The Daily Grind

          It truly is a new adventure each day here in the Kingdom of Swaziland.  I wake up each day unknowing what it brings, but prepared to take whatever may come my way.  Isn’t that really every day of our lives though no matter where we are?  I figured I should add a little humor to my blog in this entry, after all this is the Peace Corps.  I mean that in a good way.  My days here I try to create some sort of routine to help me stay balanced and sane at times.  There are moments that I really cannot expect what will happen, that is usually when I step out of my hut.  Then again, adventures can happen without me stepping outside.  It is all part of life and the Peace Corps experience.

         My daily routine that I have began to develop consists of the following:

(Some days will vary depending on if I have an event or traveling to attend to)

7am – 9:30am 

      

-Wake up

(I have gotten better at ignoring the roosters)

-Make coffee or tea

(Depending on supply and how tired I am)

-Daily devotions and Bible reading

-Have breakfast

(This varies depending on motivation)

Options: Corn flakes with powder milk, Oats with sugar and honey, or hard-boiled eggs and bread

                          

-Make my bed

(Yes! I finally make my bed every day; I don’t want to find snakes or spiders in it later that night)

-Morning workout in hut

(30-day challenges, or P90x on “days off”)

-Take a shower in my makeshift bucket/solar shower

-Get dressed and tackle the day!

9:30am – 3pm

      

-Walk to either the Primary School or High School

(It is a rough 15-minute walk, and that’s if I am walking Swazi pace)

-I check in with the teachers and will meet with some of them or work on project ideas and help students with schoolwork.

-Visit the store next to the school for snacks or a cold soda (Varies on the supply they have that day, and temperatures)

-Eat lunch with the teachers

(Rice and beans, or other days it is “mystery” meat, once it was the insides of a cow, I just eat it…kind of)

-Some days I will just go on a walk around my community, the best way to met people, learn new things and explore.

3pm – 6pm 

            

-This is usually the time my family returns home.

(School, church, town, the tree down the road, garden, not really sure some days)

-Spend time with my bobhuti “brothers” and “sister”

(We will just talk about the day, learn new words in SiSwati, or play games)

-I will help with any schoolwork they have

-Talk with make “mother” and babe “father”

-Retire to my hut for the evening at dark

6pm – 9pm   

          

-Will start cooking for the evening

(Menu varies on motivation once again, and supplies)

Options: rice and beans, rice and beans with veggies, rice with veggies, beans with veggies, I try and mix it up with pasta, or some meat if I have any

(No fridge in my hut so I store it in my family’s fridge if I have any)

-Usually listen to “West Coast Radio” from Durban, SA

(They actually played FGL and Taylor Swift, along with TLC, Tina Turner, you never really know what to expect)

-During dinner I watch a movie or a TV episode

(Thank you Jesus for external hard drives!)

-Spend time journaling, writing, drawing, or reading

-Do dishes from the day

(All by hand in my dish basin)

-Refill my water filter for water the next day

-The evening lock of doors and bug check throughout my hut

-Crawl into bed and Thank Jesus and God for another safe, productive, and rewarding day, pray for a good nights sleep, new day and to bless all those in my life.

         My day’s can take some changes though and I can never really expect what will be next.  We are on a period called integration, which is for the first 3 months at our permanent sites we are expected to observe, meet with community members, explore and learn as much as we can about our community and the people we will be working with for the next 2 years.  It is a time of learning and building relationships with our host family, teachers, students and community members.  It might be one of the more difficult times of our service, there is not much direction and we need to get out there, expose ourselves, be uncomfortable and integrate into the Kingdom of Swaziland and our unique community.  I anticipate as projects develop, relationships are built, and time goes on daily schedules with change and new adventures will arise.

         In my next blog I can expand on this idea of a new adventure each day because it really is here in Swaziland.  I never know what to expect sometimes.  From the time I transported my bed on top of a public bus 3 hours, to killing and cooking a pig, to riding in the back of a military truck at midnight returning from a church service with my host family.  Yes, that all actually happened! #Swaziland Every day though is a unique gift from God.  I continually thank Him every day for this opportunity, trust Him and lay it all in His hands.  I look at the positives; take it each day at a time, and learn to rejoice in the small success stories while being a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kingdom of Swaziland.