I’m Here – July 2, 2013
It’s been less than a week, and today I moved into with my
host family, headed by Make (pronounced Ma’ gay) Mahlalela (see Makhosazana for
pronunciation). There are many sounds in SiSwati that we don’t have in English,
and my attempts to pronounce them are surrounded by laughter – mostly mine and
a bit from those trying to teach me.
Our days have been crammed full of classes on everything
from safety to language. It is humbling to discover how quickly those in their
20’s learn and how much longer it takes me. It’s hard not to compare myself to
the best of them and to realize how short a time I’ve been here. My
self-confidence is a bit shaken, for sure, add fears of “Can I do this?”
abound. Turns out I’m far from alone in these fears.
The land is beautiful and surprisingly not unfamiliar.
Another stereotype bit the dust: Africa does not look like my storybook images.
In fact, it’s not all that different from Central America. Certainly the
roadside stands would be at home in both Mexico and Guatemala. The buildings
are different, since some are round (mine is a hexagon with cement floor and
walls and a roof of peeled log struts, wooden slats covered with corrugated
roofing). Another PCT said the landscape would also be at home in southeast
Asia. Poverty is poverty?
As in other third world countries, this is a study in
contrasts. There’s a modern mall not far from where the two lane pavement turns
into packed dirt over which busses lurch and sway, carrying people to smaller
roads that lead to homesteads. I am in a
community so small that when I googled it (even on Google Earth) the result was
a “cannot find” message.
My home for the next 8 weeks boasts electricity and a tap
for water not far from my door. Everything is most clean, despite pigs,
chickens, at least one cow, and dogs. It also has a bed, chair and table as
well as a dressing table and bedframe, so I can stash my luggage and other
things under it. PC provided a two burner propane stove, fuel, bare minimum of
cookware, a water filter with bleach to add to the filtered water, first aid
kit, mosquito net (which isn’t needed since it’s winter here) and an assortment
of buckets and plastic tubs. Now to figure out how it all works best for me.
For those of you drinking well water, you have my total
envy. For those complaining about the taste of city water, try this: Get your
water by turning on a tap and using a hose to fill a couple of buckets. If you
want wash water, all you have to do is wait 3 days. Or boil it. However, if you
wish to drink it, boil it for a minimum for 10 minutes (be careful it doesn’t
all boil away), cool it enough so that it won’t break the ceramic filters, then
pour it through the system. Make sure the screws holding the filters in place
aren’t too tight (water has to get through) nor too loose (you don’t want them
to leak). Wait forever. Add a few drops of bleach and you’re ready to try it.
Blechhhh! Tastes dreadful! But at least it’s not full of little nasties waiting
to take up residence inside us. Be grateful.
This experience is such a mixture of yearnings and
blessings. I feel very safe here, though I do lock my door at night when I’m
inside. I go out and look at an unrecognizable sky, stars bright, bright
without the light pollution of our towns. There’s so much I want to know, and
inexhaustible amount of knowledge on the internet is tantalizing close and yet
unattainably far- at least for now.
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