Thama!
That is just another way of saying "hello" in Sepulana, a dialect of Sepedi. I want to start off this post by thanking all of you who've left comments on the blog, they mean ALOT to me. Especially the comments from my students back in Jordan. I miss Jordan ALOT more than I expected and I hope the 400 wing is holding it's self together without me. It warms my heart to know that some of you are reading my blog.
I've spent the past few days buying basic necessities for my "condo". I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but that's what I'm calling my two bedroom house. It sounds so much more trendy. I've had to shop for a big plastic bin to bathe in, buckets, a hot plate, an electric water kettle, more buckets, cups, basic food items, silverware, did I mention buckets! Buckets are a hot commodity here in my village and amongst those of us who don't have regular running water.
For instance, today the water was running in the outside spicket so my host mother (whose AWESOME) came knocking on my door to let me know so I could fill up anything and everything I could find with water while it was on. I'm still not sure why, but sometimes the water is shut off at various homes so you live off your reserves or go to the neighbors house if they have water.
I had a great time today plucking my first batch of fresh avocados off our tree in the back. The tree is VERY tall, so the family uses a ridiculously long stick with a hook on the end. You then break your back and neck reaching up as high as possible to the avocados and try to wrap the hook around them. My little brothers and sisters stood under the tree with a blanket to catch the falling ones. The family has a make-shift tarp set up under the tree to catch the ones that fall once they are ripe. The avocados here are the size of a small cantaloupe. IT'S RIDICULOUS!!! I can't wait to start eating them. My neck/back is killing me though (haha...)
I attended an interesting workshop today with two of the principals I'll be working with on School Budgeting/Financing. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of financing workshops, especially when they are in a language other than English. But it was great opportunity for me to meet other principals in my school district (we call them circuits here) so they know who I am and recognize my face. It was also interesting to hear about some of the circuit's policies on finances.
I'm trying to get my condo organized, but it's difficult w/o some pieces of major furniture, like a wardrobe for my clothes. My province's Department of Education will provide me with a bed, desk, two chairs, and a wardrobe. I know....pretty cool eh.....except for the fact that they haven't delivered them yet. Thankfully my host family is letting me borrow one of their beds. I don't mind living out of a suitcase for a few weeks. The key word for Peace Corps Volunteers is P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E.
I spent a few hours today laying in my hammock (yep....I said hammock) reading a book and listening to music. It was very relaxing. Tomorrow I'll head to my shopping town to pick up some more items, like a pot for cooking, string to hang my clothes on in my "condo", an iron, and....can you guess the third thing?....you got it....more buckets! I'm lucky because a PCV who has lived in my village the past year just ended her service and gave me ALOT of her stuff. So she gave me a great jump start.
Time for me to cook "LaTosha's Famous Pasta", which is pasta cooked with random spices until it smells and looks pretty.
Sepela Gabotse Bagweras! (aka...goodbye friends)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Swearing In Ceremony Today
Go Bjang!
WARNING: THIS WILL BE A LONG POST!!!
Well....the past few weeks have been incredibly crazy and busy. I've been receiving all yall's comments on my blog and it is soooooooo good to read them! It's hard to explain how good it is to receive letters and thoughts from back home. At the same time it can be difficult because it makes me a bit homesick....BUT KEEP SENDING THEM!
As for packages that have been sent to me. Umm....I haven't received any which probably means I won't get them. Not to bash this lovely country, but the postal system is not very reliable, especially when it comes to packages. If you want to send me a package, please do one of the following:
(1) buy insurance for it
(2) label it as "Religious Material Inside"
(3) label it as "Education Material Inside"
(4) don't claim it as expensive
This will help decrease the possibility of ....umm....well....sticking fingers. Also, don't send me mail to the "Pretoria Address" anymore. I officially have my own PO Box at my new permanent site:
PO Box 3749
Acornhoek 1360
South Africa
Oh yes...I'll start having regular access to the internet because I bought an internet phone a few days ago. South Africa (SA) is an extremely interesting country because it's like 1st and 3rd worlds coming together. EVERYBODY has a cellphone, even in the most rural of areas sometimes. It's really neat because that means you get service in some of the most remote places. So what we (Volunteers) do is buy internet phones and then we're able to hook them up to our computers and get internet service. I know what you're thinking..... "isn't that expensive"? Not at all....SA has a prepaid system for their phones, and the phones aren't nearly as expensive as they are in the States.
So today is a big day. I'll no longer be a Peace Corps Trainee. This afternoon I'll become a Peace Corps VOLUNTEER! Cool eh?!?!? This past week we took our language test, which I passed with flying colors. I scored an Intermediate High, which is fancy for "I Rock"! Just kidding. This week was also difficult because we had to say goodbye to our host family's that we've been living with for the past 8 weeks. I grew extremely close to my family, and it was very hard to say goodbye (yep....just like the song). I'm going to miss them alot, but I know I'll be able to visit.
Today after our Swearing In Ceremony, we'll head to our new sites. That is where I'll be living and working for my two years of service. Finally, I won't be living out of a suitcase or bookbag. I've been assigned to two primary schools that are grades Creche (Kindergarten) through seven. There are about 350 kids at each school with a teaching staff of 10-15. Peace Corps is cool because it allows you to focus on areas that are your strengths. I want to focus on teacher training and working with youth in the community with HIV awareness. In 2005, the New Curriculum Statement was implemented in all schools across the country, and ALOT of schools/teachers/principals are having a difficult time moving into the "new system". And that's where I come in...
My two supervisors are the principals of the schools, and they are very excited about me. It's actually a bit overwhelming, because they have alot of expectations. And at the same time, the community was expecting a white volunteer. But they seem to be happy with me because I'm "one of them". Not to go to the "Race Thing", but I feel so welcomed here because people like the fact that I sound American but look like them. Its interesting... anywho....
My new village, Mokhululine (yea...it's a mouth full), sits right up against the Drakenburg Mountains and it's beautiful. I watch the sunset behind the mountains and its awesome. There's a large variety of animals and vegetation, different from where I've been training. My yard has mango, guava, avocado, and banana trees! I've been given a small two room house in the family compound of a widow and her children/grandchildren. I'm very happy for the space, especially since some volunteers were given one room inside the family's house or one room that sits off to the side. I can't wait to move in and turn it into my own space.
The one downer is that the village speaks a dialect of Sepedi that has bits of Xitonga mixed in, it's called Sepulana. So I'll have to learn a semi-new language. My family speaks Sepedi, so atleast that won't be a problem.
Anywho....now that I'll have regular internet access, I'll be able to update my blog more frequently AND begin to tackle the massive number of emails that I haven't checked in months. Sorry for the long post but alot has been going on.
Till next time....
WARNING: THIS WILL BE A LONG POST!!!
Well....the past few weeks have been incredibly crazy and busy. I've been receiving all yall's comments on my blog and it is soooooooo good to read them! It's hard to explain how good it is to receive letters and thoughts from back home. At the same time it can be difficult because it makes me a bit homesick....BUT KEEP SENDING THEM!
As for packages that have been sent to me. Umm....I haven't received any which probably means I won't get them. Not to bash this lovely country, but the postal system is not very reliable, especially when it comes to packages. If you want to send me a package, please do one of the following:
(1) buy insurance for it
(2) label it as "Religious Material Inside"
(3) label it as "Education Material Inside"
(4) don't claim it as expensive
This will help decrease the possibility of ....umm....well....sticking fingers. Also, don't send me mail to the "Pretoria Address" anymore. I officially have my own PO Box at my new permanent site:
PO Box 3749
Acornhoek 1360
South Africa
Oh yes...I'll start having regular access to the internet because I bought an internet phone a few days ago. South Africa (SA) is an extremely interesting country because it's like 1st and 3rd worlds coming together. EVERYBODY has a cellphone, even in the most rural of areas sometimes. It's really neat because that means you get service in some of the most remote places. So what we (Volunteers) do is buy internet phones and then we're able to hook them up to our computers and get internet service. I know what you're thinking..... "isn't that expensive"? Not at all....SA has a prepaid system for their phones, and the phones aren't nearly as expensive as they are in the States.
So today is a big day. I'll no longer be a Peace Corps Trainee. This afternoon I'll become a Peace Corps VOLUNTEER! Cool eh?!?!? This past week we took our language test, which I passed with flying colors. I scored an Intermediate High, which is fancy for "I Rock"! Just kidding. This week was also difficult because we had to say goodbye to our host family's that we've been living with for the past 8 weeks. I grew extremely close to my family, and it was very hard to say goodbye (yep....just like the song). I'm going to miss them alot, but I know I'll be able to visit.
Today after our Swearing In Ceremony, we'll head to our new sites. That is where I'll be living and working for my two years of service. Finally, I won't be living out of a suitcase or bookbag. I've been assigned to two primary schools that are grades Creche (Kindergarten) through seven. There are about 350 kids at each school with a teaching staff of 10-15. Peace Corps is cool because it allows you to focus on areas that are your strengths. I want to focus on teacher training and working with youth in the community with HIV awareness. In 2005, the New Curriculum Statement was implemented in all schools across the country, and ALOT of schools/teachers/principals are having a difficult time moving into the "new system". And that's where I come in...
My two supervisors are the principals of the schools, and they are very excited about me. It's actually a bit overwhelming, because they have alot of expectations. And at the same time, the community was expecting a white volunteer. But they seem to be happy with me because I'm "one of them". Not to go to the "Race Thing", but I feel so welcomed here because people like the fact that I sound American but look like them. Its interesting... anywho....
My new village, Mokhululine (yea...it's a mouth full), sits right up against the Drakenburg Mountains and it's beautiful. I watch the sunset behind the mountains and its awesome. There's a large variety of animals and vegetation, different from where I've been training. My yard has mango, guava, avocado, and banana trees! I've been given a small two room house in the family compound of a widow and her children/grandchildren. I'm very happy for the space, especially since some volunteers were given one room inside the family's house or one room that sits off to the side. I can't wait to move in and turn it into my own space.
The one downer is that the village speaks a dialect of Sepedi that has bits of Xitonga mixed in, it's called Sepulana. So I'll have to learn a semi-new language. My family speaks Sepedi, so atleast that won't be a problem.
Anywho....now that I'll have regular internet access, I'll be able to update my blog more frequently AND begin to tackle the massive number of emails that I haven't checked in months. Sorry for the long post but alot has been going on.
Till next time....
Saturday, August 23, 2008
A New Home
Thobela!!
It's been a while since I've been able to post a blog. There is an internet cafe in the closest town to me, but it is usually closed once I'm finished with class and it is a SUPER DUPER slow connection.
So yesterday we recieved out site placements, so my nervousness/excitement/anxiety is finally over.....well almost. Next week we will visit our new homes, I can't pronunciate the village and I don't have the sheet with the name on it. My shopping town Acornhoek sits right next to Kruger National Park!!! Which means I'll be in (pretty much) the most beautiful part of South Africa, next to The Cape. I'm very happy! My village is not near Acornhoek, but that is where I'll go to buy my basic necessities.
So next week will consist of me meeting my new supervisor, my new host family who is providing me with a room seperate from the main house, the village chief, the schools/teachers, and other things that need to be taken care of. I'm also excited about getting to see more of this country. My site is very far from where I've been training the past month.
The one bummer about my site location is that I'll be required to take Malaria medication because of my close-ness to Kruger National Park :(
Once we get back from out site visit, we'll have two more weeks of training which will also include my Language Test. I've really picked up on the language and I try to speak it as much as possible with my family and friends. All the pieces are starting to fall into place. It's a good feeling, let's just hope I can pass the test :)
My host family here is still AWESOME and I'm going to miss them alot. I know that I'll be able to come in visit them which is a comforting feeling. The food is still good and I'm learning how to cook some of the local cuisine like bagobe (pap), potato dishes, mashed pumpkin, and maize rice (which tastes JUST LIKE GRITS so you know I'm loving it!). I'm also getting alot better at hand washing my clothes and taking bucket baths. Hand washing clothes is a very tedious and arduous back-breaking task. My 16 year old cousin says I need to "not be so lazy" when washing them. I guess I wasn't scrubbing hard enough, but my back and hands didn't feel that way.
My internet time is running out. I hope I'll be able to get to an internet cafe some time next week so I can post some of my pictures.
I miss all of you and hope all is going well in the States. I'm staying healthy mentally and physically.
Gabotse!!!
It's been a while since I've been able to post a blog. There is an internet cafe in the closest town to me, but it is usually closed once I'm finished with class and it is a SUPER DUPER slow connection.
So yesterday we recieved out site placements, so my nervousness/excitement/anxiety is finally over.....well almost. Next week we will visit our new homes, I can't pronunciate the village and I don't have the sheet with the name on it. My shopping town Acornhoek sits right next to Kruger National Park!!! Which means I'll be in (pretty much) the most beautiful part of South Africa, next to The Cape. I'm very happy! My village is not near Acornhoek, but that is where I'll go to buy my basic necessities.
So next week will consist of me meeting my new supervisor, my new host family who is providing me with a room seperate from the main house, the village chief, the schools/teachers, and other things that need to be taken care of. I'm also excited about getting to see more of this country. My site is very far from where I've been training the past month.
The one bummer about my site location is that I'll be required to take Malaria medication because of my close-ness to Kruger National Park :(
Once we get back from out site visit, we'll have two more weeks of training which will also include my Language Test. I've really picked up on the language and I try to speak it as much as possible with my family and friends. All the pieces are starting to fall into place. It's a good feeling, let's just hope I can pass the test :)
My host family here is still AWESOME and I'm going to miss them alot. I know that I'll be able to come in visit them which is a comforting feeling. The food is still good and I'm learning how to cook some of the local cuisine like bagobe (pap), potato dishes, mashed pumpkin, and maize rice (which tastes JUST LIKE GRITS so you know I'm loving it!). I'm also getting alot better at hand washing my clothes and taking bucket baths. Hand washing clothes is a very tedious and arduous back-breaking task. My 16 year old cousin says I need to "not be so lazy" when washing them. I guess I wasn't scrubbing hard enough, but my back and hands didn't feel that way.
My internet time is running out. I hope I'll be able to get to an internet cafe some time next week so I can post some of my pictures.
I miss all of you and hope all is going well in the States. I'm staying healthy mentally and physically.
Gabotse!!!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Village Life
Thobela!
I have about 10 minutes or so to sum up all that's been going on with me the past few weeks. I live in a somewhat large village with my two host parents, Lydia and Chico who are absolutely wonderful. They own a supermarket and tavern (bar) in the village, so I consider them entrepreneurs. I am living very comfortably with my own room, and have made it my own space by putting my poster from home on the walls. Also living with us are my two bobutis (brothers), two cousins (I don't know that word yet), and my Makoko (grandma).
The food has been very very good, but different. I have adjusted well to life here in my village. Everyday I have language class (I'm learning Sepedi) and then I go to the local teaching college to attend classes that are preparing me to work in the field starting in September. I won't know where my permanent site will be or what my responsibilities will be until the end of August. I will either be a teacher trainer, work with school management, work the school governing board, and/or work with youth in schools/communities. It all depends on what is needed at my site.
I am turning into a mini superstar b/c people are surprised to see a Black woman with an English accent! While walking home, the village kids call my name everyday and shout "how are you" even though I'm no sure if they understand what they are saying. People ask me the same question all the time "how is America compared to South Africa?"
My family has named me Lerato, which means "love", so that is what the village has started calling me. All-in-all, I'm very happy to be here and I'm loving village life! Letters from home take a while (3-4 weeks) to get here, but please please please write. It's a great moral booster since I don't get a chance to call home or get to the Internet on a regular basis.
gabotse!
P.S. this country is breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL!!!
I have about 10 minutes or so to sum up all that's been going on with me the past few weeks. I live in a somewhat large village with my two host parents, Lydia and Chico who are absolutely wonderful. They own a supermarket and tavern (bar) in the village, so I consider them entrepreneurs. I am living very comfortably with my own room, and have made it my own space by putting my poster from home on the walls. Also living with us are my two bobutis (brothers), two cousins (I don't know that word yet), and my Makoko (grandma).
The food has been very very good, but different. I have adjusted well to life here in my village. Everyday I have language class (I'm learning Sepedi) and then I go to the local teaching college to attend classes that are preparing me to work in the field starting in September. I won't know where my permanent site will be or what my responsibilities will be until the end of August. I will either be a teacher trainer, work with school management, work the school governing board, and/or work with youth in schools/communities. It all depends on what is needed at my site.
I am turning into a mini superstar b/c people are surprised to see a Black woman with an English accent! While walking home, the village kids call my name everyday and shout "how are you" even though I'm no sure if they understand what they are saying. People ask me the same question all the time "how is America compared to South Africa?"
My family has named me Lerato, which means "love", so that is what the village has started calling me. All-in-all, I'm very happy to be here and I'm loving village life! Letters from home take a while (3-4 weeks) to get here, but please please please write. It's a great moral booster since I don't get a chance to call home or get to the Internet on a regular basis.
gabotse!
P.S. this country is breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL!!!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Sepedi!
Well....
I've finally settled into the country and have about 10 minutes to describe whats been going on this past week. We left DC Monday at 5:40 and got into Jo'burg at 4:40 on Tuesday. The flight was close to unbearable at one point, b/c the lovely air conditioner decided not to work. We fell asleep nice and cool, but woke up in our own sweat :).
Once we arrived, we drove about an hour and a half to our training site, and since then we've been geting to know each other and our trainers. Today, we found out what our target langauge would be. As you can tell from the title, I will be learning Sepedi (along with bits and pieces of Afrikaans and Setswana). This means I'll be placed in Limpopo. We have also been interviewed so the local staff can get an idea of where we'd like to be placed for our two years. I hope I get what I want, which is as rural as possible. All locations have electricity, but some may have to walk a short distance to water or will atleast have water outside their home.
Tomorrow we go home with our host family and I'm really looking forward to meeting them. That's about it for now. The other volunteers are awesome and the local staff are GREAT.
Shala Kabotusi (spelling?)....this means "bye" ....
I've finally settled into the country and have about 10 minutes to describe whats been going on this past week. We left DC Monday at 5:40 and got into Jo'burg at 4:40 on Tuesday. The flight was close to unbearable at one point, b/c the lovely air conditioner decided not to work. We fell asleep nice and cool, but woke up in our own sweat :).
Once we arrived, we drove about an hour and a half to our training site, and since then we've been geting to know each other and our trainers. Today, we found out what our target langauge would be. As you can tell from the title, I will be learning Sepedi (along with bits and pieces of Afrikaans and Setswana). This means I'll be placed in Limpopo. We have also been interviewed so the local staff can get an idea of where we'd like to be placed for our two years. I hope I get what I want, which is as rural as possible. All locations have electricity, but some may have to walk a short distance to water or will atleast have water outside their home.
Tomorrow we go home with our host family and I'm really looking forward to meeting them. That's about it for now. The other volunteers are awesome and the local staff are GREAT.
Shala Kabotusi (spelling?)....this means "bye" ....
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Old School Communication
Well....I'm currently on a two day vacation in Florida with my mom and a few other family members who will be here tomorrow. My goal is to do absolutely nothing.
It was difficult saying goodbye to my father as he dropped us off at the airport this morning, but I know he and my mother will make a trip out to see me, so I had that to fall back on. Plus he's very proud of my decision to serve in the Peace Corps :)
Packing turned out to be way way way more difficult than I originally thought, and now I'm lugging around a 70 lb bag (my 2nd 70 lb back is waiting for me in Washington D.C.), a loaded down backpack, and my guitar which is getting heavier and heavier by the hour. I decided that I'd rather pay the "excess weight" fee than to try to figure out which clothes and shoes to take out to bring the weight down. Plus, it doesn't help that it's winter in South Africa which means warmer (aka heavier) clothing. Oh well...I'll either pull, break, or build up my arm muscle.
I wanted to post my address in case those of you reading my blog want to participate in some "old school communication". Yep....you guessed it....LETTERS! We've been told that we won't have consistent access to internet during our three months of training, so they advised us to write letters home and have our friends and family write to us. I received a great going away gift of postcards and stationary (thanks E), so I have plenty of writing material. But it'd be really nice to hear (or read) what's going on back in the States. So for those of you who have decent penmanship and the patience, you can write me letters (or send me care packages with newspapers, TIME magazines, or anything that involves Stateside current events) to the following address:
LaTosha D. Parker
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
I leave for staging in two days, and my nervousness/excitement is rapidly increasing!
Paz...
It was difficult saying goodbye to my father as he dropped us off at the airport this morning, but I know he and my mother will make a trip out to see me, so I had that to fall back on. Plus he's very proud of my decision to serve in the Peace Corps :)
Packing turned out to be way way way more difficult than I originally thought, and now I'm lugging around a 70 lb bag (my 2nd 70 lb back is waiting for me in Washington D.C.), a loaded down backpack, and my guitar which is getting heavier and heavier by the hour. I decided that I'd rather pay the "excess weight" fee than to try to figure out which clothes and shoes to take out to bring the weight down. Plus, it doesn't help that it's winter in South Africa which means warmer (aka heavier) clothing. Oh well...I'll either pull, break, or build up my arm muscle.
I wanted to post my address in case those of you reading my blog want to participate in some "old school communication". Yep....you guessed it....LETTERS! We've been told that we won't have consistent access to internet during our three months of training, so they advised us to write letters home and have our friends and family write to us. I received a great going away gift of postcards and stationary (thanks E), so I have plenty of writing material. But it'd be really nice to hear (or read) what's going on back in the States. So for those of you who have decent penmanship and the patience, you can write me letters (or send me care packages with newspapers, TIME magazines, or anything that involves Stateside current events) to the following address:
LaTosha D. Parker
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
I leave for staging in two days, and my nervousness/excitement is rapidly increasing!
Paz...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Countdown
I'm down to the last two days at my apartment, and I'm using every free moment to finish packing up my place. It has been an extremely tedious task. I'm also down to the last three days of saying goodbye to my friends. Luckily, I'll have a few more days to spend with the family, but saying goodbye is going to be difficult for all of us.
Oh yea.....and I'm also discovering how difficult it is to pack all the items I need w/o going ridiculously over the airline weight max or w/o making my bags so heavy that I can't comfortably carry them. It is also necessary for me to organize my belongings into two categories: "essential and non-essential". The "non-essential" bag needs to be full of items that I won't need during my three months of training, while the "essential" bag stays with me.
I'll spend the latter half of this week on vacation with my family in Florida, and then it's off to Washington D.C. for three days of staging. Once we arrive in Jo'burg next Tuesday, we will travel about an hour and a half north of the capital (Pretoria....I know, I thought it was Jo'burg for the longest times too) to our training site at Marapayne Education Center near the town of Bela Bela inMpumalanga Province. We'll be assigned to our host families later on in the week, and I'm really looking forward to meeting the people I'll be living with over the next few months. I hope they like the gifts I'm bringing from the States.
We've been informed that we won't have access to internet on a regular basis during training, so we'll be relying mostly on old-fashion communication: writing letters.
Oh well....back to packing up my dishes.....till next time......
Oh yea.....and I'm also discovering how difficult it is to pack all the items I need w/o going ridiculously over the airline weight max or w/o making my bags so heavy that I can't comfortably carry them. It is also necessary for me to organize my belongings into two categories: "essential and non-essential". The "non-essential" bag needs to be full of items that I won't need during my three months of training, while the "essential" bag stays with me.
I'll spend the latter half of this week on vacation with my family in Florida, and then it's off to Washington D.C. for three days of staging. Once we arrive in Jo'burg next Tuesday, we will travel about an hour and a half north of the capital (Pretoria....I know, I thought it was Jo'burg for the longest times too) to our training site at Marapayne Education Center near the town of Bela Bela in
We've been informed that we won't have access to internet on a regular basis during training, so we'll be relying mostly on old-fashion communication: writing letters.
Oh well....back to packing up my dishes.....till next time......
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