My parents came for a three-week visit and we had a great time. Our itinerary consisted of a variety of activities that included lots of sight seeing, museums and the full spectrum of South African culture. We spent time in Pretoria with family of friends living in a middle-class neighborhood, toured the biggest township in South Africa with people living in squatter camps all the way to upper class homes, spent time at the Apartheid Museum, visited Robben Island in Cape Town and learned about the prison system during Mendela’s time, tasted wines all over the beautiful winelands, got a taste of shoestring traveling and staying at backpackers (hostels) all over the country, saw big game at Kruger National park, got to meet and visit with lots of other Peace Corps volunteers at a gathering, and lastly, they got a good taste of village life and busy month-end shopping. I realized how much I have become part of the black culture here when I found myself preparing my parents for their time in my village and helping them to understand better the things they were seeing and experiencing all around them.
Life is certainly not standing still while I’m gone which is always weighing on me here. Friends and family are having babies, moving, changing careers and continuing on their own journeys. It was a bit of a shock to see both of my parents get off the plane using walking canes. They did well to keep up with everything I had planned for them as they hit the ground running the day they arrived.
After twelve days of traveling on our own we arrived in my village to stay for a full week. With only a couple major events planned during that time they really got a taste of “village life.” Dad enjoyed in-depth conversations with many of the locals regarding politics, for the national elections are happening on April 22nd, and other issues of concern in this country. Mom, on the other hand, was attached to her camera most of the time trying to catch anything she could that was “villagey” like women carrying babies on their backs and balancing bundles on their heads or a passing donkey cart. My Mama (host Mom) was a gracious host and spent lots of time with us when she wasn’t busy doing her routine (cleaning) work.
Mom and Dad were very good sports for they were the center of attention on many occasions. They were asked to speak at the church services they attended and the celebration that Aletuke, my organization, put on to welcome them. The locals were stopping by regularly to greet them and everyone was tickled to death to hear Mom and Dad greet them in their mother tongue. I was really impressed with their willingness to use their new words whenever they could. Mom, as usual, was happy to try most of the food that was prepared at mealtime but, sadly, neither of them were able to embrace the staple porridge and eating with their hands.
April 3rd marked the halfway point of my service here. Now that Mom and Dad have returned home it’s time for me to really collect myself and set my priorities in motion. I have so much to do and so little time to do it. I have a big building project that I am undertaking but the logistics continue to be an uphill battle. Corruption at the tribal authority level is slowing me down but I’m not going to let it squash my vision for Aletuke. So I’m taking a deep breath, gathering my patience and finding success in baby steps.
Socially, I need to make some deeper connections with some of the people I work with, not only for my success at work but for my own mental and emotional well-being. We all know that close friends play a very important role in our lives. I have not really established any intimate relationships with people, other than my Mama, and I know that if I want to be fully successful in this next year I need to have that in my life.
Now it’s time to get to the good stuff… pictures, pictures and more pictures. Enjoy! I love and miss you all and always love to hear from you.
I hope this find everyone happy and healthy and enjoying the new signs of spring that are so well earned after this winter of endless snow.
Peace to you all,
Darcy
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