Oy vey! i was VERY sick on sunday. it was probably food poisoning but might have been the flu. so today i am back at work again today as i am making a 25 minute presentation at a work shop tomorrow. other than that there's some fun stuff coming up, i am going to a scout camp next weekend, my first in several years, which will help pave the way for my dream of bringing a scout group to the village. i was in boy scouts as a child and teen and overall it was a great experience, i got to see the great outdoors (including hiking in and out of the grand canyon) and participate in volunteer activities. the spirit of service and honor is something the kids here could get a lot of value from. scouts is an international organization which was started by an english war hero who served in south africa. it has been here for over a century but only recently have they racially integrated and allowed in girls . it is still new to south africa's villages so the trick will be fitting it into that context.

After a busy couple days planning a festival for tinghwazi- details in a future post- things hit a lull as my organization had to handle a financial problem and my programs got set aside for a bit. when stuff like that happens i have to do "back-up" projects like learning tsonga, preparing materials for ist, and writing my blog... obama winning the primary was a very big deal here. the idea of a black man, the son of an african national, becoming the most powerful person in a world that seems to be dominated by whites captures the imagination of the people here. "race" is a very big deal here due partly to the cruel and ridiculous policies of apartheid and partly to the extreme cultural and economic differences between people here. i live in an area where almost all the people who live here are black tsonga speakers. people here are the nicest in the world but some tend to make a lot of assumptions about me purely on the basis of my skin color. obama helps them imaginea better future for themselves.

You kind of get used to eating different food in different ways here. not so much pap for me though i will always eat a bit when it is in front of me. today my lunch consisted of avacado spread on bread with a rabbit that my organization's vehicle ran over on the side. not sure how i feel about the taste of rabbit, it has got an interesting aftertaste. i would try it again though. the other day i tried chicken feet and they are about what you would expect: all skin, fat, and sinew. not at all worth eating i would venture to say.

I am pretty tired this evening. today i went with 14 tinghwazi members to a place called tsonga kraal. incredibly 13 people were in the back of the pickup which i don't think was a good idea, though i was seated as always up front. tsonga kraal is as close as anything to what thomo heritage park will be as it's a museum and a village that is a repository of tsonga culture. the lecture was illuminating in that it highlighted our weaknesses and strengths. tinghwazi lacks the professional skills for a true museum but at the same time i believe it can offer a far more dynamic experience. we will be providing a broad demonstration of traditional tsonga culture expressed in a dynamic way by the tsonga themselves rather than simply archiving things the focus will be on recreating the past for the purposes of education and development. i know this all sounds a bit partisan but i really do believe in this project, i think it is an incredible initiative.

It's "winter" in Limpopo now, which is a time when it isn't very hot and many teenage boys get sent "to the mountain" or initiation school during the school break. it signals a passage into manhood, the boys eat very little and i am told they drink nothing for a month. they hunt and do activities together. the older men and boys there tell them stories and give them tasks. finally the boys are circumcised and given new names which are their names for the rest of their lives.

Well still trying to figure out how to start educational programs and a scout group here in the village. i feel like things are going a bit slow partly because i am still learning and making things up as i go along. there are ups and downs here, it's a little down now i am afraid. tomorrow is a big presentation and braai tomorrow which will hopefully turn things around.

Last week was definately the busiest since i came to the village. meeting lots of people as everybody wants to check out the heritage park now. i also went to a big candlelight vigil hosted by a fellow PCVs organization that was probably a little undermined by the fact that candle light vigils are a european thing that people here don't really do. but it was a big event at a very troubled village so i hope it did some good. it also looks like i will help start a scout group here. it's exciting.

I am never sure how much sa news is picked up on america but i wanted to send out a reassurance that i am nowhere near the attacks and rioting going on in a couple of jo'burg's townships. this violence is involving illegal immigrants that some south africans blame crime and employment woes on. by way of an explanation jo'burg is a dangerous place at the best of times and things sometimes get out of hand. there are places i just won't be going to during my time here so don't worry.

As family and friends can testify i love fresh fruit. it is nature's candy. this part of south africa is like the garden of eden (i am not sure he this is related but people here are TERRIFIED of snakes.) my house has a whole orchard of mango trees but it is very far from mango season. right now i have fresh lemons for lemonade and cooking though. bananas, oranges, avocado, and eggplant are all in abundance now. there is also this fruit called a paw-paw which is quite pleasant.

americans don't live in villages so the idea of living with animals that one can kill and eat is pretty novel. today i went with another volunteers organization to a village to the east. their task was to purchase a cow for an aids vigil wednesday. i went to see the area around me. since cattle are a status symbol here it can be hard to find someone to sell them but they were able to find one. i will not ever kill a cow but i have never tried duck or guinea fowl and there are a few here...

Finding one's role as a volunteer takes a while. peace corps views the first three months as an adjustment period. that doesn't mean i can't keep active though. right now i am interviewing Tinghwazi members and helping them organize their education and cultural activities for when the park opens. also i am looking at starting a scout group here. a lot of my time also goes into talking with community members, sometimes i play basketball with the kids.

Finding one's role as a volunteer takes a while. peace corps views the first three months as an adjustment period. that doesn't mean i can't keep active though. right now i am interviewing Tinghwazi members and helping them organize their education and cultural activities for when the park opens. also i am looking at starting a scout group here. a lot of my time also goes into talking with community members, sometimes i play basketball with the kids.

Names are important here, one is supposed to live ones life according to ones name. confusingly it is very common for someone to have two first names, one african and one bible name. for xitsonga speakers my name is a tongue twister. i also get confused with the other volunteer here, john. i have an african name that i have a hard time pronouncing "hlekani."i like it when people call me "brother nathan" it reminds me that even though i am far from everything that seems familiar, all men are brothers.

it has been about one month since i came to site. village life is going well. the young kids here are fascinated by my arm hair so they run up and touch it which is pretty hillarious. hopefully it will be a busy week but the itinerary is pretty vague.

The last couple of days have been fantastic. i finally am perceiving my role at my organization and have begun working full swing. i have also been out in the village meeting people and learning about it i finally feel like i am becoming a "doer" as much as i am a "learner" which is an incredibly good feeling i imagine for every volunteer. also i made my most successful curry to date yesterday! curries are my standby meal here i love balancing the different spices meats and vegetables.

Well, still have yet to get a completely satisfactory daily schedule set up but i think i am getting there. today i will be getting my stuff in order and maybe bake some bread, tomorrow i will do some work with my supervisor velaphi, we are going to be preparing a skills database which should be useful to my organization. it is hard to believe i have been a peace corps volunteer for almost a month it feels like i have just started.

The NGO program in south africa is very broad and there is no real norm for where we go and what we do. I am working with an organization that wants to stimulate cultural tourism in my area and help use local skills and knowledge to reduce poverty. my job is to help start after school activities that will educate kids and give them useful skills and experience. I live in a great village on the north eastern edge of limpopo.

Well i hope what pics i uploaded are up not sure but i do not think this phone sees them.

Still some bugs