Why We Do What We Do

           I get onto my computer everyday and I always see the Blog icon on my desktop and say to myself that today I will write a new blog.  Then I make my coffee and sit down to do my morning devotions and reading. After that it turns into making some breakfast, which includes one or two episodes of “Friends” (which I am currently binge watching).  By that time I realize I need to make my bed, clean up the hut and complete a workout.  Once that is all complete it is time to wash up, heat the water, set up the shower, and complete the whole process of PCV bucket baths.  So, 3 hours later I am finally done, but then I look at the time and have to be at the school for either a boys club meeting, girls club meeting, library meeting, preschool meeting or some other event that I always forget is going on.  So I prepare for those and then it’s out the door.  So you see why I have not got around to the new blog.

         When I return home you think evening time is a good time to write a blog.  Well, once I get home I usually lay in my hammock to relax and this includes another one or two episodes of some show, play a little Gameboy Super Mario, or continue my conquest of Game of Thrones book series (Finally on book 4 and only started a year ago). It slowly begins to get dark and the sun is setting so I start some dinner and another quick clean up of my hut cause it gets dirty here! Sitting down to eat a nice home cooked meal, which I have to say I am getting very creative and the fresh fruit and veggies here are amazing to get in the market each week.  Dinner is complete and time to wash dishes from the day and empty all the wastewater.  Whenever I go to throw the dirty water outside in the dark I walk behind my hut and toss the bucket and think one day someone is going to be standing there and will throw all my water all over my sisi, make or babe.  That will be the day. Time to filter some water, brush the teeth, get warm clothes on and crawl into my sleeping bag in the hammock to slowly fall asleep to one of the two-hundred movies I have on my hard drive.  So there you go again, you see why blogging always gets pushed back, the long version.

         These last few months I have been learning a lot more about the country of Swaziland the relationship between their culture and certain behaviors.  I also continue to learn more about myself pertaining to God, friends, my actions, and what has shaped me to be who I am today.  When you travel and experience various cultures you realize there is multiple layers to culture and foreigners tend to only experience and observe that outer layer.  The crust and what people want others to see.  It is the first impressions, the cover of a book, or the outside of a cake.  It all looks good on the outside, to some, but what is underneath is the genuine experience of something.  I have experienced this with Swaziland and myself.

         We just completed the first ever BRO (Boys Reaching Out) Camp in Swaziland and had 28 boys from all over Swaziland attend.  It was an amazing 5-day experience run by PCVs and local Swazi counterparts.  The boys learned about gender equality, relationships, communication, HIV/AIDS education, and how to be helpers and leaders in their communities and schools when they go back home.  It was a rewarding experience to see the boys grow throughout the week and come together as friends and a support system to one another.  There is an issue of gender inequality here in Swaziland and gender norms and stereotypes that create an unequal balance in many areas of Swaziland.  To be a man you own cattle, build things, the main provider of the family and protect your family.  You also have multiple wives or girlfriends, make the rules and have the final say in decisions, and can do whatever you like.  Some women are oppressed because of this and lack power and decision making in relationships, especially when it comes to sexual relationships.  Women are objectified and you can see this when you walk through the bus rank and some men are “cat calling” or grabbing hands or just giving that second glance as a girl walks by.  Peace Corps currently has GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camps and clubs all over Swaziland that is teaching women to be empowered, an individual, leadership skills and self-esteem building.  It is an amazing club and I currently have a GLOW and BRO club at my high school and the students are all amazing with their own unique story.  Our goal with these clubs is to bridge this gap of inequality between genders and create an empowered nation to realize the full potential of both men and women working together.  There is nothing wrong with a man staying home to take care of the children while the wife goes to work.  A relationship is a partnership and good communication is necessary if you want anything to grow, especially a country.

         This is only scratching the surface of what I have experienced here in Swaziland under that top layer of vibrant colors, traditional dance, the food and spectacular scenery.  I have also learned more about that inner layer of myself while serving here in Swaziland with the Peace Corps.  This experience is coming up to the halfway mark of service and in 2 short weeks I will have been living in Swaziland Africa for a whole year.  A group of new volunteers arrives here at the end of June right before our awesome 4^th of July party.  Get ready for a ride of a lifetime.  There have been ups and downs, and more downs, with a small up, and down again but then that moment where you are back on top and it was all worth it.  Emotions of sadness, homesick, lost, happy, ecstatic, overwhelmed, in awe, scared, worried, ashamed, embarrassed, joyful, breathtaking, shall I go on?  I think every emotion in the world you can experience being a PCV in two short years wherever you go.  I sure have felt a lot of them already.  My crust has been leading me around Swaziland sometimes and it just shows people what they want to see, or what we want people to see.  It has worked sometimes but as an individual we need to not be worried about showing that broken, unpleasing crust to people.  We need to be letting them experience that goodness and joy that comes from inside us.  Not everyone likes the coconut filling and it is not for them, but others it is exactly what they are looking for or need.  That is how we need to be and make decisions based on what comes from inside us, not what people want to see.  We are all made up of layers and it is choosing the right layer to show to people and experience.  It is also not being worried of your own inner layer and what people think of it.  Being here in Swaziland I have failed at this, we all have at some point in our lives, but the important thing is to check your self and ask why am I really doing this.  I believe that it is something God does for us and puts events, people or situations in our lives to stop and look inside and question ourselves.

         You can look on the outside and see an amazing country and beautiful individual but sometimes we all need to stop and look inside and really study ourselves.  What matters is how we react and change to these things and show people who and what we are and believe in.  Not everyone will like it, not everyone will like change, change is hard, but in the end this is what matters.  Swaziland will always have a place inside me, all the good, the bad and the ugly and beautiful.  Bring on the 2^nd and final year of Peace Corps Swaziland.

Top of Sibebe Rock in Swaziland

Work Hard, Play Hard

        It really has been Swazi time since I last posted on my blog.  Lots have been happening with school being in session, and they are actually coming to a close of the first term already.  The schools are run quite differently than back in the states and working on community projects is much more challenging than anticipated.  Peace Corps is a demanding job sometimes however extremely rewarding in the end.  We have to have some time to play as well and our motto seems to be work hard and play hard here.  It is all about enjoying life; enjoying work and enjoying the people we come in contact with.  I have learned more about patience, understanding, forgiveness, self-control and love while being here in Swaziland, not only with Swazi people but even interacting with other Peace Corps Volunteers.  We as volunteers are from all different backgrounds, walks of life, cultures, beliefs, and all have our own baggage as well.  40 volunteers placed in a foreign land to work and make a change while staying sane with one another.  We are one another’s new family whether we like it or not for the next 2 years.  Let the journey begin.

         The school system is run by the government here in Swaziland and includes a Ministry of Education to oversee pretty much all aspects of the schools from Primary school up to Secondary and High Schools.  They are starting to even take more control over Preschools and support them as well.  The Primary School starts at Grade 1 and goes up to Grade 7 before they can move on the secondary school.  It is pretty similar to schools in the states.  Most kids start at age 6, some 5 if they don’t have a preschool they are able to attend.  Currently at the primary school I work at there are about 300 students.  I am working with a few of the teachers to develop a library for the school.  We have a small room with shelving already put up but that is about all.  Our goal is to have over 1000 books, at least 1 computer, and tables and chairs for students to study and read in.  Our dream is to have more than 1 computer for other students and teachers to do work and even research on if we can obtain internet, have a television for students to view, and have all classes visiting the library once a week.  We would like to have it open by the beginning of next year and have books arriving from Books for Africa in May right before I will be closing my service here.  Our tasks consist of organizing a committee, setting up rules and guidelines for the library, writing a grant for the renovation, supplies and furniture, and finally training teachers and introducing the library into the school.

         At the high school I work with a boys club and girls club once a week.  We call them BRO (Boys reaching out) and GLOW (Girls leading our world).  There is an annual camp for a few of the boys and girls from each club to attend in Swaziland where they get to meet other students from all over Swaziland and discuss issues to bring back to their own clubs.  It is a great thing for the students as many of them have never been able to leave their community and get to interact with other students.  It is such a rewarding thing for them and to see the students slowly open up more and see the smiles grow larger each day.  We are gearing up for our BRO camp here in Swaziland in April for about 30 boys from all over Swaziland to attend.  I will be bringing 3 boys from my club to attend this weeklong camp.  The BRO camp is being hosted at our favorite backpackers here in Swaziland called Sundowners.  (I like to call it “downers”, some call it “sunnies”, but than again I like to be different)  In both of these clubs at the school we address issues such as gender equality, self-esteem, and leadership while touching on HIV/AIDS and how they can prevent the spread of the disease.

         The high schools can be somewhat different from our perception of high school back in the states.  Once you complete grade 7 you can continue on to secondary school, which is form 1 to 3.  The High Schools have form 1 up to form 5.  In order to get into a university in Swaziland you have to have completed form 5 and have passing marks in English.  You can repeat forms in order to obtain higher marks but each school requires school fees for the students.  They can be as high as E3500 per term if you do not qualify for OVC (Orphaned and Vulnerable Child) stipend.  Students will travel many kilometers each day to attend a school or even move in order to get into better schools.  The age range I work with is 14-years-old in form 1 up to 24-years-old in form 5 at my high school.  The form 1 class has almost 60 students while form 5 has only 9 students.  Students will drop out because they cannot afford school anymore; have to take care of their families or just loose interest and motivation to continue.  The OVC stipend allows students to attend school and the government will pay a certain amount to the school for them to attend.  (Orphaned and Vulnerable Child – A child who has lost 1 or both parents)  The difficult situation for these students can be that they have to take care of their family and can be as young as 14 years old, trying to provide food and shelter for their brothers and sisters.  The school can struggle since the OVC stipend they receive is not sufficient to cover the full amount for the student and what the school has budgeted for fees per student.  It then has trouble providing high quality education, materials and programs for the students.  If the student body is made up of 50% OVC children the school budget will suffer since they don’t have enough money to cover the remaining fees.  It is against the law for the school to ask these children to pay the difference because they are under the OVC fund and most cannot afford to pay the remaining fees.  It becomes a catch-22 for many schools.

         As if these things don’t keep me busy enough I am also working on developing a Preschool for the community.  We started with 4 walls and somewhat of a roof.  The building is located across from the primary school and has been there for over 20 years being used as teacher’s quarters at first and tried to be a preschool once.  We have been blessed to be working closely with a Christian Organization in the town of Nhlangano, my shopping town for me, although it still takes me about 2.5 hours by bus to travel there.  They have brought multiple groups in to help us with the development of the school and training teachers.  The building currently has fresh paint, some murals inside and out, and new doors and windows being put in.  We are working on getting a new roof and some repairs in the next few weeks.  The preschool also has small tables and chairs for the students, toys, art supplies, cleaning supplies and a great ABC board on the wall.  The community has been hard at work with forming a committee and providing labor for clean-up projects and repairs needed.  The remaining things to be done is to build a latrine, finish the fencing around the school, clear the yard of those thorny bushes, and obtain a water tank and food for the children.  Lots of work still to be done yet we have come a long way from where we started.  The community and parents are extremely excited about the school and the benefit it can provide.  There were over 40 kids who registered for the preschool the first time.  It will be an enormous asset to the community and the schools since the younger children will be able to start schooling at age 3 before heading to the primary school.  Our goal is to have students able to attend in May when term 2 starts and have it fully functioning and sustainable by the beginning of next year.

         Playing hard in the meantime.  Planning a trip up to Hlalne Big Game Park here in Swaziland next weekend to hopefully see 4 of the big 5.  (The African Lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, White/Black rhinoceros, and the African leopard)  A group of 9 volunteers will be camping for one night and taking an early morning game drive through Hlalne Game Park.  After the boys camp in April I will be planning a trip to St. Lucia in South Africa which is on the coast of the Indian Ocean about 2 hours north of Durban.  It is a small coastal town on the edge of a large wetland park home to crocs, hippos, dolphins and whales.  Finally at the end of May is the weekend long music and art festival in Swaziland called Bushfire.  There are thousands of people who attend to see handmade local art and crafts with musical artists performing all weekend coming from as far away as Europe to local South African and Swazi musicians.  A few short weeks after Bushfire the new group of volunteers will be arriving to the Kingdom of Swaziland. (G13)  We all look forward to that since it is always nice to see new faces, especially Americans…and get the new season of Game of Thrones, Walking Dead and Orange is the New Black.

         Everyday I continue to thank God for how blessed I am to have this opportunity.  Even the hard days when I am missing friends and family back home, my power is out, haven’t had a shower for over a week, and the bats will not shut up in my hut.  It is such a blessing to be able to experience another culture and see the joy on their faces when your Make (host mom) laughs at you when you still are washing your clothes wrong and brings you food after a long day of traveling back to site.  The younger children’s smile when they see you at the school cause your white and hearing the debate going on in the high school between students about HIV/AIDS and taking up leadership positions.  Even those community members yelling your name across the field when you’re outside just to say hi and how are you.  It has only been 6 months, and sometimes I feel like I have been here a year, other times like I just arrived.  It will be such a mix of emotions when this journey is over and I will have to say goodbye to my family and friends in Swaziland who have made this an amazing experience already.

    

New Year, New Goals and New Beginnings

          I just returned from my first official “vacation” as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Durban, South Africa.  It was an enjoyable trip with lots of good food, a decent beer (still no IPA or Black Butte Porter), beautiful beach and great friends.  Coming back to my community after spending New Years looking out across the Indian Ocean has given me lots of time to reflect on lessons learned and lived.  Everyone has his or her New Years resolutions, loose weight, eat healthier, and read the Bible every day.  I never have had a New Years resolution, I believe that every day I get up is a New Year, a new day and new minute to live your life better than before.  The last 6 months as a Peace Corps Volunteer have taught me more than I could learn in lifetime about myself and there is still much more to learn.

         To begin with, how can you build a library without a foundation, start a club without a common interest, or change a behavior with no motivation.  It all starts little by little (ncane kancane).  When you look at a New Years resolution, everyday, 365 days, 12 months, it can seem a little daunting and overwhelming.  How long do they really last?  I am sure there are lots of people though who have succeeded and made great changes in their life from New Years resolutions, I am not one of them.  Change takes time.  It is reversing something that has been engrained and taught to us from a young age, or something that has just formed out of habit.  With every change, whether it is behavioral or physical, there are obstacles.  We all have them, some larger than others.  Trust me, they do get in the way.  When working towards change, there are failures.  Some may be able to go an entire month without a failure, 6 months even, while others it may be only a day, or an hour.  We cannot get discouraged from those failures though and with every failure there is a strength that comes out of it.  Here in Swaziland I have been going through changes personally as well as working on changes in my community and school.  I have already come across many obstacles, personal failures, and moments of doubt in myself if I can actually make a difference here.  On a personal level, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but God has given us a gift of grace and forgiveness when he sent His son to die on the cross for us.  The ultimate gift and sacrifice.  This alone helps me on a personal level to get back up, ask for forgiveness and pursue His path even stronger than before.  I also know that God goes before me in whatever I do, before I start a project, have a meeting, or speak with someone on the side of the road.  He prepares hearts and minds to receive his word and each one of us to make a difference.  That is my New Years resolution, let God be my strength, prepare my path and wake up each day giving it to Him, no matter what may happen.

         The Peace Corps changes you and I don’t think anyone will ever understand how it does until you have experienced it yourself.  Yet still, each volunteer has a unique experience that cannot be generalized into a cookie cutter answer to others.  There is no common theme, belief or outcome of serving for 27 months in a developing country.  I remember before setting out on my own adventure and asking current and returned volunteers what to expect, I never really got a straight answer.  Being an American it was frustrating.  It’s either 1 or 2, right?  I understand it now and I won’t be able to explain it when I return back to the States what I did, learned and how I changed.  I guess it’s all up for interpretation.  One volunteer said the Peace Corps is like a two-year black hole in our lives.  We leave behind friends, family, jobs, and our comfort to experience something that is unique to each one of us.  After two-years, we return home, see our family, start relationships and careers, yet there will always be those two-years in Swaziland that are unexplainable.  Granted, I have only been here for a little over 6 months, but this is how I feel currently.  Who knows, it can change tomorrow though, it’s the blissful ride of Peace Corps Swaziland.

         On a lighter note, here are some of the more recent happenings in Swaziland and what I have learned.  Currently, everything that is plugged into my wall socket and is metal shocks me when I touch it; I have to use a stick to turn on and off my light switch to avoid being shocked.  Not sure why that started happening all of the sudden but it does, it is like shock therapy, don’t touch the metal surfaces.  The bats are still living in my roof/wall and every so often they decide to take a little flight inside my hut at night.  The ongoing battle continues.  I can easily watch an entire season of any show in a day, enjoy doing laundry by hand now and will pick though an entire 5kg bag of sugar beans taking out the rotten ones.  There is also the constant killing of flies and seeing how long you can sit still before you start to sweat profusely in the 100 degree temperatures that is Africa.  I might buy a kiddies pool for my hut (it was done in the dorms with Phi Delt), bringing it to Africa.  School will be starting soon, thankfully, and I am looking forward to being back in the school and to start some of the projects we have in mind.  Until next time, Swazi time.

Mantenga Falls in Swaziland

The Real Kingdom

          It was the day after Christmas back home in Oregon and my Dad and I were getting ready to go play some golf at a nearby course.  I got in the truck and pulled up my email on my phone.  There was a message from the Peace Corps.  Was this what I was waiting for since I herd I was accepted into the Youth Development sector back in June? It was a moment of excitement and hesitation at the same time.  This would be telling me where I would be living for 27 months.  I opened the email and read.  So many emotions and questions begin to run through my head.  The next 6 months would be an eventful time for me, preparing my life for 27 months abroad.

As you probably already know, I am in Swaziland now.  The Kingdom of Swaziland.  It has been almost a year from now that I herd of Swaziland for the first time.  I am living here now and couldn’t imagine being in a better place.  I arrived in Swaziland in June and have been living here now for almost 6 months.  What better time to reflect on the culture, food, people, history and just share some of the beautiful things I have seen, learned and experienced here.

Swaziland is Africa’s last absolute monarchy, hence The Kingdom of Swaziland.  A country of about 1.4 million people living in the size of a country comparable to New Jersey and rich in culture with little influence from the outside.  The larger country of South Africa with the exception of Mozambique to the east surrounds Swaziland, yet you seem like you are the only place in the World when you are in Swaziland.  Traditional cultural events such as Umhlanga and incwala still flourish today and the entire country turns out to support their national heritage and celebrate their unique culture.  Culture is what makes us who we are, it includes our religion, beliefs, morals, food, lifestyle plus whatever else shows our uniqueness.  Swaziland is one of a kind.

I don’t like spouting off a lot of facts, numbers and dates on things cause after about two sentences I honestly stop reading.  I just want to share some culture experiences first hand so you can gain some perspective on the history and the Kingdom of Swaziland.  If you like that stuff though there are hundreds of websites you can look up to find the GDP, exact size, average age, dates, and whatever else you like.  For me though learning about Swaziland has come from a few things, Swazis are always happy and enjoy helping others out.  Also, the strong presence of dance, music and singing in whatever they do and lastly are Swazi’s love of God and the Creator.

No matter where I have gone here I have always been greeted with great enthusiasm and a willingness to help out.  The respectful cultural greeting wherever you go and before you speak with someone is always Sawubona.  Yebo.  Unjani?  Ngiyaphila.  It is saying hello, acknowledging them, saying hello back, and asking how they are.  It is a cultural value and taking a genuine interest in everyone you interact with.  Taking time to learn a language of another culture is probably one of the highest forms of respect and showing that you want to be part of something more.  Speaking the native language creates a more enriching experience in any country, especially Swaziland.  I have had people walk with me great distances just to show me where a store is because they care.  Others have carried groceries for me because they care.  An entire bus stopped right in front of my house so I could unload my bed and not have to carry it because they care.  Killed chickens and a pig to celebrate me being with them because they care.  Being here and seeing what little most people have, I experience a giving of more than they have.  I think that is a lesson from the Bible somewhere.

Singing, dance and music is all around in Swaziland.  During the morning assembly at the schools the children sing beautiful praises each day, singing from the surrounding churches fill the air on Sundays, the young girls dancing and singing as they carry the reeds down the road during Umhlanga, and maybe even some Lil Wayne in between the gospel music on the Khumbi and bus rides.  There have been a few presentations and celebrations at the schools in my community here and they all center around these three things.  You can find students singing songs, performing dances, traditional and unique, plus music blasting while everyone dances around the speakers.  I don’t think anyone has a bad voice here when they sing, except for me, so I avoid it.  It all revolves around celebrating life, enjoying friends and family, and praises to God.  Worship is all around us in whatever you do, from skiing down the mountains, the working and serving, to singing.  Swaziland worships with their voices and talents every day.

         It is hard to really sum up the history and culture of Swaziland without writing 30 or more pages.  I have learned though they are proud of their culture, a group of strong people willing to work and learn, and love God.  Don’t get me wrong though there are other religions and this is not everyone in Swaziland, to be politically correct, but it is hard to deny the presence of God and see their love for one another.  So why does a country like this have one of the highest HIV rates in the World then?  You see people happy, helping each other, loving God, working hard yet they struggle with this devastating disease each and every day.  Everyone in this small Kingdom has been affected in one form or another with HIV/AIDS; with 26% of adults between 15-49 is HIV positive.  It has the highest rate of tuberculosis (TB) in the world and 80% of patients are co-infected with HIV.  The Kingdom of Swaziland is a beautiful place with friendly and loving people who only want this to go away.  They want to return to a healthy and empowered kingdom free of disease, death and able to worship fully and finally celebrate their rich culture to its full potential.

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

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.

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.