Dear friends and family...

As usual, it has been a while since I wrote you an update about my life!

Now when I first told many of you that I was going into the Peace Corps, some of you wondered why the Peace Corps is actually in South Africa. South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup and is considered an "emerging economy” not a developing nation. I hope that my e-mails thus far have convinced you of why we are here: the rural areas seem to be a completely country than the modern urban areas. This week in The Economist, there was an article that pretty much summarizes the situation in this country and gives you insight into the politics and current economic condition. Its worth a read if you have any interest.

I have now been taking bucket baths and living in a rural South African village for 15 and a half months. Which means, if everything continues as planned, I will be here for another 10 and a half months. And honestly I can’t wait to get back place with convenient transport and easy access to Mexican food.  Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m where I’m supposed to be, but it’s a daily struggle.

This country has to be one of the most racially tense places in the world. With apartheid (their version of segregation) ending in 1994, I encounter the effects of racism on a daily basis. This past month it has really been on my mind. Race and color is constantly part of the conversation here.

An new Peace Corps Volunteer recently moved to my area, so I’ve spent some time travelling with her. She is African American and it has been interesting to see how she can blend in when we are out shopping or using public transportation. I'm jealous that she doesn't get stared at all the time, but the downside is that she is not treated with the respect I get in these same situations. When the public taxi marshalls see me coming they are happy to help the only white person in the rank and are further impressed at my local language skills. My fellow volunteer is pushed aside and looked at with aghast when she makes one tiny language mistake. When we are together, speaking in rapid English with American accents, people stare at us and you can see them trying to figure out our relationship.

On the other hand, people in my village are used to me now, but I am the only white person that most of them have ever had a friendly conversation with. Life in the village leaves very few opportunities for Sepedi people to meet anyone from a different race and its interesting to hear about their thoughts. This week I had a very
intelligent boy in my Grade 10 class write in his journal, “What do you like about our village, because I know you don’t like black people?” I was shocked that after living here for over a year, a boy that I work with on a weekly basis still thought that all white people were racist. Later that day I had a conversation with this boy about his journal to see if I had done something to make him think this. It turned out that he didn’t have a specific reason for his assumption, he just thought I had been pretending this whole time. It breaks my heart that the people in my community have had such negative experiences with people of different colors.

Makes me realize how important it is that I am living in this community for 2 years. If I do nothing else in my entire Peace Corps service, I have shown that friendship, kindness and respect transcends color lines. I have attended funerals, initiation parties, church services and weddings. I have helped cook and prepare for these
events. I have dressed in traditional clothes and danced the traditional steps. I take public transportation and buy my food at the monthly market.  I laugh, joke and visit with people who haven’t left the village in months. My job is more than working with teachers, teaching English and educating people about HIV/AIDS. Its about improving race relations in a small community in Limpopo, South Africa. And slowly by slowly, I think I'm helping to accomplish that goal.