Working in the field rather than in an office is rewarding. It’s hands on, always changing, and exciting. But… it’s also very exhausting mentally. Trying to synthesize all of the information I’ve gathered about a new culture while trying to develop business strategies is challenging to do in just seven weeks. One of issues we […]
Women Rule the Roost
I had more family photos for this post, however the internet is not cooperating. I hope to post more next time! Estrogen runs high here in my Huntington household. My co-advisor and I live with a grandmother and her twin granddaughters, making us a house of five women. Our closest friends in the village are […]
Wednesdays are for Wrestling
We arrived in the village on a Wednesday. After taking a really long time to cook pasta (because we weren’t experts yet on how to make water boil here) I decided to join my family in the living room.
Challenges & Celebrations
This morning was a struggle. I woke up angry, went for a run to clear my mind, and didn’t feel much better. I had a meeting to go to this morning to resolve issues that are the root of my frustration, and I arrived a few minutes early. I sat down in the field by […]
Mati: The hot topic in the village
Mati is the Shangaan word for water. Water is a huge issue in the village. Huntington has four boreholes, which is not enough to support the village. There are more boreholes in the village, but apparently the pumps have been stolen to the rest of them. There are water taps throughout the village- our water […]
Welcome to Huntington!
After arriving in Johannesburg early in the morning, we took a shuttle to Nelspruit to meet the in-country staff. After a few days of training, it was time to head out to our villages. They are located in the Lilydale region, the Bushbuckridge municipality, and the Mpumulanga province. The official unemployment rate for the province […]