A Day in the Life of a PCT

Thobela bagwera le lapa!

Greetings friends and family!

As ready as I am to be a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), I do not officially swear in and start service until the end of September. If you are wondering what in the world I’ve been doing for the past 2 months then, keep reading. That’s what this post is all about. Currently I am a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT). For these first couple months, I live with a host family, go through training sessions, learn Sepedi, and teach an after school English program at a local primary school. It is an opportunity to gain cultural, language, and technical competence before we are all released into the wild real world as official PCVs. Given that we just finished week 8 of this 10-week training extravaganza, I figured I should share what I’ve been up to with you all back home and capture the moments as time zooms by and memories get lost in the blur. I captured pictures throughout my day and will explain my daily routine in both English and Sepedi! I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my PCT life! SIDE NOTE: if you happen to be fluent in Sepedi, number 1: Send me an email because THAT IS AWESOME and number 2: Please find and correct any and all errors! I’m always learning! I wake up at 6:15 in the morning. The roosters are calling (but contrary to childhood popular belief that roosters only crow when the sun rises, these roosters crow all. day. long). I make my bed every day because I know it is important to my family! Ke tsoga ka 6:15 mesong. Mekoko e a lla. Ka alola letšatši le letšatši ka gore ka tseba gore e bohlokwa go lapa laka.

Then, I bathe in my big bucket. I take my bucket to the pit latrine and empty it. Ka hlapa ka pakete yaka e golo. Ka tšea pakete yaka ntlwanang ya molete. Ebile ka tšholla yona.

I go to the garitchen (garage kitchen) to eat breakfast. Today, my mom made tasty oats! (We have a temporary garitchen because my family is currently remodeling their house!) I drink tea and make my lunch while the babies (Tsheamo + kitty) play together. Ka ya garitchen go ja dijo tša mesong. Lehono, mma waka o dirile oats e bose! Ka nwa teye gomme ka dira lantšhe mola maseana a raloka gammogo.

I walk to Sepedi class with my friend Lily and we greet the children on their way to school. Ka sepela go Sepedi class le mogwera waka Lilly ebile re tamiša bana mo tseleng go ya sekolong.

I learn Sepedi with these beautiful people! Our teacher Vincent is very patient and helps us learn. Ke ithuta Sepedi le batho ba ba babotse. Morutiši wa rena Vincent a fele pelo. O thuša rena re ithuta.

At 10, we go to our stop and get picked up by our ever stylish and safe Peace Corps drivers. We go to SS, a nature reserve, and learn about South African Culture, teaching, or health and safety. Today, A current PCV taught us about assessments but the monkeys distracted me outside! Ka 10, re ya boema bja rena. Ra nametša ke mootledi wa rena o mobotse wa go reila gabotse. Ra ya SS, lefelo la hlago, ebile ra ithuta mabapi le setšo South Africa goba maphelo le polokego. Lehono, Moitaopi wa Peace Corps o re rutile mabapi le dikelo mara dikgabo tša re swenya ka ntle.

After that, we go to Mohlako Primary School! This is my favorite part of the day! The children wait for our taxi to arrive and swarm to help us carry out big bags of snacks to the classroom. I teach English for 1 hour with these 32 clever learners! Ka morago go mo, rena re ya Mohlako Primary Sekolong! Ye ke karolo ya letšatši laka la mmamoratwa! Bana ba emela thekisi ye rena go fihla ebile ba hlalela ebile ba re thuša go rwala mekotla ye megolo ya snacks phapšing ya borutelo. Ke ruta Sekgowa ka 1 hour le baithuti ba 32 ba go hlalefa!

I walk home to find these cuties greeting me with a smile. I talk with my family and tell them about my day. Today, I convinced my family to take a selfie with me! Ka sepela gae go humana bana ba nlotša ka ditshego. Ka bolediša lapa laka ebile ka babotša mabapi le letšatši laka. Lehono, ka ba kgodisitše go tšea selfie le nna!

Sometimes, I run with the other PCTs in my neighborhood, but 3 quickly turns to 12 as the kids join in the fun! Nako ye nngwe ka kitima le PCTs tša go dula tikologong yaka, mara 3 ba 12 ge bana ba kopanya!

When I got home today, my family had already cooked and dished up dinner. It smelled so good! We ate pap, sausage, cabbage, and chakalaka. While we eat, or just after we watch South African soapies and I do my homework. Ge ka ya gae lehono, lapa laka le šetše le apeile le go ntsholela dijo tša bošego. Yona e nkga bose! Re jile bogobe, vors, cabbage, le chakalaka. Ebe re ja goba ka morago ga re ja, re lebelela soapies gomme ke dira mošomo wa gae waka.

When I start to feel sleepy, I tell my family good night. I go to my room, wash my face, brush my teeth, snuggle in with Groot, and fall asleep to the music at the tavern or the calls of the confused roosters. Ge ke swere ke boroko, ka botše lapa laka robala gabotse! Ka ya phapoši yaka, ka hlapa sefahlego le meno, ka robala le Groot ebile ka robatša ke mmino wa tabeneng goba sello sa mekoko ya mebe.

And there you have it. That is the down to earth, day to day, honest truth. I am learning so much and am thrilled to be here in South Africa, and at the same time, life is still just life. Daily routines can feel monotonous and exhausting. In fact, I keep finding myself counting down the days until I get to go to site. Whether you are working the same job you’ve had for 20 years or moving to a completely new place half way across the world, you can find boredom if you’re looking for it. The flip side to that is you can also find beauty and purpose in the daily grind if you’re willing to find it. This ‘day in the life’ exercise that started out as a fun idea for a blog post, quickly became quite meaningful to me. It gave me the space to step back and notice what was happening around me as well as inside of myself. I even saw an entire HOUSE on my street for the first time simply because I never took the time to notice it before! No joke. This sort of perspective rewiring and re-noticing takes a bit more time and intentionality, but it’s pretty powerful to kick boredom’s butt and re-appreciate the people and things around you. Try it. I promise there can be wonder and color in the predictability. Our day to day lives are full of unique and beautiful experiences. Notice them. Cherish them. Share them. And then do it all over again tomorrow. Le Lerato, Caitlin the PCT