A New Neighbor

After months and months and months of being told that another volunteer was coming to my village, this past weekend he finally arrived. Peace Corps has a program called “PC Response,” which gives Returned Volunteers (or in certain cases people with no PC experience) the chance to do shorter-term assignments. There is no training period or language preparation – you are just dropped off at the site and told to get to work. The volunteer that arrived is part of this program.

The basics: his name is Richard, he is seventy years old, and he served as a volunteer in Peru about forty years ago. His current assignment is to make the brand new computer lab at the secondary school across the street functioning – easier said than done in rural South Africa. I believe that he plans to do this by teaching the teachers how to use the computers and they in turn will teach the learners.

After a week in Pretoria for a brief orientation, he seems to be settling in nicely to his new home. He lives just over the mountain from me at the induna’s house (local chief), so I am sure he will be quite well known in no time at all. I briefly showed him around our area of the village, including the tuck shop where we can buy bread and cold drink, as well as the back way to get to the school. It didn’t take long for him to realize that the back way is only doable when it is not raining, otherwise, you will arrive at school looking like you bathed in mud.

I find it interesting that in the two days he has been here, he has asked me several questions that I cannot answer. Like, where is the nearest Catholic Church? No idea. Or, is there an internet café in our shopping town? Probably, but I have never needed to look for it. It is nice to have someone new around to make me think about things that I have never bothered to think about before now.

I’ll admit that it is a bit strange to have another volunteer within a ten-minute walk of my house, but it has its advantages as well. Hopefully we will be able to help each other out at school and at home when needed.