Many people in the village have lots of fruit trees in their yards as well as vegetables. At my home they grow oranges, mangoes, avocados, grapes, peaches, bananas and much more. A neighbor grows pomegranate - yum. And another grows lemons and pink grapefruit. The oranges and grapefruits are seedless - a pleasant surprise.
Here is my new address:
Leokaneng Primary School
PO Box 962
0702 South Africa
Since it is so dry here, the picture on the left is an example of planting vegetables. The ground is dug up and smoothed out so a dam of sorts is made around the planted area. Then the planted area is watered daily. Who knew that cassette tape would be good for keeping lizards from eating small seedlings. The same type of depression/dam is created around the trees.
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Cassette taping seedlings
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Sugarcane & orange tree
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Small but fruitful orange tree
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One day a neighbor was riding by on his bicycle and saw a snake somewhere around our wood pile. I have not met a black South African who is not afraid of snakes and dislikes them very much. The Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer did a presentation on snakes and actually brought some of his pet snakes to the presentation and allowed us to take pictures with the snakes wrapped around our necks and bodies. They were very big snakes but perfectly harmless. I did not know to bring my camera that day so do not have a picture of myself with the snakes. And so I digress.
The whole neighborhood came out to catch the poor snake. I was rooting for it to get away but everyone moved piles of wood searching for it. When they found it they poured boiling water on the wood pile where it was. The poor snake did not have a chance. To be sure there are poisonous snakes in South Africa but all snakes are hunted and killed with the greatest zeal no matter if they are poisonous or not.
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Boiling water on wood pile
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Some of the snake hunters
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Made sure it was dead
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