The past two months have given me the ending I was hoping for. Watching the orphanage building progress has been so cool, the structure is nearly finished. It was awesome to see something tangible created as a result of a lot of different people’s efforts. Here is the last newsletter the KEE sent out to raise money, it has profiles of me and my host mom in it: KEE Newsletter. The goal is to have it open and running by January for the new school year with 16 boys and 16 girls in their new home. We had our last soccer game against Melissa’s school. I closed the GLOW grant. I took and gave out the pictures for the last picture day. I also gave out the adorable handmade teddy bears I received from the Mother Bear Project (www.motherbearproject.org/ ) to 150 excited children. I had to upload them onto a photo site so the NGO could distribute the pictures to the individual bear makers. If you’re interested here are the pictures: Mother Bear Photo Album. I gave away all of the clothes and random items to the kids in my class that I didn’t want to bring back with me, a cleansing and fun experience. There are going to be village kids walking around in Florida Gator gear for years to come ; ) The staff at school threw me a small farewell party with food and tea and speeches and hugs, a great note to end my last day of school on. I spent time with my extended host family that weekend since four of the twelve of my host parents’ kids came over for Father’s Day with their families. I gave them the Shutterfly Photo Album that my mom made and mailed to me filled with pictures of their home and garden and family which they absolutely loved.
It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my host parents the morning I left. The relationship we have together is one of the things I am most proud of. About a year ago I was really sick- I couldn’t make it outside and threw up all over the floor in their house. Mama didn’t even blink. She got a blanket, wrapped me in it and led me to the couch, and then proceeded to clean up my vomit with her bare hands like it was no big thing. The next day when I tried to tell her what that meant to me and how sorry I was, she gave me a hug and said, “you’re my daughter” like that explained everything, which it kind of did. They have always known when I needed my space and when I needed to be taken care of, a difficult balance to achieve. They show their love in little ways and I try to return the sentiment. Sometimes Mama brings me warm bread she just made to my door at night, or heats water over the fire to put in the washing buckets so my hands don’t freeze when I wash my clothes in the winter. Papa tells me the score of the soccer game that I couldn’t stay up to watch the next morning, and he asked me if my family and friends were okay the times he heard about Hurricane Sandy and the Boston bombings on his radio. Mama is fierce, no one messes with her. She’s an adventurer. I know if she had been born in a different country in a different time, she’d have seen the whole world by now. Papa has been sick with bladder and stomach problems for a couple months now, probably cancer. He’s looking older by the day which is hard to see because he’s usually so energetic and active. (One Sunday I saw his 75 year old self sprint down the road when he was late for church, no joke.) I hope he gets better but if he doesn’t, he’s lived a full life. A life they created together of hard work, educated and kind children, and a strong and equal marriage. It is obvious they are content and that’s what it’s all about. Of all the African mothers and fathers I could have had, I am grateful they are mine.
Other happenings: I went to the Bushfire music festival in Swaziland with a great group of PCVs. We danced our faces off for three days. The bands were awesome, the DJs were sick. The vibe was so so good. We met up with volunteers from Zambia, Mozambique and Swazi which was fun. Being around thousands of cool people, wearing normal clothes and rocking out made me feel like a person I'd forgotten I could be. It was refreshing. There were beautiful mountains in every direction and the reserve we stayed on had lots of animals. Peace Corps has given me my highest of highs and lowest of lows... that was hands down one of the highest highs.
Last week SA24 had our COS (Close of Service) conference. It was four days in a Grecian palace of a hotel, all of us together excited to be celebrating the end of our service. 47 of the 56 SA24s who began will COS, a high percentage compared to the global Peace Corps stats. I have a closer relationship with some people than others because our sites are in different parts of the country and there are some people I only see every couple of months, but the shared experience of being a PCV in SA connects us in a unique way. We understand how and why this country is crazzyyyyy with a capital C- there are overarching themes and struggles and successes that we can all relate to. The support system we created is out of control awesome and I know our positive group mindset is a huge factor in why so many of us made it to the end. At the conference we played assassins with water guns, had Smirnoff icing wars (shit got serious, no one was safe), played softball and reveled in our last days together in SA. We gave the PC staff feedback on what admin stuff worked and didn’t so they can improve it for the new class. (SA28 arrived last week! The Peace Corps circle of life continues..) My favorite session involved a panel of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who talked about how they made the transition from PC to their jobs. It was interesting to hear them answer our questions and to hear about their lives working for USAID, for the State Department, in the private sector etc. Washington D.C. is one of the biggest hubs for RPCVs, another reason to be psyched for the future. On the last night we watched an amazing slide show that my friend Tara put together that started with JFK’s speech to congress in 1961 when he founded the Peace Corps… seeing pictures from the first couple months in SA drove home how much we’ve been through and how far we’ve come. The country director of PCSA also shared a video with us made by another African PC country director that I loved: A Tribute to Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa.
For my last two weeks I’ve been posting up at Khayaletu Guesthouse in Pretoria, my favorite spot in this country. 18 PCVs in one dorm room has been like summer camp, really smelly and really fun. It’s the perfect buffer between site and home because I’m done but I haven't left yet. It’s giving me time to process that I’ve actually finished and to prepare for how it’s going to feel to get back to the States. There’s also a lot of medical/admin stuff to take care of: I’ve been to the doctors for a physical, the dentist for a cleaning, taken de-worming and anti-schisto meds, given a urine sample and pooped in a cup, got a blood test, took a Tuberculosis test, closed my bank account, signed papers. Government bureaucracy is so enjoyable to deal with, said no one ever. But I am glad they’re being thorough. On Friday I’m GONE!
A couple people in SA24 put together the most bomb yearbook you’ve ever seen. It’s so cool that Obama could be reading it right now-- some of the Peace Corps staff won the US embassy lottery to attend a meet and greet with the president when he was here last week and they gave him a signed yearbook from all of us! One of the things in it is a survey we each filled out. The following questions are some from the survey and some I made up myself.
For my last two weeks I’ve been posting up at Khayaletu Guesthouse in Pretoria, my favorite spot in this country. 18 PCVs in one dorm room has been like summer camp, really smelly and really fun. It’s the perfect buffer between site and home because I’m done but I haven't left yet. It’s giving me time to process that I’ve actually finished and to prepare for how it’s going to feel to get back to the States. There’s also a lot of medical/admin stuff to take care of: I’ve been to the doctors for a physical, the dentist for a cleaning, taken de-worming and anti-schisto meds, given a urine sample and pooped in a cup, got a blood test, took a Tuberculosis test, closed my bank account, signed papers. Government bureaucracy is so enjoyable to deal with, said no one ever. But I am glad they’re being thorough. On Friday I’m GONE!
A couple people in SA24 put together the most bomb yearbook you’ve ever seen. It’s so cool that Obama could be reading it right now-- some of the Peace Corps staff won the US embassy lottery to attend a meet and greet with the president when he was here last week and they gave him a signed yearbook from all of us! One of the things in it is a survey we each filled out. The following questions are some from the survey and some I made up myself.
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Best quote describing PC: “The best journeys in life answer questions that in the beginning you didn’t even think to ask” – 180 Degrees South
Favorite Tswana quote: Nko ya kgomo mogala tswara thata esere go utlwa sebodu wa kgaoga, take hold of what’s important and don’t let go
Thing I’ll miss the most: NorCape sunsets
Advice to my PST self: keep calm and carry on
My service in one word: Perspective
Theme Song: “Don’t Drink The Water” by Dave Matthews Band
Best vacation: climbing Kilimanjaro
African countries visited: 7
Best books read: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, Sophie’s Choice by William Styron, Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
Best TV shows watched: West Wing, Downton Abbey, The Newsroom, Mad Men, Homeland and House of Cards. It’s possible that I’ve watched more TV in SA than in my entire life put together.
This experience made me realize: that I was luckier the day I was born to my parents in my country than the majority of the children of the world
Best pick-up line: “I would pay your father 100 cows” – in SA the groom pays the bride’s family “Lobola,” like a dowry in reverse. The amount of cows translates into how much money one family pays the other. Lobola is a traditional ceremony that every engaged couple takes part in that seals the promise of marriage. The daughters of chiefs only get like 50 cows so 100 is quite the compliment. When my parents came to visit my host dad joked that when I get married he’s going to fly to America to help my real dad negotiate my Lobola so no man jips me out of all the cows I’m worth. (A sentence I never thought I’d write…)
Skills I’ve gained that probably shouldn’t go on my resume: outstanding capacity for daydreaming, superbly fast typer of blackberry emails, esteemed deflector of sexual harassment, competent in her ability to bond with old African women anytime anyplace, certifiably able to travel from point A to point B with no plans and no money, expert water carrier (fitting cause I’m an Aquarius), won’t melt (the Kalahari sun has tried), can sleep through roosters crowing and donkeys screeching and babies crying, will never complain about the quality/cleanliness of a toilet or bathroom in the entirety of the United States, killer of cockroaches and spiders and scorpions, retains the mental fortitude to wait for hours on end, survivor of the most awkward and uncomfortable situations imaginable, prestigious PCV pep talk giver, had an impressive career as a hand washer of clothes but will be retiring such skills forever
Theme Song: “Don’t Drink The Water” by Dave Matthews Band
Best vacation: climbing Kilimanjaro
African countries visited: 7
Best books read: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, Sophie’s Choice by William Styron, Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
Best TV shows watched: West Wing, Downton Abbey, The Newsroom, Mad Men, Homeland and House of Cards. It’s possible that I’ve watched more TV in SA than in my entire life put together.
This experience made me realize: that I was luckier the day I was born to my parents in my country than the majority of the children of the world
Best pick-up line: “I would pay your father 100 cows” – in SA the groom pays the bride’s family “Lobola,” like a dowry in reverse. The amount of cows translates into how much money one family pays the other. Lobola is a traditional ceremony that every engaged couple takes part in that seals the promise of marriage. The daughters of chiefs only get like 50 cows so 100 is quite the compliment. When my parents came to visit my host dad joked that when I get married he’s going to fly to America to help my real dad negotiate my Lobola so no man jips me out of all the cows I’m worth. (A sentence I never thought I’d write…)
Skills I’ve gained that probably shouldn’t go on my resume: outstanding capacity for daydreaming, superbly fast typer of blackberry emails, esteemed deflector of sexual harassment, competent in her ability to bond with old African women anytime anyplace, certifiably able to travel from point A to point B with no plans and no money, expert water carrier (fitting cause I’m an Aquarius), won’t melt (the Kalahari sun has tried), can sleep through roosters crowing and donkeys screeching and babies crying, will never complain about the quality/cleanliness of a toilet or bathroom in the entirety of the United States, killer of cockroaches and spiders and scorpions, retains the mental fortitude to wait for hours on end, survivor of the most awkward and uncomfortable situations imaginable, prestigious PCV pep talk giver, had an impressive career as a hand washer of clothes but will be retiring such skills forever
Things I couldn’t have lived without: Friends and family, packages, phone calls, texts, emails, messages, letters, SA24 (we did it guys!!!!), Blyde 5 + 1 (our bbm chat and the actual hilarious, wonderful and supportive human beings), baby wipes (I’ve kept them in business the past two years), my Nalgene and Steripen, journals (6 written in PC), books (54 read in PC), Kindle, running shoes, quick dry towels, bananas (I’ve eaten minimum 15 a week every week and that’s only cause that’s all I could carry with me from town), Starbucks Vias, Livingstone’s Happy Hour, Khaya Pizza Night, KHAYA in general, my host parents, my real parents, and lots of buckets
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It’s hard to see and explain the ways I’ve changed little and big for better and for worse, but I definitely feel a different kind of gratitude that I didn’t before. Gratitude for my health, education, clean water, the supportive and wonderful people I know, safety, self-respect, my worldview and global perspective, for the opportunity to learn how to be quiet and to be completely content alone with myself, and for the chance to learn about what really matters to me. Peace Corps has brought me back to the basics and reminded me of the importance of simplicity. I’ve been wondering if the little and big things I appreciate now will fade over time. As of now taking a hot shower is like a month long Caribbean island vacation... I'm aware that won’t always be the case and that I’ll easily get used to these normal comforts I lived with for so long, but I want to try to actively live with this gratitude forever, mindful of all that I have. Having seen and experienced and learned about how some people live means that I can’t go back to not knowing it again…a shift has taken place. I’ve never felt completely comfortable in this strange 1800s time-warp donkey cart no running water African world, but I know from my visits home that I’ll never feel the same as I did in the States before I started Peace Corps. Not that I won’t be happy in the States cause I know I will be, just that my comfort zone has expanded and can’t go back to its original dimensions. It’s okay though, I think never feeling entirely comfortable in either world is a small price to pay for an earth sized comfort zone and lots of life experience. I tried to explain this to a very good friend of mine who was a PCV in Senegal in the 60s and is now retired and serving in South Africa again. She wrote back: “I have never felt the same in America either for 45 years. Once Africa touches your heart, it is there forever. But trust me, it’s a good thing.”
I knew that if I joined the Peace Corps I’d never regret it. Having made it to the end I feel that with even more intensity. The perspective it’s given me, the unique perception I have of my own country and of others, the friendships I made, the lessons I learned, the personal strength I discovered… it's all worth it so many times over. It was such a huge commitment but there’s no other way I would rather have spent the last two years than like this. When things were tough there was nothing to do but keep on keepin’ on because I knew that this too shall pass, the good and the bad. No other decision or experience could have better incorporated who I am and who I want to be. No matter how rough it got, that knowledge always gave me strength. This was exactly where I should have been, and now it’s time to come home.
: )Peace Africa, I'll catch you later.
