THE WEDDING GIFT

I was so excited that my half-nephew, Aaron, was getting married, but I had a hard time deciding what to get as a wedding gift. I ended up buying a set of fertility dolls. I started feeling a little sheepish, as the kitch little dolls weren't even South African (I think maybe Mozambiquean). I decided I'd try and make them a little more meaningful by taking them around the village and taking photos with the dolls in some every-day settings. It turned out to be an incredibly fun project that really opened my eyes to the interesting things all around me that I increasingly take for granted (as I become a local). Everyone joined me in my enthusiasm for the pending nuptuals of the new couple; they were more than happy to pose for the photos. I printed the photos and created a small album, and mailed it off with the dolls in May. Sadly, the package has not yet made it to Wisconsin. The actual wedding has come and gone. However, thanks to digital technology I still have copies of all the photos, so I am publishing them now in a venue that hopefully the whole family will see!

Here I am with the whole family. I didn't quite remember to get the fertility dolls in this one, but look carefully for them in upcoming photos!




This is a learner from Timamogolo, my key school, who was kind enough to help me get a shot of this cow. The bells provide a charming melody.





Here is my favorite chicken family. They live happily in my yard, and are cared for by my Koko (grandmother). She also lovingly prepares them on special occasions.


Here is my host mother cooking up the porridge (bogobe) for the family. We have a stove, but the family prefers to cook some things over the fire. She is an excellent cook.


This is my little sister, Tshoga, outside the cookhouse; inside which her mother is cooking the bogobe. (This is the builidng I drew.)

Here my host niece, Maatlale, is ironing the family's clothes. You can see the formidable pile behind her.





This is both of the third grade classes at Timamogolo, my key school. You can see Mrs. Palane, my best teacher, in the background.

These are some members of the community who are organizing a garden behind Timamogolo. The children from poorer families help out and get free produce, and they sell the rest.


These are the lunch ladies at Timamogolo dramatically re-enacting the cooking of the bogobe.





This photo was taken in the Tickey Line graveyard. It's beautiful and often skirted in fog with guinea fowl prancing about (which makes it even more mystic).




This is the local shop at which I do all my local shopping. I'm good friends with the owner (the lady on the right). We mostly talk about the weather in my limited Sotho.



These are the beginnings of the Induna's (head man) family's new home. It's going to be quite nice. Since the photo was taken they've finished the roof.




Here are the workmen, hard at work on the house, ( and kind enough to pose for me).

My good friend Dikeledi serves up porridge (bogobe) for the family in this picture. Bogobe is the staple food; it's made from a ground corn, and served in generous proportions at each meal. Many people here ask me what the staple food in America is. I tell them hamburger buns. Dikeledi is the Induna's wife (Head Man) and Mokhurane's mother. The word dikeledi means tears.





This is my best friend Mokhurane. She's drawing a sign that reads "Congrat- ulations Jill and Aaron!" in Sotho. Everyone was really excited to help me with the wedding gift.







These are kids playing a popular game that's a little like keep-away. Can you find the dolls?





The bicycle is a popular form of transportation here, but not nearly as popular as taxis or just walking. I talked this gentleman into posing for me on his way home from work. That's my little sister on the right.











My host father is a teacher at the primary school, and in his spare time he mends shoes. It's a skill he learned from his father.








Mokhurane sometimes helps me wash clothes-which is such a blessing! I wash at the school because it's so much easier than hauling the water home. The bright blue bucket on the right is also my bathtub.












These are some friends of my teenage host-niece doing hair.















Here my host mother is filling our bathtub with water. It's a lovely tiled bathing room, but I'm a little lazy to haul all that water so I use a basin.









And I leave you with a lingering look at one of my most frequented village haunts-the family pit toilet.

I had so much fun doing this project! I'm lucky to have a half-nephew and a new half-niece-in law, that would inspire me to record some of the things that are part of my everyday life, here in Tickey Line.

Congratulations Jill and Aaron!

Fun Photos from the Village

This is at the greater Tshoga's, my host father's sister, birthday party. Extremely festive; lots of dancing. I showed them my best moves and they were very supportive.

A day in the Life

This is my little sister Tshoga and my koko (grandma) doing something with corn.

July Vacationing

I went on a lovely road trip with two volunteer friends, Jillian and Sam. We traveled to the coast, stopping in the mountains to do some hiking on the way. We took a quick canoe trip, spent a few days on the beach, and then went to Grahamstown for a week-long art festival for 12th graders (we tried to act teacherly). It was incredibly fun and I learned a lot. I got some insights into the South African art scene, and saw completely new biomes in the country. South Africa, like North Carolina, has wonderful geographical variety.

We Started out in the Drakensberg Mountains, hiking around a little. We got lost and ended up walking down a gravel road towards the hostile long after the sun had gone down. We thought we might be lost-so it was tense-but we weren't! Being lost was a prevailing theme contributing much intrest and excitement to our trip.

A waterfall in the Drakensberg Mountains

The hut where we stayed on the canoe trip was tucked away in a nature reserve where people weren't even allowed to camp. It was very remote and peaceful, incredibly green even in the dead of winter, the most beautiful and my favorite of all the places we slept.

This is Sam and Jillian in the canoe on their way to the dock after a grueling four hours of hard rowing with kyaking paddles. I skipped the row their and instead did the easy row with the current on the way back. They were grateful that I had the fire going and I was grateful that I could still feel my arms and legs.

This is Jillian at the beach in Port Alfred. It felt so good to get some sand between my toes!