It is the 17th of March. Usually, there is nothing that can distract me from my cultural obligation to this holiday. Last year, my nearest volunteer and I skipped school and headed to our nearest shopping town for pap (South Africa’s maize meal, staple food) and Amarula (similar to our Bailey’s Irish crème), both of which we colored green with our own food coloring.
This year, I canceled our date because of work commitments. There couldn’t have been a better message than that of the hovering storm clouds beckoning me home, to put me in check and remind me of my little remaining time here in South Africa and need to slow my pace, blog and celebrate this holiday(even if it doesn’t include a green beverage).
To makeup for my lack of documenting, I will try to provide a short reflection of the past month’s highlights rather than detail my mother’s clean scent when I first hugged her at the airport terminal, or tell you about the youthful smile spread across my father’s face as we laughed about his misfortunes in traveling this side. I will instead give you some small features in my life that have me remaining grateful for this experience and opportunity to continue learning about myself and EVERYTHING.You should know that my sound track for this message writing is Freshlyground, ‘Nomvla (After The Rain)’. Since my PC friends and I attended a concert last year November, I have been obsessed with the traditional sounds of this radical racially diverse South African group. The bands lead singer, Zo jumps and jives around the stage to the unique beats, summoning all it’s listeners to hit the sway, clap, and sung Xhosa click in rhythm. The girls and I had a memorable time out, having all worn our summer sun dresses, we spent the whole night dancing and enjoying each others company in the big city of Pretoria.
Around this same time, I also had the amazing opportunity to meet and visit with recently appointed Peace Corps Director Williams. Previously, the South African Mission Director for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and a Dominican Republic Peace Corps Volunteer, Director Williams welcomed our discussions about the eminent challenges accompanying living in South Africa and acting as a volunteer. Children screamed in excitement as we and Director William’s 10 person entourage circled the school and village. I felt great pride introducing my community family and friends to this American.
In celebration of World AIDS Day, I worked with our newly formed group the Healthy Living Project to provide a testing drive, entertainment and education event for our Gemsbok community.
On December 4th, we successfully tested and educated over 200 community members and felt great satisfaction in the work we had completed sans funds. Elders of the community donated their time to cook a hot meal for our volunteer high school student entertainers. 
Local vegetables were collected and a generator was given when last minute, the electricity failed. Our work together has continued and we have recently received $2k in U.S. President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funds, with the completion and approval of our VAST grant (requiring the community to contribute at least 25% of need for AIDS awareness project). Funds have arrived and are currently being put toward our Human Right’s AIDS Testing Event this Friday, 19March. Once again we are having several entertainment groups and local officials giving their support for HIV understanding. Our community group has been busy preparing advertisements, crafting AIDS ribbon pins, and learning about Tuberculosis (TB), proper condom use, caring for people with HIV, and proper nutrition.
When I leave our afternoon meetings, I am always reminded why I enjoy this work. These teenagers, just like those in the states are able to communicate with me about their interests and questions and our dialog is always relaxed and informative for all.Just next, my parents visited and we vacationed in Southern Africa. As I left for the airport to pick them, I received notice via email that my father would not be arriving with my mother; he had been detained in the U.S. for his lack of visa papers and would arrive the following day. Once Dad arrived we visited with my village schools, community members, and families.
Standing with interested friends, mom shed tears at the clinic, just as I had 17 months prior. We then sought after our adventures across diverse South Africa.
In Coffee Bay, we dodged pot holes left and right to get to Coffee Shack, but greatly admired the scenery of green pastures and brightly painted roundaval homes. Our driving schedule was stressful, but stay spots and small adventures along the way made even the backseat driver comments worthwhile. Cape Town and the wine lands each had their unique beauty and European flair that we all thoroughly enjoyed. 
Whether picnicking at Cape of Good Hope or wine tasting by horse back, my parents and I enjoyed exceptional moment’s animal sighting and labyrinth walking. 
My mother and I later briefly visited Botswana’s Salt Pans to see the Zebra and Wildebeast migration. 
We road the Okavango Delta on a mokoro (dugout canoe) and walked Zimbabwe and Zambia’s boarder to wade in Victoria Falls and it’s daring Devil’s pool. With a goodbye that lasted a few days longer than expected, I was able to really touch ground with my mother and recognize how much I miss caring for my family and friends stateside.
Afterward, I went on to see Namibia’s diverse lands with traveling companions that care for a slightly different travel routine. Planning to camp just outside Fish River Canyon (the second largest canyon in the world) my PC friends and I stocked up on petrol and beverages at the border and made our way into the desert. At Shark Island we endured windy conditions in our tiny tents held down by stone and string, to wake on the water, witness dolphins swimming in the frigid waters, sail boat and oyster taste. Our last stretch of travel was out to the Namib Desert to see the miraculous dunes at sunrise. 
Day dune surfing and late night and early morning drives were halted by a two hour walk out to sit with the dunes and admire the greatness of this natural wonder. A must in Southern Africa travels, for sure!After holiday and back at site, I have been busy with projects. Reading intervention with grade 4 and 5 learners has taken on several new routines and the students are making small improvements that are meaningful to them and their school educators. Educator projects have included changing of the timetable to supplement the newly reinvented school classrooms. EkuJabuleni educators have been trained on the preparing learner librarians and Bawokuhle primary is organizing library room materials. Gemsbok’s Toilet Project proposal has been listed online through the Peace Corps Partnership Program in great thanks to community completion of proposal plans and we are looking forward to completing the project once we receive your donations. I’ve been recently requested to train educators from neighboring schools in classroom management, creation of school wide discipline plans, and reviewing a document I created named, ‘Understanding Special Needs’. I am putting finishing touches on projects to prepare my work and site for an incoming volunteer and overall community sustainability. And as the state’s school year enters its 2nd semester, I am busy preparing for my anticipated August arrival back to Ohio. I am spending every hour outside of work out in the village, online job applying. Let me know if you would like to help.
Next week, I am once again participating in the half-marathon at Longtom Pass in Sabie. PC South Africa Volunteers run for the KLM foundation created by previous volunteers and gather funds for a scholarship to send deserving, underprivileged South African children to school.
The World Cup is beginning in June and I will be attending a game. I hear you will be able to catch a few of the soccer matches on ESPN and I hope you will tune in for the historical profiles about South Africa. My friend Jo and I will be hosting girls’ soccer camps for our villagers as the nation’s schools are closing to ease visitor transport.
There isn’t a week that goes by that doesn’t still include me questioning my capabilities and interest in being here. However, the brightness that arrives in each day’s trouble is inspiring and pleasant beyond belief. Miss everyone and will be seeing you soon. xo
