This is a hard blog to write … my heart is breaking. There has been something in the wind here for the last week or so, but it’s so hard to know what’s happening when I don’t speak the language, and they are masters at avoiding direct questions.
Then this afternoon the principal and my host teacher sat down with me after school and told me that there is some political unrest happening here in the village and surrounding area as a direct result of my presence.
Their communication style is indirect, at best, but the bottom line is this: they will not let me come to school for one more day and my host teacher is not willing to house me any longer. I still feel safe at the moment, but fear that my well-being could be in jeopardy if I stay on.
So … I will be leaving on the first available plane out and will be home in time for Easter. My heart hurts so bad though … I didn’t get to say goodbye to the kids. I am so sad, I can barely see through my tears.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I’m trying my best to know that this doesn’t mean that I’ve failed … but please continue to hold good thoughts for me as I make my way back home.
Literally! We arrived at school the other morning to discover that lightning had struck the fence during the night and melted the padlock on the gate. We were all locked out and it took the men quite a while to break us in.
Out of curiosity, we had all examined the padlock before the event was over. And because we had touched the place where lightning struck, before going to our classrooms we had a cleansing ritual to wash away any evil spirits that may have been lingering on our bodies.
The elders found a big bucket, collected some wild herbs from the hillside to add to the water, and one-by-one we filed past the bucket to wash our hands and faces. And with our spirits cleansed … school was on!
Our prayers are answered … and how! The lightning was so bright I could see it with my eyes closed; the thunder so loud it rattled my ribcage. And it went on and on and on …
We are all relieved to have a break from the suffocating heat and can finally relax … even the monkeys and birds are quiet now.
They say winter is coming early and there will be snow in the mountains just to the west of us, near Lesotho, by the middle of April. I’m enjoying watching the African change of seasons.
I went to a blowout party this past weekend. There was a huge tent for shade, a dance floor and professional DJ, a traditional Zulu singer/entertainer, lots of ice cold drinks, salads, vegetables, and spit roasted wild boar and mutton. A great time was had by all.
The party was thrown by Mr. and Mrs. Langa, friends of my host family. The Langas were celebrating the grand opening of their new shop in town: “Quality Caskets and Coffins of Pietermaritzburg.” Their business has been booming lately, and they are proud to have a new showroom on a prestigious street in town.
Our day began with a mass at St. Vincent’s Catholic Church to give thanks for the blessing of abundance God has bestowed on this family. Then we proceeded to the showroom for a short blessing service and then on to the coffin and casket factory for a service to bless all the workers.
And this is where we partied … on the factory grounds … eating and dancing among the coffins and caskets in all their various stages of completion. There were even a few of the finest on display under the main tent, complete with the opportunity to purchase one on the spot if anyone cared to plan ahead.
It was a perfect example of the incredible contrasts that are abundant everywhere I look. This particular contrast highlighting the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic vs. the need for employment opportunities.
There are inexhaustible examples that demonstrate the complexity of life here. It is so tempting to rush to judgment, and I struggle to remember than I can sincerely celebrate with the Langas this week, and mourn with another family next week.
I’ve had quite a few emails about the lack of vegetables in my diet here. You’re all quite right: The climate IS perfect for growing veggies. The cabbages are as big as basketballs. But lack of sunshine, good soil and water is not the issue.
Refrigeration here is limited. Even the largest fridge I’ve seen is half the size of mine at home, and electricity is subject to frequent ‘load-sharing’ outages. So, with all the heat and humidity, veggies that aren’t refrigerated rot overnight.
Monkey scoping the garden for fresh produce
Why not grow them in the back yard you say??? Ahhh … the monkeys love that!
But the biggest reason for not eating many vegetables … they don’t fill a tummy as inexpensively as rice, corn meal, bread, potatoes or beans.
The typical school lunch for the kids is rice and beans, provided by the school system. For many of the kids, this is the only meal they eat each day. The teachers usually eat bread and margarine.
lunch at Qanda
I am, by comparison, eating well. Mr. Phoswa won’t even consider a dinner without cabbage, and Ma’am Phoswa, being a traditional Zulu wife, wouldn’t do it any other way!
So, all in all, I’m eating better than most. I just have daydreams of big salads, roasted portabella mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, asparagus …
