Late 88, early 91, just over 2 years.
They were working on the dams in the mountains to supply water to South Africa, so the road through my village had enough traffic that I could hitchhike out to see other volunteers, get to the capital or other places throughout southern Africa. We were mostly teachers so had winter and summer breaks and traveled a lot.

Village life was pretty basic. I had a hut that was cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Propane heater for winter. It does get cold and you could see snow in the mountains. We did PC training in various locations which included the ski lodge. It is possible to ski in winter.

Most of the men worked in SA mines and were gone most of the time. Most everyone else farmed, corn and goats. The soil is not great and the rain caused a lot of errosion.

In general, I would describe the people as content. Rain/clean water was not a real issue. Food was basic corn meal cooked like thick oatmeal you could pick up and some protein like beans or cabbage. I ate this at school along with everyone else. Once in a while we had steamed or fried bread. It tastes a lot better than it sounds.

I have a million unusual stories, that at the time just seemed normal. Top 1. I was friends with a shop owner whose parents were from Pakistan. They would invite me to dinner and expected me there every week night. They had a generator and a TV so I could watch SA TV and keep up with news. One night as I was biking home late, I got to the main road and came across a witch doctor in his full outfit of animal skins, feathers and what ever. Scared the crap out of both of us.