Saturday, October 25, 2008

My newest address:

Haley McDonough
P.O. Box 765
Kwa-Mhlanga 1022
South Africa

*would love to hear from you

October Rains

Sorry to have not kept my blog writing frequent. I own a cellular I can use to check my email but am reluctant to write anything lengthily as my thumbs can’t take to the exercise just yet. Feel free to write me a personal email, I so enjoy reading a note from friends and family rather than junk mail updates. Below are a few journal experts with the most recent in closing. I am looking forward to a friend venturing this side of the world- who has agreed to bring me my laptop and from then writing will surely enhance!




preservice dancing at Umpho's families home with Umbali, the best little dancer I know

One good day-I am so happy-having longed to be in this situation for a long time. How nice it really is to not have control over little pieces of everything I am use to. I am learning, how capable I am no matter the situation. Skills I never knew I held. I have the time to get to know myself. I know me, I know my strengths, interests and am able to identify the areas I can help; where knowing me fits into how my time will be well spent.
late August, first on-site visit: Having met with the community chief, clinic and school-I had spoken my isiNdebele, and hopefully introductions were to everyone’s liking and won those over who may have been already doubting my commitment (the previous volunteer at my site in 2006 was sent home for not following PC policies).

Upon visiting with primary school educators: With my Principal having described me as approachable, energized and confident -I closed my introductions with a traditional goodbye however realized that some of the educators were still questioning my sir name in whispers-I quickly joined those who had exited theoffice to assure them it indeed was McDonough, like McDonald not Haley and from then forth could be addressed as Lungile(my given traditional IsiNdebele name).

First school reaction and assessment: some needs are similar to that of American schools, I am drawling on my experiences at Federal Hocking MS (Athens, OH) especially because it required educators to work with underfunding and underserved learners-one has to consider Maslow’s hierarchy when working with the learners because many have very little interest in school learning given they have little to eat and no one to care for them at home. In what ways (J.Safran phrasing!) can we as educators interact with learners while being compassionate to their prior knowledge and unique backgrounds?
Working with 14 educators at my intermediate school grades 4-6, currently I am meeting with educators on an individual basis once I complete a day classroom observation. When I gather with educators I am careful to consider their comfort in chatting with me. I review my purpose as agreed upon by SA Board of Education. But also suggest that they can take my comments as they like since they have 10+ years than I do in the field and are native to SA, and that in the future I have the opportunity to actually be able to try out and demonstrate some American teaching techniques I am familiar in their SA classrooms. But until then, I take note that I need to step cautiously, wisely and remember that some Educators will be let down with what I offer. I meet with Educators often through out the days to keep communication open to help build some of their confidence and be here to ease a bit of the questions and confusion that comes with relaying new information.
Phone calls home to a few friends and family: And I so adore at least hearing their voicemails as they provided just enough remembrance and those I speak with me, share that there is very little that is changing at home (besides gas prices…) while my everyday is a nauseous-ish cycle; sorry that is PROCESS, of learning.
Ndebele people festival
I am realizing that I have had an excellent set-up; A.) democratic CARE classroom learning; thank you Rosalie Romano and Francis Godwyll and fellow CARE cohort; B.) Jill Kasler practices with learners specifically in areas of reading and writing intervention at Alex.
I do miss my Mgunnie homestay (earlier introduced as first homestay) and they have brought me to tears with their phone-call check-ins; this always centers me and lets me realize that soon- Again I will feel comfort here in my final stay of Gemsbok Spruit. But oh how grand a place this is and how singular I am. I can feel daily the effect it is having on me.
The day is cloudy and I have found these to be my favorite. Never has weather played such a fundamental part in determining my mood for the day. I am not sure if it is the solitude of this moment (as the majority of my village is gathered down the way at a funeral-a young gent at the early age of 28 has passed-when asked what the cause was no one offers a response-I am not sure this is because they really are uninformed or if the cause is rather taboo and therefore community members are reluctant to share the highly unfortunate news-as inquisitive as I am and strive and want to be especially since it is sort of my job to understand the community- I am nosey in your face to understand these very situations. And so I find myself sharing there are only a few causes of death I am familiar with and therefore it shouldn’t be that difficult to find out his…right?!(or is this just the American I want to know now attitude)–because if it effects me I want to prepare myself.
So I begin to discuss the morbid topic of death, and as I grace over the words HIV/AIDS I am realizing that although I have not often spoken about these few letters, they meet my friends mouths more often. Their minds possibly gracing the topic and their lips emphasized by the taste of salty tears. I can note that those South Africans I speak with feel at ease with the subject and welcome the discussion given my comfort to lead. I know my own family in the states too far conservative, has a dynamic reaction to the subject of HIV/AIDS. Even when presenting my PC objective and community and schools resource specialist goals-faces held back a cringe while surely their stomachs were turning over as they thought what this may actually entail-myself in contact with those that are diseased. Giving of ones self does take on such an interesting path doesn’t it; not only that in the new world experience but with that which we come from.
Back to the clouds.. It is windy a tid bit, I find the right corner of the outside of the house to sit upon a hand-weaved bamboo mat, for an hour, I can still enjoy the outdoors as it is 5pm and the sun will not be holding me from my writing or reading. The winds are cool and filled with sandy specs from our passage ways and yards. The stillness is unusual but enjoyable, some sound of children playing and a few passerbys, groups of young gentlemen holding empty or full forty liter bottles for alcohol or cold drink on their way to the taverns, hang on one another as friends just do-laughing and jeering occasionally greeting and calling out to me either by my SA name Lungile (pronounced Loongelay) or that of the previous PC volunteer Simphwe. This is acknowledgment in its self and far greater than what I had received only a week ago. The sweet sounds of progress.
Our Ndebele family, all living in KwaNdebele land
Times of sorrow: A few days this week, I haven’t been quite able to hold back the tears. In these public occurrences, I may be sitting with new SA community members and have been asked about my USA family; rather than only the happenings of my fictional fiancĂ©…I for only an instance realize my family’s fine faces are far away and my eyes swell with tears. I grab for my handkerchief. Apologize to my new friends (strangers only minutes before) gather myself with the “this too shall pass” statement I am using as a means to get through the tough times and quickly skip to another subject. This same pattern is quick to repeat itself at even the most random of moments like when I am looking up at the clouds-I realize this is one of the elements true to any place you may be, and besides our breath (thank you Buddhist learning’s) can center me. I must add the skies awesomeness is held in SA, although it is rare that a Saturday or any day of mine was ever spent looking up in the states. Why not I wonder?
October rain; Life is getting a bit easier. Faces are comfortable with seeing me and I am feeling confident in where I am going in my village and what I am doing. This is good.
Today, I walked out of my usual morning paths to pick up 10 bars of soap and met an Indian shop owner who was humored by my comment that he takes a great deal of morning demand from small children in need of candy; all of which are unwilling to use their please and thank you courtesy that is a must at school(these side comments I often speak are usually not caught by my company, the beauties of an ESL country) .
Then by foot I journeyed to Bawokuhle Primary School and observed my Principal educate about Apartheid in 1.5 hours of lecture to grade 3 learners. Learning was in IsiNdebel as it is for all classes from grade 3 and under, but I am confident in suggesting that the learners have taken very little from what she has shared, the passage of knowledge evidently does not work through merely talking at is recipients. Welcome to my life.

It is the second day of World Handwashing Week!(I have asked a few village stores to donate bars of soap for the learners to use at school)-Since this is a new experience for learners they are overwhelmed with it all and I have very little control of what may seem like a simple task, I have asked 2 educators to assist me with this project but a mess is what we have with lines of 500 learners eager to clean- a hose of water is spraying everywhere-I become frustrated that the hose could not be turned off, ran around silly, drenching myself-spilling all the IsiNdebele language I knew and then gave up(it appears the pliers to turn off the water are with the janitor who is asleep somewhere-no one else seemed to care). And so all in all this was a completely wondrous occasion for many reasons-I am unsure how many understood the concept-why washing is important or how it can be a part of their everyday lives. But with my bit of introduction including an assembly simulation of handwashing to the tunes of the A-B-C’s, learners had looked forward to the suds and glorious clean and fragrant smells each day. Later I circulated letters of gratitude for learners and educators to sign for the store owners for which learners delivered and pleasantly reported back about the bright smiles they received for the thanks; again I felt there was a disconnect between the weeks purpose-possibly killing disease / learning how to adequately care for ones self to prevent spread of disease, but I am confident that there was a lesson of thanks and compassion, which learners were able to experience- rather than sit in on and hear about.
Traditional isNdebele festival
October 25, 2008 my frustrations are centered on the fact that I am still living out of suitcases. I have spent the last 6 weeks searching for a home-stay since I was mistakenly placed within my principal’s home. It appears few are willing to loan an outside room of their home to a stranger, a white, a foreigner, a 2 year commitment. Patiently, I have greeted and met with homes and questioned whether it would be my new safe place. This new place of comfort is so important as I am away from what is a usual place identified with home-familiarity. Now I am in need of shelter and safety and am accepting for the most part- who ever it is that will be sharing space with me. Cross your fingers, there has been progress and I am putting the final efforts into burglar proofing approval and completion and will be relocating in the next week(s!).