a quick note to let you know...

that I received packages from:

the Zieglers, the Milams, and the Faucette's... to be opened when I return to my permanent site.  (I'm in Pretoria now, on my way to a week-long training.)  THANK YOU!  CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO OPEN MY GOODIES!

I was without water the day I mentioned not going without for months (I'm NOT kidding)

I've survived three days of teaching two sections of 6th grade English, but am calling all primary/middle school teachers to immediately forward any tips regarding classroom management

I've found a way to travel to Pretoria that feels  safer and is immensely more comfortable.  But the true value was that not once, did I feel I was going to die.  (More on this later!)

Soon, Karen

slow photo day, more holiday greetings, and back to school

Hi everyone!




It's back to school this week, so I've been busy not blogging! It may continue (my not blogging) through February, because we're off to more training next week. (I know, I know, why are we going to training when school has just started? I can only say, it is the South African way.)



So, pictures. Pretend it is a game. Can you find a goat (or two) doing something interesting? And the card fronts are just that: fronts of cards enclosed in my holiday backlog. I'm saving these to use as decorations for my next Christmas in South Africa. Thanks guys!



I'm really tired and hope to keep this brief (she always says!).



Yes, it was back to primary school for educators on Monday, and the learners returned on Wednesday.



For my primary school, I will be teaching sixth-grade English. The head of department decided it would be nice for me to work with the sixth graders, since I will see them through both sixth and seventh grade English (they "graduate" to high school after the seventh grade).



And, all of my planning for lessons so far, hasn't worked as planned! Which fits, since I'm now residing in the land of no-planning! Talk about expanding a comfort zone!



I've mostly helped out with processing books, etc., this week, and was supposed to be "subbing" for a 4th/5th grade English teacher this week, but she showed up today (hence, my planning not working out). My official start, hopefully, with my sixth-graders, will come tomorrow. We'll see.



The class is full of 70 learners, but they're to be divided into two sections. So, usually--and hopefully--I'll only have 35 at a time. But I'll have 70 tomorrow.



The college is busy registering students and I'm not sure yet how I will be serving them. I've asked to teach an English section and they also want me to oversee their "Reading Excellence" program.  I won't know for sure until next week (or even later).



My teaching year is shaping up nicely. Let's hope it stays that way!



More on random questions:



(By the way, in regards to living without refrigeration, I DO MISS cheese!!) :-)



Someone mentioned that I was without water and electricity earlier in my stay at the college, and asked how my utilities had operated over the holiday. Well, the tiny superstitious part of me hates to say it, but I've had water THE WHOLE TIME and my electricity has gone out only occasionally, and for not very long. I'm a lucky girl. (And hope I haven't jinxed myself in saying so!)



Ok, so I am very, very tired and must go home to "plan" for my big day with the sixth graders tomorrow. Wish me luck! (And as has happened all week, my "plans" aren't likely to play out.)



I want to tell my Aunt "Happy Birthday!" She'll turn the big EIGHT OH on Sunday! Wish I could be there with you Aunt Bea!



And remember worry-worts, I may not sign on again until Feb 1, or later. No worries, I am very busy!



Soon, as I can, Karen



ps. The greasy-neck, chicken-skin eyed pigeon is called an African speckled pigeon (Columba guinea) and he shows up three times a day now, with his GIRLFRIEND. I'm feeding them, and am sure to be sorry!

Christmas cheer, round two, and answers to random questions

So, I go to the post office this week and I have two more packages that have arrived from the States: one from my sister, and one from my good friends, Ellen, Linda, and Bella.

I also received a lovely Christmas card from Helen, of the Bonnie W's, that I'll save for seasonal decorating next year. She also gave me lovely news from home, including wonderful updates of her handcraft (she's a textiles artist: knitting and the like) and of lovely descriptions of snow at her home (upstate New York). She is newly transplanted to Louisville and is unfazed by our snowfalls. (Although I've heard we've had quite a lovely one at home!) Thanks, Helen!



And yes mom, I FINALLY received the note and the photo you sent early in December.  I love the photo and your comment, "Sorry, the hand-writing deteriorates with non-use!"  We certainly write differently than we used to.



While the post office had diligently watched for my packages, they didn't seem to make the connection that the letters were important to me as well. So while I was able to collect my PACKAGES on a regular basis, my LETTERS were being relegated to the college mail bag. The college, like everyone else in South Africa, has been on holiday since December 11, so the college has been closed. This week, staff is trickling in to ready for the beginning of classes next week, and the college mail bag had finally been gotten. I had 15 or more letters dating from November through December. So that's why I hadn't been getting your letters!



So now I have them, and have been absolutely binging on news from home.



My sister sent a package that had me squealing. I wish you guys could be a fly on the wall when I open these packages. I find each item thrilling!



Kim sent me wonderful portraits of her beautiful family, some of my favorite people on the planet: Kim and her husband, Jon, and of my two beautiful nieces: Lauren and Kara. I love the thread of vivid red that runs through the photos!



Kim is one person who has found some Kentucky/Louisville-themed postcards/note cards. I had asked for these because these make nice gifts to the African nationals. The only connection they have of Kentucky is of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which I hate, because we are so much more than Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Have you heard of the Kentucky Derby? No. Mammoth Cave National Park? No. College basketball? No. The Falls of the Ohio? No.)



She also sent goodies for my dental health: extra-soft toothbrushes, top-shelf dental floss, and lip balm. Goodie! My teeth and gums are tingling just thinking of it.



She sent a wonderful bar of herbal soap that happens to come from Benin, Africa. The soap is sold to raise funds for an African community. It also smells divine! This is a well-travelled bar of soap!



Also enclosed were these lovely green bags, called "Debbie Meyer bags" that are touted to help preserve the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables. Since I'm living without refrigeration, I'm curious, and excited, to see how these help me.



She also sent me some plastic file folder sleeves, that although I hadn't asked for, she intuited I needed them. I use them for everything here, to keep dust off of papers, folders, etc.



There was a copy of the LEO, (Louisville Eccentric Observer) that happened to have the amusing "Looavul, Luhvul, Loueville..." dilemma featured on the cover. I love receiving this publication, and nothing makes me feel more like I'm home than going through it. Deanna keeps me stocked in copies, although I wish she wouldn't--she's paying a fortune to ship them to me.



And lastly, and a real treat, was an article from Louisville's The Courier-Journal that featured my favorite writer: Barbara Kingsolver. I'm hard pressed to name a favorite author; she's definitely in the top five. Or maybe the top ten. She has a new book out, called The Lacuna. The novel's plot deals with two of my favorite historical characters: Frida Kahlo and Diega Rivera. I can't wait to read it. It was great, GREAT fun to read the article.



Thanks guys!



Another package was from my dear friends Ellen, Linda, and Bella. (Bella is the family cat that must be included when naming family members.) :-)



The one kitchen item I can't seem to find ANYWHERE in South Africa is the rubber spatula. It is the one item that I long for every day. Ellen and Linda sent me not only one rubber spatula, but THREE. And they're HEAT RESISTANT! I'm a happy girl!



They too, sent me some coveted dental floss-both packages contained my favorite brand, by the way: Glide. How did you know?



And a BELOVED BAR OF DR BRONNERS SOAP. I hadn't realized how much I liked living with this soap until I was living without it. It is a natural soap and contains no harsh chemicals. It's one of the few brands (if not the only one) that doesn't leave my hands shredded. I love, love, love this soap. Also, I can, and do, use it for everything: hand washing, body washing, shampooing, vegetable washing, and even laundry.



I thought I was careful with using every last bit before; it's amazing how much longer a sliver will last me in South Africa!



Ellen and Linda sent me a 3-D Christmas card that I will use as my Christmas tree next year. Ellen especially, is always careful to see that I have a Christmas tree. It's fun and I love it!



Ellen sent me some stickers to use with the school children. One of the strips have "Sponge Bob" stickers, which were a huge hit with the American kids when I was last working with them. (Has Sponge Bob been dethroned?) It will be fun to see how the Tswana kids react to them.



And lastly, Linda sent me a copy of the Wall Street Journal. I'm saving it to read tomorrow, Sunday, so I'll have a "lazy-Sunday-morning, after church-reading the paper" kind of Sunday morning. I haven't had one of these since leaving the States. I used to do this with the New York Times, so it will be a bit different with the Wall Street Journal. I'm not a business person, and I've always associated this publication with savvy business people, so will let you know how I manage. It will be dense and delicious reading, regardless, and I look forward to tomorrow morning.



Actually, I got a double-whammy from the Linda/Ellen household. They sent me a collection of greeting cards: happy birthday, thinking of you, etc., that will come in very, very handy.  (Greeting cards, as in America, are very expensive here.)  Thank you!  They also sent me lovely, lovely photos of Cave Hill Cemetery (yes Ellen, I recognized it!) taken around the Thanksgiving time. The place is full of history, beauty, and nature.


I live very near Cave Hill Cemetery, when I'm home, and it is one of my favorite places to spend time. It is a beautiful, beautiful place and the resting place, of, coincidentally, Colonel Sanders of--you guessed it--Kentucky Fried Chicken. There are other famous and interesting people buried there.  And, Cave Hill is also the resting place of the grandchildren of two wonderful, wonderful women who lost them, tragically, last year.  Our whole city has been in mourning for them for over a year.   


I love Cave Hill and used to spend time there with my children when they were little. We loved to go there and feed the ducks. It is very meaningful to have pictures of it here with me--thank you!



I also got a lovely note and Christmas greetings from my hiking buddy, Tony C. I've been hiking with a group out at Bernheim Forest for a few years and have become very fond of Tony and the others. They hike monthly, in my absence, and I think of them every "last Sunday of the month." They'd better still be hiking when I get back, and I can't wait to resume. It was fun to hear from Tony and have news of his family and of our other hiking friends.



I still have a stack of letters and cards to go through, so if you haven't been mentioned here, I haven't gotten to you yet!



I am rich with holiday greetings in January!

Now, I am way behind on my letter writing.  There is no excuse, I know, but please allow me off the hook a bit until I can catch up.  I will answer some random questions here.

Will I ever stop talking of myself and tell you guys interesting things about South Africa and my immediate community?

Yes, I will, eventually stop talking about myself.  I'm sorry to be so self-centered.  I've been reluctant to "get out my camera" and start firing away, for many reasons, but yes, more on more important things will come in 2010, I promise!  And thanks for your patience!

How do I know of Sarah Palin in the news?

This is embarrassing to admit, but I'm not taking time to keep abreast of current events.  My computer time is limited and I'm usually blogging like mad to catch up and have no time (or energy) remaing to seek out news of the world (which I should).  My world news comes ususally from Bonnie and Deanna, in their regular letters, and of any snippet I see when logging onto "Yahoo" to check my email.  (Yes, I too, am shuddering at the thought.) 

It was by logging onto Yahoo that I saw Sarah Palin's smiling face. 

The weather seems hot there, but it's cold here.  Why is that?

Ok, I'm not a science person, at least not a science person in regards to the earth, how it rotates, how it is divided, how the different hemispheres opperate, etc.  But I understand, that because South Africa is in the southern hemisphere  (and Kentucky is in the northern), that our seasons are opposite.  So, if it is cold and snowy there--winter, then it is hot and sunny here--summer.  Make sense? Kind of sorta?  (If anyone out there can provide a better explanation, PLEASE, do so, and thanks!)

Do I know of the new Zachary Taylor coin dollar just released?

No, I didn't know. What happened to the Susan B. Anthony ones?  Is the new dollar coin hoping to replace the paper dollars?  (Wasn't the Susan B. supposed to do this as well?)

So, why did you CHOOSE South Africa?

Um, well, I didn't choose South Africa.  When you join Peace Corps, they hope that you are willing to serve where you are needed.  According to the PC website, "Peace Corps Volunteers serve in 74 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East" (http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn).   Although you can request  a region when you apply, ultimately, you're placed where you are needed.  I did request Africa as a region, but I had no idea I'd be serving in South Africa until I was invited.

Have you been keeping up with the Tiger Woods scandel?

Only what I see when logging into Yahoo.    (What is it about fame that ruins our cherished, talented people?)  It's heart-breaking to hear about.

How can you live without refrigeration in such a hot climate?

Of all the ammenities that I'm living without, living without refrigeration seems to be the most troubling for family and friends.  I'll try to explain, but since this is a recurring theme, will probably be unable to explain to your satisfaction.  :-)

I typically don't cook meat.  I don't cook meat because I am lazy.  I find it a great deal of trouble to cook (it is messy and you have to be careful of germs, etc.) and even a greater trouble to clean up after.  Yuck!  There is nothing I hate worse than attempting to clean a greasy pan caked with baked on, crusty ick!

It's not that I don't eat meat in Africa, I didn't cook (much) meat in the States. I eat meat and enjoy eating meat.  I will happily eat meat if someone else cooks it for me.

So, I've found,  if you don't buy meat, you really don't need a refrigerator.  I live without pickles and leftovers and cold drinks, which is basically what my refrigerator had in it back home.  I plan meals more carefully, and usually cook for the whole day in the morning. In this way, all of the prepared food is eaten by day's end and there are no leftovers.

Living with a baker and watching the Frugal Gourmet has taught me that eggs and butter won't spoil if unrefrigerated.  So I buy eggs every week.  I was buying butter every week as well, but since is has gotten very hot, I am living without butter until the weather cools again. 

If it rains and the evening turns chilly, I put my "refrigerated" items on the window sill overnight and they chill quite well.  This works better in the cooler months, but just last night I set my eggs on the sill to chill.

And besides, if I want to buy a fridge, I will buy a fridge.  But I really haven't minded living without it.  I need to be careful to vary my food, but even with a fridge, I need to be careful about varying my food.

Why is beer available to the college kids?

I have mentioned my concerns with the "under aged" drinking I've observed in the students here.  The sad fact is, that the legal drinking age is 18 and alcohol is sold to those even younger because the laws aren't enforced, and therefore, there are no consequences for illegally selling it to minors.  (One of my priorities here is to establish alternative-activities for the college kids to do in the evenings and on the weekends.  It's a similar problem we have back home, only probably worse: give the kids something else to do.)

Why all of the broken bottles and garbage thrown on the ground?

I've read that oppressed peoples typically aren't concerned with proper garbage disposal, the environment, conservation, etc., because oppressed people are typically consumed with trying to survive and have energy for little else.  How this translates here is: a bottle may make it to a fire pit or even a garbage receptacle, but if it doesn't, it doesn't.  (Garbage receptacles are very, very rare in rural South Africa, but we are very lucky to have them on campus.)  Everyone breaks bottles here and throws trash on the ground, this is the way it is and the way we've always done it, so why change?

People here are curious when they see me picking things up but they don't really understand why I am doing so.  They simply don't have a context for understanding why I would care about garbage strewn about.

Isn't there a cash incentive to return bottles in Africa?

Curiously, there is  a cash incentive to return bottles for recycling.  For some reason, I've rarely seen people taking advantage of this recycling opportunity.  (In fact, one of my projects may be a "green day" whereby we have the college kids collect bottles on campus and walking them over to a nearby shop to get teh deposit returned.  It might be a small "fund raising" opportunity with a double bonus of campus clean up.

Why didn't you get to take your Thanksgiving Day trip?

Many of you were bothered by the fact that my travelling plans over the Thanksgiving holiday were cancelled.   I had wanted to visit friends in a nearby town that was, unfortunately, not near enough.

After our pre-service training, but before our  official work-duty begins, we undergo a two-month period of "community integration."  The nickname for this time period, amongst volunteers, is "lock down." The nickname implies that we are prisoners, unallowed to go anywhere or do anything.  This is hardly the case.  Peace Corps, has wisely determined, that the first two months at site are crucial for the sucess of our work here: the better we are able to integrate with our communities, the easier and more effective (and probably satisfying) our work will be. 

We are simply not allowed to wander about in hopes that we will put our energies and efforts into building relationships with our new communities.

Although I was disappointed at not being able to be with Americans on Thanksgiving, it was really no big deal.  I enjoyed being with the educators at my primary school on a typical workday (I graded 150 papers on Thanksgiving Day!) and I didn't really have the money to travel anyway.  I was fine and understand and respect Peace Corps' integration policy.

Do I know Krgothorpe is gone?

Who is Krgothorpe?  Sorry, not a sport-cell in my body. I think this is my father's fault.

Are the teachers you work with native South Africans?

Without exception, all of the educators I have met and will work with are from Africa, if not South Africa.  (At least one I know comes from Zambia.)

Do you need a bicycle?

Actually, Peace Corps South Africa provides funds to every volunteer for purchasing a bicycle.  I did not purchase one, nor do I plan to. I can easily walk to my primary school, and of course, I live on the college campus.

I'm saving my bicycle money to buy a fridge.  :-)

What do they (rural South Africans) use donkeys for?

In my area, many of the people here are "farmers."  Now, their idea of a farmer and my idea of a farmer are very different.  Most "farmers" here manage livestock: cattle, goats, donkeys, horses, and chickens.  I know they use donkeys for labor, specifically for pulling "donkey carts" which consist of two donkeys pulling a wagon or flat-bed with items needing to be hauled.

How do you get your mail?

Well, the answer to this is probably evident by now.

Most PC volunteers rent a post-office box in their communities. I'm a lucky girl because the college I "work" for has agreed to allow my mail to come through them.  What happens then, is the mail comes to me, in care of the collge, and usually the college goes to the post office to collect it.  I often collect my mail when I "go to work" at the college and the mail guy has it for me.

Since many of the packages that come aren't released without my passport, I ususally have to go to the post office to pick up these (the college can't collect them for me.)  Since I go to the village's grocer weekly, I've taken to stopping by the post office regularly anyway.  (I often have letters to post anyway.)  So, what has happened is that the post madam and I have become friends, and she kind of watches out for my mail.  (Although, as noted earlier, she wasn't so careful about collecting letters for me over the holidays, only packages.)

The bottom line is that I do receive all packages and letters eventually.  Sometimes, due to holidays or campus closings, there can be "log jams."  By the way, Peace Corps warned us that we might pay a tax or duty on internationally shipped packages.  I haven't paid a cent on any package received so far.)

How do the movies work there?

Well, I can't report on this yet, as I have yet to see a movie in South Africa.  The closest theater to me, that I know of, is in Kimberley.  However, Kimberley is not close enough that I could ride down, see a movie, and come home, all in one day.  I would have to plan a trip.

There are movie theaters in Pretoria, and often times, it seems, volunteers will take trips to Pretoria and hang out a couple of days to see movies, go shopping, etc.

I'm told that the price of seeing a film can vary from as little as R30 (about $2.80) to as high as R50 (about $7.00).

I'm not sure of the selection of popular films available.  I do know that the popular film, Invictus, is playing both here and in the States.  (South Africans were very disappointed that an American actor  was playing their beloved, and our beloved too, Mandela.)  I can't wait to see it. 

You seem to have had a lot of time off recently... Why is that?

Yes, you're right!  I've had plently of time off, as South Africans take full advantage of their Christmas/end-of-school year holidays (as I have too!).  Yes, you read that right.  The South African school calendar runs from January to December (unlike ours, which runs from August to May).  So next week starts a new school year.

I've also been lucky that the resident librarian has been graciously generous with her keys to the library, so I've basically had unlimited internet access for four weeks, and therefore, have generous blogging.

This all may change with school beginning next week as I'll have things to do (I hope) and have less time to blabber.  I always manage to find time to blabber though!

Oh my, I'm so tired, as you must certainly be.  But just another bit...

The photo below is of a lovely shot (although the photo doesn't capture it well) taken from my IMAX window yesterday,  of a sunbeam streaming through storm clouds to shine on one area, the hill to the left.  It was a beautful moment.  We had a day of thick, heavy rain.

The pink building on the lower right is of, unfortunately, a "tuck shop" where some of the students buy vices: alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets.  And in the forground on the left is a bit of our community garden.  (The big tree in the center, but kind of to the right, is an acacia tree growing in the center of the garden.  It was under this tree that I found many of the dead birds.  The birds love this tree and at any time of day, you can hear hundreds of them chirping and carrying on.)

And lastly, I promise, a photo of my most recent, but unwelcome, windowsill feeder.  An African pigeon.  I can't get excited about pigeons, but here he is.

I had mistakenly bought some unroasted sunflower seeds and couldn't eat them because they were bitter.  (And didn't want to roast them because, I'm lazy!)  I have been putting them out on the sill to attract seed eaters.  But, sadly, I got this guy.

So, I go to the post office this week and I have two more packages that have arrived from the States: one from my sister, and one from my good friends, Ellen, Linda, and Bella.

I also received a lovely Christmas card from Helen, of the Bonnie W's, that I'll save for seasonal decorating next year. She also gave me lovely news from home, including wonderful updates of her handcraft (she's a textiles artist: knitting and the like) and of lovely descriptions of snow at her home (upstate New York). She is newly transplanted to Louisville and is unfazed by our snowfalls. (Although I've heard we've had quite a lovely one at home!) Thanks, Helen! What a treat to hear from you!







And yes mom, I FINALLY received the note and the photo you sent early in December. I love the photo and your comment, "Sorry, the hand-writing deteriorates with non-use!" We certainly write differently than we used to! Thank you!







While the post office had diligently watched for my packages, they didn't seem to make the connection that the letters were important to me as well. So while I was able to collect my PACKAGES on a regular basis, my LETTERS were being relegated to the college mail bag. The college, like everyone else in South Africa, has been on holiday since December 11, so the college has been closed. This week, staff is trickling in to ready for the beginning of classes next week, and the college mail bag had finally been gotten. I had 15 or more letters dating from November through December. So that's why I hadn't been getting your letters!







So now I have them, and have been absolutely binging on news from home.







My sister sent a package that had me squealing. I wish you guys could be a fly on the wall when I open these packages. I find each item thrilling!







Kim sent me wonderful portraits of her beautiful family, some of my favorite people on the planet: Kim and her husband, Jon, and of my two beautiful nieces: Lauren and Kara. I love the thread of vivid red that runs through the photos!







Kim is one person who has found some Kentucky/Louisville-themed postcards/note cards. I had asked for these because these make nice gifts to the African nationals. The only connection they have of Kentucky is of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which I hate, because we are so much more than Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Have you heard of the Kentucky Derby? No. Mammoth Cave National Park? No. College basketball? No. The Falls of the Ohio? No.)







She also sent goodies for my dental health: extra-soft toothbrushes, top-shelf dental floss, and lip balm. Goodie! My teeth and gums are tingling just thinking of it.







She sent a wonderful bar of herbal soap that happens to come from Benin, Africa. The soap is sold to raise funds for an African community. It also smells divine! This is a very well-travelled bar of soap!







Also enclosed were these lovely green bags, called "Debbie Meyer bags" that are touted to help preserve the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables. Since I'm living without refrigeration, I'm curious, and excited, to see how these help me.







She also sent me some plastic file folder sleeves, that although I hadn't asked for, she intuited I needed them. I use them for everything here, to keep dust off of papers, folders, etc. It’s nice to have a couple more.







There was a copy of the LEO, (Louisville Eccentric Observer) that happened to have the amusing "Looavul, Luhvul, Loueville..." dilemma featured on the cover. I love receiving this publication, and nothing makes me feel more like I'm home than going through it. Deanna keeps me stocked in copies, although I wish she wouldn't--she's paying a fortune to ship them to me.







And lastly, and a real treat, was an article from Louisville's The Courier-Journal that featured my favorite writer: Barbara Kingsolver. I'm hard pressed to name a favorite author; she's definitely in the top five. Or maybe the top ten. She has a new book out, called The Lacuna. The novel's plot deals with two of my favorite historical characters: Frida Kahlo and Diega Rivera. I can't wait to read it. It was great, GREAT fun to read the article.







Thanks guys!







Another package was from my dear friends Ellen, Linda, and Bella. (Bella is the family cat that must be included when naming family members.) :-)







The one kitchen item I can't seem to find ANYWHERE in South Africa is the rubber spatula. It is the one item that I long for every day. Ellen and Linda sent me not only one rubber spatula, but THREE. And they're HEAT RESISTANT! I'm a happy, happy girl!







They too, sent me some coveted dental floss-both packages contained my favorite brand, by the way: Glide. How did you know?







And a BELOVED BAR OF DR BRONNERS SOAP. I hadn't realized how much I liked living with this soap until I was living without it. It is a natural soap and contains no harsh chemicals. It's one of the few brands (if not the only one) that doesn't leave my hands in shreds. I love, love, love this soap. Also, I can, and do, use it for everything: hand washing, body washing, shampooing, vegetable washing, and even laundry.







I thought I was careful with using every last bit before; it's amazing how much longer a sliver will last me in South Africa!







Ellen and Linda sent me a 3-D Christmas card that I will use as my Christmas tree next year. Ellen especially, is always careful to see that I have a Christmas tree. It's fun and I love it!







Ellen sent me some stickers to use with the school children. One of the strips have "Sponge Bob" stickers, which were a huge hit with the American kids when I was last working with them. (Has Sponge Bob been dethroned?) It will be fun to see how the Tswana kids react to them.







And lastly, Linda sent me a copy of the Wall Street Journal. I'm saving it to read tomorrow, Sunday, so I'll have a "lazy-Sunday-morning, after church-reading the paper" kind of Sunday morning. I haven't had one of these since leaving the States. I used to do this with the New York Times, so it will be a bit different with the Wall Street Journal. I'm not a business person, and I've always associated this publication with savvy business people, so will let you know how I manage. It will be dense and delicious reading, regardless, and I look forward to tomorrow morning.







Actually, I got a double-whammy from the Linda/Ellen household. (There was a letter in addition to the package they sent, the letter being tucked away in the college mailbag.) They sent me a collection of greeting cards: happy birthday, thinking of you, etc., that will come in very, very handy. (Greeting cards, as in America, are very expensive here.) Thank you! They also sent me lovely, lovely photos of Cave Hill Cemetery (yes Ellen, I recognized it!) taken around the Thanksgiving time. The place is full of history, beauty, and nature.



I live very near Cave Hill Cemetery, when I'm home, and it is one of my favorite places to spend time. It is a beautiful, beautiful place and the resting place, of, coincidentally, Colonel Sanders of--you guessed it--Kentucky Fried Chicken. There are other famous and interesting people buried there. And, Cave Hill is also the resting place of the grandchildren of two wonderful, wonderful women who lost them, tragically, last year. Our whole city has been in mourning for them for over a year.





I love Cave Hill and used to spend time there with my children when they were little. We loved to go there and feed the ducks. It is very meaningful to have pictures of it here with me--thank you!







I also got a lovely note and Christmas greetings from my hiking buddy, Tony C. I've been hiking with a group out at Bernheim Forest for a few years and have become very fond of Tony and the others. They hike monthly, in my absence, and I think of them every "last Sunday of the month." They'd better still be hiking when I get back, and I can't wait to resume. It was fun to hear from Tony and have news of his family and of our other hiking friends.







I still have a stack of letters and cards to go through, so if you haven't been mentioned here, I haven't gotten to you yet!







I am rich with holiday greetings in January!



Now, I am way behind on my letter writing. There is no excuse, I know, but please allow me off the hook a bit until I can catch up. I will answer some random questions here.



Will I ever stop talking of myself and tell you guys interesting things about South Africa and my immediate community?



Yes, I will, eventually stop talking about myself. I'm sorry to be so self-centered. I've been reluctant to "get out my camera" and start firing away, for many reasons, but yes, more on more important things will come in 2010, I promise! And thanks for your patience!



How do I know of Sarah Palin in the news?



This is embarrassing to admit, but I'm not taking time to keep abreast of current events. My computer time is limited and I'm usually blogging like mad to catch up and have no time (or energy) remaining to seek out news of the world (which I should). My world news comes usually from Bonnie and Deanna, in their regular letters, and of any snippet I see when logging onto "Yahoo" to check my email. (Yes, I too, am shuddering at the thought.)



It was by logging onto Yahoo that I saw Sarah Palin's smiling face.



The weather seems hot there, but it's cold here. Why is that?



Ok, I'm not a science person, at least not a science person in regards to the earth, how it rotates, how it is divided, how the different hemispheres operate, etc. But I understand, that because South Africa is in the southern hemisphere (and Kentucky is in the northern), that our seasons are opposite. So, if it is cold and snowy there--winter, then it is hot and sunny here--summer. And then the reverse will happen in your summer, it will be cold here. (But probably not snowing.) Make sense? Kind of sorta? (If anyone out there can provide a better explanation, PLEASE, do so, and thanks!)



Do I know of the new Zachary Taylor coin dollar just released?



No, I didn't know. What happened to the Susan B. Anthony one? Is the new dollar coin hoping to replace the paper dollars? (Wasn't the Susan B. supposed to do this as well?)



So, why did you CHOOSE South Africa?



Um, well, I didn't choose South Africa. When you join Peace Corps, they hope that you are willing to serve where you are needed. According to the PC website, "Peace Corps Volunteers serve in 74 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East" (http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn).



Although you can request a region when you apply, ultimately, you're placed where you are needed. I did request Africa as a region, but I had no idea I'd be serving in South Africa until I was invited.



Have you been keeping up with the Tiger Woods scandal?



Only what I see when logging into Yahoo. (What is it about fame that ruins our cherished, talented, national icons?) It's heart-breaking to hear about.



How can you live without refrigeration in such a hot climate?



Of all the amenities that I'm living without, living without refrigeration seems to be the most troubling for family and friends. I'll try to explain, but since this is a recurring theme, will probably be unable to explain to your satisfaction. :-)



I typically don't cook meat. I don't cook meat because I am lazy. I find it a great deal of trouble to cook (it is messy and you have to be careful of germs, etc.) and even a greater trouble to clean up after. Yuck! There is nothing I hate worse than attempting to clean a greasy pan caked with baked on, crusty ick!



It's not that I don't cook meat in Africa, I didn't cook (much) meat in the States. I eat meat and enjoy eating meat. I will happily eat meat if someone else cooks it for me. Actually, I will actually happily clean the cooking pot if you have cooked for me!



So, I've found, if you don't buy meat, you really don't need a refrigerator. I live without pickles and leftovers and cold drinks, which is basically what my refrigerator had in it back home. I plan meals more carefully, and usually cook for the whole day in the morning. In this way, all of the prepared food is eaten by day's end and there are no leftovers.



Living with a baker and watching the Frugal Gourmet has taught me that eggs and butter won't spoil if unrefrigerated. So I buy eggs every week. I was buying butter every week as well, but since is has gotten very hot, I am living without butter until the weather cools again.



If it rains and the evening turns chilly, I put my "refrigerated" items on the window sill overnight and they chill quite well. This works better in the cooler months, but just last night I set my eggs on the sill to chill.



I buy and use powdered milk to take in my tea and use on my cereal. There is also a packaged, heat-processed milk that will keep on the shelf instead of the fridge. I buy these packaged milks, in the smallest size, from time to time to use on cereal.



And besides, if I want to buy a fridge, I will buy a fridge. But I really haven't minded living without it. I need to be careful to vary my food, but even with a fridge, I need to be careful about varying my food.



Why is beer available to the college kids?



I have mentioned my concerns with the "under aged" drinking I've observed in the students here. The sad fact is, that the legal drinking age is 18 and alcohol is sold to those even younger because the laws aren't enforced, and therefore, there are no consequences for illegally selling it to minors. (One of my priorities here is to establish alternative-activities for the college kids to do in the evenings and on the weekends, hence, an interest in establishing a “movie night.” It's a similar problem we have back home, only probably worse: give the kids something else to do.)



Why all of the broken bottles and garbage thrown on the ground?



I've read that oppressed peoples typically aren't concerned with proper garbage disposal, the environment, conservation, etc., because oppressed people are typically consumed with trying to survive and have energy for little else. How this translates here is: a bottle may make it to a fire pit or even a garbage receptacle, but if it doesn't, it doesn't. (Garbage receptacles are very, very rare in rural South Africa, but we are very lucky to have them on campus.) Everyone breaks bottles here and throws trash on the ground, and this is the way it is and the way we've always done it, so why change?



People here are curious when they see me picking things up but they don't really understand why I am doing so. They simply don't have a context for understanding why I would care about garbage strewn about.



Isn't there a cash incentive to return bottles in Africa?



Curiously, there is a cash incentive to return bottles for recycling. For some reason, I've rarely seen people taking advantage of this recycling opportunity. (In fact, one of my projects may be a "green day" whereby we have the college kids collect bottles on campus and walk them over to a nearby shop to get the deposit returned. It might be a small "fund raising" opportunity with a double bonus of campus clean up.



Why didn't you get to take your Thanksgiving Day trip?



Many of you were bothered by the fact that my travelling plans over the Thanksgiving holiday were cancelled. I had wanted to visit friends in a nearby town that was, unfortunately, not near enough.



After our pre-service training, but before our official work-duty begins, we undergo a two-month period of "community integration." The nickname for this time period, among volunteers, is "lock down." The nickname implies that we are prisoners, and not allowed to go anywhere or do anything. This is hardly the case. Peace Corps, has wisely determined, that the first two months at site are crucial for the success of our work here: the better we are able to integrate with our communities, the easier and more effective (and probably more satisfying) our work will be.



We are simply not allowed to wander about in hopes that we will put our energies and efforts into building relationships with our new communities.



Although I was disappointed at not being able to be with Americans on Thanksgiving, it was really no big deal. I enjoyed being with the educators at my primary school on a typical workday (I graded 150 papers on Thanksgiving Day!) and I didn't really have the money to travel anyway. I was fine and understand and respect Peace Corps' integration policy.



Do I know Krgothorpe is gone?



Who is Krgothorpe? Sorry, not a sport-cell lives in my body. I think this is my father's fault.



Are the teachers you work with native South Africans?



Without exception, all of the educators I have met and will work with are from Africa, if not South Africa. (At least one I know comes from Zambia.)



Do you need a bicycle?



Actually, Peace Corps South Africa provides funds to every volunteer for purchasing a bicycle. I did not purchase one, nor do I plan to. I can easily walk to my primary school, and of course, I live on the college campus.



I'm saving my bicycle money to buy a fridge. :-)



What do they (rural South Africans) use donkeys for?



In my area, many of the people here are "farmers." Now, their idea of a farmer and my idea of a farmer are very different. Most "farmers" here manage livestock: cattle, goats, donkeys, horses, and chickens. I know they use donkeys for labor, specifically for pulling "donkey carts" which consist of two donkeys pulling a wagon or flat-bed with items needing to be hauled. I’m not sure what else they use them for, as I see very few donkey carts. To sell them, maybe?



How do you get your mail?



Well, the answer to this is probably evident by now.



Most PC volunteers rent a post-office box in their communities. I'm a lucky girl because the college I "work" for has agreed to allow my mail to come through them. What happens then, is the mail comes to me, in care of the college, and usually the college goes to the post office to collect it. I often collect my mail when I "go to work" at the college and the mail gentleman has it for me.



Since many of the packages that come aren't released without my passport, I usually have to go to the post office to pick up these (the college can't collect them for me.) I am made aware of this by a post office slip that will come with my other letters. I take this slip to the post office and collect my packages.



Since I go to the village's grocer weekly, I've made a habit of stopping by the post office. (I often have letters to post anyway.) So, what has happened is that the post madam and I have become friends, and she kind of watches out for my mail. (Although, as noted earlier, she wasn't so careful about collecting letters for me over the holidays, only packages.)



The bottom line is that I do receive all packages and letters eventually. Sometimes, due to holidays or campus closings, there can be "log jams" of mail and I won’t hear anything for periods of time and then be deluged with a great amount of letters (as has happened this week).



(By the way, Peace Corps warned us that we might pay a tax or duty on internationally shipped packages. I haven't paid a cent on any package received so far.)



How do the movies work there?



Well, I can't report on this yet, as I have yet to see a movie in South Africa. The closest theater to me, that I know of, is in Kimberley. However, Kimberley is not close enough that I could ride down, see a movie, and come home, all in one day. I would have to plan a trip, and stay at least overnight.



There are movie theaters in Pretoria, and often times, it seems, volunteers will take trips to Pretoria and hang out a couple of days to see movies, go shopping, etc.



I'm told that the price of seeing a film can vary from as little as R30 (about $2.80) to as high as R50 (about $7.00).



I'm not sure of the selection of popular films available. I do know that the popular film, Invictus, is playing both here and in the States. (South Africans were very disappointed that an American actor was playing their beloved, and our beloved too, Mandela.) I can't wait to see it.



You seem to have had a lot of time off recently... Why is that?



Yes, you're right! I've had plently of time off, as South Africans take full advantage of their Christmas/end-of-school year holidays (as I have too!). Yes, you read that right. The South African school calendar runs from January to December (unlike ours, which runs from August to May). So next week starts a new school year.



I've also been lucky that the resident librarian has been graciously generous with her keys to the library, so I've had unlimited internet access for four weeks, and therefore, you have had generous blogging (which may or may not be a good thing).



This all may change with school beginning next week as I'll have things to do (I hope) and have less time to blabber. I always manage to find time to blabber though!



Oh my, I'm so tired, as you must certainly be. But just another bit...



The photo below is of a lovely shot (although the photo doesn't capture it well) taken from my IMAX window yesterday, of a sunbeam streaming through storm clouds to shine on one area, the hill to the left. It was a beautiful moment. We had a day of thick, heavy rain.



The pink building on the lower right is of, unfortunately, a "tuck shop" where some of the students buy their vices: alcohol, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. And in the foreground on the left is a bit of our community garden. (The big tree in the center, but kind of to the right, is an acacia tree growing in the center of the garden. It was under this tree that I found many of the dead birds. The birds love this tree and at any time of day, you can hear hundreds of them chirping and carrying on. It was heartbreaking to hear that they had been intentionally poisoned.)



And lastly, I promise, a photo of my most recent, but unwelcome, windowsill feeder. An African pigeon. I can't get excited about pigeons, but here he is.



I had mistakenly bought some unroasted sunflower seeds and couldn't eat them because they were bitter. (And didn't want to roast them because, I'm lazy!) I have been putting them out on the sill to attract seed eaters. But, sadly, I got this guy.



(Pigeons like urban areas so we have tons of them on the college campus.)



The most interesting thing about him is his eye: there are no feathers around his eye but skin that looks like the skin you'd find on a rooster's crown. (The red, flappy kind of skin that hangs off of chickens.) And the feathers around his neck look greasy.



Ok, I'm laughing and must go. For those of you whom (who?) I have "short cutted" with global, public answers, I promise to make up to you soon. (This is mostly you, Ms. Bonster! You are even more prolific with your writing than I!! I love it!)



Soon, and many thanks for gifts received, Karen

Dipula di a tla, the garden, and more moving in

When I first arrived at my permanent site, I was told that "In December, it rains every day."

Well, although it threatened to rain a lot in December, with huge, black clouds every night with thunder and lightening, it did everything but rain. In fact, I was coming to believe that Mother Africa was just a tease, with all of her dramatic threats of rain, but then actually producing no rain. I was coming to call her a “blow hard.”



This year, at least, the rains have waited until January. And I am here to see them. (I was reluctant to take a Christmas holiday trip--I didn't want to miss the start of the rains!)



In Tswana, you say the rains are coming with: Dipula di a tla (di POOL uh di a claw).

Well, I thought they had started. In fact, we had three good days of steady, consistent rain, and now we're back to sunny, hot, and dry. I'm glad for the rain, because I had set seeds and transplants out on New Year's Eve. The newly-transplanted plants and seedlings have benefited greatly from the rain, and now have sunshine.

This is a photo of my best "shopping trip" to the Farmer's Market to date. (Actually, it is from a trip to the community garden where a farmer likes to sell me his produce.) I brought home fresh cabbage, fresh Swiss chard (called "African spinach" here), peppers, tomatoes, onions, and eggplant. Yum! I'm a lucky girl!

Having started a compost pile and having "taken over" one village woman's tomato patch (she has graciously allowed my practicing "green" farming methods in her tomatoes), I'm in the garden everyday, usually twice a day. (That's why I've been quiet for a few days: I have been "piddling in the yard.")

Since I'm around a lot, and farmers are watching, they are now requesting my help and suggestions. Yesterday, after my bountiful purchase, the farmer pointed out a huge hoard of bugs infesting his eggplants and asked if I knew what to do.







Well, I immediately thought, "Neem oil." However, in my suggestions to the village farmers here, I need to remember cost (needs to be very little) and availability (while I might take a trip to Vryburg to buy a special product, most farmer's in my village, and especially the women, will be unable to afford a trip to town), it will be most helpful if I can suggest easily-accessible means of improving methods. Neem oil, at least in the States, is expensive. Neem trees grow in Africa, but I need to research a bit on how to obtain it, or even if there are Neem trees in the area where the oil might be harvested. (Wouldn't THAT be exciting?)







In the meantime, I handpicked the hoard of the wicked bugs and dunked them in soapy water to kill them. They look like our cucumber beetle back home; I need to find out exactly what they are. (While I'm reluctant to kill most insects and spiders, including bees and wasps, I'm a zealous murderer when it comes to insects attacking a crop, and also with loathsome roaches invading the house.) After spending an hour or so handpicking, I applied a homemade insect repellent to one plant. After checking one of my South African farming books, I boiled a whole onion that I had chopped coarsely, added some crushed hot chilli pepper, and then a bit of oil--to help the solution stick to the plant. I carried this solution out to the garden and allowed it to cool while I committed my murderous, soapy dunking.







I explained to the farmer what I was doing and that, if the home-made repellent worked, we could use it on all of his eggplants. He seemed curious but doubtful, and I understood his doubt: the odds are against us as the tomato patch adjacent to his eggplants is infested with the loathsome creatures as well. (And then, when I was leaving, another woman farmer asked if I could help her with the bugs in her tomatoes.)







I checked the plants this morning. Most of the plants were free from the beetles and the one I treated had none. We'll see.



I had mentioned to a couple of you that I had found something very disturbing in the garden: hundreds of small, dead birds. I was originally thinking that they had died from ingesting bugs that had been poisoned with insecticide, but was told yesterday, by the "man in charge" of the garden, that a disgruntled gardener had intentionally poisoned THE BIRDS. He was angry and accused the birds of eating his tomatoes.(This farmer has since been reprimanded, by the guy in charge.)



While I was dealing with the hoards of beetles, I was regrettfully thinking that those hundreds of dead birds would have happily fed on the abundant beetles. In fact, the beetle infestation was a likely result of the poisoned birds. (While birds can be very damaging to crops, they are very helpful with eating undesirable bugs.)




I thought you might get a kick out of seeing my gardening tools. The white bucket is a large plastic container halved that serves as my "wheelbarrow." I use this for collecting and hauling yard debris from the college campus to the community garden.



One of the reasons too, that I've been quiet for a couple of days, is that the yardmen have returned and are "cleaning up" the campus as classes are soon to begin. The way the "clean up" the campus is to sweep all of the lovely pine needles, and other tree debris and BURN IT. This is yard debris is incredibly useful material in a garden and I am desperately trying to salvage all of it before they begin burning it. I've nicknamed them, "the burning boys." At some point, I will plead my case for them to save the precious material. I'll have to make sure I find a way for them to save it that won't make their jobs harder...



The little rusty bowl is my "shovel." And the little hand tool is actually a broken latch from a window that I use as a weeding tool.



The wonderfully stuffed pillowcases below are my "lawn bags." I use these too, to haul collected yard debris to the garden. (One of the gifts bestowed to the PC volunteers was a set of bedding: pillowcases, sheets, a comforter, and a warm, fleecy blanket. While the visual appeal of the bedding is less than desirable,  I greatly appreciate the gift, especially since we arrived in the very cold winter of Africa. I ended up with four pillowcases: two regular sized, and two extra-large sized. I'm using the extra-large ones for lawn bags. I like this arrangement because the bags won't rip or tear and can they be washed and reused rather than being thrown away.)



Now some of you may feel sorry for my "hardship." Please don't. I'm making due, just as the village farmers are. And I'm quite proud of myself for thinking of creative solutions and for doing quite a lot with very little. (In other words, please don't ship me gardening tools!) :-)

As New Year's Day served as another milestone for my time in Africa, (the New Year, 2010, is the only New Year holiday marking my one FULL year in Africa), I decided to "move in" a bit more. The one chore I had neglected was cleaning my floor.

My room has a tiled floor that the students and hostel mothers mop and then polish with paste wax. I have never used paste wax on a floor and wasn't terribly excited about a new cleaning adventure. Also, I have yet to buy a mop.







So, determined to get my floor clean, I swept it really well and "mopped it" by scrubbing it on my hands and knees. The chore, on the whole, wasn't bad, and I finished in a little more than an hour. I've decided that it is a chore I can handle on the occasional basis.







Very proud of my newly cleaned floor, I was horrified at the hoards of insects that have visited my room in the evenings since. Apparently, three days of rain have made more than the plants happy. On the first evening, I had a swarm of termites. (All evening bugs are drawn to my room by my lights and I have no screens. )Their delicate little wings pasted themselves smartly to my newly-cleaned floor and were difficult to sweep up. (Actually, I had to scrape them first, then sweep--YUCK!) The next night I was visited with a lovely swarm of some horrible beetle, which is about an inch long with two yellow dots on his back. He makes a nice crunching sound when you step on him, but is easier to sweep up.







And last night, the repairmen came to fix my broken window. MY BROKEN WINDOW IS FIXED! HOORAY! And it didn't cost me a thing. Apparently, fixing broken windows in all of the dormitories is a yearly chore undertaken by the campus staff. I am quite relieved, as I was worried about the expense of the repair.







So, I had to sweep up broken glass shards from my window repair.







In the end, guess I can say, that my floor is REALLY CLEAN now.







(Many of you are probably wondering about screens on my windows: I have none and they are not a common feature on homes in South Africa. I'm seriously considering paying for this luxury; having them would go a long way with keeping me comfortable: no bugs and less African dust in my room!)







And lastly, although I'm doing terrible at keeping my posts short, I had a neat visitor to my room night before last. He was a tiny, tiny lizard, about an inch and a half long, with spongy, "tree frog" like toes. He came inside and cocked his head at me (in the same way that Sparky or Emma will do, when you're talking to them) and I fussed at him and tried to shoo him out. I didn't want him inside to eat the poisoned insects that were swarming the room (my mosquito net is drenched in DEET) and I didn't want him starving to death or dying of thirst.







He ignored my pleas and stayed the night and most of the next day. As I was relaxing on my couch yesterday, his movement on my ceiling caught my eye. He had made a tour of the whole room and had circumnavigated all of it. I watched him for quite awhile and he inched his way towards an open window. I fussed at him, "You'd better go outside!" and he playfully ignored me and ran up and down the height of the open window.







Finally, he cocked his head at me, swished his tail smartly from right to left (he had not made such a gesture before), and out the window he went. I feel certain that his tail-swishing was his way of saying, "good bye!" His visit cheered me greatly, and I was glad to see him go unharmed.







Soon, Karen

New Year's Day 2010: my one full year in South Africa!

I had a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year's Day—my first in South Africa! This holiday marks the beginning of my one full year in South Africa, as I arrived in July in 2009 and will be leaving in 2011 (God willing).

I've heard it said that whatever you are doing on New Year's Day, you'll be doing in the new year. I'm very happy to say that I was gardening on New Year's Day.



On Year's Eve, I started the compost pile in my community's garden. (See bottom photo, appears to be a grave with some onions on top!) Now, you might think this an undesirable chore to be undertaking on such a holiday, but I was smiling bigger than ever since arriving in Africa. I have never been able to "work in the garden" on New Year's in the States: it is winter and the ground is frozen during this holiday time at my home.

(My photos were arranged in a more logical order, but I messed them up somehow and am now too tired to try to "fix them."  Sorry not so visually logical.)  :-)



Now, I can say that I've planted flowers on New Year's Eve, and planted those flowers in Africa!



Now, about the compost...



The villagers here do not compost in the community garden. I was told that the villagers know of composting, but they don't want to have the bother of it. Instead, the villagers here burn all yard debris and feed the vegetable scraps to the domestic animals (donkeys, goats, chickens, etc.) In fact, when I was collecting the dry, coarser material to serve as the bottom layer of the compost pile, a woman brought me a box of matches, as she assumed I wanted to burn the pile (the same woman who is allowing me to mulch her tomato patch. I hope to have a picture of her soon: she is a TANK! She’s 84 years old and works harder in the garden than I ever have!)



Now, I can go along with feeding vegetable scraps to the animals, if you use their poo as compost. The villagers here do not use composted manure. And, it can be argued that the burned yard debris could be added to the soil in the form of ash. Here again, the villagers are not adding ash, and the rotted (composted) material would be much more valuable as soil amendment.



What do the villagers do in the way of soil amendment?



They add chemical fertilizer and dig our the weeds. That's it. Period. Oh yeah, they add chemical pesticide when the seedlings emerge. So they are weeding—A LOT!



What's the result? Their soil has the consistency of cement when wet and the consistency of concrete when dry. To dig in their soil is back-breaking work. In fact, after years of cultivating in this fashion, their soil is no longer soil, it is red clay. It’s a wonder anything can grow in it at all. (And what grows in it is of poor quality.)



Now, one of the secrets about me is that I'm inherently lazy. (Shh, don't tell Peace Corps!) I love to garden, but I hate to dig. Deanna likes to tell people that I garden with a wooden spoon; I do garden with a wooden spoon but only because I compost and mulch. Hence, my New Year's Eve/Day projects.



There is a lovely woman here, the same one who offered me matches to torch the foundation of my compost pile, who has agreed to let me mulch her tomatoes. Yes, the mulch is still there, as the photos indicate. I was able to have a conversation with this woman through her grandson who translated for me: if she likes the result of the mulch I will add more; if she hates the results of the mulch, I will remove it.



I've also planted a marigold and nasturtium plant to help w/ drawing beneficial insects and deterring undesirable insects. (See photos below. The red mud is the typical look of my unmulched community garden.)



Not only is the mulch still there, the mulch is something of a curiosity: from my widow I watch informal tours of gardeners back to the mulched area.



After my day of gardening on New Year’s Eve and a phone call from my friend Leila, who reminded me that we shared a special New Year's Eve 10 years ago, I retired for the evening (well before midnight). At midnight, however, I was awoken (awakened?) by a popping noise coming from outside. As I drew the curtain back, I gasped at the sight: the WHOLE VILLAGE was setting off roman-candle style fireworks! Not just one or two houses but the WHOLE VILLAGE. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful!



I had a wonderful night's sleep and awakened (?) with a phone call at 7:00 am. (Sorry, I don’t feel like checking the usage for tense forms for “wake.”) My 7:00 am is your midnight (in Louisville) and was, of course, Deanna and friends calling to wish me a "Happy New Year!"



What a fun way to begin my first New Year in Africa!



First thing, I was visited by a South African bee eater. I was surprised to see him from my window because it is dry and flat in front of the college with little tree cover. I usually see him behind the college, where there is water and plenty of trees for protective cover.



I like to watch him because he reminds me of our blue jays back home. He will perch on a branch and watch for a meal to fly by, swoop down to eat his meal, then fly back to the same branch to await anew. When my youngest son was quite small, we took peanuts to Central Park in Old Louisville. My son would throw a peanut, the blue jay would swoop down to snatch it then return to branch to await the next toss. What fun!



A few hours later, I was relieved to see that my family of bulbuls have returned to my windowsill for feeding. (They had disappeared at my leaving them hungry for a week when I was away for holiday.)



The next treat of my New Year's day came with my daily reading. There are two books that have had a profound impact upon my life and one of them is Eckhart Tolle's, The Power of Now. Mr. Tolle's book has influenced me greatly for the past couple of years and has had a profound impact on my spiritual journey.



Mr. Tolle's book can be wonderfully concrete and abstract at the same time. I've found it helpful to read just a bit of it every day, as one might a daily reader. I was delighted to find that I had finished the book on the previous day, which had me beginning new again on New Year's Day. It felt like a promising omen.



I had a wonderful New Year's Day breakfast: eggs with onion, green pepper, and lentil sprouts. I had reservations about using the lentil sprouts in eggs, but I needed to use them up or throw them out. I'm glad I tried them because they were quite tasty! I also had some oatmeal with cooked apple and two pots of tea! It was quite an extravagant breakfast--especially with two pots of tea! I was as full as a tick! :-)



Also during breakfast I watched several gardeners touring my mulched tomato patch.



Around 9:20 am, I heard the whistle of the train and watched the train go by. I lived near enough a train track in Louisville to come to love the sound of it, and I'm glad to have this same delight here in Africa. (In Louisville, I also lived near enough the Ohio River to hear the Belle of Louisville's whistle blowing as well--also a treat. Of course, I also lived near enough hospital alley to hear the continuous whine of ambulances and near enough to UPS to hear, well, everyone in Louisville lives near enough to UPS to hear. the roar of the huge jet engines.)



By 10:30 am, I was off to the garden to check my seedlings and was greeted by the campus security guard. I was delighted at his comment, "I am very glad to be alive today, and celebrating the coming of a new year, when so many others are not." What a wonderful reminder that just being alive is a wonderful gift and a blessing.



The rest of the morning I did a bit of "piddling," in that I didn't do much of anything. I had a bit of wash to do and rested. I was delighted to realize that with my Christmas money (thanks, everyone!), I'm a third of the way to Capetown! I won't need to pinch my pennies so tightly and can probably go in October, rather than April. I'm so excited!



Also, since this is another significant milestone for my time here in Africa, (the first day of my one full year in Africa), I tried to cozy my room a bit more. I hung pictures to remind me of the changing seasons (in Louisville, we have 4 seasons: spring, summer, winter, fall—and I miss them!) of previous trips, and of previous gifts.



In the one photo you can see postcards from both Bernheim Forest of Kentucky and of Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska. I have volunteered at Bernheim forest for several years now and absolutely love it there. While in Alaska, I did make a trip to see Denali. The mountain is notoriously fussy and often "hides" in the clouds so that people cannot see it. Since many come to the mountain for a vacation and don’t plan to return, many are disappointed at not seeing it. If you are lucky enough to see the mountain during your visit, it is considered quite a prize.



Now, remember me, not being the sharpest tool in the shed? When I was travelling to Denali, I was with two other volunteers and we were driving north, facing the mountain as we went. Our conversation consisted mostly of us wondering if the gorgeous mountain before us was "it" or not. (Denali.) We did not stop and take photos because, in our minds, the closer we got to the mountain, the greater the photo opportunities would be. Wrong! By the time we actually got to the mountain, the clouds had rolled in and the mountain had disappeared. To further our insult, we were had a tour guide point out that "Those of you travelling from the South today had a fabulous view of the mountain." So, I SAW Denali, but I did not get a photo. It was very beautiful and I deeply regret not snapping a photo.



My wonderful sister, feeling my heartbreak, SENT ME this lovely postcard of Denali that I treasure. Where in the world she found an Alaskan postcard in Kentucky is beyond me.



And the last isn't mine, it's from friends. My friends Linda and Ellen took a trip to Florida and snapped this shot of a sponge boat. It cheers me a great deal. There is also a photo there, but you can’t see it, of wonderful fiddlehead ferns emerging from the ground in spring. My friends Leila and Kristin grow a wonderful bed of ferns and knew this photo would cheer me.



Oh my, I digress.



The other photos in the frame, and the ones I’m supposed to be talking about, remind me of our lovely changing seasons back home: the top is of a blooming saucer magnolia from my apartment on Third Street in Old Louisville (spring), the next is of my mom and my sons when they were young down at their place on Nolin Lake (summer), the next is of the boys again, in Old Louisville, again, in the big snow storm of 1997 (winter), and the last is of me and my hiking buddies, out at Bernheim, with all of the fallen leaves of deciduous trees at our feet. (Fall. Well, actually, this could be winter, but it is the closest photo to capture the essence of fall that I brought from home.)



I hadn’t planned to bring photos from home to indicate the change of seasons, but must have intuitively known that I would want to see them.



Too much information? How about some more?



The other collection of photos is of previous trips: at the top are two from the trip that may have grown my travel bug: my family took a big trip "out west" when I was a child; me, hiking in the Mammoth Cave area, which I do often and love; a favorite shot from a Florida camping trip, which I do sometimes, and love, and on the bottom are a few shots and a xmas card from my other big volunteer trip: Chugach State Park in Ak.



I added a couple of favorite shots from this African trip, for good measure.



I also “hung” some gifts loved ones have sent along: the “sleeve” with the greeting “time to roll up your sleeves” and a wonderful ceramic bead with deciduous leaves painted on it (I can’t wait to buy a cord to put it on; I’m not a jewellery person, but this will be a wonderful reminder of home that I can wear!). Seeing this cheers me.



Also, Deanna sent me a bumper sticker from my most recent, favorite coffee shop in Louisville, Quills. And some dried herbs from our garden.



As I was spending my lazy day piddling, I had a couple of text messages (grr, I still hate texting) from well wishers: fellow Peace Corps volunteers and African nationals alike, wishing me a "Happy New Year."



On my trip to the pay phone to call members of my family, I heard the ruckus of the African hornbills. (See photo above.) They make a dreadful noise. My mother could even hear them from the phone line and my friend from holiday, Peanut (one of the sisters’ dogs) would bark uproariously at hearing them. I hadn't seen them here before but had seen them at David and Sally's. Mom mentioned that I might see different kinds of birds with the changing of seasons. I think we only have two seasons here: winter and summer. But we have had some rain here, and the temperatures are markedly cooler. I guess this could qualify as a change in a season--or at least in these few days.



And then on my evening trip to the garden, I had a lovely, long phone conversation with my friends Leila and Kristin. I was doing a little jig while talking to them: the African ants like crawling up my leg and biting me fiercely. I can't stand still for even a moment without being bitten and they often grab on even if I'm moving. I'm not sure why they are so bad now, perhaps because of the rain? (We've had two days of rain after months of going without.)



The last little bit of my New Year's Day was devoted to reflection and goals. I have had an incredible decade with much growth, opportunities, adventures, work, and satisfying relationships. The only painful parts of the past ten years have had to do with parenting and the on-going circumstances of "my kids not doing what I want them to do." I worry about their safety and well being constantly, but must also constantly “give them to God.” It has been a wonderful opportunity and practice of surrender: God's will, not mine, but very painful, all the same.



Other than that, this has been the most satisfying decade of my life, and I look forward to an even better, next decade, one day at a time.



I had retired "New Year's Resolutions" for several years, but I dug them out and dusted them off for this year. Actually,. I like to think of them as "New Year's Goals." In the coming year, I'd like to never complain and to take a weekly "day off."



I've already slipped in my complaining: just ask Deanna, Leila, Kristin, or my mom--all of whom I spoke with yesterday. But, I'll keep trying.



I still struggle with staying "too busy" and "busy" my life away, and have noticed the trend following me here to Africa. As a New Year's goal, I will try to "keep the Sabbath day as holy" in hopes of putting some joyful time into my life. So for Sundays, along with holidays and my birthday, I will try to keep as "no chores allowed and church only." We'll see how successful I am with that...



And today, I received more packages, which were filled with things I LOVE!



Deanna has sent me two months' worth of LEO back issues (Louisivlle Eccentric Observer)--my favorite. She also sent me a couple of "Neighborhoods" editions pertaining to Irish Hill (our neighborhood), some recovery literature (MUCH NEEDED--thank you!), the latest from Sierra Club's The Cumberland, and the latest newsletter from Eagle River Nature Center. YAY! YAY! Yay! I am wealthy in news from home—from all my homes!



She also sent some of her healing tea and some mystery herbs (sage? the other? I have no clue. Are they from the garden?)



All in all, it has been a fabulous two days. I feel rich, wealthy, well-loved, fed, and happy. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.



Happy New Year to all! Have a fabulous 2010!

Soon, Karen

ps: images of bee eaters and hornbill taken from:
www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/images
blog.sa-venues.com