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