our one year anniversary in South Africa

Marty's and Suzanne's

As we celebrate our one year anniversary in South Africa we reflect on the year here.

Peace Corps has provided a Family and Friends Face Book link for those who want to stay in contact Book. Here it is:

 Family and Friends group

We have been tested mentally and emotionally. Suzanne  has been the strong one and support for me. I thank her for the presence she brings.

This country is a divergent mix of people and politics. The people are struggling toward their second twenty years of being out of apartied. There is distrust among many those of the same race and different races. As the only whites in a village of all blacks and coloreds we are obvious and approached often out of curiosity. The first thought is we are lost and need help finding where are going. Then surprise, when discovering we live here and are simply taking a walk (Si Hamba) after dinner.

From our perspective we look cautiously at all who approaches whom we have not met before, and make a mental note to change our route if suspect or given a look that is not good. So, there is distrust on both sides and caution.

We have ;learned to get inside by dark and if out after dark visiting friends we take a route known to us and often are escorted to our gate.This is how life is and we have learned to except it, not like it necessarily.

Still, we have made friends on the bus we ride everyday to and from Nelspruit. If we are missing for  few days one lady calls Suzanne to make sure we are al right. The people at the church we attend ask about us and how we are.

 

We visited Pretoria to see medical last week. We will be moving with the help of our org on the advice of the Peace Corps doctor. The garage we live in is damp and has too much mold. It has caused breathing problems for both of us. With the help of our org we will find a place to move after the first of the year.

The rainy season is upon us.Almost everyday there is rain, sometimes a thunder storm. When it rains hard we cannot hear anything above the sound of the rain hitting the metal roof of the garage. We find a flash light and sit to wait to see if the electricity goes out or not. Not much different in many other places. The rain has made our garden grow.

Church services are free concerts for the enjoyment. They are a mix of Ella Fritzgerald, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Buffet, a delight to the ears and a beat that makes your feet want to dance. We have enjoyed the people we have met through the church and are being invited to work with them more. Like anywhere, this took time for them to know us and us them.

We plan to get out  for the New Year and stay in town for a week. This is both for relaxation and the ability to do some day trips around the area. And yes, a regular shower where water flows over your whole body.

In a conversation about our trips we came to the realization we have seen the big five. It is important to get away and relax, play and not take life too seriously at times. The serious parts will wait for our return.

The holidays are different here. Our close friends are not here and Thanksgiving is not a holiday here. Christmas starts later which is nice. But the poverty in the communities make New Years more important to the people here, hoping for a better year, maybe a job or pay increase at one they already have. It is lonely not celebrating with our close friends and family, but a joy to share with the friends we have made here.

This coming year promises to start with projects we have been working to get started since August. In perspective this is not so long, but we are anxious due to we will soon be counting our second and last year of service. I feel the year 2015 will bring Suzanne and I closer. We hope success will mark our progress as we continue to work with the people we know.

That is all for now.  Stay Safe and Have A Blessed New Year

Suzanne and Marty