It has been quite
the emotional roller coaster since I last posted! Both with work and
my personal life, so much has happened since being back at site as an
official, sworn in volunteer!
Directly after our
celebrations in Pretoria, all of the volunteers headed back to site.
Saying goodbye to everyone was super emotional, especially since
South Africa is huge, and we are all so spread out. Some of my best
friends live at least two full days of travel away from me, so
knowing that unless we planned travel together, I might not see them
until who knows when, was hard to wrap my mind around. A fellow PCV,
Britt Molde and I stayed back in Pretoria after everyone left because
we were chosen to be funded by Peace Corps to attend South Africa's
Annual Conference on Orphans, Vulnerable Children, and Youth. A very
early morning days later, we flew to Durban with Ethel and Bridget,
two Peace Corps staff members, Kristen, Dan, Allie, Anna, and Will,
other volunteers, met us there. Durban is an incredibly beautiful
place. A beach town filled with people from all different social,
racial, and cultural backgrounds, it has so much to offer in terms of
aesthetics, food, culture, and entertainment. Peace Corps put us up
in a hotel on the water with an incredible breakfast buffet, so our
free time was spent either taking advantage of the wifi, jumping in
the ocean, or eating delicious food. Durban has a large Indian
population, and one of the most popular dishes they serve are various
types of spicy curries. I was in heaven. Bunny chow, their most
common, is half a loaf of bread, gutted out and filled with your
choice of a meat or vegetable curry. It is then served with tons of
different cucumber and carrot relishes. I had been hearing about it
for months so I was so excited to finally try it!
Aside from the
food, the conference was a great experience. I applied to present on
theories and practices I learned during my time as a camp counselor
at Tom Sawyer Camps, on the ability of trust and peer encouragement
exercises to empower children of all cultures. I had never done
anything like that before in my life, so I was definitely nervous,
but overall it went smoothly! I felt so honored to be surrounded by
such well known and accomplished people in the field, and the
presentations I listened to were very inspiring! I also really
enjoyed getting to know Ethel and Bridget on a more personal level,
they are both so kind and down to earth and I enjoyed hearing about
their lives, what brought them to Peace Corps, etc.
After we got back
to Pretoria and were en route back to site, I started to feel so
anxious. I had not been back to my site in over a month, and I was
more nervous this time than I was the first time I ever went! I think
it was because I knew what I was headed for. Peace Corps is an
incredible experience don't get me wrong, but a lot of it is so
immensely challenging and emotionally difficult. The isolation,
loneliness, and constant cultural clash definitely wears on a person.
Our first speed bump happened before we even left Pretoria, when
Britt and I waited for a taxi to fill until it was almost dark. She
ended up coming back to my site and staying the night with me,
because there was no way she would have made it home before dark. We
watched Under The Tuscan Sun and chatted, and that morning she was on
her way back to her site and I was on my own again.
Those first few
weeks back at site were honestly brutal. I had gotten so used to
being around Americans all the time and being so busy that I felt
like I was adjusting to everything again for the first time. Schools
were closed for 4 weeks, so my village was pretty quiet which made
things even harder. I was playing the waiting game to start any
projects, since most of them revolved around local schools and
administrations. Nevertheless, I got through it and everything
started back up again.
During my time off,
I turned 23! I spent the night at my friend Lilly's site with another
fellow PCV, Eva, and we just drank cider, ate way too much chocolate
and talked. It was a totally perfect, mellow Peace Corps birthday and
I felt so lucky to have great people in my area to spend it with.
Other volunteers really do get you through service! Another birthday
present I received was meeting a new friend. I was at a local shop
buying myself some birthday cookies when this elderly woman tapped me
on the shoulder and told me she wanted to get to know me. She had to
be in her late 80's, and she spoke perfect English and wore the
biggest smile. Her name is Marie, and she is originally from
Capetown, although now she resides in my village. She has held many
jobs, including being on the school governing board, and is a very
social lady who knows so much about the people and background of
Digwale. From time to time now I stop by her house and have tea with
her, as she calls it, “chatting,” which she tells me she loves to
do, and I really enjoy her company. She is such a kind,
understanding,smart, and supportive lady who is always so excited
when I walk into her front yard, so I feel very lucky she wants to
“chat” with me!
I also visited my
friend MJ's site over the school holidays for 4th of July. One of my
best friends in Peace Corps, and only 10 USD away from me, I am so
glad she is close by! We spent the weekend at her site cooking,
drinking, and talking, and I had so much fun. Sometimes you don't
realize how accustomed you get to the pace and serenity of village
life. I was reminded of it when MJ and I went to town to get
groceries. Coming home was so calming, and we were perfectly content
sitting and talking for 3 whole days, barely leaving her little room,
something when I first got to site made me so stir crazy! Needless to
say, village visits will keep me sane during service for sure.
Once school
started, I had a lot of work to do! It took me 3 months, but I
finally set up a schedule for teaching at 3 different schools! On
Mondays and Fridays, I teach Life Orientation, a basic mental and
physical health class to 6th graders, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays, I split my time between teaching Life Orientation to
5th grade and 8th grade, and helping out at my organization with
whatever projects they have going on at the time. It feels great to
have my schedule packed with activities where I have an actual
purpose, and a role in my community. I am also continuing to work on
my after school dance project at the youth center, which will take
time, and I want to start an after school tutoring program a few
times a week. I am loving teaching in the schools. The administration
is so supportive and I love spending time with the kids in my
community, they make this worth it!
Throughout my time
re-integrating into my local schools, I made a point of reaching out
to administrators who lived locally and letting them know I wanted a
host family and to let me know if they had recommendations. In Peace
Corps South Africa, most volunteers live on a family's compound, in a
back house with their own entrance. They have their own space, but at
the same time have a family to spend time with if they so choose. I
did not have a host family. I live in my own space, and two other
tenants live next door to me but are by no means my “host”
family, we all have one landlord, who is associated with my
organization. Although I have great neighbors, I felt very isolated
and alone in my living situation. I tried to adjust but just had this
gut feeling it would be better to be surrounded by more people, both
for my service and my mental health.
A local principal
introduced me her in laws, a grandma, her three daughters, and all of
their kids, who had a back house they were willing to rent out. The
second I stepped into their house I felt at ease and so excited at
the prospect of living with them. The kids were so sweet and the
grandma completely understands my needs for privacy but company as
well. Peace Corps approved my house, and I will be moving in the next
month! I am so excited and cannot wait to get settled in with them! I
feel so very fortunate that I reached out to this principal and that
her family was interested. Cannot wait!
In the coming
couple months I will be taking a trip to the Wild Coast for a five
day hike with a few friends, as well as celebrating a close friends
birthday at a bar/hostel in Tzaneen. Stay tuned!
Pictures Attached:
My new friend Marie, Pictures from OVCY Conference and Durban, Bunny
Chow (haha), Pretoria celebrations after swear in, my new host
grandma, my life orientation students, my supervisor's adorable
daughter, site visit at MJ's, etc. hope you enjoy!
As always, I miss
you all more than you know, and home as well as my friends and family
are on my mind and in my heart every day. Thanks for reading!!
All my love,
H
.jpg)
