28022012, Reading Hut progress...

Well, the walls are finished and the door and window frames are in.  Still a lot of work ahead.  Next step is the roof, then the floor, the plastering and the leveling and trench-digging of the ground  around. Then only the finer details such as painting, glass in the windows and actual door.  And shelves for the books, chairs and lots more books...

Anyone interested in helping in any way, let me know!  Lavonnebosman@gmail.com

Some of the kids who live on the hill and who will benefit from the Reading Hut...

When the kids came to play...

22022012, Wednesday, to the chief

Feels like it’s been a long day, but maybe not really that much happened…  Update on the Reading Hut, the walls are finished!  There’s still a lot to be done, but the walls are officially finished.  Next step will be the roof, the floor, the levelling of the soil around (It’s built on quite a steep hill, so I imagine that’s going to be quite a job) and a couple of other things…

Today, at last I got to the chief again, after pre-school, graced with the company off the very-hard to-track-down headman. (It is impossible to get papers from the chief without the complete co-operation of the headman.)  Another white lady I know, also wanted to go see the chief, so she got a lift with me, which I was very grateful for.  She has known the chief for some time and is familiar with the headman as well.  

At the meeting everything went well under the circumstances and I thought the headman did a good job explaining the whole land story to the chief.  (Not that I understood half of what he said, but there were no discussions other than what I expected.)

The chief listened intently without interrupting and came to a wise conclusion, I thought.  On Friday they will go to a meeting in which they will discuss more of these land affairs with the officials and then we will speak again about a solution to the complications that we currently face.  In the meantime, I don’t have papers, but will continue to complete the rondavel.  I will continue to trust in God and believe that He has good plans for me.

When I got back it was so hot I just needed to go for a swim.  I promised René earlier that I would take her so off we went with Vince as well.  When we got to the beach it was very much high tide and I spotted a blue bottle or two.  When I see those things I immediately lose all interest in swimming.  We stood in the shallow water for a while contemplating and decided to go swim in the river instead.  I had already turned around and started to head the other way when René started crying all of a sudden.  It was a bluebottle that got her around the leg.  I quickly ran back and got her to sit down and just put sand on it. 

She was crying for a while still but the sand definitely helped.  Vince had never been stung by those things so he had no idea of how intense the pain was.  I had never been stung either, but when I was a child, my sister got stung once and I never saw her run as fast as she did that day, to get out of the water.  That’s when I decided I’ll rather stay far away from them. 

Anyway, after a while the pain got less and we had her legs covered completely with sand, so we started playing with all the stones and strange sea plants that the tide washed up.  We made mini gardens and soon René was laughing again.  I must say she’s probably the bravest  5year old I know.

Back at the caravan, I discovered hundreds of ants in my cupboards, great.  Some strange sort of infestation.  I really hope I can get rid of all traces of them…

Oh, yesterday I had a first session with a new student who’s going to come for some extra reading classes and I’m very excited about the progress we can make there… 

190212, After-party of a funeral

These ladies function as part of a human conveyor-belt, passing on hundreds of food plates...

This is where the dishing up happens

These ladies are in charge of washing the dishes

Another section of the plate - conveyor system

One of the mama-kulus

Some mamas in serious contemplation

200212, Monday - Earth day today?

Mmm, eating some pasta with my sundried tomato/basil/ oreganum/garlic/chilli, olive oil mix that I bottled some time ago.  Topped with some dhania from my garden, although I have doubts if it’s really dhania at all, tastes all too much like parsley.  Could they have made a mistake on the packet?  Anyways, it all tastes real good.

About the funeral gatecrash experience yesterday.  It wasn’t so much a gatecrash as that I just happened to be wandering past the ‘after party’(it was right at my neigbour’s house on the hill- from where I’m building the rondavel).  The music was playing and it sounded festive.  I was curious.  So I walked past slowly.  Till I saw some mamas I knew, who called me over and pretty soon mama Miriam was called (my itjommie yam – my friend) It just happened so that she seemed to be in charge of the whole catering side of things (and she seemed to know just how to organize things effectively) and she took me straight over to where the food was served and in no time I sat with a big plate of food, for which I was really thankful for, cause I didn’t realize up until then how hungry I was.  I was torn between the food in my plate, trying to keep it steady and out of reach of the hungry injas (dogs) standing around and my camera which I felt I had to take out and capture the colourful busyness that surrounded me.  I did get a whole spillage of oil on my skirt, but it was all worth it. 

Once again I was struck by some beauties of the Xhosa culture.  The younger women were all working together to serve the elders and make sure everyone’s got a decent plate of food in front of them.  And there were a lot of people.  And the food was tasty.  I almost licked the oil from my plate.  Only the really fatty part of the sheep I had to find someone else who wanted it. 

Thank you mamas for a wonderful unexpected and satisfying lunch… You are all beautiful! 

190212, Sunday, wire - car racing

Rural kids around Coffee Bay

Rural landscapes around Coffee Bay

140212, Valentine’s day

                  

I photographed these kids yesterday at their home...

I only remembered about an hour ago that it is Valentine’s day.  I guess I’m not really that interested. 

Anyway, had a rather bizarre and somewhat spooky experience this morning while I was still half asleep.  I was planning on going to the chief to try once again to get my papers for my land sorted out.  (Someone sent a message that I’m supposed to go).  I Arranged for the kids to come in the afternoon for their little class and everything. 

Last night I was woken up by some dogs barking and struggling to sleep again, with the result that I was not quite awake when I got up to go for a shower.  It was a little bit early and I didn’t notice anyone else out.

As I was about to step into the door, I heard what sounded like someone calling my name, in a rather deep man’s voice.  (It happens sometimes round here that I think someone’s calling me, but then it’s some other Xhosa word or something)  I wasn’t sure, so I listened carefully.  There it was again: “Lavonne”.  Perfectly pronounced.  I couldn’t imagine who I knew with such a voice.  So I stepped out and looked around.  There he was, a formal looking man wearing a very neat suit, hat and polished shoes, standing as though he’s been there waiting just for me to appear.

He was calling me: “Lavonne.  Come.  Come, Lavonne.  Come.” I was just staring at him, rubbing my eyes and asking him: “Where do you want me to go?”  (Thinking that he wants me to go somewhere with him) So he said: “Come here Lavonne.” 

And as I walked towards him, he asked didn’t I recognize him?  He sure looked kind of familiar, but I had no idea who he was.  He continued to ask me where I think we met and for the life of me I couldn’t remember.  I had to apologise for still being half asleep.  Eventually he told me that he is the chief, to which I was a bit surprised and embarrassed that I didn’t remember his face. Well, I have met him once before, but there were a lot of other men and he was sitting a distance away from me, so somehow I just didn’t remember that it was him.

I said, hey, I’m on my way to you!  So he said, no, I must rather come on Friday. So, I had to reorganize all my plans again, but I pray it’s all for good!  And he wasn’t there for me, but actually came to see someone else, just a coincidence and good memory on his part to remember me and my name so perfectly.

I decided to quickly go to the shop after that and buy some Boxer tobacco for Roy, my builder guy and his sidekick Bonga.  (Yesterday they stopped building just after mid-day, because they ran out of Boxer…)

So anyway, as I got down from the hill and back to my car, who comes jogging past, but the headman, himself.  (He’s been trying to avoid me a bit and didn’t want to come with me to the chief to help me get my papers the previous time – reasons to which I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt…)  So, I tell him that I’m going to the chief on Friday and ask if he’s coming with.  He agrees to it, on condition that I don’t take my friend and translator with – he’s not too fond of her – again because of reasons to which I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt…).  So, I agree.  So, on Friday, we’ll see if we can sort this thing out once and for all. I believe it might just very well be in God’s will that we do.  

Some of my recent meals... good stuff!

Fresh free-range chicken and mnqusho (samp and bean), a wholesome Xhosa meal made with love...x

My favorite, most luxurious salad in the Transkei, spinach, tomato, onion, carrot with sunflower-, pumpkin seeds and raw peanuts, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic... happiness...x

Really appreciated because all the ingredients aren't always available here, and definitely something to keep in stock are those seeds...and of course the olive oil and balsamic!

090212, Thursday, after the free-range chicken

A baby awake

A baby not awake 

the chicken's last moment

homework

traditional way of making flour

Well, day three of the little school and it has been going fine so far.  I’m enjoying it and glad that I’m doing it.  There’s a lot I still need to learn about the psychology of children…

Yesterday afternoon one of the mamas’ daughter came to call me, because the mama wanted me to go and visit them at their house in the hills.  So I skipped my afternoon lessons and went off with her.  That is Gloria, the mama I sometimes give a lift home, she lives maybe 7kms outside Coffee Bay and normally walks back and forth.

I was glad for the opportunity to get into the rural side of things and take out my camera for a change…  There were a couple of kids playing around, the elder girls (still young though) looking after the babies.  All the babies crawling around with bare bottoms, there’s no money for nappies.  These people are quite poor, there are no men around who brings an income.  Everyone relies on the women.  And I know Gloria is old already, yet she still works,selling beads and picking up rubbish.  But she has been a bit ill, so hasn’t been going all the way to Coffee Bay lately to go to work.  They don’t have money for paraffin or much else.

Yet they are so generous.  When I arrived, there were two fat chickens walking around.  They told me that they were going to slaughter the one chicken in a little while (This family only speaks Xhosa, they really live in the ‘lallies’ (what they call the villages far away from the rest of civilization- from the Xhosa word elaleni). 

Anyway, they invited me to sit inside the rondavel for some tea.  They have one ‘bankie’ to sit on and everyone else sits on the floor on Xhosa mats.  So, we sat there drinking our tea, while one woman went out to slit the chicken’s throat.  I didn’t look at that procedure, only heard the flapping of the wings as the throat -less chicken ran it’s last little course around the yard. 

I found it amusing that, as this was taking place, there were two smaller chicks under the table inside the hut, standing dead still so only their legs would stick out under the table cloth.  I couldn’t help imagining their facial expressions at this stage, trying to hide and looking at each other – "uh.. do you think we're safe here?" ( that’s if chicks indeed had facial expressions…)

It wasn’t long before it was in the pot on the fire and about an hour later we had fresh chicken with ‘mnqusho’ (that would be samp and beans) for supper.  Really tasty.  And they even gave me another big peace of chicken to take home. 

070212, Tuesday, first day of the pre-schoolers

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I quit my work at the Christian school and started my own little pre-school.

Was maybe not the best ever start of a new class, but interesting…  I can tell it’s going to have some challenges to overcome.  My three little students each have their own ideas of what they want to do and none of them are too keen on sharing things at this stage. 

We even had a little drama to deal with at the end of the day, with the little boy locking himself in the toilet and totally freaking out, because he was afraid he'd never get out again.  I had to get a ladder to climb over the wall (thank God there was a gap big enough for me to fit through...) and open the door again.  He was rather traumatized by the event and it took some time to calm him down again.

Other than that it didn't go too bad.

050212, Sunday...just some news of the week...

02022012, Thursday, physical labour exercise...

It’s been raining almost all day.  Yesterday afternoon I went up to the hill to take some plastic sheets to cover most of the mud bricks.  Right now I’m pretty happy I went to all that trouble. 

It was quite a mission.  Those mud bricks can be deceptively heavy.  Lucy was there to help me and Vince soon pitched up on the quad.  Little René was also there encouraging us by counting and telling us that if we work faster we’ll be the winners.  We had to move a lot of the bricks closer and stack some on top of others, to get the maximum amount under a sheet of 2 meter plastic.  Not sure how long we were doing that hard labour, but in the end I could hardly lift a brick anymore.  Today I’m so tired, I’m thankful for the rain so that I can rest a bit.  And my trees are getting free watering.  

Sunday

A new week ahead.  I'm not going to work at the Christian school anymore.  They've changed my classes to 3 grades in one class and only one hour to teach a day and then things started to fall into place to start my pre-school, so now that's what I'm going to be doing!

I'm getting some new pupils for my pre-school this week.  Things are progressing a little bit fast and I'm trying to organize myself and get resources and everything together so I'll have somethings to keep the kids busy and make it fun for them and teach them some things...!

Building hasn't been making much progress this week, because of the rain, but I am very thankful for some nice big windows that got sponsored!  Thank you so much!