Let me take you on a journey.
It's December, school is closed. 9 friends and I have been planning a trip to the Drakenseberg Mountains in the Free State Province just north of Lesotho. I get on a bus at 4am and head from Pfukoni, Ha-Lambani to Sibasa. I meet my friend at 8am. He was heading to Pretoria to catch a bus to spend a week on the beach in Durban. As we wait for the bus, Peace Corps calls and says they are in the area and can give us a ride to Pretoria. We have to sell our bus tickets.
We start asking around. Most people are going on holiday and ordered tickets ahead of time. An older white lady must have noticed two goofy white guys walking around with their heads chopped off and asked if she could help us. We told her our situation. She said she couldn't help. I felt like our options had been exhausted, so I struck up a conversation.
The lady's name is Fiona and was born in Tanzania but has lived in Sibasa, Venda, South Africa for over 30 years. She became a Venda citizen and was protected from Apartheid because of Venda's homeland status. She runs a non-profit for victims of sexual assault. She told us to come volunteer at Teen Victim Empowerment Program (TVEP http://www.tvep.org/). More to come.
We find out from the front desk that we can use our tickets again for a service fee. So we cut our losses and join Peace Corps in their vehicle around noon. The usual 5 hour trip from Thohoyandou to Pretoria, quickly turns to 8 hours. Our fun and lovable driver Vele stops at fruit stands in Tshakuma and buys a tree and a half of litchis, mangoes, and pears. We then head to Makhado for an unknown reason, but Kyle and I get out of the car to purchase KFC for our Language Coordinator while are other friend Joni joins the Peace Corps workers on the unknown journey. 20 minutes later, they return, we give them the chicken.
Now I am certain we are headed to Pretoria. I start noticing the landscape is different. Vele says, "We are going to Mogabe's village." Shoot, at this rate I am certainly not going to catch a taxi with friends. Quiet and nervous, I finally remind Vele that I need to get to the suburbs tonight. He says, "Oh I forgot. We'll drop Mogabe near his village and you'll take the Gautrain."
The Gautrain? In preparation for the World Cup and to accomodate for the growing Gauteng (Joburg, Pretoria, and surrounding area) population, South Africa created a high speed train to bus people from the suburbs and city to city to cut down on congestion. I arrived in Hattfield and was dropped off in Marlboro in less than 15 minutes for under 30R. That same taxi ride was 70R for my friends. Bring back the rail Kasich. Haha.
We spent the night with an awesome friend of my family in a suburb of Joburg called Edenvale. They made us stir fry and rolled out sleep spaces for all ten of us. In the morning, we bordered a bus to Drakensberg to reach our first destination.
No story telling can really do justice to the photos my friend took - http://200norththompsonst.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/ukhahlamba/
I'll add funny stuff later.
I now volunteer one day a week at TVEP. I am mentoring a new full-time employee and planning an eco-therapy camp for young perpetrators. At present, the justice system only releases children back to their parents. Fiona has worked with them to get permission for an optional clinic. More to come.
Enjoy,
Sean
P.S. I hope to update more regularly with this new internet access at TVEP.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Friday, November 4, 2011
Halloween in Pfukoni
My first Halloween not in the United States of America, I spent teaching my Grade R-3 students how to make masks. We had a brief talk about ghosts and I put on a towel over my head. My teacher stopped me. I switched gears and talked about Ben 10 and Spiderman costumes. After class, she told me that in the Venda culture, ghosts are a real thing and not something people would dress up as. Noted.
I took the pictures with my phone. Live and learn.
Next year, I hope to set up real Trick-O-Treatin'. Yeah?
I took the pictures with my phone. Live and learn.
Next year, I hope to set up real Trick-O-Treatin'. Yeah?
Kruger
I went to Kruger National Park with a fellow teacher and his family.
We saw many animals.
We saw many animals.
Come see me and we can go together.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Friday, October 28, 2011
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.
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.
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