Hello blog world

I know, I know, it’s been awhile (as usual) since I updated you on my Peace Corps (hereafter PC) adventure. I suppose that’s mostly because of the old adage: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” And you are all probably internet savvy enough to know that maintaining a blog involves a good deal of self-censorship. There are things that could be written here that could easily be misinterpreted or just involve airing things far more publicly than they should be. But for anyone who thinks that PC volunteers have it easy: guess again. This ‘work’ is filled with frustration and a lot of wondering as to whether you made the right choices along the way. It makes you wonder if your being here makes any difference and if external events will ever allow you to be effective.

But, I’m going to try to keep the rest of this light.

I’ve been gradually increasing my cooking repertoire, which has been a lot of fun. My work’s got internet and I have COPIOUS amounts of time to surf it, so I’ve been able to do a fair amount of recipe hunting. So far, I’ve managed a lovely aloo gobi (even tasted the way I meant it to, amazingly enough!) and two kinds of muffins (banana and chocolate/oatmeal/raisin). Two nights ago I used the soya mince that they sell in the stores to make a nice sauce by grating in four tomatoes. It strikes me as odd that this vegetarian meat product should be so readily available in SA, but I think it’s supposed to be used when you can’t afford to buy any meat. I’m not a vegetarian, never fear, but I don’t really enjoy or practice the cooking of meat. Call me lazy. Also lacking a refrigerator. Oh, and I bought 2% milk yesterday (I’ve only ever seen whole milk before) and it was such a treat!

I was having a chat with my host siblings last weekend, as we sat and I read my new Sepedi book (for 1st graders). (On a side note: the kids are all in either grade 1 or 2 and none of them could read it. They either pretended or simply repeated what I read out loud to them.) Jumpo (the girl) was peering around me (I was sitting on the stoop) and asked where my baby was. She was utterly shocked when I told her that I didn’t have one. I suspect it was because of a combination of my age and gender. I’m not knocking anyone who chooses to have children at an early age (and that’s certainly the norm here), but I was really sad that she simply expected all young women to have a baby and couldn’t seem to fathom someone NOT having a child. Young unmarried women with children are a very high risk group for AIDS, if only by virtue of the fact that they’re obviously practicing unsafe sex. I don’t want my little sister to assume that there aren’t alternatives.

And we had a TORRENTIAL downpour earlier in the week. I’ve got some photos that I can upload at some point, but it was insane! The usually dry river beds were absolutely full and moving SO fast. Anything that could be a channel for the water was and there was blueberry sized hail. My taxi had to turn around in Mamone and take the tar road to Marishane because the road had been washed out. I now completely understand the idea of flash floods. And one think that I enjoy is that there are always rainbows afterwards, because the sun is out as soon as the clouds clear away. Many nights I can see the lighting in the distance, enveloped in clouds, and that’s also beautiful.

And finally, we’re having an at-site party at another volunteer’s house tomorrow night for the rugby match. I don’t know how many of the others are coming, but I’m looking forward to hanging out and not watching it by myself! The Boy has been nervous from yesterday and I’m worried about the state of his stomach. Oh, and Mandela recorded a very nice message to the Springboks that they replayed on the radio. But, I’m still not cheering for them.

A comment on Genocide

This blog will take a rare break from talking about me to make a comment on the kerfuffle surrounding Congress’ proposed condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. This isn’t a new story, by any means, and now it is looking increasingly unlikely that the full House will actually vote on the matter. BUT, I have LOVED watching Turkey get in a snit and the diplomatic delicacy that the executive branch has been using to try and avert a disaster that could have serious consequences for the supplying of the war in Iraq.

I’m not particularly bothered if the House doesn’t vote (although, Congresswoman Carson: vote for it). I know that it would mean a great deal to the few remaining, now extremely elderly, survivors. Judgement has already been rendered and I can’t believe that anyone would think that an up or down vote on a non-binding resolution would suddenly make those events real (or, conversely, that its failure would mean that the Genocide never happened). I think that the discussion the resolution has sparked is a victory for those people around the world who believe that genocide should never be swept under the carpet.

And, most importantly, I think it illustrates what we sometimes forget in the human rights community, when our discipline is under constant attack. No matter how bad they are at respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights, no one wants to be called out on it (even if the incidents in question happened almost 100 years ago)! We see it in the Human Rights Council now, with the difficulty it took to set up a process for the Universal Periodic Review, and with the other review mechanisms set up by the principle human rights treaties. And, haven’t we all observed states getting upset by unfavourable reviews from the big NGOs, i.e. the US’ perpetual reaction to the assessments by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch? This language is powerful, even if the US and others usually want to pretend that it is not.

I am so proud of the House for taking up this issue and for fighting for it. I am proud of the media for devoting so much attention to this story. It’s one of those very, very, very rare moments when I can actually believe that my home country is a force for good in the world. At the same time, I understand the realities of international relations and understand why the Bush Administration would oppose the resolution (even if I don’t approve of their actions…what else is new?).

Whatever happens, the point has been made. The Ottoman Empire did commit genocide against the Armenians. Turkey has been reprehensible in not only failing to acknowledge or apologise for the events, but in continuing to be hostile towards survivors who want their story to be told (one representative called it ‘genocide denial’). And thanks to the actions taken by members of the House of Representatives, the Armenians have finally won.

A PC question

Here’s an argument that my girl in Niger and I were having yesterday:
Which is better (Peace Corps amenities-wise): internet at home or running water? We’ve each got one and both envy the other.

I finally got to meet many of the councilors today when they came in to get some information after their meeting. I have to say, they seemed really impressive and I can’t wait to be formally introduced!

New photos!

Well, I was wrong. France won. And apparently it was an even better match than the England-Australia one! If anyone sees fit to put it on a CD for me, I’d probably not mind seeing it…. South Africa did win today (*groan*), but I thought Fiji put in an amazing effort and even looked capable of taking the match for awhile.

I mostly just wanted to let you know that I’ve uploaded a few more photos on Flickr. Unfortunately, yesterday’s photo session means that my little host brothers won’t stop asking “Cata?”, which is apparently the verb for “take photo.” My Sepedi is fuzzy, but I DO know the word for “no” and it isn’t working! (Aowa, for the record.) And for some reason, one of them keeps asking for my glasses and asking how much they cost. I think he thinks that they’re a fashion accessory, despite both my and his grandmother’s explanations. Frankly, they’re kind of annoying. Boys! Ack.

So, here’s the family, minus Mma:

ROAR!!!

England wins! England wins! England wins!

AAAAAAAHHHH, that match was NOT good for my blood pressure, but it was fantastic! I got nervous every time Australia had the ball, but England’s defense held up and were able to put the Aussies on the back foot. If Jonny Wilkinson had gotten all of his penalties, I might even have promised to stop making fun of his pre-kick constipation pose. But, as he only managed 4 of the 7, I reserve the right to do so. Still, this match involved an awful lot of me waving my hands at the television. I can’t believe they did it.

For those of you wondering what on earth I’m talking about…today was the England-Australia semi-final of the Rugby World Cup. Basically, Australia=awesome, England…well, they lost 36-0 against South Africa. Does that explain? Everyone thought this was a ‘one horse race’ (and one commentator even said so) and were predicting at least a 10-15 point margin for the Aussies. But, ENGLAND held them and WON!!! On to the All Blacks (New Zealand, for the uninitiated), she said with a sigh (unless France pulls an upset tonight). I thought I was going to cry with relief.

Otherwise, the week’s been frustrating. I’m not going to air everything in such a public forum (especially now that we’ve had to submit our URLs to the Country Director), but I’m trying to cope with some work-culture shock at the moment. Government efficiency in the US/UK and in South Africa are two VERY different things, let’s say. I’ve been really frustrated and wondering what on earth I’m doing here. Don’t worry, this is normal for Peace Corps volunteers, and I just have to keep telling myself that things will get better. After all, it’s only the end of week 2.

I’ve used a little of my spare time to get in touch with UNA-SA (sorry, that the United Nations Association here in South Africa) and Education Africa, who run provincial and a national MUN. I can’t imagine not having MUN in my life and would love to spend some time on a secondary project. If anything, I have to cut the people I work with some slack, because they didn’t grow up practicing government the way we did. Even student council, I now realise, was practice for when we grew up and I think that it would be really great to help students here practice the same thing. Of course, because it’s me, I want to do MUN.

I was going to insert some anecdote from the week here, but I can’t remember any. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that my area may be a bit on the god-forsaken side, but it’s actually amazingly beautiful. I love the rocks and the color that the purple trees give it. And my gogo (grandmother) continues to bring up God and his creator-ness in every conversation we’ve had after I told her that I didn’t go to church and believed in evolution. She’s amazingly lovable and lively, so I don’t mind. And the littlest one and I tell each other “Shop!” a lot and touch thumbs. He makes me smile and laugh so much.

First week at site

Well, I’m settling in at site now for real. I have my own little room outside the house and am gradually buying things to build up my own little kitchen on a wee table. So far, I have a kettle, which means I can only eat instant noodles and instant oatmeal. And tea. But very soon, I’ll get a hot plate and be in business! It’s all rather cute, if I must say.

My family is FANTASTIC. I never really interacted with my training host family, but I love hanging out with this one. The house is owned by an old woman, but her sister (who can only walk with a walker), 6-year-old grandson and 2-year-old great-grandson also stay here. It’s hard to describe, but they’re fantastic. The sister, especially, is so full of life and stories from her life in Jo’berg. She sits on a little porch all day and sells little packets of snacks and frozen koolaid to school kids. She always busy and never quiet and I love hanging out, except when she starts talking about God (which happens a lot, because I think she’s trying to convince me of something). The 6-year-old, Neo, is super curious and always trying to spy on me or sneak into my room if the door’s open. He was good about being more polite when I asked him, though. There’s been a ton of extended family visiting, too. Mostly, young women, who I’ve spent hours talking with and who I can’t wait to spend more time with!

Work is a little confusing. I don’t really know what’s going on or what I’m supposed to be doing. Partially, that’s because no one else does either. These first three months are about finding a niche. Personally, I’m hoping that they’ll find me a desk before the three months are over. There’s been some scandals and now the municipal manager is suspended and there’s no one to make decisions. Oh, and salaries weren’t paid last month, so there might be a strike. Who knows? Meanwhile, I sit in my boss’ office studying a book on Access. Because if I have to read another bit of law that is as badly edited as the Municipal Structures Act, it might be problematic. I really wanted to mark it up. Such bad alignment! And the punctuation! And the inconsistant use of bold & italics! I know some people in the State of Indiana who would have fainted at the sight.

Finally, I feel it is my duty to warn you against cat ownership. Wizards can use them to kill you. Or make you blind. Glad I asked my pet-loving gogo whether she liked cats before I asked if I could have one in my room.

Bring me the finest muffins & bagels in the land!

Victory is mine! I have triumphed over the gods of language testing and scored an intermediate high on ye olde Sepedi (Northern Sotho). I can only assume that the Harry Potter reference tipped me over the edge (as opposed to the scenario which I completely bombed). Either that, or, as I suspect may well be the case, the evaluator was generous.

Regardless, my host family LOVED the photos that I gave them as a thank you present and I am almost entirely packed (the rest doesn’t have to be ready until Wednesday morning). It’s all very strange.

Oh, and I made tuna noodle “casserole” for my family. My sister was not impressed (but, then, she so rarely is with my cooking).

Woo! I have internets!

Yes, this isn’t the most exciting day of my life, but it ranks pretty high up there! (Hmmm…I should think about what the most exciting day was.) But, I’ve managed to make my computer (lovely, lovely mactop) talk to my mobile phone (which I guess it already did, because that’s how I got cool ringtones) so that I can have internet anywhere I want! So, now I can blog from the comfort of my very own rural village! If only my phone could also provide showers….

There’s also so much to say that I don’t have a very clear idea of where to start. I’ve had some incredible high points, some incredible lows and a lot of more moderate oscillations. My host family sometimes drives me nuts, but as we get closer to leaving, I find myself really kind of upset about not seeing them every day. I am so looking forward to training being finished, but I don’t really know what I’ll do with my days once I’m at site and relatively alone. And, I had a terrible placement originally that made me burst into tears every time I thought about it, but ended up with one that sounds like an incredible challenge that I’m super-eager to take on!

My permanent site will be in an area called Jane Furse, located here. My job will be to work with the local municipality in their department of community services, which doesn’t really exist right now. They’ve just hired someone new (who’s worked with PCVs before and is fantastic) and want me to help her. I’m very excited because it fits in with some of my interests (human rights, government reform, politics) and sounds like such a huge challenge. But, I can’t wait to get to work!

We swear in on Thursday and then I’ll be a real PCV. Hurrahs! And, I’m sure I could give you some funny stories if you wanted. I’ll have to think of some.

Until then, think of me in my language test trying to figure out how to describe the plot of Harry Potter in a language I barely speak (Sepedi, for the record, and I’ll know the results soon). Um. “Harry Potter….ke nna…wizard le o ya sekolo…Hogwarts.” Oh, yes. That really happened. Or you can think of me greeting the cows that roam pretty freely here: “Dumela, kgomo!” They don’t answer back. Sad.

Joyce leaves for the Peace Corps

Well, it’s nearly time. Here’s a copy of the letter than I sent to my friends & family, because I don’t feel like doing another version:

Hello from Indiana (although not for long)!

The bags are (almost) packed and I’ve eaten more ice cream in the last two weeks than you can imagine. There was a Harry Potter marathon with my best friend and her family (including a sneak preview screening of the latest movie); an insane trip to Cleveland for a concert, sojourns to see family & friends in Arizona, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington DC; a stamp show; and a whole lot of shopping! After five weeks, I even finally managed to adjust enough to be nice strangers who wanted to strike up a conversation (a weird American tendency).

But, now it’s time to go. I’ve had a lot of conflicting feelings over this assignment, but have kind of come to terms with it. I do think I’ve been given an exciting chance to do interesting work in a fascinating country. For the record, that’s NGO Capacity Building (working with little non-profit organisations (as we say in the US) to help them be more effective) in the Republic of South Africa. I don’t know who I’ll be working with or where in the country and won’t for at least another month.

South Africa Group 16 (as we’re called) will leave the US on July 19 and arrive in Johannesburg on July 21, at which point we will be engaged in subversive tactics to try and get ahold of the new Harry Potter book. We will spend a week in Rustenburg and then move to home stays in the Zeerust area for the next 7 weeks. Both places are in the North West, part of the former Orange Free State. You can find a halfway decent map of South Africa here: http://www.places.co.za/html/visualfind.html (click on the NW province for more detail).

Until we swear in (tenatively scheduled for 20 September), I won’t have any access to e-mail or a cell/mobile phone, so please don’t be offended by the long periods of silence. I can, however, receive mail at the following address until then:

Joyce Adams, PCT
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa

I would love to hear from any (or all) of you, since letters will be my one connection with the friends & family that I’ve accumulated from all over the world and I’m counting on there being some pretty lonely, homesick moments. And, my birthday’s (still) on August 13, so I’ll celebrate it during training!

I know it was helpful when another friend left for the Peace Corps that she sent a list of package suggestions. Please don’t interpret this as a plea for packages at all! But, here goes: photos, letters, books (quality fiction, human rights-related, classics, young adult, anything set in London, international law), DVDs, cross-stitch kits (later, I’m pretty stocked right now), and magazines (celebrity/gossip, the Economist, New World, New Yorker).

Alas, I’ve got to go and finish the packing. It’s nearly there, but I might just have to give in to all my critics and take out the can of pumpkin-pie filling that I packed for Thanksgiving.

Love to you all,
Joyce

News from the stamp world

Well, my exhibit (which I haven’t seen in two years) had its first outing as an actual ‘adult’ exhibit (you’re still considered a youth until your 22nd birthday) and recieved a gold (the highest medal level) in what was a massive surprise to me. Egads. And here I was thinking that I would have something to aim for again.

I did get back from the trip to Chicago, Philly, DC & Baltimore last Tuesday and have been pretty non-stop busy since then. It was great to see friends and family and the BABY PANDA at the National Zoo in DC! I’m sure I’ll find time to put up some photos…eventually!