Des pays et des gares...

I (Elizabeth) signed up for a travel writing course through MatadorU. Here's my first assignment, let me know what you think! I hope to add a few photos soon -- maybe I can take some when we go to mid-service training (MST) in a couple of weeks -- mini-van taxi rides are crazy! Njabulo climbs aboard the taxi. Going to Town? In our remote South African farming village, Sikhwahlane, amenities are few beyond the corner tuck shop stocked mainly with racks of fluffy white bread, neatly stacked cartons of UHT milk, and expired tins of corned beef. Sooner or later, you'll have to catch a taxi to town to replenish supplies. Your first mini-van taxi ride can be a daunting and emotional experience, so here's a handy survival guide. 1) Center yourself. Pause to admire the vista as you stroll down the dusty dirt road leading to the taxi stand. Let the emerald green fields of gently waving sugar cane soothe you, ground yourself as firmly as the quiet rolling moun

On 30 May, my (Elizabeth's) team graduated from the Peace Corps Skillz program! Perry's group will graduate next week. :) Before their graduation, I asked some of my team members to write down a few of their favourite things about Grassroot Soccer...what I got back was wonderful; many of them even gave me short essays.  Learner sharing his essay One of the girls shares... A third learner reads for us. One learner's writing even brought tears to my eyes. Here are some excerpts (Reprinted with permission. Edited for clarity with bracketed additions, but I tried to keep the learner's writing intact, they are trying!): “ Grassroot Soccer is important to me, because it help[s] [us learn] how to play with others. And usually [you] teach me about things that are good for me and things that are not good for me. And I like playing with other kids and it make[s] me feel important to play with them. I learn[ed] about HIV and AIDS. Now I know

Here is a poem by one of our bright young learners! Alcohol Drug Abuse I am Alcohol Drug abuse I am a friend A friend of everyone If you want me you can find me everywhere At the taverns, parties, weddings, weddings or bashes But most people invite me When they have stress They always come I welcome them 'coz we are friends Hhe --- but be careful I am the destroyer I can destroy your youth your life every time coz now you are strong or healthy and I can take you to the groove I don't mean that you have to leave me alone I am a friendly take care of my friends I don't have enemies in my life you are always welcome if you want me I am a remover of stress I am the one who destroy's the youth's future I am the one who makes the you have fun I will keep on doing it But be aware I can put you in prison -Veronica Nkosi, Grade 8

My counterpart, the rockin' Bobet Motha, demonstrates the limbo! Today I am going to try and make up for my failure to blog meaningfully about our experiences here    (a little bit, at least) . One of the programs we're doing at our school is called Grassroot Soccer (or PC Skillz, but we never call it that). It's a 12 week soccer-themed program that teaches kids about HIV and AIDS. The lessons are engaging and fun and make talking about “vaginal and anal sex” easier. Well, a teensy bit easier. ;) The program focuses on things like abstinence, mutually faithful partners, having partners your own age, and using protection. I was told by a CHOP (health) volunteer that the HIV infection rate is 45% in our area, so this program is particularly valuable and appropriate for our learners. In our circle The program also incorporates fun activities called energizers and kilos which build enthusiasm and a sense of community among the participants. My personal favorite

To any and all who are thinking about mailing us, please stop using the Kwalugedlane address. We're having problems with it. Please mail to: Perry and Elizabeth Atterberry c/o Hhusha Hhusha PO Box 44 Malelane 1320 South Africa ... and please tell us when you mail something so we can anticipate its potential arrival. As always, put a low value or " no value" on the customs form, please! Putting value on something only ensures we'll get socked with an exorbitant duty! There are no real protections for lost mail anyhow (in other words, we'd never recover the value of the package). Thanks! - Elizabeth

View of Cape Town from Table Mountain We decided to treat ourselves to a vacation in Cape Town before we got down to the serious job of teaching. On December 18th, we flew from Kruger International Airport to Johannesburg, then on to Cape Town. We booked accommodations at the Scalabrini Guest House , which is run by an Italian monastic order - all profits fund their social programs. We were given a very nice en suite room. Pipe Organ in Cape Town's Oldest Church Our first outing was a walking tour of the immediate area. Downtown Cape Town has a thriving outdoor market, and we spent many hours browsing artisan stalls. Also, Elizabeth found many old churches nearby she wanted to visit. That night we discovered that our guest house was two blocks away from "The Third Oldest Pub in Cape Town." Needless to say, we made a beeline for it. It turned out to be a tiny place on the ground floor of an old hotel, it was full of atmosphere and colorful characters. Jus

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I am mostly going to let the following photos speak for themselves. A few facts: This "kitchen" works rain or shine. Most of the prep is done in the open air. Hard-working lunch ladies serve over 325 students every day from this "kitchen." The school faces a choice right now between hiring a teacher for a required course or building a new kitchen building, because there aren't funds for both. We suggested that the better choice right now is the teacher. We have offered to help the school write a grant to obtain funds for a new kitchen. Kitchen Lunch cooking Lunch ladies Prep area and wood gathered for cooking fire So, how many of our blog readers would be willing to donate towards a new kitchen?  Peace Corps allows us to solicit funds in a few different ways. One way is through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP). A few facts about the PCPP: Projects are put on the Peace Corp