Impendle!

Sanibonani abangane bami!

The past few days have definitely been eventful! The weekend was very fun and relaxing- Saturday we got transportation to the beach and we took the opportunity to get into the city for a little bit. We took the People Mover (the bus system that only costs 10 rand- about $1.50- for a day pass) to Victoria Market, an indoor market filled with Zulu crafts, spices, clothes, and everything else you could possibly think of. My friends Alyssa, Alexa and I spent a few hours going through all of the little shop, and I bough some traditional Zulu beads and a skirt for the rural homestay. Afterwards, we decided to head to the Moses Mahbida soccer stadium to check out the sports store and cable car to the top of the stadium. The view was absolutely incredible, as you can see from the pictures! The stadium was built for the World Cup and it’s gigantic… the only problem is they don’t think they can sustain it because not enough people come to the local games. After grabbing some lunch, we headed back to the beach for a little bit before going back to Cato.





On Sunday, the group decided to go to the AmaZulu v. Moroka Swallows soccer game at the stadium. Even though the stadium was only 1/8 full, there were enough vuvuzelas blaring to make it seem like there was a lot more! The game was lots of fun, even though AmaZulu, the local team, blew their 2-0 lead in the second half to tie 2-2.



Monday brought our first rural homestay! We were all a little nervous, but not nearly as nervous as when we moved into Cato. The 24 of us were split into 2 groups of 12, half of us going to Impendle and the other half going to Amatikulu. I went to Impendle, and was partnered up with my friend Sally for our homestay. We left early Monday morning and went straight to a secondary school where we practiced our Zulu with the students. We were matched up 1-on-1, and it was lots of fun for them to practice their English with us. I was paired with a 15 year old girl named Wendy- she was so sweet and really helped me with the hard to pronounce Zulu words. We then headed to the Gomani clinic to have some lunch and speak with some of the community members. The clinic was a little busy, so we didn’t get a tour the first day, but we were able to learn about organic gardening, Impendle culture, and community health care workers.

The highlight of the day was definitely visiting a sangoma, a traditional healer. We all took off our shoes and piled into a round hut filled with animal skins, traditional beads and straw mats. The sangoma was dressed in everyday clothes while we asked her questions about what she does until someone asked her to show us how she talks to the ancestors. Then, she put on her sangoma robe and headdress, set some bones and herbs on fire, and began the ceremony. It was pretty intense, and even a little scary at some points. The ancestors told us that they were happy that we were in Impendle and they hoped that we would bring the cure for HIV. I’m pretty sure my ancestors don’t speak Zulu so not really sure how they communicated that, but you never know.

After visiting the Sangoma, we finally met our homestay families. Sally and I were staying in the house right next to the Impendle coordinator, Zandile, with a gogo (grandma) and two boys, Jabula (12) and Wandile (4). I was surprised by how big the house was- or really, how big the THREE houses were. We quickly learned that rural areas aren’t always synonymous with poverty. Although there was no running water and corrugated tin roofs, there was electricity, nice furniture, and even TV! The family also had a ton of animals- cows, goats and chickens. The first hour or so was a little awkward because gogo didn’t speak much English, so we were happy when Zandile came by with two other SIT students to ask if we wanted to go for a walk. The village is beautiful- as you can see below!



On Tuesday, we woke up early again and headed to a woman’s house about 10 minutes down the road. She and some other woman get together once a week to do traditional Zulu beading.

We then went to a primary school where we learned a little bit about eco-schools and the kids even prepared a song for us- they were amazing! We then went back to the clinic for lunch, met with one of the nurses, and took a tour. Although small, the clinic was very well maintained and looked like it was running smoothly. We learned a lot that afternoon, some of which was startling. If there was an emergency at the clinic, it usually took the ambulance 3 hours to get there, with another hour drive to the nearest hospital. However, the nurses at the clinic are able to do a lot more than American nurses- they can prescribe medications and don’t have to work under a doctor- so were able to handle most emergencies.

We went back to our homestays early, and unfortunately found out that Sally’s camera had been stolen sometime during the day. A 5 hour long hunt insued, and we ended up moving into Zandile’s house for the night. The camera hasn’t been found yet, but we have at least 10 people in the village looking for it!

Wednesday we woke up early to head back to Durban. Impendle was definitely a great experience, and I’m already excited to go to Amatikulu and Umthwalume in a few weeks.

We have a day of lectures today, and a holiday tomorrow! (It’s Heritage Day in South Africa- not sure exactly what it means but we’re going to the beach with our families). This weekend, we’re staying at a backpackers in Durban to have a nice relaxing weekend after our busy week.