Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas in South Africa year one

We had hiked up to the top of the mountain behind our place.

Our last posting from us here in South Africa was in November.  During this time the weather has gradually changed from spring like to early summer and the land has become greener as the result of periodic rains.  We are becoming more and more familiar with the climate and are relieved that the mid 30s⁰ C temperatures (upper 90s⁰ F) during several days in November did not persist for days on end.  There have been cooler days offsetting the hotter days.  Nevertheless, we have been using our electric fans to keep us cool, wear short pants often, and walk with an umbrella to shade us from the hot sun. It will probably take us some time to become used to this latitude which at 30⁰ South of the Equator is comparable to the latitude of Orlando Florida.  We have been warned that the hottest weather will show up in January and February.

Our saving is that at 2000 meters above sea level and with less annual rainfall, the climate is much drier and cooler than elsewhere nearby in South Africa.   There are other Peace Corps volunteers from our class serving west and northeast of us.  To the west the climate becomes hotter, drier, and more desert like.  To the northeast the elevation is lower and it rains more, so the climate is hotter and more humid.  We consider ourselves lucky to have avoided these two extremes.

Our work at the schools tapered off during the last half of the 4th term which ended in early December. During the last few weeks (yes weeks) exams were scheduled so classroom instructions were done before the third week of November.  Merideth and I gave final exams to our grade 4 learners in social studies and economic management systems.  During grade 4 the students start to be taught and tested in English instead of their home language (Setswana) so most of the year the success of each student depends on how well they know English.  This in turn depends on whether they are exposed to English at home.  We found many grade 4 learners had limited English comprehension so teaching them without being fluent in Setswana to translate or testing them on anything in English was questionable.  We got test results ranging from 15% to 90% because the range of abilities in each classroom is very widespread.  You pass if you get 30% or better.  The school year ended in early December.

When the new school term begins on January 16th Merideth and I expect to start a new phase of our volunteer experience.  Merideth plans to work at three of the local primary schools with small groups of learners that need help catching up with grade level.  She would also like to work with some of the foundation level (grades R-3) teachers with their work to introduce English to the curriculum.  Gary plans to work with some of the math teachers at one of the primary schools and at the high school however they think he can help.  In addition he has some other projects in the works at all four schools that will keep him busy.

For ten days in December we went to Pretoria for the last of our Peace Corps training. It was held at a nice convention center with hot showers which were a treat to most of us volunteers.   Food was provided by a buffet that was very good so most of us ate too much.  The highlight of the classes was a session about HIV/AIDS that was excellent.  After our daily classes we were able to play some volleyball and have some dance parties.  It was good to see all of our classmates again and to hear how everyone was doing at their sites.  Our next get-together as a group will be next September for a mid-service training.

We came here with fifty-six volunteers in our group.  After about five days, one man left for home on his own.   And then at about week six, an older man was sent home for medical reasons.  During our December training, one young woman was diagnosed with a serious medical condition and left for the US.  And just this week, another young woman left for personal reasons.  So the group of 56 is now at 52.  It is not unusual for Peace Corps groups to lose volunteers throughout the service period ending after two years with half of the initial numbers.

Back in our village, before the training we moved from our house down in the middle of the village up the hill to the mission where our permanent housing was located.  The PC couple we are replacing were great help to us in getting to know the village and left the Peace Corps while we were in Pretoria for training.  It was nice to move into the apartment and finally settle down.  The apartment consists of three rooms – a bedroom with attached bathroom;  a small kitchen with stove, refrigerator, cabinets, and table and adjoining half bath and sink room; and a lounge/den room containing a desk and someday a couch for relaxing.  With our move-in allowance from the Peace Corps, we purchased all of the items left behind by the departing couple.  There was even a small black & white TV that gets four channels. This inheritance of household stuff was really convenient for us and we expect to do the same for the couple that might follow us.  We consider ourselves to be very lucky to have such a nice place to live when compared to most other volunteers.  We do have to keep our doors to the outside closed at all times so that the baboons that wander around the mission grounds do not get inside and wreck the place.  We hear them run across the metal roof.

For Christmas we plan to go to Mass at the Catholic Church located about 300 feet from our apartment.  Merideth brought to Africa the two Christmas stockings she made for us back in 1976, and we have put a few items in them.  She is going to make a ham for dinner and an apple pie for dessert.  It will be quiet and relaxing.  By the way, South African wines are excellent and inexpensive.  We can buy a 5 liter box of decent red for about $10.  The Cape Town wine region is on our list of places to eventually visit.

Last week we were visited by another Peace Corps couple and all went to visit a nearby Cheetah recovery program where cheetahs, wild African dogs, and other animals are fostered in anticipation to returning them to the wild.  Our Facebook page has a picture of us petting a cheetah.

On the 30th we will fly to East London down on the Indian Ocean coast and spent ten days at the Buccaneer’s Backpackers where we can enjoy the ocean and relax.  We will tell all about that in our next chapter.

We hope everyone that reads this had a wonderful holiday and wish all a 2012 that fulfills.  We are thankful for our opportunity to experience this part of the world and are humbled by how fortunate our lives have been when compared to our fellow human beings.  Please reply to this posting with comments so we know what those reading it are thinking.