Day in the Life of a PCT (Peace Corps Trainee)

It’s been about a month since Michelle and I arrived in South Africa and so much has happened. The days are starting to blur together. Michelle and I thought we would attempt to give our followers a flavor of what our day is like:

• 4:00am-7:00am - The first rooster crows; followed by a goose; then other roosters
• 6:30am - Watch the sunrise
• 6:35am - Use the latrine (outhouse)
• 8:00am - Language lesson (2-4 hours daily)
• Depending on the day - Riding the komvi (taxi van)
• Depending on the day - Sessions (cultural, technical, safety & security, medical) (2-4 hours daily)
• Throughout the day - Seeing the izingane izinkomo nezimvu [translation: baby cows and sheep]
• 5:30pm - Watch the sunset
• Depending on the day - Do chores (wash dishes, hand wash clothes, sweep our room, cook)
• 5:45pm - Bucket bathing
• 6:15pm – Study isiZulu (language)
• A couple of hours everyday - Spend time with family
• 8:00pm - Watch Generations (a popular soap opera; just about everyone in our village watches it)
• Before bed - Gaze at the Milky Way (so many stars!)
• 9:30pm-10:00pm - Lala kahle [translation: goodnight]

Umndeni wethu lapha eSouth Africa [translation: Our family in South Africa]

This is a typical day. It varies depending on random events. For example, recently, our cohort learned about the Zulu king’s wedding to a Swazi princess, so we asked to attend the ceremony. According to Zulu culture, anyone can attend the king’s wedding (it’s kind of a big deal). Our Training Director, Mr. Baker, made arrangements for transportation, and, voila!, we went to the wedding. (Disclaimer: traditional Zulu weddings last for a few days, and we only saw part of one of the days).

VIP Passes to a Zulu Royal Wedding

Royalty Performing a Traditional Wedding Dance

Michelle and I are enjoying ourselves. Our fellow PCTs are a great support. The Peace Corps staff is very knowledgeable and work diligently to make sure we can be successful. We have a wonderful host family.

At the same time, we’ve been experiencing the up’s and down’s of the U-W curve of living in a new culture (push up your nerd glasses). For example, we’ve had moments when we’ve really missed family, friends, the convenience of a flush toilet, or ice cream. There’s ice cream in South Africa, but not in our village. In the same day that we might be missing someone or something, we might also experience a break through in learning the language (for example, understanding how noun classes work) or see the wedding photos of our host mama (which was so cool!)

Overall, our decision to join the Peace Corps is affirmed regularly because of the connections we’re making with the people.

Ubuntu

Joe and I are over the moon to be here! The travel was a bit tiring (that is, perhaps, an understatement… or just feeling so punch-drunk over being here that anything seems like a beautiful challenge). We are excited to meet so many interesting people from diverse backgrounds, who share similar passions for education, travel, and cultural understanding.

One of the cultural values that we have really connected with is “Ubuntu.”

Ubuntu is the idea that we are all interconnected. My happiness and success is dependent upon your happiness and success. I cannot be well unless you are also well. I am because you are.

This cultural nuance warmed my heart. What a beautiful perspective on family and community… What is equally as beautiful is how “Ubuntu” is manifested within the culture.

For example, “sawubona” is the word used to greet a singular person in isiZulu. “Sanibonani” is the correct way to greet a group of people.   However, it is common in everyday speech to use “sanibonani” when speaking only to one person. When asked why that is, the response was this:

“We commonly use ‘sanibonani’ when speaking to an individual, because we are a culture that values not only who you are, but where you come from. Therefore when I am greeting you, I am not only greeting you but also the people in your family and those who went before you.”

Joe and I shared this sentiment later and drew our own lines between this practice/phrase and the cultural significance of ancestors and collectivist values. I am curious whether a person from South Africa would draw those same lines. I am also curious about other examples of how cultural philosophy might impact other day-to-day practices and language.

One Week Anniversary

Michelle and I have been in South Africa for about a week (technically tomorrow, but we’ve been in Peace Corps’ hands since July 1st). There are so many things to talk about, so it’s hard to know where to start. Also, having limited access to the Internet presents its own challenge. For example, I wrote this post in Word in preparation to upload it when I could get online. 

Peace Corps Staff Waiting for Us at the Airport in Johannesburg

Truthfully, though, I’m enjoying being disconnected from the Internet. My pants pockets have been the lightest they’ve been since before I started carrying a wallet. This is a small way to illustrate that I no longer have a cell phone that can connect to the Internet, send/receive texts, or make phone calls. It’s liberating! I may feel differently in a month, but right now I’m enjoying not having the distraction of a phone because it’s enabling me to really connect with the other Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) instead of feeling the need to check my email.

Fellow PCTs Socializing

Michelle and I are working on other posts that we’ll upload when we have another opportunity. We’re excited to share the language we’re learning – isiZulu, talk about Ubuntu and its influence on just about everything, gender dynamics, and more. For now, I’ll just say that we’re doing well and we’re quite busy. We’re in training sessions from 8:00am-5:00pm. The Peace Corps staff is presenting a lot of information, from language and culture to medical preparedness and development work. When we go to bed, we’re pretty exhausted.

One quick language lesson before I go. I’ve learned some slang in isiZulu. The first is “sharp, sharp” (pronounced “shop, shop”; like a store). People say it while holding a thumbs up. It means “great” or “cool”. Another word that’s commonly used to say cool is “sure”.

We hope everyone is going well back home!

***SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO NICOLE & EDDIE!!!!!! HAPPY WEDDING DAY!!! We are sad to not be there in person, but you are definitely on our hearts!! (Our homework practice sentences are becoming different versions of “Nicole and Eddie will get married” and “I visited America because Nicole married Eddie.”) xoxo!

Salani kahle (stay well all)!

My (Material) Life for 27 Months

Bag #1 - 50 pounds... Bag #2 - 48.5 pounds... and a carry-on.  All of these items fit into three bags...

Here's a different angle...

These are all of the material things I'm bringing with me to South Africa.  The things that you can't see but I still carry with me are my family, friends, memories, lessons learned, excitement, nervousness, and curiosity.  These intangibles are more valuable to me than anything I can physically carry.  (I do have to say, though, that mountaineering has been great conditioning for these heavy bags - ha!)

While I'm in the Peace Corps, I'm hoping to feel a growing sense of detachment from material possessions.  Over the last few years, I've treasured experiences and memories more and more.  And now I imagine Peace Corps will elevate me to a new level.  I'm looking forward to a life that's simpler and away from forms of escape through things like Facebook; albeit, as I'm writing this post I recognize that by getting on the Internet to blog could be considered a distraction.  My hope is that blogging will do a couple of things.  One, it'll help me illustrate my experiences to anyone who is interested in reading about and seeing them.  Two, it'll help me write things down so I can look back on my experiences in the future and remember the finer details that tend to get lost in forgetfulness of time.  I hope you enjoy what I/we write and hopefully enjoy our posts to at least a minimal degree. ;)

"I'm in a glass case of emotion!"

Joe and I are sitting in the New Orleans Airport awaiting our flight to staging in Philadelphia. We will be there for about 16 hours before we start our journey to Johannesburg. These last few days have been an emotional roller coaster, which leads us to the theme for this post...

Emotions #1 & 2: Awe & Love
Our visit to Louisiana was beautiful. In our short visit here, we were blessed to see many of the family and friends that we hold dear. My parents and brother came in from Texas to spend some time together. This time, even just laughing and cutting up, is invaluable for me. My heart will miss them very much.
My Aunt Marie and Uncle Curtis graciously hosted our Louisiana going away party. I felt so spoiled to be able to visit with so many cousins, aunts, uncles, maw-maws (grandmothers), paw-paws (grandfathers) and friends (shout out to Spider, Tyler, Bubbles, Mikey, and cousin Michael for making the long drive in). We stayed up late playing cards and woke up to delicious breakfast prepared by my Aunt Gail, mom, and mawmaw.
I am in awe of the beauty of this state--the swamp, the oak trees... More powerfully, we are in awe of the many family and friends who have expressed their love and support for us along the way. Our hearts are full.

Emotion #2.5: STUFFED!
Man, these people know how to treat us right! We have eaten more delicious dishes and sinful treats in the last three weeks than we have in the last six months! One colleague asked how she can get that happy glow that she was seeing in our road trip photos. I told her (paraphrasing here), "Quit your job, visit amazing people, and eat everything you have ever wanted." We have gained a little weight, but have loved every bite!

Emotion #3: Sadness
With that love comes the realization that it will be some time before we see these beautiful people again. I told two of my students before I left, "With every choice comes a sense of loss." With every choice we make, we are inherently choosing not to do the alternative. We are choosing this adventure. With it, we are sacrificing the ability to easily visit (or Skype) with those we care about the most. We have great faith that our relationships are strong enough to weather this time apart, but it is still appropriate to feel sadness as we embark.

Emotion #4: Fear
I have felt many things during our preparation process for the Peace Corps. However, yesterday was the first time that the overwhelming emotion was straight-up, paralyzing fear. It was a fear of failure, of safety, of the unknown... I'm not sure what triggered it, but it was powerful and strange. Joe reminded me of our resilience and I began to feel better. :) We are pretty dang resilient...

Emotion #5: Excitement!
WE ARE MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA!!!!! How stinkin' awesome is that?! I mean, seriously! Whose life is this?! This is the biggest adventure that either of us has ever taken and, MAN, it is going to be AWESOME! :-D Who are we going to meet? How are we going to change? What are we going to see? There are so many possibilities that we are squirming in anticipation. Look out, South Africa! (Ready or not!) Here we coooooooooome!!