1 year down 14 months to go
Today is my one year anniversary of my arrival in South Africa!!
Thus I present a few random thoughts of my first year:
1. I wish I would have learned the language better...sometimes...it also works well to play dumb when being harassed by drunk men and not hearing the women gossip about how fat I'm getting and how my pants are wrinkled.
2. If you are vain about your hair, and refuse to cut it short, you will inevitably end up housing cockroaches and/or scorpions at some point during your South African stay.
3. Warning: stairs in front of room, when wet, due to excessive polishing , are extremely slippery, remember this when you walk out to empty your "chamber pot"....
4. The kids make it all worth it- whether its coloring with them, playing football, playing games- anything- they will keep you from going insane.
5. South Africans call erasers "rubbers" knowing this is good- not leads to interesting exchanges with your principal
6. Stomachs can handle anything- I scoff at American hygiene- chicken that has been sitting out for a day as well as warm yogurt are both consumable products.
7. There is a correlation between the amount of time we spend at site and how much hair male volunteers have.
8. I read 4 books a week and constantly knit- I'm thinking this means I need to adopt more secondary projects.
9. I have learned, from my host family, that running will make me fat and eating pap will make me healthier.
10. Luckily, the people in the village expect me to be eccentric, I like to appease their view of me by randomly breaking into song and dance or by making face at small children- I think we're all happier when I act this way.
11. I have really bad days likewise I have really good days- is it worth it? I'm not always sure- but sometimes I think so- like when kids come and ask me to borrow books or a principal complains about a problem in the school and wants to dedicated themselves to fixing it or a child's face lights up as they yell "Sesi Makobo" all the while waving so desperately in such a manner that I fear they may dislocate a shoulder- then its worth it.
Thus I present a few random thoughts of my first year:
1. I wish I would have learned the language better...sometimes...it also works well to play dumb when being harassed by drunk men and not hearing the women gossip about how fat I'm getting and how my pants are wrinkled.
2. If you are vain about your hair, and refuse to cut it short, you will inevitably end up housing cockroaches and/or scorpions at some point during your South African stay.
3. Warning: stairs in front of room, when wet, due to excessive polishing , are extremely slippery, remember this when you walk out to empty your "chamber pot"....
4. The kids make it all worth it- whether its coloring with them, playing football, playing games- anything- they will keep you from going insane.
5. South Africans call erasers "rubbers" knowing this is good- not leads to interesting exchanges with your principal
6. Stomachs can handle anything- I scoff at American hygiene- chicken that has been sitting out for a day as well as warm yogurt are both consumable products.
7. There is a correlation between the amount of time we spend at site and how much hair male volunteers have.
8. I read 4 books a week and constantly knit- I'm thinking this means I need to adopt more secondary projects.
9. I have learned, from my host family, that running will make me fat and eating pap will make me healthier.
10. Luckily, the people in the village expect me to be eccentric, I like to appease their view of me by randomly breaking into song and dance or by making face at small children- I think we're all happier when I act this way.
11. I have really bad days likewise I have really good days- is it worth it? I'm not always sure- but sometimes I think so- like when kids come and ask me to borrow books or a principal complains about a problem in the school and wants to dedicated themselves to fixing it or a child's face lights up as they yell "Sesi Makobo" all the while waving so desperately in such a manner that I fear they may dislocate a shoulder- then its worth it.
posted by Cait at 11:52 AM
2 Comments:
Happy anniversary!May the next 14 months be less stressful than your 1st year.
Don`t lose hope as you are doing a good work that will live long after you shall have gone back home.These are some of the challenges that all of us have to contend with from time to time.
Cait,
I just wanted to let you know that I had a dream that I saw you last night. While this may not be the right place to tell you that, but I didn't know where else to say hi. I don't know when the next time I'll talk to you will be, or even if there will be a next time, but I was overjoyed to see you, even if it was only in a dream. I do hope you're doing well, which from reading it sounds like you're making out alright. Take care and good luck with everything.
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