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!