Expanded Perspectives: LaQuita (RPSV- South Africa, 2006-2008)

Hello Dear Reader,

I'm so excited to introduce a new 3rd Goal project of mine: Expanded Perspectives. Through this project, I hope to provide you with blog posts written by my friends and fellow RPCVs who have served in the Peace Corps all over the world (admittedly with a heavy leaning towards Africa). In their own words, you will get varied perspectives on life in the Peace Corps, what life can look like after the Peace Corps, and everything in between (related to the Peace Corps, of course)! I'm even trying to talk my parents into writing a post (for all of the concerned moms, dads, families and friends out there) about their experience with a child in the Peace Corps!

If you are a PC applicant, PC Invitee, PC Trainee, a current PCV, or RPCV, and would like to contribute, please feel to free contact me through the 'comments' section of this post! You're welcome to write about funny stories, anxieties about service/the application process, how PC service has made an impact on your life, or anything you can think of related to PC. *Note-Please consider your submission a generous donation, because you won't be getting paid, but then again, I don't get paid for this either!* Just remember to keep it clean, keep it fun, and keep the 3rd Goal moving!

Starting off this new venture is my dear friend, LaQuita, who served in PC South Africa (2006-2008) in a town called Klerksdorp, which is located in the Northwest Province. ***If you've looked through my little blog, you'll noticed that she is referenced throughout!***

This is the first entry in the journal LaQuita maintained during her service! Enjoy!

“What was my first day in South Africa like?”

After a 17 hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean, my descent into Johannesburg International Airport was greeted with the distinctive smell of South African air and a great degree of relief, “finally, we are HERE”. Much to my dismay, this cross continent flight was followed by a 3 hour bus ride to a rural village in Mpumalanga Province (Mpumalanga means “where the sun rises”). We arrived very late, joyously greeted by the PC training staff and a buffet of hot South African food! On a full belly, we all dragged our luggage to the rondavel.

Now, I have NEVER been camping a day in my life, so you can just about imagine the week I had filled with all kinds of bugs, no heat (the seasons in South Africa are opposite from the US, so it was Fall…and quite COLD), and unreliable water source. Early the next morning, my face was warmed by a breathtaking South African sunrise, the sweet sounds of nature, and the reality that I am in SOUTH AFRICA…and the thought, what in the WORLD have I gotten myself into?

Photo: Animal life at the PC Training Site

“My Rural Village in Mpumalanga Province”

Photo: Boekenhouthoek, Mpumalanga Peace Corps Training Village

Wednesday, August 7 marked “Doom’s Day”, just kidding, but we were definitely anxious due to the impending arrival of our host families. My mind raced with the questions, “What if they don’t like me?”, “What if my family would prefer a white volunteer?”, “How in the world am I going to adapt to living in a rural village with no indoor plumbing, a pit latrine, chamber pot, bathing and washing my hair in a bucket, and doing my laundry WITHOUT the luxuries of a washer & dryer?", “How will I communicate with my family if they cannot speak English?”

Our arrival in the village was commemorated with the slaughtering of goats and cows for a big feast! We were all adopted into our families with the unveiling of our African names. I was honored with the name “Mapule”; it means the one who comes with rain, God’s gift from the heavens. The time period also marked the end of a 2 month initiation for the young men/ and 1 month initiation for the young women in the village. The rite of passage takes place in the mountains, where the boys and girls learn everything about their culture and return as “Men and Women”. A huge celebration is hosted for each participant and everyone is adorned with traditional attire and performs traditional dances.

Photo: Ndebele Initiation

The warm welcome and genuine love expressed by my host family and the community as a whole has far surpassed my wildest imagination. We were truly treated like “celebrities” and the red carpet was rolled out for us each and every single day. It never seems to amaze me that a group of people who are living in absolute poverty by American standards are so willing to share ALL that they have with a perfect stranger, without any reciprocation. I will forever be grateful for their benevolence and will seek to emulate the kindheartedness bestowed upon me. My “family” showed me that it is the simple things in life that bring pure joy and Ubuntu (the African concept that “I am because We are”) is far more important that individual success. I am thankful for the countless hours of discussion about South African culture, the painful memories of Apartheid and their hopes and dreams for the future.

Photo: My wonderful host family