Weekend! Civilization! Tradition!

This weekend was fun. I went with the auditors to Phalaborwa on Saturday. Basically we just chatted while they did some grocery shopping, we walked around a mall (yay, Air Conditioning!), and then went out to eat (OMG BURGER & CHOCOLATE MOUSSE!). A dose of civilization was just what I needed. Then I went back to the college and hopped in the pool. After not exchanging contact information with any of them before they left, I managed to oversleep on Sunday and miss breakfast, the last chance I'd have had to see them, which was quite sad.

I did, however, get to go to the muchongolo. Vivian's friend wanted to go to a church in the same town, so I decided to go with, in order to get a ride to the muchongolo. Church was long, hot, and largely boring...mostly because I didn't know what the Hell they were saying most of the time. I loved the singing though. I think if the service were two hours shorter and had singing and prayer more evenly spaced out I'd want to go again, despite the heat, but as it stands, I'm not looking forward to another spiritual experience in the village anytime soon.

The muchongolo itself was fun. Although, because of having to work that afternoon (which was completely pointless, btw) and the fact that the service was two hours longer than we thought it would be, I wasn't there nearly as long as I wanted to be. There's another one in a different village, a bit farther away, in a couple weeks, so we'll see if I wind up going to that one. Next weekend is probably going to be boring. Vivian's going home for the weekend and Thabang is working overtime, and so I'm probably going to be by myself, or else I'll be hiding away, avoiding all the creepy new students that arrived this weekend, who all seem to a) know my name, and b) want to marry me.

And, if it works, here's a video (I took several) of the muchongolo dance.

Slightly improved week

I feel like I probably over-reacted in my last post. Don't get me wrong, it was quite annoying, but I think I was letting my irritation at the situation get the better of me. Plus, my week got better slightly.

The college is getting audited, being a non-profit, it has to happen every so often to keep that status, so it's not a huge, scary thing. I mean, the managers and financial people are kind of going crazy, but I've got no stake in the matter, so I just go about my day as normal. But for me, it means four more people to eat supper with for a week who aren't creepy Africans wanting to marry me or people old enough to be my parents. Pieter, Andrea, Hayley, and something like Sorelda...I don't know...they can't remember my name either, but they know who I am. And three of them who are going have invited me to go with them to Phalaborwa tomorrow on a day-trip, which will be fun.

So, even if I don't go to the muchongolo (I'm sure I'm spelling it wrong) on Sunday, I'll at least have gotten off-campus this weekend. Getting a ride there/back is proving to be difficult. Thabang and Kaas, the ones who invited me, don't have their own transportation (they get to/from the college every day via a taxi which takes them along with a group of other construction guys from Welverdiend in a group), and the guy who drives them said he wouldn't drive me and Vivian, non-workers, to/from the college. Can you say, "lame"? I should ask Thabang what "lame" is in Tsonga. Speaking of which, I learned my first real "click" word today. Before, there were sounds that were almost clicks to my American ears, but they were really just t-l-h said together, but today I actually clicked. "Saturday" in Shangaan is Muqivela, where the q represents the click. This is so darn cool to me. I'm sure I sound like a moron to them when I try to speak their language though. And yet, they all say avuxeni to me every day, so at least they've got a sense of humor.

And back at the library, things are going well. I've been doing a lot of cataloging (over 400 reports so far, plus a bunch of books and magazines). I also had a meeting with the director of community outreach at the college to discuss my involvement with upcoming programs, arranged pick-up of a bunch of library donations, ordered take-away materials about the surrounding areas for students, and played office cupid. Valentine's Day is Sunday, when most people won't be working, so we decided to ask everyone to wear red to celebrate it on Friday at the office. Then Sunel went home and made a bunch of heart-shaped chocolates and I designed and hand-made cards for everyone (from recycled paper, because I'm eco-friendly like that). We went to the office early today to deliver them, and we even made ones for ourselves so that at tea time we could ponder aloud who might have left us all these adorable little Valentines. I think some people figured it out, though. But it was nice to surprise people like that. I loved watching people react to finding cards and candy on their desks. It makes me smile to know that I've brightened someone's day and they don't even know it's me.

::sigh::

Ah, Valentine's Day. How I used to adore thee so.

No longer may I taste the sweet without the bitter in tow.

/sappy poetry about my sad life

I still haven't seen a lion, though. I'm quite upset by this. Even on the bushwalk, we barely saw anything, missed a leopard by about ten minutes (found all the signs of one, but no predator itself). Ah, well. I've still got time. I haven't said no to a game drive yet, and it's only a matter of time before my chances of NOT having seen a predator are higher than having seen one.

Vivian wants to take me to church with her. She goes on Sundays whenever she can get a ride there. To be honest, I lost interest in church a long time ago, and I stopped going completely when my mother died; now I only go for weddings, funerals, and the occasional Christmas or Easter I'll get guilted into attending a service by a family member. I'm still spiritual, but the whole praying-in-a-group thing never really sat well with me. But I might go to church with Vivian sometime, purely because they sing in Tsonga and Zulu. I love music in other languages, and to hear it sung live by its native speakers is not something to miss. I don't care that it'll be all about Jesus or whatever and that I'll likely be the only white person there, because I'm enthusiastic about hearing the music. I think it's pretty much decided. Not sure when, but I think me going to church down here has to happen. Simply for the music.