Hey everyone, I have a new blog address which is caseydrake.wordpress.com.
This new blog is much easier for me to update from my phone and therefore will be updated more often and ill be able to post pictures and possibly videos.
See you there!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
South Africa Moments
So one of the strange things about being in South Africa so far is how easy it is to forget that I’m not at home. Even in the village I’m currently in, I go large chunks of most days not even registering the fact I’m not at home. That’s not to say things here are just like home, but they’re familiar enough that it doesn’t smack you in the face every second of every day. From where I am now, I can be in a mall exactly like any American mall in about an hour. I’m able to watch quite a few American TV shows on my family’s TV, many people speak English, and I have internet and a connection to home basically all the time.
Despite this familiarity, I have what I will call South Africa Moments. Since Peace Corps loves acronyms so much, I’ll create my own, SAMs (South Africa Moments). One of these SAMs occurred while I was sitting on the couch a couple weeks ago watching TV and heard chanting outside. I went to the window and saw a group of men/boys dancing down the street. I later found out they were returning from the circumcision school that boys go to when they become men. I don’t know a ton about it, but apparently they spend several months in the bush where they’re circumcised and then return home. Not generally something you would see at home..
Another SAM was when I was once again sitting on my couch one night (I swear I do more here than watch TV) and heard a crackling sound that sounded like rain on the roof. I looked out the window to see if it was raining, and instead saw 10 foot flames in a wall surrounding my house. Now, being my American self, this naturally scared the living shit out of me. My brain came pre-programed with the whole “Fire-Run” response. However, this doesn’t really translate to South Africa. My host mom seemed completely uninterested in what was happening only a few yards from her house, so I calmed myself down and returned to watching 6 month old episodes of American Idol. I think for most things here I’m going to have to turn off my natural “freak out” mode and instead gauge the reactions of the people around me. By the way, the fire is to clear the dead grass at the end of winter. Not the most environmentally friendly method, but its fast and easy which is why people choose to do it.
These South Africa moments happen pretty often throughout my week and serve as gentle, or not so gentle, reminders that I am in fact living in Africa. I’m sure I’ll have many more in the future, but that’s all for now!
Oh! I also tried chicken feet for the first time in my life and they weren’t bad! Not really easy to eat as you could probably imagine if you’ve ever seen a chicken’s foot, but it didn’t taste bad. I’m sure that’s not the weirdest thing I’ll eat while I’m here, but it’s the weirdest so far.
Despite this familiarity, I have what I will call South Africa Moments. Since Peace Corps loves acronyms so much, I’ll create my own, SAMs (South Africa Moments). One of these SAMs occurred while I was sitting on the couch a couple weeks ago watching TV and heard chanting outside. I went to the window and saw a group of men/boys dancing down the street. I later found out they were returning from the circumcision school that boys go to when they become men. I don’t know a ton about it, but apparently they spend several months in the bush where they’re circumcised and then return home. Not generally something you would see at home..
Another SAM was when I was once again sitting on my couch one night (I swear I do more here than watch TV) and heard a crackling sound that sounded like rain on the roof. I looked out the window to see if it was raining, and instead saw 10 foot flames in a wall surrounding my house. Now, being my American self, this naturally scared the living shit out of me. My brain came pre-programed with the whole “Fire-Run” response. However, this doesn’t really translate to South Africa. My host mom seemed completely uninterested in what was happening only a few yards from her house, so I calmed myself down and returned to watching 6 month old episodes of American Idol. I think for most things here I’m going to have to turn off my natural “freak out” mode and instead gauge the reactions of the people around me. By the way, the fire is to clear the dead grass at the end of winter. Not the most environmentally friendly method, but its fast and easy which is why people choose to do it.
These South Africa moments happen pretty often throughout my week and serve as gentle, or not so gentle, reminders that I am in fact living in Africa. I’m sure I’ll have many more in the future, but that’s all for now!
Oh! I also tried chicken feet for the first time in my life and they weren’t bad! Not really easy to eat as you could probably imagine if you’ve ever seen a chicken’s foot, but it didn’t taste bad. I’m sure that’s not the weirdest thing I’ll eat while I’m here, but it’s the weirdest so far.
Site Announcements!!!
So Friday was the big day! We finally received our site announcements!!!! We have all been waiting patiently (some of us not so patiently) for the news of where we will be living for the next two years of our lives. This week was full of anticipation and Friday people were buzzing in anticipation of the announcements. The process started with a trivia game that had some awesome prizes. A few people were called up at a time and had to answer a trivia question, usually about South Africa. Whomever got the correct answer first got to choose a prize. The prizes were quite amazing as they were all food. Strawberries, basil pesto, corn chips, chocolate, biscotti, cheese, olive oil, salsa, pita bread, etc. Once the trivia question was done, the group who had been called up received their assignments.
I didn’t win any food, but I did find out my site which is way better. While I can’t post the name of my village, it’s in Limpopo Province and I’m within a couple hours of Polokwane, Pretoria/Joburg, and Kruger National Park. So in other words, prime touristy areas for those of you considering a trip to SA (hint hint). I don’t know much about my village but I’ve been told my housing is pretty nice. I’m really anxious to meet my new host family and my village!
We are all supposed to be leaving for a supervisor workshop Monday, then to our site visits on Wednesday for a four day visit to our villages. The supervisor workshop involved staying in a hotel for a night or two which in turn means HOT SHOWERS. Unfortunately for those of us with sites in Limpopo, the supervisor workshop arrangements didn’t work out so our workshop will be after swearing in. This means I won’t get to meet my supervisor until Wednesday when I get to my village. More importantly though, this means I will not be enjoying a hot shower this week.
After I return from my site visit next week, there’s another week of review/a couple sessions then a farewell party for our host families. The following week we have our LPI (language proficiency interview), a shopping day to pick up some things for our site (or relax and see a movie) then swearing in.
Swearing in is the ceremony in which I become an official Peace Corps Volunteer. This is going to be HUGE for me, but is just the beginning of the journey. I’ve wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer since elementary school and I can honestly say I’m living my dream. It’s absolutely incredible to be here with my wonderful fellow volunteers, Peace Corps staff and South Africans. I’m very aware of how lucky I am to have this opportunity and experience. I can’t wait!
I didn’t win any food, but I did find out my site which is way better. While I can’t post the name of my village, it’s in Limpopo Province and I’m within a couple hours of Polokwane, Pretoria/Joburg, and Kruger National Park. So in other words, prime touristy areas for those of you considering a trip to SA (hint hint). I don’t know much about my village but I’ve been told my housing is pretty nice. I’m really anxious to meet my new host family and my village!
We are all supposed to be leaving for a supervisor workshop Monday, then to our site visits on Wednesday for a four day visit to our villages. The supervisor workshop involved staying in a hotel for a night or two which in turn means HOT SHOWERS. Unfortunately for those of us with sites in Limpopo, the supervisor workshop arrangements didn’t work out so our workshop will be after swearing in. This means I won’t get to meet my supervisor until Wednesday when I get to my village. More importantly though, this means I will not be enjoying a hot shower this week.
After I return from my site visit next week, there’s another week of review/a couple sessions then a farewell party for our host families. The following week we have our LPI (language proficiency interview), a shopping day to pick up some things for our site (or relax and see a movie) then swearing in.
Swearing in is the ceremony in which I become an official Peace Corps Volunteer. This is going to be HUGE for me, but is just the beginning of the journey. I’ve wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer since elementary school and I can honestly say I’m living my dream. It’s absolutely incredible to be here with my wonderful fellow volunteers, Peace Corps staff and South Africans. I’m very aware of how lucky I am to have this opportunity and experience. I can’t wait!
On Excess
Living in rural South Africa has made me incredibly aware of how much I wasted in America. Everything from food to paper to napkins to water. Most of all water. Since I became so aware of how much (or how little) I use here, I decided to keep track of the amount of water I use in any given day. Now while this doesn’t include some things like washing clothes, it is a tally of the water I use on most days of the week.
3 L = bathing (bucket bath)
.5 L = cooking breakfast, morning coffee, brushing my teeth
.5 L = drinking (I know, I should be drinking more water, but I drink tea and coffee throughout the day)
2 L = hand washing and cooking dinner
2 L = dishes
It totals 8 Liters which is less than 2.2 gallons. Around 2 gallons for nearly everything I do in a day… At home I’m sure I’ve wasted more water than that just in doing dishes BEFORE putting them into the dishwasher. It’s amazing how little water you use when you don’t have the option of leaving a sink running.
As far as trash goes, my area is rural so there is no trash pickup. Any trash is put into a metal trashcan in the backyard and burned once a week. I can tell you though, it is nowhere near the amount of trash my family takes to the curb once a week at home. (Sorry mom!)
Food is also not wasted, at least not in my family here. Every single thing is eaten unless it is way too spoiled to consume. Food rarely gets to that point, however, since my family eats it faster than it can rot.
I know it’s hard to do at home since everything is so easy to consume, but try to take a look at how much you actually use in a day and how much is wasted or thrown away. I know I consumed tremendously more than I would have ever thought without the stark comparison of my life in SA.
3 L = bathing (bucket bath)
.5 L = cooking breakfast, morning coffee, brushing my teeth
.5 L = drinking (I know, I should be drinking more water, but I drink tea and coffee throughout the day)
2 L = hand washing and cooking dinner
2 L = dishes
It totals 8 Liters which is less than 2.2 gallons. Around 2 gallons for nearly everything I do in a day… At home I’m sure I’ve wasted more water than that just in doing dishes BEFORE putting them into the dishwasher. It’s amazing how little water you use when you don’t have the option of leaving a sink running.
As far as trash goes, my area is rural so there is no trash pickup. Any trash is put into a metal trashcan in the backyard and burned once a week. I can tell you though, it is nowhere near the amount of trash my family takes to the curb once a week at home. (Sorry mom!)
Food is also not wasted, at least not in my family here. Every single thing is eaten unless it is way too spoiled to consume. Food rarely gets to that point, however, since my family eats it faster than it can rot.
I know it’s hard to do at home since everything is so easy to consume, but try to take a look at how much you actually use in a day and how much is wasted or thrown away. I know I consumed tremendously more than I would have ever thought without the stark comparison of my life in SA.
PST Continued
This and the next couple posts are going to seem pretty long and possibly rambling as I try to catch up on all that I’ve forgotten to write about up until now. Things are going great here and I really feel like I’ve gotten into a routine and found a certain comfort level here. Training is pretty intense in that it’s an enormous amount of information to absorb in such a short amount of time. I’m trying to soak up as much as I can before stepping out into the great unknown of Peace Corps service. I’m really enjoying training and I’m amazed by how organized it has been. The Peace Corps South Africa staff has seriously done an awesome job of dealing with 56 trainees every need.
I must say I feel sometimes that we’re pretty spoiled as a Peace Corps training group. We are staying in a village that has a mall only a 30 minute combi ride away. I have gone to a medium to large shopping mall nearly every weekend that I’ve been here. I’ve had a cell phone since week 3 of training and I’ve had internet on my blackberry since week 3 as well. So, while I didn’t expect to have these things when I signed up for Peace Corps I’m not going to not take advantage of the fact that I have access to them. I brought my blackberry with me from the states so all I had to do was get a SIM card and pay the R60 for the unlimited internet on my phone. That’s a crazy good deal because 60 rand is less than 10 dollars.
So aside from being mall rats, we actually are learning a lot here. We had our LPI midterm which is our Language Proficiency Interview midterm. In a couple weeks I will have to take the real LPI before swearing in as a volunteer. We have had sessions on everything from alcohol abuse, to transportation safety to classroom management. Several current volunteers have come to teach sessions and answer our questions. And believe me, we have questions. Every volunteer we’ve met at PST (pre-service training) has been incredibly upbeat and so helpful.
We’ve had a couple field trips lately which have been really helpful in understanding South Africa. First we visited the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria then two weeks later we visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. I really enjoyed the Apartheid Museum, although it was a pretty emotionally exhausting experience to go through the museum. Seeing the videos and pictures and facing the reality of what Apartheid was and a small window into how it affected the people of South Africa is a pretty intense experience. If you’re ever in Joburg though, it’s definitely worth going to. We also had a fieldtrip to a game reserve near where we were originally staying when we arrived in South Africa on Women’s Day. We rode in the Peace Corps vans and got to see zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, rhinos, hippos, etc. No lions but it was still a great time!
The weather is finally starting to get warmer here, which is much appreciated during my 6 am bucket bath. I’m getting the hang of the whole bucket bath thing, but I’m sure there’s a section of my back that’s about to start sprouting plants because it hasn’t been reached with a washcloth in a month or so.
Only a few weeks left of training and then I’m officially sworn in! Woot!
I must say I feel sometimes that we’re pretty spoiled as a Peace Corps training group. We are staying in a village that has a mall only a 30 minute combi ride away. I have gone to a medium to large shopping mall nearly every weekend that I’ve been here. I’ve had a cell phone since week 3 of training and I’ve had internet on my blackberry since week 3 as well. So, while I didn’t expect to have these things when I signed up for Peace Corps I’m not going to not take advantage of the fact that I have access to them. I brought my blackberry with me from the states so all I had to do was get a SIM card and pay the R60 for the unlimited internet on my phone. That’s a crazy good deal because 60 rand is less than 10 dollars.
So aside from being mall rats, we actually are learning a lot here. We had our LPI midterm which is our Language Proficiency Interview midterm. In a couple weeks I will have to take the real LPI before swearing in as a volunteer. We have had sessions on everything from alcohol abuse, to transportation safety to classroom management. Several current volunteers have come to teach sessions and answer our questions. And believe me, we have questions. Every volunteer we’ve met at PST (pre-service training) has been incredibly upbeat and so helpful.
We’ve had a couple field trips lately which have been really helpful in understanding South Africa. First we visited the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria then two weeks later we visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. I really enjoyed the Apartheid Museum, although it was a pretty emotionally exhausting experience to go through the museum. Seeing the videos and pictures and facing the reality of what Apartheid was and a small window into how it affected the people of South Africa is a pretty intense experience. If you’re ever in Joburg though, it’s definitely worth going to. We also had a fieldtrip to a game reserve near where we were originally staying when we arrived in South Africa on Women’s Day. We rode in the Peace Corps vans and got to see zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, rhinos, hippos, etc. No lions but it was still a great time!
The weather is finally starting to get warmer here, which is much appreciated during my 6 am bucket bath. I’m getting the hang of the whole bucket bath thing, but I’m sure there’s a section of my back that’s about to start sprouting plants because it hasn’t been reached with a washcloth in a month or so.
Only a few weeks left of training and then I’m officially sworn in! Woot!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
I'm now into week five of training and things are going well. We had yesterday off for mwomens Day so Peace Corps took some of us to a game reserve. It was a great time and we saw zebras, giraffes, rhinos, wildebeest, and warthogs. On saturday we will visit the apartheid museum in Johannesburg and next Friday we learn our permanent site! I know I will be going to Limpopo but I'm eager to learn exactly where. A week from Monday we will travel to a supervisor workshop in our province followed by a four day visit to the site I will be living in for the next two years. We had our midterm LPIs or language proficiency interviews. In case you haven't realized by now Peace Corps loves their acronyms.
On saturday a large group of us attended a local wedding that was a blast. I tried a traditional home brewed beer that wasn't too bad. We also danced and ate wonderful food. Speaking of food I have recently had the pleasure of trying chicken feet. They tasted fine but its a lot of work for a limited amount of meat.
Training is flying by now! The first two weeks were a huge challenge for me but now that I'm settled into a routine the days are going very quickly. I'm learning so much every day I'm surprised my head hasn't burst. Its an astounding amount of information to try to retain. Everything from language to culture to teaching skills to safety and health. The long days are a little rough but still better than being bored. However I am desperately looking forward to sleeping in someday in the future.
Not much else interesting has happened so ill try to write again soon.
On saturday a large group of us attended a local wedding that was a blast. I tried a traditional home brewed beer that wasn't too bad. We also danced and ate wonderful food. Speaking of food I have recently had the pleasure of trying chicken feet. They tasted fine but its a lot of work for a limited amount of meat.
Training is flying by now! The first two weeks were a huge challenge for me but now that I'm settled into a routine the days are going very quickly. I'm learning so much every day I'm surprised my head hasn't burst. Its an astounding amount of information to try to retain. Everything from language to culture to teaching skills to safety and health. The long days are a little rough but still better than being bored. However I am desperately looking forward to sleeping in someday in the future.
Not much else interesting has happened so ill try to write again soon.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Dumelang!
Greetings from South Africa! I've been in country for about three weeks now and its definitely been a rollercoaster. I apologize for the rampant mispellings and nonsense words that are bound to be part of this post. Blogging from a cell phone is an art I have yet to master. So quick rundown of my trip so far.
We arrived in south africa on July 8 after two days in DC. We drove in buses from the airport in Johannesburg to our first sight two hours away. when we arrived we were all exhausted and jet lagged. We got off the bus to be greeted by our LCFs (language and cross culture facilitators) who were singing and dancing. We stayed in dorms essentially for four days. During those four days we had group language lessons in four languages, got lots of shots and safety lessons. We also were totally spoiled with massive amounts of food and several tea breaks a day. One of our last days at that site we learned which language we would be learning and I was assigned Sepedi. My group is awesome and our LCF is amazing.
On the 13th we left the college to go meet our individual host families. The first few days felt a lot like summer camp but the first night of homestay was a reality check. I love my host family but that first night was the first time I really felt like I was really far from home. Things got easier as I adjusted to living with a South African family. My host mom is wonderful and is so patient with me. None of my skills from the states are particularly helpful here. I don't know how to cook food like them, do laundry or even bathe myself. Certainly a reality check for someone who considers herself pretty self sufficient.
Now were into the thick of our PST which is preservice training. Here is a rundown of my typical day of training.
Wake up at 630 and make my lunch. Then I get my bath ready by getting water from the stove or electric kettle. I then bathe which can be a painful process depending on the temperature. Then I eat breakfast and walk with Nick to our LCFs house where we have a language lesson. Then we walk to a nearby primary school where we have cultural sessions or observe at the school. Sometimes we have another language lesson and we end around five most days. Then I walk home and help prepare dinner for my family. After dinner I do dishes and then Generations is on! By the way Generations is a super popular South African soap opera that I'm hooked on already. After Generations I usually head towards bed since I go to bed pretty early here usually. Saturdays we sometimes have classes but today we went to Pretoria on a field trip. Its a pretty hectic schedule but I'm enjoying my language classes a lot.
I will try to post more often but I'm trying to do it all on my blackberry so its somewhat of a painstaking process. More soon!
We arrived in south africa on July 8 after two days in DC. We drove in buses from the airport in Johannesburg to our first sight two hours away. when we arrived we were all exhausted and jet lagged. We got off the bus to be greeted by our LCFs (language and cross culture facilitators) who were singing and dancing. We stayed in dorms essentially for four days. During those four days we had group language lessons in four languages, got lots of shots and safety lessons. We also were totally spoiled with massive amounts of food and several tea breaks a day. One of our last days at that site we learned which language we would be learning and I was assigned Sepedi. My group is awesome and our LCF is amazing.
On the 13th we left the college to go meet our individual host families. The first few days felt a lot like summer camp but the first night of homestay was a reality check. I love my host family but that first night was the first time I really felt like I was really far from home. Things got easier as I adjusted to living with a South African family. My host mom is wonderful and is so patient with me. None of my skills from the states are particularly helpful here. I don't know how to cook food like them, do laundry or even bathe myself. Certainly a reality check for someone who considers herself pretty self sufficient.
Now were into the thick of our PST which is preservice training. Here is a rundown of my typical day of training.
Wake up at 630 and make my lunch. Then I get my bath ready by getting water from the stove or electric kettle. I then bathe which can be a painful process depending on the temperature. Then I eat breakfast and walk with Nick to our LCFs house where we have a language lesson. Then we walk to a nearby primary school where we have cultural sessions or observe at the school. Sometimes we have another language lesson and we end around five most days. Then I walk home and help prepare dinner for my family. After dinner I do dishes and then Generations is on! By the way Generations is a super popular South African soap opera that I'm hooked on already. After Generations I usually head towards bed since I go to bed pretty early here usually. Saturdays we sometimes have classes but today we went to Pretoria on a field trip. Its a pretty hectic schedule but I'm enjoying my language classes a lot.
I will try to post more often but I'm trying to do it all on my blackberry so its somewhat of a painstaking process. More soon!
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