New Accomodations

More changes for me! Three days ago, I moved to different accommodations. That is, I am now living with a new family in the same little town I work in. This family is Afrikaans. So, the statistics so far are that I have lived with a Zulu family for the two months of training, an Indian family for the past year, and now, an Afrikaans family for the remainder of my Peace Corps experience.
I had hoped to obtain a “garden cottage,” on the property of a residence here in town. Many of my PCV friends have a housing unit, like an efficiency unit, sometimes called a rondoval in the village, separate from the main house of their host family but on their compound. All of my accommodations have been inside the main house itself. That’s why I wanted a “garden cottage.” Oh well, I’m destined to spend my two years in very close quarters with my host family. At any rate, I was in very close quarters in the Indian family’s home and I just decided that I needed more space, at the very least, and, I need to be more a part of the family. This was not the case over the past year. For most of the year, it was perfectly satisfactory….eating yummy curries with our fingers every night, lots of Bollywood and an adorable nine year old “host brother” who loves cars. But, at mid-service I find I need more intimacy with those I live with, in this sometimes stressful and lonely experience.
Now, I am located across town, nearer to my office, but further away from my little gang of nine year old boys who were my buddies in the other neighborhood. Yet, I can still visit them anytime so it’s not like I left completely. Whereas the language spoken at the Indian home was English, now, the home language is Afrikaans which is a language based on Dutch and German. I’ve only been there three days but already the first thing I need to do is learn dog commands in Afrikaans so I can get the German Shepard from my bed! He just wouldn’t respond to “down” or “off.”
I am very happy about this change. The couple I live with are about my age and are offering me a home because they “respect the work I am doing in the community.” I am very fortunate to have the warmth and comfort they are providing me. They are excited about me teaching them how to cook Mexican food. For next Sunday’s dinner, we’ll start out with guacamole, instant refried beans (sent from home), and maybe burritos if I can find someone who is going to a specialty store 45 minutes away where there may be some “wraps.” What I really miss is fresh cilantro so I may have to buckle down and grow some plants. As I’ve probably mentioned before, Mexican food is what all of us PCVs really miss from home and a real curiosity for South Africans.
Well, my living arrangement is a change at mid-service which coincides with a sort of “where do I go from here” with work, learning the languages, the experience in general, etc. kind of feeling. It’s like I need to re-charge my batteries after one year of adaptation, stress and making new friends because at this point I know my way around. This lull coincides with Peace Corps mid-service training set for the second week of October, aimed to re-energize us to our goals. Let’s hope so…..