overheard in south africa.

In a 6th grade classroom at St. Leo's:

Teacher: So, now that you know some things about us, we'd like to know things about you guys!  Like... who's your favorite actor?
Student: Jean Claude Van Damm!

thoughts for sunday.

When we arrived here at the house, there were a few magnets on the fridge left by previous volunteers, and this quote is on there.  I read it every time I'm in the kitchen (which is a lot, let's be honest) and I think it's really great.  It'll be especially appropriate when I find myself struggling with clutter, discord, or difficulty during my year here.

Out of clutter,

find simplicity.

From discord,

find harmony.

In the middle of difficulty lies

opportunity.

-Albert Einstein-

Happy Sunday!

tee gee eye eff.

Well, here I am, surprised and relieved to be at the end of my first week of work at St. Leo’s.  It felt quite nice to drive away today with the first week behind me, even though I only taught three classes this week (we’ll have to see how Grade 6 and Grade 5 go early next week).

The prospect of teaching primary school Oral English was very daunting, even though I’d wanted to try my hand at teaching from the beginning.  There are other jobs available to Augustinian Volunteers down here; the other girls split their time between Hillcrest Respite Centre, a place for AIDS and TB patients to be cared for, and 1000 Hills Community Helpers in Inchanga, a centre where there are free clinics, childcare, and other resources for the people of 1000 Hills.  I’m planning on spending some time at those worksites as well (especially when school is closed during the World Cup), but I’m officially full-time at St. Leo’s, a primary school in Molweni.

It was a relief to learn that I wouldn’t be alone at St. Leo’s; Becca and Mary-Kate alternate days and so there are two of us in the classroom every day.   We see from Grade 3 to Grade 7, doing art projects with the younger children and more grammar and technical things with the older kids.  All said, we’ll teach about 400 children a week, as each class averages about 70-80 children.  This week was tricky as there are tons of resources left behind by former volunteers but sorting through all the worksheets and supplies is quite a chore.  We concentrated on “getting to know you” sort of stuff this week, and through those projects we were able to get a glimpse of the level of language capability among the students.  Thankfully, even though some are quite a bit more advanced than others, they’re really good at translating into Zulu for the kids who don’t speak much English.

Unfortunately, our Zulu lessons are delayed in getting off the ground so we’re stuck with whatever we pick up throughout the day.

Life here at home has been good; Pat left on Wednesday to go back home, so now it’s for real.  We’ve got a bit of a schedule going for dinner and cleaning and prayers, but I think we may have to review our procedures a bit after January’s over.  Time is already passing quickly—February starts soon!  The weather has been quite changeable, but truthfully it’s been really an adjustment to get used to wearing shorts & sundresses in January!  There’s also a large variation in weather from up here in Bothas Hill to down in Molweni; it tends to be much hotter in the valley.  We lost power at school this week due to thunderstorms in the area, and the computer teacher, Ayanda, had to just sit and wait out the blackout.  After school ended on Wednesday, Becca and I stopped by a Spar for groceries to make dinner for the Augustinians that night, and found the entire strip mall in darkness.  Good thing I got a flashlight for Christmas!

And so we’re all very happy to see Friday.  Becca and I have to run and pick up Mary-Kate and Meg at Hillcrest soon, and then we’ll wind down from the hectic week together.  We’re hoping to get to the beaches in Durban soon, so perhaps tomorrow we’ll make the trip.

I hope you’re all well; though I’m not homesick just yet, I do miss being able to be so connected to everyone back home—but a break from the noise has been very nice so far.  We’ll see how I feel come June or July...

settling in.

So now that it's Monday, I've been here in Botha's Hill almost a week.  Hard to believe already!  I'm sure this is an omen that the year will fly by, especially once we begin work and get into our daily routines.
I thought I'd attempt to post a couple of photos to show you slices of the beginnings of a life here at 8 Warwickshire Crescent.  Thanks to our new computer, I can now be a bit more diligent about this little blog.

The entrance to our little "cottage"

The amazing view of Embo from our property

My side of the bedroom I share with Becca

Life has been exciting but exhausting.  I've been really struggling to find time to sit and process things as the days pass, but between grocery trips, visits to our worksites, and meeting new people, it's been hard to take quiet time.  We've taken turns leading a small reflection every night, but I still like to sit quietly on my own and think things through.  Unlike at home, I'm not at liberty to go for a run alone and think, though Mary-Kate and I did venture out into the neighborhood across the main road two days ago for a jog.  Even stepping outside our gated property without the safety of a car was a really weird feeling, but it's quite safe; we just have to stay alert.
Food shopping at the supermarket has been an adventure in and of itself-- because we live on a budget, we have to be really diligent about saving money and making things last.  Here in South Africa, it seems that milk in a bag and wine in a box will save us valuable rand.
Doing things like exercising and grocery shopping have slowly begun to make me feel quite at home here in South Africa.  I find my mind less and less preoccupied with the fact that "I'm in AFRICA!" and more and more just struggling to get into a routine that will make me feel organized and productive, as I did when I moved to Villanova, and when I studied abroad in Paris.  It's hard because I haven't started working yet, but tomorrow or the next day work will come and these more relaxing days will, I'm sure, be just a distant memory.

Sunday was a great day; our group went to two Masses which seemed like it would be a lot but was a really fascinating study in the dichotomy here in South Africa that we've come to experience every single day.  Whether it be visiting the Hillcrest AIDS Center and then driving down the highway to a Western-style megamall, or spending two hours at a Zulu mass in the morning and then with the white community at Kloof in the evening, the differences between life in the valley and life in the hills are more striking as the days pass.
The Zulu mass at St. Leo's, though long, was really beautiful with traditional singing that blew us all away.  It ended with a slew of parish announcements which is typical on Sundays, when the whole community gets to be together all at once and hear the current news.  Deacon Lawrence announced that the Cardinal of Durban has mandated that every parish (even outstations like St. Leo's) contribute monetarily to the Haitian relief effort.  I was really touched, because the people of St. Leo's, who typically would be the ones on the receiving end of aid requests, emitted such a generous spirit.
After evening mass at Kloof last night, a group of young adults from the parish invited us back to one of their houses for pizza and beer.  It was a really lovely evening, and the four of us here were quite glad to make connections with South Africans our age who hopefully will show us around a bit!  Our lives here in Botha's Hill, besides work and errands, will be quite isolated, as it isn't safe for the four of us to venture out, even in the light of day.

Our AV international director, Pat, is here with us until Wednesday.  He was a volunteer when the South Africa program began, and he's been such a great source of information about work, recreation, and general other aspects of life here.  After he leaves, the four of us will really be on our own-- driving on the opposite side of the road, handling our monthly budget, and making connections with people at our individual worksites all by ourselves.  I can't wait to start working, though we haven't had a chance to learn much Zulu yet and I'd really like to be able to speak a little when I get to St. Leo's.  I'm sure that will come with time.

So, to recap:
- new computer
- photos of 8 Warwickshire Crescent
- valley vs. hills
- Sunday routine
- excited to start working

Apologies for the rambling, but my mind is all muddled and I want to get everything out so I don't forget anything.

Salani kahle!
(May you stay well)

safe & sound

Hi all!
I made it safely to South Africa, bags and all, and am currently getting settled and a bit sunburned.  It's been very strange to take everything in, but all enjoyable and very exciting.

This is just a quick update because our computer is out of commission, so my connectivity has been low since arriving.  I hope we can get our problems fixed soon and I can actually update with interesting news, but for now, just know that I'm safe & sound, enjoying the excitement, and ready to get settled into a routine very soon.

And of course I'm missing you all very much!  Hope everything is good wherever you are, and hopefully I can post something more meaty when we're up and running.

a parting gift.

This morning, after a pretty sleepless final night in my bed at home, I woke up to find this outside my window:

It wasn't much snow, but a beautiful scene to enjoy as I ate poached eggs with mum, dad, and Niamh around the table this morning.  I've got to hand it to the big guy up there; he never fails to impress.

And, as an added bonus, my bags are packed with weight to spare.  I was all stressed out about what to bring, but then stood back and realized that anything I've left behind (or God forbid, forgotten!) I can live without.  With a more realistic outlook, it's the goodbyes with family, whether it be over the phone or by video chat with my family overseas, or in person with my sisters and parents later on this afternoon that will be the hardest part-- but from all accounts, this year is going to fly by.  I'll be back home watching the snow and eating poached eggs in no time... and what a great year I'll have in the meantime!

See you in South Africa...

sanibona!

So, here I am, with just over one week to go until I leave the US behind for South Africa. I'm a jumble of emotions right now-- anxious to get packed & get to SA, sad about leaving behind the people I love for a whole year... but luckily, I'm most of all excited to begin my volunteer year.
I have five days to go until I leave for New Jersey, where I'll have two days of orientation with my community members (Mary-Kate, Becca, and Meg), and then we leave for South Africa on Monday. Time has passed so quickly, and it's hard to believe that we'll be there so soon.


I'll be living and working in a region of South Africa called KwaZulu Natal, and the city closest to us is Durban, on South Africa's east coast. I'll be able to better describe my living situation after we arrive and get settled in, but for those who are curious, here's a map of my new home, with South Africa first and then KZN below (point A is where we'll be living):

And there it is. With subzero temperatures and snow in the forecast here outside Philadelphia today, I can say that I'm really looking forward to the southern hemisphere and summertime!
But for now, I'm surrounded by photographs, guidebooks, clothes, and sunscreen... and faced with the challenge of packing for an entire year in South Africa.