A Day in the Life of Ubuntu

Whoa! How did 2 (almost 3) weeks fly by so quickly? My last post was a bit emotional for me and hard to share but I'm grateful for the positive and encouraging feedback from family, friends and even people I've never met.

This post is just to catch you all up on what I've been up to since moving to Vtown, which Vereeniging is affectionately called by most of the locals.

Good Morning, Gunk,  and God

Most of my mornings begin at 5am. I wipe the gunk out of my eyes and realize I'm up an hour before my alarm is supposed to go off. I begin to rationalize to myself how sleeping another 40-50 minutes will really benefit me. I usually vaguely remember how hard it was for me to get up the previous day when I faced this very same dilemma. I look back down at my watch. Crap. That argument I just had with myself took 20 minutes. How did that happen? What do I do... What do I do????

Haha I have always had this problem. It is not specific to my time here in South Africa. However, that is where the similarities to my day ends.

Once I finally drag myself out of bed, I try to start my day with mediation and prayer. This is something I have always tried to do but normally I'd hit the snooze button one too many times and I'd end up running around the house like a chicken with my head cut off (I need to post about how one of our chickens did end up running around the house... funny story)... Well, if I don't post about it now I probably never will. One of my roommates was home alone and heard a loud banging noise. Now imagine being in this big house with too many doors and windows to count and you are alone and hear banging that is coming from inside the house. My roommate grabbed a knife and tipped toed around the corner to find our biggest chicken, we named him snow shoe freddie, running around the living room. Haha! Good times.

Once I finish my meditation/prayer I have a sort of check list that I consult before I leave the house. It looks something like this:

• Make a lunch (If i didnt hit snooze too many times then I usually make really awesome lunches)
• Drink COFFEE  (Then I fill my Dunkin Donuts tumbler with more coffee)
• Lock all the doors (we have a lot)
• Open the windows (our entire house is made out of windows)
• Check on the pets (our baby Springbok, Nala, was recently impaled in the eye by our male springbok. It was traumatizing for all of us. Also our rabbits like to hide under the car in the morning. So we have to make sure we dont run them over or let Nala out of the gate now that she has been separated from her attacker, Ukanti, who lives in the backyard) 
• Set the house alarm  
• Remember how to drive stick shift on the left hand side of the road with no power steering (this has gotten a lot easier over time but I still sometimes drive into oncoming traffic, stall on hills, and almost lose tires when I run over man-sized potholes.) 

Over the last few weeks Amanda, Kelly and I have gotten a lot better at driving stick! We hardly stall and rarely screech our way out of first gear anymore. However, we are still learning everyday! Usually we stall or screech out at the most inappropriate times and we get a lot of stares from students, random strangers, and even our landlord. We seem to amuse everyone!

What the heck is an ETA? Good question!

So an ETA is an English Teaching Assistant. We supplement the English Department at Sedibeng College. Kelly and Cory are at the Heidelberg and Vereeniging campuses each week and Amanda and I are at Vanderbijlpark(Mondays and Wednesdays) and Sebokeng (Tuesdays and Thursday) each week. We do two days at each campus and then on Fridays the four of us rotate to all of the different campuses. Our main goal this year is to help unify all four campuses and help with student affairs.

Amanda and I usually get to campus around 7:20am and attend the daily staff meeting. This staff meeting includes all lecturers and campus administrators. Classes start around 7:45am. I say around because a lot of times we are still in the meeting at 7:45. The first few weeks we were here we just observed classes and tried to come up with a game plan. Last week we launched our Library Club which was started by the two ETAs that were here last year. We have split the club into two societies. The Literary Society and The Leadership Society. Students are encourage to come to both but for those that are only interested in one it is much easier for them to come once versus twice a week.

The Literary Society consists of poetry, short story, creative writing, and grammar workshops. This society also gives students an opportunity to explore the arts through written word. If they are interested in writing or acting our a play, doing spoken word or getting involved in journalism then this for them. The society meets once a week at each campus. This week the students started working on a photo journalism project. They will be going out into their communities and take a snap shot of something that is meaningful to them and then write a story to go along with the photograph. A lot of the students (or learners as they are referred to here) were really enthusiastic about this project and I am super excited to see their work.

The Leadership Society consists of public speaking, CV, mock interview, project and program proposal/ implementation/evaluation, and job readiness workshops. This society gives students an opportunity to make a difference on their campus and in their community. This society also meets once a week at each campus. This week students took the True Colors test (shouts out to the Spartan Orientation Staff where I learned how to facilitate this workshop) and learned about their own leadership styles and the leadership styles of their peers. They will be working on project proposals next week. Many of the students have so many innovative and meaningful projects for their campus and community. Their energy and passion reminds me of my own college days and I couldn't be more excited to be working with these amazing students this year.

One of our students at Vanderbijlpark, Lerato, which means love in Sesotho, is super passionate about starting a campus newsletter and eventually a college wide newspaper. We have been helping her draft the proposal for the central staff of the entire college and we will be going with her next week to present! She has been spending the last few weeks recruiting an editorial staff and coming up with fundraising ideas for equipment. She wants to inspire the students to be aware and actively involved in what is happening in their community! She has an intense and determined spirit. Super intimidating for such a young woman, yet super inspiring.

So... I say all of that to say, I love my job. The students are amazing and incredibly ambitious. I really hope to help these students make their dreams and passions a reality. I know when I was in college I would not have been able to do all of the things I did without the help and encouragement of my teachers, mentors, advisors and bosses. A plethora of names comes to mind but I will just name a few. I remember when Angela Caruso encouraged me to start the Community Advisor Association to give the CAs (now known as RAs- thanks to the CAA) a voice, increase their recognition on campus and increase the retention rate of student RAs. I also remember when Kim Sousa-Peoples challenged me to be an ethical leader during my time on the Spartan Orientation Staff (YES SOS got two shout outs! UNCG-G-G-G). Thanks for being wonderful mentors and I hope to be just as encouraging/challenging to my students this year.

What about Teaching? We don't have the typical teacher role this year. We will be guest lecturing twice a week at each campus. We will be supplementing the English department with lessons that coincide with their curriculum but with an American student-centered twist.

Naps and Nutrition

What about the rest of my time? We work from about 7:30-4pm on days that we have club meetings.
Usually when we get home we are super exhausted and pass out for a 30 min- 1.5 hr nap. Sometimes we eat really large snacks before the nap! :) I have been trying to be healthier since we moved here. I do eat a lot of chips (french fries) but I try to eat more veggies, fruits and lean meats!

The only time I really eat red meat is when we attend a braai. What is a braai you ask??? Well a braai is the South African version of a bbq. Except the meat is woers (pronounced voors), biltong (which I thought was bull tongue at my first braai lol), pap (which is kinda similar to grits) and a variety of other meat and sometimes veggies. Braais last for hours upon hours. We have been invited to lots of braais. We have even attempted a few of our own. I think we still need a little more practice before ours feels like an authentic South African braai.


Virgin Active, Video Chats, and Vino
Once we wake up from our naps we head to our second home, Virgin Active. VA is the local gym and it is all over South Africa. The two ETAs (Marva and Gracelin) that are in Rustenberg are also members of this gym. We go at least 3-4 times a week. Yes, you read that correctly. I Esther Lazy Milanzi go to the gym 3-4 times a week. I even have a personal trainer! WHAT???? Haha I know.  It is super weird. Amanda and I meet with him once a week. Next week will be our third week and we are going to begin our boxing lessons! YES! We joined when we first moved here and until this week it was the only stable thing we did every week. VA also gives its members 100 MB of free internet use. This is a huge win because internet is super expensive here. 100 MB usually gets me two 15 min skype/google hangout calls or one 30 min google voice call. Although, one time I was able to talk on google voice for almost 45 min to Kosi. I was super happy but super surprised. We go to work out and see the faces of our loved ones back in the states.

Once we get back home my night usually ends with a glass of South African vino! My friend, Farrin, pointed out to me recently that I talk about wine a lot since I've been here. Well that is because it is super good and super inexpensive! A good bottle is no more than R40, which is about $3.60. The normal bottles are about R20-R30. So I enjoy my glass with no guilt and take a bubble bath in my huge bath tub. I only mention the tub because I am super tall and I dont think I have ever been in a tub where my knees, my shoulder and my feet were all under water at once! This is my favorite bathtub in the whole wide world! Haha!

So that is a day in the life of ubuntu plus some random tidbits to keep you up to date. If you are still reading,  WOW you are a trooper! Thanks for hanging on! (Virtual hugs are being sent your way right now!)This is what happens when I wait 2 weeks (ok I know it has basically been 3) to write a post! Just a few more things and then you are free to enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!

Language

So there have been a lot of positive things happening in the last month. My job is amazing, the wine is cheap, and I am getting my amazon warrior on in the gym. However, there have been quite a few challenges. I really want to learn Sesotho, the local language in Vereeniging and the Vaal triangle. Did I explain the Vaal triangle yet? Whoops! It consists of a few towns that are connected by three rivers. Hope that helps... if not 'google it baby'.

 So I really want to learn this language. Below are the few words that I have mastered:

Dumela (pronounced Do may la)- means hello, good afternoon, good morning to one person
Dumelang (pronoucned Do may long)- same but to a group of people
Lae Kae (Lay Kai)- How are you?
Ke Teng (Kai Tang)- I'm fine
Ke Teng o Wena Kae (kai tang oh when a kai)- I'm fine and you
Samaya Hantle (pronunciation sounds different to me every time) Go well
Sana Hantle (same, shame) Stay well
Ke a le boha (kai ah lay bow ha) thank you

I have learned a few other words but I am not sure about pronunciation or spelling!
Also, all of my roommates and I have received names: Cory: Thabang=Happiness, Amanda: Nomthandazo=a person who prays, Kelly: Neladi= Star and Me: Ubuntu=Humanity (see previous post of a more in depth description of my name and how I got it).

Where does the challenging part come in you ask? Well there are 11 official languages and 13 recognized languages and almost everyone I have met speaks at least 5 if not all of the languages. So a lot of times people will greet in one language and then switch to another language. Several of our students have presented ideas or shared stories and they start in English but when they get passionate they speak in their first language or one of the many other languages they learned before English.

Before I left the states I purchased an app for my iPhone called Utalk and I practiced a few basic words in Southern Sesotho. (Thanks Zuri, Jasmine and grandparents for letting me babble at you during my visit). I felt like I was ready to say hello to everyone I met. However, many of my neighbors, students, and the faculty around me grew up with Zulu or X(click)hosa as their first language. My cousins (originally from Messina but now live in Jozi aka Johannesburg) informed me that everyone in our family speaks all eleven South African languages but they primarily use Chiyayo (a Malawian language, where my paternal grandmother is originally from). Being the overachiever that I am, I want to learn them all. Trying to decide which language to use when greeting someone has become a major challenge. I know that trying to learn eleven languages in nine months is super impossible (I mean I still havent mastered Spanish and I minored in that in college. Shame.) but I am going to try to at least understand and know the basics in four: Sesotho, Afrikaans, Zulu and Chiyayo.

Send me lots of positive thoughts and prayers!

3. something miles (is how long this post is... I know but you are so close to the end) :)
My roommates and I made another trip up to Johannesburg this past Sunday. This time we left very early in the morning on Sunday to run a 5k (also known as fun run) in Soweto. We all finished in under 30 minutes (go us!) and we met up with 3 of our other ETA fulbrighters. Marva, Graclin and CJ (he is placed in Pretoria) met us at the race. We literally didn't see them until right before the gun went off to signal the start of the race. It was great to see them all again. After the race, all seven of us headed to Jozi city to attend the Arts on Main market that happens every Sunday. It was another wonderful market full of musicians, art, and glorious food! My cousin, Mulanga, met up with us at the Salsa roof top! If I ever move to South Africa permanently, I would definitely consider Jozi as my top choice. However, we are visiting Cape Town at the end of March. I might be singing a different tune once I get down to the coast! (Cage diving with sharks, wine tours and visiting Ali and Justin are in my near future)

Quotes and Questions

Last Section! I am challenging myself to read 2-3 books a month! This month I finished The Zahir by Paulo Coelho and Caucasia by Danzy Senna. I loved each book and I recommend them to everyone! Here are two of the quotes that resonated with me while I was reading.

I believe in signs....what we need to learn is always there before us, we just have to look around us with respect & attention to discover where God is leading us and which step we should take. When we are on the right path, we follow the signs, and if we occasionally stumble, the Divine comes to our aid, preventing us from making mistakes.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

“It’s funny. When you leave your home and wander really far, you always think, ‘I want to go home.’ But then you come home, and of course it’s not the same. You can’t live with it, you can’t live away from it. And it seems like from then on there’s always this yearning for some place that doesn’t exist. I felt that. Still do. I’m never completely at home anywhere.” 
― Danzy Senna

My next book is A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (thanks for the recommendation, Zuri)

Another quote that resonated with me this month is one that I have loved for years.

"You prayed, it wasn't my religion.
 You ate, it wasn't what I ate.
 You spoke, it wasn't my language.
 You dressed, it wasn't what I wore.
 You took my hand, they weren't the same color.
 But when you laughed it was how I laughed.
 And when I cried, it was how I cried."
-Underneath We're All the Same- Amy Maddox

That's all I have for today! I appreciate and will try to respond to all questions and comments!

Love Esty/Ubuntu