Archive for January, 2009

Frusterations

{ 24/01/2009 @ 11:35 } · { Predeparture }
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I am writing these for posterity’s sake, not to whine, or be grumpy. If nothing else, it will be interesting to look back at this post in  a few months and see what was worth being frustrated over, and what I was just being ridiculous about…

  1. Peace Corps’s “no cell phone/ internet until April” rule. While I cannot comment and say that this is the OFFICIAL rule, everything I have read from PC literature to other volunteers info points to this being policy. I understand the logic behind such a policy…they want us to be focused on our studies, and immersing ourselves. This is great, and I have every intention of doing such. But cell phones are also key when meeting new contacts! I have found in my life adventures so far, that exchanging cell phone numbers with new contacts is crucial. What if I meet someone who I feel could be critical to my job while at post? Aren’t cell phones also a safety thing?  I feel safer if I can txt/ sms someone and say hey, I got lost…hey, this happened, I will be late…in these such circumstances, a cell phone is beyond useful. I do not plan on calling home on a daily basis (especially because my mom said I could not). I do not plan on gallivanting around Jo’Burg giving everyone my phone number and having 800 boyfriends by the end of my first week.  I think such a policy is ridiculous!!
  2. Now I have never been to SA, so this is based purely on some of the books that I have read. This “frustration,”  if you will, is the one that I must be the most careful about: In my reading I have come across many rural South African’s attitudes towards HIV/ AIDs. It is shocking, unnerving, and well, frustrating.  In reading “Sizwe’s Test” (see below), I read of Sizwe’s fear to test. In one part of the book, Sizwe says that he thinks white people must be behind the disease because people in America/ Europe have generally stopped dying from HIV unlike their African counterparts. I wanted to scream. If “whites” have stopped dying, it is because we TEST!!! At the clinic I have been volunteering with, they request that sexually active homosexuals get tested every 6 months!! They suggested that the general population get tested every 12 months at least. These testing suggestions of course are determined by number of partners and other risk factors…but the fact is WE GET TESTED. Then again, we also have the option to access anti-retrovirals, whereas many SA’s do not. But the Red Cross has made significant strides in that country to bring medicines to rural populations. Is the system perfect? No. Far from it. And if the South African government doesn’t start putting some effort in, unfortunately the situation is unlikely to change. In “No Place left to Bury the Dead” I was also frustrated by the idea that many of the villagers view HIV/ AIDs as a curse put on a person by a witch or another person. It is one thing to head out to SA with an open mind and understand that another culture is different and therefore not comparable to mine. But I have to contend with witchcraft?! How do I even begin to make progress with stuff like that? How can I argue against the supernatural? One person at a time  is my only answer.
  3. This is not really a frustration, but I am scared to death of my 8 weeks with a homestay. Scared. To. Death. All I can say is that I hope they are cool, and have kids my age who dont mind me tagging along after them!!

I suppose that everything will work out how it should. I just have to remember to take some deep breaths, and I will be ok. Not everything is going to be perfect, but if it were I would not need to go to SA with PC, right?

From the Benevolent Peace Corps:

{ 23/01/2009 @ 10:50 } · { Predeparture }
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Here is a letter which the Peace Corps wants me to distribute to all of you:

January 2009

Dear Families and Friends,

Greetings from the South Africa Desk at the U.S. Peace Corps in Washington, D.C.! It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the Peace Corps circle of friendship. We receive many questions from family members and friends of Volunteers about life in South Africa, so we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance.

1. Irregular Communication. (Please see #3 for the mailing address to Peace Corps’ office in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa) Mail from the United States to Pretoria is fairly reliable; however, mail service within South Africa is not as efficient and reliable. There is enormous variation in the time it takes for mail and packages to arrive at Volunteers’ sites. Generally, Volunteers find that they receive mail and packages from the United States two to four weeks after it has been sent. The same is true for sending mail from South Africa. Of course, there are exceptional cases in which a letter or a package might arrive within a shorter period or be substantially delayed. Some mail simply may not arrive. The destination of mail for Volunteers is as varied as the length of time it takes for mail to arrive.

We suggest that in your first letters you ask the Volunteer to give an estimate of how long it takes for him/her to receive your letters, and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also, try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if he/she has missed one.

Being a Peace Corps Volunteer is a rewarding experience; however, there will also be times when Volunteers may write home telling of their “war” stories. Letters might describe recent illnesses, frustration with work, isolation, lack of resources, etc. While the subject matter may be good reading material, it can often be misinterpreted on the home front. Volunteers have a wonderful support network in-country that includes counterparts and community members at their site, other Peace Corps Volunteers, as well as Peace Corps/South Africa staff. The Peace Corps’ highest priority is maintaining the health and safety of every Volunteer. Peace Corps/South Africa maintains a medical unit in Pretoria with two full-time medical officers, who care for the Volunteers’ primary health care needs. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in South Africa, he/she will be medically evacuated to the United States. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.

If for some reason your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member, you may want to contact the South Africa Desk or the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden critical illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately, so that a message can be sent to the Volunteer. Use the above number during regular business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday). After hours, or during weekends, the Peace Corps Duty Officer may be reached at (202) 692-1470 and you will be transferred to an answering service. Tell the operator your name, telephone number, and the nature of the emergency and the Peace Corps Duty Officer will call you back.

2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in South Africa is relatively good and service in and out of Pretoria to the United States is mostly reliable. In the interior of the country, where most of the Volunteers are located, phones are fewer in number and of decreased reliability. Volunteers do not have residential phones; however, many Volunteers choose to buy cell phones or use public phones to make and receive international calls. They will be able to inform you of the actual telephone numbers and the reliability of telephone service once they arrive at their permanent sites in the country.

The South Africa Desk maintains regular contact with the Peace Corps office in Pretoria through phone calls and e-mail. However, these communication lines are reserved for business only and cannot be used to relay personal messages. All communication between family members and the Volunteer should be done via international mail, personal phone calls, or e-mail. Many Volunteers are able to access e-mail at Internet cafes in larger cities and towns on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on their location.

3. Sending packages. Parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to occasional thefts and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. Even though many Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may also use the following address to send letters and/or packages:

(I have sent you all this address)


It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes or bubble envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently and might pose as a greater target for theft. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) does operate in Pretoria. If you choose to send items through DHL, you must address the package to:(Please ask me if you want this address)

The phone number for the Peace Corps office in South Africa is (ask me if you want this), as DHL will need this information. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at http://www.dhl.com. Other courier services may operate in Pretoria – DHL is only one possibility.

We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member or friend is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa. We understand how frustrating it is to communicate with your family member overseas and we appreciate your using this information as a guideline. Please feel free to contact us at the South Africa Desk in Washington, D.C. if you have any further questions. Our phone number is 1-800-424-8580, ext. 2331/2, or locally, 202-692-2331/2.

Sincerely,

Seana Lammers

South Africa Desk Assistant

Ext: 2332

Stream of Consciousness

{ 22/01/2009 @ 12:40 } · { Predeparture }
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I seem to have forgotten one book in my list below:

No Place Left to Bury the Dead (Nicole Itano). I only read the chapters on South Africa, but I really liked this book. It is comparable to “Sizwe’s Test” in the issue’s that it deals with, but I liked this authors style a lot more.

I would also like to take some time to explain my blog title, in case anyone should happen to be offended by it…The adventurers of ye olden days called Africa the Dark Continent, not because the color of the natives skin, but simply because Africa was Terra Incognito. No outsider/adventurer/ western European had traversed the interior before, and hence had never mapped the interior. The edges of the continent were shown, but nothing of the interior.

map of africa

Even rivers were generally not traversable.  The Nile was easily negotiable until about the 5th cataract (waterfall),  near modern day Sudan. The Congo river was far too powerful prior to the advent of steam powered ships.

Once “explorers” began to chart the interior, malaria and sleeping sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis) killed many who wished to fill in that dark space on the map.

I use this analogy for my blog title because that is generally how I feel about my Peace Corps journey to date: it is truly a journey into the unknown.  Despite me serving in one of the most developed countries on the continent, I am still flying into Terra Incognito. Sure, I get off the plane in Jo’burg, but what am I doing for the next two years? Where am I living? Will I like it?

So there is some brief history, for anyone who felt indignant at my blog title!

On another note entirely; I am simply amazed at how hard this experience has been for me. I applied for service in September 2007. I was originally scheduled to depart in September 2008. Then it was October 08, then maybe December or January. Thankfully I at least now hold my plane ticket in my hand for my February 2nd departure date. I have been “in process” for a year and a half now. I think that explains why I have yet to feel overly excited about this adventure.  I have been waiting so long, that I am generally tired of waiting. I want to be gone! I want to be there, damnit! I also didn’t think it would be hard to say goodbye to everyone. I am close with my family, so I know I won’t lose touch etc., but even saying good-bye to my cousins has been horribly difficult. With 10 days to go, if anyone even looks at me funny, I start to cry!

Right now my only plan is to go with an open mind. It’s all I can do.

Informative Reads

{ 13/01/2009 @ 13:36 } · { Uncategorized }
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Here are some books I have read that I have found to be very informative on both the topics of South Africa, as well as HIV AIDS:

  • The Zombie Curse (Arthur M. Fournier, MD) : A doctor confronts the HIV AIDS epidemic in Haiti. The author is compassionate, a bit narcissistic, but explains very well the problems with location and lack of access to treatment.
  • The Last Empire: De Beers, Diamonds, and the World (Stefan Kanfer): A great history on the gold and diamond mining industries, and how those industries shaped, and were shaped by  Apartheid policy and essentially created modern SA.
  • The Fate of Africa (Martin Meredith): A general history of post independence Africa, and snapshots of autocratic leaders.
  • Sizwe’s Test (Jonny Steinberg): Perhaps one of the best reads about the AIDS epidemic in SA itself. I don’t like the authors style of writing…he is very circular and quite indirect when I seriously just want him to explain situations and stories, but it gave me a good glimpse of what I am getting myself into. It made me frustrated already!!

Departure

{ 09/01/2009 @ 12:55 } · { Uncategorized }
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Finally the benevolent Peace Corps deigned to inform me of my departure date.

I leave Chicago February 2nd, and fly to Philadelphia. I spend about 24 hours in Philly, receive shots and sign my life away to the federal government.  Then PC drives me to JFK in New York. We fly from NYC to Dakar, Senegal (I’m so excited!! I hope i am allowed off the plane!!) From there it’s a straight shot to South Africa. I arrive February 4th.

I am soo happy to know when i am finally leaving, after 18 months in limbo, but now the nerves have kicked in.  When i’m alone at night, trying to fall asleep, it feels like someone has put my rib cage in a vice.  I have to remind myself to take deep breaths, otherwise it feels like I am drowning.

I have met one girl that I am going to be in SA with; she lives about 15-20 minutes away, so we have met up a few times. She’s really nice, and we seem to be on the same wavelength.  The problem (on my end, of course) is that when i put myself into situations like this…meeting someone new in some sort of prearranged form that I know I have see for awhile, i feel like i have to be a certain way. Things don’t develop naturally. It’s like dating haha! I think everything will be ok though. Soon it will be more than just the two of us in this situation, so there will be a lot less pressure.

I haven’t “officially” started packing, but i have a pile of stuff at the end of my bed (classy!).

  • I am buying some new clothes…I think a lot of people will think that sounds stupid…but those people also don’t understand how Africa works. Just because you are poor by world economic standards doesn’t mean that Africans dont value looking nice. I am going to be working, not camping. I am not showing up on the continent with $2 t-shirts from salvation army. Not that there is anything wrong with such purchases, it is simply not the bulk of my clothing.
  • I also spent over $200 at Target on medicine and other essentials. And i am not even finished yet. I bought stuff like deodorant, tylenol PM, day/ nyquil, etc. I still have to buy some feminine hygiene items (yay)
  • I am bringing one pair of jeans. That’s singular. The rest of my clothes will be skirts.
  • I am a little confused about how many sweaters etc i should bring. I am going to pack some up and have my parents ship them to me in a few months. I know I will adjust to the weather, but do i need sweater sweaters?? Or just a few long sleeved tops?? Bah! Regardless, i have to pack a few warm pieces for Philly, so i guess its ok.

Well, I think that’s all for now!