My Adventures/Misadventures in October

Molweni friends!

Yoh, things have been hectic (that’s a really South African expression by the way). Where did the month of October even go?! It seems like it just disappeared! So much has happened this is going to be quite the long post but since it’s been over a month – I think it is okay. ; )

I got to go to PE and spend some time with two of my PCV friends that were in town visiting from Kwa-Zulu Natal (the Province that they live in). It was over the school holiday and then I met up with them for the long weekend in PE. We had lots of fun shenanigans in PE. We stayed at a backpackers I haven’t stayed at before and it was great. That was exciting – a new favorite find! We went out dancing with a Canadian and French guy we met at the hostel which was a blast and then got late night McDonalds (hello, were we in America?!). It was also great because we got to cook our food to save money which was actually fun and tasty. Well it wasn’t actually fun because the hostel only seems to believe in extremely, extremely dull knives. Which were then all stolen(?) so the next night we had ONE very dull knife. Not conducive to good cooking, but eh. Whatever. It made for just yet another hilarious situation in our usually hilarious lives. Cutting veggies with a butter knife. Typical.

Sam and Kelley were able to confirm for me that the Eastern Cape really is in its own world compared to the rest of South Africa (although I think the Western Cape is like it too, but there are no PCVs in the Western Cape so I can’t confirm that). SO MUCH about it is just different than at least the other places in South Africa that I’ve been, and the stories that I’m told by other SA PCVs. In a way, it seems like the Eastern Cape is a little more modern and more diverse. Now, I haven’t been into the heart of the Eastern Cape really (the very rural areas) so it might be totally different there but the part that I’m in, and from what all of the other PCVs in the Eastern Cape have said (some of which are really in the heart of it) it is like that all over. It usually shocks other PCVs from different Provinces that we have regular contact with white and coloured people. It’s just interesting when the now five of us that are in the EC have such unique experiences to other PCVs. Each placement within a country will be unique and different but for all of us in the EC we have some group differences in our experiences compared to the rest of SA PC. Sam and Kelley were telling me that it’s true – at least compared to their experience at site.

*Tangent: in South Africa due to their history there are very distinct racial groups just like in the States only they are different which makes sense since race is a social construct which is to mean that it is not a universal – obviously since it can mean something different in different places. Anyway, coloured people are what we would called mixed race. Obviously in the states it’s not okay to call someone colored because of our own historical context but here it is a defined and distinct group of people with their own culture…it was one of a few option to mark you were coloured on the census. Which is another story by the way…I filled out the census and it was so interesting to see the differences between US census and SA census! The sociology nerd is coming out again.

All in all, the visit with Sam and Kelley was so fun, and much needed break! I have a pretty insane life here anyway (for example Tuesday night I went out and ate pizza at a restaurant…another example of my unique PC experience…I don’t really think many people here are doing things like that). BUT sometimes it’s just nice to get to talk to my fellow Americans about life. To hear about different sites, different successes and challenges of other people. We get to share ideas and stories for projects and programs – it’s nice to know that we’re all for the most part having the same things happen. We also have a blast together which makes any get together worth it!

South Africa in the month of October held their 2011 census. I was counted! It was really interesting to me for a couple reasons. One, the race category compared to ones you see that in the States was very short. Then I found it really interesting that if you weren’t a South African citizen they didn’t have a whole section asking what you were doing there, or how you came to be in South Africa. I just had to list that I was in fact not a South African citizen. I did then also explain that I was from the United States because it asked for what country you were from, but no sections about why you are in South Africa. Wouldn’t they want to know that? Maybe not. I’m not sure what the US census is like in that area. I was just surprised I didn’t have to say what I was doing here! The other sections it asked about were I think typical. Jobs, education, normal stuff. It was really interesting because they asked information about your house and you had to say how many rooms you have – but you couldn’t count bathrooms. It was really bizarre to me! I think it was kitchens and bathrooms or something – you couldn’t count those. I was confused about that. It was really fascinating to me.

On to new things. We have finished our first SKILLZ intervention! We had 12 kids graduate. In order to graduate they couldn’t have missed more than four of the 11 practices. So, considering our attendance challenges I was happy with 12! It was a really young group (10-13) and so they were at times a challenge to manage behavior wise. But they were so cute, and a really funny group. This next team starts this week and we have to have three practices a week because we need to finish the second intervention by December 1st. It’s going to be a tight squeeze but we gotta do it. It’s all grade seven learners which is the oldest grade at the primary school. I’m hoping that it can go a bit more smoothly due to the older audience. Plus, they are actually about to graduate in January and go to the secondary school. I’m not-so-secretly hoping they will be easy to manage!

The girls clubs started last month and were AWESOME. Noxolo and I have been so excited about them, and they went so well! We had introduction meetings at each of the schools and had 41 girls come to one and 46 come to the other! It was a great turn out! We’ve realize since it’s so late in the year, and they have exams this month we can’t really meet in November. And then December is school holiday when we won’t be meeting at all. So really, the main clubs will start in January and go all next school year. The school year here is January to December. We got a great package of goodies and supplies for our girls clubs which is fantastic – shout out needed to Dave! Thanks SO MUCH! We have so many things we can do with them now – it’s really exciting!

There has been major drama at my org this last month. I’m not going to get into it, except to say that I have been very, very, very stressed, confused, and worried. I’m finally at a place though that I’m optimistic about the future. We have the opportunity for a fresh start so to speak! Although we always seem to be in a state of small-to-huge crisis at my org. The panic levels correlate with the level of crisis. So, we’re always sort of in crisis/panic mode. It’s exhausting. Luckily I’ve been able to focus on my projects and sort of remove myself from the insanity although I can’t escape it altogether. My dream would be to get us to a place where we in fact are NOT in a state of constent crisis/panic. It’s a matter of setting up systems and organization. There was very REAL example of how we are hindered by our lack of organization. So, there is this amazing funding opportunity that we are eligible for. Of course we found out about it the week before the application was due (typical). Which happened to be the week that our management and lots of staff were out for the week at a training. Well, we were going to have to post our most recent audited financial statements and our NPO certificate to them to London – so we needed to send it ASAP. Now, we have filing cabinets but we might as well not. We simply couldn’t find the most recent audited statements and no one could tell us over the phone where they were. So, we lost the opportunity to apply for $100,000 in US funding that we would have been able to use on OVCs. I explained this to everyone at the staff meeting yesterday in an attempt to point out how the small things – like putting something in the correct place on a day to day basis actually does have a HUGE impact on the big picture of our organization. We lost out on a major opportunity.

I should also mention that we’ve been attempting to re-file since the end of August. We did organize the office in August (you may recall the close encounter I had with a giant rat during that episode) and part of that was suppose to be refilling. Well that didn’t happen and still hasn’t happened. And I refuse to do things like that on my own because what’s the point if I re-file for us – to a logic and system that suits me – and I’m leaving! It’s not sustainable, or useful to set people up with a system that they won’t understand and won’t use. So, I’ve sort of sat back and waited for someone to take the initiative on it. In addition I’ve been so insanely busy with girls clubs and SKILLZ that I haven’t even had the chance to put a fire under anyone to get started although I have voiced remainders. I hope this whole lost chance at funding has shaken some people up and it will get done sooner rather than later.

The REALLY REALLY AMAZING news though is that we FINALLY received our funding from the Department of Social Development. You know, seven months late, but who’s counting. Well, probably the people who have been working and not getting paid for the last seven months!!!! The only thing I can say about that is thank God. Well and although it is good news the Department expects us to spend the money as quickly as we can now so adding to the panic and crisis we have to spend over R200,000 as soon as possible. I don’t even want to think about it…I’m so overwhelmed with the idea of all the planning we have to do and then implement in the next month and a half. I think I have a hectic time ahead of me too.

Things at home have been wonderful! My room is put together in the way I want it – and definitely feels like home. Luckily cockroach sightings in room are very low (two in last couple months although one was on my bed – major negative), and as soon as I finally buy some more hangers for my wardrobe I will have no random excess luggage still sitting around. Our refrigerator is working and has stayed working after months of not working - yay! Thanks to the very generous help from the Smith family and many attempted fixes by the electrician it is finally working! Thank goodness! For so long I was eating so unhealthy because it’s hard enough to cook for one person. But when you can’t keep anything for a long time it’s really hard! I couldn’t buy really anything fresh because it wouldn’t last. But, all that is in the past (hopefully for good!). It does seem like one thing after the other though happens at our house. So my window broke (which I think I blogged about…it was scary). Well the same window broke AGAIN. Only this time the glass thank goodness didn’t and it’s just the wooden frame. So I can’t open one of my windows (the other one already broke but I can still open it, eish). Then, the spring in my door handle has been broken so if the wind is blowing in one direction and my door isn’t locked the top half will blow open (we have those doors where you can have it half open or totally closed). I need to recruit someone to fix those things. Add to all this that we NOW have a family of birds living between my host sisters roof and ceiling in her bedroom. As I’m sure you can imagine that is very noisy and not okay. I’m so happy it’s not in my part of the house! But I feel really bad for her, because they are literally in her bedroom keeping her up at night. I would hate for the only solution to be to kill the birds but I have no idea how else it’s going to be taken care of. Eish. She asked me how I think we should handle it and I told her the only way I know of to get rid of things like that is to call an exterminator. You know…like in the States. Her idea is to put a cat into a hole in the ceiling in the garage and let run free in our ceiling until it kills them. She just doesn’t know where to get a cat, and my question was…well how do you get it out then? I am personally advocating for a human intervention. Also, we need to get something to go around the roof to ceiling line and block the holes so this doesn’t happen again!

It has been SO WEIRD to not have any Fall references in my life at all. Except on Facebook. I really miss Fall – who knew!? I would literally kill someone for a Starbucks drink. I can’t even handle the fact that it’s now “holiday” season and I won’t be able to drink my favorite - caramel brulee latte. It was also really weird with no signs of Halloween – and now Thanksgiving. But I actually have lots of really good things to look forward to in November and December! On Thanksgiving weekend I’m going to Jeffery’s Bay which is about two hours away from here. Jeffery’s Bay is one of the most famous surfing beaches in the world and the Billabong Pro takes place there every July. I’m going with my South African friend and meeting other PCVs there (if they can make it). I’m going to make garlic mashed potatoes and green been casserole – my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. I’m drooling just thinking about it! Then, in December I’m going to Cape Town with my South African friend – and then I think meeting up with PCVs to do some things in the Eastern Cape! So, I have lots of things to look forward to! : ) It should be a really great time! YAY. Even though it won’t be a white Christmas it will be a beach Christmas! Yesssssss.

OH! I totally forgot that a man on the street told me he was going to send his Uncles to America to negotiate labola (bride price) and would my family be interested in cows. He was joking, but I was like…well that would probably only work if I wanted to marry you which I don’t. But Mom and Dad…are you interested in becoming cow farmers? I have an idea for a business venture…

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”
- Christian D. Larson