Siphiwe's Back!

True, I’ve been back for almost two months now. But that was the thought that popped into my head when, less than two minutes after I was dropped off at the taxi rank in Durban after a month-long holiday trip with friends and family, I was speaking in isiZulu, recognized by one of the women on the taxi to Mtuba, and receiving ardent professions of love and proposals of marriage from a young man working at the taxi rank. And you know what? I loved it. Having spent the previous 24 hours or so after my parents and brother left feeling so heart and home sick that I could barely breathe, it was a reminder to me of the kind of experiences I came here for (maybe not exactly the marriage proposals…) and how much there is that I DO love about this crazy country that at other times causes me to feel more frustrated and lost, and cry and consume more amounts of Cadbury chocolate, than I ever thought possible. So, I’m back, and so far 2011 has proved to be basically as crazy as 2010, yet accompanied by a greater sense of peace, purpose, and self-knowledge that were necessarily born out of the previous year. But before we get to that…

My rather epic holidays started off in the middle of December, when my friend Jess and I packed our bags and headed for the border… of Mozambique. On the way we spent a night with Carly, an awesome PCV from SA22 staying in Manguzi, about 30 minutes from the border in the North of KZN. We made it to Maputo, the capital, the next morning and procured a Mozambiquan SIM card and some awesome pizza before meeting up with two of my favorite fellow South African PCVs, the lovely Peach and Jill. Later that evening we met up with Donna, a friend of mine from UCSD who is currently a PCV in Moz. We had applied at the same time, and who could have guessed that two years later, we would be serving in adjacent countries and meeting up over the holidays? Crazy world :) We had a nice day and a half in the capital, going to different markets and seeing some of the sights of the city, with its old colonial architecture and very different feel from out “home” in SA. Then we went with Donna back to her site where she lives with her fiancé Luis (also a PCV) and got an inside look at Peace Corps, Mozambique style. Their place was incredible, as was the rest of Southern coastal Moz, and I have to say it’s probably good they don’t take requests for mid-service transfers between countries… I’ll let the upcoming pictures give you a better picture of their digs. Then it was off to a few days in the beach town of Vilanculos, followed by several more in another town called Tofo. In Vil, Peach, Jill, and I spent our time getting scuba certified as PADI Open Water Divers, an amazing and sometimes slightly harrowing experience that I will never forget. It will be good that I don’t too, as the skills which I learned should last me the rest of my life and the other dives that I hope to go on. Anyone for scuba? Exhausted from scuba, we spent the rest of the time at resort where the dive center was, and being shown around the town by some very nice Zimbabweans (as they all seem to be!) that Jess befriended on the first day. If you ever get Jess and I together, ask us to try and describe the “crack” dessert that we had at a bar in Vil :) Tofo was also amazing, and we hung out with a bunch of cool people that we met at a hostel there, including several random Americans, a cluster of British people (one of whom studied at Uni Sussex, where I studied abroad!) who I was of course in love with, and what seemed like almost every PCV in Southern Africa. I spent Christmas morning splashing in the waves of the Indian Ocean :) Smiley face because with the weather and location it was easy for me to forget that it was the first Christmas I did not spend with my family, which otherwise is not a very happy thought. But I made it, and will be able to have the joy of being like a kid again in another two years when I can revisit all of the old traditions of my more familiar Christmas holidays at home.

Leaving Moz was bearable only because I headed straight to Gauteng to pick up my parents and brother at O.R. Tambo :) I’m sure it’s not surprising that I can’t really describe what it was like to see and be with them again, but I can say that I felt immediately at home, and as though we had never been apart. The next three weeks went by so quickly and yet were full of so many wonderful memories that I will forever cherish. We spent the first few days outside of Joburg, resting and catching up and seeing the Southern California-like shopping mall side of SA, with a trip to the Apartheid Museum and the South African National War Museum as well (the latter clearly being my choice as a “must see” attraction). Then it was to Pretoria, with a stop at the Cradle Nature Reserve on the way (see photos for all places described!) and a brief visit to the Peace Corps office. The next day, New Year’s Eve, was one of my favorites- we ventured out to Bundu to see my host family from training. Having one of my South African families come together with my family from home was basically a justification for this whole crazy experience :) I also got plenty of practice in attempting to translate between isiZulu and isiNgisi (English) for my families. It was my host nephew Sizwe’s 13th birthday as well, and we had a truly lovely party :) Reminiscing about that day now, I can easily say that it was one of the major highlights of my experience here.

Then, it was on to Kruger! LOTS of animals, LOTS of nature. Poor Andrew had a bit too much, I think. In truth, we probably all did. There were some pretty intense all-day safaris, but we saw a ton of animals and the second day we were there, went to a wildlife rehabilitation center where, among other things, we got to pet a cheetah! Pretty badass, right? We also met a lot of cool people on our safaris, and it was nice to hear everyone’s stories and share in the excitement of the Kruger. Next, it was back to my hood in KZN, where we spent a few very enjoyable, albeit rainy, days in and around St. Lucia and my site. Again, it was wonderful to have my other SA family meet my real family, and giving out presents was a lot of fun, especially with the little ones :) Horseback riding on the beach and in the game reserve, hippo and croc boat tour, Cape Vidal, and dinners with Mark and Jess and Tim all made for a great visit in my little world here. On to Durban! We stayed at a great little B&B and had two of the most gracious and attentive hosts you can imagine, which definitely made the stay. We visited the Durban botanical gardens, another major SA mall, some of the surrounding beaches, and two of the great restaurants around uShaka Marine World (yes, SA has a Sea World). Nearing the end of the trip, our last major stop was at The Cavern Resort in the Northern Drakensburg. Incredible setting, incredible resort. Another one of the major highlights of the trip for me. Mom and I got to go horseback riding again, and we enjoyed the hikes and making use of the many recreational amusements that the old-style family resort had available, including playing some truly terrible tennis and pool that was not much better :) I did, however, kick some serious ass at darts, and we met some really nice South Africans who I’m planning on going to visit outside of Durban in the next few months. Of course I could have stayed there for much longer, and was definitely not ready for any part of the trip to come to and end, but back to Durban we went, and after a lovely farewell braai at the same B&B, Mom, Dad, Andrew and I said our tearful farewells and they headed back to the amber waves of grain and purple mountains’ majesty of the incredibly beautiful and complex country that I am indeed very proud to call home. It was hard to see them go; in some ways it was harder than the first time, because I knew the challenges facing me when I got back to site, and I felt the sudden loss of the physical presence of comfort and unwavering support and love very acutely. At first, I wasn’t sure how I would survive this second separation, but crazily enough, when I got to the taxi rank, I remembered a lot of why I am here. And I know that although far away once more, my family (including poor Rob who was unable to make the trip :( ) is there for me as much as ever, and their love and the love of all of my amazing friends and supporters at home is one of the biggest reasons I can stay here and get as much from this experience as I am. Thank you for experiencing South Africa and Peace Corps with me in all of the ways that you do. I am, as always, striving to do your faith in me justice.

A part of me will always be Siphiwe, and for now I am definitely enjoying being Siphiwe HERE, and continuing to learn and grow in all of the ways that this opportunity affords. See you again soon with more tales of the start of 2011 (and photos up as soon as I can get me some free internet)!

Always love!