My Present Work

I am in "lockdown".  What is lockdown?  Lockdown is the first three
months of service at a Peace Corps Volunteer's permanent site. The aim
of this time is to allow the volunteer to immerse themselves in the
culture. My lockdown essentially has followed two courses: school and
community.

At school, I follow a script given to me by Peace Corps. The first few
weeks was a mix of gathering information about the school and it's
history, meeting with the SGB (think PTA with more responsibility),
interviewing teachers, and observing classes.  This past week and the
next three will be my shadowing period.

I first looked at this assignment as a waste of time when there were
students I could be teaching. Yet, I followed the guidance of Peace
Corps knowing they have done this before.  Following these assignments
has proven to be a wise decision. It has allowed students and teachers
to get use to me being around without me being hands on.  The
non-hands on approach has allowed me to see what the school is like
without me.  I have picked up strengths and weaknesses of the school
that I do not think I would have had I jumped right into the
classroom.

In the community, I have had much of the same approach.  I always seek
out people who are mingling and just sit with them.  I use this time
to listen to the language, ask little questions, and build a level of
comfort.  Like any Peace Corps Volunteer, I have my ambitions of
things I want to achieve.  All of which, I still plan on achieving in
some form.  Yet none of these ambitions will come to fruition without
buy in from the community.

I am learning firsthand the great lesson that change must come from
within.  In December, Peace Corps will provide further training on how
to put projects into action.  Zwino, ndi khou guda.  Now, I am
learning.

Ndo livuwha.  Thank you.

An Attempt at a Concise Update

When we last spoke of living arrangements, I was living with Gogo,
Rorisang, and Maschaba in Makapanstad, North West, South Africa. Since
then, I have moved to my permanent location with a new family. Here is
the lineup:

Father - Vho Marevhula
Mother - Vho Valencia
Youngest Son - Fhedzani
Daughter - Nywasedza

There are two older brothers also. The oldest, Muketwha, lives just
down the path with his wife and daughter. The middle son, Mbidzo, is
studying electrical engineering in Johannesburg.

Since my arrival, I have been in observational phase (will talk more
about in a future post) at two schools. The one school is right at the
bottom of the hill and is a 4 classroom school with 75 learners grades
R-7. This means there are two grades for each classroom and one
teacher. Can we say ability grouping?  The other school is a 4 km
walk. This school has 250 learners grades R-7. My week is split
between the two with Wednesday being the rotating day.

A normal day starts at 5am. If I don't have to wash clothes, iron, or
walk to my further school,  I will spend the first hour reading. From
6-7 is bucket bath, shave, and Jungle Oats. I get to school around
7:15.  I greet all the teachers and cooking ladies that are present,
many are late due to transport.  My tasks have varied at the school
and will be talked about in more detail as mentioned above. At ten,
the school breaks and all students are fed.  This is usually some form
of maize served with beans or vegetables. No worries, pictures will be
posted soon. School then runs from 10:30 to 1:30. There is an hour
built in for afterschool activities.

Around 2:30, I head back home, bathe again, and take a 20 minute
siesta. I usually work for about two hours on plans then play soccer
from 4:30 to sundown with the local boys. At sundown, I return home to
eat dinner with the family. After dinner, I go outside to read. Nine
o'clock is Muvhango on TV. 9:30 is bedtime.

Some weekends, I go to Thohoyandou for groceries and catching up with
other volunteers. On Sundays, I go to a local school for Gunda Church
of Christ service.

Concise enough?  Keep smiling my friends.

Chargers' Pride

Hello all,

I have been slacking on the blog updates for a few reasons. I moved to
my permanent site about a month ago and this is the most crucial time
to form bonds. Typing on my Blackberry or going into town to use the
internet cafe doesn't exactly scream happy to be here. Haha. Either
way, I promise to send some new updates in the near future and post
some pics of the awesomeness of my village.

Before I do any of that I would like to send out a special hello. Much
of the reason why I am here in South Africa serving with the Peace
Corps can be traced back to my early days at St. Mary's in Berea, OH.

At St. Mary's, I lived and breathed community. On a daily basis, I
learned the importance that each individual plays in making th world
go round. The thought provoking and mission driven instruction made a
lasting impact on how I would come to approach any future teaching
experience, formal and informal. Through service-learning experiences
at the Aristocrat, St. Augustine, and many others, I learned that my
work is not done when the time stamp says so. That I am called to be
attentive to all needs at all times.

Serving others lifts my spirit higher than anything else in the world.
When I heard the awesome 8th graders at St. Mary's wanted to help my
service through a book drive, I must admit I got a little choked up.

South Africa is an amazing country and should be studied by all US
citizens, but my students struggle. Water shortages, no electricity,
rampant alcohol abuse, and loss of family member due to diseases like
TB and HIV/AIDS way heavily on my students before they even step into
the classroom. Yet every morning, students are ecstatic to learn.

One of the major battles all Peace Corps volunteers face is teaching
English as another language. The books you send will provide a
literature rich environment that is greatly lacking in my village. It
will allow me to model lessons for teachers in how to increase our
students literacy skills, provide a world of imagination not yet
examined by students, and provide a leg up in this ever so increasing
global economy.

On this beautiful morning as I type away on a phone I never thought I
would use in the Peace Corps next to the mosquito net that I always
thought I would use in the Peace Corps, I can't help but smile
thinking about teaching cause and effect with If You Give a Mouse a
Cookie or predictions with Too Many Tamales. I look forward to working
with you Chargers. Please email me any questions at
sean.asanowicz.omalley@gmail.com. Stay happy.