StevenGerner.com

On Friday, I tweeted my house was infested with Vuvuzelas. Several of you inquired about a vuvuzela. Here’s a little background for those of you unfamiliar with this unique feature of South Africa. Special thanks to the cool people at the University of Pretoria for some of this info.

Notable Features

Vuvuzelas are known throughout South Africa for their piercing calls. A typical Vuvuzela can reach an average volume of 131 dB(A) at their opening and 121 dB(A) at a distance of one meter. To put this in perspective, these sound levels compare to a military jet taking off at a distance of about 20 meters.

Appearance

Vuvuzelas’ may be observed in a range of bright vibrant colours and usually measure about 1 meter in length. They are long and thin with a wide opening where their piercing sound emerges from.

Naming Origins

The exact origin of the word ‘vuvuzela’ remains unclear. Many people claim the world derives from an isiZulu term meaning ‘making noise’, owing to their piercing sound. Other people insist the word derives from an urban township slang related the world ‘shower’, owing to their elongated shape with a wide opening.

Habitat

Frequently located in urban centres, Vuvuzelas are known to habitate the houses of unruly soccer hooligans. In the wild, a lucky tourist may often spot a Vuvuzela in the hands of young children. The upcoming 2010 Soccer World Cup is expected to bring increased media attention to the unique cause of Vuvuzelas and profusion in their numbers.

Vuvuzelas come in many colours

South African Fan Showing His Support

These unruly beasts are particularly trying in the hands of 3 year olds who love to sneak up behind you and sound the vuvuzela as loud as possible in your ear.

.

.

.

I apologize for the long delay in updating you all; however, the library is coming along wonderfully. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will finally receive all the building materials to renovate the container (including doors, window frames, light fixtures, and so on). We’re eager to get moving and hope to have everything setup by the end of term (June 11).

The general workers dug up the ground in front of the container and fenced it in. We’ll be growing some nice green grass to provide a place for learners to read outside on sunny days. On Friday, the flower guy donated some beautiful plants we’re going to place around the perimeter. I feel like we’re making a little oasis in the middle of the school!

Going through all the boxes of donated books is a wonderful process of discovery! I tweeted about some of the more ridiculous donated boxes: from tampons to French bibles; however, throughout these boxes I found some rare and beautiful gems.

As we explore the donations, I feel we’re unearthing powerful human narratives. Each box captures a brief moment in a family’s or individual life. I am compelled to imagine their stories. I found a box filled with “100 Best Baby Names”, “Best Baby Name Book”, and other baby name books. Hidden in the corner were three books on teenage pregnancy and being a teen father. There is no way for me to know the history of these books, but I feel the excitement and energy of a young couple with their first baby on the way puzzling through the conundrum of names. Excitement tinged with the fear of a teenage pregnancy and questions about the future.

As these stories stitch together in my head I am struck with the amazing similarity of the human condition across the world. Be it the United States or South Africa, the same events punctuate our existence with joy and meaning while universal problems still complicate and trouble our day to day lives. From McMansions to tin shacks, the essential similarity of humanity is deeply humbling and helps to uncomplicated an often messy and disconcerting world.

I invite you to share in this narrative building as I leave you with a few of the inscriptions I found amongst the children’s and young adult literature:

“Happy Birthday Brian! Thanks for seeing this movie [Malan] with me. Love, Dad”

“We miss you Marie! Come and visit soon”

“Karen, you have all the time in the world to be who you want. With my love, Mike”

“Finally! I think the answer is on page 24! ~Jesse”

Kids Exploring the New Books

Thank you all for your generous donations! We raised $2192.56! This is more than we needed and I’m really excited to start renovating the container. The extra money will go into purchasing books in home language (IsiNdebele and Northern Sotho). We’re aiming to complete renovations by the end of March so we can begin shelving books over the break and open at the start of Term 2. We’re just waiting for Peace Corps to transfer the funds to South Africa at this point, which (hopefully!) will happen promptly.

Teacher's Working Hard on the Books

So far we have processed through 4 pallets of books! It’s been hard work so far, but we’re slowly getting through everything. My teachers and other Peace Corps Volunteers have been diligently assisting me. We work 1 pallet at a time and it seems like chaos as we’re surrounded by precariously perched piles of books.

Going through the books has been a real treat! I’ve found some wonderful gems from when I was growing up and I can’t wait to share them with the kids. From Shel Silverstein to Where the Wildthings Are, we have the foundations for an excellent library collection. They have already taken the initiative to start exploring in earnest!

Discovering Some Great Books!

Thanks again for all of your assistance and I’ll keep you updated with photos and stories throughout the process!

Nelly Showing Off Her Favourite New Book