Phase 2 of Training!

Wow I am just realizing it has almost been three weeks since I have officially been on site! Time sometimes seems to go so slowly then I realize wow it has already been a month! I will start by bullet pointing some recent events just in case I leave anything out in this description.

-I am living in Digwale, about 2 hours from Pretoria.

-I am in a one bedroom home in the local village

-I have electricity but no running water so I fill up 5 or 6 jugs at my organization’s tap about once a week

-I have gotten REALLY good at one-pot cooking and eating (I don’t even know why I bought plates..)

-I am throwing all of my energy into decorating my new place and looking for a bedspread!

-Getting my roof fixed and hearing the rain fall without getting wet and buying a BIG bucket to bathe in were awesome highlights of my week J

-Support from other volunteers is really important, and I learn that more and more every day

-The closest volunteer from my cohort is about 3-5 hours from me on multiple taxis, but other education volunteers share a shopping town with me so I see them about once every couple weeks

-I have the sweetest neighbors who always greet me, and every day I feel more integrated into site, the more people I meet

-my neighbors have started running with me in the mornings J

-My community named me “Karabo,” meaning Answer in Sepedi

-I plan to teach in primary schools during the majority of my service

-I am learning to live in a completely different way, and that is not always easy

-I MISS my host family from training! I know I will definitely continue to visit them during my service

-I went to a traditional South African wedding and it was AWESOME!

-I bought a fridge! It is the greatest.

Hmm well I think I left off right about when we were going to site! So after our shopping day in Polokwane, we had one more dinner with our host families and were picked up around 6 in the morning to be taken to supervisor’s workshop, a three day retreat where we met our organization supervisors, got to stay in a nice hotel, and go over our expectations as volunteers. This is now phase 2 of training, the 8 week period where I live in my permanent site, scope it out, attempt to integrate into my community, form relationships, and write a community needs assessment. The supervisor’s workshop was a great place to take a second and breathe and say some last goodbyes to those in my province, and meeting one of my org supervisors was really cool! Mable came to meet me, and she is one of the project managers at Boiketlo Health Care Center, where I work. On Tuesday morning, we all gathered our bags and got into separate taxis (luckily Peace Corps drove me so I did not have to worry about all my bags) with our supervisors and headed to site. Our workshop was in Haveview, about a 7 hour drive from my site. South Africa is HUGE haha. So, around 9 PM, my landlord, Mr. Malaza, let me into my new place. Needless to say this was entirely overwhelming. It was dark out, I was all alone, and I was exhausted but wanted to unpack and make this place home as soon as possible. I took a deep breath, texted my mom (thank GOODNESS for technology!) and started to unpack my things. I live in a one bedroom house (not one BEDroom, one room), and I have no host family. I am next door to a couple but for the most part I am alone. Luckily I have awesome neighbors and a very cute dog that greets me every time I come home J.

                My day to day life here is not exactly routine yet because I am constantly meeting tons of people and getting to know my community. Usually I wake up around 5 in the morning, have coffee and read for about an hour, go for a run, have some breakfast, bathe, and then go to my organization where I meet school faculties, city council, health clinic workers, etc. to try and get an idea of what life is like here. Then around 2, the organization closes, I go home, go for a walk, try to meet some new families in my community, read some more, work on my CNA, make dinner, and sleep. My organization is a drop in center for orphans to get food, although right now due to lack of funding there is no food supply. They also provide home based care for those suffering from illness, providing emotional support, and volunteering at the local clinic. During my service, I think I will most likely be teaching English and life skills classes at local schools, and hopefully teaching dance, and volunteering at the local pre-school while still helping my org spread awareness about their services. However, all of this is very up in the air right now.

 I guess one of the hardest parts of Phase 2 is knowing that no matter what you do, it will take a lot of time before you are integrated, feel at home, settle into a routine, or even start projects, maybe even an entire year. As Americans, we want instant results. We want to walk in, snap our fingers and get what we want no matter where we are. In the Peace Corps, and in life, that is just not realistic. I need to get to know my community on a personal level before I even think of starting projects or getting people to want to hear any input I have. Rightfully so, I can’t imagine if some random young woman from another country just popped into my life and tried to tell me her ideas!

                The biggest thing I am trying to be good at doing right now is going with the flow. I meet new people every day, try to form new relationships, and just take my time settling in here. It is definitely not second nature for me, but reading, journaling, exercise, and the support from those at home and other volunteers really helps with the transition. I wish I had more to say but I am sure I will once phase 2 comes to an end and I head back for more training. This coming weekend, I am going to Nelspruit to celebrate Easter with one of my dearest PCV friends, so definitely looking forward to that J.

Some descriptions of the photos I post: There are pictures of a volunteer goodbye barbeque we had back in our training village, pictures of my home, my little dog friend that visits me, supervisor's workshop,

flowers my child neighbors leave on my front door step, children in local primary schools, pictures of a South African wedding I attended, views from around my village, uh, that is all I can think of right now but if you have questions, let me know!
 

Xoxo,

H

Some pictures....