Unfortunately, Halloween isn’t celebrated here, so there are no cute photos of little kids in costumes, but there are photos of…
- Grade R graduation ceremony (which lasted three hours, with a guest speaker and all. It was quite amusing to watch the little ones squirm and pick their noses).
- Walking to the closest PCV from my village, which is about a two-hour walk one-way.
- Secondary school’s matric dance — the equivalent to high school prom — but during school hours. Grade 12s dress up, eat together in a decorated tent, listen to speakers and receive awards; parents attend the event also.
- Weekend swimming at Buffalo River, close to Rorke’s Drift, with my fellow Americans.
- A party at my mom’s house to “cleanse” her sister-in-law a year after her husband passed away. Traditionally, after the funeral and memorial, the family gets together at anytime, slaughters a cow, bakes and eats a lot of food and sweets, the men drink and everyone enjoys each other’s company.
-
-
Grade R students receiving diplomas
-
-
Grade R eating a celebratory lunch
-
-
All the learners
-
-
Primary school girls perform traditional dance at Grade R graduation
-
-
Yathi — the learner in the middle — is my grade six host brother; he is singing a traditional song
-
-
UMama wami (my mom) decorating for Grade R grad. Couldn’t ask for a better picture to describe her personality!
-
-
Neat toy my host brother made for the younger one out of wire from the chicken coop and old cans
-
-
No big deal, just a cobra. The snake literally came onto my doorstep and I closed my door just in time before it could come into my hut…
-
-
My two-hour route to get to Rorke’s Drift, where the closest PCV lives
-
-
Pretty sunset on my walk home
-
-
Grade 12 students at matric dance
-
-
The Head of Dept. at my school and friends
-
-
Shootin’ some photos with grade 12
-
-
Host brother (left, grade 9) Udoduzo and his friend
-
-
Weekend swimming at Buffalo River! (Rorke’s Drift)
-
-
Beautiful rocks!
-
-
Bro-ing out with the boyz. Will (PCV), myself and Will’s two German friends he found in rural SA (he speaks German too, so when I’m with them I get Zulu and German. In Africa. I find it pretty comical)
-
-
Braii-ing freshly slaughtered inkomo
-
-
Umama upheka iphuphu (pap/maize meal, SA’s staple food)
-
-
Slaughtering and gutting a cow (and yes, I ate it).
-
-
Umqombothi — traditional Zulu beer