Hey Everyone! I am in the PCV office right now and quickly wanting to shout out to let you all know I am alive and well! The past few weeks I have been helping out with a Orphan and Vulnerable Children's Camp. It has been amazing! The kids are so SOOOOOO happy and it fills me with joy. I have almost lost my voice from screaming, cheering, and singing. I sound like I have smoked 2 packs a day for 40 years :) The second camp ends next Tuesday and I will certainly want to sleep for a few days straight.
Site is still amazing, but I have sadly been away from it for a while. After camp I am heading on a much needed mini-low budget- vacation to South Africa. Myself and other volunteers are meeting in Swaziland for X-mas and then going to Cozy Bay and then Durban for New Years!!! Yay!
Happy Holidays Everyone!! I probably won't get to a computer again until 2010 so know that I am safe, happy, and missing the snow.... NOT! :) Huge hugs friends!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Never Too Old to Finger Paint :-P
Saturday 7 November 2009
5:55pm
So, obviously the last blog did not get posted as expected. When I went to the internet café it was closed, even though the sign they should be otherwise. I haven’t been in town since. I had a blast painting the map at the orphanage, though! The kids were adorable and I even impressed myself with my ability to draw the general shapes of countries on a wall. Granted, Justine and I may have solved some border disputes or, more likely, created many new ones, but it looks pretty darn accurate. :)
That Sunday I was planning on getting back to my community via the 1:30pm bus, “Zinyane”. But, as I am constantly learning, no day in Africa will turn out exactly as planned in the morning. This day’s schedule was changed by the internet café being closed and the bus not showing up. Yup, there I was with my bags and groceries, ready to get home, and the bus never came! Also, within ten minutes the sky went from sunny to a downpour. Luckily, I was still with Justine, and we were already under the protection of the bus rank when the rains started. The sky cleared up just as we were making contingency plans. Now usually I would have just taken a khumbi to the next small town, Hluti (where my PO box is), and gotten on another khumbi that would drop me about 3k away from my house. Being a Sunday, already 2pm, and having a large load of recently purchased goods, I was never going to be able to make it home before dark. Walking in the dark is just NOT HAPPENING!! Instead, I went home with Justine, which proved to be the best decision all weekend.
We barely made it to her homestead when the sky opened up and produced the biggest storm either of us has ever experienced! Sitting on her bed we watched as rain came through under her door and the wind blew her roof (corrugated iron) up and down at least 5-6inches! With the rain beating on the tin roof and the thunder booming every 10-20seconds, we had to yell at each other to be heard. I would guess this lasted about 20-30minutes. After it calmed down we discussed how surreal that was. It felt like we were one of those “scary” rides at Disney where everything shakes, there are loud noises, and water keeps misting. Then we walked outside to see the damage. Her family’s thatched kitchen roof had completely collapsed, some of the corn was flattened, and the “main” houses tin roof had been pulled up along one side. We later found multiple power lines down and some power line poles snapped in half, along with massive trees uprooted! These were tornado-like winds and I was sitting in a hut during it! I called my family as soon as the cell phone network was back up, and they were fine. My homestead had gotten the rain but not the high winds. Phew.
After surviving the storm, what did we do? We made POPCORN and ate all of the cold food I had bought in town but would not survive without the electricity dependant refrigeration. Mmmm. :) All in all it was an enjoyable evening… after God’s heart-pounding Disney ride.
The following day, while waiting for the 1:30pm bus that I had wanted to take the previous day, I helped Justine paint the bus waiting “room” (a cement bench with roof) across from the school she teaches at. It states, “Abstinence is 100% effective against pregnancy, HIV, and STIs. SEX CAN WAIT”. The education system only officially supports teaching abstinence, which in some communities is hard for volunteers to break through. While painting, we talked about making this a much larger mass media project. There are two of these waiting rooms every kilometer or so on this main road between Lavumisa (South-Eastern corner of the country) and Nhlangano (South-Western corner). Any slogans, stats, drawings, education visuals health related (HIV/AIDS, TB, hygiene, etc) could be seen by TONS of people each day! Needless to say, we are getting a bit excited about making this happen. We will be turning to our communities for ideas and artistic talent. No doubt we would love any ideas you have too! My “coloring inside the lines” skill won’t quite be enough. :-P Thanks to a bus not coming, I may have my first PC project!
Another picture of Bondiswa! Although in pink, he is an adorable baby boy.
This is Gabi, my language tutor, running partner, neighbor, and my friend. She is sitting in my hut after a language lesson; we must have been looking at my computer.
Here is the map of the world in a close to final stage of the process. We still needed put a couple more coats of paint on the lighter colors, outline them in black marker, and label them. I certainly learned some geography during this project! Now hopefully the kids will too!
This is the bus waiting "room" that Justine and I painted. Now finished, it looks shnazzy... and educational!
5:55pm
So, obviously the last blog did not get posted as expected. When I went to the internet café it was closed, even though the sign they should be otherwise. I haven’t been in town since. I had a blast painting the map at the orphanage, though! The kids were adorable and I even impressed myself with my ability to draw the general shapes of countries on a wall. Granted, Justine and I may have solved some border disputes or, more likely, created many new ones, but it looks pretty darn accurate. :)
That Sunday I was planning on getting back to my community via the 1:30pm bus, “Zinyane”. But, as I am constantly learning, no day in Africa will turn out exactly as planned in the morning. This day’s schedule was changed by the internet café being closed and the bus not showing up. Yup, there I was with my bags and groceries, ready to get home, and the bus never came! Also, within ten minutes the sky went from sunny to a downpour. Luckily, I was still with Justine, and we were already under the protection of the bus rank when the rains started. The sky cleared up just as we were making contingency plans. Now usually I would have just taken a khumbi to the next small town, Hluti (where my PO box is), and gotten on another khumbi that would drop me about 3k away from my house. Being a Sunday, already 2pm, and having a large load of recently purchased goods, I was never going to be able to make it home before dark. Walking in the dark is just NOT HAPPENING!! Instead, I went home with Justine, which proved to be the best decision all weekend.
We barely made it to her homestead when the sky opened up and produced the biggest storm either of us has ever experienced! Sitting on her bed we watched as rain came through under her door and the wind blew her roof (corrugated iron) up and down at least 5-6inches! With the rain beating on the tin roof and the thunder booming every 10-20seconds, we had to yell at each other to be heard. I would guess this lasted about 20-30minutes. After it calmed down we discussed how surreal that was. It felt like we were one of those “scary” rides at Disney where everything shakes, there are loud noises, and water keeps misting. Then we walked outside to see the damage. Her family’s thatched kitchen roof had completely collapsed, some of the corn was flattened, and the “main” houses tin roof had been pulled up along one side. We later found multiple power lines down and some power line poles snapped in half, along with massive trees uprooted! These were tornado-like winds and I was sitting in a hut during it! I called my family as soon as the cell phone network was back up, and they were fine. My homestead had gotten the rain but not the high winds. Phew.
After surviving the storm, what did we do? We made POPCORN and ate all of the cold food I had bought in town but would not survive without the electricity dependant refrigeration. Mmmm. :) All in all it was an enjoyable evening… after God’s heart-pounding Disney ride.
The following day, while waiting for the 1:30pm bus that I had wanted to take the previous day, I helped Justine paint the bus waiting “room” (a cement bench with roof) across from the school she teaches at. It states, “Abstinence is 100% effective against pregnancy, HIV, and STIs. SEX CAN WAIT”. The education system only officially supports teaching abstinence, which in some communities is hard for volunteers to break through. While painting, we talked about making this a much larger mass media project. There are two of these waiting rooms every kilometer or so on this main road between Lavumisa (South-Eastern corner of the country) and Nhlangano (South-Western corner). Any slogans, stats, drawings, education visuals health related (HIV/AIDS, TB, hygiene, etc) could be seen by TONS of people each day! Needless to say, we are getting a bit excited about making this happen. We will be turning to our communities for ideas and artistic talent. No doubt we would love any ideas you have too! My “coloring inside the lines” skill won’t quite be enough. :-P Thanks to a bus not coming, I may have my first PC project!
Another picture of Bondiswa! Although in pink, he is an adorable baby boy.
This is Gabi, my language tutor, running partner, neighbor, and my friend. She is sitting in my hut after a language lesson; we must have been looking at my computer.
Here is the map of the world in a close to final stage of the process. We still needed put a couple more coats of paint on the lighter colors, outline them in black marker, and label them. I certainly learned some geography during this project! Now hopefully the kids will too!This is the bus waiting "room" that Justine and I painted. Now finished, it looks shnazzy... and educational!Busy Little Beaver
Friday 23 October 2009
11:33am
Hey Everyone! It has been CRAZY busy for me here the past couple of weeks. As Nov. 17th (date of In-Service Training and the end of our integration period) gets closer and closer, I am finding more and more meetings to attend, informants to interview, and homesteads to visit. In Nov. I am suppose to have all of this information compiled in a Community Assessment Report, which will be turned into PC and given to all of the NGOs and community leaders participating in the development of my area. It feels like I am doing a college research paper, except it does not have to be in APA/MLA format! :)
Sadly, I will have to make this entry short. I decided to finally go into town only about a ½ hour ago. Another volunteer has asked me to go into Nhlangano and help paint a world map on an orphanage. Yes, I did forewarn her that I lack any skill necessary to produce visual art of any kind, but she said that I would be fine coloring inside the lines. :) This gives me a nice chance to have a weekend away from site, bond with another volunteer, and play with kids and paint! Yay!
Some fun news on the hut-front, my sisi had her baby! Bondiswa is an adorable, healthy, little baby boy. My sisi left on Sunday morning via public transportation, had the child at 6:30pm, and by 3pm Monday she was getting off the public bus at our home, baby in tow. Also, other than hospital staff, she was alone during the delivery and hospital stay! According to her, it is actually against hospital policy to have family with you during delivery! She kept Make informed by calling the cell phone, and we had a fun time bonding trying to discuss Thobile and her baby without anyone on the homestead who could speak English. My siSwati is coming along, but not that well. :)
Well I have to go catch a 1pm bus to catch a khumbi to catch another khumbi to this orphanage…pheew… so I better wrap this up for now. Wish me luck with the painting! Hugs!
This is my new nephew, Bondiswa, only a couple days after he was born and my sisi, Thobile. He is so stinkin' cute!!!
I am sporting my new woven grass hat that I bought at the boMake market in my community. This is my armor against the crazy strong sun here. This is the inside of my hut... I should have picked-up before taking the picture. :-P
View of the back of the main house and the beautiful bush that is in our "back yard". Beware though, that bush has HUGE thorns! The open door is to Makes room and the blue door on the left goes into the kitchen.
Here is the front view of the homestead from the gate. My house is on the right, then the main house, then the girls house (behind the tree).
Hut sweet home! I am standing on the porch of the main house, which has two doors. One goes into a living room area, and the other goes into the boys' room.
11:33am
Hey Everyone! It has been CRAZY busy for me here the past couple of weeks. As Nov. 17th (date of In-Service Training and the end of our integration period) gets closer and closer, I am finding more and more meetings to attend, informants to interview, and homesteads to visit. In Nov. I am suppose to have all of this information compiled in a Community Assessment Report, which will be turned into PC and given to all of the NGOs and community leaders participating in the development of my area. It feels like I am doing a college research paper, except it does not have to be in APA/MLA format! :)
Sadly, I will have to make this entry short. I decided to finally go into town only about a ½ hour ago. Another volunteer has asked me to go into Nhlangano and help paint a world map on an orphanage. Yes, I did forewarn her that I lack any skill necessary to produce visual art of any kind, but she said that I would be fine coloring inside the lines. :) This gives me a nice chance to have a weekend away from site, bond with another volunteer, and play with kids and paint! Yay!
Some fun news on the hut-front, my sisi had her baby! Bondiswa is an adorable, healthy, little baby boy. My sisi left on Sunday morning via public transportation, had the child at 6:30pm, and by 3pm Monday she was getting off the public bus at our home, baby in tow. Also, other than hospital staff, she was alone during the delivery and hospital stay! According to her, it is actually against hospital policy to have family with you during delivery! She kept Make informed by calling the cell phone, and we had a fun time bonding trying to discuss Thobile and her baby without anyone on the homestead who could speak English. My siSwati is coming along, but not that well. :)
Well I have to go catch a 1pm bus to catch a khumbi to catch another khumbi to this orphanage…pheew… so I better wrap this up for now. Wish me luck with the painting! Hugs!
This is my new nephew, Bondiswa, only a couple days after he was born and my sisi, Thobile. He is so stinkin' cute!!!
I am sporting my new woven grass hat that I bought at the boMake market in my community. This is my armor against the crazy strong sun here. This is the inside of my hut... I should have picked-up before taking the picture. :-P 
View of the back of the main house and the beautiful bush that is in our "back yard". Beware though, that bush has HUGE thorns! The open door is to Makes room and the blue door on the left goes into the kitchen.
Here is the front view of the homestead from the gate. My house is on the right, then the main house, then the girls house (behind the tree).
Hut sweet home! I am standing on the porch of the main house, which has two doors. One goes into a living room area, and the other goes into the boys' room.Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Pictures & Mail Call!
I have been getting a few questions about the types of wild life that I have encountered. Monkeys are by far the most interesting. All of the big animals are protected in the National Gamer Reserves, which I certainly hope to visit after integration (off of hut arrest :P). Scary note: I killed a baby scorpion in my room a few days ago. Yikes. 'Tis the season. :-/ 
Here is a better picture of the traditional attire I wore at my swear-in ceremony at the end of August. Both the bottom and top pieces of fabric are tied on. Happily, we had no wardrobe malfunctions that day.
This is my first Swazi home in Embasheni and the cuties that were always around. My hut now is round with thatched roofing, but I have yet to take a good picture, sorry. I'll get on that soon. 
A fun self-timed photo (thanks to training by Kevan :-P) of some crazy PCVs during training. Surprisingly, the couch did not break.
The bugs are HUGE!!! All insects seems to be at least 2-3 times larger than they should be, but I haven't found one that was too big to kill with a shoe. Once that day arrives... I'm leaving!! Haha.So I have yet again changed my mailing address. No worries if you have recently sent something to Matata, because I will still get it. Hluti is just a bit closer and easier to get to. Here it is:
Darryn Crocker, PCV
US Peace Corps
PO Box 158
Hluti, S409
Swaziland
AFRICA
Wrestling (WWE style) with Christianity
Sunday 4 October 2009
6:22pm
As I write this blog post, I can hear my family cheering and laughing in the house. They are watching the second most popular sport in Swaziland (just shy of soccer): American “if these moves were real we would be dead 50 times a night” Wrestling (WWE). In training, we were warned never to question the validity of this “sport” because we would instantly be ostracized and maybe even exiled from our communities! Well, now yours truly has to integrate into a culture that LOVES wrestling. By the end of my 2 years I will not only know how to fight HIV/AIDS in a developing county, I will also be able to name all the men, wearing less fabric than my bikini over their gloss spritzed muscles, who can “pile drive” and “nut crush” and “clothes line” and … whatever. Yay for me. ** I apologize to any readers who enjoy WWE and are annoyed or upset at my sarcasm … sort of.** :-)
COMPLETELY different topic, but somehow able to be worked into the title, is Christianity. I have been having difficulty wrapping my head around the religiosity of my community and the majority of Swaziland. Please, in no way do I want to sound or be deemed judgmental. I just want to share this struggle. Approaching the topics of religion and politics can be considered taboo in America, depending on your company. In Swaziland, approaching the topic of politics can and will land you in jail if it against the King, but religion is as much a “small talk” topic as the weather is. For example, while walking with my sisi a few men, purely in greeting, asked if we were “saved”. Just shy of 100% of Swazis are Christian. Almost everyone’s (including the youth) favorite music is gospel. Although the community I was raised in had little diversity when it came to religion, and was mostly Christian, this is a somewhat shocking experience. The best way I can explain it is to say that I always feel like it is “over the top”. Personally, it is so present in everything that it seems like an energizing, fun routine or social expectation.
Being Christian myself, I thought this would be a wonderful entry point for me to bring up and justify safe practices regarding HIV/AIDs! Surprisingly and very frustratingly, this is not always the case. Having multiple sex partners, both in and out of marriage, is a contributing factor to the spread of HIV. Definitely not Christian!! But I have heard people who attempt to justify promiscuous actions based on their “Swazi culture” (traditionally polygamous), even though promiscuity does not follow Christianity OR a true polygamy. Pre-marital sex is anti-Christian, yet to get a woman pregnant out of wed-lock is more common than not. It is like a step in the courting process, sort of equivalent to an engagement ring. It lays claim for a possible future “union”. Homosexuality is against the law and punishable under that law, but faithlessness/adultery is a non-spoken social norm. Being inundated with gospel music, 3-5 hour church services, and salvation bus conversations could energize and boost my faith, but instead it leaves me struggling to sort out the oxymoron of “cultural Christianity”.
On a lighter note: I would like to close this entry with a verbal Polaroid. The other day there was a moment that I soooo wished was captured on film, but alas, no camera in sight. Thus, with my limited writing skills, I will attempt to paint you the picture. One of my two older female siblings has a 6 year old girl and a 7mon old baby boy. Both are a handful and constant attention seekers, so I, being a dutiful Aunt (“Make Lomcane” in siSwati = Small Mother) help feed their fire. On this occasion I volunteered to carry and walk the baby. I did it Swazi style – on my back and tied on with a blanket. :-) After we collected my laundry off the line and attempted to help my Make shuck the dried corn (making me feel rather domestic), the dog jumped up on my leg and I petted him behind the ears. SNAPSHOT!! There is my perfect family portrait, or for some reason that is what crossed my mind at the time. Yes, it has occurred to me that this shot has some flaws. It is minus 1 husband, has a child quite obviously stolen, and my bhuti would cry if I tried to claim his dog, but come on - work with me here. :-) It seems to me like a borrowed and pieced together picture of a possible future self. Yikes! Haha.
Well, thanks for reading my rants and tangents. Sorry to those who can’t follow my random train of thought, and even greater apology to those who can! :-P Free virtual hugs for all!
6:22pm
As I write this blog post, I can hear my family cheering and laughing in the house. They are watching the second most popular sport in Swaziland (just shy of soccer): American “if these moves were real we would be dead 50 times a night” Wrestling (WWE). In training, we were warned never to question the validity of this “sport” because we would instantly be ostracized and maybe even exiled from our communities! Well, now yours truly has to integrate into a culture that LOVES wrestling. By the end of my 2 years I will not only know how to fight HIV/AIDS in a developing county, I will also be able to name all the men, wearing less fabric than my bikini over their gloss spritzed muscles, who can “pile drive” and “nut crush” and “clothes line” and … whatever. Yay for me. ** I apologize to any readers who enjoy WWE and are annoyed or upset at my sarcasm … sort of.** :-)
COMPLETELY different topic, but somehow able to be worked into the title, is Christianity. I have been having difficulty wrapping my head around the religiosity of my community and the majority of Swaziland. Please, in no way do I want to sound or be deemed judgmental. I just want to share this struggle. Approaching the topics of religion and politics can be considered taboo in America, depending on your company. In Swaziland, approaching the topic of politics can and will land you in jail if it against the King, but religion is as much a “small talk” topic as the weather is. For example, while walking with my sisi a few men, purely in greeting, asked if we were “saved”. Just shy of 100% of Swazis are Christian. Almost everyone’s (including the youth) favorite music is gospel. Although the community I was raised in had little diversity when it came to religion, and was mostly Christian, this is a somewhat shocking experience. The best way I can explain it is to say that I always feel like it is “over the top”. Personally, it is so present in everything that it seems like an energizing, fun routine or social expectation.
Being Christian myself, I thought this would be a wonderful entry point for me to bring up and justify safe practices regarding HIV/AIDs! Surprisingly and very frustratingly, this is not always the case. Having multiple sex partners, both in and out of marriage, is a contributing factor to the spread of HIV. Definitely not Christian!! But I have heard people who attempt to justify promiscuous actions based on their “Swazi culture” (traditionally polygamous), even though promiscuity does not follow Christianity OR a true polygamy. Pre-marital sex is anti-Christian, yet to get a woman pregnant out of wed-lock is more common than not. It is like a step in the courting process, sort of equivalent to an engagement ring. It lays claim for a possible future “union”. Homosexuality is against the law and punishable under that law, but faithlessness/adultery is a non-spoken social norm. Being inundated with gospel music, 3-5 hour church services, and salvation bus conversations could energize and boost my faith, but instead it leaves me struggling to sort out the oxymoron of “cultural Christianity”.
On a lighter note: I would like to close this entry with a verbal Polaroid. The other day there was a moment that I soooo wished was captured on film, but alas, no camera in sight. Thus, with my limited writing skills, I will attempt to paint you the picture. One of my two older female siblings has a 6 year old girl and a 7mon old baby boy. Both are a handful and constant attention seekers, so I, being a dutiful Aunt (“Make Lomcane” in siSwati = Small Mother) help feed their fire. On this occasion I volunteered to carry and walk the baby. I did it Swazi style – on my back and tied on with a blanket. :-) After we collected my laundry off the line and attempted to help my Make shuck the dried corn (making me feel rather domestic), the dog jumped up on my leg and I petted him behind the ears. SNAPSHOT!! There is my perfect family portrait, or for some reason that is what crossed my mind at the time. Yes, it has occurred to me that this shot has some flaws. It is minus 1 husband, has a child quite obviously stolen, and my bhuti would cry if I tried to claim his dog, but come on - work with me here. :-) It seems to me like a borrowed and pieced together picture of a possible future self. Yikes! Haha.
Well, thanks for reading my rants and tangents. Sorry to those who can’t follow my random train of thought, and even greater apology to those who can! :-P Free virtual hugs for all!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A Few More Pics!
Sorry guys, I am still trying to learn how to use this program. The last post was suppose to have more than one photo! Oh well. Here are some more, and I will get more pictures posted soon... I promise. Hugs!!
This picture is of the community project we did at a primary school during training. Of course, who would be thrown up there to entertain the kids... Zodwa and Nomathemba (Kate). We had a blast and every kid got a red and white yarn braclet to wear proudly.
I am now an official PC Volunteer! I even have the certificate to prove it. :-) I am also wearing a traditional Lahiya and sporting my new Swaziland flag bag that was a gift from the PC.
While away at a game reserve for a night I got to participate in traditional dancing! I ain't too shabby. :-)
We were so excited to finally spot some African animals. Yay to Zebras! Rachel is on the left and Kate is on the right.
I promised I would post a pic of the corn-rows... probably won't be doin' that ever again, but it was fun once.
This picture is of the community project we did at a primary school during training. Of course, who would be thrown up there to entertain the kids... Zodwa and Nomathemba (Kate). We had a blast and every kid got a red and white yarn braclet to wear proudly. 
I am now an official PC Volunteer! I even have the certificate to prove it. :-) I am also wearing a traditional Lahiya and sporting my new Swaziland flag bag that was a gift from the PC.
While away at a game reserve for a night I got to participate in traditional dancing! I ain't too shabby. :-)
We were so excited to finally spot some African animals. Yay to Zebras! Rachel is on the left and Kate is on the right. 
I promised I would post a pic of the corn-rows... probably won't be doin' that ever again, but it was fun once.Pictures Worth 1000 Words
1
This is Make Mamba and myself only a few days before I left for Ekuphumleni. She still calls me to say "hi". In this picture she is making a braided rope out of tall grasses. She also made the grass mat she is sitting on, and gave me one as a going away gift.
This is Make Mamba and myself only a few days before I left for Ekuphumleni. She still calls me to say "hi". In this picture she is making a braided rope out of tall grasses. She also made the grass mat she is sitting on, and gave me one as a going away gift.23 Years Young!
Monday, September 21, 2009
8:18pm
Thank you everyone for making my 23rd birthday one that I will never EVER forget! With amazing cards, spectacular packages, fantastic (although some early :-P) phone calls, nice facebook posts, and a great town trip to boot, I had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious birthday! Thank you ten million tons!
The schedule for my terrific b-day was as follows: I woke up and said heck to running (already a good start); I opened my cards while waiting for a khumbi into town after the first khumbi I got into broke down; I bought curtain fabric and then sat in an exciting meeting with Doctors Without Borders; an Avalanche ice cream dessert was enjoyed with my KFC (only fast food chain in Swaziland) b-day lunch. After that splendid morning, I did a bit of grocery shopping with my friend Lisa who proceeded to accompany me home for an evening of delicious Indian food (made by Chief Lisa), wine and cheese (prepared by yours truly), and package opening! As if that day could get any better, but it did! My birthday (starting at 1:11am Swaziland time) was speckled with phone calls from friends and family!! What an awesome 23rd! I even got to celebrate my b-day (and personally a very special long-distance wedding) with my family Saturday night, where I shared some of the spoils of wonderful generosity over popcorn and chocolates. Fun and appreciation was had by all.
Other than Lisa, no one has (or probably ever will) share in my birthday cake sent by my wonderful Dad, and selfish hoarding is not the only reason! -- Although, honestly, it may be the most prominent. :-) I can also say that it would be culturally inappropriate to share the delicious Tortuga Rum Cake (yes, be jealous, you read correctly) with my Swazi family. Alcohol is a very common and socially accepted practice in this country, but for males ONLY. For a woman to admit she enjoys even the occasional glass of wine, she instantly gains the label of the” harlot” (or drunk Gogo – which seems to be somewhat ridiculously common). To purchase my birthday wine I did not frequent the bottle store in my community, which is only a 30minute walk from my house. No way Jose! I picked it up in Matata, which is in a different region of Swaziland, where I ran a much reduced risk of running into someone I knew or would potentially work with! So to make a short story long :-P, I am selfishly but appropriately devouring my boozed up birthday cake. “To life, to life Lechiam!” (Sorry Fiddler on the Roof fans, I have NO idea how to spell that!) :-)
A wonderfully thoughtful, amazing, and beautiful birthday gift clued me into the fact that I have not shared the Swazi cultural trait of tidy appearances with you. Sweeping and mopping, shining one’s shoes, and ironing are tasks performed every morning in a Swazi household. Although their more sporadic bucket bathing (depending on the accessibility of water in your area) and unfathomable hand hygiene have shocked and appalled our American standards of cleanliness, our lack of desire to perform the previously mentioned daily Swazi tasks are met with disapproving looks and insistent Makes. As an example, this past Sunday I was accompanying my family to their church. We were a running a bit late (I actually had been waiting for about 15min) when my Make made me take off my shoes and my younger bhuti quickly polished them. This was after I had already wiped them down with a wet clothe to remove the dust that would inevitably re-attach itself to my shoes within three steps on our dirt yard to the dirt path leading to the dirt road to the church! Oh well. My polished black shoes looked really great… for five seconds. :-) Nevertheless, I absolutely love the skirts I received for my birthday. What makes them ironic and the inspiration for this blog tangent is the intended style and instructions tag. The tag reads, “To maintain the CRINKLE effect twist damp skirt and allow to dry….”. Hahaha!! Sorry Make, not going to be ironing that one! :-P I love ‘em, probably even more because of the cultural exchange taking place through fashion. Who knew I that would ever make that statement!?! Crazy!
Again, thanks a million trillion ba-gillion tons for making me feel so loved on my birthday! You are the best! Hugs and grateful, appreciative, thank you kisses!
8:18pm
Thank you everyone for making my 23rd birthday one that I will never EVER forget! With amazing cards, spectacular packages, fantastic (although some early :-P) phone calls, nice facebook posts, and a great town trip to boot, I had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious birthday! Thank you ten million tons!
The schedule for my terrific b-day was as follows: I woke up and said heck to running (already a good start); I opened my cards while waiting for a khumbi into town after the first khumbi I got into broke down; I bought curtain fabric and then sat in an exciting meeting with Doctors Without Borders; an Avalanche ice cream dessert was enjoyed with my KFC (only fast food chain in Swaziland) b-day lunch. After that splendid morning, I did a bit of grocery shopping with my friend Lisa who proceeded to accompany me home for an evening of delicious Indian food (made by Chief Lisa), wine and cheese (prepared by yours truly), and package opening! As if that day could get any better, but it did! My birthday (starting at 1:11am Swaziland time) was speckled with phone calls from friends and family!! What an awesome 23rd! I even got to celebrate my b-day (and personally a very special long-distance wedding) with my family Saturday night, where I shared some of the spoils of wonderful generosity over popcorn and chocolates. Fun and appreciation was had by all.
Other than Lisa, no one has (or probably ever will) share in my birthday cake sent by my wonderful Dad, and selfish hoarding is not the only reason! -- Although, honestly, it may be the most prominent. :-) I can also say that it would be culturally inappropriate to share the delicious Tortuga Rum Cake (yes, be jealous, you read correctly) with my Swazi family. Alcohol is a very common and socially accepted practice in this country, but for males ONLY. For a woman to admit she enjoys even the occasional glass of wine, she instantly gains the label of the” harlot” (or drunk Gogo – which seems to be somewhat ridiculously common). To purchase my birthday wine I did not frequent the bottle store in my community, which is only a 30minute walk from my house. No way Jose! I picked it up in Matata, which is in a different region of Swaziland, where I ran a much reduced risk of running into someone I knew or would potentially work with! So to make a short story long :-P, I am selfishly but appropriately devouring my boozed up birthday cake. “To life, to life Lechiam!” (Sorry Fiddler on the Roof fans, I have NO idea how to spell that!) :-)
A wonderfully thoughtful, amazing, and beautiful birthday gift clued me into the fact that I have not shared the Swazi cultural trait of tidy appearances with you. Sweeping and mopping, shining one’s shoes, and ironing are tasks performed every morning in a Swazi household. Although their more sporadic bucket bathing (depending on the accessibility of water in your area) and unfathomable hand hygiene have shocked and appalled our American standards of cleanliness, our lack of desire to perform the previously mentioned daily Swazi tasks are met with disapproving looks and insistent Makes. As an example, this past Sunday I was accompanying my family to their church. We were a running a bit late (I actually had been waiting for about 15min) when my Make made me take off my shoes and my younger bhuti quickly polished them. This was after I had already wiped them down with a wet clothe to remove the dust that would inevitably re-attach itself to my shoes within three steps on our dirt yard to the dirt path leading to the dirt road to the church! Oh well. My polished black shoes looked really great… for five seconds. :-) Nevertheless, I absolutely love the skirts I received for my birthday. What makes them ironic and the inspiration for this blog tangent is the intended style and instructions tag. The tag reads, “To maintain the CRINKLE effect twist damp skirt and allow to dry….”. Hahaha!! Sorry Make, not going to be ironing that one! :-P I love ‘em, probably even more because of the cultural exchange taking place through fashion. Who knew I that would ever make that statement!?! Crazy!
Again, thanks a million trillion ba-gillion tons for making me feel so loved on my birthday! You are the best! Hugs and grateful, appreciative, thank you kisses!
Spoke Too Soon!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
7:41pm
Oh today was a funny day. Upon hearing from the wonderful PVCs that share my PO Box in Matata that I had received some B-day packages and multiple letters, I had decided to take a pre-b-day town trip. The bumpy, loud, two-hour bus trip seemed to go by quickly and before I knew it I was sitting in the café with a milkshake, internet, and a friend on the way to share it all with me! Although, I quickly found out that the wireless internet blocks random things like blogger. It said that to sign into my blogging account would be viewing “indecent material of an adult nature”. Hmmm… this was news to me. I will try harder to keep my blogs PG. :-P
With very little time (bus gets there ~10am and leaves by 12:30pm) I efficiently hit up my stops – wine, internet (while simultaneously enjoying milkshake and muffin), mail packages, groceries, wood to make shelves, back to the bus rank and hugging my friend who just helped me schlep all of my recently acquired goods onto said bus. Phew. How I got everything done, I am not quite sure. Especially with the fact that stores and their employees work on “Swazi time” (not conducive to efficiency or tight schedules), and once you utter “Sawubona” – standard greeting (which you must always do or you are considered rude) they ask you your name, where you are from, what you are doing, etc. and laugh at your pitiful attempts at siSwati. Nevertheless, I got all of my Matata objectives completed and checked off my list, plus I made it to the bus BEFORE it left this time.
While waiting on the bus, a good friend texted me random but perfect lyrics to a Little Mermaid song, which became the cherry on top of a wonderful morning. While sitting next to my goods (the tower of care packages still taunting me :-P) I instantly wrote him back to tell him how great my shopping day was going. Little did I know that those very words certainly jinxed, cursed, and mocked the day that was still ahead of me… muwahaha!
The turn of events started with another text, ironically enough. This one was from the office: “You may have been exposed to H1N1 if you were at the PC office on Friday. If you have flu symptoms, headache, fever…” Hahaha…ha….ha… ummm :-/…. Getting the Swine Flu was not on my list of things to do in the Peace Corps, thank you very much. :-) No worries everyone. I was at the office Friday, but I am fit as a fiddle.
Soon after receiving this bit of cheerful news the bus broke. Side note: “bus” really is too nice of a word for this mode of “possible” transportation. It is all metal and wood, which on dirt roads makes a ton of racket! The pew-like seats are ten times worse than school-bus seats and the floor seems to be the thinnest thing possible keeping you from bicycle tires and the ground. Needless to say it wasn’t a big shocker when this 1950’s antique called it quites about an hour in to my two hour trip home. Some men jumped off to “assist” in the resurrection of the beast but most of us just sat in the sweltering heat (windows were closed to keep the dust from passing vehicles out) for a little over an hour. I am not joking, more banging was happening under the bus then I thought the old girl could even take. I thought she might fall into pieces with us on her! I talked and played a bit with the school children in front of me, but was super glad for my book that happened to be a last minute addition to my bag this morning. Looking around, I realized that I had no idea where we were exactly and I may be stranded with what I previously considered valuable loot but now looked like burdensome baggage. Miraculously, for there is no other word to describe it, the bus started back up and we were off again. I made it home, just past an hour late, but with all of my goods and in daylight. Thank you, God. :-)
Now I am off to bed so I can celebrate my birthday early with a Doctors Without Borders meeting in Nhlangano. All of the Shiselwani volunteers will be there, so we are going out afterward for a birthday lunch! One friend may even join me for an evening of wine, cheese, and laptop movies in my hut (as well as some Trotuga Rum Cake that I spy with my little eye! :-) ). I love my life!! AND I love YOU GUYS! Thanks everyone!
7:41pm
Oh today was a funny day. Upon hearing from the wonderful PVCs that share my PO Box in Matata that I had received some B-day packages and multiple letters, I had decided to take a pre-b-day town trip. The bumpy, loud, two-hour bus trip seemed to go by quickly and before I knew it I was sitting in the café with a milkshake, internet, and a friend on the way to share it all with me! Although, I quickly found out that the wireless internet blocks random things like blogger. It said that to sign into my blogging account would be viewing “indecent material of an adult nature”. Hmmm… this was news to me. I will try harder to keep my blogs PG. :-P
With very little time (bus gets there ~10am and leaves by 12:30pm) I efficiently hit up my stops – wine, internet (while simultaneously enjoying milkshake and muffin), mail packages, groceries, wood to make shelves, back to the bus rank and hugging my friend who just helped me schlep all of my recently acquired goods onto said bus. Phew. How I got everything done, I am not quite sure. Especially with the fact that stores and their employees work on “Swazi time” (not conducive to efficiency or tight schedules), and once you utter “Sawubona” – standard greeting (which you must always do or you are considered rude) they ask you your name, where you are from, what you are doing, etc. and laugh at your pitiful attempts at siSwati. Nevertheless, I got all of my Matata objectives completed and checked off my list, plus I made it to the bus BEFORE it left this time.
While waiting on the bus, a good friend texted me random but perfect lyrics to a Little Mermaid song, which became the cherry on top of a wonderful morning. While sitting next to my goods (the tower of care packages still taunting me :-P) I instantly wrote him back to tell him how great my shopping day was going. Little did I know that those very words certainly jinxed, cursed, and mocked the day that was still ahead of me… muwahaha!
The turn of events started with another text, ironically enough. This one was from the office: “You may have been exposed to H1N1 if you were at the PC office on Friday. If you have flu symptoms, headache, fever…” Hahaha…ha….ha… ummm :-/…. Getting the Swine Flu was not on my list of things to do in the Peace Corps, thank you very much. :-) No worries everyone. I was at the office Friday, but I am fit as a fiddle.
Soon after receiving this bit of cheerful news the bus broke. Side note: “bus” really is too nice of a word for this mode of “possible” transportation. It is all metal and wood, which on dirt roads makes a ton of racket! The pew-like seats are ten times worse than school-bus seats and the floor seems to be the thinnest thing possible keeping you from bicycle tires and the ground. Needless to say it wasn’t a big shocker when this 1950’s antique called it quites about an hour in to my two hour trip home. Some men jumped off to “assist” in the resurrection of the beast but most of us just sat in the sweltering heat (windows were closed to keep the dust from passing vehicles out) for a little over an hour. I am not joking, more banging was happening under the bus then I thought the old girl could even take. I thought she might fall into pieces with us on her! I talked and played a bit with the school children in front of me, but was super glad for my book that happened to be a last minute addition to my bag this morning. Looking around, I realized that I had no idea where we were exactly and I may be stranded with what I previously considered valuable loot but now looked like burdensome baggage. Miraculously, for there is no other word to describe it, the bus started back up and we were off again. I made it home, just past an hour late, but with all of my goods and in daylight. Thank you, God. :-)
Now I am off to bed so I can celebrate my birthday early with a Doctors Without Borders meeting in Nhlangano. All of the Shiselwani volunteers will be there, so we are going out afterward for a birthday lunch! One friend may even join me for an evening of wine, cheese, and laptop movies in my hut (as well as some Trotuga Rum Cake that I spy with my little eye! :-) ). I love my life!! AND I love YOU GUYS! Thanks everyone!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Hitting the Ground Running – Literally
Thurday,
I was hoping to post the entry previous to this one a week ago, when I went, list in hand, to Nhlangano to buy a bed, groceries, use the internet café, mail letters, and a few other tasks I was sure I could accomplish. Silly me. I got out of Nhlangano with a bed, a few hut-improvement objects, and my letters posted…barely. It was a rush from the get go! It takes me about 1 ½ hours by bus to get to this city (and city is an overstatement plus). Another volunteer’s brother had offered to transport three beds in his small pick-up truck, which probably saved us a ton on transportation but spared us nothing in hilarity and story making. Each bed (bed box and mattress) stood vertically, with one mattress capping off the end of the truck bed, tied down with one rope. And yet somehow, it became more difficult to figure out how to fit the people in the cab! Their bhuti was insistent that if we put one too many people in the cab the police would pull us over and give us a ticket. Although this was probably true and the safer route, irony was felt by all when looking at the precariously stacked and tied beds that would somehow not catch the attention or concern of the police! I was chosen to ride along with the beds, because I was probably the best one to direct the brother and mother to both mine and Tegan’s homesteads. On the trip back, one that I am grateful to have survived, the truck stalled no less than 4 times, and I accidently directed a wrong turn when trying to navigate to two-track paths to Tegan’s place. We made two stops other than dropping off beds. One was to get gas, and the other was to pick up bananas at a road side stand. It felt very drive-thru-esk. One woman, among about ten, walked up to our vehicle with a platter of bunches of bananas. I decided to buy some as well, they were seriously the most delicious bananas I have ever eaten, and we were back on our slow comical journey. Upon returning home I found that electricity had been installed to my room, although, status quo for these parts, our area was in a black out. Go figure. In my comfy bed that night, although my sheets were being used as curtains (currently still hanging) and the electricity was not on, I felt like a
The past weekend I dove into my hut-improvement tasks! I ended up spackling and painting my walls. The color, when chosen in town, was a lighter bluish-green, but once mixed and applied to my walls became the most baby blue you ever saw. I affectionately call it “Riv. Blue”, because it is strikingly similar to my, highly missed, Buick
There was a second attempt to get a blog posted in Matata, another town, earlier last week, which was obviously foiled. Although this place is touted for its cleanliness of bathrooms, the only café with exceptional milkshakes
Around
Finally, although there are multiple smaller moments full of meaning and seeping with insight, I wish to share my two visits to Umpagatsi. The Umpagatsi is the meeting place, located on the chief’s homestead, where the weekly inner council (town council) meeting and community meetings occur. Both last Wednesday and yesterday I attended said meetings, although relying heavily on volunteers to translate for me. Last week I was officially introduced to the community. I was allowed to stand and say a few words (all very broken siSwati), which were welcomed with surprise, laughter, and applause. I also met individuals who worked with other health groups like World Vision and
Tomorrow will be my third attempt at posting. Either “third time’s a charm” or “three strikes and you’re out”. We will see. I will be in
I love you all very VERY much (especially the soon to be married couple – you know how much you mean to me)! Take Care all!
Darryn/Zodwa
Welcome Wagon = Massive Spider!!
Other than Lucy (who luckily I have not seen recently), there were a few more surprising additions to the family when I came home. My bhuti has a new puppy and my older sisi with her two kids are here visiting for an unknown period of time! She has an eight month old boy and a six year old girl. We are a full house! It makes me feel a bit guilty having my room (~5m diameter) all to myself. Although that is not a lot of space, it seems quite cavernous with only me, a few bags, a few buckets, a million books/papers (remember I am working for the government ;-) ), and a grass mat for a bed. This will all change “fairly” soon (Swazi time), when the Martha Stuart part of me surfaces Jekyll/Hyde-style. I know, scary thought, huh? But it’s true! Tuesday, because Monday is a national holiday, many of us volunteers down here in the Shiselweni region are going into Nhlangano (possible new shopping town West of my site) to buy a bed and other “nesting” necessities with our settling-in allowance. This is where it gets scary for everyone who knows me, brace yourself --- I am also planning on buying wall paint, fabric to make curtains, wood and rope for hanging shelves, dowels to construct a make-shift closet and to hang my mosquito net, Velcro to craft removable bug screens with an old mosquito net acquired from the office, and a duvet cover! I’m turning all crafty here in
This “settling-in bug” has overcome all of us, so in a few months we really should do a Parade of Huts. :-) As for basic furniture (i.e. cooking table), I would really like to find someone in my community with carpentry skills. I could attempt to make them myself but lack the tools, and they are usually more expensive in town with transportation costs and such. Plus, this is one way I can assist a member of the community financially. Finding said person is a goal that may take some asking around, which equals more community integration, perfect!
Speaking of integrating, I have made new friends! Granted, they are all under the age of 10 and don’t speak any English, but they LOVE the new sport of Frisbee throwing! After being somewhat productive in my hut (can’t do much ‘til I shop for supplies), I decided to play with a group of kids outside. They had never seen, held, or thrown a Frisbee in their lives, so the game quickly became toss/pick-up Frisbee within a 3m circle. My Make came out and even threw it a few times. I asked my bhuti if he would like to play, and I believe he quickly made up a chore he had to do at the river. Either playing with young kids is universally an un-cool thing for teenage boys to do, or he was embarrassed to play with the socially awkward, female, American volunteer. Oh well, next time. :-)
I know this entry won’t be in chronological order, but I should rewind and tell you all about
On Thursday (Aug. 27th) I felt like a girl getting ready for a high school Homecoming Dance! There was multiple people getting ready in one bathroom, make-up, hair supplies, and no one could put on their clothes without assistance! Traditional male and female clothing are quite similar. They both consist of a long piece of fabric wrapped and tied around the bottom half and a thinner, usually more ornate (sometimes with the King’s picture, crown, shield, or other interesting designs) interestingly tied on top. I use the word “interestingly” because although it is only one knot by the left shoulder, I don’t think I could replicate it without Swazi assistance. :-) Both men and women can wear the traditional beaded necklace which consists of two rectangular beaded designs (usually the Swaziland Flag), but only the men get the privilege of wearing animal skin – a flap in front and a flap in back – as well as carrying the snake beating stick. Married women have to cover their head with a scarf and their skirt is long, black, and pleated. I can’t wait to load some pictures of us onto this blog, because the majority of us dressed up traditional for this big event!
Being higher in elevation,Friday, August 21, 2009
Home Sweet Hut!
Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:14pm
New Mailing Address:
Darryn Crocker,PCV
United States Peace Corps
PO Box 351
Matata, L312
Swaziland, AFRICA
Everything that was previously sent to the Mbabane address will still get to me, no worries. This is a new PO Box address that is in Matata, which is closer to my new community. Thus, I will probably be shopping and visiting there more often than Mbabane. From now on, unless you decide to use the Fed Ex/DHL route, mail packages and letters to this address! Thanks! (Parents – if my cell phone e-mail did not go through, I got your packages!!!! Thanks ten million tons! It felt like my birthday/Christmas/Groundhog’s Day all rolled into one and celebrated on my hut’s cement floor!)
I know everyone is really eager to hear about my new digs, because I was certainly ravenous to find out any scrap of info possible. Well, I am now back from my 5day visit to my new community, so I am full of stories, info, and excitement! Let me share!
eKuphumleni is located in the south-eastern corner of the country. It is remarkable how different it is than the northern part of the country I presently inhabit. Down there I am in AFRICA AFRICA… like… cactus, rock formations, dry, hot, mostly flat with some rolling hills, only dirt roads/paths, dried up river beds, more stick and mud structures or thatch roofing… Let’s just say, I kept expecting to see Pride Rock with Simba and friends singing “Akhunamatata”! I love it!
My new family, The Dlaminis, are wonderful! My Babe works in the mines in South Africa, so he is only home maybe one weekend a month. It just so happened that he was home the weekend I arrived, so I was able to meet him. We did not get much time to really bond (especially since he does not speak English), but he always seemed amused by my attempts at siSwati. My make is a happy, food-pushing (like all Swazi women I have met), homemaker. I like her very very much, and can’t wait to learn more siSwati so I can communicate more with her. I have a couple older siblings who do not live at home, one 23 year old sisi who is expecting a baby in Oct, a 15 year old bhuti, and a 7 year old niece. My pregnant sisi is very quickly becoming a close Swazi friend. Her name is Thobile (“Toh-bee-leh”) and we shared a bonding moment one morning as I walked in on her belting a Backstreet Boys song that was on the radio. I jumped in singing with her and we both laughed hysterically. The 7 year old, Neliswa, was very shy at first, but after I taught her how to “Thumb Wrestle” we quickly became buds. The fam also includes multiple goats, cows, chickens, roosters, a new litter of pigs, and one friendly dog!
My new living structure is a cylindrical structure with a thatched pointed roof. It is painted sea foam green on the inside and tan/brown on the outside. I have two windows and a broken door (just the latching mechanism and it will be fixed by the time I move in). Plus, for safety, PC installs burglar doors, window bars, and a lightening rod to every volunteer’s house. The main house has electricity and my room is wired for it, but they are not connected at the present moment. The entire homestead is off the “main” dirt road, which places me directly behind my bus stop named “Stilo” (Steel-oh: the name of the dried up river just south of my house). I will probably be pumping and wheel-barrowing my water from the bore hole located ~75-100 yards from my home. My family kept mentioning that the water was “salty” so I may be making other arrangements.
Wednesday August 19, 2009 2:22pm
My last entry was interrupted by my computer running out of battery. I am now hanging out in Kate’s indlu (house) while my computer charges and I finish this blog. We should be studying for our siSwati test, which is tomorrow… we will get on that soon. ;-)
So back to my new site. I enjoyed my visit the past week. I met a BUNCH of important people! About a 20-30 minute walk from my house there is a primary school, a clinic (probably the reason they put me here), a traditional healer, NCP (Neighborhood Care Point: place to care for orphans and vulnerable children “OVCs”), the umpakatsi and kaGogo Center (chiefdom meeting place), a market, a few small sitolo (Little House on the Prairie style store), and a hair place. Within an hour walk are multiple churches (sometimes at houses) and another primary school. I take a 15 minute bus ride north along my “main” dirt road to get to the Inkhundla (governmental regional building and meeting place) and police post. Other than the churches, I visited all of these places with either my kaGogo Center counterpart, Vusi, or my sisi, Thobile. I met our area’s Member of Parliament and other government representatives as well as school principals, the chief of police, traditional healer, teachers, shot keepers, and many more community members/new neighbors. It was a very productive few days.
I spent one night at the end of that trip with a Group 6 couple, the Jacksons. They took me to their homestead, answered any and all of my questions, cooked great food, and welcomed me to the region. They were wonderful, and I am very excited to spend more time with them in the future. I also believe there is a G7 couple (Laura & Brandon) within a bike ride south from me… we will soon find out!! I am very excited to get a bike. Although I am in a hotter part of the country, my ability to get and be safe riding a bike is a major plus! Yay! “I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike. I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride it where I like….” (Queen song reference :-P)
I know there are probably a million more things you want to know about my new place so please ask. I will be finding even more out once I move there on the 28th! I move out of my current host family’s place this coming Monday. We have a few days in the capital city, Mbabane, and then the Swear-In ceremony on Thurs. Aug. 27th where I officially become a Peace Corps Volunteer! I bought a traditional Swazi outfit for this event and may even bust out some make-up... crazy huh!?! :-P On the 28th they drop me off with my bags and I start the 3month integration project (aka. go out, meet local people, learn more siSwati, write a report).
Another part of the Peace Corps experience I decided to take on while here is to correspond with a high school classroom back in the US. Just yesterday I received the e-mail (on my cell phone screen!!!) that I was paired with Pinon High School in Arizona. At least once a month I will be sending a letter to this classroom and sharing my newly acquired cultural knowledge with them. In turn, they will send me letters with questions, concerns, and thoughts which will fulfill one of the goals of the Peace Corps! I am very excited for this exchange.
Ok, I should get studying… I hope to be in Piggs Peak tomorrow or Friday to send this off. On Sat. our host families are invited to an Appreciation Day. We are cooking for them, teaching them an easy Sqaure Dance, singing a siSwati song called “Sho Sho Lodza” (which I was somehow volunteered to lead/solo), and present a picture slideshow when appreciation certificates are handed out. It should be a lot of fun, and my host family is excited about it. I love you all tons, and am so enjoying the overwhelmingly generous support from everyone. I am creating a crafty letter box to keep all of your letters in, because they most certainly are my most precious items here!
Sala Kahle (Stay Well),
Zodwa
New Mailing Address:
Darryn Crocker,PCV
United States Peace Corps
PO Box 351
Matata, L312
Swaziland, AFRICA
Everything that was previously sent to the Mbabane address will still get to me, no worries. This is a new PO Box address that is in Matata, which is closer to my new community. Thus, I will probably be shopping and visiting there more often than Mbabane. From now on, unless you decide to use the Fed Ex/DHL route, mail packages and letters to this address! Thanks! (Parents – if my cell phone e-mail did not go through, I got your packages!!!! Thanks ten million tons! It felt like my birthday/Christmas/Groundhog’s Day all rolled into one and celebrated on my hut’s cement floor!)
I know everyone is really eager to hear about my new digs, because I was certainly ravenous to find out any scrap of info possible. Well, I am now back from my 5day visit to my new community, so I am full of stories, info, and excitement! Let me share!
eKuphumleni is located in the south-eastern corner of the country. It is remarkable how different it is than the northern part of the country I presently inhabit. Down there I am in AFRICA AFRICA… like… cactus, rock formations, dry, hot, mostly flat with some rolling hills, only dirt roads/paths, dried up river beds, more stick and mud structures or thatch roofing… Let’s just say, I kept expecting to see Pride Rock with Simba and friends singing “Akhunamatata”! I love it!
My new family, The Dlaminis, are wonderful! My Babe works in the mines in South Africa, so he is only home maybe one weekend a month. It just so happened that he was home the weekend I arrived, so I was able to meet him. We did not get much time to really bond (especially since he does not speak English), but he always seemed amused by my attempts at siSwati. My make is a happy, food-pushing (like all Swazi women I have met), homemaker. I like her very very much, and can’t wait to learn more siSwati so I can communicate more with her. I have a couple older siblings who do not live at home, one 23 year old sisi who is expecting a baby in Oct, a 15 year old bhuti, and a 7 year old niece. My pregnant sisi is very quickly becoming a close Swazi friend. Her name is Thobile (“Toh-bee-leh”) and we shared a bonding moment one morning as I walked in on her belting a Backstreet Boys song that was on the radio. I jumped in singing with her and we both laughed hysterically. The 7 year old, Neliswa, was very shy at first, but after I taught her how to “Thumb Wrestle” we quickly became buds. The fam also includes multiple goats, cows, chickens, roosters, a new litter of pigs, and one friendly dog!
My new living structure is a cylindrical structure with a thatched pointed roof. It is painted sea foam green on the inside and tan/brown on the outside. I have two windows and a broken door (just the latching mechanism and it will be fixed by the time I move in). Plus, for safety, PC installs burglar doors, window bars, and a lightening rod to every volunteer’s house. The main house has electricity and my room is wired for it, but they are not connected at the present moment. The entire homestead is off the “main” dirt road, which places me directly behind my bus stop named “Stilo” (Steel-oh: the name of the dried up river just south of my house). I will probably be pumping and wheel-barrowing my water from the bore hole located ~75-100 yards from my home. My family kept mentioning that the water was “salty” so I may be making other arrangements.
Wednesday August 19, 2009 2:22pm
My last entry was interrupted by my computer running out of battery. I am now hanging out in Kate’s indlu (house) while my computer charges and I finish this blog. We should be studying for our siSwati test, which is tomorrow… we will get on that soon. ;-)
So back to my new site. I enjoyed my visit the past week. I met a BUNCH of important people! About a 20-30 minute walk from my house there is a primary school, a clinic (probably the reason they put me here), a traditional healer, NCP (Neighborhood Care Point: place to care for orphans and vulnerable children “OVCs”), the umpakatsi and kaGogo Center (chiefdom meeting place), a market, a few small sitolo (Little House on the Prairie style store), and a hair place. Within an hour walk are multiple churches (sometimes at houses) and another primary school. I take a 15 minute bus ride north along my “main” dirt road to get to the Inkhundla (governmental regional building and meeting place) and police post. Other than the churches, I visited all of these places with either my kaGogo Center counterpart, Vusi, or my sisi, Thobile. I met our area’s Member of Parliament and other government representatives as well as school principals, the chief of police, traditional healer, teachers, shot keepers, and many more community members/new neighbors. It was a very productive few days.
I spent one night at the end of that trip with a Group 6 couple, the Jacksons. They took me to their homestead, answered any and all of my questions, cooked great food, and welcomed me to the region. They were wonderful, and I am very excited to spend more time with them in the future. I also believe there is a G7 couple (Laura & Brandon) within a bike ride south from me… we will soon find out!! I am very excited to get a bike. Although I am in a hotter part of the country, my ability to get and be safe riding a bike is a major plus! Yay! “I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike. I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride it where I like….” (Queen song reference :-P)
I know there are probably a million more things you want to know about my new place so please ask. I will be finding even more out once I move there on the 28th! I move out of my current host family’s place this coming Monday. We have a few days in the capital city, Mbabane, and then the Swear-In ceremony on Thurs. Aug. 27th where I officially become a Peace Corps Volunteer! I bought a traditional Swazi outfit for this event and may even bust out some make-up... crazy huh!?! :-P On the 28th they drop me off with my bags and I start the 3month integration project (aka. go out, meet local people, learn more siSwati, write a report).
Another part of the Peace Corps experience I decided to take on while here is to correspond with a high school classroom back in the US. Just yesterday I received the e-mail (on my cell phone screen!!!) that I was paired with Pinon High School in Arizona. At least once a month I will be sending a letter to this classroom and sharing my newly acquired cultural knowledge with them. In turn, they will send me letters with questions, concerns, and thoughts which will fulfill one of the goals of the Peace Corps! I am very excited for this exchange.
Ok, I should get studying… I hope to be in Piggs Peak tomorrow or Friday to send this off. On Sat. our host families are invited to an Appreciation Day. We are cooking for them, teaching them an easy Sqaure Dance, singing a siSwati song called “Sho Sho Lodza” (which I was somehow volunteered to lead/solo), and present a picture slideshow when appreciation certificates are handed out. It should be a lot of fun, and my host family is excited about it. I love you all tons, and am so enjoying the overwhelmingly generous support from everyone. I am creating a crafty letter box to keep all of your letters in, because they most certainly are my most precious items here!
Sala Kahle (Stay Well),
Zodwa
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
PC Joke
I only have a couple minutes left on this public computer, but I wanted to share a joke with my readers. I can not claim to possess the wit and comedic constitution to have made this up. I just wanted to pass it along. Enjoy!
An optimist sees the glass half full, the pessimist sees the glass half empty, the Peace Corps Volunteer sees the glass and says, “I can take a bath in that”! :-P
Love you all ten million tons!
An optimist sees the glass half full, the pessimist sees the glass half empty, the Peace Corps Volunteer sees the glass and says, “I can take a bath in that”! :-P
Love you all ten million tons!
Caught in the Rain
2nd Aug. 2009 (How it is written in Swaziland DD/MM/YY)
Oh do I have some fun stories for you guys! This has been quite the eventful week, where should I begin my tale? Well, the one that is freshest in my mind is the story of how Darryn/Zodwa became stuck in Kate’s pit latrine just before 7am this morning while it was pouring/hailing/lightening. Rewind- 12hours!
My family invited myself and Kate to a cultural event last night. Our Gogo (grandmother) was holding an all-night vigil service for her “cleansing”. She had been in mourning for her dead husband for two years, wearing black clothes, and last night was the celebration of the end of this period. I was told to be ready to leave at 9pm so we could be there by 10pm when it was suppose to start. Not yet being used to “Swazi time” I was in the house, blanket and warm clothes on, ready to go at 9pm sharp… we left at 10pm and the vigil didn’t actually start until 11:15pm! Remember as the clock ticks during this story that Kate and I ran ~45min at 6am this morning, had a full day of school/placement excitement, and are use to a normal bedtime being around 8:30pm... if coffee is involved… maybe. :-P So as people file into this purple and white striped graduation party/circus tent on my Gogo’s homestead, Kate and I plopped into the plastic chairs hoping and praying that no one would want us to use our exhausted/brain-fried siSwati… fat chance.
We were escorted by a sisi I had not met until that day around to multiple extended family members and friends scattered amongst the busily cooking/preparing women (the men were sitting and chatting separately). We were quite startled to find Kate’s Make in a separate hut with multiple mutilated cow parts butchered and hung on the walls! This cultural adventure was getting started off with a bang! The ceremony finally began with a Zionist church congregation (Gogo and Mkhulu were Zionist), coming in dressed in bright green, blue and white outfits, singing. Then the pastor would preach and awhile later another Zionist congregation (same colors, different outfits) would come in singing. This happened 4 or 5 times. Mostly Zionist congregations, but a troop of bright yellow and green Jericho believers came in around 12:30pm. All in all, I want to say around 150 people were packed into this tent, women on one side men on the other, and most sitting on the ground.
Kate and I sang the only word we knew, “Halleluiah” in one song/chant, and got up and sway “danced” at another song, but were mostly just observers trying not to nod-off. At some point it started raining. I had already cleared it with my family that we would probably not be staying ‘til 7am, when it was suppose to get over. We stayed semi-conscious until around 1am and then asked my sisi if it was a good opportunity to quietly leave. For safety, a few siblings walked Kate and I to her hut. To let them get back to their celebration quicker, I spent the night on Kate’s grass-mat, so they would not have to walk me all the way back to my house. Luckily for us, it was only drizzling at this point.
Just before 7am our bladders acted as an alarm clock. I was the second to run out to Kate’s pit latrine. Somehow I timed it just right, so while I was out there it REALLY started pouring! And then small pieces of hail came down. I could see all of this through the six inch space between the roof and wall of the pit latrine structure, if I stood on my toes. I was stuck. It was a beautiful storm, but not quite the same as watching it from a window in a warm house. A bit colder, wetter, and stinky-er. :-/ I stayed out there for about 5-10minutes, until I could hear the slightest let up in the sheets of rain on the corrugated tin roof and made a dash for it. Insta-soak. No matter though… thanks to the rain, I have been able to put off my laundry and write this exciting account of Saturday night shenanigans in Swaziland. But alas, the sun is back out and the laundry is calling…. Until next time, enjoy your water-proof bathroom. :-P
Same Day 5:12pm
My laundry is finally finished! I could use a wonderful back massage right about now. :-P Instead of getting an amazing back massage, I am boiling some water to make rice. Many people have commented or alluded to the growing worry that I am not able to cook for myself (both Swazi and American). I would like to assure everyone that I am doing very well in the kitchen, thank you! Except for poaching eggs, I am awful at poaching eggs! That is being added to my two year goals: save lives, integrate into a new culture, learn a new language, run a ½ marathon, successfully poach an egg. All very lofty indeed. :-P
On with my stories! Since I started with the most recent, we will work our way back through the week. Yesterday, we found out where we will be located for the two years!! I am going to be living in Ekuphumleni “Eh-goo-poom-leh-nee” which is in the Shiselweni “Shih-sell-weh-nee” region. It is located in the southern most part of Swaziland. I have a picture of my house. It is a cylindrical, one room, thatched roof, cutie. The door frame, and possibly inside, is painted neon green (Scoob- perfect for you!). I guess there is a clinic nearby, but it is pretty set back from a main road. With public transport, it sounds like it will take about 6 hours to get to the capital city and thus the PC Office. I would love to tell you guys more, but I just don’t know anything else yet. I travel there on Sat. (Aug. 8th), and then I will have so much more to tell!! Everything thing I hear, though, is positive, and I am in love with it already! FYI: If I translated it correctly Ekuphumleni means “the place of rest”. Hahaha! Ms. Type A personality, goal oriented, semi-workaholic, busybody is sent to “the place of rest” to work for two years. God certainly has a grasp on irony.
Jumping back into my blogging time machine, last Monday and Tuesday was our field trip! We went to Mbabane first to pick up our cell phones. Mine is nifty, but for some reason the Swazi network will not let me call anyone in the 231 area code. They can call me though. For anyone who does not live in northern Michigan, that covers almost ALL of my family and a ton of friends!!! Very very frustrating. My mother does have my number now, so give her a ring/email to get it (for security reasons I don’t wish to post it).
After cell phones we went to the national museum. It was small and cute. From there we went to, what is now, one of my favorite places in Swaziland! There is a cultural village (very much for tourists, but who cares?) where we walked through traditional huts, had a very entertaining guide, and then saw a traditional dance team perform. It was awesome! At the same location we walked down a path to a very beautiful waterfall. Many pictures were taken. Our travels then landed us in a national game park, but sadly it was almost dark so we could not see many animals. We enjoyed a blazing bon fire, some beverages, and I opted to see some more cultural dancing performed by the park rangers. At this performance I was pulled up to learn the basic moves (mostly stomping in rhythm), among many others, and I had a blast!
The following day I woke early to scout out some animals near our dorms and found some impala and zebras. There were supposedly hippos at this park, but sadly we did not have the time to find them (again, thinking of you Shelby). Back in Piggs Peak, we toured a regional hospital. It was teeny-tiny in comparison to hospitals in the US and struggling, like the entire healthcare system, to combat HIV/AIDS and its aftermath.
***My typing was just interrupted by my bhuti (brother) knocking at my door and offering my Make’s beef stew. Told you everyone is worried about me eating. Needless to say, I am now eating beef stew with my rice, even though I am not a beef fan. :-P ***
After the hospital, we went back to our training center for lunch and a debriefing session. That was the end to our fun field trip. It was wonderful seeing a bit more of the country. Since my permanent site is so far away (literally the polar opposite end) from where we are now, I will be seeing much more of the country within the week!
On that note, I should close this very long-winded, multi-story, blog entry, and eat my food. :-) Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and letters. You all are such a blessing to me, even so far away. Huge hugs!
Zodwa/Darryn
Oh do I have some fun stories for you guys! This has been quite the eventful week, where should I begin my tale? Well, the one that is freshest in my mind is the story of how Darryn/Zodwa became stuck in Kate’s pit latrine just before 7am this morning while it was pouring/hailing/lightening. Rewind- 12hours!
My family invited myself and Kate to a cultural event last night. Our Gogo (grandmother) was holding an all-night vigil service for her “cleansing”. She had been in mourning for her dead husband for two years, wearing black clothes, and last night was the celebration of the end of this period. I was told to be ready to leave at 9pm so we could be there by 10pm when it was suppose to start. Not yet being used to “Swazi time” I was in the house, blanket and warm clothes on, ready to go at 9pm sharp… we left at 10pm and the vigil didn’t actually start until 11:15pm! Remember as the clock ticks during this story that Kate and I ran ~45min at 6am this morning, had a full day of school/placement excitement, and are use to a normal bedtime being around 8:30pm... if coffee is involved… maybe. :-P So as people file into this purple and white striped graduation party/circus tent on my Gogo’s homestead, Kate and I plopped into the plastic chairs hoping and praying that no one would want us to use our exhausted/brain-fried siSwati… fat chance.
We were escorted by a sisi I had not met until that day around to multiple extended family members and friends scattered amongst the busily cooking/preparing women (the men were sitting and chatting separately). We were quite startled to find Kate’s Make in a separate hut with multiple mutilated cow parts butchered and hung on the walls! This cultural adventure was getting started off with a bang! The ceremony finally began with a Zionist church congregation (Gogo and Mkhulu were Zionist), coming in dressed in bright green, blue and white outfits, singing. Then the pastor would preach and awhile later another Zionist congregation (same colors, different outfits) would come in singing. This happened 4 or 5 times. Mostly Zionist congregations, but a troop of bright yellow and green Jericho believers came in around 12:30pm. All in all, I want to say around 150 people were packed into this tent, women on one side men on the other, and most sitting on the ground.
Kate and I sang the only word we knew, “Halleluiah” in one song/chant, and got up and sway “danced” at another song, but were mostly just observers trying not to nod-off. At some point it started raining. I had already cleared it with my family that we would probably not be staying ‘til 7am, when it was suppose to get over. We stayed semi-conscious until around 1am and then asked my sisi if it was a good opportunity to quietly leave. For safety, a few siblings walked Kate and I to her hut. To let them get back to their celebration quicker, I spent the night on Kate’s grass-mat, so they would not have to walk me all the way back to my house. Luckily for us, it was only drizzling at this point.
Just before 7am our bladders acted as an alarm clock. I was the second to run out to Kate’s pit latrine. Somehow I timed it just right, so while I was out there it REALLY started pouring! And then small pieces of hail came down. I could see all of this through the six inch space between the roof and wall of the pit latrine structure, if I stood on my toes. I was stuck. It was a beautiful storm, but not quite the same as watching it from a window in a warm house. A bit colder, wetter, and stinky-er. :-/ I stayed out there for about 5-10minutes, until I could hear the slightest let up in the sheets of rain on the corrugated tin roof and made a dash for it. Insta-soak. No matter though… thanks to the rain, I have been able to put off my laundry and write this exciting account of Saturday night shenanigans in Swaziland. But alas, the sun is back out and the laundry is calling…. Until next time, enjoy your water-proof bathroom. :-P
Same Day 5:12pm
My laundry is finally finished! I could use a wonderful back massage right about now. :-P Instead of getting an amazing back massage, I am boiling some water to make rice. Many people have commented or alluded to the growing worry that I am not able to cook for myself (both Swazi and American). I would like to assure everyone that I am doing very well in the kitchen, thank you! Except for poaching eggs, I am awful at poaching eggs! That is being added to my two year goals: save lives, integrate into a new culture, learn a new language, run a ½ marathon, successfully poach an egg. All very lofty indeed. :-P
On with my stories! Since I started with the most recent, we will work our way back through the week. Yesterday, we found out where we will be located for the two years!! I am going to be living in Ekuphumleni “Eh-goo-poom-leh-nee” which is in the Shiselweni “Shih-sell-weh-nee” region. It is located in the southern most part of Swaziland. I have a picture of my house. It is a cylindrical, one room, thatched roof, cutie. The door frame, and possibly inside, is painted neon green (Scoob- perfect for you!). I guess there is a clinic nearby, but it is pretty set back from a main road. With public transport, it sounds like it will take about 6 hours to get to the capital city and thus the PC Office. I would love to tell you guys more, but I just don’t know anything else yet. I travel there on Sat. (Aug. 8th), and then I will have so much more to tell!! Everything thing I hear, though, is positive, and I am in love with it already! FYI: If I translated it correctly Ekuphumleni means “the place of rest”. Hahaha! Ms. Type A personality, goal oriented, semi-workaholic, busybody is sent to “the place of rest” to work for two years. God certainly has a grasp on irony.
Jumping back into my blogging time machine, last Monday and Tuesday was our field trip! We went to Mbabane first to pick up our cell phones. Mine is nifty, but for some reason the Swazi network will not let me call anyone in the 231 area code. They can call me though. For anyone who does not live in northern Michigan, that covers almost ALL of my family and a ton of friends!!! Very very frustrating. My mother does have my number now, so give her a ring/email to get it (for security reasons I don’t wish to post it).
After cell phones we went to the national museum. It was small and cute. From there we went to, what is now, one of my favorite places in Swaziland! There is a cultural village (very much for tourists, but who cares?) where we walked through traditional huts, had a very entertaining guide, and then saw a traditional dance team perform. It was awesome! At the same location we walked down a path to a very beautiful waterfall. Many pictures were taken. Our travels then landed us in a national game park, but sadly it was almost dark so we could not see many animals. We enjoyed a blazing bon fire, some beverages, and I opted to see some more cultural dancing performed by the park rangers. At this performance I was pulled up to learn the basic moves (mostly stomping in rhythm), among many others, and I had a blast!
The following day I woke early to scout out some animals near our dorms and found some impala and zebras. There were supposedly hippos at this park, but sadly we did not have the time to find them (again, thinking of you Shelby). Back in Piggs Peak, we toured a regional hospital. It was teeny-tiny in comparison to hospitals in the US and struggling, like the entire healthcare system, to combat HIV/AIDS and its aftermath.
***My typing was just interrupted by my bhuti (brother) knocking at my door and offering my Make’s beef stew. Told you everyone is worried about me eating. Needless to say, I am now eating beef stew with my rice, even though I am not a beef fan. :-P ***
After the hospital, we went back to our training center for lunch and a debriefing session. That was the end to our fun field trip. It was wonderful seeing a bit more of the country. Since my permanent site is so far away (literally the polar opposite end) from where we are now, I will be seeing much more of the country within the week!
On that note, I should close this very long-winded, multi-story, blog entry, and eat my food. :-) Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and letters. You all are such a blessing to me, even so far away. Huge hugs!
Zodwa/Darryn
Friday, July 24, 2009
Phophonyane Falls & All Day Tests!
July 23rd, 2009 6:15pm
First I have to retract the praise I gave the mail system in my last post. I have been so very fortunate to receive many more wonderful letters from family and friends, but not all that I know are out there. I just received some letters sent around the first of July and #3 of Scott’s and #2 of Mom’s are MIA! They will no doubt arrive sometime in the near future, but shucks.
Last Sunday (July 19th) some of us trainees decided to explore the beautiful country around us. We saw signs on our way to Pigg’s Peak (nearest shopping town) for “Phophonyane Falls 4.4K” with an arrow. Of course we had to check that out! It was a wonderful get-away! After a kumbi (van-taxi) trip to the sign, we walked the 4.4K and found a lodge nestled in the forest. It cost us some money to use the hiking trails, but we didn’t care – we were on vacation, even if it was only for a couple hours. The hike/rock climb/monkey spotting adventure was absolutely amazing! We spent a couple hours hiking, then lounged around (a couple went in) the freezing rock pool made by water being routed from the falls. Surrounded by all of the natural beauty and splendor, I am pretty sure we became giddier for the lunch back at the lodge than the location. I had veggie pizza (with extra cheese), chilled white wine, and ice cream!!!!! This may not sound impressive, and by American standards the food was par, but to us it was heaven on earth! Our mini-vacation/adventurous exploration was a HUGE success!
Today was quite the opposite from the peaceful retreat at the water falls this past weekend. It was stress city as we completed our full day of testing! I started the day with my Language Proficiency Interview. Yuck. It is a twenty minute conversation in siSwati; it is recorded; it is graded; it sucked! I went in prepared with five pictures of you wonderful people and phrases/questions to accompany them. I had rehearsed and practiced with my host family who keeps telling me I need to be “number 1”. Within two minutes the tester looked at my pictures, put them down, covered them with his cards, and started drilling me with questions at a very rapid succession! My head was swimming, and I am sure it took me at least a couple hours to recover from the experience. I passed, but I am not looking forward to the same experience in one month! The rest of the tests today were easy in comparison and I celebrated its completion with a whole pot of popcorn this evening. J
Included in the Round Robin of events today were cell phone selection and site placement interviews. I should be receiving my cell phone this coming Monday… if everything works according to schedule (remember I work for the government now). They said I may even be able to access the internet on it for a fee-per-page ; we will see. A fellow PCT informed us about a calling system over the internet that might be considerably cheaper and less hassle than calling cards. It is called “PINGO”. Look that up on the internet. You use it like a calling card, with dialing numbers on the land line and such, but you can put more and more minutes on through the internet. Someone please look into that and then explain it my parents (thanks :-)).
During the site placement interview they ask if you have any working/living preferences. I said that I prioritized water over electricity and I would like my skills (nursing and theatre) to be used as much as possible. One of the officers said, “So you want to be useful and have clean water”. And I said, “yup”. Now I know I will be hearing from my Dad on this one, but I told them I didn’t mind being off the beaten path (near a tar road) or being in an extremely hot/cold place. I gave my placement to God. I want to go where I am needed the most, not just where I will be the most comfortable. Any and all sites will have pros and cons. We will find out on Aug. 1st and travel to them for On the Job Training Aug. 8th. I am very VERY excited to find out where I will be for two years!
Lastly, before I take off for school (because my computer ran out of juice last night and I am now charging it at a friend’s who has electricity), I want to relay my long awaited care package list. My family had been hounding me before I left about things they could send. I didn’t know then, but I have a few ideas now a month in to this adventure. Random as this list might be, they are things that may be nice to get once in awhile.
Care Package Wish List
1. Beef/Soy Jerk, Chicken/Tuna cans or packs (without refrigeration meat and thus protein is a big treat!)
2. Crystal light
3. Music/Pictures/New movies (especially pics of what you are all up to – I want my walls to be covered at my new place!)
4. Coffee!!!! And maybe fun mugs. Ricoffee is a horrible instant coffee that is the only option near us and good coffee is supposedly out of our price range when we do find it) I will splurge on a French press if I get some coffee grounds!
5. Teeny tiny rubber bands (this is so I can get my hair braided, NOT CORNROWED – that only lasted a week)
6. Non-refrigerated cheese – I hear it exists!
7. Popcorn seasonings :-P I am going to go through mine very quickly
8. Practical good quality kitchen supplies! I would love (maybe b-day mom?) a good non-stick frying pan and spatula… fried eggs have been impossible thus far. Baby silverware is always good. ;-)
9. Mom: Franklin Planner pages for 2010?
10. Anything that you want to send to Africa, including new clothes (already tired of my ten outfits) and yummies!
11. Get PINGO minutes so you can talk to me soon!
12. Aunt Maine/Grandpa: I am going to miss the beautiful colors of Michigan in the fall. If at all possible, would you and Grandpa lead the project of collecting colorful leaves, laminating them, and sending them to me? I know that won’t happen for a couple months, but I will forget if I don’t ask now.
Love you all ten million tons! Hope everything is going splendidly. I am running with Kate to the school here now. OH! I am going to do a ½ marathon in Cape Town in April 2010!! Crazy, I know. :-) Got to get running! (Running tanks with pockets in the back for water would also be a great item!)
Hugs,
Zodwa/Darryn
First I have to retract the praise I gave the mail system in my last post. I have been so very fortunate to receive many more wonderful letters from family and friends, but not all that I know are out there. I just received some letters sent around the first of July and #3 of Scott’s and #2 of Mom’s are MIA! They will no doubt arrive sometime in the near future, but shucks.
Last Sunday (July 19th) some of us trainees decided to explore the beautiful country around us. We saw signs on our way to Pigg’s Peak (nearest shopping town) for “Phophonyane Falls 4.4K” with an arrow. Of course we had to check that out! It was a wonderful get-away! After a kumbi (van-taxi) trip to the sign, we walked the 4.4K and found a lodge nestled in the forest. It cost us some money to use the hiking trails, but we didn’t care – we were on vacation, even if it was only for a couple hours. The hike/rock climb/monkey spotting adventure was absolutely amazing! We spent a couple hours hiking, then lounged around (a couple went in) the freezing rock pool made by water being routed from the falls. Surrounded by all of the natural beauty and splendor, I am pretty sure we became giddier for the lunch back at the lodge than the location. I had veggie pizza (with extra cheese), chilled white wine, and ice cream!!!!! This may not sound impressive, and by American standards the food was par, but to us it was heaven on earth! Our mini-vacation/adventurous exploration was a HUGE success!
Today was quite the opposite from the peaceful retreat at the water falls this past weekend. It was stress city as we completed our full day of testing! I started the day with my Language Proficiency Interview. Yuck. It is a twenty minute conversation in siSwati; it is recorded; it is graded; it sucked! I went in prepared with five pictures of you wonderful people and phrases/questions to accompany them. I had rehearsed and practiced with my host family who keeps telling me I need to be “number 1”. Within two minutes the tester looked at my pictures, put them down, covered them with his cards, and started drilling me with questions at a very rapid succession! My head was swimming, and I am sure it took me at least a couple hours to recover from the experience. I passed, but I am not looking forward to the same experience in one month! The rest of the tests today were easy in comparison and I celebrated its completion with a whole pot of popcorn this evening. J
Included in the Round Robin of events today were cell phone selection and site placement interviews. I should be receiving my cell phone this coming Monday… if everything works according to schedule (remember I work for the government now). They said I may even be able to access the internet on it for a fee-per-page ; we will see. A fellow PCT informed us about a calling system over the internet that might be considerably cheaper and less hassle than calling cards. It is called “PINGO”. Look that up on the internet. You use it like a calling card, with dialing numbers on the land line and such, but you can put more and more minutes on through the internet. Someone please look into that and then explain it my parents (thanks :-)).
During the site placement interview they ask if you have any working/living preferences. I said that I prioritized water over electricity and I would like my skills (nursing and theatre) to be used as much as possible. One of the officers said, “So you want to be useful and have clean water”. And I said, “yup”. Now I know I will be hearing from my Dad on this one, but I told them I didn’t mind being off the beaten path (near a tar road) or being in an extremely hot/cold place. I gave my placement to God. I want to go where I am needed the most, not just where I will be the most comfortable. Any and all sites will have pros and cons. We will find out on Aug. 1st and travel to them for On the Job Training Aug. 8th. I am very VERY excited to find out where I will be for two years!
Lastly, before I take off for school (because my computer ran out of juice last night and I am now charging it at a friend’s who has electricity), I want to relay my long awaited care package list. My family had been hounding me before I left about things they could send. I didn’t know then, but I have a few ideas now a month in to this adventure. Random as this list might be, they are things that may be nice to get once in awhile.
Care Package Wish List
1. Beef/Soy Jerk, Chicken/Tuna cans or packs (without refrigeration meat and thus protein is a big treat!)
2. Crystal light
3. Music/Pictures/New movies (especially pics of what you are all up to – I want my walls to be covered at my new place!)
4. Coffee!!!! And maybe fun mugs. Ricoffee is a horrible instant coffee that is the only option near us and good coffee is supposedly out of our price range when we do find it) I will splurge on a French press if I get some coffee grounds!
5. Teeny tiny rubber bands (this is so I can get my hair braided, NOT CORNROWED – that only lasted a week)
6. Non-refrigerated cheese – I hear it exists!
7. Popcorn seasonings :-P I am going to go through mine very quickly
8. Practical good quality kitchen supplies! I would love (maybe b-day mom?) a good non-stick frying pan and spatula… fried eggs have been impossible thus far. Baby silverware is always good. ;-)
9. Mom: Franklin Planner pages for 2010?
10. Anything that you want to send to Africa, including new clothes (already tired of my ten outfits) and yummies!
11. Get PINGO minutes so you can talk to me soon!
12. Aunt Maine/Grandpa: I am going to miss the beautiful colors of Michigan in the fall. If at all possible, would you and Grandpa lead the project of collecting colorful leaves, laminating them, and sending them to me? I know that won’t happen for a couple months, but I will forget if I don’t ask now.
Love you all ten million tons! Hope everything is going splendidly. I am running with Kate to the school here now. OH! I am going to do a ½ marathon in Cape Town in April 2010!! Crazy, I know. :-) Got to get running! (Running tanks with pockets in the back for water would also be a great item!)
Hugs,
Zodwa/Darryn
Corn-Rows and Aunt Maine’s Q&A
Monday July 13th 8pm
My hair is in corn-rows! I just thought that should be the first update of this blog entry, since it is by far the most ridiculous, interesting, hilarious, cultural integration activity I have performed thus far! My sisi and her friend offered to braid Kate’s and my hair. We thought the small braids were really neat so we agreed to it. Once the girls realized our hair would not stay braided without small rubber bands (like we tried to tell them earlier) they decided to try corn-rows. We didn’t refuse thinking it would be rude… now, for the next two weeks, we will try not to burn our scalps and enjoy the fact (and try not to think about the fact) that we can’t bucket bathe our hair. Pictures are certainly being taken; I just don’t know when I can come in contact with an internet connection that is fast enough to load them (probably end of Aug in Mbabane). All of the Swazis I met since changing my look really seem to sincerely like it. Kate and I, on the other hand, decided that white girls just shouldn’t have corn-rows… another lesson learned in Africa.
Thank you for the letters! I have received three now (Mom, Dad, & Maine). It seems to take around two weeks (give or take) for me to get them. My friends are already jealous of my letter-writing family/friends in eMelika (America). :-)
I LOVE all of the questions my Aunt Charmaine posed in her letter, so I would like to take some time to answer them (instead of studying siSwati like a good girl). Hope they answer some of your questions too!
1. What is the temperature?
Being in the southern hemisphere, it is winter here right now! That means it may get into the 40s/50s at night and around 70 during the day. There are some places in Swaziland that are higher in altitude and are a bit colder, as well as some places that are lower and stay a bit warmer. In the summer (Oct-April) it can reach 110-120 degrees in some spots!
2. What are you eating?
Just a few days ago I received my PC issued gas stove and dishes. They are all really crappy quality, but this will just give me more of an excuse for why my food is so bad. J Before that I was eating with my family. Starch, starch, starch!! They eat a lot of maize meal (corn) made multiple ways, beans, potatoes, yams, some veggies, and rice. All of these are made over a campfire in small metal pots. My family has a freezer, but no refrigerator. There is no oven, but PC showed us how to create a “dutch oven” with a large pot. I may purchase one of these once I get to my permanent site, but for now there is no baking. It is orange and avocado season here now, so those are yummy treats. Now that I am cooking for myself, anything is possible… sort of. :-) My Swazi family is already worried about me not eating. They sent a little brother to my door with food the other day! No one has faith in my cooking skill! Haha.
3. Are you longing for a Whopper?
I didn’t eat much fast food so not so much the whopper… but my friend Rachel mentioned Pizza and a good beer the other day, which made my mouth water.
4. Tell us all about the Animals! Are there dogs and cats?
Cows are everywhere!!! They just roam all over the homesteads, so walking the two-tracks to get to school is more of a Cow-pie Obstacle Course! There are dogs and cats on almost all homesteads, but they are treated much differently than in the States. They serve a purpose and function as rodent killing guards and not as “man’s best friend”. My family also has chickens, roosters, and goats. There are two baby goats that make my day when I come home from school and they are playing on my door step! There is a rumor that there are crocodiles down by the river, but we have not validated that yet. Needless to say, we aren’t going for a swim anytime soon. Luckily the snakes are hibernating during this cold season… not so much looking forward to meeting them. :-/ And I have spotted at least one lizard bee-bopping around my walls.
5. What kind of bugs do they have there?
All kinds! I am becoming an expert bug squasher! Shelby – skip to the next question. J I have large spiders, tons of ants, crickets (that try to keep me up at night), cockroaches (only saw one in the main house), and quite a few un-identifiables. The larger the bug the bigger the book or shoe I use. Everything in the states seems to have a monster-sized cousin over here! I am talking grasshoppers the size of my hand (pics on the way)!! There will probably come a point where I don’t even flinch when I see a bug that is living with me, but for now they all have death wishes.
6. What kind of plants do they grow there?
I really don’t know all of the different kinds of plants! My family had a potted plant in my room when I arrived. I asked my sister what it was, and she just said it is a “flower”. I have no idea. There are tropical fruits, aloe plants, palm trees (which will be hugged at some point, Dad – I promise), pines, lots of corn, and many I cannot label.
7. What do people do for entertainment? Do they have TVs?
It seems like all of the boys play Soccer, the older men drink alcohol, and the women/children do chores/talk. J Everyone is home by dark (6pm), and I have spent a few nights talking around the campfire with family and neighbors. Those who have electricity (like my family) usually have a tv. The freezer and tv are the only two electronics I have seen in the house, though. The TV stations all come out of South Africa and are hilarious. “Jika Majika” is a dance-off competition show that everyone LOVES here! It is sooooo funny to watch. They also like their “soapies” (Soap Operas). The two most popular are the “Young and the Restless” and “Generations”. While I was in the house the other night X-Men 2 or 3 was playing, and they were all surprised I had seen it before. Try explaining why there are blue people with special powers in a movie using limited English/siSwati! My family also watches a lot of African gospel music programs.
8. How do you wash your clothes?
It is quite the process! They wash clothes once a week, usually on Saturday. We use basins filled with cold water and “green bar”, which literally is a big green bar of soap. This soap is used for everything –clothes, dishes, bathing, floors, etc. When I was my clothes, I usually have an audience! My make (mother) or sisi (sister) give me directions like “Add more soap” or “stronger hands”. Last weekend I even had a neighbor lady, who I had never met, stick her hands in my dirty clothes and try to help teach the silly white girl who doesn’t even know how to wash clothes. J
9. What source of heat do they have?
There is no heat in the houses, unless they have an indoor fire for cooking. Even then fire wood is too much work to keep a fire going for heating purposes. I am comfortable sleeping under a couple big blankets with a layer of cuddle duds under my pjs. Bucket bathing in the morning though is chilly-willy!
10. What are the seasons? How much rain do you get?
We do have seasons, but not quite like Michigan. From what I understand, we are in the few months of “winter” (cold and dry). Starting about the end of August it warms up and a rainy season comes. It has only rained one night since I have been here, and everything turned to mud. That should be fun. Some families collect the rain water for drinking/bathing purposes, but there is certainly not enough for that to be the only source of water. Some people have big tanks that get filled by a delivery company, but mostly people wheelbarrow/carry 25L jugs to the nearest tap (which is hopefully working that day). When I accompanied my sisi to fetch water the other day it took about 25min to walk there and it was uphill! Better to be uphill there, then back. It is a ground well that produces slightly brown tinted water. We have to boil, cool, filter, and bleach treat the water before we can drink it.
11. Are there bananas and monkeys?
Yes to the bananas (had a pb and banana sandwich for lunch today) and I have yet to see the monkeys that are certainly here. Unless of course you consider the 33 crazy PCVs! :-)
Hope these answered some of your questions too! Please feel free to ask anything you would like to know!! Again, thanks for the letters. Huge hugs and kisses!
My hair is in corn-rows! I just thought that should be the first update of this blog entry, since it is by far the most ridiculous, interesting, hilarious, cultural integration activity I have performed thus far! My sisi and her friend offered to braid Kate’s and my hair. We thought the small braids were really neat so we agreed to it. Once the girls realized our hair would not stay braided without small rubber bands (like we tried to tell them earlier) they decided to try corn-rows. We didn’t refuse thinking it would be rude… now, for the next two weeks, we will try not to burn our scalps and enjoy the fact (and try not to think about the fact) that we can’t bucket bathe our hair. Pictures are certainly being taken; I just don’t know when I can come in contact with an internet connection that is fast enough to load them (probably end of Aug in Mbabane). All of the Swazis I met since changing my look really seem to sincerely like it. Kate and I, on the other hand, decided that white girls just shouldn’t have corn-rows… another lesson learned in Africa.
Thank you for the letters! I have received three now (Mom, Dad, & Maine). It seems to take around two weeks (give or take) for me to get them. My friends are already jealous of my letter-writing family/friends in eMelika (America). :-)
I LOVE all of the questions my Aunt Charmaine posed in her letter, so I would like to take some time to answer them (instead of studying siSwati like a good girl). Hope they answer some of your questions too!
1. What is the temperature?
Being in the southern hemisphere, it is winter here right now! That means it may get into the 40s/50s at night and around 70 during the day. There are some places in Swaziland that are higher in altitude and are a bit colder, as well as some places that are lower and stay a bit warmer. In the summer (Oct-April) it can reach 110-120 degrees in some spots!
2. What are you eating?
Just a few days ago I received my PC issued gas stove and dishes. They are all really crappy quality, but this will just give me more of an excuse for why my food is so bad. J Before that I was eating with my family. Starch, starch, starch!! They eat a lot of maize meal (corn) made multiple ways, beans, potatoes, yams, some veggies, and rice. All of these are made over a campfire in small metal pots. My family has a freezer, but no refrigerator. There is no oven, but PC showed us how to create a “dutch oven” with a large pot. I may purchase one of these once I get to my permanent site, but for now there is no baking. It is orange and avocado season here now, so those are yummy treats. Now that I am cooking for myself, anything is possible… sort of. :-) My Swazi family is already worried about me not eating. They sent a little brother to my door with food the other day! No one has faith in my cooking skill! Haha.
3. Are you longing for a Whopper?
I didn’t eat much fast food so not so much the whopper… but my friend Rachel mentioned Pizza and a good beer the other day, which made my mouth water.
4. Tell us all about the Animals! Are there dogs and cats?
Cows are everywhere!!! They just roam all over the homesteads, so walking the two-tracks to get to school is more of a Cow-pie Obstacle Course! There are dogs and cats on almost all homesteads, but they are treated much differently than in the States. They serve a purpose and function as rodent killing guards and not as “man’s best friend”. My family also has chickens, roosters, and goats. There are two baby goats that make my day when I come home from school and they are playing on my door step! There is a rumor that there are crocodiles down by the river, but we have not validated that yet. Needless to say, we aren’t going for a swim anytime soon. Luckily the snakes are hibernating during this cold season… not so much looking forward to meeting them. :-/ And I have spotted at least one lizard bee-bopping around my walls.
5. What kind of bugs do they have there?
All kinds! I am becoming an expert bug squasher! Shelby – skip to the next question. J I have large spiders, tons of ants, crickets (that try to keep me up at night), cockroaches (only saw one in the main house), and quite a few un-identifiables. The larger the bug the bigger the book or shoe I use. Everything in the states seems to have a monster-sized cousin over here! I am talking grasshoppers the size of my hand (pics on the way)!! There will probably come a point where I don’t even flinch when I see a bug that is living with me, but for now they all have death wishes.
6. What kind of plants do they grow there?
I really don’t know all of the different kinds of plants! My family had a potted plant in my room when I arrived. I asked my sister what it was, and she just said it is a “flower”. I have no idea. There are tropical fruits, aloe plants, palm trees (which will be hugged at some point, Dad – I promise), pines, lots of corn, and many I cannot label.
7. What do people do for entertainment? Do they have TVs?
It seems like all of the boys play Soccer, the older men drink alcohol, and the women/children do chores/talk. J Everyone is home by dark (6pm), and I have spent a few nights talking around the campfire with family and neighbors. Those who have electricity (like my family) usually have a tv. The freezer and tv are the only two electronics I have seen in the house, though. The TV stations all come out of South Africa and are hilarious. “Jika Majika” is a dance-off competition show that everyone LOVES here! It is sooooo funny to watch. They also like their “soapies” (Soap Operas). The two most popular are the “Young and the Restless” and “Generations”. While I was in the house the other night X-Men 2 or 3 was playing, and they were all surprised I had seen it before. Try explaining why there are blue people with special powers in a movie using limited English/siSwati! My family also watches a lot of African gospel music programs.
8. How do you wash your clothes?
It is quite the process! They wash clothes once a week, usually on Saturday. We use basins filled with cold water and “green bar”, which literally is a big green bar of soap. This soap is used for everything –clothes, dishes, bathing, floors, etc. When I was my clothes, I usually have an audience! My make (mother) or sisi (sister) give me directions like “Add more soap” or “stronger hands”. Last weekend I even had a neighbor lady, who I had never met, stick her hands in my dirty clothes and try to help teach the silly white girl who doesn’t even know how to wash clothes. J
9. What source of heat do they have?
There is no heat in the houses, unless they have an indoor fire for cooking. Even then fire wood is too much work to keep a fire going for heating purposes. I am comfortable sleeping under a couple big blankets with a layer of cuddle duds under my pjs. Bucket bathing in the morning though is chilly-willy!
10. What are the seasons? How much rain do you get?
We do have seasons, but not quite like Michigan. From what I understand, we are in the few months of “winter” (cold and dry). Starting about the end of August it warms up and a rainy season comes. It has only rained one night since I have been here, and everything turned to mud. That should be fun. Some families collect the rain water for drinking/bathing purposes, but there is certainly not enough for that to be the only source of water. Some people have big tanks that get filled by a delivery company, but mostly people wheelbarrow/carry 25L jugs to the nearest tap (which is hopefully working that day). When I accompanied my sisi to fetch water the other day it took about 25min to walk there and it was uphill! Better to be uphill there, then back. It is a ground well that produces slightly brown tinted water. We have to boil, cool, filter, and bleach treat the water before we can drink it.
11. Are there bananas and monkeys?
Yes to the bananas (had a pb and banana sandwich for lunch today) and I have yet to see the monkeys that are certainly here. Unless of course you consider the 33 crazy PCVs! :-)
Hope these answered some of your questions too! Please feel free to ask anything you would like to know!! Again, thanks for the letters. Huge hugs and kisses!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Orphan to HUGE Family!
9:03pm Sunday July 5, 2009
So obviously my attempt at keeping you all updated with the blogging medium failed miserably the first time. I am keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow. I figured out how to save these files so that the old computers at the “internet café” can upload and read them. Unless you guys can interpret hieroglyphics/windows error boxes, then I can keep them as is. J
So much has happened in the last week or so that I really don’t know where to begin. On Wed. July 1st we were all going to meet our host families for lunch at the training center and then travel home with them for the remaining two months of training. Our LCFs (Language & Cultural Facilitators –aka Swazi teachers – fyi there are WAY too many acronyms in the PC) introduced us to our new parents one by one. After everyone had been paired, I was left standing alone… my make (“mah-geh”, mother) had not arrived yet. I joked with the LCFs that stood with me waiting that I was an orphan. They assured me that this was, no doubt, my first lesson in “Swazi time” and that my make was probably on her way. I was hoping and praying it was not a bad omen.
Sure enough, she came and adopted me into the extensive Mamba family by giving me a Swazi name: Zodwa. Every name in the culture has meaning to it. Mine means “only” or “exclusively”, and in a longer version means, “only girls”! It was chosen because my family has many daughters and only one son! How perfect! Shelb – it is just you and me! J Needless to say, I love it. And unless my permanent host family insists on giving me another name, I will be Zodwa for the next two years.
As per PC standards, I live in my own single room building with a locked door. My part of the homestead does not have electricity, but the main house does. I have my own bed, a grass matt, small table/desk, and chair. The floor and walls are cement and the ceiling is tin sheets. Listening to it rain last night was certainly an orchestra percussion section. J I have jumped in head first to the “really” PC experience from that, what now seems, cozy “Swazi camp” experience. My bucket bathing, pit latrine/pee bucket usage, water filtering, candle lighting, campfire cooking, water fetching, big spider/ant squashing, siSwati 24/7 learning, and culture shock experiencing past few days makes it seem like I have been here at least a month! I don’t mean that in a bad way, just that I have learned so much so quickly it does not seem possible we have been here such a short time!
Yesterday I celebrated July 4th with around 60 Americans and 30 Swazis (Happy Belated 4th everyone!! Kevan- hope you still have all of your fingers!). There was an official “Welcome Ceremony” for the seventh group of PC Trainees (that is me J ). A dignitary from the region (Hhohho – pronounced like Santa Clause would do it) and the stand-in Ambassador from the American Embassy were a couple among many high-ups there to celebrate. My favorite part was when the representative from the embassy read Obhama’s 4th of July letter. I had a feeling that is pretty much indescribable. I wanted to take a picture, but I realized I needed to “live” that moment instead of trying to poorly “capture” it. After talking to a couple more volunteers about it, we realized that there may be many things we sooooo want to relay to you (experiences, views, feelings, moments, etc) that are impossible to explain. I am really sorry for this.
Anyway, today was our first unscheduled day. We are quickly realizing that Sundays will continue to be our only “free” day, and that definition is not very accurate. I got to sleep in ‘til 7am! Then I needed to get my clothes washed (by hand in cold water) before church at 11am. My host family is a part of an Anglican church within walking distance. The service was three hours long, and the only words I could pick out were Christ, Jesus, God, thank you, our, and Zodwa. The first three were obviously repeated a few times, but it was quite a draining ordeal. I did get to sing though! About 1/3 of the songs were written in a book. I pronounced everything wrong and didn’t really know what I was saying, but gosh-darn-it I was participating!
After church the closest PCT to my homestead (there are only about 4-5 within ½ hour walking distance) came and found me. We decided to tell our wonderful, but overly attentive, host families that we were going to do homework and then left. At first our activity of choice was to watch “Pride and Prejudice” on my computer. Dad – I instantly thought of you. J Within ten. minutes, though, we decided to turn it off! Again, this is something I can’t articulate, but it felt so wrong to be watching a movie in Africa. It felt sort of like part of me was being transported back to America, while the majority was sitting in a one room thatch hut. It was very disorienting and neither myself nor Kate liked the feeling, so we turned it off. After a few minutes of discussion we diagnosed ourselves with text book “culture shock”. Go figure. How many trips have I been on and it is Swaziland, Africa that finally gives me culture shock. So what did we do with our new found emotional/mental instability??? We went looking for others with the same thing!! Hahaha. It became a dominos game: Kate found me, we found another couple, and they knew of yet another volunteer’s residence. Yay to normal socializing!
This was quite fun (and therapeutic J ), and before we knew it the sun was setting and I was a ways away from home. Now worries all, I got there safely, but not before a very concerned, protective, loving, new mother sent out the sibling squad to find me. I realized all mothers are the same, no matter what continent. I love you, Mom – and I am safe. Haha.
I really do feel like I am starting to become a part of the family. Swazis are so wonderfully hospitable! Southern American hospitality does not come CLOSE to Swazi hospitality! I am considered a part of the Mamba family in the community now. I am called sisi, and they are insulted if I do not eat 3 lbs of food at every meal! So much for the African diet being good for my figure! All in all, I am very blessed to be where I am (beautiful country), with the family I have (ridiculously gracious), and working toward learning how to make a difference for these wonderful people.
Having said that, I am going to hit the sack and pray that this can be posted tomorrow. I love and miss you all tons!
Hugs & Kisses,
Zodwa
So obviously my attempt at keeping you all updated with the blogging medium failed miserably the first time. I am keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow. I figured out how to save these files so that the old computers at the “internet café” can upload and read them. Unless you guys can interpret hieroglyphics/windows error boxes, then I can keep them as is. J
So much has happened in the last week or so that I really don’t know where to begin. On Wed. July 1st we were all going to meet our host families for lunch at the training center and then travel home with them for the remaining two months of training. Our LCFs (Language & Cultural Facilitators –aka Swazi teachers – fyi there are WAY too many acronyms in the PC) introduced us to our new parents one by one. After everyone had been paired, I was left standing alone… my make (“mah-geh”, mother) had not arrived yet. I joked with the LCFs that stood with me waiting that I was an orphan. They assured me that this was, no doubt, my first lesson in “Swazi time” and that my make was probably on her way. I was hoping and praying it was not a bad omen.
Sure enough, she came and adopted me into the extensive Mamba family by giving me a Swazi name: Zodwa. Every name in the culture has meaning to it. Mine means “only” or “exclusively”, and in a longer version means, “only girls”! It was chosen because my family has many daughters and only one son! How perfect! Shelb – it is just you and me! J Needless to say, I love it. And unless my permanent host family insists on giving me another name, I will be Zodwa for the next two years.
As per PC standards, I live in my own single room building with a locked door. My part of the homestead does not have electricity, but the main house does. I have my own bed, a grass matt, small table/desk, and chair. The floor and walls are cement and the ceiling is tin sheets. Listening to it rain last night was certainly an orchestra percussion section. J I have jumped in head first to the “really” PC experience from that, what now seems, cozy “Swazi camp” experience. My bucket bathing, pit latrine/pee bucket usage, water filtering, candle lighting, campfire cooking, water fetching, big spider/ant squashing, siSwati 24/7 learning, and culture shock experiencing past few days makes it seem like I have been here at least a month! I don’t mean that in a bad way, just that I have learned so much so quickly it does not seem possible we have been here such a short time!
Yesterday I celebrated July 4th with around 60 Americans and 30 Swazis (Happy Belated 4th everyone!! Kevan- hope you still have all of your fingers!). There was an official “Welcome Ceremony” for the seventh group of PC Trainees (that is me J ). A dignitary from the region (Hhohho – pronounced like Santa Clause would do it) and the stand-in Ambassador from the American Embassy were a couple among many high-ups there to celebrate. My favorite part was when the representative from the embassy read Obhama’s 4th of July letter. I had a feeling that is pretty much indescribable. I wanted to take a picture, but I realized I needed to “live” that moment instead of trying to poorly “capture” it. After talking to a couple more volunteers about it, we realized that there may be many things we sooooo want to relay to you (experiences, views, feelings, moments, etc) that are impossible to explain. I am really sorry for this.
Anyway, today was our first unscheduled day. We are quickly realizing that Sundays will continue to be our only “free” day, and that definition is not very accurate. I got to sleep in ‘til 7am! Then I needed to get my clothes washed (by hand in cold water) before church at 11am. My host family is a part of an Anglican church within walking distance. The service was three hours long, and the only words I could pick out were Christ, Jesus, God, thank you, our, and Zodwa. The first three were obviously repeated a few times, but it was quite a draining ordeal. I did get to sing though! About 1/3 of the songs were written in a book. I pronounced everything wrong and didn’t really know what I was saying, but gosh-darn-it I was participating!
After church the closest PCT to my homestead (there are only about 4-5 within ½ hour walking distance) came and found me. We decided to tell our wonderful, but overly attentive, host families that we were going to do homework and then left. At first our activity of choice was to watch “Pride and Prejudice” on my computer. Dad – I instantly thought of you. J Within ten. minutes, though, we decided to turn it off! Again, this is something I can’t articulate, but it felt so wrong to be watching a movie in Africa. It felt sort of like part of me was being transported back to America, while the majority was sitting in a one room thatch hut. It was very disorienting and neither myself nor Kate liked the feeling, so we turned it off. After a few minutes of discussion we diagnosed ourselves with text book “culture shock”. Go figure. How many trips have I been on and it is Swaziland, Africa that finally gives me culture shock. So what did we do with our new found emotional/mental instability??? We went looking for others with the same thing!! Hahaha. It became a dominos game: Kate found me, we found another couple, and they knew of yet another volunteer’s residence. Yay to normal socializing!
This was quite fun (and therapeutic J ), and before we knew it the sun was setting and I was a ways away from home. Now worries all, I got there safely, but not before a very concerned, protective, loving, new mother sent out the sibling squad to find me. I realized all mothers are the same, no matter what continent. I love you, Mom – and I am safe. Haha.
I really do feel like I am starting to become a part of the family. Swazis are so wonderfully hospitable! Southern American hospitality does not come CLOSE to Swazi hospitality! I am considered a part of the Mamba family in the community now. I am called sisi, and they are insulted if I do not eat 3 lbs of food at every meal! So much for the African diet being good for my figure! All in all, I am very blessed to be where I am (beautiful country), with the family I have (ridiculously gracious), and working toward learning how to make a difference for these wonderful people.
Having said that, I am going to hit the sack and pray that this can be posted tomorrow. I love and miss you all tons!
Hugs & Kisses,
Zodwa
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