Hi everybody and happy 2018! I’m going to try to catch you all up on the past few months, jumping back to last year and getting our first projects off the ground; a girls group and World AIDS Day event. I'm still trying to process how these projects went and what we can improve on. I now understand; living here is one thing, but trying to work here is a whole new ballgame. A major cultural adjustment of working here means that I cannot predict anything which is frustrating at times, yet keeps everything exciting, which I absolutely love.
Within days of meeting Bongi last April, she told me she wanted to start a girls club, which made it more special when it become a reality. We had a group of 35 girls all in grades 8 and 9 at our local high school. We met with them twice a week for 10 weeks. One day a week was discussion and activities of topics including self-awareness, self confidence, health and HIV. The second day of the week was a sports day where we played soccer and the girls taught me the popular South African sport of netball. On December 1st, our Home Based Care, Youth Center and Clinic worked together to have our community's first ever World AIDS Day event. Our goal of the event was to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for those living with HIV, and remember those who have lost their lives to HIV. Our program included speakers from the Department of Health, individuals living with HIV, and community leaders. Our Girl's Club presented a drama they created on HIV and we also held a candlelight vigil for those who have lost their lives to HIV. We had booths for HIV & TB testing and we got to slaughter a cow to feed the audience. Going through these projects continued to make me think about what my role should be as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I’m working to find the balance between being a leader and also giving up control to let others take ownership. I want my co-workers and community to be the driving force behind these projects to ensure that they are important to the community and not just something I think could help. These projects also exposed me to unfortunate effects of money. We wrote a grant for these projects and as I tried to work hand in hand with all my host country partners by being transparent about the amount of money and giving others control of the money, this lead to tension, accusations, and ultimately the 'disappearance' of some money. It was really sad and hard to comprehend, but I just try not to hold negative feeling against anybody as I know I'll never be able to fully understand the effects that the history of this country and poverty can have on individuals. If Facebook didn't alert everyone enough :), at the completion of these projects my parents visited me! It still doesn't feel real that they were actually here. It was an incredible experience having them in village, meeting my friends and family, feeling the heat of the Mpumalanga sun and getting a glimpse of my new life over here. I can't say our trip was flawless though. I felt mentally exhausted nearly the entire time going from my integrated life in a rural village, to becoming one of the millions of tourists visiting Cape Town and other developed cities in South Africa. I've yet to meet someone in my village who has been to Cape Town and many people have never been to Kruger National Park (which I'm practically bordering). I felt torn leaving my village and jumping into this other world that I have the privilege to be apart of and knowing so many of those that I have come to love here will never be apart of, even though some of these amenities are just miles from their homes. My parents also felt at a loss of words to the complete and obvious inequalities and disparity in this country. My mom has struggled to explain it to others as she has returned home and so she asked to write a short piece to explain; it is attached at the bottom of this post if you'd like to read it. And finally, my old high school friend Tim came and spent a week in my village with me. It was all to special and unique that he had the desire to come and just experience what life is like over here. We had a jam packed week as I tried to fit in so many aspects of my life. Highlights included eating chicken & cow legs, riding the taxis, explaining to everyone he's not my husband, giving him the name Matimba (meaning strength) and my siblings & neighbors coming to adore him (some continue to ask where he went). Tim made a lasting impression here as he was determined to learn the basics of the language in just a short visit. I don't think many people would be able to handle some of the challenges as well as he did and it was all to meaningful to have him here. Phefffff sorry that was such a long post. To say the least, I cannot believe I've almost been here one year now. So much is still going on which keeps me busy, happy and more excited then ever to see what the next year will bring. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2018! Love, Josie Impressions from a PCV's Mother Now that we’re home people ask, “How was your vacation?”. Much to their dismay, it’s impossible to respond without acknowledging the struggle we saw. Having a daughter living in the midst of it slants my vision, but a summary of our trip would be completely lacking if it did not include the challenging reality that faces the majority of the population in South Africa. Three weeks road-tripping around 5 provinces in South Africa; we pinched ourselves frequently to make sure we weren’t dreaming. We experienced a wild & beautiful country, beautiful people & culture, with distressing & overwhelming problems. If you’re interested enough to read this – remember these facts: Of the 59 million people in South Africa. 7% white, 80% black, 13% mixed. The MAJORITY of the 47 million black South Africans, live in Shantytowns. Shanty towns are everywhere; big cities, small towns, & in the middle of nowhere. Small parcels of land with tens of thousands of families living on top of each other. Most have no running water, outhouses shared by many, no garbage collection or dump. Garbage everywhere. When the wind blows, plastic bags & garbage get stuck in the brush, on fences, strewn along beautiful beaches, giving the appearance of decoration, until you realize it’s garbage. In many places, only a street divides two extremes; plus high fencing with ugly barbed wire around the perimeter of every home. While leaving Cape Town, we drove alongside a shanty town for 30 minutes & never saw the end of it. Josie does not live in a shanty town; the Peace Corps doesn’t allow it. She lives in an extremely poor community with 80% unemployment. Her family is among the lucky; the family home has solid walls, partially functioning windows & doors, and a tin roof that only leaks a little. The fire they cook over is nearby & thankfully outdoors. Josie’s “dad” travels only a few miles each day to fill their water containers from a well. Her younger siblings only walk 2 miles each way, to school. Josie and her family don’t need to share their outhouse with the entire neighborhood; only with a few neighbors. Josie’s family has 2 mango trees; providing amazing relief from the powerful sun during the 6 months of summer. Josie takes malaria medicine daily; unfortunately, the family she rents from does not. There is a high school nearby; every single window was broken with jagged broken glass visible, no books, no blackboard, no desk for a teacher. The students from this school ask Josie for help with their online college applications. Her village is a place where malaria and HIV unfairly take lives every year.
There is much good in Josie’s community; people share pretty much everything they have. People get around by hitchhiking – hundreds and hundreds of hitchhikers get where they need to go because the level of trust is high enough that they get picked up. There is a lot of activity, kids playing, handshaking, dancing, and laughter. Josie has fully integrated herself into the life of this village; she is happy, with friends and people who love her. We had an amazing time in her village. I don’t have any good suggestions for the problems in South Africa; just sadness and dismay. Despite what I saw, I went on and had a nice time – spent money on nice hotels and adventures. Enough money to change the life for an entire family. Saddened daily by what I saw; but, enjoyed a nice meal in a restaurant with glass of wine by the end of each day. We tried to tip generously, smile big, learn a few words of their languages, and shake a lot of hands. Always feeling inadequate. Josie struggled throughout our travels, finding it almost impossible to accept that we were still in the same country she’s been living in for the past year. It felt like another planet. Imagine what it feels like to those who have spent their entire life there. Strong & hard-working. Many who live 10 miles from the famous Kruger National Park, will never step foot in it. I hope life will get easier for them, but I have no idea how that will happen. Now I understand why Josie’s blog posts are far and few between; some things are impossible to put into words. ps: I ❤️ Mpumalanga!
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