So Many Changes

Site.
Well this is going to be a long one because I don't even know where to begin with my explanation of site so far. I guess like most things I should start at the beginning. First off, my group of 15 headed to the Sisonke district of KwaZulu-Natal wasn't even sure if we were going to site on Monday September 2nd. After swearing in we were informed that our supervisor workshop, where we were supposed to meet all of out principals had been cancelled. Turns out the building where it had been scheduled originally was not suitable for this type of event. Given that, we were basically put on standby and had to be ready to leave when we got word that a new location had been chosen. To be honest I was kind of hoping that we would be delayed a day so that I could get at least one quality shower in at the college. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but I was also very excited to be heading to site on the correct day. After three attempts to fit all of our luggage into the vans and trailers, it was a very tight fit, we were off on our 10 hour drive to a town in the Sisonke region where the following day we would be meeting our supervisors for the next two years. Just a little side note, for safety reasons I can not disclose where exactly I am on this site. This is an open blog that anyone can read and according to Peace Corps guidelines it is a security risk for me and my community to put exact locations here. That being said, I will be able to post my new address here (when I get one) because it will be located in a town near my village and not in my village (because mail doesn't come to rural areas).

That being said, we arrived very late at our location, and had to be up very early the next day to have a few hours of workshop with our supervisors before they took us to our new homes. Now, Peace Corps for some reason really likes to make everything as uncomfortable as possible. So the next day we were informed that as a way of introducing ourselves to our principals we would walk into the room where they were all seated, introduce ourselves in isiZulu, and then tell them what school we would be working at, again in isiZulu. The principals of course had no idea which volunteer was going to their schools before this little introduction game, which made it kind of feel like volunteer lottery. You could totally tell the minute you walked into the room which principals were hoping you would be theirs and which ones didn't want you. It was nerve racking to say the least. I'm not really sure what my principal thought when he first saw me because I was too focused on not totally butchering their language, but he seems happy with having me now. After we were finally all seated by our principals, we spent the next four hours discussing why we were here, what we would be doing at the schools for the next three months, and the cultural differences between South Africans and Americans.

Then came the time where all the volunteers looked around at each other...and panicked. It was now time to say goodbye to the last white person we might see in who knows how long, and the last time we might have a real conversation in English for months. As we slowly hauled our over weight luggage to our principals' cars,  the realization that we would soon be heading off into rural Africa all alone really set in. To be honest I kind of wanted to pee my pants. What kind of crazy person thought this would be a good idea? Oh wait, that would be me. After another round of choked up goodbyes we got in the cars and went our separate ways into the unknown, because we literally had no idea where we were going.

After a relatively short ride through the town of Umzimkulu (my shopping town) we were traveling down a long gravel road, that gradually turned into a dirt road through the rolling hills of South Africa. After a little bit we rounded the last corner and I got the first glimpse of my new home away from home. It was breath taking. Tucked away in the mountains is a beautiful village that slowly creeps up the side of a hill with a small valley at the base. I was shocked at how pretty it was. Houses here are pointed super bright colors, and with the green grass behind them, the village seemed like it popped out of the hillside. We slowly made our way down to the base of the village and turned into my new home.

To my excitement I was greeted by a big black lab. He isn't nearly as cute as Butch, but he will be a nice companion for the next two years. My family was right there behind the dogs to greet me as well. At this point I couldn't tell you all of their names, or even how many of them are actually part of my family. Originally I was told that my family consisted of a mom, two daughters, and a son, however I was greeted by at least twice that many kids all trying to get a glimpse of the new white girl who would be living with them. Thank god most of them speak at least some English. After a long round of introductions and some super awkward silent moments I was shown my new room. Let me tell you, this place is HUGE. It has to be at least twice the size of my room at home. It is rondavel, which is a giant round room with a thatcher roof, and I love it. At this point it is pretty empty, which makes it feel a little creepy. The Department of Education is in charge of providing furniture for volunteers, but like all things controlled by the government, it takes time to actually get those things. I am fortunate that my family has loaned me a small bed until I get the new one, but that could take anywhere from a week to six months. My new host mom left me to unpack what little I could, and as I looked around at my new home I thought to myself "holy shit, I am now completely alone in the middle of no where Africa".

To be continued...