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.)

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