My new address!

So here I sit, in my pumpkin, thinking about everything. What an experience I have had in the last two months. I have journeyed across the world to this amazing country where I have met many incredible people both American and South African. I fell in love with this country practically from the first step off the plane. I was greeted with smiles and “hello how was your flight” my response was long! 44 of us began down a journey with nothing more than we could carry and a hope that we in some way would change the world. This belief is the idealistic part of all of us in the Peace Corps and I would like to think that everyone has some part of them that wants to change the world. For me this journey as exemplified by the quote I literally carry with me everywhere; “Be the change we wish to see in the world” ~Gandhi. The best way to learn is to do and boy have I learned by doing here. I have learned a new language completely different from any other, I have learned about the South African culture and the spirit of Umbuntu, I have learned about myself and what I am willing to compromise on, I have learned the spirit and the soul can be seen in a smile. Most importantly I have learned the true meaning of kindness, this I found in my two South African families who willingly and graciously opened their homes and their hearts to me, a stranger who is from a different country and is learning about the life of a South African family. Kindness is also seen in the staff during PST and their concern for all of us was something that amazed me. I have made friends here that I will carry with me where ever I go. Friends who would travel more than hour to see you when you are having doubts, friends who are genuinely concerned when you say you are hurt or sick. These are people who exemplify characteristics which some only wish to portray. I feel so blessed to have been apart of this process and to be a part of the amazing group that is SA-18. I will dearly miss you and I have taken a lot from you. Thank you for continuing on the journey.
This morning I came to a decision that was hard for me, because of the love I have for this country and the people I have met. The decision was not one I took lightly and I have thought about it a great deal. I will be leaving Peace Corps South Africa within the next week. I have decided to resign my post as a member of SA-18. I talked with my APCD this morning and she is helping to organize my departure. I came here with the hopes of changing the lives of people and intern I had my life changed. I take with me the true spirit of kindness and of hope for it was shown and exemplified to me every day I was here. While I am sad to leave the friends who for the last 2 months I have considered my family, I am excited to begin the next part of my life. I will be going back to school in January to work on a second degree. So the title of my blog Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude is accurate..my attitudes about things have changed and grown. The importance of compassion and kindness is immeasurable.

This is something I wrote yesterday and truly believe that my journey here was a success. I was successfully integrated into my South African family and I learned lessons which I will take with me for the rest of my life.

The Searcher

The search for contentment, fulfillment and self
Takes a woman a thousand miles

She travels on the winds of change
Carrying with her a torch of hope

Learning along the way the truth
Of kindness, compassion and faith

Believing she stands up
For herself, for others, and her ideals

She fights those who doubt her
Simply by just living

She knows the fight she fights
Has no winner or loser

For victory is not measured by winning
Victory is seen in her eyes, in her heart, and in her spirit

She set out to change the world
Only to have the world change her instead




~To everyone out there who supported me in my decision to join the Peace Corps thank you from the bottom of my heart!

~To my South African “Family”---you taught me so many wonderful things and I will always stay in touch and remember you. THANK YOU!!

Hi everybody!

Makayla's internet connection is too slow for Blogger, so she asked me to post the link to the pictures she posted on flikr!

I'll also be sure to add her new address as soon as possible, too.

Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18094273@N04/sets/72157607281606276/

~Andrea

My house looks like a PUMPKIN!!!!

Hello all,

as we finish up our final week as PCTs and prepare to sware-in as volunteers I find myself missing the comforts and things from home and sometimes think, "it would be easier if I were home" then I realize that I only "want" to go home for a min. and would instantly regret my decision to go home once the excitment of seeing everyone dissappeared. All is well and I still am very happy here in South Africa!

Last week the week of Aug 25 we went for our site visits here are some details.

I have two schools, one is huge and really close to my house and the other is small and just down the road about 3 km. My village is huge as well and I am about 40km outside of Tzaneen near Modjadji (both of which are on most maps). When we sware in as volunteers and go to our sites I will go open a P.O Box and will have that address as soon as possible. The next post I hope to have the address as well as a "Wish List" of different things to send me :)

My house is an orange roundavoul (SP?) with a green roof....hence the title of the post. It actually looks like a pumpkin. However, it is really pretty big on the inside and I have lots of room. And as another volunteer put it no dark corners for creatures to hide in :) I am very excited to begin this part of the PC journey and cannot wait to make it my home.

All is well here in South Africa :)

Miss and Love you all>

Mom, have not yet recieved the packages? Don't know what is going on with that, but I have not received anything from you. hopefully i will get them soon. Will try and call again in future. if you want me to call you guys and want to put money in my account to do that instead of you calling me that is fine. Or if you just want to put money in my account anyways that would be great too! :)

Hello Again! SITE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Hello All,

I am still loving life over here. It is an amazing experience and I am learning a lot about myself as well as about South African culture. I really feel at home here and it is sad to think I will be leaving my "family" (the PCTs, the Training Staff, and my homestay). Though sad, I am excited to be moving on in the PC process. Here is some general information about my site placement, which I will be visiting next week!

I am in the Mopani District in Limpopo.
The village is Ga-Matshwi.
I will be working with two PS (primary schools).

According to a list I found my village has load shedding from 18:00-20:30 on MWF. I am trying to find somekind of a map, but it is not working out right yet. so hang on. No luck if you want to try to search I am about half-way between Polokwane and Ginyine (not sure on the Spellings). Good Luck Looking, if you find a map, please post as comment or send to Andrea so she can post.

I am out,

Love,

MaKayla

******edit from Andrea*******

I wasn't able to find a map of Ga-Matshwi, but google did give me one for Limpopo. Since I had no idea how to post it as a comment, I just decided to add this to Makayla's blog. That should give us a general idea of what part of SA she's in. :)

It is actually me

Hello World,

So for now it is actually me posting. I have been in Africa now for 3 weeks. I am absolutely in love with it here. everything from the people to the culture. My family is great and consists of 6 brothers and sisters ranging from 7 months to 17 years. Everything is going great and the internet is kind of slow so I will keep it short and sweet.

Love to all,

MaKayla (Lerato)

PS~ SEND ME LETTERS :)

"Dumela" from Africa!

Hi everybody! I just heard from Makayla's mom today--Makayla called home this morning. Here's what she said:

Everything's still great! Makayla's in a small town (about half the size of Byron Center) in a providence in the norther part of South Africa, not too far from Zimbabwe. She was with her group of 7 PCTs (which I think means Peace Corps Trainees) and they had been practicing taking a taxi downtown using the local language, which is Sepedi. She's living with a host family that has 6 brothers and sisters, 2 gardens, 2 trucks, a real bath tub, and... cable! The host family also has several animals, including roosters (which keep Makayla up all night because they're noisy) and a dog that just had puppies. Being an animal lover, Makayla says that it's very difficult to not pet and cuddle the puppies, because they are not pets, but work animals. They are there to guard the home. She does have one pet, though... a spider living in her closet. She's named it "Bob." We didn't ask how big it was! Haha. Anyway, she'll live there until September 14, when she graduates from the training portion of her Peace Corps experience.

Makayla's African name is Leratŏ, which means "love." Right now she has a calling card and she won't have a cell phone until after training. There is an internet cafe downtown, but the connection is very slow, so she's opting to make phone calls.

2 people have already gone home, but Makayla was not informed why. She's definately not heading in the home direction yet, because she loves what she's doing... she was even able to get her soccer ball out and kick it around with some of the kids.

One think Makayla has requested is for people to send her letters! Several people are getting mail, but she hasn't received any... her address is:

Makayla Gusching, PCT
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa

We're not sure how much the postage is yet, but will find out this weekend. For now, if you send her one, just bring it to the post office and ask them how much postage is.

Don't forget to say hello to her and give her some support, let her know what's going on in your life, too! "Dumela" is the word for "Hello" in Sepedi. :)

Peace Out!~Makayla, via Andrea

Makayla is officially in South Africa!

Hi to all of Makayla's friends! I'm Andrea, and I'll be updating Makayla's blogs for the time she's acclamating to South Africa.

Makayla called her parents this morning (Wednesday) to say that she has arrived in South Africa and everything is fine. It is beautiful there! The day-time temps are in the 70's and it's cooler at night. The Peace Corps is taking very good care of all of the new volunteers, so she's happy and excited to be there.

Makayla was given the "Team Leader" title in D.C. (not sure if it carries over to Africa) and she's taking the lead of about 11 people.
Overall, she's doing great, which is wonderful to hear!

Peace Out
~Makayla via Andrea

Staging (and stuff)

Hello all,

Well this will be the last post for awhile because in 24 hours I will be heading to the airport to leave for South Africa! First, I want to say thank you very much for all of your gifts, support, and prayers. It was amazing to me to be able to feel the support at the party on Friday.
I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND WILL MISS YOU!

As for staging, I arrived in DC around 10am on the 12th and other than tears saying good bye to mom, dad, chuck and Andrea and the tears on the plane as I flew away from my home it has been very exciting. When I was getting ready to check-in in GR this man asked me where I was going because of all of my stuff and the obvious tears, when I told him Peace Corps South Africa he said to me, "you inspire me, that is part of our jobs as humans to inspire each other and you inspire me." this man has no idea what he did for me by saying that....it changed my mind set and attitude from "look what I am leaving" to "look what I am about to do!"

Once we got to the hotel we (Haley another volunteer I met in Cleavland on my layover) went for a walk and got some lunch. Then came back checked into our rooms and headed for the registration portion. Followed by paperwork, paperwork, passport signing, and a little more paperwork we began the trainings. I met all of the other volunteers, there are 44 of us total, and dove right in. The group of people are very diverse in all aspects offering experience from all over the world, and all walks of life. It is sooooooo nice to be around people who have the same anxieties, aspirations, and questions as I do. It truly is a great bunch of people and is soo nice be around others. I truly feel blessed to be apart of this great organization and this amazing bunch of people.

Tomorrow we are off to the clinic to get shots and then head out for Jo'burg. Our flight leaves around 5:30 tomorrow evening. The next point of contact will not be for a few days and will probably be written by someone else.


Love and Thanks,


MaKayla

Saying Goodbye...A final trip

So this is being written from a Super 8 motel in Nashville, TN. Random, I know but there is a reason for it which I will get to in a min.

Due to reasons beyond my control I was forced to say goodbye to my two beautiful nephews earlier than I was expecting (and prepared for). Brayden is 4 going on 5; we have an amazing relationship and I knew that saying goodbye to him would be very difficult, but I was not expecting it to be this hard. I spent two fun filled days with him and his baby brother, Emerson. We went to the movies, the zoo, shopping, and dinner. I had an amazing time with them but when it came time to say goodbye I just didn't want to. Knowing that when I come home Brayden would be in 1st grade and Emerson would almost be 4. They both were cuddly and I got lots and lots of love from them. When we get ready to leave Emerson gives me one final hug and smile and that is that (He is only 17 months). When it came time to say goodbye to Brayden I picked him up and he gave me the biggest hug ever and I felt myself swelling with tears. The hug lasted a while until I couldn't take it any longer and put him down and walked away. I was left with the song he was singing to me the previous day about me going to Africa. When we went shopping I bought him one of those blow up globes and showed him where I was going to be and where he would be and he said, "Auntie Kayla, can I walk there?" While the goodbyes were earlier than expected they were excellent and I truly love and will miss them both.

Okay, now to why I am in Nashville. Due to the same circumstances about why I said goodbye to my nephews, my brother and I took an impromptu trip to Nashville. He is an amazing and aspiring singer/songwriter (check out www.myspace.com/douglassstreet). We came down here so he could go to a workshop at ASCAP. This is his second trip here and the first one went well, so the hopes are high that this trip will go as well if not better. I immediately fell in love with this town. It is amazing, between the people, the place, and the atmosphere there is sooooo much to do and see.

on a final note, WAHOOO! just a few more days left.

love ya'll

flying to DC

so i have found out that there is another PCT on my flight from Cleveland to DC. I am so excited it will be nice to have someone else who just left their family and friends on the plane. i can't believe i am leaving so soon. the closer it gets the more anxious i get.


till next time

go siame

Staging and Flight Information!

Here is my itnerary for staging along with my flight information.

JULY 12, 2008

Depart: Grand Rapids at 7:00AM on July 12
Arrive: Washington DC at 9:40 AM on July 12

Staging Registration begins at 1:30pm
Hotel Check-in is at 3pm

Then we go through meetings and training programs until 7pm when we break for the night.

JULY 13, 2008

8:30-12:00 Training Programs continued

12:00-1:30 Break for Lunch

1:30-6:00 Training programs continued

JULY 14, 2008

6:30am: check out of hotel

7:00 depart for clinic

7:45am Clinic all day (I am so excited to go to the clinic for the day and get my vaccinations! HAH)

5:40 pm Flights depart for South Africa

FLT: 4590 Departs Dulles with a travel time of 17 hrs and 05 min.

JULY 15, 2008

Arrives in Johannesburg at 4:45pm
we have a re-fueling layover in Dakar but from what I gather are not allowed off the plane.

I will be brining my cell phone with me to DC but will mail it home before I depart for SA. When I arrive in SA I am not sure how soon it will be when I have access to a phone or internet so it might be awhile before I write again.

I am soooo excited I can't hardly stand it :)

Luv ya'll

Staging Packet (and Thank you's)

So we are closing in on the time to departure and once again I find myself planning my life around the mail person and when they will deliver the mail. Like an eager kid on Christmas morning, I wait and see if the Staging Packet has arrived yet. I think I will probably get it by the end of next week. When I do I will update the page with travel arrangements, and other information which would be relevant.

On a side note, I had a graduation/going away party in my hometown this past weekend and I want to tell everyone how much I appreciated you being there. I also wanted to thank everyone for the gifts and while I am sad to leave, I know everyday that the path I am on is the path I am meant to be on. There has been such a myriad of emotions throughout this process but the two which stand out the most right now are fear (of the unknown and drastic change) and excitement (for the experience and change).

Peace Out and keep on rockin'

Luv

Change of Address

Here is my address as of July. Please feel free to send letters and stuff :) I am sure I will love it.

MaKayla Gusching
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa

Almost There!

I can not believe how fast the time has gone from when I first applied. I was talking with my boss the other day and they said it seemed like just yesterday when I told them I was applying to the Peace Corps but a year has come and gone and they can't believe I will be leaving so soon. I have kept my job up-to-date and they have been an active part of the whole process. I did this because I work with at risk middle school kids who I have established remarkable and life long relationships with and did not want to up and leave them without them knowing what, where, when, and why. When I told my kids I was nominated for Africa they thought I was out of my mind to want and go there--with the lions and what not. But this process has brought about tons of "teachable moments" on the importance of diversity and learning from others as well as lessons on how one person can make a difference. Now the end of the school year is quickly approaching and tomorrow is my last day with "my kids" since most of them will not be around during the summer (or the three weeks I will be working there), and needless to say I am sad to leave them. I have established a relationship with one particular student that I will never forget and hope to remain in contact with him, as he is one of those kids who touched my soul.

I feel as though I have already started as a PCV because of the conversations and "teachable moments" I have had with not only my kids but with other random people who don't know what it is and have asked questions about the PC and what we do. People from work to the neighborhood, to random people asking about my button or hoodie have all stopped to talk about the PC and all say how incredible what I (we) are doing. These moments are the ones where I stop and get the biggest smile on my face. This is how I know I am doing what I am meant to...the smile it brings to my face just talking about the PC, the feeling I get when I see a plane fly over and think, "soon that will be me!"

I know these last few weeks will fly by but I am ready for the new chapter in my life to begin and just can't believe how lucky I am to begin this chapter with the PC experience.

Until Next Time :)

This whole moving to SA thing is becoming more and more of a reality with each passing day. in January I compiled a "to do" list of things I wanted/needed to accomplish before I left:

1. Turning 25 CHECK
2. Graduating from College CHECK
3. Sell my car CHECK
4. Go to Birthday Bash (free all day concert)
5. Having a graduation/going away party--Inivations in the mail
6. Go on a shopping trip with with the "girls"--planned for first week of june
7. Working-alot to get as much of my debt paid off b/f I leave
8. Getting all of my affairs inorder~Passport CHECK, power of attorney, will, ect...
9. Packing for this awsome and what I am sure will be crazy at times adventure--started

with the list just about complete my time is dwindling down and I am getting more excited for this new adventure and all the fun, difficult, stressful, lonely, fullfilling times that i am sure are to come. Until next time. :)

And So I Sit...

here in my history class discussion revolutions. what comes up...South Africa and apartite (not by me) but they all looked at me and so I said my two cents and how it is still affecting life today. We transition to discussing how we have gone somewhere that was different from what we remember. Someone brings up reverse culture shock. This sparks thoughts about how I am more concerned about adjusting back to life in the states and less worried about adjusting to life in SA. I think this comes from the fact that I will have people in SA who are going through or have been through adjusting to life over there and they will be people I can look at to learn from and talk with. And when I get home I will be coming back to a life that has not stopped...to a family who has not experienced the things I have and will not be able to have 'regular' access to people who are going through what I am with such a drastic change back to 'reality'.

With 3 months and 18 days left until I head out to meet my new friends and my new family, I sit here and wonder what will be more difficult....the first night in SA alone or my first night back in the states surrounded by people (will I feel alone)?

The Start of my South African Adventure

So, as many know I am a self proclaimed parrotthead and one of my favorite songs is changes in latitude, changes in attitude. So I thought how perfect for the name of my blog. Since my latitude will be changing and I am sure that my attitudes will change as well.

Here is how it all began. Approximately a year ago I was searching for something (literally on the Internet) and I came across the Peace Corps website. After looking through it I decided to apply (probably the best decision I have ever made). Now here I sit in March of 2008 with one month until I graduate and less than 4 months until I leave for South Africa.

I will be in SA for 27 months working with schools and communities developing programs and trainings that will help them to be more successful. The name of my group is SA-18 as we are the 18th group to go to SA.

Until next time,