things i like about my village

the fact that acceptable responses to 'how are you' is 'ke tsogile' [i've awoken] and 'ke lokile' [i was okay]. i still haven't received a satisfactory response as to why the latter is in the past tense, and no one else seems to find it as funny as i do.

the fact that my tin roof makes even the slightest drizzle sound like a downpour and every downpour like the apocalypse.

dust chicken from roadside stands, all slathered in peri peri [hot pepper] marinade.

how everyone in my village knows my name, and expect me to remember theirs after one meeting six months ago. after a while the awkwardness became funny.

the view on the taxi ride from my village to tzaneen, filled as it is with big, green farms on rolling hills.

sipping jasmine green tea in the courtyard while my brothers try their best to upset the mug and/or my book.

the fact that motlare, my 2 y/o brother, will repeat whatever i say the best he can. so far we have 'careful', 'okay', and 'bah ram ewe' down pat. we're still working on my name.

the fact that saleem, the proprietor of the local indian shop, still has no idea what to do with me and gives a look of genuine surprise every time i walk in.

the donkey carts [koloi ya tonki], which are just sawed-off backs of pick-up trucks hitched to two miserable looking beasts of burden that fly through the village with no concern for life or limb.

the local school bus, or twenty kids piled into the back of a pickup truck.

the zcc prayer meetings, which are conducted in song, and which carry through the evening in such an wonderful way.

the other small shop situated right next to the indian shop and which is only open when the indian shop closes (so, between 12 and 2). Go go gadget capitalism!

the fact that said shop just stared selling deep-fried hake for R4 (~50 cents).

the fact that it is mango season and there are three trees just outside my room. so good.