Photos

My three wonderful roommates and our friend/groundskeeper Able.  

This was from last Friday, when we braaied (grilled out) on our own for the first time.   

    

We visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg.  

This is the entrance, which is powerful beyond words.  

Heidelberg Campus at Sedibeng College

We might invest in a megaphone to get students moving to class.  

This is a view outside of the campus library, which is our designated workspace.

Previous ETAs, Mica and Ayushi, organized hundreds of book donations before we arrived, then Cory and I catalogued and sorted through hundreds more after we arrived (500+).  Heidelberg is the only campus out of Sedibeng College's four campuses that was not able to establish a permanent library or library club last year.  This year we have received a more permanent space to work with, so let the fun begin! 

We received desks for the library (no chairs yet though!) and brightened the walls with posters of different scenes from America (received from the Dept. of State).  We plan to use the chalkboard space to have workshops and lessons for students and have also arranged desks for discussion circles and group/individual workspace. Hoping to get some beanbags in there too!!!!!!

Never stop exploring. Never stop learning.

Dumela ("Good Day" in Sesotho, one of the most common languages spoken in this area)!  I just got home from another South African adventure, which is actually just one continuous adventure these days.  Briefly, here is my most recent chapter.  I decided to venture to Woolworths (a grocery/clothing/everything store) on my own, which was only the second time I've driven on this continent by myself.  On the way I stopped at a petrol station, where I got funny looks for not knowing how the we-pump-the-petrol-for-you system works.  Then I got to Woolworths (at 6 PM, you'd think it would be open right?), only to find it was closed.  This happens to us almost everyday, when we're trying to get groceries, find a coffee shop with wifi, go to the gym, call a vet (our baby springbok's eye got impaled by the male's one horn-yes he only has one horn-in his attempt to "get some," which was bloody and traumatic for her and us), etc.  Business hours are unique around these parts.

Back to the adventure though, I returned to the parking lot, tipped the parking attendant for watching my car for all of three minutes (almost all parking lots here have these attendants that watch your stuff while you're away…) and ventured to the next grocery store, Spar.  This has become our go-to place, and I was thrilled to find hummus for the first time (it's the little things in life)!!!  Then I saw a mouse run across the floor by the deli and squealed a little bit, bought my stuff, and began journeying back home.

The parking lot decided to challenge my voyage though, and when I tried to pull out of my parking spot on a slight incline, I nearly rolled backwards into the car behind me.  I was stuck, revving the engine, slightly panicked, and convinced there was no avoiding some dented bumpers, but the trusty parking attendant came to my rescue and literally pushed my car out of the parking spot.  I drove away while waving, smiling, and yelling "baie dankie" ("thank you very much" in Afrikaans-pronounced "buy a donkey").  In retrospect, I should have tipped him a lot more for the rescue mission, but I was focused on shifting into second gear.  I'll find him next time.  Those were just a couple hours of my day, and the rest of the hours were pretty fantastic as well.

As far as work goes, the real fun is beginning.  Last week we worked at the Vereeniging Campus, organizing the library, which meant cataloguing, sorting, and rearranging 500+ new books that previous ETAs had received as donations. We did the same at the library on the Heidelberg Campus, so that's over 1000 new books on the shelves!  This week our Library Club meetings commence at both campuses.  This will be a time for us to meet with students and figure out what support they would like to receive from us, and also a time to share our project ideas with students.  We are planning to hold daily office hours and weekly professional development workshops, as well.  Over the past couple of weeks we have been observing different English lecturers, and will begin teaching and assisting with lessons next week!  So jazzed to be back in the classroom and working with students.

Other project ideas we have include a pen-pal program with students in the U.S., establishing mentorship programs with nearby primary/secondary schools, book groups, poetry/writing clubs (with publication involved), Sedibeng College newsletters, service learning projects, and a culminating Sedibeng College Showcase.  The showcase will allow students to share their accomplishments from throughout the school year with each other and the community.  An overall goal for us is to unify the four campuses of Sedibeng through these different programs/projects.  Of course, these are just the ideas we're bringing to the table, but priorities lie with the interests and needs of the students/staff.  We have only been in the Vaal (geographical area of Sedibeng campuses) for a couple of weeks and have SO MUCH to learn.  Eish!  Flexibility and patience are key.            

Since arriving in V-Town (what we call Vereeniging when the real pronunciation is just too much) I can count on each day bringing something new to scratch my head about, as well as something new to learn and shape my world view.  Never stop exploring.  Never stop learning.

love.love.love.
Kelly  

       

I'm convinced our house is a prank...

Our Sedibeng College adventure begins! 

(From left to right) Cory, Amanda, Linda, Dosto, Esther, and me

Home Sweet Vereeniging Home

Kitchen

Pool/Braai Area

Living Room

Esther feeding Nala (and the other two resident springboks in the background). 

"Clarity Tuesday"

This is the fifth time I've tried to sit down and write this post, and this time I am determined to finish it!  So much has happened in these past two weeks already and I have struggled to process it all and put it into words.  There have been many moments when I've thought to myself "I have no idea what's going on," but I'll call today "Clarity Tuesday."

Upon arriving in South Africa, I spent five fantastic nights in Cape Town, reuniting with my friends Gareth and Ashley, and visiting the Happy Feet kids that I volunteered with during my first trip to South Africa.  I found comfort in starting my adventure here with people that I know and care about.  From there I flew back to Johannesburg to begin my Fulbright Orientation in Pretoria.  Orientation is all a blur to me now besides a couple events: security briefing and birthday tears.  Our security briefing from the U.S. Embassy was terrifying but informative, so I think that man did his job well.  My birthday tears were tears of happiness in a moment when all of the ETAs were eating lunch before departing to our different placement cities.  I was surprised when the dining staff brought out cake for me and everyone started singing.  I immediately became overwhelmed by the kindness of all the people surrounding me and also by the significance of a new year of life beginning simultaneously with an epic experience, hence the tears began.

After that emotional moment, Linda and Dosto, who are basically our Sedibeng College point people, took us (Amanda, Cory, Esther, and me) to our new South African home in Vereeniging.  I thought a prank was being pulled on us when we saw where we will be living.  It is an unexpected dream house that I feel guilty about at times.  It was also a birthday surprise to find that we have three resident springboks that live on our grounds.  We have been spending time each day watching them and petting/feeding the baby one (Nala) mealie (corn) from our hands.  The other two are named Ukanti and Dunka, and they keep their distance from us.  Photos of our house will come later.

Today is "Clarity Tuesday" for three main reasons.  The first reason being that Amanda, Esther, and I have officially learned to drive manual cars.  Yes, at at times it is a bit jerky while shifting gears, and yes, there were some moments when we clearly didn't know what we were doing (which could have been tense but were usually followed with much laughter), but thanks to Cory's extreme patience with us and his stellar teaching skills, now we all can manage to get around the Vereeniging area. VICTORY!!!!!

The second reason for clarity is that today we established our goals and projects for the grant period with the college. Since our arrival we have visited 3 out of 4 of the campuses, but only briefly and mostly to be introduced to extremely kind and welcoming staff at the colleges (so many names I don't remember!).  It is clear that they are as excited for us to be there as we are.  I'll go into our projects at a later date though, because even though we have proposed our ideas, there is still so much to learn about how the college campuses function, what the needs of the faculty and students are, and what roles we can play.  For now, we know that Cory and I will be working together at the Heidelberg and Vereeniging campuses, which are the opposite campuses of what we were told originally.  I will write more about Sedibeng College, after I have had more time at each campus.

The third moment of clarity occurred tonight while I was taking a shower (in my crazy outdoor shower) and looked up into the night sky to find it full of stars and constellations that I can only see in the Southern Hemisphere, similarly to how there are experiences I will only have in this place and time.  These days have been filled with moments of confusion, frustration, annoyance, nervousness, uncomfortable stares, and misunderstanding, but more importantly these days have also been filled with patience, smiles, joy, laughter, new experiences, understanding, kindness, support, comfort, and growth.  Vereeniging is unlike anywhere I have ever been before.  My brain is processing (and will be processing for some time…) the experiences I've already had in only six days regarding gender roles, language, race, economic class, religion, and culture.  I continue to be in awe of this country.  I apologize if I seem a bit all over the place in this post, it will just take time to figure things out and get settled/organized.  Missing you all and sending much love!

xoxox
Kelly

"Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful or to discover something that is true." -Willaim Ralph Inge