Graduation, Christmas, weddings – December in South Africa has it all!
The end of this year – and the decade! – marked the conclusion of my first full year in South Africa. Twelve months ago, I never could have predicted that I would be flying to Cape Town for a wedding, or applying to a masters program in African studies, or joining a family reunion at the same farm where Judy and I reveled in fresh-made dairy last year.
All of these events and more impressed on me the greatest blessing of my Peace Corps service: becoming like family with the people here.
Pitching in for my church’s Christmas celebration opened my eyes to how thoroughly Peace Corps service has inducted me into community life. Arriving at 6 am for cooking duty, I slid into the kitchen activities like a fish into water: chopping vegetables, trading Zulu quips, and “dishing up” the goods in an assembly line of ladle-wielding ladies when the congregants arrived.
- The church’s cleverly-built kitchen allows the smoke to escape from outdoor fires, which heat the massive pots built into the counter inside
- The children performed an adorable adaptation of the Nativity story, complete with white-robed angels
For this year’s farewell, my school splurged on catered food – a welcome relief from the 12 hour cooking duties usually required of teachers when serving a massive crowd. We recognized the graduating Grade 7 learners, as well as Grade R (the equivalent of kindergarten), with awards for outstanding achievement, plus traditional dances choreographed and performed by the learners themselves.
- Grade 7 processed in with the Zulu equivalent of a conga line!
- The boys wowed us with high kicks, followed by a smashing hip hop routine
- Classic Zulu party fare: creamy samp, stewed beef, and “salad”: greens, potato, and yams
- Zanele Gumede told me she would be a mother to me at school this year – and she delivered!
It was my delight to also attend the award ceremony at the local Christian school, especially so that I could cheer on the young ladies of the local children’s home – both of whom won character awards!

Grade 8 and 9 proved their mettle by withstanding blistering heat in full jackets and ties – some with sweaters underneath!
December is wedding season in South Africa – much like June for residents of the northern hemisphere. A few days after school closed, I hopped aboard with the Christian school’s principal, Sylvia, and her husband Hennie, for a long weekend in and around Cape Town.
I had struggled to arrange my own lodging and transport from the airport to the remote wedding venue, but then came a providential reply from Carla, an occupational therapist who met me briefly at church while visiting our corner of the mountains. She hosted me for the weekend, including a night at the microscopically small, and monumentally beautiful, beach town, Rooi Els:
- These generous ladies also gave me my first crash course in my second African language: Afrikaans!
- Ocean water dyed bronze by natural minerals brought to life Homer’s epithet, “the wine-dark sea”

With a party of five representing Talitha’s last maiden year in the mountains, the occasion called for a commemorative photo
- We hailed the newlyweds with a burst of soap bubbles
- It wouldn’t have been Talitha’s wedding without a chocolate cake
Before we hit the road, Carla and I paused to pray for a safe journey.
At our first rest stop, we discovered how abundantly God had answered that prayer!
No sooner had we parked at the petrol station, than we noticed a punctured tire. For the long, rocky dirt road that separated the venue from civilization, it hadn’t troubled us. Only in the shadow of an auto service store did the problem assert itself!
As the cherry on top, a carload of gentlemen wedding guests had elected to fill up at the same station. These stalwart gallants generously provided us with the free service of replacing the tire on the massive “bakkie” (truck).
When we loaded in for the next leg of the journey, we agreed by mutual consent and with little discussion to pray again.
Mercifully, we cruised through to Cape Town without further incident, where Carla’s family hosted me for the night. Then she rose at sunup the next morning, braving commuter traffic to shuttle me to the airport! I marveled at the graciousness of foreign friends, folding me into their lives for a stress-free weekend of celebration.
Back at home, with school closed for the holidays, I was free to visit local friends:

Homes in the mountains rely entirely on rainwater. The mammoth green jug (on the right) fills as God allows it, then you pedal a bicycle pump to supply that water tower (just visible through the branches), which creates pressure for the showers and sinks
- Maryna enlisted my help in a matrimonial project: weaving flower wreaths for the wedding guests!
- The lilies demanded some drama
- Later Ayanda invited me over to the Youth Center for an afternoon of guitar lessons…
- …and decorating t-shirts for a major order of Youth Center merchandise!
Before my official holiday leave from Peace Corps began, I invested a week in churning out graduate school applications. Three straight days, where I emerged from my room only to jog in the evenings, must have concerned my host family: They started knocking on my door with plates of food and even invited me to accompany one of their sons to a party! My head was swimming with secondary research and resume bullet points by the time I packed up for the journey to Northern Cape.
Maryna and Petra collected me in Upington after an overnight bus ride from Johannesburg – an efficient but grueling transportation method! I think I’ve slept better on airplanes, but it was well worth the grind to celebrate my second Christmas in South Africa with the family.
- picking grapes on the farm
- family meals in Augrabies park
- sheltering from a dust storm at the farmhouse!
On Christmas Day, we celebrated Petra’s union with Preben, a gregarious and service-hearted car mechanic who almost deserves her. Her brother hosted about 40 relatives at his farm for a relaxed yet elegant occasion:
- Maryna and I improvised with the flowers, dividing and reconstituting the wreaths to ensure every lady sported some festive blooms
- The groom and I did our best to follow along with a ceremony conducted almost entirely in Afrikaans
- An outdoor buffet satisfied us with grilled meat, baked vegetables, and creamy cheesecake
The day after the wedding, the ladies of the family humored me with some impromptu portrait sittings. I dashed off the sketches for the younger cousins without too much trouble, but bogged down over catching Marieka’s likeness… maybe because we were the best acquainted, from our camping trip last Christmas.
They made a lovely and varied gallery of models:
- a challenge to capture her summer sunshine smile!
- sweet and simple, few lines required
- a face full of character, with sparkling, limpid eyes
On the heels of the sunrise, we trekked into the wilds of Augrabies park for an amateur rock climbing expedition. Johan, a cousin, former soldier, and current missionary in Malawi, led us deep into the canyons with a rope knotted into a loose lasso as our safety net.
When we reached rocks overlooking a waterfall, we thought our adventure had climaxed. To our amazement, Johan then produced a harness and a daring proposal: abseiling down the cliff face!
- posing with Marieka and Maryna
- Stop and enjoy the view, Johan counseled me
- Our guide sailed all the way down for a swim in the pool, but we contented ourselves with photos
- The trick is to sit back into the rope and trust your harness
On the road back to KwaZulu-Natal, we visited Maryna’s brother and his wife at their farm near Groblershoop:
- Picking pomegranates in the front yard – a particular treat for a longtime fan of the Persephone myth!
- This style of windmill graced our mantelpiece in miniature while I was growing up; it’s splendid to see the life-size versions!
- The family gathered for an outdoor picnic featuring guacamole and homemade cream cheese…
- …while the neighbor’s rescued tortoise feasted on simpler fare: green apple slices!
On my way home, I encountered an incredible outpouring of love and Christian hospitality at Alabanza, a ministry hidden in the peaks outside Pretoria. With no further introduction than a phone call that same morning, I rolled up to a hot dinner and private cabin. (My mother laughed at me for exulting over the presence of a washing machine – but, seriously! How many log cabins have their own private laundry?) They even cleaned my shoes for me after I stepped in a mess – basically the modern-day equivalent of washing your neighbor’s feet. Then a staff member drove me to my next connection… blessing me with an easy, offhand manner while sharing the story of his personal conversion from a life of crime and drugs to following Christ.
Since South Africa operates on a calendar year, December farewells a legion of one-year positions while January brings in a flood of new volunteers. In the week before school began, I met many of the new doctors and therapists who will be serving their mandatory post-graduation year at a rural hospital.
- Chantelle and her parents treated us all to a braai at the house where Talitha used to live, including the best organized sandwich (“broodjie”)-making operation that I have ever experienced (‘three twists for salt, four for pepper’)
- On Sunday, Nyasa hosted me for a rooftop breakfast tea, complete with honey and rusks (the South African biscotti)!
On January 8th, I celebrated my birthday with the local family dearest to me. It was the best gift I could have asked for, sharing a candlelit dinner with them at their beautiful home.
- Tikwa, the guard lady of the house
- Good conversation is the best sauce
- Maryna invited me to tag along on her mission to help a neighbor pick out school shoes for the children
A young lady at the children’s home launched this year into a new adventure: attending high school in the nearest city! To farewell her in style, we gathered all the boys and girls together for sweets and a dance party.
- amagwinya: “fat cakes,” compliments of the house mom!
- No dancing? No cake
One of our church’s translators recently returned from a Christian training program in Swaziland, bubbling with new ideas for children’s ministry. This year I volunteered to assist him with ages 8-12 – which will make for amazing language practice: He conducts the lessons entirely in isiZulu!
- planning session for Sunday School
- youth praise dance
Despite the good gifts of travel and wonders of the road, it was a relief to return to site, where I could unpack my bags and relax into my own space again. This tiny place has received many different monikers over the past 18 months: a house, a hut, a garage, a shoebox, a flat…
These days I think of it as a studio, a small space set aside for God’s work to be done in my life.
Nice!
God is so good. I’m so thankful for you and your beautiful stories!
Amen and amen! Thank you for the encouragement, dear!