Riding in cars

riding A couple of days ago I ventured to a nearby PCV’s home to help her and her community members sew shade netting onto a hydroponics project. On a normal day this would require 3 combis and nearly 30 Rand. Well I had a lucky day and caught a free ride out of my village, 5km to the main road.

From there I had another free ride from the main road to Lebowakgomo. My driver along this 20 km stretch was a well-dressed man in a BMW who works as a facilitator for a mining company. He was a wealth of information. In the area where I live there are approximately 5 platinum mines and 2 chrome mines. He described the issues involved in the business (companies promise to support the village where they mine but don’t give enough, tribal authorities require them to hire unskilled locals, those who work for the company are victims of crime and high-jacking on the way to work, etc.) and that come June a new mine will be opening very near to my home.

Upon reaching Lebo I waited in a coombi for 40 minutes- alone-. (Remember coombis do not leave the rank until they are full and I was short some 14 other passengers) So again I had to walk down the road and find another ride. My driver this time was adorable old man with a receding hairline and afro (resembling bozo, minus the blue and flip and well, you get it). So he asked me questions such as: “Where do you live?” “What do you do?” and after each response he said a sing-song “Alleluia!” hehe. Next he asked if I was a Christian. I told him I was raised Roman Catholic. With this he went into a rather confusing and serious 5 minute tangent on the sign of the cross. Apparently he thinks that when Catholics cross themselves they make the cross sideways because the longer span of the sign of the cross is between your shoulders as opposed to vertically. (Are you following? I had to have him repeat and demonstrate at least 3 times) He had a real issue with this and referred to Catholics as “upside down Christians”. Without any semblance of a smile he offered a solution to this problem. “A person should rather make the shoulder touches nearer to the neck as opposed to the shoulder.” OOOk. . .

. . . so I paid 0 Rand to get there. . .

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Some words/issues that are essential:

- blue pens are for leaners, black pens are for educators only.
- All notebooks must be covered in plastic wrap
- The person who watches over testing learners is called an invigilator
- The answer key is called a memorandum
- White-out is called typex
- Restaurant bills are called slips
- At the end of a sentence you put a full stop, not a period
- Rulers are necessary for most notebook writing
- You cannot draw in pen
- You cannot take notes in pencil

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2 animal stories:

- My tiny kitten had a 10 minute face off with a preying mantis. The mantis spread it’s bottom wings, lifted its front limbs, and let out a few noises of intimidation- but it never backed down from the kitten once.

- I saw a kid (baby goat) eating grass with a pack/herd/bunch of sheep and it let out a few very distinct “baaa’s”!!