Hi Lovies,
I have often wondered after many a telephone call from home if any of you knew what i was actually talking about. To help you interpret my new way of jabbering on, keep this list handy the next time we talk on the phone, you visit me in South Africa, or when I come home to visit. Better yet, suprise me and try using some yourself during our next conversation, or confuse someone in the States you dont feel like talking to by using the below mentioned phrases and slang words...
Tsotsi: Gangster.
ex: "Dont walk through thebush becuase the tsotsis will climb over that far away mountain and get you."
*Many of the slang words are referred to as "tsotsi talk" bc it was the tsotis who came up with the words, although they are used widely in the population, especially among youth. *
Heita: hello, in tsotsi talk
prounounced sort of like 'ey-tah'
Hola: hello, in tsotsi talk.... although it is the spanish 'hello'! Supposedly when Fidel Castro visited SA when communism was big he brought it over...
Sharp: used in many differnt ways, but usually means " good or cool"
Pronounced 'shop'
ex: Some one asks you how you are, and you say 'sharp sharp'
Someone asks if you want something to eat but you are full, you say, 'Im sharp'
Sure sure: Tsotsi for 'im good' or ''thats good'
Prounounced 'sho sho'
Ex: "Heita" reply: 'sho sho'
is it?: same as 'really?' in the US
ex: I went to the store to buy bread but they were all out. reply: 'is it?'
Sorry: an apologiy given by one personwhen something happens to someone else at no fault of their own.
ex: I drop my pen and bump my head on a desk picking it up. my friend says : 'sorry, sorry!'
Double up: to take a short cut
ex: lets not walk on the tar road, lets double up through the bush.
Bush: woods/ forest/ open area with bushes
Yaebo!: 'yes' in Zulu, also sort of like saying, 'Ya!'
Shame: 'thats too bad' used allll the time
ex: I missed the taxi this morning. reply: 'oh, shame.'
short left/short right: how you indicate when you want to get off the taxi.
neh?: said at the end of sentences, sort of like, 'you know? or 'you with me?'
ex: I was trying to go to the mall, neh? But the taxi was late, neh? so i didnt make it.
Akere?: similar use and placement as 'neh', but the meaning is more along the lines of ' do you understand?'
Yo!: sound made to indicate suprise.
ex: The price of avocados at the store has tripled in the last month. reply: Yo!
owwww-wahh!: similar to 'yo!'
Eish!: similar to owww-wahh and yo, but in situations of stress.
ex: Eish, I have a lot of work to catch up on.
Spaza:small grocery store in a village
Chomi: friend
Ok, thats all I can think of now. but hopefully Ill learn more along they way! Sharp Sharp!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Yaebo, South Afrika!
Dumela, ba chomi wa ka! ( hello my friends)
I know, I've been incredibly awful about writing blogs as, well, i haven't written even one since being here. But hey, I'm starting ( maybe) now, so better late than never?
Soooooo soooo much has happened since I've been here, so rather than trying to go back and recall everything, Ill just give you a general idea of where I am, what ive been doing, and just take er' from here...
So I've been an official peace corps volunteer (PCV) almost 2 months now. Im living in a rural village in the Northwest province about 2 hours by taxi NW of pretoria. My village is great and I feel safe here. There are three other PCVs staying in my village ( two education volunteers and one home-based care volunteer) that have been living here for almost two years already, so they leave in September while Ill be staying on until April 3, 2011. ( God, its weird to say that I'll be coming home in 2011!) I think having the other PCVs softened my entrance into the village because the people here have become somewhat familiar to having white people around.... white South Africans NEVER live in villages here and rarely, if ever visit them, so there is still not a lot of contact between white South Africans and rural Black South Africans. In fact, when white South Africans drive through the village and see me on my daily 40 minute walk to and from work, they usually screech their tires, reverse, and frantically yell at me in Afrikaans to jump in the car so they can save me! I find it more fun to respond in setswana that I dont speak Afrikaans and that Im sharp ( im good) and dont need help : Ga ke Bue Afrikaans, Ke bua Setswana le English fela. Go sharp, Ga ke batle thuso. Aparteid ended only 14 years ago, so there is still a lot of tension and misunderstanding between the two groups, understandably.
Anyways, i live in a lovely home, and one thats probably the biggest house I'll ever live in any time soon. Its a lot nicer than what the typical PCV lives in, so lucky me! It has two bed rooms, a living and dining room, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a flush toilet. Water and electricity are a problem in the village and one or both is always running out, so i take bucket baths and keep the tub filled with water for flushing the toilet when the water goes out. Sometimes its out for a few hours or a day, sometimes for several days... so far the longest its been out was 14 days.. eish, man!
I live by myself with Nala, my wonderful puppy, but on the same property as my host family. I love them so much and they have been absoltuely wonderful to me. I have an older host sister who lives in Pretoria, an older brother, a younger brother in high school, and my host sister's 1 1/2 yr old son lives with us as well. i am usually exhausted by the end of the day so usually retire to my humble abode, but my mma and i talk outside for a few minutes almost everyday, and on the weekends we may sit outside under a tree and do our laundry and just talk.
In South Africa, it is supposedly a compliment to be told that you are fat. Not only that you are fat, but how fat you are and where on your body is particularly fat. It is suppose to indicate that you love South Africa and that your family is treating you and feeding you well, so its like, a sign of love or something. So this topic of conversation comes up every week on laundry day. She tells me how fat i am and points and pinches me where I am supposedly the fattest, and tells me how all her colleagues at work also notice how fat i am. It can sometimes be a little frusterating after a long week, since in the US this is something you would only say to someone you absolutely hated and wanted to make cry, but I accept it since, well, I dont really have a choice and i know she means no harm by it. I usually just go along and agree that yes, Im very fat, and yes, look at my hips, they are so big. So when you come and visit me, just be forewarned that no matter what your actual size, people will insist on your fatness.
I am working at a youth centre in my village... it is the only youth centre in the entire municipality. There are some great volunteers there, who have so good ideas, they just arent sure where to begin or how to get them into action. So thats sorta where I come in; to help get the ball rolling and get programs more organized at the youth centre. it is currently not being used nearly as much as it should, so along with some of the current volunteers, i will be trying to recruit more volunteers to the youth centre and better organize some programs to go on at the centre. Im wanting to focus specifically on high school and out-of-school youth, as there are many in the village and not many services or programs devoted to them. Im not sure what kind of programs we will do because we must first get their input and see what kind of programs they are interested in, plus find the dedicated volunteers interested in running the programs. Finding volunteers is a challenge, especially younger volunteers, bc the positions go unpaid and most out-of-school youth want paying jobs after matric(grade 12), but they dont know where to look or what opportunities are available to them, so many of them end up doing nothing for a period of time.
I have also found a group of about 6 very dedicated volunteers interested in starting a lay counseling group for issues such as child abuse, etc., or any kind of counseling children and youth may need. They have been trying to start a program for a couple of years but did not know how to express themselves or get started, and were coming across many road blocks. I was so happy when someone put them in contact with me because although Ive only been in the village about 2 months, i can see there are many problems among the youth , but no one for them to talk to. So we are in the very, very beginning stages of forming a lay counseling group and looking into training. i think we are off to a great start, though.
Ok, wow, I feel like Ive written a lot but theres so much to say, and i will never be able to fully sum up my experiences here. So you should all come visit me! Until tha day, maybe Ill try writing more blogs. I love you all and miss you terribly. I have a new address here in the village, but for safety reasons ( and as ordained by Peace Corps) i cannot post it here. Please email me at heather.n.brand@gmail.com and Ill send it to you so you can send me letters and lots of vegan goodies- Im in constant need of nuts, good coffee, and nutritional yeast.
kisskiss!
Heather/ Bontle( my setswana name, which means Beauty)
I know, I've been incredibly awful about writing blogs as, well, i haven't written even one since being here. But hey, I'm starting ( maybe) now, so better late than never?
Soooooo soooo much has happened since I've been here, so rather than trying to go back and recall everything, Ill just give you a general idea of where I am, what ive been doing, and just take er' from here...
So I've been an official peace corps volunteer (PCV) almost 2 months now. Im living in a rural village in the Northwest province about 2 hours by taxi NW of pretoria. My village is great and I feel safe here. There are three other PCVs staying in my village ( two education volunteers and one home-based care volunteer) that have been living here for almost two years already, so they leave in September while Ill be staying on until April 3, 2011. ( God, its weird to say that I'll be coming home in 2011!) I think having the other PCVs softened my entrance into the village because the people here have become somewhat familiar to having white people around.... white South Africans NEVER live in villages here and rarely, if ever visit them, so there is still not a lot of contact between white South Africans and rural Black South Africans. In fact, when white South Africans drive through the village and see me on my daily 40 minute walk to and from work, they usually screech their tires, reverse, and frantically yell at me in Afrikaans to jump in the car so they can save me! I find it more fun to respond in setswana that I dont speak Afrikaans and that Im sharp ( im good) and dont need help : Ga ke Bue Afrikaans, Ke bua Setswana le English fela. Go sharp, Ga ke batle thuso. Aparteid ended only 14 years ago, so there is still a lot of tension and misunderstanding between the two groups, understandably.
Anyways, i live in a lovely home, and one thats probably the biggest house I'll ever live in any time soon. Its a lot nicer than what the typical PCV lives in, so lucky me! It has two bed rooms, a living and dining room, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a flush toilet. Water and electricity are a problem in the village and one or both is always running out, so i take bucket baths and keep the tub filled with water for flushing the toilet when the water goes out. Sometimes its out for a few hours or a day, sometimes for several days... so far the longest its been out was 14 days.. eish, man!
I live by myself with Nala, my wonderful puppy, but on the same property as my host family. I love them so much and they have been absoltuely wonderful to me. I have an older host sister who lives in Pretoria, an older brother, a younger brother in high school, and my host sister's 1 1/2 yr old son lives with us as well. i am usually exhausted by the end of the day so usually retire to my humble abode, but my mma and i talk outside for a few minutes almost everyday, and on the weekends we may sit outside under a tree and do our laundry and just talk.
In South Africa, it is supposedly a compliment to be told that you are fat. Not only that you are fat, but how fat you are and where on your body is particularly fat. It is suppose to indicate that you love South Africa and that your family is treating you and feeding you well, so its like, a sign of love or something. So this topic of conversation comes up every week on laundry day. She tells me how fat i am and points and pinches me where I am supposedly the fattest, and tells me how all her colleagues at work also notice how fat i am. It can sometimes be a little frusterating after a long week, since in the US this is something you would only say to someone you absolutely hated and wanted to make cry, but I accept it since, well, I dont really have a choice and i know she means no harm by it. I usually just go along and agree that yes, Im very fat, and yes, look at my hips, they are so big. So when you come and visit me, just be forewarned that no matter what your actual size, people will insist on your fatness.
I am working at a youth centre in my village... it is the only youth centre in the entire municipality. There are some great volunteers there, who have so good ideas, they just arent sure where to begin or how to get them into action. So thats sorta where I come in; to help get the ball rolling and get programs more organized at the youth centre. it is currently not being used nearly as much as it should, so along with some of the current volunteers, i will be trying to recruit more volunteers to the youth centre and better organize some programs to go on at the centre. Im wanting to focus specifically on high school and out-of-school youth, as there are many in the village and not many services or programs devoted to them. Im not sure what kind of programs we will do because we must first get their input and see what kind of programs they are interested in, plus find the dedicated volunteers interested in running the programs. Finding volunteers is a challenge, especially younger volunteers, bc the positions go unpaid and most out-of-school youth want paying jobs after matric(grade 12), but they dont know where to look or what opportunities are available to them, so many of them end up doing nothing for a period of time.
I have also found a group of about 6 very dedicated volunteers interested in starting a lay counseling group for issues such as child abuse, etc., or any kind of counseling children and youth may need. They have been trying to start a program for a couple of years but did not know how to express themselves or get started, and were coming across many road blocks. I was so happy when someone put them in contact with me because although Ive only been in the village about 2 months, i can see there are many problems among the youth , but no one for them to talk to. So we are in the very, very beginning stages of forming a lay counseling group and looking into training. i think we are off to a great start, though.
Ok, wow, I feel like Ive written a lot but theres so much to say, and i will never be able to fully sum up my experiences here. So you should all come visit me! Until tha day, maybe Ill try writing more blogs. I love you all and miss you terribly. I have a new address here in the village, but for safety reasons ( and as ordained by Peace Corps) i cannot post it here. Please email me at heather.n.brand@gmail.com and Ill send it to you so you can send me letters and lots of vegan goodies- Im in constant need of nuts, good coffee, and nutritional yeast.
kisskiss!
Heather/ Bontle( my setswana name, which means Beauty)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Journey Begins...
Well, the day has finally come. I begin my journey to South Africa for Peace Corps tomorrow, Monday Feb 2nd. After a year and a half of applying to Peace Corps, months of saying my goodbyes, and weeks of packing, I'm not exactly sure how ready I am, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I'm definitely nervous, but more than anything I'm excited for the adventure before me. I'm still pretty clueless as to what I'll be doing and where I'll be, but here's what I know so far:
Tues Feb 3rd: Fly out of JFK airport in New York on a direct flight to Johannesburg, South Africa ( a whopping 17.5 hr flight!)
First 5 days in South Africa: Begin PST (pre-service training) at an educational center 1.5 hrs outside of Johannesburg with all peace corps trainees. Each day we will have one-on-one interviews with Peace Corps staff to help them place us in the organization and host family that best suits us.
Mid Feb- April 2nd: Move in with host family and continue pre-service training.
April 2nd: I am officially sworn in as a Peace Corp Volunteer
April 2nd and Beyond: Hopefully at this point Ill have internet access and can start blogging regularly. I'll be moving to my permanent site where I'll spend the next two years living with a host family and working in the community as an HIV/AIDs outreach volunteer.
Well, I suppose that's it for now. I love you all dearly and dont know how I will make it through the first two months without any communication, but I'm sure Ill have plenty of interesting stories to tell by then. I'll be thinking of you all every day and missing you until my safe return! Getting mail is great, and I promise to write you back! My mailing address during Pre-service training is below. Just be aware that mail to South Africa really is 'snail mail' and it could take 2-3 weeks for your letter to arrive to me, and vice versa when I write you back. Unil then, my loves, keep it real. Yeeeeehaw!
** Most importantly to all of you, I WONT HAVE PHONE OR INTERNET ACCESS UNTIL AFTER APRIL 2ND (see mailing address below)**
Mon Feb 2nd: Fly to Philadelphia to officially register as a Peace Corps TraineeTues Feb 3rd: Fly out of JFK airport in New York on a direct flight to Johannesburg, South Africa ( a whopping 17.5 hr flight!)
First 5 days in South Africa: Begin PST (pre-service training) at an educational center 1.5 hrs outside of Johannesburg with all peace corps trainees. Each day we will have one-on-one interviews with Peace Corps staff to help them place us in the organization and host family that best suits us.
Mid Feb- April 2nd: Move in with host family and continue pre-service training.
April 2nd: I am officially sworn in as a Peace Corp Volunteer
April 2nd and Beyond: Hopefully at this point Ill have internet access and can start blogging regularly. I'll be moving to my permanent site where I'll spend the next two years living with a host family and working in the community as an HIV/AIDs outreach volunteer.
Well, I suppose that's it for now. I love you all dearly and dont know how I will make it through the first two months without any communication, but I'm sure Ill have plenty of interesting stories to tell by then. I'll be thinking of you all every day and missing you until my safe return! Getting mail is great, and I promise to write you back! My mailing address during Pre-service training is below. Just be aware that mail to South Africa really is 'snail mail' and it could take 2-3 weeks for your letter to arrive to me, and vice versa when I write you back. Unil then, my loves, keep it real. Yeeeeehaw!
My address in South Africa for the first few months:
Heather Brand
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Heather Brand
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
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