Today marks the beginning of summer for a school teacher. While I taste test the flavor of freedom, I find myself gorging on anything South African: movies, websites, articles, books, maps, etc. I'm devouring any piece of nourishing material that will feed my preparation for a foreign life that lies ahead of me.
My senses are heightened. I'm awakened to the precious value of time, and I am very conscious of not taking my present life for granted. I maximize each moment with family, friends, my girlfriend, pets, ex colleagues, and more. I treat every opportunity as if it is to be my last. I now understand the true meaning of carpe diem. It is a beautiful experience, to appreciate every moment as it happens.
About Me
- J. van Kampen
- I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer living in South Africa from July 15, 2008 until September 11, 2010!
Mailing Address:
Jasen van Kampen
AKA Nkateko Mathumbu
Peace Corps Volunteer
P.O. Box 4
Ximunghwe 1281
Bushbuckridge
South Africa
YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN SOUTH AFRICA WHEN ...
- …you bucket bathe your whole body (well except those hard to reach places, like the middle of your back) in less than 2 liters of water a day.
- …you enter a building in a rural area with a posted sign that reads “Restaurant” or “Butcher” and there is no food or meat in sight, only beer bottles (I’m told this is a licensing issue).
- …you pee in a bucket at night to forgo the long walk to the pit latrine in the dark.
- …you watch the same Culture Spears “Kulenyani” DVD music video over and over nearly 10 times a day, 70 times a week, and 280 times a month without any suggestion of boredom or insanity.
- …“clean” water becomes a relative term
- …burning plastics, aluminum cans, bottles and any other imaginable piece of non-biodegradable trash is the best “disposal” method
- …roosters crow at all hours of the night and day (and off key at that!).
- …you watch T.V. and hear Zulu, Ndebele, Tsonga, Sotho, and English in the me sentence on the same news broadcast, and people around you understand what is being said!
- …you wait in a Khumbi (bush taxi) for hours under the hot, baking sun to fill at least fifteen passengers before it begins to move.
- …you drive a long distance in a Khumbi with the windows closed (to prevent women’s hairdos from being ruined) and 10,000 watts of pumping stereo sound causing you to faint and your mind not to function.
3 comments:
i'm starting to get sad... but i'm so very excited for you at the same time...
Hi J A, Granpa is watching you,
noch ein paar Tage und schon geht die Post ab in Richtung Afrika.
Neue Menschen kennen und verstehen lernen. Empfinden, was Dankbarkeit bedeutet, neue Lebensweisen kennenlernen. Mensch, das wird die Erfahrung Deines Lebens werden. Die Welt besteht nicht nur aus unserer persönlichen Heimat.
Ich wuensche Dir viel Freude bei dieser Aufgabe und dass Du viele Freunde gewinnen wirst.
Dein Gran und natuerlich gruesst acu Eda herzlich
Hi Jason
Just a short note to let you know how proud I am to see that you are following your dreams. You have a special soul and a gift from God to go along with it.
Teaching is your passion and all that stand in your path can only benefit from the experience. You give all of yourself for others and Im sure God will reward you in a big way.
I will pray for your safety and success.
Regards,
Oscar
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