Home Again, Home Again

I'm back in the village, back in my tiny but cutely decorated cell and am honestly able to say that switching sites was the best decision I could have possibly made. My new host family is awesome. When I started trudging to my corner of the house all my host sisters came rushing around the corner to greet me. I was gone for a week. It was quite the reunion, even before I unpacked a bit and offered a few kites I'd picked up in Pretoria. Everyone was super-excited about them, but of course, no wind. Maybe tomorrow?

In other news, where have I been? Pretoria. What for? The conclusion of a trial. For what crime? Theft, almost a year ago, from my home during training, by a friend of the family. How did it go? As well as can be expected. Who was there? Me, the safety and security coordinators for both South Africa and the entire region (an American! Stop the presses!) and a PCV friend who accompanied me for moral support (thanks L, you were great). What happened? I testified for about 30 seconds as to who I am, what I do and, oh yeah, the events of the actual crime. What was the sentence? A few thousand rand, probation... What did you do after the trial? Ate! Saw movies! In a theater! Ate some more! Picked up some books from the library at the Peace Corps office, as well as a bunch of electronic resources submitted by other volunteers on various educational topics. Said goodbye to some SA-18 volunteers who are leaving South Africa and moving back to the States as RPCVs. I know that the day will come for me eventually, but it sure doesn't feel like it now.

In other news, I visited a doctor once again and have now started two courses of antibiotics as well as some allergy medicine. Will it work? Who knows? I feel like the white doctors in town hear the word "village" and reach for antibiotics on autopilot. Oh yeah, and since when was I allergic to anything?

The World Cup is over, but "Waka Waka" is still the most popular song in South Africa. I'm not sure if the village kids have quite got the lyrics yet...

Coming up in future posts: reflections on 1-year in Africa, erm, stuff, things, what I end up doing with the can of viennas that I found in my grocery bag, whether a dozen eggs ever survive the taxi trip home without cracking, and assorted nonsense...

Currently reading: Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller