Sweat, Carbs, and New Friends!

Wellll…where to begin? It has been a whirlwind six weeks. I guess first off let me say, blog postings will maybe happen once a month if I have internet access that often. Buying a personal modem would cost me a FORTUNE and keep me from integrating into site as much as I want to, so I am going to write blogs and post multiple when I can go into my shopping town or the Peace Corps office. Just a disclaimer..so be patient! J. As for other housekeeping stuff, I will get my PERMANENT ADDRESS this coming week, so please hold off on mail until I let you know!

I will start by giving a brief timeline. I arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 22^nd and was greeted by my incredible friend, Bryan Hang, from Tom Sawyer Camps, who picked me up, took me to dinner and hung out with me for a little bit before I went back to my hotel. I had a roommate (who actually lived and worked in Glendale and went to UC Davis) and we hung out with a couple other volunteers before we went to bed. The next day, staging started at noon so I cherished one last work out in an air conditioned gym, bought a huge starbucks coffee and made some impulse purchases at Target before heading in to meet everyone. Staging is a lot of paperwork and icebreakers, and a lot of basics in terms of possible challenges we might face at site. After a long day of that, we all went to a happy hour that our hotel threw for us and downed some last bites of American food before heading into our rooms to do some final packing (for me weighing my luggage again and again and again) and cherishing hot showers and cable tv! Staging is very emotional (or at least it was for me) because although you have left and said all of your goodbyes, you are still in the states. You still have your cell phone, you still are surrounded by a familiar culture, and you are just waiting to get on that plane to your country of service. We were also all so exhausted because after a full day of staging, we left the hotel at one in the morning to get on a bus to JFK airport in New York, where we waited to get on a ten AM flight for hours and hours. By that point, I was trying to hold it together and stifle tears until I at least got on the plane! Very overwhelming. However, after one last meal (obviously) we all boarded successfully and took off on a direct flight to sunny South Africa!

As soon we got off the plane we were greeted by a HUGE banner and many members of Peace Corps staff. So sweet of them to meet us! From there, we all boarded a huge bus that took us about four hours to Mokopane, the area where we would have training. The second we got off the bus we were greeted by songs and dancing (South Africans are SO good at both!) and a huge lunch of traditional South African food including beets, cabbage, butternut squash, potatoes, rice, pap, chicken, beef, etc. We got a little pep talk and some introductions, but could barely register anything since we were so jet-lagged and tired! We then settled into our dorms at FET College, where we would be for the next week. The next week, from about 8 to 5 or 6 every day, we attended classes and workshops, got vaccines, and oriented ourselves to where we were. That Friday, we got our homestay announcements! I have been chosen for homestays before when I studied abroad, and as nerve racking as that was, this was way worse! I think it was a little bit of nerves and exhaustion, but as families got announced and all of these people came running towards us with hugs and huge smiles, I was so touched and overwhelmed! They were so excited to see us and it was relieving yet completely shocking all at once! Once we went home with our families, I was with my families’ sibling’s family (hope that makes sense..) until my family got home from work around 7 PM. Needless to say, once I finally got there, I went to bed so early!

For the first six weeks, I lived with the Kekana family. This included Kenneth, the father, Eunice, the mother, Alfred, the fourteen year old son, and the two other older siblings live in Johannesburg and Pretoria, where they attend school. I don’t know how else to say, I LOVE MY HOST FAMILY! Never in my life have I met people who are more kind, welcoming, and loving towards someone they barely know. They treat me like their own daughter. If they notice I eat a lot of fruits, the fridge will be stocked with new fruits every week. If I make one comment about liking a certain dish, it is now served with whatever we are having and if its not, I get an apology for it. Unreal! Not only do they cater to my needs, they are just so kind. It is so nice to know I come home every day to a group of people who truly wants to know how my day was, how I am doing, and how they can help me. I feel so fortunate and will truly miss them so much once I am at site.

So I guess I will give a general description of what my days have been like the past six weeks because they have mostly been the same haha. Sorry if this is getting long! I usually wake up around 5:15 in the morning, make some instant coffee first thing, say hi to my host family, read a book or study, then go for a run either alone or with a couple other volunteers who meet up with me in the mornings. Then, around 6:45 I get home, make more coffee (always essential no matter the country),take a bath and get ready for school. Then I usually pack my lunch, eat some breakfast, and head to my language class, which is held down the street with our teacher, Guagelo, and two other volunteers. We learn new words or scenarios for a couple hours, then we walk to the community hall (or sometimes we take taxis back to FET college) where we have sessions all day on topics like gender relations, South African history, economic disparity, cultural norms, etc. Then, I walk home, help my host mom make dinner, eat dinner with my family, help clean, pass out around 8:30 or 9, and do it all over again! Occasionally we have Sundays off so I usually use that time to do laundry and rest as much as I can.

Not sure what else to say so I guess I will conclude with random details! South African culture and scenery are two of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring things I have seen since I have been here. GORGEOUS sunsets and star sightings, incredible rain, lightning and thunder storms, rainbows, kids FULL of smiles constantly saying hi as you walk down the street, and people who just look out for one another. Whether it is stopping to say hi to every neighbor as you walk down your path to work, or dropping off birthday cake that you have left over at your neighbors house just because, these people really do it right. They accept that people need each other, and they consider their neighbors and friends, their family. I love it.

What else..other volunteers and staff! Other trainees are really cool! So exciting to meet people from all over the US and know we all have this in common. I am lucky to say I will have an amazing support system here, and cannot wait to get to know them better! Now for the last part…site announcements!

This Sunday, I move to site for two months. My site is in Mpumalanga province, close to Pretoria on the western side. I am about 3 hours from the Mozambique border in between a couple game reserves and sharing a shopping town with some awesome volunteers from my cohort! I will be working in a health care center, focusing on youth and people living with HIV/AIDS. I am so thrilled! During those two months I will settle in, meet my community, and do a community needs assessment. From there, I will come back to Mokopane for another six weeks, to this host family, and do some technical training and swear in. We are the first group to try this training model, so we will see how it goes!

Upon leaving and even now I have to say just how blessed I feel to have such incredible friends and family at home. You all have been so supportive and amazing and I cannot thank you enough for how amazing you are! You guys mean the world to me and I think about all of you every single day. Missing you tons!

I think that is all for now, stay posted for mailing address updates and I hope you enjoyed it! J

All my love,

H

Some pictures..