Elephants and Wine

SUCH a late post—my apologies! December flew by and January did too as I rushed to start the new year off with some projects and work!

My moms visit was absolutely AMAZING! I can't believe it has already been two months since she boarded that plane to South Africa.

I met her at the airport with two of my PCV friends, and we went to a nearby hotel and relaxed by the pool for a couple days so she could recover from the long flight. It was so crazy to see her with South Africa in the backdrop, I guess mentally I had just separated home and Peace Corps life so much that it was startling to me at first.

After the first couple days which were filled with lots of beer, catching up, and laughing, we drove to my training village, Mosesetjane, about 3 hours away from Johannesburg, to see one of my best PCV friends, MJ, and my old host family from training almost a year ago. We had a wonderful time catching up with them, giving them gifts for the holidays (lots of Lakers and LA apparel) and they were so excited to meet my mom. It was also great to see how quickly my mom clicked with MJ, as she is super important to me. I felt like we all became family within hours haha. The following day, we were off to another village, except this time it was my site! We arrived at my site in the early afternoon, and relaxed with the family and had a braii (South African commonly used term for bbq) with my family and some of my close friends in the community. A lot of PCVs that live near me also came, so I was so glad my mom got to meet all of them! We brought lots of coloring books, clothes, makeup, candy, and treats for my family and they absolutely loved spending time with us. I was so happy my mom got to see where I lived, bond with some of my best friends in Peace Corps, and get at least a small taste for village life. It meant a lot to me that she was able to have that experience!

Sadly, I have no photos from that day because near the end of our trip my mom lost our camera. STILL upset about it but at least we have the memories and some photos of the other experiences!

After briefly traveling throughout Limpopo and Mpumalanga, we were off to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 2 different parts of Botswana for safaris, and ended in Capetown.

All I can say about this part of the trip is I am such a lucky girl. I was absolutely spoiled the entire time! It was so much fun to be in the middle of nowhere relaxing with my mom for almost 2 weeks and I know the trip is something we will never forget. I think the pictures speak for themselves but all I can say is, the animals were great but nothing really beat the company and knowing my mom was always just a few footsteps away!

Saying goodbye was one of the hardest parts of my service thus far. Yes, the beginning was super emotional, but everything was so new. This time, when she arrived, I subconsciously felt like I had finished my service, I think because I associated her with home, and home with being done. I was a wreck when we said goodbye at the airport (still makes me choked up even typing about it), but I wouldn't take back her visit for anything and I am so thankful she decided to come all the way out here.

The pictures from this trip speak volumes, and are way more exciting than my description so enjoy! You will see photos from the falls, our safari, wine tasting in Capetown, hiking Table Mountain, limited pictures of the visits with our host family, etc. I hope you enjoy!!

Recent Newsletter `Submissions :)

Blog, Vacation, Tweet, and Facebook Etiquette

Over the past year of my service, I have noticed a disturbing trend among many Peace Corps volunteers from various countries. I read blogs, Facebook statuses, and hear conversations between vacationing volunteers and tourists, other Americans, etc. on the difficulties and harsh realities of Peace Corps service.

                  While I completely stand by the fact that Peace Corps is NOT always going to be endless moments of gratitude, glorification, and profound happiness as advertised in the brochures, on the website, and by recruiters, I feel it’s important to remember that a large part of our responsibility as PCV’s is to represent the countries where we serve in a positive light.

                  Yes, Peace Corps South Africa is trying, infuriating, saddening, and heartbreaking in so many ways, and we as volunteers know that more than anyone else. However, it is also one of the most magical, open, caring, and generous cultures I as an American have ever experienced. Our ability to remember our aspirations, our goals, and to stop and appreciate the good in the people we meet is exactly what makes us successful volunteers, and keeps us here no matter how bad some of our days can be. There are good moments in every day, whether it is watching a TV show with your host family, playing with kids in your street, or just picking a fresh mango from a tree and settling in with a good book for the night. As it is true in the United States, it is possible to find good in every day if you look at it in an optimistic way.

                  I understand that Facebook and blogs are a big way that volunteers can keep in touch with their families and friends back home. However, when I read blogs and statuses about corporal punishment, or “lazy” teachers, the inability of government institutions to be effective, lack of electricity, etc. it really saddens me because I know that so many of our friends and family will mainly remember these small instances rather than so many other victories we discuss, like funding afterschool clubs or improving learners’ scores throughout a school term. Not only this, but they might assume that these hardships discussed represent an entire country, not just one person, group, or singular environment, which is absolutely terrible. South Africa as a country has so much potential, room for growth, people with huge hearts, and truly successful accomplishments in science, marketing, education, etc. especially despite its recent and painful past. When we vent on public forums that almost anyone can see, we are going directly against goal 3 of our service, helping Americans gain a better understanding of the world, specifically our host country. Do you really want your peers to mainly remember these small parts of your challenges as the defining pieces of your service, or worse, an entire country?

                  I am not saying that I am not guilty of this as well, especially when on vacation letting loose or venting to family and close friends about rough days. I am personally trying to make a bigger effort to share my small victories and moments of joy with those close to me, and leave the venting and anger to be discussed with fellow PCVs who will truly understand what I mean and see past it in a positive way. So much of our jobs as volunteers will be finished once we come home and share our experiences with future employers, friends new and old, etc. A country and group of people that housed us and cared for us for over two years deserves our respect at all times, period.

                  All I ask is that the next time you come home fuming and pick up your phone or computer to post, tweet, or blog about all the things that drive you CRAZY about this country, take a deep breath, sleep on It and choose something positive to write about because at the end of the day, you will come home happy you did, and you will be able to expand on the positive experiences with those you love, rather than the heartbreaking moments they can’t forget and are now forever glued to cyber space.

Why Compete?

Posh Corps. We all know what it means, and if you don’t yet, you will. Posh Corps is a common term used to describe Peace Corps South Africa because many of us have electricity, running water, smart phones, or access to bigger cities on occasion. The term also implies that because we have access to these luxuries at times, we have an “easy” Peace Corps country or an experience that runs smoother than those of volunteers in other less developed countries. Anyone who is a Peace Corps South Africa volunteer will instantly know that this assumption is completely and totally wrong, ill informed, and above all else, rude.

As a member of a judgmental society, I’ve watched friends, exes, and even myself be categorized, judged, or labeled based on lifestyle choices. The Peace Corps volunteer community was a place I expected that we all would generally “get” and accept one another. For the most part, that is true, but when we isolate each other based on “easiness” of our sites it makes it clear that we are not free from judgment even as fellow PCVs.

I first experienced this comparison when I met volunteers from other countries, staying in South Africa for medical appointments, Peace Corps Response, or safety reasons. Some of the first things many of them mention are how much easier it is here, and how where they are is so much more difficult because there is “nothing even similar to America around.” Not all of them are guilty of this, and many of them make no judgments at all. Regardless, most PCSA volunteers are able to swallow these comments and generally regard them as wrong, as we all know they are.

The times where this type of categorization infuriates me most is not when it comes from PCVs from other countries, but rather from within the PCV South Africa community. When I hear people comparing amenities or locations and ridiculing each other based on what they have in their shopping towns, the locations of their sites, weather, and anything plainly superficial it drives me crazy. We as PCSA are already ridiculed and alienated based on the “easiness” of our country, why are we turning it around and doing it again to one another? It is not only childish, it is mean and unnecessary.

The root of the experience in Peace Corps is all the same whether you served in 1970 in India or today in South Africa. We are in a foreign country, stripped of most of our support systems, trying to make some sort of difference in this world despite the challenges we face. Criticizing other volunteers based on the so-called difficulty of their sites does not make our work easier, more gratifying, or really do anything to improve anyone’s experience, so why do it?

It is important we act as to all fellow volunteers, former and current. We all know this job is exceedingly difficult, and attempting to categorize each other based on subjective opinions does nothing to make our jobs or experiences any more beneficial.

Heatin' Up!

The past couple months since vacation have been such a whirlwind! I really don’t know where the time has gone since I got back from vacation. It blows my mind that its now December and my mom is about to arrive!

We traveled straight from vacation back to Pretoria for Regional Training, a week long in-service training for health volunteers and their South Africa counterparts and supervisors. It was the first time I had been reunited with my cohort since May, and it was really good to see everyone! We all stayed in a hotel in Pretoria and MJ was my roommate, so we spent a lot of our time just messing around in our room, talking, watching movies, and hanging out with other volunteers!

I can say I was pleasantly surprised not only with how smoothly the training ran, but also with how organized and inspiring the resource partners were who presented to us. We got a lot of information on young men’s and women’s empowerment programs which I look forward to taking back to site and implementing, I cannot wait.

Aside from the presentations, we worked out at the hotel gym, went swimming, and had dance parties in our room. I loved being reunited with the other Americans who I started this journey with, it was so nice!

As much as I enjoyed vacation and training, I also really missed my host family! I was so happy to come home and get huge hugs from all my host siblings and unpack to spend some quality time with them! A month away from site is a really long time.

Many of you ask how my work is going, so I figured I would give you a picture of exactly what I am working on over the course of the next 18 months. This term, so Oct-Dec, I really had to hit the ground running. I am still preparing all of my materials and supplies to start my girls afterschool dance club this coming January. I had to finalize applications, pass them out, and collect/evaluate them to choose which learners I wanted to participate! Reading those applications made me so happy and it was so refreshing to hear from young motivated women who wanted to do something I was making possible for them. Everything here takes a LOT of time. I have been talking about this club since March and it will be starting 10 months later, crazy! But I can only hope that all of my hard work will pay off!

Next term I will continue to teach in local schools but will be attempting to teach English rather than Life Skills. If it goes well, I will stick with that. Teaching is a small part of my service in my community, but I want to make sure that what I am teaching and how I teach is of the most possible value to my learners.

I have also started an after school homework help program at the local primary school, where grade 5 and 6 learners come every Tuesday and Thursday and work on homework or a specific task given to them by their teachers. It is kind of a mix of math (yikes), social science, and English assignments depending on what they are struggling with. I know it’s a small chunk of time, but I am happy to stick around in the afternoon if it means giving kids extra time to work on their homework and perfect their skills.

Boiketlo, the organization I am paired with, has a spare room that is being used to storage now. With the help of a couple grants, I am in the process of building a reading room and study lounge for local children. We are redoing the roofing, installing shelving and tables/chairs, and it is my hope that kids will come to study or read for fun from time to time. Although the organization cannot feed local kids like it used to, I want to bring Boiketlo back as a central institution in the community where people can go for some sort of resource. Hopefully this will be completed soon!

I also am in the process of applying for grants for a couple sleepaway camps in the near future. The first camp will be based on gender rights and unity among young South African men and women. We will have about 50 young boys and girls in grades 8 and 9 participate in individual workshops during the mornings, and by afternoon we will do trust building exercises all together. My hope is that this camp will happen around late June or early July 2014. I absolutely cannot wait!

Near the end of my service in September 2014, MJ and I plan to do a young women’s wellness camp, a similar timeline and format to the one I just explained except based on mental and physical health of young women. We want to incorporate yoga and dance into women’s sexual and reproductive health issues and gender rights here in South Africa.

The projects mentioned above are my main goals, but I also plan to do a few side projects over this course of time, so stay tuned! Its so difficult to do everything you want to in such a finite amount of time.

Over the next couple weeks I will just be prepping for my girls club and packing for when my MOM visits!! She arrived December 16^th and I could not be more excited!

Anyway, I think that is about all I have to report for now, but I hope you all enjoyed my updates. I will attach some pictures of my host family, Halloween celebrated with local PCVs, regional training, and my host sisters kindergarten (or as they say here grade R) graduation. I miss you all so much, and you’re all constantly in my thoughts! I hope everyone had a truly wonderful thanksgiving.

All my love,

H

Wild Coast Trip!

This blog is super behind so forgive me, but the past couple months have been crazy busy getting everything ready for the new year! Busy is good, definitely makes the time fly! I’ll start with talking about my very first Peace Corps vacation!

At the end of September me, Kristen, Kathleen, Allie, Melinda, and two of Melinda’s friends, Mel and Kayleen, traveled to the wild coast, a gorgeous coastal region in the eastern cape of South Africa. I started by taking an overnight bus from Pretoria to Durban which took about 9 hours, and then arrived at about 5 AM in Durban! I was couch surfing that night with a guy named Will. For those of you who do not know what Couch Surfing is, it is a social network where people from all over the world can stay with others for free. It is a highly reputable system where people communicate online and plan visits to each other. I did it in South America and in Southeast Asia when I was there, so I figured why not try South Africa too? The experience was great. Will lives with about 6 other roommates and we all had a big barbeque and watched scary movies in their living room once the other girls arrived. Will was so accommodating to us and we had an amazing time getting to know them!

The next morning we set off to catch a taxi to Port St. Johns, where we would begin our hike through the wild coast! We stayed the night at a local hostel which was absolutely gorgeous! It overlooked the ocean and had an amazing outdoor bar and restaurant, so we enjoyed some beers and delicious food and got some sleep and showers in before the next morning when our guide would come pick us up to start the trek! We took the hike with another South African family and a German tourist named Sebastian who was traveling the world after graduating University. The total hike was about 60 kilometers. Each day, we would end up with a different host family along the way who would serve us homemade bread, tea, and coffee, and we would have some chill time to take a bath or rest until they cooked us a traditional South African meal for dinner like pumpkin, chicken, beans and corn meal, etc. Needless to say our stomachs were always full!

The views on the trip were gorgeous, and it was so nice to have quality time with this group of girls. We live very far apart and catching up with them and joking around was so good for my soul. I loved being with them. Beautiful scenery, delicious food, and amazing friends, what more could I ask for in my first vacation? It was amazing!

We ended the hike in Coffee Bay, and we stayed there for about 5 days just relaxing, walking on the beach, eating junk food, and drinking. I cannot stress enough how important it is to take vacations in Peace Corps. Sometimes you need to turn your brain off and focus on nothing but resting and spending time with people that make you happy. I fully support vacation time in the states, and this was just the same. So needed and so nice to not think about work and the difficulties of service, and just laugh and be for 10 days! The vacation ended early October, and it felt like it went by in two seconds. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait until the next time I get to travel with these lovely girls!

Below are photos of our trip, the group we couch surfed with, and gorgeous sites we saw. Enjoy!