Feburary 23rd, 2010

Today was really interesting! I was woken up this morning at 5:30am not only by the VERY loud rooster that stays outside my window but to a whole chorus of chickens, chicks and roosters! I had earplugs in and I could still hear them! I have no idea what was going on but I had to close my window so I could go back to bed!

Language went well today, we started learning the vocab for clothes and we have a current Peace Corps volunteer, Jasen (from SA18. We're SA21 meaning we're the 21st PC group in South Africa. He’s an education volunteer who arrived in July 2008. Education volunteers come in July and CHOP volunteers arrive in Feb. so they get a new group every six months. PCV's come help train us PCT's) who speaks Xitsonga (Shangaan) come sit in on our class.

One of the trainers wasn't able to make it today so instead of her session we discussed the diversity panel we had a few weeks ago and our trip last Saturday to the Apartheid museum. It was interesting but so sad what people are capable of when driven by greed and fear. It's amazing though to see how fast race relations have progressed here in the last 15 years.

After lunch we had some training about working with NGO's and I totally spaced out. I've had a hard time focusing the last two days, not sure why...

After that training we split into our language groups for PAL(Practical Application of Language) for about an hour but we were interrupted by the Vervet monkeys who were trying to steal some food. At one point a baby monkey jumped up onto the fence behind Julie. She screamed, the baby screamed, they jumped about 5 feet. The baby monkey climbed high into the wood rafters and proceeded to cry for its mother. Some other teenage female monkey nearby heard it and came over while making threatening moves at us to get away from the baby. She went up and got the baby and the hugged each other (awwww). They finally got down and both quickly ran away. Then a large male came over to steal food and was actually charging people!!! It was a little intense!!!!

So then I get home, very tired and having to pee. Well something I've come to learn about pit toilets during the summer is that there are always flies inside and if you slam the door or the lid to the toilet they will all fly out. Well I did that and one fly came out. I was thinking that they were all out so I sit down to pee and as I start to pee I hear this incredibly loud buzzing sound coming from beneath me. I look down and see TONS of flies flying up out of the pit. I can't remember the last time I jumped so high!!!! ARGH! Bloody flies!!!! I think I got pee on my shoes :(

So that was my day. I'm just sitting here anxiously awaiting dinner and contemplating baking something tonight. By then it will be time for my bucket bath. Machipe is out of water and I'm not sure when the municipality will be coming around with more.....