Just a quick update...
It's come down to the final 2 weeks in my village. Then, as the end of this month I will be going up to Pretoria to officially "check out" as a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) and boldly wander into the world as a RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer).
I am really excited for the next chapter in my life, but it has become very clear to me that saying goodbye to this life and the wonderful people that I've met here will be very difficult.
The final two weeks (and this past week) have been/will be spent finishing up my last project--the BSSP Library. I started this project over a year ago with a group of 20 or so other PCVs to bring libraries to communities and schools all over South Africa. The books arrived in Durban in January and made it to my site, pretty miraculously, a week later (thanks so a good friend who runs a trucking company). I was planning on doing most of the prep work for the library by myself—taking stock of the books (writing down all the titles), labeling them so the library will have some order, etc. There are 700 or so, so it is a tough job. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by solid support from by already-swamped-with-work coworkers. Musa has been there with me the entire time, as well as 5 others who have come and gone, working around their own schedules. This shows me that I have truly become a family member of BSSP and what I am working on (whether it be the playground, youth club, fundraising, website or library) is important to them and worth spending time on. I appreciate more than I can express here in this blog. When it’s complete I will be sure to post pictures.
My dad will then be joining me after my goodbye week in Pretoria for an almost 4 week jaunt all over South Africa. We will be spending a good chunk of time in my village so I can show him where I lived, who I lived with, and the people who made these past two years great. I also will get to show him up close and personal what living in the village is like and what I actually did while I was here…we will be finishing up the library and tie dying t-shirts with my youth club! Also, we will be taking my host sisters back to the “zoo” (what they call it) which if you all remember is the animal park I took them to for Christmas which is located about 40 minutes from where I stay. Then we are off to Durban, Cape Town, and Kruger Park—what a wonderful way to say goodbye to South Africa for now.
Then, after that, I will be traveling with another PCV (by then RPCV) to Zambia and Malawi for a month and half. It should be exciting and will give me the chance to see other parts of Southern Africa. May 17th is my end date on this continent and I will then be heading back to Cleveland.
I can’t believe it’s been two years. Whoa.
<3
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1 comment:
Thank you so much or updating all of us about your final two weeks at BSSP and your final week in Pretoria and your final almost-four-weeks with Gary.
It was wonderful to hear that the people whom you've worked with -- Musa, et.al., are truly linking arms with each other and with you to share all of these projects as worthwhile and as "theirs". From a great distance, I think of all of them -- Musa, Nozipho, others whose names I don't know -- as just like you: young, committed idealistic, energetic, creative, intelligent, driven to make things happen around them. Also, I think the BSSP director must be a person who shares all these characteristics. As a leader, she probably is a model for everyone in BSSP who takes the work of the organization seriously.
I'm looking forward to Gary's
trip and to hearing about all the things you will do, together -- taking the children to the animal park, visiting Robben Island, visiting your friend in Ladysmith, visiting the Ladysmith Black Mambazo museum.
Thanks for the update!
Love, Mom
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