Random Observations and Reflections

1. I married Prince Charming. Two weeks ago the rains were so heavy for back-to-back days that the river overflowed its banks and washed over the bridge along our running route. On the way out, I got a piggy-back across the bridge so that I didn't have to run in sopping wet shoes (8K up a mountain P.S.) and on the way back, not only did I get a piggy-back, but Doug made multiple trips to ferry a couple of young children across who were walking to school (and in jeopardy of being washed off of the bridge).
2. It would be much safer if the traffic lights (or 'robots' as they are called here) could be fixed at the main, 5-way intersection in town. They have been broken for at least two weeks and it makes for very interesting driving in the center of town (where the majority of people walk in the road, as it is).
3. I secretly love the fact that our water heater is not regulated. I can take the hottest shower tolerable. Although, I outwardly don't like it when I am doing the dishes and burn myself (probably because doing the dishes is not nearly as enjoyable as a hot shower).
4. Sometimes it is sad living in a transient community. Other times it is exciting. Right now it is mostly sad. Our good friends Dan (PAC doctor) and Meridith and their family are moving home to the States on the 14th. And, our good friend Mallory (Fulbright'er) is moving home on the 22nd. And Jordan (TechnoServe) and Alison I (TechnoServe) are moving home on the 17th and 22nd respectively. Sigh.
5. I am turning 32 on the 20th. What the hell kind of age is that? 32? Barf.
6. Instead of exchanging Christmas gifts with family and friends this year, we are contributing to a number of different causes in the community; one of which is called a 'Chicken Day.' The third weekend in January, Doug and I will purchase 30 live chickens which will feed 200+ children at a rural Neighborhood Care Point (NCP). I can't wait for the feathered mayhem.
7. Last week our siSwati teacher taught us a number of new verbs. One of which was 'setsula' or 'to release.' I confidently constructed a number of sentences in which things were 'let go' or 'released' (mostly back into the wild) when I noticed the perplexed look on her face. Next, she waved her hand behind her bum and plugged her nose and said, 'to release.' Oh...now I get it. 'Setsula' actually means 'to fart.' Nice. Well, in that case, I'd like to scratch my previously constructed sentences from the record (even though in light of this new learning, they are all hysterical).
8. We went scuba diving in Sodwana Bay, South Africa this past weekend and on the way out of town we stopped at 'Alex's Pizza Takeaway' (which was neatly scrawled on a surfboard on the side of the road). Turns out, he is an Italian trying to make ends meet in Sodwana so he built a woodfire stove, rolls his own dough, and even wired together a piece of metal and a stick to make a pizza spatula of sorts for putting/retrieving pizzas in/from his homemade oven. Best pizza ever. Thin crust slice of heaven.
9. It doesn't really matter if you are caught speeding in Swaziland. A speeding ticket is 60 Emalangeni or roughly $8. There's no points on your license or any court date blah, blah, blah. Just $8 paid on the side of the road and you are on your way. I've gotten two.
10. Our first visitors arrive on the 19th! Elizabeth (Biss) and Josh Thiel are coming to spend Christmas with us! Hooray!
11. Whenever I take our recycling to one of the local primary schools that appears to run a recycling program, the kids look at me like I have three heads. I have pretty much filled the recycling bins outside of the school since we've arrived; which leads me to believe the program is currently struggling or on hiatus. Which may be why the kids look at me like I have three heads.
12. 'Salad cream' and mayonnaise are really not the same things.
13. Avocados are transitioning out of season and mangoes are coming into season.
14. Buying minutes for my 'pay as you go' cell phone has never been easier. Basically, on every street corner there is a person in a yellow bib that says, 'MTN.' You just pull over and tell them how much money you'd like to put on your phone...they send a text, you hand over the money, you receive a text confirming the transaction has been completed, and you are on your way! Voila. Minutes.
15. There is a bug flying kamikaze style into the kitchen window (over and over and over again) as I'm typing. The bugs in Swaziland are particularly crunchy and the noise is kind of gross and I'm starting to feel bad for the bug! I'll end this random collection of observations and reflections to relieve the bug from its insanity (insanity = flying into the window over and over again but somehow expecting a different outcome).

INSET Christmas Party

Last Wednesday, my department within the Ministry of Education, (INSET)(In-service Education and Training) held our Christmas Party at Maguga Gorge near Nhlangano (about 90 minutes from Mbabane). It was a full-day event including an official ‘program’ and a braai (cookout). The morning began at 7:30am with me meeting some of my colleagues and government transport in Manzini. Not many people in Swaziland own vehicles; and if they do, they are definitely not used for work purposes. Therefore, each business or clinic or government agency often has a couple of vehicles and employs a couple of drivers in order to drive people to meetings. Some of you know that I am narcoleptic in the car; so, having a driver is particularly helpful when I need to go long distances within in the country. One of the things that I enjoy most about being driven around is having a captive audience for practicing siSwati. Doug and I have been taking lessons for 4 months and when a driver is trapped in the car with me, I always take advantage of the opportunity to speak and to ask questions. In the case of last Wednesday, there happened to be 4 Swazis in the car (usually it is just me and the driver) which was more like an ‘immersion course’ as opposed to the tutoring session I normally negotiate. At any rate, we arrived at the gorge and the hosts were already busy heating the charcoals for the braai and setting up the tables, etc. The program began with a prayer, as is traditional Swazi practice when starting a meeting or event, and then a song, and then introductions. This was my shining siSwati speaking moment because there was only one other white person present (umlungu) and I managed to introduce myself to the 43 people in siSwati! I had met about 12 of them before, but since the Christmas Party included not only the professional staff but also the cleaners, gardeners, drivers, clerks and receptionists within the department, there were many new faces. Here’s what I said:

Sonibonani | Hello (to more than one person)

Ngisafundza siSwati | I am still learning siSwati

Kodvwa, ligama lami ngingu Paisley | But, my name is Paisley

Ngiyasebenta INSET ga Manzini | I am working for INSET in Manzini

Ngiphuma eMelika | I come from America

Ngifikile Eswatini 1 August 2009 | I arrived in Swaziland on the first of August

Ngihlahla Mbabane ngoba umyeni wami umdokotella| I stay in Mbabane because my husband is a doctor

Ngiyabonga ka khulu | Thank you very much

The good news was people very graciously applauded my efforts; the bad news was everyone assumed I spoke the language for real and continued to speak to me in siSwati for the rest of the day! Let’s just say that I practiced my introduction at home and that I (in all likelihood) am probably only able to understand about 60% of what is said to me on a daily basis. So, some parts of the party will be omitted for the sole reason that I had no idea what was going on. Following introductions, there was a ‘news report’ which was really more like a comedy sketch, then there were a few speeches, a huge lunch, and finally a good old fashion game of tug of war. In between, people appreciated the beautiful surroundings and caught up with friends from other regions of the country whom they don’t regularly see. I felt very proud to have been included and thoroughly enjoyed my day at the Christmas Party.

The set-up of the party/lunch table

The braai

The 'welcome' by Graham (Nhlangano Teacher Resource Center (TRC) Director)

The 'news report' by Tennis and Graham (Tennis is one of the drivers for Manzini)

Traditional lunch including 'pap (maizemeal), bean salad, beet salad, creamed spinach, simp (stewed beans), and chicken'

Tug of war

Patricia (the receptionist at the Manzini Office, where I work)

Pauline and her sister Paula (Pauline is the Secretary for the Manzini Office and her sister is a cleaner at the Siphofaneni TRC)

Girlie (the cleaner at the Manzini Office)

Imvula and Tennis (the drivers for the Manzini Office)

Views of Maguga Gorge

The 'goody bag' for the party was a 2L of soda. Penelope and Susan are organizing the give-a-way (Penelope is a lecturer for the Nhlangano TRC and Susan is a new Peace Corps Volunteer who is working at the Mankanyane TRC)

World Cup [Part I]

As I am sure you are aware, the World Cup is being held in South Africa this summer from June 11 – July 11, 2009. For those of you who are not aware, the World Cup is kind of like the Olympics for soccer or ‘football’ (depending where you live in the world). It takes place every 4 years and involves 32 men’s national teams from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). In order to raise enthusiasm for the tournament in the region, FIFA is sponsoring a series of mini-World Cup tournaments which coincide with the actual ‘World Cup’ trophy touring around the continent. So, last Saturday, the World Cup trophy came to Swaziland and FIFA hosted a tournament. Even though the expat community is sparse on actual soccer players, we of course rallied and entered a team. Let me just say here and now, it was…funny. Personally, I hadn’t played since I was 8 when picking dandelions on the field was more entertaining to me then actually playing soccer; therefore, I spent much of my time on the field terrified and running. All told, I kicked the ball three times and even then it was only to get the ball AWAY from me. But, enough about my nonexistent soccer skills…our team…we had 14 players (13 of which held American passports) and one whom we smuggled in. Growing up, he was the goalie for the South African National Team; therefore, he was our ‘ace in the hole.’ We played two games – the first against Nigeria and the second against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We lost 6-0 and 7-0 respectively. But, in our defense, the crowd LOVED us and whenever a woman (we were of course the only team to play women) touched the ball or we got the ball on our half of the field they cheered. While the other teams actually fielded some of their country’s professional players, we didn’t have any on hand, so we just played ourselves. Honestly, it gave me a new found respect for the sport and next time I’ll buy shin guards instead of shoving cardboard down my socks. P.S. This blog entry is dedicated to Carrie Watts. I now understand you really are a badass.

Uri, me, and Jara before the game

Shaking hands with the other team and referees before the start of the match

In the huddle, pretending like we know what we are doing

I'm #4. That's me, running...not sure where to

Still running...

Yup, you guessed it, still running...at least there are other people in the photo this time

Jason showing off his mad skills (that he hasn't used in 20 years)

Between-games performance

10:00am Tee Time

Being a part-time consultant leaves plenty of time for me to also be a part-time ‘person of leisure.’ My friend, Jason, (husband to PAC doctor, Fiona) is also a ‘person of leisure’ when not working as a green consultant (as in the conservation type) or raising his 8 month old son, Alex. As true ‘persons of leisure’ Jason and I recently made a pact to play every golf course in Swaziland. And as the daughter of George Dillon, this proposition obviously appealed to me. So, last Friday, we took the first steps toward our goal by playing the Mbabane Municipal 9-hole course. Without knowing what to expect, we headed over to the clubhouse about 10:00am. After negotiating with the pro to borrow his clubs, since we didn’t have any of our own, and after navigating a group of eager caddies, we paid the 50 Emalangeni (about $7) and teed-off. Let it be known that the winner of the caddy bidding war went to Patrick, for the sole reason that he had a Washington Redskins sweatshirt on and well, I am the wife of Douglas Blank (surrogate owner of a Redskins yamakah). Jason and I decided to play ‘best ball’ given that I had played most recently and that was 7 months ago (and the time before that was last Christmas). We also decided to play from the ‘ladies’ tees, which all of the caddies who were standing by in hopes that we’d change our mind about Patrick, found very entertaining. It was a supremely enjoyable day and WE shot a 45 (and only lost one ball – mostly due to Patrick’s mad retrieval skills). We played consistent bogey golf, less one double-bogey and one par. Randomly, it was our putting that saved us – we were sinking them from 10, 12, and 15 feet (no kidding).

The clubhouse

Patrick

The first hole and still smiling

I almost forget the best rule, ever! Local rules (that are clearly posted in the clubhouse) state that you can pick-up your ball and place it within 30 cm of its original placement on EVERY shot. This might have contributed greatly to our bogey golf...Regardless, here's a shot of Patrick re-placing the ball as Jason looks on in disbelief at this rule and our good fortune!

The greenskeepers take a lot of pride in their work and even if some of their tools are rudimentary, they take exceptional care of the course.

Views from the course (this is a bit of a 'recruiting' tool to get my Dad over here)

And finally, the 19th hole. Look at how many sleeves of balls Jason brought with him. Clearly, he had a lot of confidence in our game!

Gobble, Gobble

The expats came out in droves to celebrate Thanksgiving in Mbabane! Our friend Michelle offered to host at her place and since she lives immediately next-door to two other PAC doctors, this gave us convenient access to two ovens (granted, one had to be closed with the assistance of duct tape). My partner-in-crime in the kitchen, Jason, and I cooked three turkeys and a ‘turducken’ for about 40 people. The ‘turducken’ was all Jason – I was merely the sous chef mixing stuffing in a cooler because we didn’t have a big enough container to house all of the stuffing for the four birds! We even projected the previous weekend’s football games (Titans/Texans and Colts/Patriots) on the wall to really make it feel like Thanksgiving with the sound of football in the background. For our Thanksgiving ‘potluck’ we asked guests to bring a ‘family tradition’ dish or something specifically Thanksgiving themed. A couple of folks had recently been to the States and secured luxury items like canned cranberry and canned pumpkin, so we really didn’t go without any favorites! There isn’t much to report apart from we ate a lot! Our fun fact of the evening was how many countries were represented at our ‘first’ Thanksgiving in Swaziland…and the answer is TEN! (Swaziland, U.S.A., Canada, England, Spain, Argentina, South Africa, Mozambique, Italy, and India)

Forty people and four turkey's = a big mess...so, this is the 'before' picture of Michelle's wonderful home

My potluck contributions...non-cooler made stuffing and macaroni and cheese

Turkey carvers caught in the act (Nick and Dan)

What Thanksgiving could be complete without a couple of princesses? (Molly and Sophia)

And of course, our friends

The African Library Project

Two weeks ago, I met two philanthropists from California who came to Swaziland to deliver books and to visit their libraries around the country. The women were with the nonprofit, The African Library Project (ALP) http://www.africanlibraryproject.org/, whose mission is to increase literacy in Africa by creating and improving small libraries. The ALP partners with dedicated volunteers across the continent whose mission is education. Their partners include U.S. Peace Corps volunteers, National Library Service staff, education districts and African Non-Governmental Organizations. In order to supply the books for the start-up libraries, ALP seeks partnerships with U.S. schools to host book drives and then uses fundraising dollars to ship the books accordingly. In order to improve sustainability, on the African side, the school must provide the space, bookshelves, and a librarian. The way in which I got connected is a ‘small world’ story. One of the other PAC doctor’s (Dan) wife, Meredith, has a sister in Palo Alto, California who has 4 children whose school sponsored a book drive for the African Library Project. And, low and behold, they were partnered with a high school outside of Mbabane. Since Meredith had promised to visit the school and to take pictures of the book delivery for her sister’s children’s school (are you following this?), we met up with Chris Bradshaw (the founder of ALP) when she was in town. I was really just along for the ride and to volunteer myself as an in-country resource since Meredith and her family are moving back to the States at Christmas and I am working with the Ministry of Education. All-in-all it was a fun afternoon and it’s always nice to meet new people and to learn about another nonprofit operating in Swaziland.

The school is just on the other side of Manzini on the way to Siphofaneni, which is a more rural area. Here’s the view from the school.

The school buildings are fairly similar to ‘mobile’ classrooms or ‘bungalows’ as we like to call them in Los Angeles.

The third term ends this week and students will be off for summer vacation, so it was ‘final exam’ time when we visited. Here are some of the students hanging out after class.

These girls were begging me to take their photo!

Hail

Today, it hailed (actually, just a few minutes ago)! It was remarkable. This morning, I ran in short sleeves and now I can see my breath on the patio. The storm only lasted about 8-10 minutes, but it was intense while it lasted! Living in the mountains we’ve gotten used to fog, afternoon showers, cooler temperatures, etc. but never hail. Just when we thought summer was finally coming to Mbabane…P.S. The electricity has gone on/off 4 times since I started writing this blog entry.

Downpour

The pool

I don’t think that these flowers appreciate the sudden chill

Our complex