Thank you again to everyone who sent birthday cards, emails, thoughts, etc. It really was so wonderful to hear from everyone, and I am so grateful for all of your support!
Well I am 24 years old and it is good to be alive! Its been one year since I decided to apply to Peace Corps, and its has been a wonderful year! I can’t wait to see where the next year takes me.
Birthday fun started on Tuesday when a fellow PCV came to my village to give a workshop to the Community Empowerment Project I am working with. After the workshop, we made yummy Mexican food and I blew out a match in a piece of lemon cake while my friend sang a fun birthday song about death. Thanks Jeff!
Wednesday my host mom told me to invite a few friends over for tea and cake. Turns out “tea and cake” is code for 30 people, church service, full meal, lots of singing and finally cake. It actually turned out to be quite a lot of fun. My friend Tiny gave a sermon while the rain pounded the tin roof, they all sang “Leah’s a golly good lady” and we toasted with grape Fanta. I am starting to discover that most SA events are much more formal than I expect; so I gave a short speech before cutting the cake. But the best part was listening to my fantastic neighbor and a few young men play the penny whistles. Penny whistles look sort of like a recorder, and sound a bit like a flute. It was so wonderful listening to them play and watching the kids dance! It was a great birthday party and I am so lucky to have such a wonderful host mom and village friends!
Finally to wrap up the birthday fun, I met a few other PCVs in Polokwane for lunch on Saturday. We ate at this really swanky seeming restaurant, which is completely empty whenever we go there. But it was great to catch up with all of them, and we are all starting to get really excited about our upcoming Christmas holiday vacations!
So overall it was a wonderful birthday week and it will be hard to top next year! Nov. 12 also marked 4 months of being in South Africa, so here are all of the things I learned this month. (Luckily everyone here already knows my weird 12th of the month coincidences, and are quick to cheers for our anniversaries!)
Month Four: Oct. 13- Nov. 12, 2008
– When it rains, it pours. Figuratively and literally.
– My name is Leah and I am a peanut butter addict.
– That bugs over 7” long require screaming.
– It’s ok to say “no” and not feel guilty about it.
– To be proud of my President.
– What it is like to be a teacher in South Africa.
– Halloween does not translate.
– About the Maxi Taxis. Yep, Maxi Taxis.
– Where my room leaks when it rains. (Thankfully- in the only open floor space in the whole room!)
– To carry an umbrella for the sun. It really works great!
– To only half listen to conversations in Sepedi, and fully listen when they are in English.
– That in 100% humidity, my hair is still straight. Maybe even straighter if that was possible.
– To make popcorn without burning any of it and getting all of the kernels popped!
– That no matter when I get to the taxi tree, the taxis always leave my village at 8:15am. Always.
– That flies and ants were sent to earth to torture PCVS.
– To right the date 12-Nov-08.
– To try and bridge the 1st/3rd world gap.
– Its not about the task, its about the relationship.
– To be REALLY grateful for wonderful people!
– If Greenwich is “mean” time, than Africa is on “kind” time.
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