Des pays et des gares...

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...

Yesterday, Njabulo and I gave our unconventional thanks – on Sunday instead of Thursday, without turkey, and minus the cranberry sauce shaped like the can and green bean casserole. Instead, we feasted on slow roasted chicken legs with gravy, apple-herb dressing, and steamed green beans. Traditional? Kind of. Delicious? Absolutely! We didn't have dessert, because I forgot to buy a pie tin while we were in our shopping town, but next weekend we'll enjoy a butternut squash pie. Gotta have something to look forward to, right? On Turkey Day proper, we're meeting fellow volunteers for Ethiopian food in Naas. Perhaps it'll become the new tradition here in Peace Corps SA! We'll definitely be thinking of everyone back home (Maple Leafers, enjoy the interdenominational service for me, it's one of my favorites!) and giving thanks for what we have, which is scads more than what the folks around us here have. For your viewing pleasure, I present a photo of our pre-...

Nomsa naNjabulo savakashela eKruger National Park futsi sabona tilwane kakhulu!! KNP - Malelane Gate  Two weekends ago Njabulo and I went on a a day-long game drive in Kruger National Park. We used Echo Africa and our driver was Elsa, who was an excellent guide. What an awesome day! It was raining at 5:15AM when we were picked up from the backpacker's  (in fact, we'd had a truly spectacular thunderstorm the night before, storms are awe-inspiring here!) , but by the time we were in the park it was just misting and the rain eventually stopped. Drives are taken in nine passenger open-sided safari vehicles, but we only picked up one other passenger, a nice gentleman from Portugal, so we basically had an almost private tour. At first, we didn't see many animals, but later in the morning, we saw a wide variety of animals all over the park, and very close-up, too! I think the only animals we missed seeing were the leopard and the wild dogs – must save something for nex...