Alvaro Hudson, South Africa
What is the most responsible thing you have done?
"In terms of the most responsible thing I would have to say just what I have to do everyday, which is teach classes. I have three classes I teach, plus computers for grades 4-9, tutoring and sport three times a week. Planning and teaching these classes takes a lot of time and effort, especially since it's pretty much up to me to decide what I teach and how I teach it. I have to keep up with marking, tests, exercises, and so on. The size of the classes (grade 4-around 64 students, grade 7-42 students, grade 9-42 students) makes it an even larger responsibilty. It may sound like a bit of a burden but once you get into it, it becomes a routine (a slightly hectic routine!). So I can't really give one occassion when I've demonstrated responsibility. The responsibilty comes with the placement I have."
What is the most exciting thing you have done?
"The most exciting thing I've experienced would have to be the numerous taxi rides and our unpredictable Easter holidays. The taxis here are just vans which everyone crams into. They only leave when they are full so you can jump into one and not move for a couple of hours. You have people carrying all their shopping bags (once a live chicken) and whatever else they have to take since for many people it's the only way to get around. They can be very unpredicatable. A couple of times, taxis I've been in have broken down or the tyres have gone flat. You somtimes have to randomly switch taxis without knowing why. Once the taxi I was in stopped in the middle of the road when the taxi driver saw another taxi coming along. The other taxi stopped in the in the middle, and the two chatted for a while, then everyone started getting out. Now this was confusing for me for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I had no idea what they were saying as they were speaking in Zulu. Also, the people in the taxi didn't speak good english. The driver simply said somethingin Zulu and and everyone in the taxi started getting out and moving to the other taxi. All I could do was just follow everyone else and hope for the best. It worked out alright though. It usually does. You will encounter people now and again that will warn you not to take the taxis, but they're fine. Just ignore those people.
Our Easter holiday was virtually unplanned. W just pointed out a few places we would like to go and we left. We booked our first backpackers in Swaziland and from there we made up the rest. One place in Mozambique we went to, we didn't book or call. We just turned up. We had seen the place advertised in a couple ofprevious backpackers so we thought it would be alright. However, after walking two kilometers with our backpacks, we found that the posters we had seen were 10 years old, and there were only luxury chalets avaliable for 1500 rand per night. It took us about 5 hours to find a cheap enough place, which was just an empty tent and for two nights, the three of us spent our nights on the ground with all our clothers on to keep warm. So try and call ahead if you can.
The unpredicatabilty and freedom of choosing where you would like to go, and for how long, without any real sort of planning was exciting. It's also good fun carrying your massive backpacks into crammed taxi vans. Try and get a window seat."
What is different about life as a volunteer where you are?
"There are plenty of differences between South Africa and New Zealand. Many of them depend on where you end up in the country. The first thing I really noticed is how people don't really take notice of time as much. For example, if an event is meant to start at 8am, likely it won't start until 10am.
Music was another difference. I'm in a small town and everywhere you go, music is pumping. Out of the cars, out of stores, and from cell phones. It's usually house music or R'n'B. They love that stuff over here.
Another thing is the friendliness of the people. Again this dependes on where you may end up. People tend to say hello to each other when walking past and there are often people who will start conversations with you from out of nowhere. I've also been invited into houses without knowing people beforehand. A couple of weeks ago I was walking into town along the back roads and I saw a lady was outside a house. She called out to me to see if I was hungry. Of course I said "Sure". So she invited me into the house and inside were about 20 or more people, who were having a massive Saturday lunch. Now I had never met these people before, but they fed me a massive lunch and I ended up having a good chat with a few people. It's things like this that you don't really see back in New Zealand.
Most likely the largest and most obvious different where I am, is the area and its surroundings. There is a shopping centre along the main road but as soon as you turn off either side the roads turn to sand and there are houses, and small buildings scattered along the tracks. Vegetation is quite thick so houses are often hidden. It's the stark contrast between the shops in the town and the reality of people's living situations- that is a big difference.
Another thing I would like to mention is soccer. They love it over here. Rugby is mostly followed by Afrikaans while soccer is followed by the Blacks. The 2010 World Cup is being made to be a big deal for this country, which it truly is.
Also when the Afrikaan people say they're going to do something 'just now', they don't mean just now. They mean in like an hour and a half, or in half a days time. I think it's when they say 'now now' they actually mean they are going to do something now. I don't really know. It doesn't make sense to me.
I am really glad that I came to South Africa. It's an experience that you will never get from going somewhere like England or America. Although the country does have many faults and problems, it is a place you will not regret visiting and living in."
All the way from Kosi Bay,
Alvaro