, which we avoid as much as possible. We rode our bikes there (our new Treks, yea!), ate dinner, chatted, stayed over and rode home early the next morning when they had to leave for work. Not that we mind staying over, it's just knowing that once we go anywhere after dark, we aren't free to just 'come home'. This is one aspect of socializing that's hard to get accustomed to, and one we'll probably never enjoy.

The weather should start changing soon; yesterday it actually rained most of the day and into the night; this is the first time it's done that in months. Actually, we can't think of another time it's ever really rained like this since we moved to Polokwane. We've had short downpours, but most of the time it's been sunny and dry; rain is desperately needed. The days will soon be cooler; at least that's what we are told. Nights have continued to be comfortable even when the days are hot. Surprisingly enough, we haven't been terribly uncomfortable with the heat; as long as we stay inside or in the shade it's tolerable.

Thanks to all of you who keep those cards, letters, packages and emails coming; we cherish each one. Happy Spring!

More Observations of South Africa

2007-03-02T12:36:00.000-06:00

More Observations of South Africa

I promised I'd write more about what we experience here in South Africa.‭ ‬You've read about transportation,‭ ‬our living situation,‭ ‬the animals on our plot,‭ ‬banks,‭ ‬bicycling and pedestrian rights‭; ‬here are a couple more topics for now.‭ ‬Otherwise,‭ ‬things continue to move ahead ever so slowly with our job and life in general‭; ‬we use our patience-training daily‭; ‬it's no wonder that Peace Corps stresses patience and flexibility so strongly.‭ ‬Soon we'll be writing more about what we have actually been up to this last month or so.‭ ‬But for now,‭ ‬here are my thoughts on funerals and language.

Funerals

Sad to say,‭ ‬but we could be at a funeral every Saturday if we wanted to.‭ ‬Early on in our time here,‭ ‬we opted to attend only those of whom we have had direct contact,‭ ‬either with the deceased or the family.‭ ‬I think it's been a wise decision.‭ ‬Our supervisors,‭ ‬like most other South Africans,‭ ‬do attend a funeral almost every Saturday‭; ‬it's physically tiring as well as mentally wearing.‭ ‬We did attend one in January‭; ‬Peter's first cousin died after a lengthy hospital stay.‭ ‬He was an older man who lived in the little house next to us on the plot.‭ ‬We didn't have long conversations,‭ ‬but he always had a nice greeting for us when we came home.‭ ‬He would typically be sitting in his straight-back chair on his small porch,‭ ‬out of the sun,‭ ‬just watching the animals.‭ ‬We miss seeing him there,‭ ‬and right now we are really missing his taking care of the goats,‭ ‬geese,‭ ‬turkeys and chickens.‭ ‬They always seem hungry and thirsty now and the goats aren't locked up like he kept them.‭ ‬Which means much more sweeping of the dirt for us‭! (‬Goats do poop a lot.‭)

So,‭ ‬like I said,‭ ‬funerals are typically on a Saturday.‭ ‬At some point during the week soon after the death,‭ ‬the family will rent a tent for their yard.‭ (‬It's usually easy to spot a home where there has been a death:‭ ‬the big tent in the yard.‭) ‬Family and friends gather daily,‭ ‬usually in the early evening,‭ ‬during the week for prayer and comfort.‭ ‬Then the funeral takes place early on Saturday morning,‭ ‬around‭ ‬6-7‭ ‬AM,‭ ‬in the tent.‭ ‬The service may last for about an hour or two,‭ ‬then everyone goes to the cemetery‭; ‬everyone that is,‭ ‬except for the women friends who must stay behind and cook.‭ ‬And they aren't just beginning to cook‭; ‬they've been at it all Friday night.‭ ‬When Peter's cousin died there was a fire built next to the son's house on our plot and a couple of big cauldrons were set for cooking the chicken and pap.‭ ‬There were also several gas burners rented,‭ ‬along with the tent and chairs,‭ ‬to cook the rest of the food.‭ ‬More about the food later.

The service at the cemetery is fairly brief‭; ‬what takes a long time is the filling of the grave with dirt.‭ ‬As in Jewish funerals,‭ ‬family and friends toss shovelfuls of dirt into the grave.‭ ‬Except for the women‭; ‬here they only toss in handfuls.‭ ‬I don’t know if it’s a custom,‭ ‬or just the thought that the woman shouldn’t lift the heavy shovel.

Then everyone goes back to the house,‭ ‬where the women have put out the food.‭ ‬And there is lots of it‭; ‬this is one time when nothing is spared.‭ ‬There is a buffet set up outside for the guests‭; ‬as I was joining the line for the buffet I was called inside to eat with the family.‭ ‬The food is the same,‭ ‬but the family gets to sit indoors.‭ ‬And when I say the food is the same,‭ ‬I mean exactly that.‭ ‬There is no change in the menu for any meal at any occasion.‭ ‬There’s the ever present pap,‭ ‬chicken,‭ ‬beef,‭ ‬rice,‭ ‬beets,‭ ‬cabbage.‭ ‬It was funny when Dave and I were in the kitchen helping to clean up after the meal.‭ ‬There were several women‭ (‬of course,‭ ‬no men‭) ‬in the kitchen,‭ ‬most of whom we knew.‭ ‬At one point while we were washing dishes,‭ ‬we overheard them speaking in Sepedi and caught the words for‭ ‘‬white person‭’ (‬makhua‭) ‬and‭ '‬washing dishes‭'‬.‭ ‬They were all shocked when we turned and laughed‭; ‬now they know we understand some of what they are saying and have to be careful‭! ‬They laughed in turn.

When I was out for a bike ride a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday morning I passed by the cemetery where Peter’s cousin had been buried.‭ ‬There were so many taxis‭ (‬public ones like we ride‭) ‬lining the drive into the cemetery and filling the median‭; ‬I couldn’t begin to count them.‭ ‬But this was not a Saturday,‭ ‬so I was confused.‭ ‬Funerals are not held on Sunday so that everyone,‭ ‬especially the pastors,‭ ‬can be in church.‭ (‬If funerals could be on Sundays then pastors would never be available for church.‭) ‬The following day at work I asked about it:‭ ‬Sunday is the day when taxi drivers are buried.‭ ‬Taxis are busy Monday through Saturday‭; ‬the drivers all come to another driver’s funeral on Sunday.‭ ‬No pastor is there to memorialize the deceased.‭ ‬Their union collects money to help with funerals.‭ ‬The following Sunday on my bike ride I found the cemetery empty and quiet.‭

We know we will unfortunately be attending several more funerals while here in Africa‭; ‬it’s sad when riding around the city,‭ ‬or village,‭ ‬and seeing so many tents in the yards,‭ ‬and knowing that the following week will be the same,‭ ‬only the tents will have moved.‭ ‬Sadder yet is knowing that so many of the deceased are being buried well before their time,‭ ‬and that Aids is the cause of so many of them.‭ ‬TIA.

Language

Though we have been here for more than‭ ‬7‭ ‬months now,‭ ‬I am still amazed when listening to Black South Africans speak.‭ ‬There are‭ ‬11‭ ‬national languages,‭ ‬including English,‭ ‬Afrikaans,‭ ‬and nine native ones.‭ ‬It’s almost impossible to find someone who speaks only one language.‭ ‬It makes me feel so inadequate as an American.‭ ‬Though there are many Americans who have learned a second or third language,‭ ‬it’s not common,‭ ‬as it is here.‭ ‬A South African’s first language will depend on the part of the country where one has grown up.‭ ‬Most Blacks,‭ ‬especially those old enough to have been in school during Apartheid,‭ ‬also speak fluent Afrikaans and English.‭ ‬Those in school recently or now also speak English.‭ ‬And many of the elderly speak one or both of those if they happened to work for a white person or family,‭ ‬as our village Gogo did as a housekeeper for many years.‭ ‬But it doesn’t stop there.‭ ‬Most speak several native languages as well.‭ ‬Betty,‭ ‬our host sister in the village,‭ ‬speaks‭ ‬9‭ ‬of the‭ ‬11‭ ‬languages.‭ ‬Victor,‭ ‬our Peace Corps training director,‭ ‬speaks all eleven,‭ ‬not only fluently,‭ ‬but including all the idioms and nuances of English.‭ ‬This is not rare.‭ ‬I don’t know what the average number of languages spoken by Blacks here is,‭ ‬but I venture to guess it’s four or five.‭

What is also interesting is the way English is interspersed into the sentences and conversations.‭ ‬Blacks will go so flawlessly and smoothly from their local language right into English.‭ ‬But what is funny are the English words and phrases that appear in mid-sentence.‭ ‬It’s great for us‭; ‬it’s often the only way we get the gist of the conversation.‭ ‬But we are determined to learn as much Sepedi as possible before our close of service.‭ ‬In fact,‭ ‬we are meeting someone next week who will hopefully be able to serve as a tutor.

Afrikaners too,‭ ‬will typically speak English as well as Afrikaans,‭ ‬but very few know any of the native languages.‭ ‬Those who do have usually owned a farm and learned the native tongue in order to communicate with their hired help.‭ ‬But most don’t even know how to greet in the local language,‭ ‬which,‭ ‬as we have learned,‭ ‬is so important.‭ ‬Locals appreciate it so much,‭ ‬and get a big kick out of our attempts.‭ ‬Greeting street vendors and taxi and bus drivers is one way of assuring they remember us‭; ‬one never knows when being recognized might come in handy.‭ (‬Think here of being mugged‭; ‬hey,‭ ‬it’s almost a given.‭) ‬Trying to speak the local language sets us apart from the other whites on the street‭; ‬we are recognized as foreigners and not Afrikaners,‭ ‬which might be a benefit.‭ ‬I also recall being told that learning a language is a great way to keep our aging brains from deteriorating so quickly,‭ ‬so here’s to learning Sepedi‭!

Six Months In

2007-02-11T04:52:00.000-06:00

We have just returned from our InServiceTraining (IST) which marked the end of our first six months in South Africa. Dave writes about IST and its relation to our work here (after my observations), but I'll just say that it was a very busy, but fun-filled 10 days. It was great to meet up again with our fellow PCVs, as well as enjoy the good food (too much of it!), hot shower, the lap pool and our first paintball experience. This IST was held in White River, a town in Mpumulanga, not far from Kruger Park. We got very lucky and didn't have to take public transport either way. The day before IST began would have been spent on 3 taxis, taking most of the day, though it's no more than a 4 hr car ride. At each town we would have had to sit in the taxi waiting for it to fill before heading to the next town. While sitting in the first taxi here in town, waiting for 7 more people, our phone rang. Joanna, who is working temporarily for PC and who lives here in Polokwane , decided at the last minute to drive instead of taking a bus. When she asked if we could get off the taxi and ride with her, we didn't hesitate! How fortunate that we had gotten to the taxi rank a bit later than we had planned! The drive there and back on different routes was beautiful, through the Drakensberg Mountains of the Limpopo Province. And we didn't have to pay; we were indeed the envy of the other PCVs, riding in air-conditioned comfort, for free!

Observations

It's hard to believe we've been here for over 6 months now. Though we are feeling at home, there are always reminders that we are very much in Africa. There are some observations that we've made that I'd like to share, so you can have a better feel for what we deal with on a daily basis.

First, the banks. What a racket. Any transaction warrants a fee, even if I were to deposit cash into my account. Whether dealing with a teller at the bank or using the ATM, anything I do costs me. There's the usual additional fee for using another bank's ATM, but there ends any similarity to US banks. We have learned the cheapest way to withdraw cash is to ask for cash back when using our card to buy groceries, because of course we have already had to pay a fee to use our card for the purchase. These usage fees are in addition to the monthly fees, which are unavoidable no matter what type of account one has. Then, there are the lines (queues). Never in my life have I seen so many people line up to either enter a bank or use an ATM. Depending on the day of the month, the lines can have well over 50 people. Once you learn when different government checks go out, you know when to avoid using the bank or machine. On paydays the lines can wrap around a corner waiting for the bank to open. The inefficiency of this business is incredible, which also means those long queues move slowly. Though our bank is online (though I haven't been able to complete my registration due to more inefficiency) I had to go to the bank to change my mailing address. This, of course, entailed a short 30 minute wait. There is way too much paper work involved for a business that should be electronic. South Africans must show their ID for anything they do. This would be like us showing our Social Security card. Just another way in which we feel like we're back in the 60's or 70's in the US. I just feel so bad for all these people who must stand in line in the heat, waiting to do something that we've been doing electronically for years.

Second observation: the status of pedestrians and cyclists, or should I say the non-status. Again, like the US of thirty or forty years ago, cars rule the road. As a pedestrian and a cyclist I have had one contact each with a vehicle, not to mention the very close calls. When crossing at an intersection downtown a couple of months ago, a car turned just as I was walking and I ran into it, better than the other way around. I wasn't at all hurt, just pissed. Dave yelled at the driver, but I do ask him not to yell at anyone here, just don't know if they'll get pissed back at us. Whenever crossing at a corner, the pedestrian has to yield to the driver who is turning, even if the 'walk' symbol is on. Cycling is just too new here and there are no cyclists' rights. Though the law states that anyone wearing a helmet has the same right to the road as a vehicle, the drivers don't know that. Some drivers move over when overtaking us in their lane, but most don't. This is why we like having a mirror, so we know if we have to bail when the truck or taxi approaches us from behind. They are the worst; cars seem to be a bit better about giving us enough room. The roads are the other main problem. They were not, of course, built for cycling, so shoulders are either narrow or in disrepair, or nonexistent. Plus all the glass on the roads makes it hard to stay too far to the left for the safest position. Many of the secondary roads are dirt, which makes for uncomfortable riding, but at least they are not usually too busy. My intervention with a car happened downtown while I was stopped at a 4 way stop sign. I had one foot on the ground, waiting my turn to cross the intersection. A car came up behind me, and just ran right into me. Luckily, she was going very slowly, as she was preparing to stop, which in itself is something not always done. When I turned to give the driver a dirty and questioning look, she didn't even acknowledge that she had hit me. Once again, I was unhurt and proceeded home. So we have learned, whenever we are walking or cycling, we watch out for the traffic much more closely than we ever did in the US. We do hope to improve the safety of cyclists while living in Polokwane. We recently met another cyclist who is active in the club in town; he provided us with the name of someone we hope to contact to begin working on this issue. We realize our time here is not long enough to make Polokwane a 'bicycle friendly community”, but we do hope we will leave it better and safer than we found it.

I have other observations I will write about in future blogs. I keep a running list of topics; as I write about one or two, others get added, so it seems there is an endless supply of blog topics.

A Great Ten Days

Well we are back at work after our IST (in service training). It turns out that like many large organizations, the Peace Corps has developed its own language of acronyms. Perhaps the reason for two years of service is that it takes that long to learn all of them.

It was a great ten days. All but one of the PCVs gathered together at a nice lodge/ conference center. So, let me cover the highlights: A hot shower that ran from a tap. A buffet. Dessert for lunch and dinner. A large-size lap pool. And, being surrounded by a great group of people. As for the actual seminars, they were not bad either. It ran the gamut from hearing about our fellow PCVs' experiences, meeting with our supervisors for two days to outline the next few months, building our HIV/AIDs knowledge, getting exposure to customer relationship marketing (I presented), and perhaps the most interesting presentation was hearing the development of apartheid as told from an Afrikaner perspective. That is worth remembering in this blog.

In our initial training, we spent a great deal of time learning about black South African culture since most of us spend our time in the black community. It turns out however, that our exposure to Afrikaaners is significant enough that we wanted to learn more about their culture. In our case, we have already made friends with a few people with whom we socialize and we have exposure to Afrikaaners in some way nearly every day. On a social basis, we have found people to be generous and fun. At IST, we were primarily talking about the race issue.

As a generalization, the Afrikaaners with whom we have engaged in conversation have a similar attitude as many white Americans had in the 1970's. People seem to be trying to put race issues behind them but every sentence starts with “I'm not racist but...” The 'but' usually turns out to be a generalization about crime, taxi drivers, or political corruption. Things that are problems for everyone but given the current situation and the need (desire) to get along, it seems generalizations come easy. If you are old enough, take yourself back to the 70's; you might remember hearing many of the same things from parents and friends. People who were not racists (in the KKK sense) did not teach their children to be racists but lacked understanding of black culture. Consequently, they often thought and said untrue and inappropriate things. And, while they are not KKK, I do believe, like in the States, there is still a great deal of institutional racism that will need to be overcome, but again like America, will probably exist for a long time.

South Africa is different though than America in terms of population dynamics. Whites, who hold a significant part of the wealth, make up a very small portion of the population. So while in America people are able to lock themselves away in all white communities, in S. Africa while there appear to be attempts to do this, it is impossible. So, whites come together with blacks nearly every day and must interact on some level. Also, being a significant minority, some fear political change could influence their future here. These types of considerations can have a profound affect on one's views and planning.

Well, history is written by the victors. It doesn't mean that the losers do not have a history. We heard the Afrikaaner apartheid history at IST. At the end of the session, our PC trainer characterized it best. Afrikaaner history is written in a way that when a grandfather tells his grandson about the events from 1948 to 1994, he will not be embarrassed by his participation. In a nutshell, our speaker characterized the Afrikaaners as a strong, independent farming people attached to the land. As they made their Great Trek to the north they took unoccupied land (sounds a little like American westward expansion). Since they wanted to keep their independence, land, and identity they began the policy of apartheid. In other words, it had nothing to do with the Black population of S. Africa. It had all to do with the needs of the Afrikaaner society/culture. Hmm, perhaps if they had consulted with a few of them diaspora Jews maybe they could have found another solution.

Well, this discussion hit a nerve with some of our fellow PCVs and led to a very interesting dialogue about race issues and relationships. Some personal feelings may have been hurt but I am hoping that with time and understanding actual intentions will overcome some of the discussions that went on.

I just saw Blood Diamond and suggest you go see it. You will learn the expression, TIA - This is Africa. That is kind of how things operate at work. If things just don't move along as expected, we look at each other and simply say, TIA. I think we are making progress however and I feel we are building respect from our co-workers. We have recently completed an Excel spread sheet that will allow us to track accounts receivable. Prior to helping with this project, information was being kept on a handwritten ledger. Several years ago, Marti and I found her grandfather's 1920's ledger from his dry goods store. Unfortunately, the ledger we were using at work here looked very similar. We are also developing an accounts payable tracking program. And, we are looking at income generating opportunities. Right now, the leading project appears to be brick making. We would make bricks and sell them to builders or home owners who sometimes build their own homes or sub-contract. We are also hoping to put together an employment placement program for our intellectually impaired clients. And, Marti wants to upgrade the HIV/Aids intervention program for our clients. She recently sat through the quarterly family planning program from the health department that she thought was fairly good but felt still had room for improvement. For example, while the girls receive birth control and HIV/Aids training, the boys are not part of the program.

Well, the next few weeks will be interesting at work. I am hopeful that our projects will pick up some momentum and we will be able to proudly say we left some 'concrete' things behind. The good news however, is I do feel we have already made an impact on many peoples' lives just by interacting with them, which is a good feeling.

Our Summer Festive Season Vacation

2007-01-06T05:42:00.000-06:00

We made it back home from our first vacation leave, and though it feels good to be home, we really enjoyed our time away-traveling through some of this beautiful country and spending time with Alyssa. I'll try to give a 'brief' synopsis of our trip so that you will read this whole blog, otherwise you'll get bogged down in the details. This is a popular vacation time for PC Volunteers, since schools and NGOs are closed for several weeks. It's also, as you would expect, a primary vacation time for S. Africans In fact, for education volunteers this is the mandated time for vacation since they must travel only during times that schools are closed. Our SA 15 group was fortunate that our lock-down period ended on December 21, allowing us to travel legitimately over the holiday period.

Dave and I hired (rented) a car, leaving Polokwane on December 22, with Alyssa still with us. We had decided to head south towards Lesotho and KZN (KwaZuluNatal, a province of South Africa very popular with tourists), knowing it would be a bit cooler there. We bought a tent and sleeping bags before we left, so we were able to save some money by camping a few times; one of those times was at the home of a PC couple of our age from last year's group of PCVs. We had met Tom at our Pre Service Training and looked forward to seeing him again and meeting Brooke. They were very hospitable, putting up about 10 of us, with Dave and me being the only ones from this year's group. We spent two nights there, cooking wonderful dinners using the fresh vegetables from their garden, and enjoying the company of other volunteers. During the day the three of us drove to Royal Natal, the northern section of the Drakensberg Park, about an hour away, for hiking. The Drakensbergs are a beautiful mountain range on the border of Lesotho and South Africa. On the first day (Christmas Day) we did a circular hike, passing a popular pool created by Cascade Waterfall, and climbing into the hills, past another waterfall swimming area, and passing through forests and ferns. The park was filled with families, mostly appearing to be of Indian descent, enjoying the holiday by swimming and having picnics. The following day we hiked the Tugela gorge, a 7 km hike into the gorge created by the Tugela River and ending at the falls, the second highest in the world. We reached a point where we couldn't see where to proceed once we reached the riverbed. Another couple was there with a map and they couldn't find it either. We would have tried a couple of options of walking across and/or through the river, since we knew the falls had to be near, but loud thunderbolts and threat of the typical afternoon storm prevented us from trying. On the return hike we were passed by a man whom we had seen hiking in; he asked if we had made it to the falls. When we told him where we had been stymied he said we were about two minutes away; we had just needed to walk through the river around a couple of bends. The rivers were all high now with the summer rains and made many of these trails impassable. We just made it back to our car before the skies opened and the worst electrical storm I have seen in years began. Needless to say, we were disappointed, but Dave and I will have other opportunities to make it back there and make the falls, maybe when the weather will allow us to hike without so much water or threats of summer storms. (The rains tested our new tent and it passed! No leaks, so it just has to last us another 21 months.)

We spent the evenings shooting the shit with the other volunteers. It was great to share stories about our experiences and to learn new ideas; there is an immediate bond with other PCVs that is wonderful. We talked not only about PC, but books that we had read and what was going on in the world. With Tom and Brooke we were able to share concerns facing volunteers and couples our age. We even laughed together about the odd things we now find ourselves picking up off the street: wires, tool parts, etc that we find uses for in our PC home, things that we never would have given a second look in the US. (Mike M, I thought of you here!) In ways we could not imagine prior to being here, we were able to share this very small house, dinner made in a kitchen on a two burner stove (virtually for free since many of the vegetables came from Tom & Brooke's garden, pasta and cookies were made from scratch by other PCVs), one table with four seats, one shower, one toilet, etc. While we take some liberties, we try to live within our Peace Corps stipend whenever we can. Alyssa enjoyed meeting some of our cohorts and she especially enjoyed talking to one of them who had been a public health nurse in her pre-PC life. Alyssa has spent the last year trying to figure out her life's 'path', with the health field always resurfacing. The conversation she had with Dawn that evening cemented the decision she had just made, to join the health field. Now she has to decide if medical school or nursing school, or something in between, with a public health focus, is the right means to her end. It was so wonderful to have her with us when she came to her conclusion; she feels so relieved to know in what direction she is headed. Her research in Mauritius is coming along; she is studying sexual harassment, which is truly a challenge in that country.

After packing the car on Wednesday morning we left Ladysmith and drove the short distance to the Central Drakensberg where we had a reservation in a beautiful backpackers/lodge. South Africa has a terrific system of 'backpackers'; these are inexpensive hostels that will always have dorms and usually have some private rooms, sometimes en-suite (with a bathroom). The three of us had a huge quad room, en-suite, in this gorgeous mountain setting. The shared kitchen was clean and fully stocked, so we went to the store and bought food for a braai dinner. We cooked over their outdoor braai, went to their pool, and relaxed outside and enjoyed the views of Monks Cowl. The next morning we were served an incredible breakfast before driving to the trail head of our last hike, a loop which took us to Sterkspruit Falls, through the Hlatikulu Forest to Nandi Falls, then back through the river gorge. What we had thought would just be a 'nice' hike turned into a beautiful, challenging one, with several river crossings and plenty of climbing, plus it was longer than we expected. All three hikes had been great, but I think this turned out to be a favorite.

We then had to begin our drive to Durban, where we spent our last night with Alyssa. Entering the city was a shock; it reminded us of driving into Chicago; the city is big and busy and very western looking. We were lucky to find this hip restaurant in Durban directly across from our hotel. It was lucky because, as in most of SA, you really do not want to walk around at night. We treated ourselves to a nice meal and then spent some time in a Jazz club in the basement of the same building. A great night on the town in the big city to celebrate Alyssa's last night with us. She left on an early morning flight on Friday, the 29^th back to Mauritius. It had been an incredible time with her, a wonderful 16 days, after not having seen her for 6 months. She had been very excited to return to SA; she had last been here 18 months ago and it's her favorite place. We all commented on the changes being made here, especially noticeable is the reduction in the number of shacks. Though poverty, AIDs and unemployment are still a huge issue, it's promising to see the quality of life changes being made in short periods of time. Our next visit with her will most likely be when Dave and I go to visit her in a few months. We are already looking forward to that trip.

After leaving Alyssa at the airport Dave and I drove south to Warner Beach, just 30 minutes from Durban. We met up with 3 other PCVs from our NGO group. Jeff, Steph and Sophia had been there a couple of days already and we found them on the beach. It was great to catch up with them, having exchanged only SMS's and/or emails for the last 3 months. All seemed well as we got caught up with our current PC experiences, world events, and just general talk about back home. I am able to report to Steph's mom in Mequon that she looks very healthy and happy, and yes, I gave her an extra hug from you.

Relaxing on the beach with friends was great, but New Year's Eve day was an experience. The five of us piled into our car and drove the two hours or so to visit a friend of Jeff's, with whom he worked in his village. Driving to this remote rural village was amazing; Jeff knew this incredible route through the Valley of 1000 Hills. Though most of that day was raining and miserable, we had enough clarity to see terrific vistas. But meeting Jeff's friend, whom I'll call Baba, was the most incredible part of the day. Baba is 60 years young. Last year he started running, but he must not have read the manuals about how to gradually work up to running long distances. Within a few months he ran an 80 K race in KZN ; that's 50 miles!! In the hills! But that wasn't a fluke; he arises at 2:30 AM every Tuesday to run a full marathon, then does a full day's work in the fields when he gets home. Needless to say, he is in incredible shape. And just a wonderful man. We were all in awe, sitting there talking with Baba. Upon our arrival at about 2 PM, we were greeted and served a meal of chicken and rice. Then a couple of hours later we feasted on a braai of the meat we had brought with us. The hospitality shown us seemed such a great effort, though this is typical of all South Africans we have met, and made us appreciate it even more. Baba's small compound is made up of three rondavals (round huts typical of Zulu homes) that were likely built by Baba and are about the size of our SA house but without walls and with thatched roofs. This compound is in the middle of fields, with a couple of other compounds nearby, but nothing else within miles. All of the rondavals had electrical connections but none had running water or indoor toilets. Baba and his wife lived in one and Gogo lived in another. The third is the kitchen, storage, etc. While Baba's running accomplishments are amazing, knowing that he is doing it without the Green Bay Packer training camp makes it even more remarkable. Since it was pouring out, the fire was built inside the kitchen rondaval on the compound. Several family members were there, planning a big party for New Year's eve, including the 92 year old gogo. For some reason, the speakers for the party were set up in her rondaval; it was a site to see Gogo sitting silently while the dancing music blared right beside her. We kept warm by the fire until the smoke drove us outside for fresh air; then we were driven back inside by the rain. After the braai, we had to start driving back to the beach since we didn't want to be on the road on New Year's Eve night. The weather was still bad, and some of the roads weren't in great shape, so going was slow. We did get back about 8:30, a little later than we had hoped, but in time for the next meal of the day and celebrating the beginning of 2007 with the staff and other guests of the backpackers. The 'guest list' included South Africans, Australians, Canadians, and Irish, an atypically small crowd for this particular backpackers. Another braai was forced to be cooked inside due to rain, and no fireworks could be seen or heard, but we were just glad to be off the roads and dry. It was definitely an unusual celebration, but also enjoyable.

On New Year's Day Dave and I left the twenty-somethings behind at the beach and began our drive north, along the Indian Ocean coast. Our destination for the night was St Lucia Wetlands Park, also on the coast. We drove through the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Park, where we spotted zebra, giraffe, rhino, a cheetah, elephant, buffalo, warthog, wildebeest, kudu, impala and many birds. A two hour boat ride through the estuary of St Lucia gave us a glimpse of this World Heritage Site (the Drakensbergs are also one). We saw many hippos and a few crocodiles, along with some spectacular birds and a kudu or two.

The drive back to Polokwane was uneventful, but beautiful. We had driven through much of KZN and some of the Free State and Lesotho, and now through Mpumulanga where we had lived during our first two months here. Add this to the Western Cape which we had driven through three years ago when here visiting Alyssa, and then of course finishing up with Limpopo on the final leg of this trip, and we couldn't help but notice how just incredibly beautiful this country is. Much of it is hilly or mountainous, with varying landscapes that keep you from putting the camera away. We drove through spreading wheat fields, enormous sugar cane fields and pineapple country, where we stopped on the roadside and bought 8 fresh sweet pineapples for R20, less than $3. We picked up many South Africans, usually women, and gave them rides for varying distances. Most spoke English and we had some interesting conversations; some didn't speak at all, but were very thankful for the ride. Typically these women were going to town to go shopping, which might mean an hour or more taxi ride from home in the village. One woman made our day, when she told us as she got out of the car, that she would never forget us, this white couple who gave her a ride. (We know that people are always suspicious when we stop for them.) She would remember us and that day forever. It's times like this that we are reminded of two of the goals of Peace Corps: “to help promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served” and “to promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people”. We couldn't have ended our first vacation on a better note.

The End of Lock Down

2006-12-20T12:44:00.000-06:00

Well, the date has finally arrived. Tomorrow is the end of our three month lock down period in which we are not allowed to leave our community. It's exactly three months since we were sworn in as PC Volunteers; in some ways it seems like longer and in some ways the time has flown by. Whatever, it's here and it coincides with our wedding anniversary. So what better way to celebrate than by being allowed to travel. Especially since Alyssa is now here and we plan to spend ten days 'on the road'.

Alyssa arrived here a week ago, the same day that our supervisor left for the UK. It was a great coincidence; she was able to get a ride from the Joburg airport from our super's husband since he had to drive to the airport anyway. It not only saved Alyssa the bus fare but the hassle of getting to Pretoria to the bus station and finding a bus to Polokwane. Plus she got to meet our supervisor for a brief time. It was so great to finally see Alyssa after six months! And she is happy to be back in South Africa. We've kept pretty busy. Dave and she have played basketball a couple of times; we've walked to town and all around town center. So many fruits and vegetables are in season and available at the street vendors, and they are so cheap. We've made some great meals and are eating sumptuous fresh fruit. We spent last Saturday at the jazz concert which you can read about in Dave's blog entry. Alyssa also spent time working on her research project which she has begun in Mauritius. It's just been great having her here.

South Africa goes on summer holiday from mid December til mid January, so we haven't had much work to do. Our clients went home in late November so we worked from home from the beginning of December. We brought the wireless router and laptop home from the office and have been able to get online from home, which is so great. But no one is really around for us to contact about our projects, so we'll just wait til after summer holiday. We do have our Peace Corps IST (in service training) in mid January, so we'll just have to be patient about completing projects.

This isn't the first time we have been in the southern hemisphere during the Christmas holidays, but it still amazes us how it just doesn't feel or look like Christmas as usual. It's not just the hot climate; it's the lack of all the hype surrounding it. Few decorations, very little Christmas music. And the stores keep their usual hours, closing at 5 PM during the week and 1 PM on Saturday. The stores in town don't open on Sunday and the mall is still closing at 1 PM that day. The city has been crowded, but it's been that way since we arrived in September. I must say, we've enjoyed the lack of attention to the holidays.

We are excited about our upcoming vacation. We've rented a car to drive south on Friday towards Free State and KwaZuluNatal (KZN), where we'll do some pony trekking and hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains. After a week we'll leave Alyssa at the Durban airport for her flight back to Mauritius and Dave and I will head to a beach backpackers where we'll spend 3 nights with other PCVs for New Year's Eve. Then we'll drive back to Polokwane. Fodder for a future blog.

Otherwise things are going along smoothly. We feel very comfortable here and are constantly surprised at how many people recognize us when we are out and about in the community. Everyone continues to be so friendly and helpful. We look forward to 2007 in our adopted home. Our wish to all of you is for a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy year ahead.

By the way, we've posted some new photos here.

The Jazz Concert

2006-12-18T09:39:00.000-06:00

Well we had one of our first nights out and it was great to have Alyssa with us. We attended the Mapungubwe Jazz concert at the Peter Mekaba Rugby Stadium. It was actually on the Rugby practice field and in many ways it felt like attending one of the outdoor lawn concerts in Milwaukee. People brought lawn chairs, coolers and food. The big difference is that there were thousands of people there. And the stage was quite large with a few screens placed around the field so no matter where you sat, the performers could be seen.

The grounds opened at about 11:00 am and the concert started at 12:30 pm. Amazingly this concert started on time. There were only a handful of people there when we arrived which should have told us something about the concert. After sitting in the shade for a little while, we found a spot to place our sheet on the lawn, far enough away from the speakers to be able to talk but close enough to see the performers. We laid out our bags of food and water and began to notice that we were 'standing out' from the crowd.

Nearly everyone else who attended brought folding camping chairs, coolers, large umbrellas and some even tent type coverings, as used by stands at outdoor fairs. They were hunkered down for the day and later as we found out, the night. The attendees around us must have known the timetable for the concert and brought large quantities of beer, some with hard liquor and we spotted several bottles of Amarula, a local cream liqueur blend similar to Baileys. There was also a Braai area (bar-b-q) where people placed their grills and cooked for their group. And, a large area where you could purchase food.

Well we brought a sheet to lay on the grass, a beer apiece and some peanut butter and jelly and snacks to get us through the day. We thought the concert might be completed by about 10 P.M., about nine hours after it began. We were prepared to stay out late (meaning after dark) to watch the headline acts. By 9 P.M., we were only halfway into the program. The concert was scheduled to go to about 5 A.M. I guess it did as we left about the time we planned and saw a lot of acts but unfortunately missed the headliners.

While we stood out from the crowd by being about the only people sitting on the grass and the only white people, except for the stage crew, we did join the audience in dancing with the music. Unlike the outdoor concerts in Milwaukee that have a dance area and a few people dancing, when the crowd recognized a song, they stood by their chairs and danced and sang along for the entire time. It was a lot of fun to be involved with the musicians and dancing with the crowd.
Once again we were surprised by the hospitality. While we were watching the concert, people around us respected our space as they respected everyone else's and did not pay undue attention to us. When we left, and we were about the first to leave at around 9 PM, many people said goodbye and have a nice evening. As we left the gates however, in this crowd of thousands, we bumped into a man who helps coach the basketball team that I was asked to help support. Then, another man approached us who was on the committee for the concert. They really wanted this to be a racially mixed event but we only saw one other white person among the entire audience. The man who helped organize the concert wanted to get our phone number so he could personally invite us to future events. Even when we told him his objective should be to get white South Africans to attend, he still felt that getting some white people might attract others. Finally, and we are not sure where this came from, but as we were walking through the parking lot, two young men look over at me and say “hey Detroit”. We all just kept on walking and we do not know where they may have gained this information; I wasn't wearing anything to identify me as being from Detroit.

We know we simply stand out as being nearly the only white people at the places we go but it still amazes us how people remember and reach out to us for conversation or simply to say hello. It does feel good.

Afterword

So, it's a few days later and we took the taxi to downtown Polokwane and walked the rest of the way to Nirvana. That's right Nirvana. It is where the b-ball court is located. Following our game on the way back to the taxi rank, we passed by the Irish House. That's right the Irish House. An old house with an unusual history, now a city museum. While it was not in our plans, this day, to visit the museum, we saw a group of people leaving. When we asked if the museum was still open, they told us they were the staff and were leaving for the day. Than, one of the staff, a woman about our age, recognized us. She said they would stay around for a few minutes and allow us to look around. Than, she pulled out her cell phone, where she had recorded parts of the jazz concert. We had made it on her cell phone recording. We were dancing and having a great time. Her husband, part of the staff as well, stayed behind and gave us our private tour of the museum. It couldn't have been a better ending to a great day.

I Can Make a Difference!

2006-12-03T22:54:00.000-06:00

World Aids Day was Friday. Here I am in South Africa, the center of the pandemic of AIDS, and I can’t find a decent forum or event to attend in all of Polokwane. I mean, it’s a pretty big city, over 150,000, and the provincial capital of Limpopo. You’d think there would be something happening here. After a phone call to a fellow PCV who works in the HIV/AIDS office of the Capricorn Municipal District (of which Polokwane is part) left me with nothing, I searched (briefly of course) online – still nothing. The nearest event was the national one, taking place in Nelspruit, too far for me to travel, within Peace Corps lockdown rules or not. So, needless to say, I was really bummed. I did attend, at the last minute, an event at our local casino/entertainment center, which had invited some of the orphans from our organization’s children shelter. Several staff members were there, and a few others, and I must say, I am impressed by the center’s Aids awareness and policies, but it was a far cry from what I had imagined attending. Maybe next year.

We are also in the middle of the 16 Days of Activism. This is a national period in which concern is focused on the violence against women and children. I hope more is being done than just our wearing a white ribbon during this period. In today’s news, the African Peer Review Mechanism report (from the African Union’s elite watchdog group of which SA President Thabo Mbeki himself was a founder) called on South Africa to make the fight against violent crime its top priority. And the FIFA World Cup will be here in 2010; does this country have its work to do!

Anyway, this leads up to my excitement. When we got home late Friday afternoon, after a bummer of a World Aids Day, I opened a letter that we had picked up from our mail box that morning. (Actually, I should say “the” letter since it was the only one. And we never open our mail until we get home so we can savor it!) After reading the very nice note that Barb Truit wrote I turned my attention to the newspaper clipping she had enclosed. It made my day! The North Shore Herald from Milwaukee reported that the Bayside village board had approved reworking an intersection to make it safer for cyclists. This was a campaign on which I had spent many hours. (For those of you in the area, it involves the intersection of the I 43 Port Washington Rd exit ramp and the road itself, where too many bicycle-car accidents have occurred.) Many of you may remember that for the last couple of years I have written countless emails, made many phone calls and spoken to the Bayside Police and Village Board on several occasions. For several months prior to leaving the US for Africa I was told by the DOT that the best that could be done would be painting in a bike lane and installing another warning sign. I vehemently fought against this option, knowing it wouldn’t be enough, and frankly might make matters worse. I strongly advised them to consider spending the extra money to straighten out the curve, thereby eliminating the blind spot in which cyclists always get caught. Then I left for South Africa and really didn’t think about it again – until Friday!

Wow! What is so great is the fact that once this work is done, cyclists can travel through the intersection without worrying that they will come through unscathed (and alive). What’s also great is that the work should be complete in 2008, the year we return to Milwaukee, so I can use the intersection with confidence. But what’s really the best is knowing that one person can make a difference. Which is perfect with my now serving here in the Peace Corps. Though we’ve only been here a few months, I already wonder if my being here is really going to matter. Somehow, now I know it will.

Random Experiences and Thoughts

2006-11-21T06:37:00.000-06:00

Now that we’ve been in South Africa for 4 months, we’ve collected lots of experiences and thoughts to share:

Who needs a kitchen sink? The two basins (one for wash, one for rinse) fit in our bath tub just fine. Plus that’s the only tap with hot water. Doing dishes is easier with two people; since the washer is on his/her knees, the helper can more easily place the dishes in the rack, which sits atop a portable sink/cabinet with no drain.

What is our new standard of clean? When I took a bath two days in a row last week I felt very extravagant. If the armpits don’t gross out its owner, then no bath is necessary. Since water is consistently available since we left the village a bath every other day is standard; in rural areas like the village, or if there is a water shortage, well……Clothes washing is another story altogether. Nothing gets worn only once. Even if an item fails the sniff test, it has to fail the soiled test too to be tossed into the laundry basket. This is due to the manner in which we do laundry….

Do we miss our automatic washer and dryer? Frankly, taking so much time to do laundry is ok; it helps fill the empty night time or weekend hours. Since we decided against the manual washing machine we’ve settled on two different methods of doing laundry. Sunday had become the day to walk the 3 miles or so to the laundromat, then taxiing home to hang the clothes on the line. Now, one or two nights a week we’ve taken to taking advantage of the heavy duty strength of the laundry soap here. In one of our basins we soak some clothes overnight, then in the morning just rinse and hang them out before we leave. That leaves fewer clothes to carry on our backs on Sunday!

What’s with the trash? Ladybird Johnson would have had a field day here. It’s been decades since I’ve seen people rolling down their car windows and tossing out trash. There are major trash piles in public areas all over the country. It doesn’t matter what neighborhood. It’s amazing that people here take such pride in having a clean home, car and yard, but right across the street there’s a huge dump. I’m even talking of clean dirt yards. We see people sweeping their dirt all the time. And it does look nice, plus it gets rid of all the rocks and especially the glass that accumulates. I hope to somehow take on a secondary project involving cleanup. Broken glass is everywhere. Only the large beer and soda bottles are returnable, all the rest of the bottles and cans are tossed into the street or public areas. If all bottles and cans were made refundable, I expect there would be a decline in the trash overnight. And I wouldn’t have to get upset seeing barefoot kids playing and running through the trash and streets full of broken bottles.

Speaking of barefoot….What’s with the no shoes thing? It’s not unusual to see kids of all ages and races, and sometimes adults, in the stores without shoes. I used to go barefoot a lot in the South, but I always had to put on shoes to go to the store. (And we didn’t even have glass all over the street.) Now I know why we don’t see any “No shirt, no shoes, no service” signs here!

So you surf the internet all day? Not here you won’t. You’ve all heard us complain about the lack of bandwidth we have. It’s not just us; it’s the whole country and the way they do it. Doing research on the web is almost impossible. There are a few companies who provide internet connections, but they all sell by the MB, not time. And it’s expensive. So we have to check our status almost daily to see how our usage is running. At the end of the month, if you go over your allotment, you pay per MB. Ouch! We’ll still be using the internet café I think.

What more can we say about transportation? We’ve become very creative. This was even before we bought our bicycles last weekend. You’ve read about how much money we save by taking the bus instead of the taxi, and about while aboard each we learned new standards for personal space. What’s great about public transportation though, is the experience. There are terminals for the taxis and the buses in town; each is called a rank. While waiting in line at the rank, there are hawkers for anything and everything you could want. Even once you are in the taxi or bus you’ll have them at the windows or walking the aisle selling cold drinks and snacks, etc. The taxi won’t leave the rank until it’s full (15 passengers), and most times that’s pretty quick. But once in a while it can take 10 minutes or more for it to fill, so you sit squished in (remember, there’s no ‘personal space’ here), and often times holding your or others’ belongings while waiting in the heat. The rank is surrounded by vegetable stands and tons of people; there’s a mall across the street from the taxi stand and this area is always very busy and loud. Taxi drivers are mostly terrible drivers and I prefer not to look. We often get stuck in the back seat and are the first ones out; sometimes passengers won’t get up to let you out, so you end up crawling over them and their bags. Tight skirts are a definite taxi no-no. We’ve learned that when we board the bus though, we only sit if there are seats up front. You’ve read about our trying to exit the bus when seated in the back. Now that was a lesson in flexibility and humor. So we usually just stand near the front, again because we are among the first to alight. But the strangest thing at the bus rank is the two lines boarding each bus. We had noticed them but not until the third or fourth time did we see that there were men in one and women in another. A mehitza at the bus rank! So now we know to split up to wait in line. And if one of us has the R5 for both of our fares, all we have to tell the driver is that the other R2,5 is for the other white person boarding the bus. More transportation stories are sure to follow!

What’s in a phone call? Here, it’s learning to text. Most everyone has a cell phone; land lines are more expensive and harder to install in rural areas. And most cell phones are prepay. Buy any cell phone you want, then buy a sim card and you now have a phone number and some airtime. Beware that you don’t let your airtime balance get too low, or you’ll be running to Pep to buy more! Actually, you can buy airtime almost anywhere, literally. It's just cheaper at Pep. We signed up for cell phone banking, so if we don’t let our airtime balance almost run out, we can add airtime right from the phone. But calling with that airtime is a lot more expensive than sending an SMS (short message service or text message). Use your airtime balance to buy an SMS bundle and you’re all set to start sms’ing. Become creative with shorthand cuz you’re only allowed a certain number of characters in each message or else it counts as two. I’ve come to really like the SMS. No need to answer your phone right away, just whenever you’re ready. Another nice thing is that you always know from the phone number if it's a cell phone or land line; that means that you know when you can leave an SMS. The downside? You think drivers talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous? Try being in a vehicle when the driver is texting someone! Now you know why I don’t like to see the road ahead.

Til next time, and Happy Thanksgiving!

The Chicken and the Egg, The Bus, & Other True Stories

2006-11-07T06:26:00.000-06:00

Well, you know from our last blog that we have farm animals galore. Unfortunately, the chicken that was sitting on the eggs did not produce any chicks. (The real story is she kind of sits on the eggs. Some of the eggs roll about six inches away when she leaves to eat. So, of the 8 eggs only about 5 are under her at any given time and we are convinced that they are never the same five eggs. This is just another reason that eating chicken is OK. There appears to be no harm done to the animal kingdom).

If that is not enough reason to eat chicken, let us give you another. We arrived home from a hard day of public transportation (tell you more about that later), opened the door to our house and found a chicken on the kitchen table. The table was also serving as a chicken toilet. We startled her and began to chase her out of the house, through the front door, not the open window where she flew in. In a short time, we managed to chase her through the door into the yard with her family. We believe she was grateful and so were we. During our inspection of the rest of the house, sitting in the middle of our bed was a fresh egg. For those who may not know chicken etiquette, it is customary for a chicken to bring a gift when visiting a stranger's house. The egg is currently in our refrigerator and will be consumed shortly. The chicken's life will be spared.

How do you describe a ride on a public bus? Get ten friends, put them in a car that seats six, make sure they are sweating from the heat, and then ask the person sitting in the middle to exit and no one else is allowed to move out of their way. Oh, add a sign, that says the vehicle has a capacity of five. Well, it is Rand 2.50 vs the taxi's Rand 7.00 each way, apiece. Big savings on a PC stipend. Let me give you a more realistic view of the bus. It's the same size as the ones in US. But there is another seat added on each row making the aisle too narrow to walk down without bumping people, especially when carrying something which is nearly all the time. Unlike the States, the buses are jammed. 65 people sitting and 19 (well that is what the sign says) standing. The closest example is an aisle in an airplane full of people and you need to pass. We get the bus at the Terminus which is where it starts so there are usually still seats available. But, we learned our lesson yesterday that standing in front is better than a seat in back. Our stop, 15 kilometers away, is the first one where anyone exits and we are the only ones that get off there. Since we sat in the back, we had to make our way through all the people standing and sitting. It is not clear how we actually got to the front of the bus. We must have had the same feeling that a prize fighter has at the end of a fight. He knew he was there but could not play back each round. (We are also reminded of a story one of our fellow PCVs told us: the bus was so crowded that she thought she might have had sex without knowing it.)

It is kind of fun to see the expressions on peoples' faces when we get on the bus. White people typically (in all our public transportation we have only seen one other person that looked white) do not ride buses or public taxis. First they just have the look of awe (like -are you lost?) then when we greet them in Sotho, they usually laugh. We feel it is a chuckle of surprise and perhaps our accents. The kindness, support and hospitality on the bus as well as the taxi have been well above our expectations.

The PC training and other warnings have told us that crime is just terrible here. While it would not surprise us to become a victim of a crime before our close of service, our experiences so far have been incredibly positive. Marti left her nalgene water bottle on the counter of the post office. About 4 days later we are in the area and just go in to see if they had a lost and found. We made a somewhat public announcement holding up Dave's identical water bottle. Sure enough, one of the tellers had placed it in a cupboard under her counter and returned it to us. Then, in our last two bus rides to work, we waited on the bus to be dropped off closer to our work location. The driver was worried that we were lost. (Remember, white people on the bus is a strange occurrence). We told him where we were going and he said he needs to turn earlier. After thinking about it for a few minutes, he said I will take you to the plaza in the township where you work. This was totally out of his way and not on his route. The next day, another driver reaches out to us in nearly the same way. Finally, while making our way to the front of the bus in the story above, a Rand 20 bill had worked its way out of Dave's pocket, so that about half the Rand note was showing. Another passenger saw it and warned Dave that it was about to fall out of his pocket. It seems like a small act of kindness but when we were warned about the pick-pockets, small street crime, etc, these type of events have a great impact on your faith in the people here.

Each of you should have a Jacaranda tree in your yard. (In which case you would be living in Phoenix). In the spring, they bloom with these beautiful purple flowers. Everywhere you look you see these large beautiful flowered trees. They hold their bloom for a long time and then when the leaves fall, they create a purple flower carpet. Now, as we arrive home, we walk on a carpet of royal purple. And, then to remind us that this was not made for us, we avoid the goose, chicken and goat droppings the rest of the way to our door. We'll have pictures up soon.

Finally, we have successfully made our way into a provincial newspaper. Our supervisor and friend was being honored for her leadership of the school she started. The reporter elected to use a photo that included us. Even though our names were not included it was cool to see our pictures in the paper.

Back to South Africa

2006-10-20T08:08:00.000-05:00

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. Everything went very smoothly in Detroit. Many of Dave’s family came in for the funeral, several of them straight from DC where his uncle had died just the day before his dad. Though it was a sad occasion, it was nice to see relatives we hadn’t seen in so long. Larry flew in too, and it was great to spend a little quality time with him. Alyssa, of course, had just arrived in Mauritius so couldn’t be with us. Besides, she couldn’t have left the country anyway; she was illegal and without her passport was not allowed to leave. (She has since gotten it back and is once again legal, yeah! Check her blog for further details.) Our flights went smoothly and we were very happy to be ‘home’ once again in Polokwane.

When we arrived on Oct 14th, the streets were lined with the beautiful blooming jacarandas; they looked like a tunnel of purple. Our driveway into our plot in Polokwane is lined with these trees but they are behind in blooming due to the dry weather. Many of these in the city are watered, so we will just have to wait for our purple-lined driveway to welcome us home each day. It had not only been very dry while we were away for 2 weeks, but very windy. The combination of those conditions led to us finding our house piled with dust when we got home. We had left a couple of windows open just a crack, but I don’t think it would have mattered if we had sealed them shut. The dust gets everywhere. It’s impossible to keep up with it. And we have to keep our windows and door open when we are home so we can get some air. That vacuum cleaner stored in Milwaukee would sure come in handy over here! We also came home to not only several eggs on our porch, but to two chickens sitting on their eggs, and they’re still there, so I guess our family of poultry will be growing. Currently we have about a dozen chickens/roosters, two turkeys, five geese, and many goats that roam our compound. That’s not counting the animals in the main yard. Though the geese are loud we definitely like having them here; their job is to catch the snakes, and apparently they do a great job. I had forgotten how loud all the yard animals could get, especially at night. It didn’t take me long to grab my ear plugs; I haven’t slept one night in Africa without them! If it’s not the roosters crowing at all hours, it’s the dogs and the geese making music. At least the goats are comparatively quiet. Having the animals makes for easy garbage disposal; the geese even poke around in the trash fires while the flames are licking around them. Almost daily the trash is burned in a pile in the yard; that’s where we were told to take our trash when we moved in. So here is something else in common with living in the rural village, along with the animals roaming and making noise day and night. But here the prevailing wind blows the smoke and ash right to our house, where of course all the windows and door are open. Phew!

Our house, other than the dust, was just as we had left it at the end of September. We were so glad we had been able to get almost everything organized before we had to leave in a rush. It’s very comfortable now. We had bought a new refrigerator to replace the one left here that didn’t work. And we bought one of the very popular ovens with 2 burners on top. (We have since learned that we can’t bake and cook on the stovetop at the same time, and that it takes the burners a long time to heat, so even boiling water takes forever, which just means we have to plan much further ahead of time when we want to eat.) We had cleaned and rearranged the furniture, so that our kitchen is now in the front part of the lounge/kitchen. We have the TV that was left behind, and we get all three SABC channels, though one only in b&w. So we are just thrilled with our new abode, especially when we hear about some of our counterparts who are living with no conveniences, or limited ones. The other Milwaukeean in our group, Steph, has to walk ten minutes for water, according to her mother. And we know of others in similar circumstances; many have no indoor toilet or only cold water. We are so fortunate to have a flusher and hot water in our tub. One weird thing is the cold water tap in our kitchen/lounge. It just sticks out from the wall, with no sink. So we use it for filling the kettle and such. Since it’s above the TV, we have to be careful, though, not to let it drip! We have two very small sleeping rooms, which I have mentioned before. As Dave likes to describe the size of our house, it’s about the size of about 7 king size beds pushed together. We guess that because right now we have 2 single beds side by side in our sleeping room and they take up about 90% of the floor space. Getting around the bed/s is tricky; we are planning on getting a standard double bed soon, so we’ll have room for a small table and lamp with which to read at night.

Our first workday was Monday, the 16th. We were looking forward to going in, not only to get started on our projects, but to being in the township with the residents and volunteers at the adult center. Almost just as exciting was the thought of going to our mailbox. We had rented it on the first of September, and now, six weeks later, we were finally going to retrieve our pile of mail. We imagined it being so big that we couldn’t read it all in one sitting. OK, that’s probably a dream, but we had been so deprived of mail during training (thanks Alyssa for keeping us from being totally without) that we were ecstatic at the thought. Imagine our disappointment and anger too, when we were told that our box had never been opened. All the mail that came had been returned to sender. The postal clerk remembered seeing our mail, but apparently didn’t bother to check on the status of the box. Six weeks of mail, all gone!!! One lonely sympathy card had arrived yesterday and not yet been returned. We know there were others, and I know for sure my sister had written weeks ago. So, for those of you who had written us prior to about the 10th of October, we hope you’ll write again. And let us know that you did so we can at least imagine your letters. Argh, another South African lesson in patience and flexibility. The one positive way to look at this: we can still imagine that big pile of mail that was returned, even if in reality there were only a handful of letters.

It’s now very warm here, and it’s still not yet summer. The oscillating fan is definitely the next purchase. When cooking dinner on Tuesday night, using the oven and one burner, we had to sit outside until it was done; it was just too hot inside and the room isn’t big enough to escape the heat.

There’s still much to tell, but it’ll wait til the next blog. Til then, please write. We hope to have email access in the next week or so; we’ve made the first decision on our job and that’s which internet service to use (much more complicated than in the US). Until that’s contracted, we’ll still be using the internet café, with very limited time. But our PO box is now open, so you can snail mail us!! Happy writing!

No longer PCTs; we're official PCVs

2006-10-01T08:18:00.000-05:00

The following post was written last Tuesday, 26 September. Instead of changing it, I will just preface it by saying we weren’t able to publish it until now. And now we are sitting in Detroit preparing for Dave’s father’s funeral. He passed away on Wed and we were on a plane the next day. Peace Corps worked quickly and efficiently to get us both here asap. We so appreciate that they not only worked fast but that they also approved Marti’s leave as well; we have two weeks emergency leave. Family is beginning to arrive for Tuesday’s funeral. It’s a sad occasion but one that wasn’t unexpected; Jack had been ill and in a nursing home for several months. We are thankful he wasn’t in agony; he was in good spirits right up til the end. We are also glad to have just finished with PST; we are not sure what would have happened if we had to leave for two weeks of the eight week training. So when we return to Polokwane in mid October we’ll get right to work, and plant that garden before it’s too late. (Check out the new photos from PST that have recently been posted; the link is here on the blog.) Here’s what was written last week in South Africa:

As I write this update I am sitting on the couch in our new house. We have spent the last several days getting it cleaned, organized and repaired. I don't know when we'll get to the internet to post this, but this way it will be written and ready to go. But I should go back a couple of weeks to catch up. In the beginning of September we met our supervisor for the first time; we had found out just days before for whom and where we would be volunteering. Indeed, as we thought, we are in Limpopo Province in the city of Polokwane. We will be working with an organization that teaches life skills and vocational skills to mentally-challenged adults. Our first order of business is getting the organization's computers up and running and connected to the Internet. Then we can tackle jobs such as setting up a website and writing a newsletter. There is also some business planning and outreach that we will help with. I think we will be very busy and are looking forward to getting started. Initially there won't be any HIV/AIDS work for us, but the organization plans to open a clinic in the coming months and we hope to be involved in its setup and beyond.

Our group of 34 NGO trainees traveled to Rustenburg in the NW Province for the supervisor's workshop for 2 days, where we all met our respective supervisors. Then we left with them for a site visit for 5 days. Since the house where we now live was not yet ready we stayed with our super and her husband. They are very nice and we were shown around the city and the organization's offices. We spent several hours those days walking the city and researching options for internet service. The last two days of the site visit were to have been spent with a current PCV, but the two who live here were out of town. Our family in Boekenhoudhoek was happy when we returned for our final two weeks with them. Those were really wind-down weeks; we were all ready to get on from training to our new sites. But we had a few technical sessions left, and some language training to prepare us for the LPI (language proficiency interview). Plus we had several social events, some in which all 78 of us (NGO and Ed) got together, as well as a shopping trip to Pretoria. Some of the group are living in remote areas with no access to towns, so we were given our living and settling-in allowance in order to shop that day for anything we would need to settle in. Dave and I elected to wait until we got to Polokwane since there is everything here we would need.

There are a few things I was especially looking forward to in moving out of the village and being on our own. We are so happy to be cooking our own meals now. The first time we had chicken feet for dinner was a cultural event, but by the fourth time I'd had enough. And though we mastered the art of eating with our hands (actually, only the right hand) I am happy to be eating with a fork again. I am very happy to report that we actually now have cheese! We hadn't seen any for two months and I didn't know how much I'd miss it. But I have to say in all honesty that we will miss the rural atmosphere. The children were so curious and fun to be around. We loved walking around the village (in daylight only of course) and hiking in the hills. Though we sometimes tired of greeting everyone we met in the street, we enjoyed the laid-back feeling there. Polokwane will be a very different experience. Here we are not so much of an oddity; when we try out our Sepedi we don’t get that wondrous reaction as we got from the villagers.

We had our LPI on Sept 15 and were stunned to find out a few days later that only 1/3 of SA-15 (our whole group of 78, South Africa 15th year) passed the 'test'. I think the testing is not very standardized, so the other 2/3 will have to be retested in 6 months, Dave included. We had planned on getting a tutor anyway, so now this will force us to study.

On Sept 21, we were sworn in, so we are now officially Peace Corps Volunteers. For one thing, we start our new jobs; secondly, our leave days start accruing. Not that we are planning any vacations yet! But Alyssa should have just arrived in Mauritius, so... In fact, we are on lock-down for the first 3 months. We are not allowed to leave our community until Dec 21, which happens to be our anniversary. But the time should fly. Between work, transporting back and forth and keeping the house and garden, we'll be busy. The house is tiny, but everything we do takes much longer than in the US.

Take laundry, for instance. Yesterday we walked to the laundromat with the laundry on our backs, about 3 miles, then took the taxi home. 3 hours. If we do it by hand at home, it will take the better part of a day. If we break down and buy a machine, it will still take about 3 hours. The washers are small and manual, and we will hang the clothes to dry. Other chores are similarly long; the floor constantly needs sweeping with all the dust - there are no screens and we leave the windows and door open for the air. Before summer and mosquito season we will install screening on the windows.

We made some good friends in PST and know we will keep in touch and see each other at in-services and when we visit each other. I think we'll have PCVs coming over often once we pass lock-down. We have an extra sleeping room (also used as a dressing room, pantry, library, storage, etc) and are near the city. Our house is approximately 45-50 sq meters big; that is 2 sleeping rooms, a bath, and one kitchen/lounge. But it's comfortable and now everything works. When we arrived last week, the refrigerator that they had for us wasn't working so we had to buy a new one, plus there was no oven, so we got one of those microwave-size ones with 2 burners on the top. (They are very common here.) We rearranged the furniture and cleaned. On Sat night after a long day we heard water gushing out of the geyser (hot water tank) in the bathroom. It flooded the room and we had to turn the water off, but hey what's another few days without water since our last two weeks in the village we were without. Anyway, this was after a crazy day itself. We had walked into town (10 KM) to finish some shopping. We had bought the big stuff on Friday but needed a few smaller things, two of which were tables that would hold the TV (yes, they left one in the house) and the new oven. We were quite a sight, walking through town carrying these two big boxes plus other bags, then getting in and riding home in the minibus taxi. This was the true test of our living as South Africans. And I think we passed; it would have made Alyssa proud. We had been squished into a taxi holding someone else's belongings, but this was our first with our own. You would have had to see it to appreciate.

Anyway, today was the first day since we moved in that we didn't go anywhere. Our supervisor's handyman came to fix the geyser and a few other things in the house, so we spent the day here working around the house, putting up the clothesline, and studying Sepedi. I really do feel at home. Next week the work really starts; yesterday was Heritage Day and schools are closed for the week and lots of people, including our clients, are away for holiday. We look forward to getting bicycles this week so we can use them for transport and recreation. This appears to be a great area for cycling!! We were able to get a card for Alyssa's cell phone that she used when she lived here, so we now have a phone number, and we got a PO box last time we were here. So please write; we love mail!

Once we get the internet up and running I hope to be able to post more often. The photos are also updated so check out the link on this blog site. Hope you are all doing well. Til next time….

In South Africa

2006-08-15T09:33:00.000-05:00

I've written this entry offline not knowing when I might actually get to a computer to post it. No matter, since things should be pretty stable for the next few weeks. At times it's hard to believe we're really in South Africa, and at others it seems like we've been here for a very long time. Suffice it to say it's been wonderful!

Our group of 82 Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) left Philly on July 26 after 1 1/2 days of staging there. We bussed to JFK and flew to Joburg without incident, arriving tired and feeling as if we'd lost a day. PC met us at the airport and we were transported on buses to a youth camp near Dennilton. Rondovels (round huts) were our home for 6 nights. Each day we either rode in the PC van or walked to a nearby nature preserve where we held our first of many training days. Here we continued to bond with the group, which slipped to 80 by the end of the week. We are split into 34 of us in the NGO HIV/AIDS group and 46 in Education. There are two married couples in each group and about 15 of us over the age of 50. It's hard to count exactly since we've been separated from the Ed group since Aug 2 when we moved to our village. We had begun the training before splitting up with a variety of sessions on safety, culture, language and a little tech, plus getting shots. We had outside speakers but for the most part sessions were led by PC staff including language trainers and a few current PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers). We also had our interviews with our NGO boss. We began by learning greetings in several languages: Zulu, Sepedi, Ndebel, Setswana. By the time we left the youth camp for our host family stay in the village we had been assigned to a specific language group. This was determined by the location in which we will be placed. Though we won't know our placement until September we surmise we'll be placed in the Limpopo province since that's where Sepedi is spoken. I know there's so much to learn but I am pleased with how much we have learned in 10 days. Our trainer Primrose is very patient and a good teacher. There are only 4 of us in our class and another Sepedi class of 3. So the 7 of us may be near each other once placed permanently. One of the young women in our class, Steph Frazier is from Mequon, an '02 grad of Homestead. It's such a small world!

So for the next 5 weeks or so we'll continue to live with our host family in the Mpumulanga village of Boekenhoudhoek. It's a large spread out rural village. Dave and I feel so lucky to have been placed with a wonderful family who is also fortunate enough to afford a nice 4 bedroom house. We live just across the street from a tiny store where we go almost daily to buy bread. The old age home where we have classes is just a hundred yards away so most days we come home for lunch. Lately our language sessions have met at one of the other host homes at 8 AM, then we head to the center for other sessions, again focusing on culture, tech, etc. Last week we had two outstanding speakers from whom I learned more about HIV/AIDS than I could have thought possible.

Last weekend, our first here in the village, we were busy with a morning culture session and then actual cultural experiences. On Sat afternoon we walked over to the home of the bride whose wedding was that morning. Some people, like our host family, had received invitations, but the whole community is expected to attend. So several of our 34 were at the reception, which was beautiful, decorated with flowers and white satin covered chairs under the tent. We received and ate huge plates of food. After leaving there we stopped by a neighbor's, where an initiation was happening. We had been told a couple of days before to come. We were invited in for tea and cookies and were told we must come back Sunday for the celebration (after the cow was slaughtered in the back yard). A boy in the family had been one of three in the village to become a 'man'. They had just returned from a two month stay in the mountains where they were circumcised and taught to be men. This only occurs once every few years in each village; so our timing couldn't have been better. On Sunday we returned to a huge feast and the ceremonial gift-giving. It was a full weekend.

This weekend was more restful with more family time and a little shopping trip. Sunday we attended church with Betty, our 'sister'. The rest of our family includes her brother and a niece. But the undisputed head of the house is Gogo (grandmother) who is funny and loving. Everyone speaks English, mostly very well, with our sister speaking 9 languages. We have a room in the main house; the house is in great shape and immaculate. We always have electricity except in brown outs and our kitchen has everything, a frig, stove, microwave. The pit toilet is in the backyard, then at night we use a chamber pot. We have a tv that gets 2 channels; once in a while there is an English speaking show. We have goats and chickens always in the yard and roosters crow at all hours. Most roads are dirt and people walk everywhere, except to do shopping, which is a 20 minute taxi ride. There are no pay phones here which is why we have yet to call anyone. We have an internet cafe about 1/2 mile from home, which has 2 computers in a small room. Since our group's arrival it's constantly busy. It works slowly and we have given up on finding any wireless hotspots--haha.

The weather has been great for the most part. We had a rainy cold spell for several days, but it's been cloudless and very comfortable for the most part. It still cools down at night a bit then warms up to the low to mid 70's during the day. We are in the hills and the sun is beautiful on the distant hills. It's just very dry. The night sky is incredible.

Soon we know where we will end up and that's probably the next time we'll get to update this blog. So, this might be farewell from Mpumulanga and hello ???Limpopo. Take care and please email us; we do get to the internet now and then, just not consistently.

Packing up and shipping out

2006-07-22T00:08:00.000-05:00

Wow. After all these months of waiting the time is almost here. Today is our last full day in Milwaukee, then it's off to Philly tomorrow. We've spent the last week getting our affairs in order, visiting and saying goodbye to friends, and packing what we'll need for the next 2 years into 2 bags apiece. It's amazing when you see how little you can really get by with! Yesterday included a necessary trip to Kopp's for a fix of custard and a visit to our barber Karen, who gave us each our shortest haircuts ever and wouldn't take a penny for it. Today, before putting the finishing touches on packing, we'll get out for a good, hard bike ride before storing our bicycles. Marti's cell phone service is disconnected; the post office box will be closed, and everything here that we've not packed will go to its home in a friend's basement or garage.

It's likely that this is the last post we'll have before our Peace Corps training ends. We'll be in Philadelphia until Wednesday, July 26, at which time our state-side orientation ends. That morning we'll bus to JFK with our group of South Africa trainees, and after waiting in the airport for about 5 hours, we'll fly to Johannesburg with only a refueling stop in Dakar, Senegal. After that twenty hour flight we take a 3 hour bus ride to our training site in the province of Mpumulanga. For the next two months we'll be PCT's (Peace Corps Trainees) where we'll have language, culture, safety, and job training. During that time, until about September 25, there will be very limited communication of any kind. We've been told there will be pay phones available, so with a phone card we will be able to call home to check on family, but not often. Internet access will be almost non-existent. Once we "graduate" to Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) we'll be sent to our permanent post and will get a cell phone and have some internet access.

So, our only real communication for the next couple of months will be snail mail. If you are so inclined, we'd love to get notes from home. Write us at:
Dave and/or Marti Fine, PCT
US Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa

Thanks to all of our wonderful family and friends for your encouragement and support; we miss you already!

Marti and Dave at their farewell party

2006-07-20T00:08:00.000-05:00

A Great Milwaukee Welcome

2006-07-12T06:05:00.000-05:00

What a terrific welcome back to Milwaukee upon returning from our birth family visit. So many people have reached out to us with encouragement and support. We are so fortunate to have built such a great group of friends who think about our welfare and take the time to show it. The entire weekend of July 7 was very moving and the encouragement and support will take us a long way when we arrive in S. Africa. With not having birth family close by, one thing we have always loved about Milwaukee is that we have been been allowed to become part of many peoples' families, participating in holidays, family events, etc. Well, this weekend was simply another family event that will stay in our hearts and minds.

Cycling back to Wisconsin

2006-07-05T17:20:00.000-05:00

After spending the week in Detroit with Dave's family we are now headed back west. We left Southfield on Monday, late morning and rode to Ann Arbor, along some of Oakland county's so-called bike paths (think sidewalks with lots of bumps). The closer we got to Ann Arbor the better the streets were. There had been some paths built along I-275 but they weren't maintained and so felt like obstacle courses. The nice surprise was yesterday, riding from Ann Arbor to Jackson. Though it was very hot, the ride was one of the best we have done anywhere. Riding a scenic route along the Huron River and then through Waterloo Rec Area was terrific. We had been told this was the local route for cyclists, and being July 4 we saw several cyclists, including many breaking in the town of Chelsea. Today was also nice riding, even with a head wind. It was cooler which makes a big difference. I have to say it's been pleasant and such a relief to leave the nasty cycling conditions of SE Michigan behind us.

We didn't do anything special for the 4th; we missed being in Milwaukee with friends. I tried to think of the last time I didn't do something for the 4th, and I honestly can't recall a time when I didn't celebrate somehow. Even the restaurant we walked to for dinner didn't have any decorations, and most of the stores were open. So we just relaxed by the motel pool and read. Relaxing is always good, since we know we'll be very busy in the weeks and months ahead.

We are now sitting in the public library in Battle Creek, just before finding a pizza joint for dinner. These have always proved to be the best places to use the internet for free; we've never been told we have to be a resident, and it's typically cool and quiet.

So tomorrow we'll head north to Grand Rapids, then on Friday ride some more roads before picking up a bike trail for the last 27 miles to Muskegon for the afternoon ferry back to Milwaukee. This has been a great way to get our annual bike trip in before our July 23 departure for the Peace Corps. Let's hope the weather holds out for a couple more days, which it looks like it will. (We've been very lucky over the years with the weather during our bike trips.)

Milwaukee to Detroit

2006-06-27T04:39:00.000-05:00

After a few days back in Milwaukee we started our next family visit. We left WFB on our bikes and headed to the fast ferry for our trip to Muskegon, Michigan. It then took us about 4 days to arrive in Southfield at a leisurely pace. The weather cooperated and for half the trip the roads and drivers were fine. The other half was a little more trying. All in all, we have not found lower Michigan a great place to bicycle.

The highlight of the ride was our stop in East Lansing. That is where we met over 30 years ago. It was amazing how little had changed. The apartment complex where we both lived and met is still the same color and from looking in the windows has the same furniture we used. We went back to the place of our first date, along the banks of the Red Cedar that runs through the middle of the MSU campus. The apartment building where we lived the next year is still there and looks very much the same from the exterior. We even found some of our old hangouts still in business and, as is a tradition at the end of our rides, found a place to have a beer. And as always when we were poor students, found a happy hour. We spent the evening at the Kellogg Center which was not open to the public when we were in school, so it was a little special to stay there as well.

On the way into Southfield we realized we were passing through a city where a very good friend (since Dave was about nine years old) lives. We caught him on the way to work and he met us for lunch. For those of you who know a little about Detroit, you know they have a hot dog tradition. In Detroit, they are called Coney Dogs. That's a hot dog, with chili, mustard and onions on a hot dog bun. Well, it's been many years since Dave said, "two up, all the way". Boy, were they good, and this was not even Dave's favorite Coney place. Next time in Detroit or passing through the airport, you can stop at one of the Coney restaurants and try one yourself! Next stop is pastrami on the twice-baked sour dough bread that we have only been able to find in Detroit. On the way back, we'll need to stop at the truck scales for the weigh-in.

We'll be in Detroit this week visiting friends and family. Alyssa will join us for the weekend. Then, it's back on the bikes to Milwaukee via the ferry.

The answer to the most asked question

2006-06-20T22:31:00.000-05:00

OK, so I guess I should explain about that SC residency thing. Every time we run into one of you, the first question is "Aren't you moving back to Wisconsin when you get back?" Or, "If you don't mind saying, just why did you have to establish residency in SC?"

We will be moving back to Wisconsin; we do own a home in SC and so are residents there now until that time. We need to live somewhere! My dad is house-sitting for us and our mail is going there so my sister (bless her heart) can gather and sort through it while we are gone. Not to worry though, Wisconsin hasn't seen the last of us!

One month and 4 thousand miles later

2006-06-17T15:24:00.000-05:00

We finally pulled into Milwaukee yesterday, after logging just over four thousand miles on the minivan and a few hundred on the bikes. All in all the trip was without incident, other than the missing cd case. At some point between Detroit and Charleston our cd case, which held all of our almost 200 music cds, disappeared. Whether it was stolen or somehow misplaced, we can't say. But it's really too big to just vanish, so we are clueless, and now cdless; thank goodness all our music has been loaded onto the Ipod as well as the laptop and our external hard drive. Hopefully one of these will make it more than two years til our return, though I really wish we still had the hard copies of years of work and buying. The external hard drive is stored in our safe deposit box, so that should still be OK when we return; next week I need to go to the bank and stuff the box with all the silicone gel packets we've accumulated.

So yesterday was exactly one month after we drove out of Milwaukee; it was also the 30th anniversary of the Soweto uprising, the beginning of the end of apartheid in South Africa.

We stayed in Chapel Hill for a week with Alyssa; about 5 days after her cataract surgery. Her vision continues to change, and we are hoping she'll adjust soon to having one eye with a tri-focal lens. She is busy still working with Intrahealth until the end of August, when she'll move out of the house where she is renting and cat-sitting (do all the Fines know how to get into animal-sitting or what?). She will depart in early to mid September for Mauritius for her Fulbright program. While we were in NC we went for several bike rides; there are more serious cyclists in the area surrounding Chapel Hill/Durham than there are here in Milwaukee! And it's great riding country. We did drive one day to an adjoining county for a ride that we found online. It was ok, except for the couple of times we were chased by dogs and the redneck who threw ice at us as he passed in his Confederate-flag adorned pickup.

On Saturday June 10 we left Alyssa after cycling with her that morning. We headed only an hour and a half south to Southern Pines, where some friends live in horse country there. I hadn't realized this was adjacent to the community of Pinehurst where golf is king. After spending the night we drove west on Sunday. We stayed overnight in eastern Tennessee, near some lakes and what looked like might be nice cycling territory. And it was. We cycled on Monday morning for a couple of hours in the slightly hilly area, and no dogs or rednecks!

After checking out we headed west and north to Land Between the Lakes, a national recreation area in western TN and KY. Here we camped for the next 3 nights in two different campgrounds so that we could cycle the Trace and other park roads. It was finetastic! On Tuesday and Wednesday we rode most of the Trace and several other backroads. The Trace is a road with no commercial traffic and low speed limit that runs the length of the area. In fact, traffic was extremely light; we think the fact that it was just mid June and mid week helped. It was very hilly and hot, so we got a good workout.

This past Thursday morning we packed up camp and headed north towards Milwaukee. While looking at the map on the way to Peducah we noticed that the town of Charleston, IL was right on the route, so I called an old Yellowstone buddy with whom we recently reconnected, and found him and his wife inviting us to stay overnight. It was perfect since we weren't scheduled to be back here in Milwaukee til yesterday, the 16th. The night in their log cabin house in the woods was an unexpected bonus. Then we finished up the drive, four thousand miles and one month later, yesterday afternoon, where we checked into our dog-sitting home for the long weekend. It feels good to be---home? Even with these SC licenses and voters' registration cards, Wisconsin is home and it does feel good to be here, til we leave again!!

And maybe before we cycle out of here on Wednesday we'll have our staging packets from the Peace Corps, with our departure information and airline tickets to whatever city staging will be held in. We hear from others in our group, now about 17 strong and growing, that staging will be in Philly and possibly not departing until July 24, which is one week later than we had been told. This is when that most important of all virtues that the PC demands -patience- must be practiced!

Down South visiting family & friends

2006-06-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

More than two thousand miles later and we're in North Carolina. Our trip has been mostly uneventful, just some great visits with family and friends. After a couple of days in Detroit with Dave's family we drove to Atlanta for a few days visit with Larry and Laura, where we also got in a few terrific bike rides. Then to Greenville, SC for a couple of days with Marti's college buddies, and another Piedmont bike ride. On to Charleston for almost a week with Marti's family, and to establish residency in SC. Wow, can this be real! What an amazing difference in politics; there is no Feingold here. We now sport SC drivers' licenses, but not to worry, it won't be forever. We took in one Spoleto event while there and rode our bikes over the new Cooper River bridge and out to the oldest live oak in the world. After we left Charleston we drove to Florence for an overnight visit with our niece, then on to Chapel Hill, where we are now staying with Alyssa. We went for a great bike ride yesterday; the hills surrounding the area are beautiful and full of cyclists.

This morning Alyssa had cataract surgery; all went well. Time will tell how much her vision will improve. We'll stay here for a few more days then head to Southern Pines to visit some friends before heading to the hills for some biking.

We are in contact with about 12 other Peace Corps invitees who will be leaving with us for South Africa in July, only 42 days away!

The Adventure Begins

2006-05-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

For all of you, friends and family, who have been asking if we are going to create a blog, here 'tis. And just so you know, the 'madfine' in our URL makes no reference to our emotional state. We understand that many of you do indeed think we are nuts and are taking the 'midlife crisis' thing to a new extreme, but the eponym actually just stands for 'marti and dave fine'. Honestly though, most of you who know us well have said that our joining the Peace Corps really doesn't surprise you. Should we take that as a compliment?

OK, so here we are, on the first leg of our new adventure. After many months we closed on our Fox Point home two days ago. Yesterday we made our final deliveries of goods to be stored, cleaned the house where we had been house-sitting for the last four months, loaded up the minivan with our bicycles and stuff that we want to have with us for the next two months and drove off into the sunset. Well, actually more like driving off into the construction/accident traffic of Chicago before leaving the sunset behind en route to Detroit to visit with Dave's family for a couple of days. Tomorrow we'll head south to get to our son Larry's near Atlanta by Friday. With a little luck there'll be time for a bike ride along the way.

We'll keep you posted as we travel to GA, SC, NC to visit and bike and return to Milwaukee by mid June, when we'll sell the minivan, then ride our bikes to Detroit for a week-long visit with the family there again, before riding back to Milwaukee for a ten day period of being with friends and finishing up business before departing for PC staging on July 17.

Staging is a 3 day stateside orientation that will take place somewhere on the East Coast, we presume. We'll know when we get our airline tickets. Then we'll fly to Johannesburg, South Africa with our group of PC trainees on July 20 for 2 months of culture, safety, language and technical training. We will get the address of our training before we leave the US so we can let you know were we will be for those first two months. After training we will graduate to volunteers, at which time we will find out where we will be posted. All we know right now is that we will be in one of four provinces in the northern half of South Africa: Limpopo, Kwazulu-Natal, NorthWest, or Mpumulanga. Where we end up will determine which local language we will learn. Our job title is 'capacity builder', working with NGO (non profits) or CBO (community-based organizations) with HIV/AIDS. Basically, we work to 'build the capacity' of an organization to meet the needs of their constituents with the disease. But really, we won't know our true job description until we get there.

We are very excited about going. It's been a long haul since beginning our applications over 18 months ago. Thanks to our friends for suffering through some of the trials and tribulations with us. Thanks to several of you for sharing a corner of your basement for two plus years. And to those of you who are in our household loan program, enjoy whatever item/s you now use. When you do use it/them, please think of us and hey, that'd be a good time to write us an email!