Wednesday, November 17, 2010

PCSA Journal Excerpts - Homestay - July/August 2007

July 2007

7/28/07 "My host mother, Dineo, has a husband, but I don't know where he is.  She said he was not working today - he was fitting carpets for the house.  I'm not sure what his job is exactly - he works in Jo'burg (about 3 hours from here) as a "florist" according to Dineo.  I'm just not sure if that means he works with flowers, or if he works on floors."

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7/28/07 "I already faced some basic church questions - what church do I belong to - how often do you attend church - what do you mean "not often" - when was the last time I was at church... I had to answer them very delicately, yet honestly.  Then, Pako's cousin, Oarabile asked me straight up, "Do you love Jesus?"  My answer, I think was a rather unconvincing, "Umm... Who doesn't?"

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7/29/07 "I will be the first to admit - I have no idea what the hell is going on."

7/29/07 "Tomorrow will be interesting... mainly because today was interesting."

August 2007

8/11/07  "The prospect of ordering food is always enticing, even if it always ends up disappointing in the end.  In your head you think "Oh only 40 Rand, that's like, 6 bucks.  Not so bad.  R12?  That's 2 dollars!  That's awesome!.  But the issue I'm forgetting about is that I'm not longer on an American income... Well, that makes me chuckle a bit - I never really had an income to begin with."

8/12/07 "I still don't feel like part of my host family, but I feel like I'm getting closer with every one bit by bit.  I noticed it 3 days ago when I came home, thru the backyard, and my host sisters, Pako (9) and Thato (4) were back there.  Thato came running up to me with a big smile and almost put her arms out for me to pick her up - but I think she had second thoughts because instead of extending her arms out, she just kinda flapped them up and down like a bird.  I threw her up in the air anyway."

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8/19/07 "Hold on.  I have to take my socks and shoes off.  Wow.  That's a pretty pungent stench."

"We did the walk to the Botswana border.  We were originally told it would be about 8 km there, and the same back.  I don't know who started that rumor, because it was way false.  In fact, it was about a 14 km walk there, and obviously, the same back.  We started walking all together at 8:10 am.  We arrived at the border at about 10:30.  And that was a rather quick pace.  There was a bar at the border, and just about every one of us ordered a drink.  It was a funny sight to see all of us volunteers with beers in our hands at 10:45 in the morning, but we were all very happy with the scenario.  The walk back however, was a huge bitch."

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-JoeySee

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