This past winter (in the Southern Hemisphere) has been a busy and exciting one for me. One unique opportunity I had the chance to observe was the departure and return of the boys from the Ndebele male initiation school. Over the next few blog posts, I’ll try to chronicle this event.
Before getting into details about [...]
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Last, but certainly not least, I work at a primary school for grades R (Kindergarten) through 7. It’s a big school with over 700 learners. We have a great principal and management team. It’s one of the best run schools I’ve seen in South Africa. I love all the staff and it’s an awesome, amazing, [...]
I also work at a little high school called Ziphakamiseni Secondary School. The school was just built in 2004, so the facilities are beautiful, but we don’t have much material or resources to fill up those beautiful rooms. The school is small with just over 200 learners and 10 educators.
Garden: I never thought of myself [...]
I more or less recently started working at a teacher training centre about 5km from my house. The centre is quite a bustling place and busy enough to fill the lives of several volunteers. The Centre has afforded me a great opportunity to met an array of nefarious and good people working for the Department [...]
Thought it about time I indulge in a little bragging. Been a while since I posted and several of you’ve been asking what I actually do here in South Africa. I try my hardest to limit any goings-on to expeditions into the African bush and generally avoiding work. Regretfully a number of commitments have snuck [...]
Uploaded a bunch of new photos from my latest trip. Check ‘em out at http://photos.stevengerner.com
I’ve got to watch out: if I continue to post so copiously, I may run out of interesting things to say. Below are excerpts from a letter to my best friend, another Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Peru.
—-
Dear Sam,
It’s been a long and exhausting week and it’s only Wednesday! On the one hand I’ve [...]
Two blog posts in one day! What’s going on?
Two exciting things happened today: I finally got the new library going and we used this occasion to launch our new Funda for Fun Reading Club (Funda means Read in IsiNdebele and a few other associated languages)!
The last Peace Corps Volunteer helped write a substantial library policy [...]
My mom met a young boy (I think he’s around 12 or 13 years old) on a plane last year. She promised to send him letters from Iraq. I thought I might send him one as well from South Africa. Below is part of my first letter to him.
—
Lotja Jack!
[Redacted]
I am a Peace Corps Volunteer [...]
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As a friendly reminder, if you could all take a few minutes to donate five to ten dollars online to the KLM Foundation in support of the half-marathon I’m running this coming Saturday (March 28), the children of South Africa would be greatly appreciative. Just visit http://www.klm-foundation.org/ and indicate it is in my name. Many [...]
Here are some excerpts from a letter I wrote to my great Aunt and Uncle. I thought you all might enjoy the read, particularly given the infrequency of my posts. Of course, you all could be the beneficiary of one of these delightful handwritten letters yourself if you happen to send one my way (or [...]
Slowly I make my way along the dirt road wheezing for breath. The drizzle of rain abruptly stops as sliver of sunshine pierces through the clouds. There is hope yet! I stumble upon the rocks and get my clean white shows lodged in the mud. I’ve ran for almost three minutes straight without stopping. I [...]
Sorry for the long hiatus…
—-
A Jewish friend once told me you get double mitzvah points when having sex on holy days. I have yet to confirm this fact and believe she likes the excuse; however, I’m sure if our mitzvah points for the past few weeks entered into direct combat, mine would crush hers like [...]
Think of all the starving children in Africa
The Face of Hunger
Send more sour patch kids, mac n cheese mix, and other cool foods
My friend Sam recently posted about her battles with Peruvian spiders. This inspired me to share about my own battles with bugs
—–
My eyes open with a start. The buzzing returns. The attack shall soon begin.
It is a fearsome battle we fight! Through the long arduous summer they attack with ferocious speed and agility! Even [...]
Howdy Folks,
Just a few updates regarding the site. Some new photos of my primary school and some more random photos the kids took have been posted. Check them out!
I promised to setup an email subscription option and I’ve finally got around to doing just that. If you were subscribed to my previous email list, [...]
After recently visiting my Peace Corps Training village, I was inspired to write about this experience from the first night in the training village:
—–
Kabathandi (a fellow PCV) and I meander to the shed as Ma Mnguni beckons. The ominous sound of flapping wings and squawking welcomes us. We walk in the shed. Ma Mnguni [...]
Howdy Folks!
Several of you inquired how to send me cards and other stuff for my birthday / Christmas. My mailing address is:
Steven Gerner, PCV
PO Box 439
Kwa-Mhlanga 1022
South Africa
I can buy most things here in South Africa; however, feel free to send me a cool singing card, Sour Patch Kids, Mac n Cheese mix, or [...]
I’ve been following the USD - ZAR (South African) exchange rate lately. The rate peaked the other day at about R11.50 per USD and has since fallen to around R10.25. Given no massive shocks or political upheavals, I doubted the Rand would anytime in the near future reach that R11.50 high, so I thought [...]
Nathan scolded me for not using haikus in my poem to my Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO). I do not give in to the demand of Nathanists (or terrorists). Consequently, my thank you to my PCMO for sending me allergy medicine has strategically taken a non-written / non-verbal form…
Well Nathan didn’t actually do any scolding, [...]
Slowly the car approaches a dark alley, narrowly lit by an Apartheid era backpackers on the left and an ill looking factory, fading from its Apartheid era glory, on the right. It’s only 9pm, but this particular part of Durban seems particularly dark and terrifying. I wonder, ‘should I call the SA police?’, but [...]
Howdy Folks!
As you all are aware, I have been terrible at keeping everyone up to date. Fortunately another Peace Corps volunteer demanded (well politely requested) that I send her an update on my recent activities. Below is an edited version of the email I sent her, so you can all keep up to date!
Things [...]
A-L-L-E-R-G-I-E-S
I wake up in the mornin’,
And find myself a snorrin’,
‘Cause my nose is a pourin’,
With mucus quite annoyin’.
My lymph nodes are a swellin’,
Like the US population of felons.
I don’t think I need to be tellin’,
This body is an ailin’.
I tried nasal decongestant,
But it failed to out best it.
I’m obviously quite hesitant,
As I struggle with this [...]
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