Blogs from Barberton, Mpumalanga , South Africa, Africa - page 3

Learning about SA’s history has been one of the most stimulating and rewarding parts of my experience here so far. To be in a country which so recently achieved its freedom (from a century of apartheid rule and previous centuries of colonialism) helps me to appreciate what the Declaration of Independence meant to colonists in 1776. What follows is a run through of what I’ve heard. For one thing, if the topic comes up in conversation, the South African will ask, “Do you know about 1994 when everything changed here?” I haven’t yet discussed with anyone the personal hardships or losses they experienced in the years before that.... There’s enough in the words “everything changed here” to know that it was BIG. 1) How did the PC cover this topic? One morning long session covered SA’s ... read more

The Goat Story is the last story I have to tell that took place during PST (pre-service training). 6 out of the first 7 weeks I stayed at Lina Kgomo’s house in Watervaal, Mpumalanga. (This was the shortest training SA has done..in response to big budget cuts last year...OK, I don’t need to go into THAT any further.. You are reading to learn about South Africa,...... and what would Africa be without a goat story?) With weekend trips to museums, site visits, etc., getting a full day at my homestay was rare. So, finding time to wash clothes was difficult. Some PCT’s host families did their laundry for them, but Lina is 2 years older than me and caring for her baby granddaughter for the winter months, and there was no way I would let her ... read more

07/09/12-- that would be the 7th day of the 9th month. After two years here I will be Anglicized (is that the word for adopting English customs?) Yesterday I walked to the right side of the car to get in, but that was the driver’s side. The principal of the school I’ll be working at, was picking me up after a day of shopping for items I need to set up house in Kameeleport. I couldn’t find a small fridge, and the storeowners said they’d order one...but we’ll see. One of the teachers at the school offered to pick one up in Pretoria, if it would fit in the boot of her car. (other British things-- I use the lift not an elevator, and spell words like colour, honour, and tyre.) The SA school system has ... read more

Tomorrow I will be sworn in as a PCV! Do you remember the letters you were taught in the previous blog? Well, PC according to the rules of all gov't agencies is rife with acronyms. Yesterday, we gave our LCF a gift, took our LPI test, and Monday our APCD will accompany us to meet our new principals in our new homestay. Thembi Mthumunye was our isiNdebele language teacher. (Language Cultural Facilitator-LCF) She is under 5 ft, soft-spoken with a cute little giggle; she has earned the name Thembi the Tiger for how she negotiates with the taxi drivers when they try to raise the price on us. Her cellphone ringtone is some religious song with "In the Name of Jesus" in it; it's quite hilarious in the middle of isiNdebele! Yesterday I took my LPI ... read more