Saturday, November 8, 2014

An Adventure a Day


       Since our last meeting I have been busy in the Kingdom of Swaziland.  Well as busy as we can get living here as a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer).  I was able to teach a few life skills classes with the students at the high school, conduct interviews and surveys to learn more about my community, completed our IST (In-Service Training), and started the planning stages of some projects to introduce in my community and the schools.  There has been a pig roast, farewell party at the high school with lots of dancing and singing, playing card games with my bhuti “brother” that I don’t understand, and the private screening of Frozen in my hut with my bobhuti “brother’s” and sisi “sister”.  Everyday is an adventure, everyday is something new and everyday is a learning experience.
         The relationships continue to grow in my community and I am feeling more comfortable with my work, my family and the community.  I think the more you accept that in-order to live and learn, we need to be uncomfortable, this creates more of a sense of comfort for us at the end of the day.  I never know what to expect when I wake up each day, but I know that God prepares the way for me and that whatever I set out to do he has prepared that path for me.  It can be from the days I just ask Him for smooth and safe travels to Manzini, that the bus arrives that day, to the days when I walk to the school and ask Him to bring me just one person today.  Sometimes He decides though that someone is going to teach me something that day, the young child running by me saying “Hello Celimbilo” as the bell rings at the school, or my Babe “father” yelling outside my door just to ask me how I am at 8pm at night.  I enjoy every moment of it and have to just thank God everyday that this is real life.
         It has been almost 5 months now that I have left home to start this adventure here in the Kingdom of Swaziland (maybe a little history lesson and culture lesson is in store for Swaziland in the next blog), time has been flying by and sometimes I don’t know if 2 years is enough time.  A little bit on some things we are working on with the schools and my community are boys and girls clubs, getting a library together, income generating projects with my family and the community, and good hygiene practices.  That could all change tomorrow though so I just continue to ride this ride.  You cannot force something and do things the way we Americans think things should be done, it also takes 100 times longer to get something done here, it’s just the Swazi way.  I kind of like it, “if it can be done today, it usually can be done tomorrow.”  It holds some truth to it. 
         On the PCV side of things we celebrated our 1st successful Halloween here in Swaziland, the people here don’t understand this holiday, but neither do we really.  It was held at a local backpackers lodge near Mbabane (the country capital) with almost all 100 of us volunteers who are in country right now.  Our first and only hopefully IST (In-Service Training) was completed and was a good way to get re-motivated to go back to our communities “guns blazing” typical American style…that didn’t last long.  Nonetheless, it was all great information for us to help in our communities.  Thanksgiving planning has begun and will be hosted by our CD (Country Director) at his house with all the volunteers.  Christmas is in the works currently and spending the holidays together as a volunteer community and family.  New Years is going to be spent sitting on the beach looking out into the Indian Ocean in Durban, South Africa…doesn’t get much better than that.  January the schools will be starting up again and hopefully all the planning and learning about projects can be put into action.
         The process though is not over, there is no really set plan for a volunteer and it is a constant planning, evaluating and learning process for the next 2 years.  The most important thing is to learn how to listen, observe and just be available.  Some projects may be a great success, but others will fail and it is learning what happened, re-evaluating and trying again.  Relationships are essential in successful integration and success of projects, starting those is the difficult thing sometimes, but nurturing the relationship we make is what makes it rewarding.  Seeing others grow along with you, sharing cross culture experiences, ideas and lessons, ultimately improving both of us in one way or another.  The stories continue, friendships made, adventures had, and living each day as a blessing from God, just walking this path of life.

Students participating in traditional dance

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