After a brief worrying about my team not arriving when they
had guessed they would, a quick call with our Charlottesville contact, and a
restless night’s sleep, the next morning brought me to breakfast with my team.
They had decided to stay at the casino’s hotel in town- quite nice having
walked up to the rooms after breakfast. The breakfast was a full and warm one,
which was a nice change since I had put-off buying eggs until after the group decided
on more finalized living spaces. We chatted about what we might expect for the
day of orientation and what would- maybe- be required of us.
Upon arrival at University of Venda, we went to the new Life
Sciences Building (since the orientation pamphlet suggested that was where the
day’s events were going to be held). Upon arrival we made our way to an empty
conference room full of chairs. It was a few more minutes before someone ran
into the room slightly out of breath and led us to the place morning events
would be occurring. The Senate Room is about 200 seats of blue high backed chairs
in an auditorium style, but to get into the room, we pass through a cheering,
singing crowd of students from the health sciences department (probably mostly
nursing students since they are the only ones not on their winter holiday at
the moment). They clapped and waved like we were a band of celebrities walking
into the building, and it was an interesting and mildly strange dynamic for
such an academic setting. Then, after we had all entered the students came in
to perform a welcome song for all of the guests. This included us, some
district managers (government people), university professors and surely more
that were not introduced or whom I missed the introduction for. The scene and
the noise was definitely overwhelming after being in the villages and sitting in
Acacia’s tranquil porch listening to chirping birds and cars passing by on the
road a bit away.
The day’s orientation included quick descriptions of University
of Venda (UniVen), of the Water and Health in Limpopo Project, of South Africa’s
Limpopo Province and then there was a Culture/Language crash course after
lunch. The different sessions were broken-up by riddles that we UVA students
were then put on the spot to answer then and there. They were so easy that you
felt guilty about answering them, because if you were wrong you’d look really
foolish, but either way it was a funny way to put people in the hotseat. They also
sang to us which was fun and we did catch on fast enough to sing it back at
them, which was cute and clever, but it all just felt so socially necessary. So
what do I mean by socially necessary? Scripted, required, acted out, and yet so
very different than our traditional orientations in the states- so we were of
course just following seeming pressure and assumed expectation.
The lectures were helpful indeed, and by the end of the day
my head was full of things that I had learned from the lectures, from traveling
into a village the day before my team arrived, and just talking with Sid. Our team
is going to be doing more of a training manual/training session than I had
realized coming into the project. I am glad that we have a few people who know
a bit more than me about chronic disease around now, but it will be very
interesting to see how my public health brain works in the context of the
individual health and practitioner views. In some ways, I have been doing stuff
like this from a 20000 ft view already in different issues, and so the same
theories and practices should apply.
The day also included lunch which was delicious and included
the most local of dishes, Pap, chakalakya, chicken, sausage, veggies and rice.
We had a mingling session just before lunch, and after getting our food first
and heading downstairs to eat it, the group of 4th years we had been
talking with mostly dispersed. It was nice to meet them all- very friendly
people, yet it was strange to me we didn’t spend the time getting to know the 3rd
year students we will be working alongside in the field. Many photos, lectures,
smiles and introductions later, we were on our way back to Acacia for our 4th
of July braai (bbq)- hosted by Sid and I (momma bear as I am getting a name for).
While the night involved no fireworks that didn’t come
straight off the charcoal being pushed around with a stick, the food was
fabulous! Sid’s friends from South Africa made pap and the chakalakya, I worked
on some pasta and then guacamole with Chris (my newest roommate), and then
others brought over rice, chickpea salad, and corn so much other food I can’t
even think of it all! The wine and beer lasted and by the end of the night
everyone was exhausted and happy. It was good to see so many smiles around and
even as a crowd headed to the casino, I knew it was definitely time for me to
get some sleep after the fullest day of my time here yet!
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