August posts

August 9, 2008- “OJT”, a little language lesson & election update: OJT stands for On-the-Job Training- 5 days in which to locate my permanent site, meet my counterpart aka Kagogo (ga go go) Clerk, get to know my family and visit the points of interest in my new town- Mahlalini (ma thla lean e). I think I will like my new site. My counterparts says the chief of Mahlalini use to be a senator, that he is in many ways a modernized chief, and he is very interested in developing the area. My counterpart, Mkhasibe (mm ka see bay), seems pretty motivated; although, he is new to the position. The record-keeping done by the previous clerk left little to be desired and he wants alotta help organizing it. No problem. The Kagogo Clerk is a paid position by NERCHA. When I say paid, I mean meager wages. NERCHA is an organization dedicated to education and prevention on HIV and AIDS-related issues. I cannot remember what the acronym stands for; however, it is a Swazi national organization which tries to employ the most highly motivated individuals of each chiefdom in Swaziland who are interested in helping decrease the spread of HIV and AIDS. There are 91 chiefdoms in the Shiselweni region- the region I will serve. The KaGogo Clerk organized people in the chiefdom to work with- Rural Health Motivators and Peer Educators. There are are 70,000 OVC’s in Swaziland; NERCHA estimates the number will be 120,000 by 2010. The term kagogo originates from the Swazi word, gogo for grandmother. In Swazi culture the first hut built is called kaGogo, which is where family members meet and make important family decisions. These centers support community services for HIV and AIDS by providing opportunity and maintaining a space for holistic support to the community’s response on HIV and AIDS issues. There is space for meetings, food storage and catering, provision of basic care, education and counseling. The mandate from NERCHA for the KaGogo Centers is to serve as an entry point for all HIV and AIDS interventions in rural communities. I will be working one-on-one w/ the KaGogo Clerk to identify other possible income-generating projects, identify the real issues in Mahlalini and what to do about these issues, and help him maintain data on OVC’s.

My new place: The view from my new house is beautiful- mountains! There are mountains in my backyard! This area is considered mid-veld- cooler winters, and summers that don’t get hotter than 25 to 26 degrees C…. or so my new bhuti tells me. I’m not very good w/ the conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, but I think it’ll be around 85 degrees (please correct me if I’m wrong). I can handle that! My new place is not ready yet. They just repainted the walls, hung a new door and replaced the burglar bars. I brought a sleeping bag, assuming I’d sleep on the floor the next 4 nights but my new make (ma gay) aka mother insisted I sleep in a spare room. Fine with me. The floor of my new place is cement; considering it still gets pretty chilly here at night and my sleeping back is only rated to 20 degrees, a double bed off the floor sounds glorious.

My make is 60, has 7 living children- 2 have died- with many grandchildren, is a Rural Health Motivator- something very similar to a Hospice volunteer, and hosts 4 OVC’s or Orphans and Vulnerable Children. Philiswa is 7, Zanele is 13 I think, Machewe is 16, I think and Mcolisi is 19. They are very sweet and I already feel comfortable with them. Make believes the boys are too lazy, but I believe it is typical teenage behavior, unfortunately. She does keep them on their toes and expects allota work from them. But I think it is good for them. She is giving them a chance for a life- she helps pay their school fees and provides food for them to cook. That is a lot considering they are not blood related AND she is not in the best health. Make’s babe (ba bay) aka husband is staying in the Lubombo region, several hours away and only visits a few times a year. He is farming…I’m assuming sugar cane or maize. She is rarely able to visit b/c of the expense to travel there. On Monday fares will go up due to rising petrol costs. The trip from Nhlangano (nn thlan gano) to Mahlalini cost me R6.50 today; Wednesday when I travel back to my host family, the fare will be R10. For every 1 US dollar I get 6 to 7 Rand (South African currency) or 6 to 7 Emilangeni (Swaziland currency) - both are usually interchangeable. If I think about bus fare in terms of US dollars, I’m paying less than a dollar. But right now I’m living on about $30/week; once I’m done w/ training I’ll be living on $70/week. So if I travel to the nearest large town at R10 too often, I’ll deplete my allowance quickly. Plus I cannot think of my allowance in terms of dollars; I will spend too much money that way! Bread at the town markets costs R5.99. A bag of apples (12) is R13.99. Soy milk is R12.99. Cereal- just the basic Corn Flakes- is R23.99. The price of food is going up, b/c of the rising transportation costs. I’m curious what gas costs in the states. And I’m curious to see how much transportation will go up here by the time I leave.

Elections- well I received clarification from my host family on elections. The King dissolves Parliament every 5 years- everyone serves a 5 year term and then if they want to be re-elected must run for office and be voted back in. During campaign time, anyone may run for election to an office. The Prime Minister is generally appointed by the King after elections are held. Those being murdered are directly involved w/ running for elections. They are not at all concerned w/ the whities (mhlolope) right now!

August 11, 2008- I’m suffering from multiple personalities: Peace Corps staff asks our Pre-Service Training (PST) host family to give us a Swazi name when we arrive at our new homestead. So I’ve been Nonhlanhla Mavimbela since July…I’m not even going to try a language lesson w/ this one. You’ll have to hear it sometime. When I heard my new name, I thought, “Great! The “hl” sound is the hardest for me to pronounce, and I have 2 in my name. Damn!” Well, now I can pronounce the “hl” sound well. Before OJT, we were told we might get a new first name from our permanent host family. I was expecting a new surname, but I thought I’d might be able to keep Nonhlanhla b/c I like the mean- lucky. My PST family says Nonhlanhla, then lucky girl. I like that. I’m a lucky girl. So, when I asked my counterpart if I had a new name, he said no; I could use Jennifer or Nonhlanhla. Nope! My new make insisted on naming me. So now I am Thadeka (taun day ga) Bhembe (bem bay). I don’t mind b/c I like the meaning of Thadeka- the loveable one. However, it’s taken some getting use to; I don’t always recognize my name when someone is calling me. Of course, they laugh at that! If I were to go by Jennifer, I would just get called Jennifer Lopez and constantly asked if I know her. “I know who she is, but I do not know her personally” is usually met w/ a blank stare. Don’t all Americans w/ the same first name or surname know each other? Ummmm…..no. It’s taken some getting use to, this multiple identity thing…or should I say crisis? It feels like a crisis, a predicament. There definitely is a loss of identity, autonomy, anonymity in Peace Corps, at least as far as we define those words in America. I’m not thrilled about it; it’s a bit harder to be myself. I’m told I must respectfully represent a government organization. I’m told I must respectfully represent America. I must represent the notion of white person without money, who is a volunteer but just picks up, leaves my family, crosses an ocean, and lives in a new place and not for education/college, mind you. Why would I leave America, they always ask. Why do I want to help strangers? And why in God’s name would I leave my family? Well I wanted to offer my services, my knowledge, myself b/c I’ve been given so much. I want to doing something for others b/c I can, to give back to something bigger than myself. Huh?! I’ve been living on my own for 10 years. How? They always ask. By yourself? Yes. They shake their heads. And a grown woman, not married, no children. Living on her own. How?

Where do I fall into all of that? Who will I be here? Who will I become? I’m not sure. I’m still mulling it over b/c I’m still wondering why I’m here. So much of the HIV epidemic is tied into Swazi culture. This is a patriarchal, polygamist culture. If your husband/boyfriend says jump, you jump. If you are dating and want to use condoms, he questions your integrity and faithfulness. If he says he won’t get tested, she cannot talk him into it. If he forbids her to go to the clinic for testing, support or education, she cannot go. If she does and he finds out, she risks being kicked off the homestead and out of the family forever. She will be forced to leave her children behind. She will leave behind any meager possessions she might have acquired. She leaves behind security, a roof over her head, and food. She is left w/ poverty, homelessness- her family will not take her back b/c of shame, and generally no nope for income b/c of lack of education.

So some days, often every day, I vacillate between dreams of doing good work and dreams of my old/new life; the vacations I will take once I’m done w/ service and the majestic regions of Swaziland I will explore while serving; the foundation I’ll lay for future PCV’s and the foundations I’d rather be laying for myself. It is a conundrum, but it is what it is. And that’s all the insight I have right now.

July posts

July 18^th-A little about the weather and the food I eat: I have eaten some of the best avocados (likotapeni) here that I’ve ever tasted. They are a native fruit. So are mango and papaya but I haven’t had those yet; they are considered summer fruits. It is winter right now; winter lasts all June and July. Spring starts the end of July and runs thru the end of August. It can get pretty chilly at night during the winter season, especially if the wind blows. And does it blow. I would say the coldest night here was 40 degrees; mild by Midwest standards, but huts do not have insulation. So the heat they trap during the day leaves as soon as the sun goes down. Winter produce—at bomake (many mothers) markets—includes: avocado (which are actually yr-round), winter or bitter spinach, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes (lizambane), pumpkin (litsanga), cabbage (liklabishi), white onion (anyanisi), beets, tomatoes (litamatisi), lemons (lemane/lilamula), oranges (li-olintji), winter watermelon (lihwabha) and apples (lihhabhula). Sorry Rebecca, no exotic produce yet! It’s pretty normal to what I’m use to eating so far. There are some other interesting foods I’ve eaten that aren’t really worth ”writing home about” but I really should share w/ you their traditional foods. On Wednesday, our LCF’s (language and cultural facilitators) or teachers, taught us to make traditional Swazi food, which includes: liphalishi (maize meal, which doesn’t taste bad. I actually like it but it doesn’t have much nutritional value other than to fill the belly…and that much corn is hard for my body to process. They eat it a variety of ways: very thick w/ baked beans, onions and tomatoes; very thick w/ starchy water aka sugar water; or watered down w/ sour milk- emasi); corn bread (made by grating fresh corn, mixing w/ it maize flour and sugar then steaming in corn husks in a dutch oven—yum ; bitter spinach in peanut sauce w/ tomatoes, onions and green peppers (traditionally you chop peanuts and boil them down to butter, add the spinach then heat through. They have modernized it by using peanut butter and adding other veggies); winter watermelon (cut into to cubes, cooked down, then add maize meal and sugar, whip until thickened); and finally tripe aka stomach and small intestines of cattle, pigs or goats &/or a combo of all. I tried everything else, but could not muster enough will power or courage to try tripe. The smell of it cooking was enough. Surprisingly, it is a delicacy, eaten mostly by rural communities for special occasions. Meat, of any kind, is a treat. Guests are offered the best pieces and the largest portions. Luckily I have not been offered anything that I can’t stomach. Two other volunteers have told stories about eating chicken foot soup and ox tail. Seriously.

I got my gas stove last weekend, so I’ve been cooking for myself since. It’s really nice to control portion sizes as well as the type of food I choose to ingest. Honestly, I haven’t eaten anything to terrible. Sour porridge is not my favorite and I snuck sugar to put on top of it the 2^nd time I ate it…but I’m not a very picky eater so I’m getting along better than others. The only problem I have w/ the diet is that it’s corn-based, and it hasn’t been great on my digestive system.

That same day, we split up into groups of 4 to make some of our favorite American foods or food we were craving to share w/ the Swazi PC staff. My group made Peanut Sautee, greens w/ veggies for salad and apple crisp. I brought leftover apple crisp to my family. It was only a little so they all shared a small bite. My make dished it out and b/c she liked it so much, horded the rest. She asked me to make it again; I said I would make a large batch soon. She also asked me if I knew how to make cake. She’s never eaten homemade cake. They have cake in bakeries/grocery stores here but they aren’t great. So I promised to make a cake too…chocolate w/ chocolate icing. Yum. They continually give me a hard time about how little I eat. My make said if I bake for them all the time, then I will get fat. I said I don’t want to get fat! But it is a sign of wealth, and a sign that your family is taking care of you, and that you are healthy, so I’m sure they’d be really happy to see me fattening up. Apparently female volunteers generally gain 10 -15 lbs b/c they have a harder time metabolizing the food than male volunteers, who generally lose weight. Well, I’m working really hard for that to NOT happen. Hence, one of the other reasons I’m glad I’m cooking for myself.

Sleeping w/ the dogs….and spiders….and cockroaches. There are 2 dogs (tinja) on my homestead. Every homestead has a least one dog. In Swaziland dogs are used to guard the homestead, barking ferociously when strangers enter the yard. We also have 2 cats (ema-kati). In Swaziland, a cat’s main function is to catch rodents. Dogs and cats are not pets, thus are not treated very well. Children especially will kick and beat dogs b/c they think it’s funny; breaks my heart a little. Anyway every homestead has dogs, and they bark constantly at night. They bark at each other; they bark at neighborhood dogs; they bark at the freely roaming cattle; they bark at pretty much anything that moves. And they usually bark all night. Well, the chickens and roasters cannot be outdone. Even though they crow continually throughout the day, their main crowing time is 3 am. My hut is directly across from the roast. The roasters crow to hear themselves crow; they crow to compete w/ other roasters on the homestead; they crow to complain at neighboring roasters. They just crow at anything. See a theme developing? Current volunteers have told me that you eventually get use to the barking dogs and crowing roasters and sleep through their competitions. Unfortunately, I have not gotten use to them. I generally wake at 3:30 am, listen to the competition for half an hour, and then will myself to sleep. But b/w 3:30 and 5 am, I mostly toss and turn and lucid dream of chickens crowing and dogs barking. My alarm goes off just as I’m drifting back to sleep, around 6:30 am. Considering I go to bed b/w 9 and 9:30, I would think that I’d be getting enough sleep. But since I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in a month, I think I’m just making up sleep each night for the previous night. So all that considered, it’s amazing that I get my arse outta bed at 6:30/6:45 am, and make it outta the door at 7:45 to get myself to school (escolweni) by 8am. But I do! Take into consideration that I run to a pit latrine each morning, boil water to wash my face and hands, make my bed, get dressed, make breakfast (and sometimes tea or coffee), and remember to turn of the gas tank to my stove before locking the door. Then I search the homestead, looking for my make and gogo to greet them w/ the proper morning salutations and niceties…yes I actually form sentences before 10 am! Then I meet Margaret, the closest volunteer (livoluntiya) to me at my gate and walk 10 minutes to meet my language class for school. For those who don’t know me well, this is a major accomplishment for someone who’s NOT a morning person.

Oh, and the spiders! One night last week I found a brown spider in my room the size of a half dollar. I had to think about killing it for 10 minutes. It was near the corner-where two walls meet, and I didn’t want to miss hitting it when I smacked it w/ my flats. After killing the ginormous thing, I went to the kitchen hut to ask my make if Swaziland had poisonous spiders. She laughed at me, as did everyone in the kitchen hut when I explained I had a VERY large spider in my hut. She asked me to show her the spider; she would kill it for me. I told her I killed it but wanted to make sure there were not poisonous spiders living in this country. She said no, but wanted to see it anyway. After inspecting it, she said it was not dangerous. It was just visiting my hut b/c it was curious about me. Oh hells no! No thanks to uninvited guests. Since then, I’ve only seen daddy long legs, and those don’t bother me.

July 20^th- Catholic Church and Chocolate Cake: Swaziland is a very religious country. It is predominately Christian mixed w/ traditional beliefs/customs. My family belongs to the Zionist church….not the sect that is known for out of body experiences, speaking in tongues or hair pulling at their services. Their sect is a step down from that, luckily. However, they do lots of chanting, praying for their sins out loud, and asking out loud for intensions to be answered. Since my siSwati is bad I did not understand them and I said my prayers silently. That was 2 weeks ago. Last week I pretended I had to work on a project w/ fellow volunteers. I just didn’t feel comfortable going to their church again. Today I went w/ 3 other volunteers to the Catholic Church—Sacred Heart—in Nhlangano. Even though most of the mass was in siSwati (a few of the reading and the homily were in English) I still felt like I knew what was going on. You can attend a Catholic mass anywhere and follow along no matter the language. So it was nice to feel the familiar. And I think that was the main reason I went. I wanted something to feel familiar. When people ask me what religion I am, I usually say I’m a recovering Catholic or a holiday Catholic. But today at church, whether it was the familiar or the feeling of community, I was happy to be there. For the first time, in a long time, I wanted to be there and it felt okay to be there. Maybe not right, but okay. I thought about that during part of the homily that was in siSwati and I had to laugh at myself…have I come to Swaziland to find my faith and re-ignite my spirituality? I don’t know. Next week I plan to try the non-denominational church.

When I got home, I decided to make the chocolate cake my family requested a few days ago. It is very different baking a cake in a wood-burning stove. The top burnt before the middle was done. But it turned out okay…I just cut off the burnt parts and covered it w/ lots of frosting. We are eating it after supper. I’m excited! I feel like I haven’t baked in forever. Can’t wait to make bread!!!! But that will have to wait until I get to my permanent site. I don’t have the space to do it here.

Well the cake was a hit. The children loved it. My gogo said I must never return to America, but stay in Swaziland and bake every day for them. My make said she would eat her fingers, the cake was so good. And she horded that last 3 pieces. It was pretty tasty, I must say. But they want me to make it again, only LOTS more next time. But it’s not cheap to buy ingredients, which I tried to explain. Because I am from America, everyone automatically assumes I have money. I tried to explain that the only money I have here is the money Peace Corps gives me. But it does not make sense to them b/c they see all the nice things I brought with me. I explain that some things are gifts, and those other items I had to save money for a long time in order to buy. But it is still lost in translation, and in their preconceived notions of Americans. One day last week I talked about poverty in America w/ my make and one of my bhuti’s. I said some people lived on the streets, some people use cardboard to cover themselves at night, some people don’t eat anything except trash for days. And they had heard of that kind of poverty but it is foreign to them. They live in poverty daily; a different kind of poverty but poverty nonetheless, and the difference is everyone here is poor. And to them, America is only a land of wealth, endless opportunities, and material goods, of famous people who have lavish furnishings, and many modes of transportation. For perspective…any time someone hears that my American name is Jennifer, they ask me if I know Jennifer Lopez. In Swaziland, if you meet someone who has the same first name or surname as you, the two of you are forever friends, forever family, and must help the other any time they have a need or problem. Most people are disappointed when I say I know who Jennifer Lopez is, but I do not personally know her.

June/July Posts

July 3, 2008, Language Training- Today was day 4 of language training. I’ve already had 3 different teachers and 3 different groups, which makes it difficult for me to continue retaining the words. Each teacher has a diverse style. My first language teacher was by far the best; she understands that sometimes we need to see it before we can comprehend it…especially considering this language is hard to pick up. There are many exceptions to the grammar which we are just supposed to accept. However, that makes it hard to know when to change the verb or noun in order for it agree w/ the other. The other frustrating things about this language: it’s only been a written language since they gained their independence from South Africa in the 70’s, which means that some words were spelled in siSwati the way they sounded- for instance, orange is li-olintji (lee o lean g); and there were lots of British and Dutch influences to words, so sometimes there is no translation- you just say the word in English w/in your siSwati sentence. There aren’t Swazi words for some things we’d like to describe. For instance, they only have names from the colors black, white, red, green and yellow and yellow is rarely used. My language class jokes that all you have to do to speak siSwati is put an e in front of a word and an i or i/y sound and you’re speaking siSwati. I’m being completely serious. I’ve heard from many people, non PC as well, that siSwati is one of the toughest languages to learn. It is coming slowly.

Beginning my journey- Friday, June 27- we arrived at Emafini Christian Center to begin basic self-health training…what we can do to minimize our risk of contracting HIV, to decreasing our chances of flu, malaria, etc., getting lots of immunizations and our malaria pills, which made me sick at first. I’ve adjusted to them but am still having very vivid, weird dreams, which is a side effect. Oh joy!

July 7, 2008- It is getting easier and easier to live w/ my host family. I’m less frustrated than I was on Friday. We moved to our host family homestead on July 4^th. My make (ma-gay) aka mother came to pick me up from Ngwane College. She has 2 children- a boy (bhuti aka brother) and a girl (sisi aka sister). Her mother, whom they call gogo or grandmother is the head of the homestead; her husband died in 1985. She has 2 sons and 3 daughters. Both sons…my uncles (malume) or brothers…work away from home; they sometimes visit on the weekends. Both sisters live here as well and each has 2 children. The one just younger than my make works in a garment factory. The youngest is going to school to be a hairdresser. I said she could braid my hair when it is long enough to braid. The eldest brother’s wife lives here w/ her 3 youngest children. I believe the oldest child is away at school. The eldest brother is a teacher. The younger brother repairs tv and electronics. So that makes 9 kids on my homestead. My make basically runs the homestead; she directs all the activities, organizes and feeds everyone, as well as teaches pre-school to orphaned children.

My make was instructed to primarily speak siSwati to me. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were difficult for me. Every sentence my make said was met w/ a blank stare from me. At least now I’m beginning to recognize certain words; therefore more able to piece together the words in some semblance of recognition.

Today I cared a 10 liter bucket of water on my head from the water source- which is a black hose sticking out of the side of a hill…yes I’m confused about where it comes from but am too afraid to ask- to my homestead… a 5 minute walk. I did well until the very end. I also helped make, bobhuti & bosisi (bo is used in front of the noun when speaking of many) cut up firewood. They had gone to the forest to chop trees. Once bundled, they each carry a small bundle on their head back to the homestead where they saw it up into smaller pieces. I will go w/ them to the forest next time. Today I just got to help saw it. They use a 2-person saw. Make kept asking if I was getting tired. I think they worry that I tire easily from manual labor. I told them I grew up on a farm, where I use to help do lots of things like cooking, laundry, and outside chores. But I think Peace Corps sent them the idea that we don’t know how to do anything so they must teach us. Oh well. I just keep offering to help. The other day make asked if I knew how to sweep the floor. Yes, I said. She said, show me. So I swept the floor, and I think she was amazed. Although that was the same day she told me she would help me make my bed b/c I hadn’t done it right. I thought it looked the same afterwards! One of the first nights here she offered to help me w/ my bucket bath. YIKES! I laughed, and politely said no, I know how. But I was ready to scream inside…NO ONE is helping me bathe! I can do it myself.

July 12- Returned from my 2 day shadowing experience this afternoon. I shadowed Maggie who works in the Siphoweni (sp?) region in a town called Lukhetseni. She visits a clinic once a week to help them distribute ARV’s- Anti Retrovirals- but her primary job is helping the 2 sisters at Cabrini Mission- an hr khombi (taxi van) ride from her homestead. She works in the hostel aka orphanage directing activities for the children staying there. It was great to see the work she is doing, but even better to chat about life in the Swaz and life in Peace Corps. Justine- the girl who shadowed w/ me- and I asked her to NOT sugar coat things. Our staff has been conveniently leaving out information from our training. For instance, Swazis are not a communal society like we were told. We were also told they are the friendliest people in Africa. Well, they are superficially friendly, with fierce competition b/w chiefdoms and sometimes even homesteads. The king does not serve his people; they serve him. And they are even less of a communal culture than Americans. I’m not sure if my family is the exception- there isn’t a lot of real concern shown or displaces of affection exhibited but they seem genuinely concerned w/ the overall welfare of each other. And when I arrived home after being gone 2 days, my make said everyone was missing me. So I need to do a little more observing. My frustration is that I’m getting 2 stories, and I’m trying to decipher the truth.

They are also not telling us the truth about events surrounding the dissolve of parliament and the upcoming elections, which are scheduled to take place in about 60 days. There have been demonstrations and some murders surrounding the politics of those involved in the elections- the people murdered- about 6- are directly involved in the elections. I am safe, but would like to know the honest truth about the areas around me. Are they safe? Please do not be alarmed. I AM SAFE.

More about shadowing- being petted. The children at Cabrini Mission were very excited to have 3 white women in their presence…more light hair to pet, jewelry to scrutinize and white skin to kiss. Yes, I was kissed on the arm…I think the little girl wanted to know what it felt like….she did it twice. Smile. Something else interesting- the children drew themselves to us immediately. They only knew us as Maggie’s new friends but it didn’t take long for them to sit in our laps, pet our hair, hang on our arms. It seemed to me they were craving human touch.

July 14^th- Being sick and the cockroach on my stove. I started feeling sick last night. My family asked me to cook the cans of tuna they received from PC (Peace Corps dropped off 3 week’s worth of food to help our families feed us). So I decided to make tuna rice casserole. I sautéed onions, added hard boiled eggs, milk and tuna- I didn’t have a lot to work with. I heated then added it to the rice they had kindly precooked for me. Then they made another pot of rice to add to it, completely diluting the rest of the ingredients. Oh well. After I heaped everyone’s bowl full, my make brought me cooked spinach to add to the bowls, and then cooked butternut squash! And after I added that, they brought me a chicken leg they saved for me from lunch. I thought I was cooking supper?! My plate of food was enormous! And I don’t think they really liked the casserole. The children gobbled it down like they do any food they are given- I think, sadly, they are perpetually hungry. My make and her bosisi said the food was nice and thanked me twice. But the look on their face when there were eating it was not one of enjoyment. It was prolly similar to my first sour porridge experience….. I will choke this down as best I can w/ a neutral face! So needless to say I went to bed feeling sicker to my stomach, and woke this morning feeling very yucky. I didn’t eat much all day and my teacher aka thishela was very concerned about me b/c I took a nap during lunch. He insisted I call the Medical Officer. She didn’t seem concerned. After class Jarrod, Jaclyn and Melissa came to my place to make lasagna. I actually felt hungry when we were preparing it, so I think I’m over the worst. We took it to Serena’s place and all Village C aka Lebovu (it is reb\d; bovu is red) shared their dinners together. When I came home to clean up the mess I found a cockroach on my gas stove. YUCK! I’ve seen others in my hut and I have to get over that fact that they will invade a space w/out discretion, but it’s so gross to actually come across them in your space…esp. on your cookware!

Mbabane Swaziland

I'm in the Swaz. We arrived by charted bus to Mbabane this afternoon. It took an hour to cross the border from South Africa into Swaziland. As we approached the border, and continued to travel toward our destination, the scenery changed from brown, desolate vegetation to lush green trees and fields. The one really great thing i saw in SA was an irrigation system... i think it was a Valley. I thought about what my dad would think about the farming practices. And in J'burg we saw palm trees- they are huge! Oh the other really great thing....cattle roam free along the roadside. We had to slow down a few times to avoid hitting ones that wondered onto the highway. Oh speaking of the highways, it's the British system; everything is opposite.

I'm feeling a little off b/c of the malaria pills. Kinda dizzy since tuesday, and last night i started having really weird dreams....apparently both are normal. GREAT!

The current volunteers were over-eager to meet us. A little overwhelming for me after traveling 2 days on a plane and then 4 hours by bus. They launched into conversation as sooner as we got off the bus. YIKES! Maybe they just wanted fresh conversation w/ new people.

My group is growing on me. I really like my roomie...she's lived in Mpls the last 6 years, is a Med Tech, vegetarian, loves bike riding, and it very laid back. We've enjoyed sharing our sarcasm. The rest of the group is super out-going and mostly extroverts. Not a bad thing unless you're an extreme introvert like me! Nonetheless, we all seem to be getting along.

My adapters and converters don't work here...i bought the wrong ones, so i need to sign off for now and save some battery space for tomorrow. I get to walk around Mbabane tomorrow w/ my walk-around allowance of 360 Emalangeni...i believe the conversion is 6 to 1....and that has to last me 2 weeks! Hopefully i'll be able to find the right outlet adapter.

This is still a surreal trip. It hit me at border crossing this i was actually in Africa. One day at a time, right?! Hugs, Love and Namaste

Staging, Day 2

I arrived in Philly yesterday and immediately started orientation. Allota information all at once but it was good. Mom, Dad, Sharon and Annette dropped me off at the airport yesterday morning around 5. Good to be sorta out of it, tired, groggy so i wasn't too emotional...making leaving harder. I hugged my dad first, and my mom last. I noticed later, as I was wiping tears away, that her perfume was on my shirt. Her scent, Skin Musk, got me to the Milwaukee airport feeling some semblence of home still with me. She told me to go with God's love; i go with her love, and dad's love, my family's love, my friends' love. More about my fellow trainees later....but so far so good.

Final's Week

It's the second day of final's week! Yipee!!!! I LOVE final's week b/c it means the end is almost near. I've always felt that way...even when i was taking classes. I just loved final's week and all it's drama, stress, cramming, late nights, coffee overloads. It all built up to successes, relief, lightness of spirit, spring fever, finality.

Including today, i have 9 days left at USD. OMG. Since April, time has escaped me. Seems like yesterday was just April 15th and this weekend had to have been April 1st. Right?! The other day i was walking downtown to rent some movies, and i was thinking about how easy it would be to stay here. I absolutely love my apt, but i bet i could afford a cute little house that's ALL mine. And it's great to walk or ride my bike downtown or to campus in a matter of minutes. Jones Food Center is my haven, loaded w/ organic and all-natural foods and Mister Smith's breads! To die for. Vermtown is lovely in the summer....serene, quiet, lazy. Carey's back porch patio is the place to be any day of the week...or night for that matter. No pushing your way to the bar, and every friday happy hour includes music! I plant a garden filled w/ veggies and loaded with flowers. I could participate in the Farmers Market. My job at USD would be mine for as long as i'd want.

But i wouldn't be happy, not completely happy anyway. I would continually wrestle w/ my soul, the need to do something more, to fulfill my passion for alternative healthcare, the desire to travel and learn and explore. And that's why i know i'm making the right decision. As scary as the unknown will be....as overwhelming as this process has been....as sad as i'll be for leaving those dear to my heart and the familiar....all those things pale in comparison to what i'll be doing, and who i'll become, and what i'll do w/ that knowledge once i return.

I'm struggling with saying good-bye. But the great thing about saying good-bye is knowing i'll say hello again really soon!

Getting prepared

So i think i'm fairly prepared...item-wise...for my upcoming trip. I have a solar powered battery charger that also charges cells phones, iPods and the like. Very cool! I have a Tivoli radio, which will serve as externals speakers for my iPod and claims to bring in major radio stations. It's cobalt blue w/ cherry wood. I have a voltage transformer and converter set...ya know for my hair dryer and straightening iron! (hehehe) I have work clothes, casual clothes, work-out clothes, dressy clothes. I'm taking my y0ga mat for sanity. My camera will capture my new home, neighbors and friends. A journal for ocassional lunatic rantings, frustrating days, and memorable, satisfying moments.
The thing i'm most struggling with: What shoes do i bring and which ones stay behind, getting packed away and never seeing my feet for 2 years? Dilemmas! I bought a pair of Keen sandals. I'm taking my running shoes. They recommend a good pair or 2 of casual walking shoes. Check. Check. Check. But what about going-out shoes? And the shoes I'll wear w/ my dress for the Swearing-in ceremony? And the shoes for social gatherings? I know, the drama! In all honesty, i'm (mostly) kidding. Okay, so i have a guilty pleasure for fashion and a small obsession for shoes. Really, i'm worried about what pair of cute, sexy shoes to take w/ me even though i say it's important. Can you say distration?! Have you noticed i'm NOT talking about if i'm mentally or emotionally prepared for this trip. Well....i'm saving that for another day.