Polokwane Shopping Day

Peace Corps provides a shopping day in a major town close to swearing-in to allow
volunteers to purchase things they might need for site. Unfortunately, through some bank error, none of our shiny new debit cards had been activated, so the vast
majority of us had little in the way of cash flow. Instead we just wandered around
a large mall in the half-stupor that only spending a few months in a small African
village and then being thrown into the gaping jaws of consumerism can beget. I did
have just the loveliest little burger with rocket, though. Not knowing what rocket
was, I ordered extra so I could identify it. Arugula? Really? I doubt Obama would have been made fun of for eating rocket salads.

Towards the end of the day it became apparent that no one had seen Linda, another
volunteer, for a while. Long and short, she had gotten food poisoning and had
sequestered herself in one of the mall's bathrooms. Well, at least she had running
water and flush toilets. So Elizabeth stayed with her while we went out front to
wait for the taxi. Which didn't come for a very long time. We drove Linda to the
hospital, just to be safe, and Elizabeth, the sweetheart, stayed with her.

Some photos:


Cate looking super classy.


Shae, Charlie, and Merris.


Chuckles, Merris, and Piper.


Cassandra.




America.

The College

During PST we studied at Mokopane FET [Further Education and Training] College. FETs were developed mostly for kids who didn't pass matric (grade 12, wherein you have to pass certain end-of-the-year tests rather than just your classes) to learn practical (i.e. agriculture, tourism, business) skills. They're basically technical schools. We only stayed there a week before being sent to the villages but returned on the regular when all three villages got together for sessions.

Some photos:

My half of the dorm room.


Main entrance to the part of the college we didn't use.


Robin, Sean, Cathy, and Barb Shirk after our group meeting the Country Director, McGrath. She asked each of us why we joined PC. Barb's response? "Well, I figure I only have ten years left, so why the hell not?"


The LCFs leading some songs. From left to right: Sam (PCV), Mr. Mogobe (Language Coordinator), Joshua (Setswana), Kholeka (Zulu), Macy (Tsonga), Lebo (Sepedi), Kgabo (Sepedi), some teacher who left after two days, Mokgadi (Sepedi), behind her is Sanele (Zulu), Jan (Sepedi), Nkosi (Xhosa), some other lady who left after two days, and Veronica (PCV)


We were told to share some American songs with the LCFs. Cathy, Stephanie, Wanna, Charlie, and Ethan taught them that bastion of Americana, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.


There was graffiti all over the rooms. Some of it was apparently under copyright.


And some of it rather disconcerting.

Hlapa Diatla! (Wash your Hands!)

Part of our PST charge was to put on community health events in our respective villages. The Sekgakgapeng group decided to put together a hand washing hygiene fun day (I know, hygiene and fun in the same sentence) for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) at a local Red Cross drop-in center. Part of the motivation was seeing so many children in the village with ceaselessly cascading countenances and comprehending the collective congestion of constant common colds (alliterative antagonists...go away).

We made stations where the kids could learn about nutrition, how to wash their hands, and when to do it. We also had a song, led by Lebo, one of the Sepedi teachers, who was brilliant and has since gone on to a life of acting in South African soapies. I can't wait until the first episode premiers. We also had two traditional dance crews come to provide some entertainment. Now, education and dance are all well and good, and the kids learned lots and blah blah blah, but I figured we needed something a little more, well, freaking awesome.

I had seen painted signs around for jump castles, and upon inquiry my greatest dreams were at hand. For a mere R250 (~$35) we could have a bounce house for the entire day. After nail-biting weeks of inflatable euphoria uncertainty, we finally secured one for the event. We picked it up the morning of, and, after testing it, left it uninflated until after the introductions and song. Because we all know which kids would pick given the chance. When we did finally inflate it, we had a vitriolic semi-queue for hours straight. After a while, in the interests of the kids not destroying each other in the quest for bounce heaven, we had to impose a thirty-second limitation on the land of milk and compressed air.

And if the idea of planning and putting on an event where orphans, who have to go to a drop-in center each day just to get enough food, have a freaking blast on a jump castle doesn't warm the cockles of your heart to near volcanic temperatures, well, your cardiovascular unit needs to grow a deal more than three sizes. Which is to say, that afternoon will be a highlight for a good time to come.

Some photos:


Merris and Jan discussing the Sepedi portion of the event.


One of our posters telling kids to wash their hands after they eat.




Or cough.


We had kids join the High 5 Clean Hands Club by putting painted hand prints on the poster. Figured that would be more fun than signing Memorandum of Understanding detailing their promise to practice better hygiene in the future.


Cate preparing a bucket of bleach water for the hand washing demonstration.


Setting up.






The bounce house awesomeness!








Inside the Red Cross Drop-in Center for the song and demonstrations.


Lebo leading the song.


Traditional dance group.



And some videos:

Hiking in Sekgakgapeng

I already wrote a bit about the hike my friend, Elizabeth, and I took during PST. A few weeks later we returned on the same route with several more and ended up crossing the mountain to the neighbouring village of Moshate, where we consumed cold drink (soda) and ate peanut butter sammiches. No snakes were encountered and there was great rejoicing.

Some photos:


Water containers overlooking the western edge of Sekgakgapeng.






Long tracks of pipe run up and down the mountains, bringing water from the few sources around to nearby villages.







Overlooking part of Sekgakgapeng or Moshate. I can't remember which.






All along the water tower. Left to right: Shae (sitting), Jan (Sepedi teacher), Richard, Ethan (bandana), Emily, Robin, Me, David.


Robin and David.


Bushwhacking.




Moshate.




Cate.


There wasn't a trail, so we just followed the water pipes down.

Sekgakgapeng

During PST I lived in a lovely little village called Sekgakgapeng, a village so nice you have to cough up two lungs to say it. Some photos:

Kgabo (our Sepedi language teacher), Sean, and Elizabeth at the clinic.

Anise at the river, across which lay the mountains supposedly crawling with black mambas. We decided against determining the validity of that claim.

Elizabeth showing off her soccer scar which was shaped remarkably like the dark continent.

Post-session cold drink at the cafe with Ethan, Merris, Anise, and Elizabeth.

Sasko Sam. I love the signage in this country.

Update

So, long overdue, eh?

Things have been busy since our 3 month training (IST) in Pretoria, and I've been saving money for travel so sacrificed internet access save a few e-mails. But I've been storing up photos and stories and the like, and, with the convenient post scheduler function of blogger, will have posts twice a week for the next two months. Hopefully. I have a bunch of photos from PST, so I'll start with that stuff. Once that is out of the way I'll start in on my first three months of real service.

Things are well.