Year in Review by Photos

My home away from home for 9 weeks in Swaziland

Christmas morning in Swaziland

The beach front in Durban South Africa, which is on the Indian Ocean about 4 hours south of the Swaziland border into South Africa.  Spent 5 days over New Years in Durban with other Volunteers from South Africa, Botswana, and Swaziland.  Toured the city , hung out on the beach and got some 1^st world amenities for a little bit.

I lived with a family during my 9-weeks of training in a community near Matsapha, which was where we have classes and trainings most days.  The other days we staying in the community and had hands on trainings.  My family was made up of a Bhuti “Brother”, Skoni “Sister-in-law”, my brother’s wife, and Make “Mother”.  Most days during school there was a younger Sisi “sister” who was on the homestead, she was 12 years old.  I lived in a small rondaval hut, which was one room with a small veranda and electricity!

My host family during family appreciation day at the end of our PST.

The current G12 group after swearing in, we are now officially PCVs in Swaziland.  All of us with the Prime Minister of Swaziland, our Country Director for PC Swaziland and the current US Ambassador of Swaziland.  We learned about HIV/AIDS in Swaziland, how to create and sustain projects we will start, experienced traditional cultural dances and dress, went to a game reserve, and learned the local SiSwati language.

Traditional Men Dancing

I currently live with a family on a homestead made up of a Make “Mother”, Babe “Father”, Bhuti “Brother, and Sisi “Sister” where I will work for the next 2 years in my community.  It is a house with 2 rooms which I made one room into a bedroom with a bed, camping shower and my clothes.  The other room has my kitchen area, a desk and my hammock.  It’s the PCV life.

This was the first Briee “BBQ” on the homestead where men from the community came and we butchered a pig that was raised and cooked it up for the day.  We hung out and BBQ, talked and shared food with other members of the community and a near by volunteer came to share the day with us.

This was one of the first gatherings we had a PCV in Swaziland after swearing in and it was around Halloween time.  Great time with great people.  Jeremy Loops is a local South African musician who came to Swaziland, check him out, great music and does all his own tracks, hence “Loops”.

This was the end of Term 3 in December and it was a farewell function celebrating all the Form 3 and Form 5 graduating from school, the accomplishments made and was celebrated with food, dance and skits from all the students.

Traditional Dance from some of the students

We spent Thanksgiving in Mbabane at our Country Directors house where a feast was prepared for us by the staff and G11 volunteers.  Our turn this year to prepare and cook.

Spent the day with by bhuti taking the cattle to the dip tank where all the cattle from the community must go every 2 weeks or once a month depending on the season to be washed of all bugs and dirt.  This is mainly the role of the younger boys in the community to watch the cattle and make sure they don’t get into other peoples homesteads and fields and keep track of their cattle.

Mantenga Falls and swimming in Swaziland to wrap up the New Years Vacation

The Pre-School I am currently working on before we started the renovation of the building in January 2015.

Currently we have 35 students attending the school with 1 teacher.  We are working on building a new latrine, a new roof and putting a fence up around the premises.  This has been one of my main projects and has been very rewarding seeing the progress and growth in the community and with the children.

This is the annual marula festival in Swaziland, which celebrates the traditional drink and fruit of Swaziland.  Swazis from all over collect the fruit and make their own homebrewed marula drink from this fruit and all come together each year to present it to the King of Swaziland and this festival.  It is wrapped up with dancing from the mother’s of Swaziland and presenting the drink to the King.  It is pretty much a large party in Swaziland.

The dance at the marula festival

Spent the night at the Hlalne Royal National Park in Swaziland with some fellow PCVs.  We went on a sunrise game drive and saw lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, water buffalo, impala, hippos, and a turtle.

This was our first ever BRO (Boys Reaching Out) Camp that we put on for boys to attend from all over Swaziland.  We had 28 boys attend from 10 different schools all over Swaziland.  We discussed male identity, gender equality, self-expression, SRH (Sexual Reproductive Health), Fatherhood, and HIV/AIDS education and prevention.  We also played soccer, had a talent show, roasted smores, and played lots of other games with the boys.  Check out the video on YouTube soon.  It will be on our Peace Corps Swaziland YouTube Channel.

The group who recently participated in a Grassroots soccer training, which we hope to implement into our schools and community. It is a way to use soccer to reach the youth and educate them about HIV/AIDS.

Me hiking Sibebe Rock near Mbabne, which is one of the largest granite rocks in the world.  It was about an hour and a half to the top and I was able to hike all around the rock and view Swaziland from afar.  The local beer is named after Sibebe so I enjoyed a cold one at the top.

This is one of the most recent projects I have undertaken and we are developing a library at the high school for the students to get excited about reading and the English language.  We have over 1000 books to sort and organize and then implement into the school and English department.

And finally my current PC beard I am working on growing for my last year of service.  Who am I trying to impress, really? Taken at a local reserve near my community I went to stay one night to relax.  Got to sit outside and watch the thunderstorm roll in while it was raining and listen to Phil Collins’ Tarzen theme song.  This is Africa!

       So since I failed at keeping posts up and running each month I though I would do a double header and make this post all about photos.  I tried to choose the best photos I could about some of my Peace Corps Swaziland experience with short captions explaining them all briefly.  Mindful though that photos can never truly capture this experience or Swaziland 100 percent.  Enjoy!  (Also, I am not the best photographer sometimes, it has only been a year and I have almost 5000 pictures already on my computer.)

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 1^st 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

Growing Abroad

          I don’t even know where to begin.  The last month or so has been a whirlwind of emotions, new experiences and time passing quickly yet Swazi style. Group 12 was sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers on August 28^th and all 37 of us will be dropped off at our sites the next day to begin our service of 2 years in the Kingdom of Swaziland.  Writing this now it still is hard to believe that I have been in Swaziland now for over 3 months, time has been a strange thing since landing in Africa.  Training was a long 9 weeks that I still look back on and question how it went by so quickly.  The ceremony was held at the Royal Swazi Spa and Golf Resort outside of the town of Mbabane, which is the capital of Swaziland.  In attendance were the Prime Minister of Swaziland and the US Ambassador along with a few ministers of departments, judges and other prominent figures from Swaziland.  All of Peace Corps Swaziland staff were there including the current volunteers from Group 11 and some Group 10 volunteers, who were extending for their 3^rd year.  It was an immense honor to be sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers and to begin our 2 years of service and the growth that we can hope to bring to our communities and individuals.

         The adventure was only beginning as we departed to our permanent site with all our stuff loaded down in trucks and ‘khombi’ (taxi) and starting the journey to our sites, which were spread in all directions in Swaziland.  Arriving at my site my things were unloaded and put in my house, all in a matter of about 10 minutes, the driver and the 2 other volunteers in my travel group said goodbye, the truck pulled out and it disappeared down the gravel road.  I really was left to my own device; there was no more staff, no more volunteers, and no teachers to help me, just myself and the people that I would call my family for the next 2 years.  My things were strewn across the empty house in piles and my family and me kind of just stared at each other for what seemed like hours.  Really it was only a few seconds before they asked if I needed a bed to sleep on until I was able to travel to town to purchase my own.  The process of making my little oasis was set in motion and I don’t think I will get my house exactly how I will like it till the day I head back to America.  It is a slow process, which I will soon come to realize is how everything I set out to do in Swaziland will be.  I have to look at the small accomplishments each day and learn that the pace of life is rather different than what we are used to in America.  Something I read which made great sense for a Peace Corp volunteer is to create a list of goals you would like to achieve in your community, write out goals for 2 days, 2 weeks and 2 months.  Your goals in 2 days will take 2 weeks, your 2-week goals will take 2 months, and the goals you wrote for 2 months will be your 2-year goals for your service.  This helps to not become overwhelmed and able to put things into a better perspective.

         The last 3 weeks at permanent site have been crawling by, but the funny thing about time is that I can’t believe that I have already been at my site for 3 weeks.  I have spent time at the community garden, been to meetings with community members, introduced myself at church, shadowed some classes at the high school, observed a community soccer game and still trying to learn this card game called ‘casino’ from my younger ‘bhuti’ (brother).  An important lesson I have learned so far is that the relationship building will be one of the most critical things for me to work on if I would like to see any progress in my community.  Taking each day as an adventure and just learning to roll with life and whatever the day may bring my way.  The Peace Corps really is a 24/7 experience, making the conscious effort every day to step out of your comfort zone and flourish in the experience that comes from that.  It is only the beginning of this life changing journey and the only thing I can be certain of though is that God is standing right next to me every step of the way helping me navigate these paths, relationships and experiences.

Swazi style during PCT (Peace Corps Training)

         It has been awhile since my last post and lots has been going on here in Swaziland.  Training is almost over, only 2 short weeks left until swearing in where we will officially be a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer).  Only at PCT stage now (Peace Corps Trainee) but so many amazing things have already been happening here as our group bonds, learns, fails, cries, gets upset, laughs, rejoices and all those other feelings that go along with the journey to being a Peace Corps Volunteer.  Through our training we have learned how to tie the lihiya and the other traditional wear here in Swaziland to building a Tippy Tap hand wash station in our communities.  There have been sessions on HIV in Swaziland all the way to how to design a library here and everything in between.  It has been a whirlwind of emotions with many ups and downs.  All I can say is that there is never really a normal day here in Swaziland and that is what makes the life of a Peace Corps Trainee exciting, I can only imagine what the next 2 years will bring as we step out of this training bubble and begin to help our communities one step at a time.  I imagine there will be many steps backwards before we go forwards, more downs before we go up, but I do know that we are all here for a purpose and we may never see that while we are here or even learn about it after leaving.

         I believe it is a great thing for every person to be exposed to another culture aside from theirs, a new language, and even just seeing how other people worship and their religions.  Stepping outside of our comfort zone and understanding new ways to think about things and communicate opens us up to many things.  The world begins to shrink as we travel more and with the internet today the options are limitless on our abilities to see and help.  Swaziland is a beautiful place with amazing people who have generous hearts.  They showed me how to get avocados out of the very tops of trees, cook bread without an oven, cook a full chicken that once was running around the homestead and play Swazi style soccer.  Not only from Swaziland but from my other times abroad in Germany and Austria, the people are welcoming, warm and friendly to everyone no matter where you come from and whatever background you have.  God created us all unique from the United States to Swaziland and has a purpose for each and every one of us.  I have already been touched here by the people of Swaziland and as I hope to leave just a little something behind from America to bring us all together even more.