Well i have been finished for a little over a week now. I came back to "civilization" Yoh, it is a suprise to come back to a big city and see all sorts of people.
I spent the first weekend with my program directors and saw more of Joburg. We went to Soweto, which is where the kids started protesting against the gov't b/c the were being forced to have class in Affricans... in a poorly abridged version of the story... the police opened fire on the kids and killed several. I went to the memorial there , really amazing story... this happened only a few years ago.
Then on Sunday i went to an all day concert. ALL south african bands... fantastic. Once again i was the only white person, but just coming from Venda i was used to it,... but the other concert goers, I clearly suck out to them... my program director actually noticed it first...made the comment of how even in the city it is segregated and that it is sad that it isnt integrated ...
But I had a fantastic time, got up and danced regardless of everyone watching me... and soon many around us we having me going them to dance in their groups... heaps of fun
Then i just got back from Being down near Durban on a beautiful dairy farm. Visiting with a friend's family. Very relaxing...
So only 1.5 days left here and i am flyign back. Landing in Chiacgo on Thursday afternoon. Yes i am so excited to get back and see family and friends and ride my BIKE! but Yoh... i really love africa... it is true about the saying they have here," once Africa is in your blood..."
See you on the other side.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Volunteer ... learn so much
http://www.zoteworldwide.com/Education.htm#vol
So above is the website of the program Zote Project that i worked for. Please check it out, it is always being updated.
Also, if you or anyone you know are interested in doing service work for a few weeks.. to several months this is an amazing group to do it through...
and always, you can ask me more questions about it
Cheers
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Bitter sweet...part deux
Well, 10 weeks has gone much faster than i expected... though there were days when i didnt think it was going to come.
I had my last day of class yesterday ... tear. It was so hard to leave my class. I took them cookies and candy for my last day. Let me tell you ... they truely app[reciate it. we took heaps of pictures. Oh major detail. I bought a the traditional clothes and i wore them to school... Big hit... everyone was so suprised. My class started yelling and clapping when i walked in... really good fun. Some of the wrote me letters telling me how much they will miss me and how much they liked having me as a teacher... wrote messages on the board. So sweeet.
It was pretty funny b/c then they each wanted an individual picutre with me... i felt like a celebrity.
All day b/c i had the traditional clothes... "Christa... today you look so beautiful..."
All the teachers threw me a going away party with juice and cookies(buscuits) . A few of the staff stood up and spoke and said some really kind things. It is sometimes hard to tell if they approved of what i was doing or if they thought i was doing a good job, it was really nice to hear their thoughts.
Oh some things i think i might not have mentioned but thought i would throw in... everyone's name in Venda... has a meaning... so i was often asked... what does your name mean...? I have no idea... this would get a strange look. i think my parents named me this b/c they like the sounds with my surname...
But they all know what their names mean.. so my family gave me a Venda name... Malondi...which mean "someone who cares"
Also, names are not based on gender like ours are. All names are for both men and woman. Which toook me some time to get used to. amazing how gender roles are ingrained in what we do... also colors. and behavior. For example.. boys here willl have pink back packs for school with flowers on it... to us CLEARLY a girls bag. but nope. it carries books so who cares. Or my sister had colored lip gloss the other day and the boys wanted to put it on... if my brother asked to use my lip gloss that was colored...?! what...
Or behavior... boys and grown men here hold hands, sit close, or put their hand on one sholder as they walk. This is just a sign of friendship...
Oh since i am in my last few days i have been reflecting back and thinking. I feel badly b/c i think in this blog i may have seemed critical of the differences that i noticed. That was not intended. but was also a lesson that all of us clearly have discrimination towards something... also judgment. Who am i to say that the western way is the correct way... i mean i think all of us in the world( for the most part) agree that killing peopel isnt right... but things like having multiple wives, or belieeving in a witch doctor... who am i to say that is wrong.
Overall this has been a very mentally challenging experiance to who i am , what i believe and what i will continue to believe.
I am sure i will have a few more entries left as i think of more things to share.
Cheers!
I had my last day of class yesterday ... tear. It was so hard to leave my class. I took them cookies and candy for my last day. Let me tell you ... they truely app[reciate it. we took heaps of pictures. Oh major detail. I bought a the traditional clothes and i wore them to school... Big hit... everyone was so suprised. My class started yelling and clapping when i walked in... really good fun. Some of the wrote me letters telling me how much they will miss me and how much they liked having me as a teacher... wrote messages on the board. So sweeet.
It was pretty funny b/c then they each wanted an individual picutre with me... i felt like a celebrity.
All day b/c i had the traditional clothes... "Christa... today you look so beautiful..."
All the teachers threw me a going away party with juice and cookies(buscuits) . A few of the staff stood up and spoke and said some really kind things. It is sometimes hard to tell if they approved of what i was doing or if they thought i was doing a good job, it was really nice to hear their thoughts.
Oh some things i think i might not have mentioned but thought i would throw in... everyone's name in Venda... has a meaning... so i was often asked... what does your name mean...? I have no idea... this would get a strange look. i think my parents named me this b/c they like the sounds with my surname...
But they all know what their names mean.. so my family gave me a Venda name... Malondi...which mean "someone who cares"
Also, names are not based on gender like ours are. All names are for both men and woman. Which toook me some time to get used to. amazing how gender roles are ingrained in what we do... also colors. and behavior. For example.. boys here willl have pink back packs for school with flowers on it... to us CLEARLY a girls bag. but nope. it carries books so who cares. Or my sister had colored lip gloss the other day and the boys wanted to put it on... if my brother asked to use my lip gloss that was colored...?! what...
Or behavior... boys and grown men here hold hands, sit close, or put their hand on one sholder as they walk. This is just a sign of friendship...
Oh since i am in my last few days i have been reflecting back and thinking. I feel badly b/c i think in this blog i may have seemed critical of the differences that i noticed. That was not intended. but was also a lesson that all of us clearly have discrimination towards something... also judgment. Who am i to say that the western way is the correct way... i mean i think all of us in the world( for the most part) agree that killing peopel isnt right... but things like having multiple wives, or belieeving in a witch doctor... who am i to say that is wrong.
Overall this has been a very mentally challenging experiance to who i am , what i believe and what i will continue to believe.
I am sure i will have a few more entries left as i think of more things to share.
Cheers!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Praise Jesus
Wow how i forgot to include this...
So yesterday my sister and i went to church... wow... wow... so she normally goes to a different church but wanted to check this church out...
Experiance. Frst off it was 4 hours long. and you arent allowed to leave, for any reason. I didnt realize it was going to be this long... so i forgot my waterbottle... dear lord i was dying... i tried to leave to find some water... nope.. these ushers that i are stretigically everywhere stopped me... "you can drink after church..." which went on for another 45 mins or so...
okay so this service was like (springfield people0 calvary temple on crack/ steroids.... alter calls, people flaling about..." speaking in tongues"... "casting out of deamons"... "healing"... the preachers yelling constantly... my ears where killing me in the end...
On lady kept yelling... "FIRE" and "Heavy rains are coming"... other than that is was all in Tshivenda... but for the sermon there as a translator... for me... yep that ONLY white person amongst hundreds of people... fortunately i am used to being starred at ALL the time here... so no big deal... i am used to everyone looking and talking about me... but the prechers kept looking at me while they spoke... so trying not to have an expersion and look like i was listening for the entire 4 HOURS!!! was difficult... ISH...
So chalk that up for an experinace. Oh so my sister also thought it was ridiculous... she bought a DVD to show here mom. and family. We were all in hysterics laughing about it...
"HEAVY RAINS ARE COMING..." my brother Zwido says to me... in mocking tone... " Christa... buy an umbrella... heavy rains are coming..."
We were all laughing so hard.
On the plus side... if satan was living in me... he might now be cast out of me. :)
So yesterday my sister and i went to church... wow... wow... so she normally goes to a different church but wanted to check this church out...
Experiance. Frst off it was 4 hours long. and you arent allowed to leave, for any reason. I didnt realize it was going to be this long... so i forgot my waterbottle... dear lord i was dying... i tried to leave to find some water... nope.. these ushers that i are stretigically everywhere stopped me... "you can drink after church..." which went on for another 45 mins or so...
okay so this service was like (springfield people0 calvary temple on crack/ steroids.... alter calls, people flaling about..." speaking in tongues"... "casting out of deamons"... "healing"... the preachers yelling constantly... my ears where killing me in the end...
On lady kept yelling... "FIRE" and "Heavy rains are coming"... other than that is was all in Tshivenda... but for the sermon there as a translator... for me... yep that ONLY white person amongst hundreds of people... fortunately i am used to being starred at ALL the time here... so no big deal... i am used to everyone looking and talking about me... but the prechers kept looking at me while they spoke... so trying not to have an expersion and look like i was listening for the entire 4 HOURS!!! was difficult... ISH...
So chalk that up for an experinace. Oh so my sister also thought it was ridiculous... she bought a DVD to show here mom. and family. We were all in hysterics laughing about it...
"HEAVY RAINS ARE COMING..." my brother Zwido says to me... in mocking tone... " Christa... buy an umbrella... heavy rains are coming..."
We were all laughing so hard.
On the plus side... if satan was living in me... he might now be cast out of me. :)
Bitter sweet
Well here i am the last week of volunteering... i had some things i planned to write but i have now forgotten.
But anyway. i guess this last weekend i have just spent some time really reflecting on the past 10 weeks. Wow what an experiacne... if you are so inclinded or have ever remotely thought of doing something like this! DO IT!!!!! what are you waiting for.
Though this has probably been the hardest, most personally challenging, cluture thrown in my face..etc experiance in my life. I have also learned more about myself and other in such a short amount of time.
I have realized basically all people are the same. Teenagers are really ALL the same... :) we all cry, laugh, sing, dance... want to bond with others. yes there are wonderful peopel and crappy people everywhere you go. But it is the relationships with the wonderful people that really make the difference.
I will so miss my learners. We have had such a good time, teaching each other. Lots of laughs and hard work all together. I will miss fire side chats with my family. Smell of fire in the morning, i will miss the sunrise on my walk to school on the rocky, dusty road, the overly crowded (20+) people in a "taxi" when you are tired hot and everyone is bring back heaps of things back home... even that...
But i wont miss the blantant hitting on that happens when you are a female here. Sexism is a problem. If i am with a guy (volunteer) and we are walking around together... no one will approach you b/c it is assumed you are eithe r married or in a relationship. But since all the male volunteers have left or i am in town with my sister... Ish... men approahc every single time...
" My sisiter... hello... what is your name... where are you from... i want to see you again... what is your number... " i am not kidding this is pretty much how it goes. No, i dont feel unsafe or threatened.. b/c it is in day light of a busy town... but holy cow... guys give it up.
Nothing about my responces or body language gives you any idea i am interested... they keep on badgering at times... keep in mind many of these men are already married...
Yes i have had teachers at my school hit on me.. multiple times.
I have no come to saying ... "you can have my husbands phone number..." "What...oh i just want to be your friend... " ....sure that is what you want...
my sister was telling my mom and brothers many of these stories and my responces to them... we were all laughing and laughing... so i should say not all the men are like that here... like my brothers and many of the teachers at school are very respectful.
Those few that ruin it for the rest...
But as i said overall i will really miss Venda and how hard people laugh here and enjoy life, even when they have so little. I look forward to coming back to visit...
But anyway. i guess this last weekend i have just spent some time really reflecting on the past 10 weeks. Wow what an experiacne... if you are so inclinded or have ever remotely thought of doing something like this! DO IT!!!!! what are you waiting for.
Though this has probably been the hardest, most personally challenging, cluture thrown in my face..etc experiance in my life. I have also learned more about myself and other in such a short amount of time.
I have realized basically all people are the same. Teenagers are really ALL the same... :) we all cry, laugh, sing, dance... want to bond with others. yes there are wonderful peopel and crappy people everywhere you go. But it is the relationships with the wonderful people that really make the difference.
I will so miss my learners. We have had such a good time, teaching each other. Lots of laughs and hard work all together. I will miss fire side chats with my family. Smell of fire in the morning, i will miss the sunrise on my walk to school on the rocky, dusty road, the overly crowded (20+) people in a "taxi" when you are tired hot and everyone is bring back heaps of things back home... even that...
But i wont miss the blantant hitting on that happens when you are a female here. Sexism is a problem. If i am with a guy (volunteer) and we are walking around together... no one will approach you b/c it is assumed you are eithe r married or in a relationship. But since all the male volunteers have left or i am in town with my sister... Ish... men approahc every single time...
" My sisiter... hello... what is your name... where are you from... i want to see you again... what is your number... " i am not kidding this is pretty much how it goes. No, i dont feel unsafe or threatened.. b/c it is in day light of a busy town... but holy cow... guys give it up.
Nothing about my responces or body language gives you any idea i am interested... they keep on badgering at times... keep in mind many of these men are already married...
Yes i have had teachers at my school hit on me.. multiple times.
I have no come to saying ... "you can have my husbands phone number..." "What...oh i just want to be your friend... " ....sure that is what you want...
my sister was telling my mom and brothers many of these stories and my responces to them... we were all laughing and laughing... so i should say not all the men are like that here... like my brothers and many of the teachers at school are very respectful.
Those few that ruin it for the rest...
But as i said overall i will really miss Venda and how hard people laugh here and enjoy life, even when they have so little. I look forward to coming back to visit...
Friday, August 21, 2009
Like a proud parent
So i gave my first exam to my students. I have 40 learners in my class.. yes over crouding is a big problem. but i just finished marking the tests and all but 5 passed. I am so proud of them. they are definately getting it! I woke up this morning and realized in one week i leave Venda... i only have 3 days of class left! Where has all the time gone.
One of the things to get to learn about when you truely live with people is all the customs of the region. And one that happens here that is quite known is the circumcision ritual. Basically, what i have picked up on is that when a boy is 9-11 ish older boys who have done the ritual take the boys to the bush.
They dress in the traditional clothes and parade though the town roads, singing a specific chat... you hear them coming from a long distance away. then the go out into the bush. this is winter time and it gets down to freezing at night. they are out there for i think about a week... perform the task.. clearly things are not sterile ... and i cant image in the knife/blade is all that sharp. Ouch.
I know they are also taugh some secret saying or something so other men/ boys know if you have done the ritual... kind of a passage of manhood. There are other things that go on, but stories are vague. b/c it is very secretive.. if you are found spying you are beaten VERY badly.
My mom maria refused to let her boys do it.. b/c no surprise here, infection is a huge problem and sometimes can leaad to death. Maria didnt want her boys to die, so she refused and sent them to a medical doctor.
One of the things to get to learn about when you truely live with people is all the customs of the region. And one that happens here that is quite known is the circumcision ritual. Basically, what i have picked up on is that when a boy is 9-11 ish older boys who have done the ritual take the boys to the bush.
They dress in the traditional clothes and parade though the town roads, singing a specific chat... you hear them coming from a long distance away. then the go out into the bush. this is winter time and it gets down to freezing at night. they are out there for i think about a week... perform the task.. clearly things are not sterile ... and i cant image in the knife/blade is all that sharp. Ouch.
I know they are also taugh some secret saying or something so other men/ boys know if you have done the ritual... kind of a passage of manhood. There are other things that go on, but stories are vague. b/c it is very secretive.. if you are found spying you are beaten VERY badly.
My mom maria refused to let her boys do it.. b/c no surprise here, infection is a huge problem and sometimes can leaad to death. Maria didnt want her boys to die, so she refused and sent them to a medical doctor.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Mmm Brocolli
I have officially intoroduced brocolli to venda... well someone knows about it, b/c i found it at the grocery store, keep in mind it was the only head of it around. But anywho... i cooked up some stir fry last night and it was a big hit. My sister and brother love it! but everyone was coming over looking in the pan and clearly had never see this vegetable...
But my mom , maria, tried it and approved with two thumbs up of my cooking! yahoo. Doing my part to provide vitimins to the family... and they now want me to teach them how to cook it so thay can continue to eat it later.... :) It didnt even occur to me that they had never seen or hard this delisious green veggie...
Yesterday was my sister's 19th bday. So i cook her the stir fry and also bought a cake for her. and cooked more smores.. played lots of music and all of us were in the kitchen laughing and dancing for her birthday... let me tell ya... when the cake was brought out... all my brothers were so excited... "CAKE"... so much so Zwido in jest says... "christa... tomorrow is my birthday... my special day..." And i also think he had about 7 smores... ha... such fun.
But my mom , maria, tried it and approved with two thumbs up of my cooking! yahoo. Doing my part to provide vitimins to the family... and they now want me to teach them how to cook it so thay can continue to eat it later.... :) It didnt even occur to me that they had never seen or hard this delisious green veggie...
Yesterday was my sister's 19th bday. So i cook her the stir fry and also bought a cake for her. and cooked more smores.. played lots of music and all of us were in the kitchen laughing and dancing for her birthday... let me tell ya... when the cake was brought out... all my brothers were so excited... "CAKE"... so much so Zwido in jest says... "christa... tomorrow is my birthday... my special day..." And i also think he had about 7 smores... ha... such fun.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The itsy bitsy spider...
Okay so not so itsy bitsy... this thing was easily larger than my fist... and it was in teh house! on the door to my sister's room. and i am not kidding you it freaked me out. I am not scared of spiders or so i thought... but this thing i was so freaked out. Thank god my brother , Zwido was there. he had killer aim with his shoe and killed it with one throw. Ahhh... this is why i need boys around.
Speaking of Zwido, he is 16, and cracks me up. he is always smiling, or singing, or dancing ... but can fix anything, the truck, the clothes iron dropped on the floor and broke, so he took it apart and fixed it! miracle... just overall quite clever.
Yesterday, i was out for a run and started by myself... and all of the sudden i am a 1/3 of the way in... "Christa!!!" and here comes Zwido... okay these boys have got to stop catching up to me... very demoralizing.. just kidding. I loved it so i had a buddy the rest of the way. I am so going to miss my Venda family. I have really been invited to be one of them... (sigh)
Ahh tea time with my teachers... have to run... Cheers everyone.
Oh thanks again for all of your thoughts and comments, great to hear from everyone. I think of you all often!
Speaking of Zwido, he is 16, and cracks me up. he is always smiling, or singing, or dancing ... but can fix anything, the truck, the clothes iron dropped on the floor and broke, so he took it apart and fixed it! miracle... just overall quite clever.
Yesterday, i was out for a run and started by myself... and all of the sudden i am a 1/3 of the way in... "Christa!!!" and here comes Zwido... okay these boys have got to stop catching up to me... very demoralizing.. just kidding. I loved it so i had a buddy the rest of the way. I am so going to miss my Venda family. I have really been invited to be one of them... (sigh)
Ahh tea time with my teachers... have to run... Cheers everyone.
Oh thanks again for all of your thoughts and comments, great to hear from everyone. I think of you all often!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The fun continues...
So i am all better, feeling great and on my last leg, only 8 days of class left. I cant believe it. Time is flying. I do have to admit I have begun to think about some of the things i have missed from home... like driving my car, and green vegateble salads (becca you should be proud), a proper shower...
Everday i just love my mom, Maria, here more and more. I have found out she is a lover of animals. She has named all of her cows.. and the other day there was a slaughtered cow in the back of the buckie... i asked my sister.. oh is this one of our cows... "Oh NO!... mom wont kill her cows she goes and buys one, she loves her's too much" i just cracked up... I see Maria talking with them, so cute.
She is also very kind to the dogs we have. Most people here look at dogs as waste removal and an alarm system... and very dirty. So it is nice to see her be so kind to them.
She and i have also developed quite the communication system. Suprisingly enough it works well. The other day she was showing me how to cook the poriage. HARD work let me tell ya this woman is strong. we had a delightful time and had many good laughs out of the experiacne.
So the power was out ALL day in the entire area. So as night fell that is when it was really differnt. SO dark everywhere. we fortunately have the fire out back, so we all hung out there and laughed... i even had the stuff to make smores!!! So here i have now brought the american treat to them. It was a big hit... they loved it! Actually another request has been put in for them.
I have run out of books to read here and so i have managed to take some of the story books from the school to read. All are african stories and have been quite fun to read. Different story telling style and a much different subject matter. I have learned serveral cultural things from these stories... but my favorite was when one story described what they thought of white people when they first arrived... " fuzzy hair, skin that looks like in doesnt have enough blood, and noses that stick out like a bird beak!" I was cracking up...
Everday i just love my mom, Maria, here more and more. I have found out she is a lover of animals. She has named all of her cows.. and the other day there was a slaughtered cow in the back of the buckie... i asked my sister.. oh is this one of our cows... "Oh NO!... mom wont kill her cows she goes and buys one, she loves her's too much" i just cracked up... I see Maria talking with them, so cute.
She is also very kind to the dogs we have. Most people here look at dogs as waste removal and an alarm system... and very dirty. So it is nice to see her be so kind to them.
She and i have also developed quite the communication system. Suprisingly enough it works well. The other day she was showing me how to cook the poriage. HARD work let me tell ya this woman is strong. we had a delightful time and had many good laughs out of the experiacne.
So the power was out ALL day in the entire area. So as night fell that is when it was really differnt. SO dark everywhere. we fortunately have the fire out back, so we all hung out there and laughed... i even had the stuff to make smores!!! So here i have now brought the american treat to them. It was a big hit... they loved it! Actually another request has been put in for them.
I have run out of books to read here and so i have managed to take some of the story books from the school to read. All are african stories and have been quite fun to read. Different story telling style and a much different subject matter. I have learned serveral cultural things from these stories... but my favorite was when one story described what they thought of white people when they first arrived... " fuzzy hair, skin that looks like in doesnt have enough blood, and noses that stick out like a bird beak!" I was cracking up...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Doctor Doctor... give me the news....
So yes, was very ill in northern rural south africa. And it is not fun trying to explain illness to people who english is their second language and disease isnt really understood. Keep in mind it is believed that if you are stung by a scorpion you need to find it and kill it or otherwise ... i dont know you hand will fall off.. and people still frequent witch doctors.
I went to the doctor and for $25 i saw the doc and was given heaps of drugs! i am not kidding like 20 pills a day.... i then drop the anitbiotic he gave me and took the stronger US version my dad sent me with... i couldnt hold out any longer the pain was a little too intense! I was tired of being in bed after 4 days... so thank you modern medicine.
Also, i am realizing what a blessing it is to have clean drinkable water. My house is lucky and has running water, but i have to boil everything i drink... and when you are sick and barely can walk... this is a real pain in the butt. But i survived adn i am probably a better person for it.
Oh also, god bless our house help. Yes i think i mentioned that we have house help, most people in SA do afterall. and she was amazing. Brought me hot tea and juice, bread and food, though i did eat much for about 4 days. BUt ahhh couldnt have survived without here.
Also this woman is amazing, she can get stains out of anything!!! i went hiking up a mountain here... a large hill for colorado people, and my shoes were stained red from teh soil... no need to fear WaPeggie, snatched them up and poof they look brand new. i am not kidding. She also pressed all of my clothes... ALL... including my underwear... that is a first for me. The house is cleaned everyday and the dishes washed... quite nice. So yes i have not really done much for myself in about 3 months. I do make my bed every morning, which i think is a first in my life...
As i mentioned a couple of the volunteers and i went for a hike last week. there is a moutain range... near us so we hike up. it was definately steep, but only about an hour hike. climbed up on some narly rocks... and also i am used to more of a worn out path.. well people have to hick up part of the hill with 10 litters of water on their head... so i dont think they want ot "recreate" up the thing any more... so clearly the path isnt used all that much. But wow the sight was amazing and had so much fun! made me miss CO.
hmmm what else. Oh so i basically think the school system is so out of wack it is insane. It is a damn miricle when these kids pass b/c they have 600 things working against them. First off they have ALL their test in english, but it is their second language and they have not nessicarily been taught it since they were kids so are starting classes in their teenage years. So here kids are expected to take a test in another language... which cover chemistry, math etc... so all their time in the test is focused on trying to just understand the question much less answer it... really unfair.
They work so hard and want to do well, but so much is against them.
Okay enough of my rant.
I went to the doctor and for $25 i saw the doc and was given heaps of drugs! i am not kidding like 20 pills a day.... i then drop the anitbiotic he gave me and took the stronger US version my dad sent me with... i couldnt hold out any longer the pain was a little too intense! I was tired of being in bed after 4 days... so thank you modern medicine.
Also, i am realizing what a blessing it is to have clean drinkable water. My house is lucky and has running water, but i have to boil everything i drink... and when you are sick and barely can walk... this is a real pain in the butt. But i survived adn i am probably a better person for it.
Oh also, god bless our house help. Yes i think i mentioned that we have house help, most people in SA do afterall. and she was amazing. Brought me hot tea and juice, bread and food, though i did eat much for about 4 days. BUt ahhh couldnt have survived without here.
Also this woman is amazing, she can get stains out of anything!!! i went hiking up a mountain here... a large hill for colorado people, and my shoes were stained red from teh soil... no need to fear WaPeggie, snatched them up and poof they look brand new. i am not kidding. She also pressed all of my clothes... ALL... including my underwear... that is a first for me. The house is cleaned everyday and the dishes washed... quite nice. So yes i have not really done much for myself in about 3 months. I do make my bed every morning, which i think is a first in my life...
As i mentioned a couple of the volunteers and i went for a hike last week. there is a moutain range... near us so we hike up. it was definately steep, but only about an hour hike. climbed up on some narly rocks... and also i am used to more of a worn out path.. well people have to hick up part of the hill with 10 litters of water on their head... so i dont think they want ot "recreate" up the thing any more... so clearly the path isnt used all that much. But wow the sight was amazing and had so much fun! made me miss CO.
hmmm what else. Oh so i basically think the school system is so out of wack it is insane. It is a damn miricle when these kids pass b/c they have 600 things working against them. First off they have ALL their test in english, but it is their second language and they have not nessicarily been taught it since they were kids so are starting classes in their teenage years. So here kids are expected to take a test in another language... which cover chemistry, math etc... so all their time in the test is focused on trying to just understand the question much less answer it... really unfair.
They work so hard and want to do well, but so much is against them.
Okay enough of my rant.
Monday, August 3, 2009
1st of the month...
The first of the month and the 15th of the month is when everyone gets paid around here. So last Saturday was a mad house in town! Basically, the lines at the banks and ATM are hours long and then once everyone is done there.. it is straight to the grocery store to stock up on food for the month. ( many of the wives like to spend as much of the money as possible, so then their husbands dont waste it on other things, like alcohol... this is what a local told me) I had forgotten that it was pay day and just made for an entertaining saturday...
I started off with a nice run in the morning on my usual route... out to a very distinctive tree and back. The usual. And then came home to get ready to go to town. So i went out to grab a taxi... as it stopped... i saw how paked... i mean overflowing with people the taxi was... i suddenly remembered... oh no...
Fortunatly i am not a big person... the guy in front open the door and there are already two guys and the driver up front... so they move on over and i hop in! the all four grown adults in the front, basically sitting on each other. As we are crusin along... a farmiliar song comes on the radio so of course naturally i begin to sing along. The 3 next to me all look at me in suprise then smile /laugh and join in! These are the things i love about africa!
Then i decided to go to the grocery store basically just to entertain me... it was a real zoo. so i got my usual 3-4 items and got in que with the rest of the town! it is so funny. Lines dont really exsit here. And if you are not on top of the person in front of you / being aggresive. Someone will come right on it front. But it dont really mind, b/c my personal space was destroyed weeks ago!
It is funny the things we find rude, like cutting in line, that are just a part of their life. Also the language is a very demanding language. Please and thank you arent used. So often when peopel translate , it is done directly so their english comes across as , in our minds, rude. But i have begun to realize it is not the intention.
One of the things this whole experiance has brought to light for me, is what being a minority is really like. And until you actually experiance it, you will never really know what it is like. And no offence to the white peopel in the US but you have no idea what it is like. And it is a feeling that you cant describe. But that is something all of the volunteers and i have discussed and i know i will remember that in my future experiances and being sympathetic towards others.
I started off with a nice run in the morning on my usual route... out to a very distinctive tree and back. The usual. And then came home to get ready to go to town. So i went out to grab a taxi... as it stopped... i saw how paked... i mean overflowing with people the taxi was... i suddenly remembered... oh no...
Fortunatly i am not a big person... the guy in front open the door and there are already two guys and the driver up front... so they move on over and i hop in! the all four grown adults in the front, basically sitting on each other. As we are crusin along... a farmiliar song comes on the radio so of course naturally i begin to sing along. The 3 next to me all look at me in suprise then smile /laugh and join in! These are the things i love about africa!
Then i decided to go to the grocery store basically just to entertain me... it was a real zoo. so i got my usual 3-4 items and got in que with the rest of the town! it is so funny. Lines dont really exsit here. And if you are not on top of the person in front of you / being aggresive. Someone will come right on it front. But it dont really mind, b/c my personal space was destroyed weeks ago!
It is funny the things we find rude, like cutting in line, that are just a part of their life. Also the language is a very demanding language. Please and thank you arent used. So often when peopel translate , it is done directly so their english comes across as , in our minds, rude. But i have begun to realize it is not the intention.
One of the things this whole experiance has brought to light for me, is what being a minority is really like. And until you actually experiance it, you will never really know what it is like. And no offence to the white peopel in the US but you have no idea what it is like. And it is a feeling that you cant describe. But that is something all of the volunteers and i have discussed and i know i will remember that in my future experiances and being sympathetic towards others.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mail !
So i can get mail. and yes this is alittle late to post this... I have offically 4 weeks left. And mail takes about 2-3 weeks to get here. But my mom mentioned to me that i should post it on my blog... i have recieved letter from some people! thank you for those... means so much.
Christa Nenaber
c/o Zote Project
PO Box 57
Sibasa
Limpopo Province
0970
South Africa
Christa Nenaber
c/o Zote Project
PO Box 57
Sibasa
Limpopo Province
0970
South Africa
Friday Assembly
Every Monday and Friday morning we have an assembly. Since most of it is in Tshivenda i dont know all of what they are saying. But i am starting to understand quite a bit of the language.
Something this learners do... that i dont think most high school students in America do is that they sing. I love it! They have great rythmic songs they sing as they are all gathered together.
I look forward to that on these mornings.
Today the principal spoke and then announced the top 3 people from every class and announced their scores. These students were awarded with school supplies. It was really neat b/c you could tell the students were pround and i think it does give motivation to the other learners.
It is interesting b/c 40% is concidered passing here! but it was exciting b/c some of these students who were announced were getting into the 70% !
I think in all of my posts i have rarely mentioned the other volunteers! Which is hard to believe because these people have become fast friends/ family. Believe me when you have had a hard day b/c of the culture it is so nice to have at least ONE person from the western world who can relate to you!
All of the vounteers that have been here, while i am here, live in another village, Manamani. Which is about a 45 minute walk away. We try and meet in town or at each others willages a couple times a week. This is when we share a funny stories for the week, etc. This was also the crew i went with to Kruger National park. They are from all over. ireland, New zealand, Canada,USA, Mexico... etc...
It is amazing how quickly you get to know each other when you are throw into an experiance like this. As they all take off it is really quite sad.. but i look forward to seeing them all sometime in the future...
Something this learners do... that i dont think most high school students in America do is that they sing. I love it! They have great rythmic songs they sing as they are all gathered together.
I look forward to that on these mornings.
Today the principal spoke and then announced the top 3 people from every class and announced their scores. These students were awarded with school supplies. It was really neat b/c you could tell the students were pround and i think it does give motivation to the other learners.
It is interesting b/c 40% is concidered passing here! but it was exciting b/c some of these students who were announced were getting into the 70% !
I think in all of my posts i have rarely mentioned the other volunteers! Which is hard to believe because these people have become fast friends/ family. Believe me when you have had a hard day b/c of the culture it is so nice to have at least ONE person from the western world who can relate to you!
All of the vounteers that have been here, while i am here, live in another village, Manamani. Which is about a 45 minute walk away. We try and meet in town or at each others willages a couple times a week. This is when we share a funny stories for the week, etc. This was also the crew i went with to Kruger National park. They are from all over. ireland, New zealand, Canada,USA, Mexico... etc...
It is amazing how quickly you get to know each other when you are throw into an experiance like this. As they all take off it is really quite sad.. but i look forward to seeing them all sometime in the future...
Jika Majika!
Jika Majika is by far my favorite show on TV that we watch. it is only on once a week, or at least i think so. It is like the old american show where people went on and danced.
This is basically a 8 person dance off over the course of the half hour show. There is always a guest judge.. some S. Africa dancer/ coreographer etc. And 8 people are picked out of the audience to show their skillz. AWESOME.
they dance to the local dance music which i am bring home and there is also a specific style that they dance. Yes i will be bringing these dance moves home... i am goign to try and get a DVD of some street performances so learn/ show you all.
My mom maria i have realized is preetty much the go to lady in our village. She gets people what they need, helps everyone, raises extra children, employees those who are willing to work and loans money out. Basically she doesnt sleep.
But the other day i was hanging out by the fire with my sister. Maria had Maduvah enter all the names of the people and the amount peopel owed in a book. there were at least 15+ names and she knew how much everyone owed her.. how she can retain all of these numbers , plus the intrest. yoh! i am impressed.
I had a set of traditional clothes made for me... and yesterday they were dropped off! This was a big day at the house. Everyone was laughing and clapping in excitement. Oh yes dont you worry i will be wearing these out on the town. I love them.. and i of course had them made out of my favorite color. Aqua Blue... surprise surprise.
This is basically a 8 person dance off over the course of the half hour show. There is always a guest judge.. some S. Africa dancer/ coreographer etc. And 8 people are picked out of the audience to show their skillz. AWESOME.
they dance to the local dance music which i am bring home and there is also a specific style that they dance. Yes i will be bringing these dance moves home... i am goign to try and get a DVD of some street performances so learn/ show you all.
My mom maria i have realized is preetty much the go to lady in our village. She gets people what they need, helps everyone, raises extra children, employees those who are willing to work and loans money out. Basically she doesnt sleep.
But the other day i was hanging out by the fire with my sister. Maria had Maduvah enter all the names of the people and the amount peopel owed in a book. there were at least 15+ names and she knew how much everyone owed her.. how she can retain all of these numbers , plus the intrest. yoh! i am impressed.
I had a set of traditional clothes made for me... and yesterday they were dropped off! This was a big day at the house. Everyone was laughing and clapping in excitement. Oh yes dont you worry i will be wearing these out on the town. I love them.. and i of course had them made out of my favorite color. Aqua Blue... surprise surprise.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Rubbish and more
So i do have to say one of the other things that has been really hard to get used to is all the trash eveywhere! I understand that there is not a major municipality that goes around and collects everyones rubbish/trash. But seriously everyone throws garbage anywhere at anytime. So there is garbage all over the place. even our school yard, wrappers from candy, papers, old desks are throw "out" back... town is just as bad. There are garbage cans but most just throw it on the ground. At our house we (well not me) but the house help burn all of the trash in a field that is next to the house.
I do have to say that one of my favorite things here are the sunrises and sunsets. Yes i see both on a daily basis. On my way to school i see the sunrise and the back of my house looks out across a large open field and in the distance are the mountains. they remind me of the foothills of the Rockies. the sunsets are spectacular... there is usually a few wispy clouds which reflect the light and it is really nice. So i make it a point to watch it every night.
Today at school was hysterical. So i went over to a class of 12 graders in their Life Orientation class. They were out in the school yard with their teacher... playing some sort of game. They were clapping and singing a very rythmic song. On one side were the girls and on the other side the boys lined up. Basically, one group (we will say the boys) the lead boy wispered in there ear who their "partner" was and then each girl one by one would walk over and have to try and guess who their partner was.... it was actually really entertaining to watch and you really got ot see the personalities of each student. Who is shy, who is goofy... etc. well i should know better than to be curious about several african kids gathered to sing/ clap and dance... b/c soon you will be asked to dance. Yes before i know it... the class was singing and clapping for me to dance... so here i am dancing for 40+ 17 year olds... it was actually a lot of fun and the kids got a kick out of it. Thankfully i dont mind dancing b/c i can see someone else being just motified by it.
So i have really become fond of my daily tea time with two of the teachers. One is the woman i share and office with and she and i are becoming fast friends. Everyday at 10 am we gather for tea, bread, fruit etc. really quite nice.
And i still have lunch with the all male group outside. So as i mentioned we pay for the lunch in one lump sum at the beginning of the month. and everyday 2 girls bring over our food and we all gather and eat and then when we are done these 2 come and clean up the plates etc. Yes i have a major problem with the fact that two of the students are getting my food and cleaning up after it. But if i try and help they scold me. In general, around the house, around school etc... anyone younger than you is expected to do these things. But i definately do my best to clean up after myself to eliminate all of this.
I do have to say that one of my favorite things here are the sunrises and sunsets. Yes i see both on a daily basis. On my way to school i see the sunrise and the back of my house looks out across a large open field and in the distance are the mountains. they remind me of the foothills of the Rockies. the sunsets are spectacular... there is usually a few wispy clouds which reflect the light and it is really nice. So i make it a point to watch it every night.
Today at school was hysterical. So i went over to a class of 12 graders in their Life Orientation class. They were out in the school yard with their teacher... playing some sort of game. They were clapping and singing a very rythmic song. On one side were the girls and on the other side the boys lined up. Basically, one group (we will say the boys) the lead boy wispered in there ear who their "partner" was and then each girl one by one would walk over and have to try and guess who their partner was.... it was actually really entertaining to watch and you really got ot see the personalities of each student. Who is shy, who is goofy... etc. well i should know better than to be curious about several african kids gathered to sing/ clap and dance... b/c soon you will be asked to dance. Yes before i know it... the class was singing and clapping for me to dance... so here i am dancing for 40+ 17 year olds... it was actually a lot of fun and the kids got a kick out of it. Thankfully i dont mind dancing b/c i can see someone else being just motified by it.
So i have really become fond of my daily tea time with two of the teachers. One is the woman i share and office with and she and i are becoming fast friends. Everyday at 10 am we gather for tea, bread, fruit etc. really quite nice.
And i still have lunch with the all male group outside. So as i mentioned we pay for the lunch in one lump sum at the beginning of the month. and everyday 2 girls bring over our food and we all gather and eat and then when we are done these 2 come and clean up the plates etc. Yes i have a major problem with the fact that two of the students are getting my food and cleaning up after it. But if i try and help they scold me. In general, around the house, around school etc... anyone younger than you is expected to do these things. But i definately do my best to clean up after myself to eliminate all of this.
Mmmm popcorn
So as i have told you everything , for the most part, here is very inexpensive. The volunteers and i all walk around in shock... really that is all i spent for all of this! for example one of the girls had a skirt made for her, that day, and i think it was $20! But my recent treat is popcorn, fresh with oil and salt... and the great thing here they add peanuts with it too... so every bag has a few peanuts as well. yum. So a few of the female volunteers and i have really enjoyed just walking around the town on "shopping spreas" you can get a new pair of heals for less than $20. I have not found any yet but.. i am keeping my eye out ;)
Speaking of shoes. As can be expected roads here are rough, since none in my village are paved and i walk everywhere.. half hour to and from school. so both Dansko and Chaco's are getting a big two thumbs up from me. I can walk all over, and they are holding up but better yet, my feet dont hurt. So upon arrive in the US i am going to see if they can sponsor me for my next trip since i am testing out their product for them.
New discovery ! Double and Triple bananas. I have never seen these in my life. So here yes they exist. It is not two bananas attached at the top. these are attached on the side... and when you peal them.. it peals as one and you have three seperate bananas in one. i was pretty excited.
Despite discovering some corruption in the school i am trying to forge ahead. It has been a really hard week. But i am remembering that i am here for the students and i can't let my feelings about how some things are handled here, interfere with my teaching. onward and upward
Speaking of shoes. As can be expected roads here are rough, since none in my village are paved and i walk everywhere.. half hour to and from school. so both Dansko and Chaco's are getting a big two thumbs up from me. I can walk all over, and they are holding up but better yet, my feet dont hurt. So upon arrive in the US i am going to see if they can sponsor me for my next trip since i am testing out their product for them.
New discovery ! Double and Triple bananas. I have never seen these in my life. So here yes they exist. It is not two bananas attached at the top. these are attached on the side... and when you peal them.. it peals as one and you have three seperate bananas in one. i was pretty excited.
Despite discovering some corruption in the school i am trying to forge ahead. It has been a really hard week. But i am remembering that i am here for the students and i can't let my feelings about how some things are handled here, interfere with my teaching. onward and upward
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Yoh!
Contrary to popular belief, africa actually get quite cold. The houses here... well in my village do not have insulation. It is just brick outside and concrete walls on the inside. Remeber i have no ceiling so any heat which is inside the house... rises straight to the top of the house... it can get to 32 degrees outside...yoh! At night when i am sleeping i am getting really good at bundling myself in blankets to keep warm... i do have to admit i really miss my down comforter.
Then when i get up at 5:15 to bath for school... it is so cold in the house the last thing i want to do is sit in a tub with very little warm water to splash on myself... lets not even get started about the days when i have to wash my hair... yikes! but usually but afternoon the sun comes out and it is nice.. actually lovely!
so one of my favorite thigns lately has been how everyone here get freaked out when my skin turns red from the sun ... "Do you need to go to the doctor..."
I have been assuring them, no really i am fine i just get this way in the sun.. this is then followed by lots of very strange looks. :)
Then when i get up at 5:15 to bath for school... it is so cold in the house the last thing i want to do is sit in a tub with very little warm water to splash on myself... lets not even get started about the days when i have to wash my hair... yikes! but usually but afternoon the sun comes out and it is nice.. actually lovely!
so one of my favorite thigns lately has been how everyone here get freaked out when my skin turns red from the sun ... "Do you need to go to the doctor..."
I have been assuring them, no really i am fine i just get this way in the sun.. this is then followed by lots of very strange looks. :)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Buckie driving!
I have officially driven in south africa! my family and i were hanging out at the car wash, and by car wash i mean a stream that has been slightly damned up that people back their cars/ buckies (trucks) into and wash them. This is when they found out i have a driers licence... so i was to drive that evening to one of the sister's house. so keep in mind it is an old buckie, with no power stearing, the gear box was complete crap and i am driving on the other side of the road. also there were four in the back of the buckie and two others in the little cab with me. :)
believe me i have seen much worse.
But all was a success... and the boys were praising my driving skills!
but it was an adventure... oh the alignment was also off and the stearing wheel in general wasnt very responsive. I did manage to get a few people to honk at the sight of me driving!
this past monday started 3rd term and the beginning of the morning, everyone teachers and students gathered for an assembly. it was all in Tshvenda , but basically a pep talk to do well in school... keep in mind this is a public school and we were all lead in prayer and a little sermon was given... the whole time i was thinking wow this would never be aloud in a public school in the US.
i am officially half way through and i also have really struggled this week. I have had several very upsetting cultural things thrown in my face this week. I wont really go into them here but belive me it has been so hard and i can see why these kids struggle to even come to school. So many things are working against them... but as my advisor for the program mentioned, this is why we have volunteers to learn about these things and to then get things changed for the better.
So some people have asked for me to tell more about my family. Well i live and share a room with an 18 yr girl, Maduvah. We walk to school together everyday and have become good friends. She is my little insight into the culture/ the school etc.
there is also 2 other sisters one 20 and 35 ish living at the house. But the 20 yr old just went back into town for University. there are also 3 other silings, 2 sisters and a brother who live on their own and have families in near by villages. So visits are frequent.
My mom, Maria, is the hardest working women i have ever met! she gets up around 4 and goes to be long after i do. I am also finding out not only has she raised here 6 children, she is also raising my "brother" her grand son , who is 11, and at least 3-5 other kids.
Plus, there are the 3, 20 year olds who work for the family when they arent in school... so need less to say our house is a happening place. people always coming and going... i quite like it.
Lots of laughing. we had in improptu dance off the other night... lots of smiles and laughing with that.
I am still teaching some of my 11 grade students and everyday we become closer and closer. i think they start understanding more and more. I am only teaching science to them but i am also staying after school to tutor them as well. They are enjoying teaching me Venda... a few more words are added every week.
believe me i have seen much worse.
But all was a success... and the boys were praising my driving skills!
but it was an adventure... oh the alignment was also off and the stearing wheel in general wasnt very responsive. I did manage to get a few people to honk at the sight of me driving!
this past monday started 3rd term and the beginning of the morning, everyone teachers and students gathered for an assembly. it was all in Tshvenda , but basically a pep talk to do well in school... keep in mind this is a public school and we were all lead in prayer and a little sermon was given... the whole time i was thinking wow this would never be aloud in a public school in the US.
i am officially half way through and i also have really struggled this week. I have had several very upsetting cultural things thrown in my face this week. I wont really go into them here but belive me it has been so hard and i can see why these kids struggle to even come to school. So many things are working against them... but as my advisor for the program mentioned, this is why we have volunteers to learn about these things and to then get things changed for the better.
So some people have asked for me to tell more about my family. Well i live and share a room with an 18 yr girl, Maduvah. We walk to school together everyday and have become good friends. She is my little insight into the culture/ the school etc.
there is also 2 other sisters one 20 and 35 ish living at the house. But the 20 yr old just went back into town for University. there are also 3 other silings, 2 sisters and a brother who live on their own and have families in near by villages. So visits are frequent.
My mom, Maria, is the hardest working women i have ever met! she gets up around 4 and goes to be long after i do. I am also finding out not only has she raised here 6 children, she is also raising my "brother" her grand son , who is 11, and at least 3-5 other kids.
Plus, there are the 3, 20 year olds who work for the family when they arent in school... so need less to say our house is a happening place. people always coming and going... i quite like it.
Lots of laughing. we had in improptu dance off the other night... lots of smiles and laughing with that.
I am still teaching some of my 11 grade students and everyday we become closer and closer. i think they start understanding more and more. I am only teaching science to them but i am also staying after school to tutor them as well. They are enjoying teaching me Venda... a few more words are added every week.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Venda Venda Venda
As expected there are many things that are different from what i have seen before. i will try and list or explain some of the things.. many of these are some of the things i have become most fond of...
- for example, my house does not have a ceiling. all the rooms have walls and doors but no ceiling. it just looks up to the rafters which hold up the roof. And the rafters/ structure which holds up the roof is definately questionable. i look at in the morning and just wonder how it was done... b/c there is no way it is to code, it actually makes me laugh b/c some boards overlap in weird ways etc... but what is so funny about no ceiling is we all can talk throughout the house at anytime. Like my 7 yr old brother , who speaks some english, loves to chat with me over the walls when he is in the bath tub. This kid is so funny... he always makes me smile.
Also b/c their is no ceiling all noise echos throughout.. so i am getting really good at sleeping with peoples cell phones ringing at 5 am or wrestling on TV at 9 pm. Yes i am in bed before 9.
the sun goes down and you come inside... and when i have to get up and walk to school by 6:30 am, i go to be EARLY!
I have also noticed people here dont really hug each other, little affection in general. i dont see mom's hugging their children etc. My sister here was telling me to show respect for your parents children kneel to greet them.
But what is interesting is that grown men will hold hands as they walk or are standing, it is purely to show friendship. or one man will place his hand on the other man's shoulder. But you dont see couples holding hands or hugging.
I have also noticed children are pretty self sufficent in general. little children 4 or so will walk around together or be outside the house playing together. Even younger are walking around with the 4 yr olds. I think you learn at a young age to take care of your younger siblings and also yourself. you also rarely see cry babies. I am not sure why. But i rarely see it.
Oh second language translation of things is always entertaining. So if we are all sitting in the living room watcing TV and someone gets up the will say "Christa!... I am coming..." as they leave... i realized they say this to mean " i will be back" :)
Or when it is night time and they enter the house they say "good night"... and i realized we only use this when we are leaving or going to bed.
My favorite which took me a couple of days to figure out and is still hard to inturpret. when people ask you questions and you are explaining something.. they will say " Okay.." but in a slow drawn out skeptical way. This is their way of saying " I see... " and let you know they are listening. but from out side it seems like they are interested or dont believe you.
In general the venda language is actually a demanding language , please and thank you are not really apart of it. so therefore when they translate into english it often comes across. This has taken time to get used to as well, b/c they dont mean to sound demanding it is just their understanding of how to interpret.
i love going to the grocery store here. Reading the labels and signs on things is priceless I have decided that if we had some of these in america we wouldnt eat them. So on the margarine it says FAT SPREAD... which is what it is but yikes. and Glucose biscuits... sugar cookies.. again true but they woudl not sell in the US , well maybe they would.
Oh everyone was worried about me loosing weight in Africa. I dont think that will happen. THey love sweets and fatty food here. Cookies (biscuits), candy, cake soft serve ice cream are everywhere, and i do have to say. so good! Fries are served with every meal at resturants.
Hence the running. :)
- for example, my house does not have a ceiling. all the rooms have walls and doors but no ceiling. it just looks up to the rafters which hold up the roof. And the rafters/ structure which holds up the roof is definately questionable. i look at in the morning and just wonder how it was done... b/c there is no way it is to code, it actually makes me laugh b/c some boards overlap in weird ways etc... but what is so funny about no ceiling is we all can talk throughout the house at anytime. Like my 7 yr old brother , who speaks some english, loves to chat with me over the walls when he is in the bath tub. This kid is so funny... he always makes me smile.
Also b/c their is no ceiling all noise echos throughout.. so i am getting really good at sleeping with peoples cell phones ringing at 5 am or wrestling on TV at 9 pm. Yes i am in bed before 9.
the sun goes down and you come inside... and when i have to get up and walk to school by 6:30 am, i go to be EARLY!
I have also noticed people here dont really hug each other, little affection in general. i dont see mom's hugging their children etc. My sister here was telling me to show respect for your parents children kneel to greet them.
But what is interesting is that grown men will hold hands as they walk or are standing, it is purely to show friendship. or one man will place his hand on the other man's shoulder. But you dont see couples holding hands or hugging.
I have also noticed children are pretty self sufficent in general. little children 4 or so will walk around together or be outside the house playing together. Even younger are walking around with the 4 yr olds. I think you learn at a young age to take care of your younger siblings and also yourself. you also rarely see cry babies. I am not sure why. But i rarely see it.
Oh second language translation of things is always entertaining. So if we are all sitting in the living room watcing TV and someone gets up the will say "Christa!... I am coming..." as they leave... i realized they say this to mean " i will be back" :)
Or when it is night time and they enter the house they say "good night"... and i realized we only use this when we are leaving or going to bed.
My favorite which took me a couple of days to figure out and is still hard to inturpret. when people ask you questions and you are explaining something.. they will say " Okay.." but in a slow drawn out skeptical way. This is their way of saying " I see... " and let you know they are listening. but from out side it seems like they are interested or dont believe you.
In general the venda language is actually a demanding language , please and thank you are not really apart of it. so therefore when they translate into english it often comes across. This has taken time to get used to as well, b/c they dont mean to sound demanding it is just their understanding of how to interpret.
i love going to the grocery store here. Reading the labels and signs on things is priceless I have decided that if we had some of these in america we wouldnt eat them. So on the margarine it says FAT SPREAD... which is what it is but yikes. and Glucose biscuits... sugar cookies.. again true but they woudl not sell in the US , well maybe they would.
Oh everyone was worried about me loosing weight in Africa. I dont think that will happen. THey love sweets and fatty food here. Cookies (biscuits), candy, cake soft serve ice cream are everywhere, and i do have to say. so good! Fries are served with every meal at resturants.
Hence the running. :)
Pap and such
So if i ever repeat stories, sorry, it is hard to remember what i have told you and you all are also probably accustom to my poor spelling and typing. :)
I get asked often what my staple food is? Huh? i eat somethign different eerynight... well here it is porriage... Pap. And pap is a corn based substance... not runny. it is cooked over and open fire and stired vigorously, which is very hard b/c the viscosity of this stuff is ridiculous. But when it is done it is eaten at every meal with everything, chicken, sausage, beef, you name it. it doesnt have much of a taste but sure fills you up.
one of my favorite things about this place is that when i walk home from school or where ever in the afternoon. Music is blasting from most homes. I have a nice sounds track all the way home... reggee, gospel, house, african dance... it is great! yes i have purchased cd's for you to hear some of the music i hear on a regular basis.
We ride in taxi's when we want ot come into town, which is about 8-10 or so miles i am guessing.. no sign to tell me so i am guessing. and when i say taxi it is not like the american taxi cab you are thinking of.... oh no! it is about the size of a Euro van and we cram.. i mean cram people, babies, children, cargo, food, luggage, chickens (live)... into this thing. personal space no longer exists on these things. i think the record we hit was 23 adults and 3 babies, and who knows how much cargo! it is always entertaining.
These guy.. the taxi drivers love to listen to music as well. each taxi has a personalized name written on it.. for example "Doll Eyes" or " Be Happy" etc... and we have began to know which ones play the best music. well the other day i had the middle seat between a local and the driver and I started singing along to a song that was playing. they loved it... soon the three of us were laughing and singing to the song. Venda people love to laugh... so even though i cant always get an entire conversation.. we can usually find something to laugh about.
So my house does have Tv with a few channels. Since i have not had Tv for the last year I always just watch what they have on... First off WWE . yes american wrestling federation... the one hulk hogan was on... they LOVE that here. I have been asked "who is your favorite wrestler" i didnt know that still even exsisted. so fun to sit and watch it with the 11 year olds.
Who also have a favorite kung fu movie... it is so bad. i think it was made in the late 70s early 80s and it is dubbed over in english and bad english translation at that... the fight scences are priceless... i have now seen parts of it about 5-6 times.
Soaps are also huge here... there is one i can handle "Generations" which is on every weekday night. the plot isnt too bad and i actually think that i will have to text my sister here to keep me updated when i leave :)
Also, i have finished my winter class... and big kudos to all of my former teachers, all my friends and family who are or were teachers. Eh... it is hard hard work.
I get asked often what my staple food is? Huh? i eat somethign different eerynight... well here it is porriage... Pap. And pap is a corn based substance... not runny. it is cooked over and open fire and stired vigorously, which is very hard b/c the viscosity of this stuff is ridiculous. But when it is done it is eaten at every meal with everything, chicken, sausage, beef, you name it. it doesnt have much of a taste but sure fills you up.
one of my favorite things about this place is that when i walk home from school or where ever in the afternoon. Music is blasting from most homes. I have a nice sounds track all the way home... reggee, gospel, house, african dance... it is great! yes i have purchased cd's for you to hear some of the music i hear on a regular basis.
We ride in taxi's when we want ot come into town, which is about 8-10 or so miles i am guessing.. no sign to tell me so i am guessing. and when i say taxi it is not like the american taxi cab you are thinking of.... oh no! it is about the size of a Euro van and we cram.. i mean cram people, babies, children, cargo, food, luggage, chickens (live)... into this thing. personal space no longer exists on these things. i think the record we hit was 23 adults and 3 babies, and who knows how much cargo! it is always entertaining.
These guy.. the taxi drivers love to listen to music as well. each taxi has a personalized name written on it.. for example "Doll Eyes" or " Be Happy" etc... and we have began to know which ones play the best music. well the other day i had the middle seat between a local and the driver and I started singing along to a song that was playing. they loved it... soon the three of us were laughing and singing to the song. Venda people love to laugh... so even though i cant always get an entire conversation.. we can usually find something to laugh about.
So my house does have Tv with a few channels. Since i have not had Tv for the last year I always just watch what they have on... First off WWE . yes american wrestling federation... the one hulk hogan was on... they LOVE that here. I have been asked "who is your favorite wrestler" i didnt know that still even exsisted. so fun to sit and watch it with the 11 year olds.
Who also have a favorite kung fu movie... it is so bad. i think it was made in the late 70s early 80s and it is dubbed over in english and bad english translation at that... the fight scences are priceless... i have now seen parts of it about 5-6 times.
Soaps are also huge here... there is one i can handle "Generations" which is on every weekday night. the plot isnt too bad and i actually think that i will have to text my sister here to keep me updated when i leave :)
Also, i have finished my winter class... and big kudos to all of my former teachers, all my friends and family who are or were teachers. Eh... it is hard hard work.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Kruger National park and more
So it looks like most of my lastr blog did not get published.. ahh the joys of the internet around here. :) at least i have it.
So last weekend the other 8 volunteers and i went to Kruger national park. Much like our national parks except filled with lions, elepahnts and girrafes.. oh my! It really was amazing. I loved every minute of it. African elephants are HUGE... and when you see one right next to your car.. holy cow... massive! we also saw girrafes and antelope on our game drives.
One evening we took a boat ride to see animals and we saw hippos and crocodiles... which made truely believe Steve Irwin was crazy to want to try and man handle those animals. But lucky us we had the 2008\2009 tour guide of the year, literally, on our boat. He is south african and happened to be on holiday so we got a free tour! hooray. this guy knew is stuff. I cant even begin to tell you everythign i learned from him. wow and big bonus he and his wife invited me to stay with them when i am done up north if i wanted to come and see there area more! love these south african people,. so friendly and welcoming.
Overall it was a great weekend to experiance a differnt part of SA
Oh so every morning on my walk to school at 6:30 am... one of my favorite things is the "camp fire" smoke and smell in the air. everyone lights up there fires early in the am and there is always a little haze in the air. the women of the house are out sweeping there drive ways at this time as well... i just found out that sweeping with a broom is symbolic to show they are married and this is their house. As i walk everyone greets me, waves and smiles.
These Venda people truely are very kind and warm people.
But it does get lonely. I am having lots of fun but it is still tough, b/c of the second language barrier... and sometimes i can tell my humor just doesn't quite make it. Sometimes you wish you coudl just explain yourself further but realize you can't or that i am just not making sense.
Oh so when the 20 year olds cant join me for a run.. my 11 year old brothers have quickly jumped in to replace them. :) the other day i was off down the road and a couple minutes in i hear foot steps behind me and low and behold it is Patatshezo... and he caught up to me and 2 others did as well.
Then once home they followed my every move as we stretched.
Which reminds me. Several night ago we were all out around the fire laughing etc. And Zjudo, was "stretching" i look over " Christa! i am training!!" so i came over and we promtly began to do yoga poses... yes Jamie i hope you are reading this b/c then i have 6 boys all lined up next to me in Downward Dog. Ha! next were handstands, back bends, etc. We were all laughing so hard by the end...
Who needs mother tongue when you have yoga!
So last weekend the other 8 volunteers and i went to Kruger national park. Much like our national parks except filled with lions, elepahnts and girrafes.. oh my! It really was amazing. I loved every minute of it. African elephants are HUGE... and when you see one right next to your car.. holy cow... massive! we also saw girrafes and antelope on our game drives.
One evening we took a boat ride to see animals and we saw hippos and crocodiles... which made truely believe Steve Irwin was crazy to want to try and man handle those animals. But lucky us we had the 2008\2009 tour guide of the year, literally, on our boat. He is south african and happened to be on holiday so we got a free tour! hooray. this guy knew is stuff. I cant even begin to tell you everythign i learned from him. wow and big bonus he and his wife invited me to stay with them when i am done up north if i wanted to come and see there area more! love these south african people,. so friendly and welcoming.
Overall it was a great weekend to experiance a differnt part of SA
Oh so every morning on my walk to school at 6:30 am... one of my favorite things is the "camp fire" smoke and smell in the air. everyone lights up there fires early in the am and there is always a little haze in the air. the women of the house are out sweeping there drive ways at this time as well... i just found out that sweeping with a broom is symbolic to show they are married and this is their house. As i walk everyone greets me, waves and smiles.
These Venda people truely are very kind and warm people.
But it does get lonely. I am having lots of fun but it is still tough, b/c of the second language barrier... and sometimes i can tell my humor just doesn't quite make it. Sometimes you wish you coudl just explain yourself further but realize you can't or that i am just not making sense.
Oh so when the 20 year olds cant join me for a run.. my 11 year old brothers have quickly jumped in to replace them. :) the other day i was off down the road and a couple minutes in i hear foot steps behind me and low and behold it is Patatshezo... and he caught up to me and 2 others did as well.
Then once home they followed my every move as we stretched.
Which reminds me. Several night ago we were all out around the fire laughing etc. And Zjudo, was "stretching" i look over " Christa! i am training!!" so i came over and we promtly began to do yoga poses... yes Jamie i hope you are reading this b/c then i have 6 boys all lined up next to me in Downward Dog. Ha! next were handstands, back bends, etc. We were all laughing so hard by the end...
Who needs mother tongue when you have yoga!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
South africa 5?6?
which ever post this is...
well another day of teaching done. I have been teaching 11 grade math and science. So as of today factoring has been my life. yes i am a nerd b/c i really like factoring. it is exciting b/c the learners are really understanding and retaining how to do it! yahoo. so tomorrow the big quadratic equation here i come.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
ZA4
I have officially taugh 2 days of school at Ndaedzo Secondary school in Dzwerani! i have the 11 grade math and science class and they are so much fun.
They do actually listen to me and we are quickly getting to communicate really well. Actually, during our break between classes we always have a good time... lots of questions like "do you know Obama" ... or the list of celebrities... do you know...? it always makes me smile.
I walk to school everyday and on the way in the am the village has a haze from the open fire which almost everyone burns in the morning and at night to cook food. the town often smells of camp fire.
One of the teachers who i have become closest to, Thomas, is an actual chief for one of the tribes around here. He is very well educated and i have learned so much from him about the culture here... one of the things i have learned from others is that when you are a chief you have MANY wifes... which i have mentioned is a common part of the culture here... i am trying to figure out how many... the students laugh and tell me that he has so many too many to count.
Oh one of the things that is left from the apartied is that i am often called Madame, this is b/c i am white and it is a form of formal respect. I have politely asked my teachers to just call me Christa.
Friday, July 3, 2009
za 4
well week 2 is down and i think i am pretty much fully comfortable in Dzwerani. *That is the name of the village i am in)
So last night was very entertaining. there are 3 guys who are technically not apart of the family but work for the family and are at my house everyday... so basically they are family. I love them. They are so much fun... (all three of them run with me now, my running club grows even bigger) so last night they insisted that i take pictures while they killed the 2 chickens for dinner. I have to admit at first i was a little freaked out... but i think eveyone should know where their food somes from. And then they proceeded to teach me how to clean the chicken.... everyday is an experiance. I am telling you there is nothing as good as this chicken, fresh home grown .. can't beat it. The fruit and veggies are the same way, all organic and fresh... so good. Eat your heart out .
My house does have elecricity and a stove, but we still have a open fire out back everynight. most dinners are cooked out there. and then best part is we all sit around together and laugh and act out stories. Even though i can understand everything, i have really enjoyed being apart of it!
more soon.
So last night was very entertaining. there are 3 guys who are technically not apart of the family but work for the family and are at my house everyday... so basically they are family. I love them. They are so much fun... (all three of them run with me now, my running club grows even bigger) so last night they insisted that i take pictures while they killed the 2 chickens for dinner. I have to admit at first i was a little freaked out... but i think eveyone should know where their food somes from. And then they proceeded to teach me how to clean the chicken.... everyday is an experiance. I am telling you there is nothing as good as this chicken, fresh home grown .. can't beat it. The fruit and veggies are the same way, all organic and fresh... so good. Eat your heart out .
My house does have elecricity and a stove, but we still have a open fire out back everynight. most dinners are cooked out there. and then best part is we all sit around together and laugh and act out stories. Even though i can understand everything, i have really enjoyed being apart of it!
more soon.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
ZA 3
Hi everyone,
So i have been in northern South africa for one week now. And suprisingly comfortable. You pick up on how things work rather quickly.
Things are very different but so far so good. My family is very wonderful and welcoming. Suprisingly i have hot running water, which most people dont!
I have been trying lots of different foods, but have found that the fried chicken is the best... and this is true free range organic chicken
as in that i see it killed and cleaned before it eat it. In the evening we sit outside , my "mother" here builds a fire and we sit around and chat. Well i listen more b/c my Tshivende is not very good, but i get better by the day.
I am actually not allowed to do much for my self. All my washing is done for me and all clothes are ironed. I have managed to allow them to let me cook for myself on some evenings.
I am getting used to ALWAYS being starred at, white people are few... as in myself and the 2 other volunteers. So we will here children yell out in Vende "White person!"
But it is all good. The town is actually very safe. One of my neighbor kids has become my running buddy, so he and i run down the main road almost every evening... i can only imagine what everyone driving past thinks...this kid can run for days and i think will make a runner out of me after all.
My school is good too. I am at a highschool and actually one of the "wealthier" schools in the area, but not by much. This week was there final week, and then we start winter school. I taught two science labs and really enjoyed helping the students/ learners as they are called here. The kids all like to come up and ask me "how are you?..." or will just yell out " I'm fine!" ... not all of them are able to speak english so communication can be interesting. But all of them think it is very weird that i am 26... not married and without children! un heard of...
I also had the opportunity to join some of the male teachers the other day outside for lunch. We piled all of our lunches together and enjoyed eating. This is when i became versed in all of thier multiple wives... very common.
So all and all things are good. Everyday is something different to learn or see. BUt the people are very nice and welcoming.
Cheers... hope all is well on "the other side."
So i have been in northern South africa for one week now. And suprisingly comfortable. You pick up on how things work rather quickly.
Things are very different but so far so good. My family is very wonderful and welcoming. Suprisingly i have hot running water, which most people dont!
I have been trying lots of different foods, but have found that the fried chicken is the best... and this is true free range organic chicken
as in that i see it killed and cleaned before it eat it. In the evening we sit outside , my "mother" here builds a fire and we sit around and chat. Well i listen more b/c my Tshivende is not very good, but i get better by the day.
I am actually not allowed to do much for my self. All my washing is done for me and all clothes are ironed. I have managed to allow them to let me cook for myself on some evenings.
I am getting used to ALWAYS being starred at, white people are few... as in myself and the 2 other volunteers. So we will here children yell out in Vende "White person!"
But it is all good. The town is actually very safe. One of my neighbor kids has become my running buddy, so he and i run down the main road almost every evening... i can only imagine what everyone driving past thinks...this kid can run for days and i think will make a runner out of me after all.
My school is good too. I am at a highschool and actually one of the "wealthier" schools in the area, but not by much. This week was there final week, and then we start winter school. I taught two science labs and really enjoyed helping the students/ learners as they are called here. The kids all like to come up and ask me "how are you?..." or will just yell out " I'm fine!" ... not all of them are able to speak english so communication can be interesting. But all of them think it is very weird that i am 26... not married and without children! un heard of...
I also had the opportunity to join some of the male teachers the other day outside for lunch. We piled all of our lunches together and enjoyed eating. This is when i became versed in all of thier multiple wives... very common.
So all and all things are good. Everyday is something different to learn or see. BUt the people are very nice and welcoming.
Cheers... hope all is well on "the other side."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
SA 2
Quick side note:
Since the drive to Durban is 5 hours or so i saw a few fun things.
- The drivers here are actually really good, better than most american and really curtious. For example, if driving on a 2 lane road and you come apon a car driving slowly... the car will pull into the shoulder so you can over take without a problem.
- Also, there are lots of toll roads, actaully really brilliant b/c the main roads are really well maintained.
- you will see people pack into cars and vans here... i mean sardine style. While we were pulling into one of the toll booths, there is a buckie (truck) in front of us... keep in mind these are small trucks, which i dont know if anyone in the US even could get b/c they are small. 4 people up front, and easily 8-10 all sitting in the back, facing each other. They had a couple of drums and were singing and clapping traditional songs. and having such a wonderful time. As my friends said... "African people are very happy people despite of eveything " It really is true.
Since the drive to Durban is 5 hours or so i saw a few fun things.
- The drivers here are actually really good, better than most american and really curtious. For example, if driving on a 2 lane road and you come apon a car driving slowly... the car will pull into the shoulder so you can over take without a problem.
- Also, there are lots of toll roads, actaully really brilliant b/c the main roads are really well maintained.
- you will see people pack into cars and vans here... i mean sardine style. While we were pulling into one of the toll booths, there is a buckie (truck) in front of us... keep in mind these are small trucks, which i dont know if anyone in the US even could get b/c they are small. 4 people up front, and easily 8-10 all sitting in the back, facing each other. They had a couple of drums and were singing and clapping traditional songs. and having such a wonderful time. As my friends said... "African people are very happy people despite of eveything " It really is true.
ZA 1
Hello all. So I have arrived safely to South Africa and was very kindly greeted off the plane in Joburg but a friend of mine's Aunt. His family has been so generous and welcoming to me i can't even begin to explain!
I have spent a few days in Joburg. Keep in mind it is winter here... southern Hem. So things are rather dry and brown at the moment. Joburg is a big busy city. Even though you can see the poverty all around, venders at the stop lights ( or robots) as they call them, joburg also has a very poshe side as well. Lots of BMW and Mercedes driving around. I spent a few nights, wide awake here... jet lag was brutal...
Then is was off to the South, Durban. Durban is a port city on the coast of the indian ocean. Really a quite beautiful town. They have the ocean front area which is really well designed. Lots of people were out walking on the beach, kite surfing, swimming... all in the winter, b/c it is really mild, even though all the Saffers think is it "freezing" cold. Ha. We even managed to get some fresh.. out of the ocean sushi. It was so cheap. well to me at least. sushi and half a bottle of wine cost me $15 with tip.
The Durban area is much more moutainous and rolling hills compared to the central portion. While i was there i also stayed on my friends Dairy farm outside of the city. The view from my bed room was so brilliant.
Saturday I will meet up with my program coordinator and head off to the Limpopo Provence.
Cheers!
I have spent a few days in Joburg. Keep in mind it is winter here... southern Hem. So things are rather dry and brown at the moment. Joburg is a big busy city. Even though you can see the poverty all around, venders at the stop lights ( or robots) as they call them, joburg also has a very poshe side as well. Lots of BMW and Mercedes driving around. I spent a few nights, wide awake here... jet lag was brutal...
Then is was off to the South, Durban. Durban is a port city on the coast of the indian ocean. Really a quite beautiful town. They have the ocean front area which is really well designed. Lots of people were out walking on the beach, kite surfing, swimming... all in the winter, b/c it is really mild, even though all the Saffers think is it "freezing" cold. Ha. We even managed to get some fresh.. out of the ocean sushi. It was so cheap. well to me at least. sushi and half a bottle of wine cost me $15 with tip.
The Durban area is much more moutainous and rolling hills compared to the central portion. While i was there i also stayed on my friends Dairy farm outside of the city. The view from my bed room was so brilliant.
Saturday I will meet up with my program coordinator and head off to the Limpopo Provence.
Cheers!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Ndaa and Aaa (Hello) family and friends!
Hello everyone, I have not officially left for my trip to South Africa. June 9th I will be flying out and landing a couple of days later. I am volunteering through Global Volunteer Network and will be teaching math and science to 11-15 year old kids in Thohoyandou, South Africa, near the Zimbabwe boarder.
I will be using this blog to post stories and picture of my volunteer experience. I hope you enjoy!
I will be using this blog to post stories and picture of my volunteer experience. I hope you enjoy!
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