Hamburgers, sausages and South African hot dogs (not quite Oscar Mayer) PVC Kyle in action with the braai To braai is an Afrikaan term meaning to grill or barbecue, and the activity is hugely popular everywhere in South Africa. One of the best meals I’ve had thus far in South Africa was a braai prepared [...]
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Game ended in 1-1 tie Some of the PCVs enjoying the game A recent soccer game was a good excuse for all the PC Volunteers in my province to get together for a weekend. About 18 of us converged on the town of Polokwane where there is a huge, beautiful stadium for such an event [...]
A very creamy liqueur We have to eat the chocolates quickly or they will melt in the heat! The marula tree grows throughout the province where I live. The fruit from the marula tree is apparently much loved by giraffes, warthogs and even elephants, but it is a myth that such animals get drunk from [...]
Occasionally I run across something here in South Africa that is so clever that I think, “Why haven’t I seen this in America?” This country is definitely a mix of old and new. One such example is pictured above. It is a call button for a waiter/waitress. I saw this at a small cafe yesterday [...]
First grade teacher Social Sciences teacher, grades 4-7 First grade teacher, literacy Primary school principal Many of the female teachers wear hats to school and continue to wear them all day long. Some hats are fancier than others. I don’t really know if they wear hats because they look nice wearing them or because they [...]
Truly hard to capture in pictures what the ant “situation” is here. Basically, almost any time I am standing or walking outside, I am stepping on or over one or more ants. They are just about everywhere. The ants are tiny, and don’t seem to bite. That is fortunate because I have looked down numerous [...]
As I ride the 90 minute trip to and from Polokwane, my shopping town, I pass some interesting sights, geological and otherwise. The long rock layer in the above pictures is best viewed on the ride home from town. As the road takes us closer and closer to the mountain, the mountain’s size and rocky [...]
Neighbor’s corn field School corn field gone bad. In rural South Africa, most homes have a garden, and in most gardens corn is grown. There may be just a dozen or so corn stalks or there may be 100+. All the other plants are variable (e.g., tomatoes, pumpkin, spinach), but corn is practically a guaranteed [...]
View of close, outside water tap from kitchen Close-up of outside tap and drain (white pipe is drain pipe from host family kitchen) Municipal tap with our residence across street to right of center trees Host mother bringing in 20 liter bucket of water Bad new – good news – bad news – good new [...]
The kids here love to dance. If there is music, they are up and moving. In late November the primary school had a function to celebrate the graduation of the 7th grade learners. A DJ and sound system were present for entertainment. A long list of speakers made up most of the program. The DJ [...]
The kids at the primary school often walk around in pairs or large groups with arms draped over shoulders. Sometimes they even make a game of it by running around the school yard in such “connected” groups of 5-10 kids, weaving in and around other groups. It is actually more common to see kids walking [...]
At least six boys sharing from one plate. All gone! By now, I would be totally amazed (in fact, flabbergasted) if I were to see an actual lunchroom in a rural South African school. With classroom space already at a premium, a dedicated lunchroom is out of the question. Kids at both the primary and [...]
Lyrics to anthem South African flag One of my favorite things about South Africa is it’s national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. It has a nice tune and some pretty sweet lyrics. The primary school learners sing it a couple of times a week during the morning assembly. Just like the US anthem, it has some [...]
The thorn tree (see Day #52)continues to be my least favorite tree here in South Africa. Although it does provide some dense shade, the thorns are super strong and sharp. However, in just the past few days I’ve noticed something new growing on the trees. These new little curly things are young seed pods. They [...]
Just to the right of main entrance into grounds for secondary school At the secondary school, about where I stand each morning for assembly Burn pile on secondary school grounds Before leaving the States last summer, our PC group met in Washington, DC, for orientation and quick introductions within the group. One ice breaker had [...]
A fun and happy group of girls! They enjoy looking at the globe, but if asked most cannot locate South Africa. Tlosletsa and Baleseng are two of the ring-leaders. There is a lot of down time at school, both for John and me as well as for the learners. With regard to the learners, we [...]
Three of the many Afrikaans language books on the shelves at the primary school. Stacks and stacks of Afrikaans textbooks culled from the textbook library. The Afrikaners and the British make up most of the white population in South Africa. Afrikaans, the language spoken by the Afrikaners, was largely the language of instruction in schools [...]
This is probably one of the most boring of all photos, but the topic is one of the most important to my day-to-day living. That is, the availability (or lack) of electricity. When I was assigned to South Africa, I was pleased to know that most PC accommodations are supplied with electricity. Not all rural [...]
This picture was taken in late October before much grass had satarted to grow. This is the same view (with one green water tank added) but taken after the holiday break. The kids have created their own path to the water tanks. When I first arrived in the village last September, winter was just ending [...]
Dora the Explorer (left) is alive and well in South Africa. Hands down, pink if the favored color. Barbie and Tinkerbell in pink Children wearing backpacks returning from lunch break Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more. (Dorothy, Wizard of Oz) That may be the case, but one would never know it [...]
Can you name all the things “wrong” in this picture?! This boy must not only sit on the floor, but he’s also in a space too cramped for his long legs. The two girls are lucky enough to have a chair but not a table/desk There are about 440 learners at the primary school where [...]
The big boxes usually contain apples. Big bags full of butternut squash. Food storage area Once or twice a week a large white truck pulls up to the school and unloads bags and boxes of food for school lunches. Always included are rice, mealie meal (for making pap), onions, butternut squash (which they call pumpkin), [...]
Impressive bundle of school goodies I have not yet seen kids using colored pencils or paint, but it’s a nice gesture. Some math supplies South Africa spends a larger percent of its GDP on education than any other country. Besides some of the obvious expenditures such as support for facilities, textbooks, and faculty and administrative [...]
I realize that the praying mantis is not unique to South Africa, but the fellow in the first couple of photos was just too awesome to not share. John found it on our “porch” just outside our front door. It was far from vegetation so its body built for camouflage among leaves was not serving [...]
It seems as though there has been an abundance of birds around me since day one of my arrival in South Africa. Granted, many of the birds are simply wrens, sparrows, doves and pigeons. But some of the birds have been quite colorful and interesting (e.g., African hoopoe, blue (a beautiful turquoise) waxbill, kingfisher, and [...]
Drinking fountains are simply nonexistent in my village. In my opinion, they are missed most at the two schools where I work. Daily I carry a 32 ounce nalgene bottle filled with water. Should I forget to bring it with me to school (which hasn’t happened yet), it would be worth the walk to home [...]
Can honestly say that I see more kids rolling tires for play than I see riding bicycles in the village (although there are, indeed, a few bikes around). Typically, the tire rollers are the younger boys who are only slightly taller than the tires. I have yet to have seen a girl rolling a tire. [...]
Two of the cutest, happiest, sweetest and most colorful ladies ever!! Josephine (in orange) and friends Nice variety of aprons Florence was having a good day in spite of that expression. Maybe it was all those ruffles! Ladies in the rural village wear aprons a lot. Some just around the house, but more importantly at [...]
Misc purposeful buckets Drinking water storage Back in the states, I think we owned only one or two buckets. Here in SA, one can never have too many buckets! Truly, I don’t know how we would function without the ones we have and I occasionally wish we had more. Every bucket we have now has [...]
Typical inside-tent wedding decorations Just a few of the many piles of laundry following a weekend of one or more weddings Even when a washing machine is available, some women prefer to wash by hand. Clothesline has 4 lines and extends across almost entire front of house In addition to tent cleaning (see Day #95), [...]
The big white tents are used for all kinds of events such as weddings, funerals, school and church functions, and just about any other special gathering. It just so happens that our host mother is not only a primary school principal, but also a business owner who provides tents along with tables and extensive decorations [...]
First, I can promise that I didn’t have to go far from my front gate to get the pictures above. Tossed glass bottles and broken glass are everywhere. My inclination is to pick up bottles, cans, and other trash, but the task would be overwhelming and also, there’s nowhere to put the trash, that is, [...]
When I travel from my site to Pretoria (typically for PC business), I will take a 3 and a half hour taxi (minivan) ride. The ride always includes a 10 minute “rest” stop in small town called Marble Hall. Local vendors are always waiting at our stop with the current fresh fruits and /or vegetables. [...]
Yum! These are typically just a little smaller than a tennis ball. Alice is my favorite fat cake vendor. She gets up at 4:30am to start making them. Fat cakes (aka Fatty cakes or Phat cakes) are a real South African treat. Their technical name are Vetkoeks, Dutch for fat/oil cake or cookies. Basically, they [...]
Was all downhill from here after several cars drove in and out A good way to recyle grocery bags Some just roll up their pant legs and make a run for it. Yesterday was the first day of the school year. Unfortunately, it started raining the night before and rained almost continuously throughout the day. [...]
Burglar bar door for my bedroom Large “picture” window in bedroom covered with burglar bars Ornate bars on window of host family house One of the criteria for the place where a PCV can live in SA is that the living space must have burglar bars on all access points (e.g., doors and windows). PC [...]
Early in Peace Corps training we were told how important clean shoes are in South African culture. Not everything we were taught during training has turned out to be true, but they were on the money with this tidbit of cultural insight. Keeping shoes clean in an environment where it is so dusty, and during [...]
Flowers just inside a neighbor’s yard/fence. Barren area along road. A surprising stretch of wild, minature zinnias on the walk to the stores. These zinnias are about the size of a quarter In my village, family yards are generally well maintained. They are ALL enclosed with a tall fence (security concerns) and within the fence, [...]
Pick and choose you own colors or … … buy covers in bulk. Many will use a clear plastic wrap cover. Some kids like to design their own covers. The new school year starts in just a few days. The stores are full of school uniforms and supplies. One of the store school items had [...]
A floppy shoe sole is not a good thing! How lucky I am that his sign is in English. My hero, the shoe repair guy! Three days ago I was walking to the village shopping area and I realized that the front part of the sole on one of my Teva sandals was falling off. [...]
“If looks could kill” … just seeing this Cape Cobra in the wild would scare me to death! Probably a Rinkhals or possibly a Spitting Cobra When I learned that PC would be sending me to South Africa, one of the first things I did was an internet search for snakes in SA. Wasn’t too [...]
Supper without a clue Cute chicken family from former host family During our 2 months of training, both of our host families had a yard full of chickens and peeps. They were noisy, nasty (chicken poop everywhere in the yard), and always underfoot. Yet, they provided hours of viewing entertainment. Our current host family does [...]
Dead from either swatting or all the repellent in the air! A few of the tried-but-not-yet-proven remedies “If you think you are too small to have an impact…try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” I have no idea who deserves credit for saying this, but I’m guessing it just might be another [...]
Electrical plugs and outlets in South Africa are enough to drive me batty. I get a little frustrated with the lack of outlets in a room (typically one per room), but then I recall that in many SA rural areas, electricity didn’t exist just 10-20 years ago. Should be thankful my village has electricity, no? [...]
Women in South Africa have mastered the art of carrying babies. All one needs is a bath towel and a little practice. No need for fancy or expensive baby backpacks or front-style slings. I don’t go a day without seeing babies carried this way. In fact, it is truly rare to see a baby being [...]
Peregrine falcon: fastest member of animal kingdom South African black eagle Owl sitting on thatch roof waiting for show time One thoroughly entertaining thing we did while on our recent vacation was to attend a one hour demonstration of birds of prey at Falcon Ridge in the Champagne Valley. We didn’t really have high expectations [...]
Baboons are clearly considered a nuisance creature here in South Africa. They will pilfer camp sites and even homes if left open and unattended. Fortunately, they are not present in our village although they have been reported to be living in the mountains nearby. Yesterday, for the first time, I saw one about 10 km [...]
Roadside vendors selling fruits and/or vegetables are commonplace. It’s been interesting watching the products change as various items come into season. Currently, watermelons are in season (after all, it is summertime here in South Africa) and they are showing up at roadside stands, particularly in the rural areas. Just a few months ago, these same [...]
There is a multi-cultural event happening just a few blocks away from where I am staying for a few days in Polokwane. The event kicked off with a parade of people representing many of the different people/tribes within South Africa. The dress for each group is traditional and colorful. The pictures above are a rather [...]
Aptly named “Titantic” Golden Gate Park South Africa, not California! The Golden Gate Park here is a true gem. I was remiss in not knowing about it earlier and so thankful that several SA residents recommended (insisted, rather)that we visit. The park is about 3 hours south of Joburg and sits on the northern border [...]
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