Hey guys! I have a little bit of time, so I thought I would say hello quick! I just got into this dunk-a-dunk town about an hour ago and my bus leaves in 45 min! This is my shopping town. It’s about 2 ½ hrs away and once I get there I have 2 hours to quickly get everything done before the bus leaves again. Every time I board the bus for this place though, I always have a crazy experience which is kinda fun. Today for example I reconfirmed my numbness towards nudity. Did I get your attention? The word “nudity” tends to do that. Well, let me explain. Mothers here are not shy about their breasticles (What most people call breasts, but I say breasticles because its makes me laugh…cheap entertainment. I need to grow up.) Well, this one mother on the bus ride here was breast feeding her 3 or 4 year old on her lap. Side note, I think a rule of thumb should be when a child can help you sling the boob out of the shirt while your talking to someone or can use a complete sentences requesting the beverage pump…its time to start big kid food. Just a side thought. Anyways, I was talking to my friend Matthew about it and he told me how boobs aren’t the same to him anymore either. As a female I would assume my reaction to this atmosphere is different than males, but we agreed on some things. He said, “They just aren’t as cool as they used to be.” Rightfully so, Matthew, rightfully so. Swazis are very comfortable with their bodies. I appreciate that…usually. Whether it’s the old man in public behind a bush going to the bathroom and greeting me as he submerges from the branches or my naked grandma who splashes me in the river while I’m trying to concentrate on washing my clothes, the word bizarre or awkward or uncomfortable doesn’t translate. Swazis just don’t care about nakedness. Some of you guys might be thinking, “You are 23 yrs. old. Its time to not laugh at boobs or butts. It’s a natural part of life.” Well I say to you, I agree nakedness is a beautiful thing, but I can’t control the snickers sometimes. It’s as impossible as controlling my giggles when someone makes a tooting noise with “their shoe”. Please don’t ask me to give that up. Being in Africa is definitely helping though. The frequency of seeing naked parts numbs the effect at least 30% of the time. I now am starting to see, other volunteers agree, that the breast is more like equipment than a body part. A tool. Kinda like a frying pan or a toaster. The guys in my group agree. I would even dare to call it an appliance because it serves a function. Gives food. A natural appliance. A mom with a boob is like catcher with a baseball glove if you ask me. The point I’m getting at is Swaziland is teaching me a lot and each day, if I look for them. I can get some sort of lesson on life or culture. I feel it’s my duty to share those life lessons with the people I love the most back at home.
I went to a Thanksgiving supper at a married volunteer couple’s home about 3 hour hike on Thursday. It’s nice to be with people over the holidays. Like I said before, it’s not like my last Thanksgiving with references to Squanto and KFC drumsticks with friends, but I got to thinking that its not often we get to celebrate the American holiday within the summer heat of South Africa. Actually, it’s not my 1st Thanksgiving in Africa. My friend Laura from Puerto Rico emailed me reminding me of that. It was about 3 years ago when we celebrated Thanksgiving in land rovers in the Sahara Desert when I was working with YWAM. We stopped at a village when returning back to our base late at night. We bought some chickens and paid people to prepare them for us since we had no food. We each had a zip lock bag with pieces of the chicken in it. The driver spoke Arabic and broken Spanish and we had a discussion about how I was a Christian. Through Laura translating, the three of us sat up front going up and down sand dunes while people slept in the back seats. They thought my story was amazing about how my parents were raised in a church too. The driver had to hide from everyone that he was a Christian because he lived in a part of Algeria where everyone was Muslim. I never realized how cool that Thanksgiving was until now, so thanks for letting me reminisce. I don’t know if I ever told people that story either. It was a difficult Thanksgiving away from family. I remember after staying in Algeria for a month, I was sure that God didn’t want me to leave the US again nor do international mission work. 3 years later I find myself trying to tackle my Thanksgiving meal on my friend’s homestead and talking about someone’s Swazi breasts I witnessed this morning. God is hilarious. I’m not alone this holiday season. The same God who was with me talking to my driver in Algeria is with me Swaziland. That’s comforting.
Its kinda cool because I see how some experiences I’ve had is helping now while I’m here. I was an aunt in 5th grade. The only one in my class. Holla! Some kids brought Gigga Pets, Generation X jeans, and slap bracelets for show and tell. I brought a human. My baby niece. I scored some serious popularity points on that one. Haha! “Oh yeah, Marcus, your show and tell takes AAA batteries and is named Chester….well, my show and tell has an umbilical cord.” I was able to help take care of my niece as a little kid and I liked to help my big sister with the changes of motherhood too. Now, my Swazi aunt, who is a year older than me, is pregnant and kind of in a similar situation as my sister was when I was in 5th grade. I feel like I’m able to help her in a different way now that I’m older and understand the situation. I tell her things I remember from when my sisters were pregnant. We hang out about everyday. She’s sassy and loud. She knows, so it’s not bad that I said that. I don’t know if it’s a hormonal thing or what, but yesterday she insisted on wearing a stocking cap, pants, skirt, a wool jacket and socks. Its summer here. I looked at her with confusion and after she insulted my colorful outfit and I said, “I’m not taking fashion tips from you! Look what you are wearing! We’re in Africa, not Antarctica!” She punched me in my ribs (I told you she plays rough) and then we laughed. I pretended to be passed out in the grass to make her feel bad, but she didn’t care and went out to the field. I’m hoping she’ll let me go with her to the hospital when she has the baby. I told her I would buy her KFC if she would let me watch. (KFC is the only American fast food chain in Swaziland and they love it here.) She doesn’t want ANYONE to go with her and she is very difficult to live with sometimes, so although challenging some days, she is still my friend. If she wanted me there at the hospital to help, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I try to give her fruit and veggies whenever I eat them to make sure the baby is getting a balanced diet. I want her to test for HIV/AIDS, but there is so much stigma here that people would rather just live with not knowing so they can keep living like they had. The problem is the infants get it when the moms don’t take the ARVs to decrease the viral load.
I miss you guys everyday. I can’t wait to hear from you. Thank you so much for the letters you’ve given me while I’ve been here. I read them over and over a lot to get me through lonely days. They help. This thanksgiving I am thankful for good friends and family at home. Home is where the heart is right. Well you guys have my heart. Wink. I will try updating you again within the next month. Maybe over Christmas time? Love you guys! Talk to you soon hopefully. Happy holidays.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Hakuna Matata
I'm back! Another blog update. Twice in a week...holla! I hope you are all well. I also realized I haven't been spell checking to save time. So please don't judge my intellegence level due to spelling errors.
Did I ever tell you guys about how I embarrassed myself at home? Well, than get cozy kids, because Mama Jack is gonna tell you a little bedtime story. Everyday I walk to the pit latrine near the grove to go to the bathroom. Its a natural thing, so I'm not shy to discuss. Somedays maybe I've tested the wrong Swazi foods leaving me to visit the hold in the ground more often than other days, but I usually have schedule of general times of the day I walk out there. Well, the children (there are a lot...there like ants) on my homestead have also learned this schedule. Every night I go out there before bed out of habit and prevention. So the children have started to gather around the square tin echoeing outhouse to wait for me to go. One night I went out, same thing as always, with my red bulbed headlamp strapped to my forehead and toilet paper at hand. The kids come running out of their rooms to gather around the stall I'm occupying. Yeah...well...the audience turned on me a bit as those naughty little poopers began pounding on the tin walls surrounding me with sticks. They began poking under the door of the stall making lots of noise as if it was Jesus' second coming. Yelling from within to "knock it off!" (as if they understand what that means) I finally come out of the toilet with my minor looking hat beaming in the faces of those short legged tallywackers. I softly closed the door behind me and they quickly stopped and watched me walk away. I did give them any ackwoledgement from their poor behavior. They should be ashamed of themsleves, but instead they all bust out laughing while my back is turned and a single tear trails down my cheek. haha JK. All I wanted was to go to the bathroom in peace. Is that too much to ask? The next day they were sitting outside soaking in the sun outside my door. As I walked past one yells, "When are you going to the bathroom?!?" (in broken English) I didn't respond. I walked away to my room and vowed not to visit the toilet until they left for school the next day. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. It was a long night, I may have developed a urinary tract infection, BUT I won the war. I won...(whispered). No one is beating the side of my toilet tonight. Chalk up 1 point for the whitey.
As I walk out of the stall
Its the end of the week which is great, but sad all 30 volunteers are going their seperate ways. Also sad because I've been with 1st languauge English speaking friends all week, eating homecooked meals from bomakes at the convent (a change from popcorn and oranges I make for myself at my homestead), and getting showers/flushing toilets everyday and now I'm leaving that catered life today. We voted for Peer Support Network (PSN) also. You vote on about 5 PSN and 2 Diversity members. They are in charge of changing things to make Peace Corps better and welcoming the new group that will come for training next summer. Its me and 4 other friends on PSN, so its nice to be working with fun people and have another project to work on to keep me from being homesick. :) So back to Lomfa (my village)I go today. Time to find my rightful place among my family in the southern part of Swaziland where I go days without cell phone service, communication, and electricity due to the frequentlightening storms. I miss the flies coming out of the depths of the pit latrine and cooking on my propane tank. haha I might not be that convincing and I might have said that to remind myself of what I am going back to, BUT I am excited to see my little brothers. And my aunt in all her craziness. I also have projects to do and laundry to wash. I'm excited because I have 21 youth signed up from my community to go to an empowerment conference on December 10th. Me and a bunch of hooligans gettin' down and rockin' it out in eNhlangano. I'll let you know what happens. We are trying to get them all to understand how they can help their peers overcome the hardships of HIV/AIDS and pregnancy in their schools. Please pray for this because I really hope it helps me make friends with some of them and get the ball going in my village. Those teenagers can be a handful. I remember those days...all too well. Youth Conferences= boys flirting with girls...and girls fighting over boys. I don't care what culture you are from, its a recipe that is inevitably used wherever boys and girls unite. Where you find puberty, pimples, and ringtones of Jordan Sparks, you will find awkward youngsters searching for love. Boys showing off and girls putting on lipsmackers, but if they think they can just show up for free food and socialize than...well...I don't care. They can. :) I might even do the worm for them...BUT hopefully they will learn at least a few things while they do that and I will be able to build a trust with my group so they feel comfortable talking with me about more serious issues later.
About a 3.5 hour hike from my homestead is a married couple who are also volunteers. They invited me and some others in the region we live in to have a Thanksgiving Supper. We ate a Thanksgiving meal Thursday with everyone this past week too. It made me miss home. Last year I ate KFC with my roomies and friends in costumes of Native Americans and Pilgrims. Sieff, Tina, and I even recited the 1st Thanksgiving poem in our attire. This holiday was different. As I looked down the table at faces I was eating with, I became sad. No Judy or Darlo. No Ang and Mik or nieces and nephews. Not a single person in brass buckled pilgrim shoes or ribal paint. I missed home. I miss home. Better yet, I miss you guys.
Its plowing season, so I've been working in the fields a little bit with my family. We're plowing potatoes. Its awesome because its like the real deal. We have huge cows that pull plowing stuff. Yes, I'm from Iowa, but no I don't no anything about farming equiptment or the cool words and lingo for that stuff. :) Don't judge me.
Love you guys and miss you a lot. Write me letters if you have time. :)
Did I ever tell you guys about how I embarrassed myself at home? Well, than get cozy kids, because Mama Jack is gonna tell you a little bedtime story. Everyday I walk to the pit latrine near the grove to go to the bathroom. Its a natural thing, so I'm not shy to discuss. Somedays maybe I've tested the wrong Swazi foods leaving me to visit the hold in the ground more often than other days, but I usually have schedule of general times of the day I walk out there. Well, the children (there are a lot...there like ants) on my homestead have also learned this schedule. Every night I go out there before bed out of habit and prevention. So the children have started to gather around the square tin echoeing outhouse to wait for me to go. One night I went out, same thing as always, with my red bulbed headlamp strapped to my forehead and toilet paper at hand. The kids come running out of their rooms to gather around the stall I'm occupying. Yeah...well...the audience turned on me a bit as those naughty little poopers began pounding on the tin walls surrounding me with sticks. They began poking under the door of the stall making lots of noise as if it was Jesus' second coming. Yelling from within to "knock it off!" (as if they understand what that means) I finally come out of the toilet with my minor looking hat beaming in the faces of those short legged tallywackers. I softly closed the door behind me and they quickly stopped and watched me walk away. I did give them any ackwoledgement from their poor behavior. They should be ashamed of themsleves, but instead they all bust out laughing while my back is turned and a single tear trails down my cheek. haha JK. All I wanted was to go to the bathroom in peace. Is that too much to ask? The next day they were sitting outside soaking in the sun outside my door. As I walked past one yells, "When are you going to the bathroom?!?" (in broken English) I didn't respond. I walked away to my room and vowed not to visit the toilet until they left for school the next day. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. It was a long night, I may have developed a urinary tract infection, BUT I won the war. I won...(whispered). No one is beating the side of my toilet tonight. Chalk up 1 point for the whitey.
As I walk out of the stall
Its the end of the week which is great, but sad all 30 volunteers are going their seperate ways. Also sad because I've been with 1st languauge English speaking friends all week, eating homecooked meals from bomakes at the convent (a change from popcorn and oranges I make for myself at my homestead), and getting showers/flushing toilets everyday and now I'm leaving that catered life today. We voted for Peer Support Network (PSN) also. You vote on about 5 PSN and 2 Diversity members. They are in charge of changing things to make Peace Corps better and welcoming the new group that will come for training next summer. Its me and 4 other friends on PSN, so its nice to be working with fun people and have another project to work on to keep me from being homesick. :) So back to Lomfa (my village)I go today. Time to find my rightful place among my family in the southern part of Swaziland where I go days without cell phone service, communication, and electricity due to the frequentlightening storms. I miss the flies coming out of the depths of the pit latrine and cooking on my propane tank. haha I might not be that convincing and I might have said that to remind myself of what I am going back to, BUT I am excited to see my little brothers. And my aunt in all her craziness. I also have projects to do and laundry to wash. I'm excited because I have 21 youth signed up from my community to go to an empowerment conference on December 10th. Me and a bunch of hooligans gettin' down and rockin' it out in eNhlangano. I'll let you know what happens. We are trying to get them all to understand how they can help their peers overcome the hardships of HIV/AIDS and pregnancy in their schools. Please pray for this because I really hope it helps me make friends with some of them and get the ball going in my village. Those teenagers can be a handful. I remember those days...all too well. Youth Conferences= boys flirting with girls...and girls fighting over boys. I don't care what culture you are from, its a recipe that is inevitably used wherever boys and girls unite. Where you find puberty, pimples, and ringtones of Jordan Sparks, you will find awkward youngsters searching for love. Boys showing off and girls putting on lipsmackers, but if they think they can just show up for free food and socialize than...well...I don't care. They can. :) I might even do the worm for them...BUT hopefully they will learn at least a few things while they do that and I will be able to build a trust with my group so they feel comfortable talking with me about more serious issues later.
About a 3.5 hour hike from my homestead is a married couple who are also volunteers. They invited me and some others in the region we live in to have a Thanksgiving Supper. We ate a Thanksgiving meal Thursday with everyone this past week too. It made me miss home. Last year I ate KFC with my roomies and friends in costumes of Native Americans and Pilgrims. Sieff, Tina, and I even recited the 1st Thanksgiving poem in our attire. This holiday was different. As I looked down the table at faces I was eating with, I became sad. No Judy or Darlo. No Ang and Mik or nieces and nephews. Not a single person in brass buckled pilgrim shoes or ribal paint. I missed home. I miss home. Better yet, I miss you guys.
Its plowing season, so I've been working in the fields a little bit with my family. We're plowing potatoes. Its awesome because its like the real deal. We have huge cows that pull plowing stuff. Yes, I'm from Iowa, but no I don't no anything about farming equiptment or the cool words and lingo for that stuff. :) Don't judge me.
Love you guys and miss you a lot. Write me letters if you have time. :)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I'd Rather Be Riding
I'm back! Sorry it took so long! I haven't been able to be in town for a while and so it was difficult to communicate with you guys the past month. I am in the city this week (Manzini) doing a workshop. We are staying at a convent (all 30 volunteers...if you like stained bunk beds and the smell of moth balls then you will love this place). We are talking with Baylor University doctors who are teaching us how to respond to the problems in the community. Its sometimes overwhelming because we play so many roles in our communities. The doctors are sometimes too busy or too far to mave visit into the depths of the rural areas we live in, so volunteers play an important role in giving them medical assistance and/or suggesting where to go and means to get professional help. I'm like Dr. Quin (Medicine Woman). Riding my donkey to each homestead and handing freshly delivered babies to the mothers while finding an herbal cure for hepetitis. :) Maybe I haven't done any of that, but I am learning better ways to acknowledge symptoms of certain common diseases in my community like TB and Malaria. The workshop this week has been really good. The main issues in my community where I live, as well as others, are as follows: H2O, food, and teen pregnancy. Did I mention that they all come from or are related to the 40% unemploymet rate and, of course, HIV/AIDS? So this week I'm learning how to save the world. haha Really, it feels that way and sometimes its overwhelming, but I get really excited because there are tangible ways I can help.
Two HIV positive women talked to us today. We were able to ask a lot of questions openly including why they never tested until it was too late and how people look at them now. HIV/AIDS has only been around since the late 19th/early 20th century. Its crazy how new it is and also strange because the 1st time they actually knew what it was happen to be around when I was born. Such a huge epidemic is taking place now and is still so new. No signs of a cure and being in Africa where it derived from (possibly Congo area) to learn about it is incredible. Especially learning about HIV/AIDS in the convent here and then while walking to the building where we sleep across the road we are probably passing multiple people with it or who are living with someone who has it. Its like a common cold it seems like sometimes. With HIV/AIDS comes TB in most cases and that is just as scarey. Out of every 5 pregnant mothers, 2 are HIV positive. The statistics are eye opening yet walking down the street you can't even tell who is infected and who isn't.
I've been challenged in so many ways these past 2 months especially. I have been trying to integrate into my new life and building relationshiops with a family of around 50 (over half are under the age of 30). I wanted to work at an orphanage, but I realized that I am living at one. About 8 of the kids are orphans and/or vulnerable children. There is so much to do within my family that it can be overwhelming to also try help all the numerous "problems" with the homesteads surrounding me. There are about 450-500 homesteads in my community that I am in charge of. Each homestead has a different amount of orphans, children, mothers, etc. Mine has 50, imagine the number of people in each homestead coming and going. There are a lot of people. My secondary school down the road holds around 700 teenagers. A lot of people around here...and sometimes they all are sick of hearing about HIV/AIDS. They live with it. They go to school with it. They try to escape it by drugs and sleeping with people who "understand" them. Its a difficult cycle and even more difficult to stop.
But really life is good here. There are big issues, but there is still hope and fun. You can't be too serious here because that doesn't help either. I like teaching Silent Night to my brothers on my guitar. We are going to have a Christmas Program in my room for the family. We are going to dress up in costumes (my favorite thing to do) and rock out to Christmas carols! I also want to have a movie night. :) When I get my computer I want to set it up in my room and escort them to a seat on my grass mat with a flashlight and serve them popcorn while we watch the movie "Heavyweights" (props to Sieff). Fat jokes are universal I feel and I know my family loves fat jokes. My aunt and brothers are always saying them to each other...and even at me sometimes. So then I do the "truffle shuffle" or play my stomach like a drum and we move on to the next fat joke. Now its my turn...revenge. But we just laugh and although we say the jokes, we somehow know its with love. Its okay here. If I learned anything, its to not take anything personally. :) We're all different. I've never felt so unique or like a minority in all my life. Its terrific! It was hard at first, uncomfortable and I almost went home (ask Angi), but I realized I didn't come here for me. So why am I focusing on my comfort? Skinny. Fat. Female. Male. White. Black...or even Purple. Who cares?! Just be what you are and have fun with it! The sooner you are comfortable with yourself, the easier for others to be comfomtable with you too. ;)
I'm tahnkful for this experience. God shows his face everytime I need it. I think of you guys a lot. Especially when I am bored. I've found lots of ways to pass time here. I've even tried to invent new ways do something different. Here is my list of bordem stoppers I've tried:
-Watch people play and join in at the climax
-Make a list of fun things I've done in the past and admire them
-Figure out how to get on T.V.
-Snap my fingers to think of a good idea and see if anything happens
-breakdance on my floor
-pretned I have a broken leg
-climb a tree
-hold my breath
-experiment with makeup
-play dead
Love you guys and hope you are well. :) Don't forget about me.
Help me God to take what I can do, who I want to be, and use it for a purpose greater than myself. ~Martin Luther King Jr. (this guy knows his stuff)
Two HIV positive women talked to us today. We were able to ask a lot of questions openly including why they never tested until it was too late and how people look at them now. HIV/AIDS has only been around since the late 19th/early 20th century. Its crazy how new it is and also strange because the 1st time they actually knew what it was happen to be around when I was born. Such a huge epidemic is taking place now and is still so new. No signs of a cure and being in Africa where it derived from (possibly Congo area) to learn about it is incredible. Especially learning about HIV/AIDS in the convent here and then while walking to the building where we sleep across the road we are probably passing multiple people with it or who are living with someone who has it. Its like a common cold it seems like sometimes. With HIV/AIDS comes TB in most cases and that is just as scarey. Out of every 5 pregnant mothers, 2 are HIV positive. The statistics are eye opening yet walking down the street you can't even tell who is infected and who isn't.
I've been challenged in so many ways these past 2 months especially. I have been trying to integrate into my new life and building relationshiops with a family of around 50 (over half are under the age of 30). I wanted to work at an orphanage, but I realized that I am living at one. About 8 of the kids are orphans and/or vulnerable children. There is so much to do within my family that it can be overwhelming to also try help all the numerous "problems" with the homesteads surrounding me. There are about 450-500 homesteads in my community that I am in charge of. Each homestead has a different amount of orphans, children, mothers, etc. Mine has 50, imagine the number of people in each homestead coming and going. There are a lot of people. My secondary school down the road holds around 700 teenagers. A lot of people around here...and sometimes they all are sick of hearing about HIV/AIDS. They live with it. They go to school with it. They try to escape it by drugs and sleeping with people who "understand" them. Its a difficult cycle and even more difficult to stop.
But really life is good here. There are big issues, but there is still hope and fun. You can't be too serious here because that doesn't help either. I like teaching Silent Night to my brothers on my guitar. We are going to have a Christmas Program in my room for the family. We are going to dress up in costumes (my favorite thing to do) and rock out to Christmas carols! I also want to have a movie night. :) When I get my computer I want to set it up in my room and escort them to a seat on my grass mat with a flashlight and serve them popcorn while we watch the movie "Heavyweights" (props to Sieff). Fat jokes are universal I feel and I know my family loves fat jokes. My aunt and brothers are always saying them to each other...and even at me sometimes. So then I do the "truffle shuffle" or play my stomach like a drum and we move on to the next fat joke. Now its my turn...revenge. But we just laugh and although we say the jokes, we somehow know its with love. Its okay here. If I learned anything, its to not take anything personally. :) We're all different. I've never felt so unique or like a minority in all my life. Its terrific! It was hard at first, uncomfortable and I almost went home (ask Angi), but I realized I didn't come here for me. So why am I focusing on my comfort? Skinny. Fat. Female. Male. White. Black...or even Purple. Who cares?! Just be what you are and have fun with it! The sooner you are comfortable with yourself, the easier for others to be comfomtable with you too. ;)
I'm tahnkful for this experience. God shows his face everytime I need it. I think of you guys a lot. Especially when I am bored. I've found lots of ways to pass time here. I've even tried to invent new ways do something different. Here is my list of bordem stoppers I've tried:
-Watch people play and join in at the climax
-Make a list of fun things I've done in the past and admire them
-Figure out how to get on T.V.
-Snap my fingers to think of a good idea and see if anything happens
-breakdance on my floor
-pretned I have a broken leg
-climb a tree
-hold my breath
-experiment with makeup
-play dead
Love you guys and hope you are well. :) Don't forget about me.
Help me God to take what I can do, who I want to be, and use it for a purpose greater than myself. ~Martin Luther King Jr. (this guy knows his stuff)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Phelps!
Hi everyone! I am in town for a little bit, so I thought I should check the internet quick. I had quite the experience getting to town. The bus was crowded like usual and stood next to an old Mkhulu (grandpa). Fact, Mkhulu can not control the volume of his voice and must yell in order to communicate. Despite the bus smelling like B.O. and what I can best describe as a "cornnuts" aroma, the bus ride went well. :) I am spending the night at another volunteer's homestead tonight. We are goung to a HIV/AIDS support group tomorrow together. She is actually from Nebraska. A little bit of the midwest here in the Swaz. I am going to do some shopping first today though. I am going to PEP (a grocery store chain in Swaziland) where I made friends with the workers. Whenever I come in they all stop working and talk to me. It feels like a Cheer's episode eveytime I see them. I just somewhere where everyone knows my name...and always glad I came. The people waiting in line for my cashier friend to get back to work (so they can make their purchases) aren't always as welcoming. :) Slowly, I'm determined to win them over.
I decided to work at the clinic on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It is a busy place, but until my SiSwati is good enough to understand what they need help with I can't do a whole lot. They'd be coming in with heartburn and I'd try to give them an enema. That is miscommunication that I don't want to be responsible for. I've been talking to this guy my age though that goes to my church. He is the youth pastor their. His name in Hlahla (which means Lucky). He said I could help him start a youth club he's wanted to do to promote HIV/AIDS awareness. So I have another thing to seperate my days! Thanks Hlahla! Isn't that "lucky" of me....pun intended! (That was for all of those who miss my lame jokes. haha) The days sometimes do slur together and I am trying to keep myself busy. I try to leave my homestead once a day for sanity reasons. I thankful though because there are good people in my community who seem motivated to make changes. I need to remind myself that I don't need to make big changes here. Sometimes I feel like the people here expect so much from me. My friend Melissa her community thinks she is bringing water. They've been in drought for 8 years and suddenly this 25 yr. old American is suddenly going to change weather conditions and pull a watering hole out of her backpack. haha. It's tough because you want to give hope to the people and help them find alternative ways to get water or solve certain community issues, but you also have to remember that you are one person. Like many, I don't like disappointing people, so its hard for me to make boundries and know what I can do and what I need to leave alone. I've been reading a book called Irresistable Revolution (thanks Emily) and its helped me a lot. I'm going to take this one day at a time. :) I'm excited to help, but I'm also excited what I am learning about people and myself everyday. Whether I'm isolated in my hut or in a crowded clinic waiting room, I'm trying to appreciate these new experiences. I'm learning to share everything I have. Even things I don't have. Sharing when it's taken for granted or not appreciated is something I'm trying to understand. I'm slowly, very slowly, learning not to care so much. Sometimes I have to stop in situations and say,"Jaci...get ahold of youself. Who really cares?" I was so fixated on what people in my community were thinking and saying about me (right in front of me...and laughing while I stood there grinning like an idiot) that I started to lose confidence. I started thinking, "they don't want me here" or "I'm such an inconvenience right now because they have to try speak English and my SiSwati isn't good enough" or "they think I'm a hermet because I'm in my room all the time" or even, "Gogo thinks I'm lazy because I haven't fetched water today." For real, when you have a lot of free time, you think these things. Half the time they are talking about the weather or someone had a wedding, but because you are constantly the center of attention in the community you think everything people say is about you. Sure sometimes they probably are talking about me and maybe commenting on the fact that my fly is open...but is it really that big of a deal? Mother Teresa said, "We are called not to be successful, but to be faithful. We (as humans) can not do great things, just small things with great love. Its not how much you do, but how much love you put into it." I'm learning that I don't need to see the results of who I am affecting here and I don't have to compare what I am doing to what other volunteers are doing. I don't need to be scared of SiSwati. I need to remind myself that I'm only asked to do the best I can. I'm a volunteer. I don't have to be here, but I want to be. Because I know God is working here and I have hope that he will use me because I will show him I am faithful. :)
I got a package from Kates, Teen Bean, and Court the other day. It was wonderful! Thank you very much! I think about everyone at home all the time. I have pictures of you as wallpaper in my room. My family thinks Braden Bradfield and I are married. They are convinced that I have a secret lover in the states. I have no idea why and because their is a picture of the two of us on my wall, well, that translates as a marraige. :) I miss home. Sometimes I wonder how things would be if I didn't come here. I like to think I would be listening to updated music (I wouldn't be sad if I didn't hear Jordon Sparks/Chris Brown "No Air" song ever again from this experience), playing pac man with Sieff and friends, wearing a hand made American Flag Shirt while chanting "Phelps! Phelps! Phelps!" with Tina and Kate with the Olympic channel in the background, and lets face it...probaly wearing a costume. Whether it would be a pregnant lady suit or my Jarrod from Subway costume, lets just take a moment and pretend that I am there. :) Give me a call or write if you want! I would love to hear what's happening at home.
Also, thanks to all of you who were praying for my family this past weekend with my Grandma Schaap's funeral. I know my family appreciated it.
I decided to work at the clinic on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It is a busy place, but until my SiSwati is good enough to understand what they need help with I can't do a whole lot. They'd be coming in with heartburn and I'd try to give them an enema. That is miscommunication that I don't want to be responsible for. I've been talking to this guy my age though that goes to my church. He is the youth pastor their. His name in Hlahla (which means Lucky). He said I could help him start a youth club he's wanted to do to promote HIV/AIDS awareness. So I have another thing to seperate my days! Thanks Hlahla! Isn't that "lucky" of me....pun intended! (That was for all of those who miss my lame jokes. haha) The days sometimes do slur together and I am trying to keep myself busy. I try to leave my homestead once a day for sanity reasons. I thankful though because there are good people in my community who seem motivated to make changes. I need to remind myself that I don't need to make big changes here. Sometimes I feel like the people here expect so much from me. My friend Melissa her community thinks she is bringing water. They've been in drought for 8 years and suddenly this 25 yr. old American is suddenly going to change weather conditions and pull a watering hole out of her backpack. haha. It's tough because you want to give hope to the people and help them find alternative ways to get water or solve certain community issues, but you also have to remember that you are one person. Like many, I don't like disappointing people, so its hard for me to make boundries and know what I can do and what I need to leave alone. I've been reading a book called Irresistable Revolution (thanks Emily) and its helped me a lot. I'm going to take this one day at a time. :) I'm excited to help, but I'm also excited what I am learning about people and myself everyday. Whether I'm isolated in my hut or in a crowded clinic waiting room, I'm trying to appreciate these new experiences. I'm learning to share everything I have. Even things I don't have. Sharing when it's taken for granted or not appreciated is something I'm trying to understand. I'm slowly, very slowly, learning not to care so much. Sometimes I have to stop in situations and say,"Jaci...get ahold of youself. Who really cares?" I was so fixated on what people in my community were thinking and saying about me (right in front of me...and laughing while I stood there grinning like an idiot) that I started to lose confidence. I started thinking, "they don't want me here" or "I'm such an inconvenience right now because they have to try speak English and my SiSwati isn't good enough" or "they think I'm a hermet because I'm in my room all the time" or even, "Gogo thinks I'm lazy because I haven't fetched water today." For real, when you have a lot of free time, you think these things. Half the time they are talking about the weather or someone had a wedding, but because you are constantly the center of attention in the community you think everything people say is about you. Sure sometimes they probably are talking about me and maybe commenting on the fact that my fly is open...but is it really that big of a deal? Mother Teresa said, "We are called not to be successful, but to be faithful. We (as humans) can not do great things, just small things with great love. Its not how much you do, but how much love you put into it." I'm learning that I don't need to see the results of who I am affecting here and I don't have to compare what I am doing to what other volunteers are doing. I don't need to be scared of SiSwati. I need to remind myself that I'm only asked to do the best I can. I'm a volunteer. I don't have to be here, but I want to be. Because I know God is working here and I have hope that he will use me because I will show him I am faithful. :)
I got a package from Kates, Teen Bean, and Court the other day. It was wonderful! Thank you very much! I think about everyone at home all the time. I have pictures of you as wallpaper in my room. My family thinks Braden Bradfield and I are married. They are convinced that I have a secret lover in the states. I have no idea why and because their is a picture of the two of us on my wall, well, that translates as a marraige. :) I miss home. Sometimes I wonder how things would be if I didn't come here. I like to think I would be listening to updated music (I wouldn't be sad if I didn't hear Jordon Sparks/Chris Brown "No Air" song ever again from this experience), playing pac man with Sieff and friends, wearing a hand made American Flag Shirt while chanting "Phelps! Phelps! Phelps!" with Tina and Kate with the Olympic channel in the background, and lets face it...probaly wearing a costume. Whether it would be a pregnant lady suit or my Jarrod from Subway costume, lets just take a moment and pretend that I am there. :) Give me a call or write if you want! I would love to hear what's happening at home.
Also, thanks to all of you who were praying for my family this past weekend with my Grandma Schaap's funeral. I know my family appreciated it.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
DJ Nice
I am sorry its been so long! I don't even know where to begin. I've settled into my place. It has been nuts. Like I've said before, I have a a HUGE family. Once I get one group to leave, the next batch comes in and I have to try get them to leave in broken SiSwati so I can take a bath. I painted my room white...creative, I know. I've been reading a lot and working in the clinic every morning. Everyday I am learning something. Somedays crawl...other days I can't wait to sleep. :) I walked 12 miles to my Kagogo center the other day (6 mi each way) and it was harder than I thought. I like walking, but in the mountains in the heat...it was difficult. People constantly stopping me to talk in Siswati or wanting to give me a ride. By the end of the day all I wanted was some water and to avoid conversations at all costs to avoid delaying my trip even longer. I stumbled into a store and bought a fanta. I guzzled it down while the teenage boys at the desk watched. I so badly wanted to smash the can on my forehead and let out a big burp since I had such an attentive audience. But I decided to place it in the trash can instead.
I am officially a volunteer. We had a swear in meeting and one of the King's wives came and made a speech. It was at the ambassador's house. It was great and two of my friends were elected to give the speech. One in SiSwait and the other in English. We spent the whole night before (nothing like waiting til the last minute) to write the speech. It was fun and after we all went out on the town (30 of us) and enjoyed each other's company. A few of us took a taxi and the driver insisted that I picked the music for the drive. I always confirmed that the music choice is what he wanted, so he called me "DJ Nice" and now some of the volunteers call me that. If he was handing out gangster names, I would have prefered something like "Ice" or "Slither"...I guess I'll settle for "DJ Nice". He just best be not callin' me dat on the streets.
I walked to the clinic the other day. I am the pharmacist actually. Scarey. I know. I also weigh babies and mothers. Its about a 15-20 min walk from my house. I take this simple dirt path straight there and pass the same homesteads each morning. I wave at the same people and use the same limited siswati everyday. Kids come outside to watch me walk past. I feel like I'm in a parade or something. Like I need shriners in go carts circling me while I throw out candy. Well, anyway, one morning in particular it was foggy. Real foggy. As I stumbled though the path squinting my eyes with my big puffy hot orange raincoat on, I saw a dog. A mean dog. Black, so it was wasy to see in the fog. As I got closer, we locked eyes. I gave him the look that says, "Touch me...and you die." I looked around for anything to throw as it began to bark. I found an empty fanta can as my ammunition...weak. As I slowly walked around the dog letting see that I wasn't scared, we continued to gaze into each other's eyes. Thats when it happened. Its like we had a connection. An understanding. A mutal respect. That's when I suddenly realized. So this is what Kevin Cosner felt in Dances With Wolves. When he would encounter that mysterious wolf and they had a respect for each other. Who knew that movie was so deep. It took me years to understand. A trip to Africa. I so badly wanted a Kevin Cosner voice to narrate my thoughts while I walked. When I continued walking, I looked back hoping the dog hadn't suddenly decided to attack and jump on my back, but to my suprise it was gone...and I didn't even get to say goodbye. haha
Anyways, I hope all is well. I don't have a lot of time but I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon. I love you guys! A lot.
I am officially a volunteer. We had a swear in meeting and one of the King's wives came and made a speech. It was at the ambassador's house. It was great and two of my friends were elected to give the speech. One in SiSwait and the other in English. We spent the whole night before (nothing like waiting til the last minute) to write the speech. It was fun and after we all went out on the town (30 of us) and enjoyed each other's company. A few of us took a taxi and the driver insisted that I picked the music for the drive. I always confirmed that the music choice is what he wanted, so he called me "DJ Nice" and now some of the volunteers call me that. If he was handing out gangster names, I would have prefered something like "Ice" or "Slither"...I guess I'll settle for "DJ Nice". He just best be not callin' me dat on the streets.
I walked to the clinic the other day. I am the pharmacist actually. Scarey. I know. I also weigh babies and mothers. Its about a 15-20 min walk from my house. I take this simple dirt path straight there and pass the same homesteads each morning. I wave at the same people and use the same limited siswati everyday. Kids come outside to watch me walk past. I feel like I'm in a parade or something. Like I need shriners in go carts circling me while I throw out candy. Well, anyway, one morning in particular it was foggy. Real foggy. As I stumbled though the path squinting my eyes with my big puffy hot orange raincoat on, I saw a dog. A mean dog. Black, so it was wasy to see in the fog. As I got closer, we locked eyes. I gave him the look that says, "Touch me...and you die." I looked around for anything to throw as it began to bark. I found an empty fanta can as my ammunition...weak. As I slowly walked around the dog letting see that I wasn't scared, we continued to gaze into each other's eyes. Thats when it happened. Its like we had a connection. An understanding. A mutal respect. That's when I suddenly realized. So this is what Kevin Cosner felt in Dances With Wolves. When he would encounter that mysterious wolf and they had a respect for each other. Who knew that movie was so deep. It took me years to understand. A trip to Africa. I so badly wanted a Kevin Cosner voice to narrate my thoughts while I walked. When I continued walking, I looked back hoping the dog hadn't suddenly decided to attack and jump on my back, but to my suprise it was gone...and I didn't even get to say goodbye. haha
Anyways, I hope all is well. I don't have a lot of time but I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon. I love you guys! A lot.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
That's What She Said
Its pitch black outside and the African stars are really bright. It gets dark early here. If I walk out to the pit latrine to go to the bathroom right now, the glow from the moon and stars light up the path so much that I don’t have to take a flashlight! It’s kind of cool. My butt also probably glows in the dark, but I'm only telling you that to give you a visual.
I had my site visit and it was great. My family there is fun. I hope it wasn’t just some joke that they tried to make me think they were cool and liked me and when I return at the end of August it will be much different. Another polygamous family which explains is gigantic size. My grandpa is the indvuna (taking the place of the Chief), one of his wives is a rural health motivator, and another wife (a lady he takes care of because it was his brother’s wife and he died) has HIV. I live with all of them, so I am going to learn a lot. There are some projects I could do in the community. Water is a need here, but I don’t know how to even begin helping with that problem and world vision is trying to develop something. I’m thinking of helping with a youth project that’s been requested. So many youth are having problems filling their time there and so they engage in negative activities. After high school, they wait until they are excepted into college or find a job or get married. Colleges are few and hard to get into, so while they wait, pregnancy is high during this time, STIs, and HIV. The area I live in is the highest populated area for HIV and orphans in Swaziland. I can see their struggle though. Especially for the youth. It would be boring living on a homestead where your friends are few and far between with a few public buildings within the area. There is a bible college near my homestead. It is fenced in, but they gave us permission to use the court for activities if we take care of it and provide our own equipment. The youth director (he’s already working on it) and I are trying to get a grant from the Swaziland Tennis Association to donate a net and rackets/balls. The court is not well kept. The soccer pitch is also sketchy and the volleyball court is in need of repairs….and a net….and a court. Basically everything. Haha Actually, they were used a little before and then kids started bringing drugs to the activities and vandalizing the gates to the bible college. Then started using the place as a “hook up” place for teenage boys and girls, so the Bible College had to stop letting them use the place. They have agreed to give it another chance. The youth is so important to focus on here because the adults are almost too hard to reach with HIV/AIDS prevention. They are traditional and have their ideas about the virus already. Some use traditional healers instead of taking ARVs. Some think its witch craft put on them from a jealous wife....so many theories. It’s interesting to watch the culture and traditions of Swaziland still play an important role in their lives everyday like herbal healing and cutting for diseases like AIDS.
My new family is fun though and I think God knew what I needed during my visit because some of my family was able to open up to me a little bit. It wasn’t always awkward. “Always” being the key word. They played around with each other and made fun of each other. They made fun of me…I made fun of them. We all laughed. It felt like home. They would call me the umlungu meaning “whitie” instead of my name. They thought it was funny. My new permanent name is Sihle Kunene. It’s a family of about 50 people, but I have my own room. Its huge and they love to come in and stare at me. Haha. Sometimes I dance on my way to the toilet or walk funny because I know they are watching. Often times I hear little kids giggling and then I know they were watching. It makes it kind of fun to do really abnormal things because people think I’m nuts and I think I’m hilarious. A good friend always told me something his dad taught him, “You can let them know you’re crazy, just don’t show them your nuts.” Haha Touché.
I carried my auntie up a mountain the other day. She had a cold (fyi: always hide your carmex in case your auntie finds it and starts shoving the chap stick up her nose…needless to say, I told her she could keep it). Her breathing was heavy and we had gone down the mountain to get some bread at a store for gogo. On our way back she had to keep stopping. I told her to jump on my back and I would carry her. A) Because she needed help. B) It would be hilarious to tell people. C) I wanted to see if she would do it. She about 30 years old and bigger than me. She jumped on my back with delight. My sisi couldn’t get a grip she thought it was so funny. My auntie began kicking my sides like a horse…abusing my services if you ask me. I about passed out once I got to the top, but my butt was burning like I had done a buns of steel tape numerous times in a row. I felt like Rocky. Like I could do anything…as soon as I caught my breath.
I miss everyone. My new family has two orphan boys who are 18 and 19 yr. old brothers. I asked them if they would take me on an adventure, so instead of going to church we went looking in caves and for lizards. Their mom died in ’03 and so after the hike they showed me where their mom’s grave was. I can tell it’s still a little tough for them. They don’t know their dad. They live with the Sibandze family, my new family. They are the only two with the last name “Kunene” on our side of the mountain and surrounding villages. They told me they didn’t have a sister and I told them I didn’t have any brothers, so we adopted each other and now my name is Sihle Kunene (unless the elders ask my name, then I say Sihle Sibandze). I am an orphan with them They are really cool kids. They asked me the other day if I had to leave once the 2 yrs was over. I could maybe see a little kid asking that, but it surprised me that two 18/19 yr old boys cared if I stayed or not. That's when I made a new goal. I want to focus just as much of my attention on my family and the orphans living with me rather than on just the community. I want them to at least feel like there is someone they can talk to or help take care of them...and want to. Not because I have to, but because I want to. I just need to take it one day at a time. Just thinking that God goes through that heartache everyday for those kids on my homestead and than multiplying it times all the other kids in Swaziland and all the other orphans in the whole world is incomprehensible. I hope I can be the person God needs in this place right now and with this family and this village.
Sorry so long! I will write one/two more times before my training is over and then I won't have access to internet. I will be moving with my family. I miss you guys!
I
I had my site visit and it was great. My family there is fun. I hope it wasn’t just some joke that they tried to make me think they were cool and liked me and when I return at the end of August it will be much different. Another polygamous family which explains is gigantic size. My grandpa is the indvuna (taking the place of the Chief), one of his wives is a rural health motivator, and another wife (a lady he takes care of because it was his brother’s wife and he died) has HIV. I live with all of them, so I am going to learn a lot. There are some projects I could do in the community. Water is a need here, but I don’t know how to even begin helping with that problem and world vision is trying to develop something. I’m thinking of helping with a youth project that’s been requested. So many youth are having problems filling their time there and so they engage in negative activities. After high school, they wait until they are excepted into college or find a job or get married. Colleges are few and hard to get into, so while they wait, pregnancy is high during this time, STIs, and HIV. The area I live in is the highest populated area for HIV and orphans in Swaziland. I can see their struggle though. Especially for the youth. It would be boring living on a homestead where your friends are few and far between with a few public buildings within the area. There is a bible college near my homestead. It is fenced in, but they gave us permission to use the court for activities if we take care of it and provide our own equipment. The youth director (he’s already working on it) and I are trying to get a grant from the Swaziland Tennis Association to donate a net and rackets/balls. The court is not well kept. The soccer pitch is also sketchy and the volleyball court is in need of repairs….and a net….and a court. Basically everything. Haha Actually, they were used a little before and then kids started bringing drugs to the activities and vandalizing the gates to the bible college. Then started using the place as a “hook up” place for teenage boys and girls, so the Bible College had to stop letting them use the place. They have agreed to give it another chance. The youth is so important to focus on here because the adults are almost too hard to reach with HIV/AIDS prevention. They are traditional and have their ideas about the virus already. Some use traditional healers instead of taking ARVs. Some think its witch craft put on them from a jealous wife....so many theories. It’s interesting to watch the culture and traditions of Swaziland still play an important role in their lives everyday like herbal healing and cutting for diseases like AIDS.
My new family is fun though and I think God knew what I needed during my visit because some of my family was able to open up to me a little bit. It wasn’t always awkward. “Always” being the key word. They played around with each other and made fun of each other. They made fun of me…I made fun of them. We all laughed. It felt like home. They would call me the umlungu meaning “whitie” instead of my name. They thought it was funny. My new permanent name is Sihle Kunene. It’s a family of about 50 people, but I have my own room. Its huge and they love to come in and stare at me. Haha. Sometimes I dance on my way to the toilet or walk funny because I know they are watching. Often times I hear little kids giggling and then I know they were watching. It makes it kind of fun to do really abnormal things because people think I’m nuts and I think I’m hilarious. A good friend always told me something his dad taught him, “You can let them know you’re crazy, just don’t show them your nuts.” Haha Touché.
I carried my auntie up a mountain the other day. She had a cold (fyi: always hide your carmex in case your auntie finds it and starts shoving the chap stick up her nose…needless to say, I told her she could keep it). Her breathing was heavy and we had gone down the mountain to get some bread at a store for gogo. On our way back she had to keep stopping. I told her to jump on my back and I would carry her. A) Because she needed help. B) It would be hilarious to tell people. C) I wanted to see if she would do it. She about 30 years old and bigger than me. She jumped on my back with delight. My sisi couldn’t get a grip she thought it was so funny. My auntie began kicking my sides like a horse…abusing my services if you ask me. I about passed out once I got to the top, but my butt was burning like I had done a buns of steel tape numerous times in a row. I felt like Rocky. Like I could do anything…as soon as I caught my breath.
I miss everyone. My new family has two orphan boys who are 18 and 19 yr. old brothers. I asked them if they would take me on an adventure, so instead of going to church we went looking in caves and for lizards. Their mom died in ’03 and so after the hike they showed me where their mom’s grave was. I can tell it’s still a little tough for them. They don’t know their dad. They live with the Sibandze family, my new family. They are the only two with the last name “Kunene” on our side of the mountain and surrounding villages. They told me they didn’t have a sister and I told them I didn’t have any brothers, so we adopted each other and now my name is Sihle Kunene (unless the elders ask my name, then I say Sihle Sibandze). I am an orphan with them They are really cool kids. They asked me the other day if I had to leave once the 2 yrs was over. I could maybe see a little kid asking that, but it surprised me that two 18/19 yr old boys cared if I stayed or not. That's when I made a new goal. I want to focus just as much of my attention on my family and the orphans living with me rather than on just the community. I want them to at least feel like there is someone they can talk to or help take care of them...and want to. Not because I have to, but because I want to. I just need to take it one day at a time. Just thinking that God goes through that heartache everyday for those kids on my homestead and than multiplying it times all the other kids in Swaziland and all the other orphans in the whole world is incomprehensible. I hope I can be the person God needs in this place right now and with this family and this village.
Sorry so long! I will write one/two more times before my training is over and then I won't have access to internet. I will be moving with my family. I miss you guys!
I
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Patrick Swaziland 2
Hello everyone! Oh goodness. Thanks for being patient! I know it has been a while, so I’m sure its fun to see that I finally wrote again! Sorry! I got a letter from Lacey a couple days ago and today I got my debit card and three letters from my mom! THANK YOU SO MUCH to both of you! I loved reading about what’s going on. I let other people read my letters too sometimes if they didn’t get anything, so they thank you too. :) I realized today that I have been writing letters to Lacey, Mom/Dad, my sisters, Kate and Tina, and Sieff but never wrote United States on the envelope! “Oops..I forgot.” I hope you guys get them or have gotten them! That would stink if you didn’t. They hopefully are coming soon! :)
I’m slowly becoming a vegetarian. Swazis love meat. They carry raw meat around and flop it all over the place. I’ve resulted to rice, grilled cheese, popcorn, apples, tomatoes and oranges. The Swazi food pyramid.
A LOT has happened since I wrote last. I can’t believe its August! I took my mock SiSwati language test yesterday. We had to meet with three hired SiSwati speakers and hold a 20 min conversation with them while they tape recorded it. My lady was great and really patient. I was concentrating so hard on what she was saying that I almost began holding my breath to ensure no distractions. haha It was tough. She said I did a good job, but she was just nice. I know that I stunk…it’s not a secret. And you know what? That’s okay with me. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The toughest part this week is that my iPod synced to my laptop (it doesn’t have iTunes), so it deleted ALL my music! It was bad. I can’t go very long with out my tunes, so I will figure something out. I’ll get the shakes from withdrawal. I’ve been reading a lot now which is good and studying my notes. Plus, it gets me out of my room and gives me time to hang with the family. I taught the little girls how to swing dance, showed my make (mom) how to do a cartwheel HAHA, and did it all with an infant tied to my back. :) Seriously. They tie their babies to their backs here, so I asked if I could borrow a kid to tie to my back too. Social services would have a hay day here. But I thought, “anything to be accepted”. Even if that means negligence. haha The baby eventually fell asleep on my back and I put her down for a nap after a couple of hours. I forgot she was still on my back. “Mother of the Year” award winner? I’d like to think yes.
We got our cell phones today! Please, you can call my mom or sister one to get my number. Use a phone card!! I would LOVE to hear from you. I also know my new site! I swear in as a volunteer in 2 weeks. I will be in a place called the “Mbabane Community” which is northeast of Hlatikulu. I don’t know much about it yet. It’s in the south central region of Swaziland. There is a clinic and two schools I can walk to all within an hour probably. I am going to go with my counterpart on Saturday until Wednesday to see the Chief in my community, government officials I will be working with, and NGOs. It’ll give us time to assess potential areas we have interest in working with and meet our host family. It’ll be nuts.
I think a mouse tried to get into my room last night! The four other volunteers near me in my language group have mice, so either I am paranoid or those mice can smell Americans.
I will leave all of you with this last mental image. So we met our counterparts yesterday. It took me 7 hours and two staff members to give me a gender. It was sad and I felt bad because I didn’t know. Short, stocky, short hair, really young looking, but is 25. All of us had one on one time with our counterparts in the morning to ask questions about our permenant site and the issues in our communities we will be moving to. Somehow I got roped into pointing out on a map I had drawn on my notebook (to show where Iowa is) where celebrities in the US are living. At first I thought it was just one musical artist of interest that my counterpart wanted to know about, so I thought I would just guess where JaRule lived. But the questions continued. Where does Kanye live? Where does JLo live? I pointed out NYC because of her song Jenny from the block. Than where does Chris Brown live? Will Smith…I circled Florida from his song “Welcome to Miami.” I don’t know…I suddenly knew this would continue if I didn’t stop it. I remembered looking up at one moment and seeing my friend Connor talking intensely to his counterpart about HIV/AIDS probably. People were getting useful info about their communities and what projects were going on while I gave directions to P Diddy’s house…
I am leaving with Swazi, his name, today until Wednesday to my new site to visit the clinics and my family. Please call me…I will alone the first couple days in my unfurnished room! I love you guys and can’t wait to hear about what’s happening at home! Thank you for the package mom! I gave the suckers to my host family and they loved it. :) You’re too good to me.
I’m slowly becoming a vegetarian. Swazis love meat. They carry raw meat around and flop it all over the place. I’ve resulted to rice, grilled cheese, popcorn, apples, tomatoes and oranges. The Swazi food pyramid.
A LOT has happened since I wrote last. I can’t believe its August! I took my mock SiSwati language test yesterday. We had to meet with three hired SiSwati speakers and hold a 20 min conversation with them while they tape recorded it. My lady was great and really patient. I was concentrating so hard on what she was saying that I almost began holding my breath to ensure no distractions. haha It was tough. She said I did a good job, but she was just nice. I know that I stunk…it’s not a secret. And you know what? That’s okay with me. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The toughest part this week is that my iPod synced to my laptop (it doesn’t have iTunes), so it deleted ALL my music! It was bad. I can’t go very long with out my tunes, so I will figure something out. I’ll get the shakes from withdrawal. I’ve been reading a lot now which is good and studying my notes. Plus, it gets me out of my room and gives me time to hang with the family. I taught the little girls how to swing dance, showed my make (mom) how to do a cartwheel HAHA, and did it all with an infant tied to my back. :) Seriously. They tie their babies to their backs here, so I asked if I could borrow a kid to tie to my back too. Social services would have a hay day here. But I thought, “anything to be accepted”. Even if that means negligence. haha The baby eventually fell asleep on my back and I put her down for a nap after a couple of hours. I forgot she was still on my back. “Mother of the Year” award winner? I’d like to think yes.
We got our cell phones today! Please, you can call my mom or sister one to get my number. Use a phone card!! I would LOVE to hear from you. I also know my new site! I swear in as a volunteer in 2 weeks. I will be in a place called the “Mbabane Community” which is northeast of Hlatikulu. I don’t know much about it yet. It’s in the south central region of Swaziland. There is a clinic and two schools I can walk to all within an hour probably. I am going to go with my counterpart on Saturday until Wednesday to see the Chief in my community, government officials I will be working with, and NGOs. It’ll give us time to assess potential areas we have interest in working with and meet our host family. It’ll be nuts.
I think a mouse tried to get into my room last night! The four other volunteers near me in my language group have mice, so either I am paranoid or those mice can smell Americans.
I will leave all of you with this last mental image. So we met our counterparts yesterday. It took me 7 hours and two staff members to give me a gender. It was sad and I felt bad because I didn’t know. Short, stocky, short hair, really young looking, but is 25. All of us had one on one time with our counterparts in the morning to ask questions about our permenant site and the issues in our communities we will be moving to. Somehow I got roped into pointing out on a map I had drawn on my notebook (to show where Iowa is) where celebrities in the US are living. At first I thought it was just one musical artist of interest that my counterpart wanted to know about, so I thought I would just guess where JaRule lived. But the questions continued. Where does Kanye live? Where does JLo live? I pointed out NYC because of her song Jenny from the block. Than where does Chris Brown live? Will Smith…I circled Florida from his song “Welcome to Miami.” I don’t know…I suddenly knew this would continue if I didn’t stop it. I remembered looking up at one moment and seeing my friend Connor talking intensely to his counterpart about HIV/AIDS probably. People were getting useful info about their communities and what projects were going on while I gave directions to P Diddy’s house…
I am leaving with Swazi, his name, today until Wednesday to my new site to visit the clinics and my family. Please call me…I will alone the first couple days in my unfurnished room! I love you guys and can’t wait to hear about what’s happening at home! Thank you for the package mom! I gave the suckers to my host family and they loved it. :) You’re too good to me.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Patrick Swaziland
Hey everyone! I wanted to catch you up quick on some things that are going on! First, I shadowed a girl named Allie who has been in the peace corps for a year now. She works at a school in the rural parts of Swaziland. The headmaster just started his job there and is related to the king. Swaziland is the last African monarchy…and maybe the last one in the world I think. The people are governed by tradition and culture which has close ties to the King and Christianity mixed with past witch craft. I live next to a traditional healer if that tells you anything. My friend is staying in my room tonight because her family’s grandfather, mhkulu in siSwati, died 2 years ago today and all the relatives are staying up all night to have a night vigil. Its very common. Funerals are another story, but I haven’t had to go to one with my family yet. The Zion church is influencial here too. There are different types and they were different colors, but the red group are a little more aggressive and scare me. One volunteer from a past group went to one of their services and they started pulling her hair. They are known for beating each other up and themselves by biting and hitting. I don’t fully understand why, but they scare me and I try to stay clear.
I have visited some kagogo centers (community centers) and also some clinics. We are going to be interviewed soon for placement. We also have our siSwati test coming up and we have to be at a level 4 this year. Previous years volunteers have only had to pass a level 3, so I’m a little nervous. The language has a lot of clicks and stuff, so its difficult to remember.
My community doesn’t seem to have a high number of HIV/AIDS victims. That is only by the naked eye though and its difficult to tell. We went to the school in my village though and 80% of the kids we talked to knew someone or was living with someone with it. That’s nuts. They are polygamous here which doesn’t seem to help. I live with one of the wives of my Babe (father pronounced in Spanish vowels). Its surreal sometimes when I look around and think that I am actually here…and alone! It’ll be good for me though and it will give me time to think about future plans, personal goals, etc. A girl as young as 11 yrs. Came to the clinic in the nearest town to be tested for HIV/AIDS because of sexual activity. It’s really sad. We’ve been interviewing kids to find out when their freetime is to try target those times to do activities to keep them out of trouble. It seems like HIV/AIDS has affected so many people, you don’t really know where to start. All I want is to be useful. I don’t want to waste this time by not being effective at all. My hope is to help at least one young teenager in my area or mentor someone or anything at all to make me feel like I helped even a fraction of what’s going on.
I was getting water from the watering hole the other day with another volunteer. We had our buckets. A bunch of kids were filling their buckets too. I know limited siSwati but the kids love it when we try. I yelled Jiyva (which means dance) to a little girl who was dancing around the water spring. She laughed and soon I formed a circle of little kids and made them clap their hands to a beat. When someone would get in the middle we would sing, “Sinenhlanhla likes to dance. Oh she likes to dance. Who will dance for me!” And then I’d pick someone. The kids were really good dancers and they loved to see me try. They were all ages. For the finale, I did the robot. Needless to say…it was a hit. The robot is universal. It’ll always be a good idea. When in doubt…do the robot.
Lastly, I confirm again and again how irreplaceable my friends and family are. It would be nice to be able to talk to you guys during all this. Maybe God wants to use this time to help me recognize and appreciate the relationships he gave me while I lived at home.
We listened to Mariah Carey in a taxi on our way to town yesterday. It made me happy because A) it was a piece of America and B) it reminds me of friends: singing til my vocal chords almost exploded with kate trying to hit the high notes on our way to see Melinda and thinking of sieff’s little mini crush on Mrs. Mariah Carey Cannon…I miss you all!
One more thing...I went to a church today that was amazing. Chuch usually lasts 4hrs. around here so it gets long. When you are white, its hard to sneak out...so you don't. It was good though and it was translated into English. The usher invited me because I met him at a store earlier this week and he helped me find the rice krispies because I am making bars for my family. They requested them. :)
Write me letters! Get the address from my mom or sister! Its so hard to check my emails and really expensive. It’s about $5 US to use this and I get money to keep me living at the standards of the area around me…so not much. I would love to get a letter though because I can re-read them over and over again in my room at home if I am homesick. I think of you all often and have pictures that I show everyone.
I have visited some kagogo centers (community centers) and also some clinics. We are going to be interviewed soon for placement. We also have our siSwati test coming up and we have to be at a level 4 this year. Previous years volunteers have only had to pass a level 3, so I’m a little nervous. The language has a lot of clicks and stuff, so its difficult to remember.
My community doesn’t seem to have a high number of HIV/AIDS victims. That is only by the naked eye though and its difficult to tell. We went to the school in my village though and 80% of the kids we talked to knew someone or was living with someone with it. That’s nuts. They are polygamous here which doesn’t seem to help. I live with one of the wives of my Babe (father pronounced in Spanish vowels). Its surreal sometimes when I look around and think that I am actually here…and alone! It’ll be good for me though and it will give me time to think about future plans, personal goals, etc. A girl as young as 11 yrs. Came to the clinic in the nearest town to be tested for HIV/AIDS because of sexual activity. It’s really sad. We’ve been interviewing kids to find out when their freetime is to try target those times to do activities to keep them out of trouble. It seems like HIV/AIDS has affected so many people, you don’t really know where to start. All I want is to be useful. I don’t want to waste this time by not being effective at all. My hope is to help at least one young teenager in my area or mentor someone or anything at all to make me feel like I helped even a fraction of what’s going on.
I was getting water from the watering hole the other day with another volunteer. We had our buckets. A bunch of kids were filling their buckets too. I know limited siSwati but the kids love it when we try. I yelled Jiyva (which means dance) to a little girl who was dancing around the water spring. She laughed and soon I formed a circle of little kids and made them clap their hands to a beat. When someone would get in the middle we would sing, “Sinenhlanhla likes to dance. Oh she likes to dance. Who will dance for me!” And then I’d pick someone. The kids were really good dancers and they loved to see me try. They were all ages. For the finale, I did the robot. Needless to say…it was a hit. The robot is universal. It’ll always be a good idea. When in doubt…do the robot.
Lastly, I confirm again and again how irreplaceable my friends and family are. It would be nice to be able to talk to you guys during all this. Maybe God wants to use this time to help me recognize and appreciate the relationships he gave me while I lived at home.
We listened to Mariah Carey in a taxi on our way to town yesterday. It made me happy because A) it was a piece of America and B) it reminds me of friends: singing til my vocal chords almost exploded with kate trying to hit the high notes on our way to see Melinda and thinking of sieff’s little mini crush on Mrs. Mariah Carey Cannon…I miss you all!
One more thing...I went to a church today that was amazing. Chuch usually lasts 4hrs. around here so it gets long. When you are white, its hard to sneak out...so you don't. It was good though and it was translated into English. The usher invited me because I met him at a store earlier this week and he helped me find the rice krispies because I am making bars for my family. They requested them. :)
Write me letters! Get the address from my mom or sister! Its so hard to check my emails and really expensive. It’s about $5 US to use this and I get money to keep me living at the standards of the area around me…so not much. I would love to get a letter though because I can re-read them over and over again in my room at home if I am homesick. I think of you all often and have pictures that I show everyone.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea. Real World Swaziland.
So this post might be a little random and all over the place, but I don't have very much time to write! :) I wanted to let you guys know what's going on now that I am here! It's been crazy. We've been everywhere so far. We flew into J'burg, South Africa about two weeks ago. It was interesting and the hotel was really nice. We drove into Swaziland which didn't take too long (about 4hrs). It looked a lot like South dakota actually. There were fields and everything. :) We got up into the mountains though and it was beautiful. We stayed in the capital for a few days. We've been having language class every morning and then culture and first aid classes in the afternoon. Mon-Sat. When I was in the capital we were doing medical classes and briefly talking about HIV/AIDS. We've been getting lots of shots and taking malaria pills. I was waiting for my shot outside of the building since we had to go in one at a time and a monkey ran past and up the avocado tree about 20 ft away. It was so weird that this is a part of my life now. Omaha zoo has got nothin' on this place.
The language is hard. I am trying, but it's tough. I just have to keep practicing! The majority of the people just speak SiSwati and rarely speak English unless they are annoyed with trying to make you understand what they are saying. They cave in eventually. :)
My host family picked me up last friday. My name now is Sinehlahla Zulu. I am part of the Zulu family in one of the communities in south swaziland. I have electricity at this home, but there is no running water. i get it from a spring near the home. fill my bucket and go. I have a water filter and then I have to put chlorox in it to kill what wasn't filtered. Needless to say it tastes horrible, but I don't want to have more parisites than what I have to. I eat with my family every night after class and cut the food, help cook, saw the wood for the stove, and wash the dishes in the basin. It feels so weird. I've done things like this before, but its a lot more work here because I try do it for my family too so doubles the task. :) I haven't done my laundry yet....I have a lot.
I helped cook food my first night. A bat flew into the kitchen. If you know me....you know my bat phobia. I could barely move but I had to keep making the food because my family sat there watching me....yes, uncomfortable when they watch. :) The bat kept swooping by my head. I was wigging out. I pretended I was bent down to tie my show. My mom "Make" took her towel after a little bit once she saw I was scared and towel snapped the bat to the floor. The bat landed next to my foot. All I thought is "I'm going to die in Africa." haha I went to my room and went to bed. It was like 8pm. The sun goes down at 5:30pm here so if you don't have electricity you go to bed after supper. If you do have electricity you sit in your room by yoursefl until you are tired and crawl in bed. haha. I am happy to be here usually, but it's tough at night when I am by myself or when I am with my family at supper and they are talking about me in SiSwati. Everyone watches everything you do, so you have to be careful what you say or do.
The group that came a year ago and are serving there last year now already made a nickname up for me. They call me Jenna Bush. Its funny. They are really nice to me though so its good to see them.
I have a little boy at my homestead. He is 2 yrs. and doesn't ever wear pants. During class he came into the room and another kid in my language class (4 of us) kept cracking jokes like, "Just hanging around." and I sang "free falling." Those moments where I can laugh really hard at something that really isn't that funny are the moments that keep me sane.:) That little boy is really cute though, but cries when I leave for school in the morning. It kind of makes me feel good...at his expense I guess. haha Just because he likes me so much that he cries when I go makes me feel like he cares that I am there, ya know? God is really humbling me while I am here and I am really thankful for what he is going to do.
I took another bucket bath last night. Our room is 3x4 meters. I do everything in that room and next week I will start cooking in there too. I took my bath in a small bright blue basin. I tried to find a way to wash my body when my hair was done. I sat in the basin thinking I was a genius because my legs could dangle out. I forgot that with water in the basin there isn't room in it for a whole mid section of the body too. I plopped in and all the water gushed over the sides splashing out like the Niagra Falls. I spent last night mopping my whole room up with dirty wash cloths. :)
I miss all of you very very much. I am going to mail some of you soon. I hope some of you can come visit!! Think about it... I will call as soon as I can. Love you all!
The language is hard. I am trying, but it's tough. I just have to keep practicing! The majority of the people just speak SiSwati and rarely speak English unless they are annoyed with trying to make you understand what they are saying. They cave in eventually. :)
My host family picked me up last friday. My name now is Sinehlahla Zulu. I am part of the Zulu family in one of the communities in south swaziland. I have electricity at this home, but there is no running water. i get it from a spring near the home. fill my bucket and go. I have a water filter and then I have to put chlorox in it to kill what wasn't filtered. Needless to say it tastes horrible, but I don't want to have more parisites than what I have to. I eat with my family every night after class and cut the food, help cook, saw the wood for the stove, and wash the dishes in the basin. It feels so weird. I've done things like this before, but its a lot more work here because I try do it for my family too so doubles the task. :) I haven't done my laundry yet....I have a lot.
I helped cook food my first night. A bat flew into the kitchen. If you know me....you know my bat phobia. I could barely move but I had to keep making the food because my family sat there watching me....yes, uncomfortable when they watch. :) The bat kept swooping by my head. I was wigging out. I pretended I was bent down to tie my show. My mom "Make" took her towel after a little bit once she saw I was scared and towel snapped the bat to the floor. The bat landed next to my foot. All I thought is "I'm going to die in Africa." haha I went to my room and went to bed. It was like 8pm. The sun goes down at 5:30pm here so if you don't have electricity you go to bed after supper. If you do have electricity you sit in your room by yoursefl until you are tired and crawl in bed. haha. I am happy to be here usually, but it's tough at night when I am by myself or when I am with my family at supper and they are talking about me in SiSwati. Everyone watches everything you do, so you have to be careful what you say or do.
The group that came a year ago and are serving there last year now already made a nickname up for me. They call me Jenna Bush. Its funny. They are really nice to me though so its good to see them.
I have a little boy at my homestead. He is 2 yrs. and doesn't ever wear pants. During class he came into the room and another kid in my language class (4 of us) kept cracking jokes like, "Just hanging around." and I sang "free falling." Those moments where I can laugh really hard at something that really isn't that funny are the moments that keep me sane.:) That little boy is really cute though, but cries when I leave for school in the morning. It kind of makes me feel good...at his expense I guess. haha Just because he likes me so much that he cries when I go makes me feel like he cares that I am there, ya know? God is really humbling me while I am here and I am really thankful for what he is going to do.
I took another bucket bath last night. Our room is 3x4 meters. I do everything in that room and next week I will start cooking in there too. I took my bath in a small bright blue basin. I tried to find a way to wash my body when my hair was done. I sat in the basin thinking I was a genius because my legs could dangle out. I forgot that with water in the basin there isn't room in it for a whole mid section of the body too. I plopped in and all the water gushed over the sides splashing out like the Niagra Falls. I spent last night mopping my whole room up with dirty wash cloths. :)
I miss all of you very very much. I am going to mail some of you soon. I hope some of you can come visit!! Think about it... I will call as soon as I can. Love you all!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Philly Cheesesteak
I have free internet in my hotel room in Philly for tonight and tomorrow! What a blessing! I left this morning. Man, was that rough or what. Most my family came and some of my best friends. It was maybe the hardest thing I've ever done. I got on the plane and read notes and looked through pictures that were given to me. The people next to me probably thought I was crazy because I was the last one on the plane and I stumbled into the airplane full of bags with a puffy eyed face. haha God really showed himself to me though once I got to Philidelphia. A lady at baggage claim talked to me while we waited for our luggage. She asked me why I was here. I told her about the Peace Corps and what I was doing and this younger girl about 28 yrs. old entered the conversation. She said she just got back from Kenya working with the Peace Corps a year ago. She might have been a hippie if it was the 60's. She happened to be going the same direction I was, so she should me how to get to the subway and paid for most of my ticket to ride since they couldn't break a $100 bill. Oops...How was I supposed to know. haha She did it joyfully though and then used her cab ride to drop me off at the hotel which was in the opposite direction she was going. She paid for it and everything. A similar experience happened when I went to the Dominican Republic. I feel like God is really trying to keep me encouraged. I really needed it today. From the hotel I went right to the conference room running on the 2 hours of sleep I got last night. It was really uncomfortable at first b/c I didn't know anyone. The room was full of people. I realized then that all 30 of them were going with me to Swaziland! What?!? A lot of this isn't what I expected. I am talking to people though and trying to get to know them. I am really uncomfortable. My roommate, who looks like Stephanie Tanner (except swears a lot more and is from Boston haha), is going to go with me to get something to eat and use our debit cards. It's just all so overwhelming right now. Strange circumstance. Strange people. Strange city. The first day is done and I can't believe it. Although I know this is going to be a crazy ride, I have hope. I think its because I can still feel God's presence with me tonight even with these anxieties. It encourages me to see what's next. Many times today I thought, "Jaci. You are nuts. What have you gotten yourself into?" But then I take a deep breath and I am curious to see what tomorrow brings. I think tomorrow will be better. :) I just need some sleep. Thank you for your prayers through all this.
Well, I drive to New York tomorrow to fly out to J'burg, South Africa. We will sleep over there and drive to Swaziland the following day.
Well, I drive to New York tomorrow to fly out to J'burg, South Africa. We will sleep over there and drive to Swaziland the following day.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Getting Ready to Go...
I wanted to make a blog for my family and friends to keep them updated while I am in Swaziland! All of you are so important to me, so if you want to know what I am doing feel free to read this as often as you want. Also, I want to hear from you! Email! Call...maybe! I'll let you know when I know what I'll be able to use!
We should all assume that the next time you all see me I will have loin cloth tanlines and have painted on my own tribal tattoos like, "Mswati's Girl"...or some tribal slang on my arm. haha I don't want to ruin the surprise though, so what I will tell you is that I will be leaving June 23rd from Sioux Falls. I need to check into staging in Philadelphia that afternoon. Afterwards, I will official be in Swaziland the 26th doing pre-service training until the end of August. Later I will be placed somewhere in the country for the rest of the time. My title is a community health educator. From what I've gathered, I think I will do a lot of HIV/AIDS prevention and just helping out (working with clinics, schools and whoever needs help I guess). Swaziland is known for having the lowest life expectancy rate in the world (40% below average) at 39 yrs. Its hard to imagine something like this since its 2008 and still a problem. I am sure I am going to learn a lot and I hope to make a lot of Swazi friends. So they can teach me swear words in SiSwati...just kidding!!! (unless they will)
We had a graduation campfire last weekend and some of the best friends a girl could ask for were able to make it! We jumped on the trampoline, enjoyed Alex and Sieff's entertainment up on the deck, and made fun of Matt Lauterbach's leather jacket. :) A question I get a lot is if I am scared. I guess scared doesn't seem like the right word. I guess I am more sad. The main thing that is hard is thinking that if I were able to spend time with everyone that's important to me everyday until I left, it still wouldn't be enough time to satisfy me for the length of time I'll be gone. I don't want to miss out on birthdays or weddings or just normal inside jokes that happen each day. I want everyone to come with me. I don't think that's much to ask. :) Most of my joy comes from the wonderful people around me. I want to output hope and joy to the people I meet in Swaziland, but at the same time I need to make sure I am finding ways to have hope and joy inputed into me. My friends and family at home are good at supplying that for me.
One thing that makes me feel better is that I get a sense of peace when I think of how much I've grown through the past month with the thought of leaving. Just the idea of it all has challeged me. Imagine what God can do with that once I start actually doing it. So to answer the question if I am scared... I guess no. I'm a sad, yes, but that's because its difficult and aren't those the most rewarding experiences anyways?
At least I know what I need to do now to prepare myself. I will have to learn to keep myself accountable, entertain myself and stay motivated. I've always been pretty good about laughing at my own jokes. Sometimes even before I say them...so that should kill a few hours each day. :)
I was reading this book Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. He said, "We aren't supposed to expect circumstances to be easy or safe just because we pray about them. We're only supposed to go into them knowing that we'll be given what we need when we need it." I need to remind myself of that. I know for me this is not an easy experience that I am doing, but that's why i am doing it. God has been working there before I even knew these people existed (and will continue long after I leave). I wonder how I could possibly begin to help in this huge plan He has for them?
Next time I write...I may qualify as an African American. :) Maybe not, but I can pretend. (wink)
We should all assume that the next time you all see me I will have loin cloth tanlines and have painted on my own tribal tattoos like, "Mswati's Girl"...or some tribal slang on my arm. haha I don't want to ruin the surprise though, so what I will tell you is that I will be leaving June 23rd from Sioux Falls. I need to check into staging in Philadelphia that afternoon. Afterwards, I will official be in Swaziland the 26th doing pre-service training until the end of August. Later I will be placed somewhere in the country for the rest of the time. My title is a community health educator. From what I've gathered, I think I will do a lot of HIV/AIDS prevention and just helping out (working with clinics, schools and whoever needs help I guess). Swaziland is known for having the lowest life expectancy rate in the world (40% below average) at 39 yrs. Its hard to imagine something like this since its 2008 and still a problem. I am sure I am going to learn a lot and I hope to make a lot of Swazi friends. So they can teach me swear words in SiSwati...just kidding!!! (unless they will)
We had a graduation campfire last weekend and some of the best friends a girl could ask for were able to make it! We jumped on the trampoline, enjoyed Alex and Sieff's entertainment up on the deck, and made fun of Matt Lauterbach's leather jacket. :) A question I get a lot is if I am scared. I guess scared doesn't seem like the right word. I guess I am more sad. The main thing that is hard is thinking that if I were able to spend time with everyone that's important to me everyday until I left, it still wouldn't be enough time to satisfy me for the length of time I'll be gone. I don't want to miss out on birthdays or weddings or just normal inside jokes that happen each day. I want everyone to come with me. I don't think that's much to ask. :) Most of my joy comes from the wonderful people around me. I want to output hope and joy to the people I meet in Swaziland, but at the same time I need to make sure I am finding ways to have hope and joy inputed into me. My friends and family at home are good at supplying that for me.
One thing that makes me feel better is that I get a sense of peace when I think of how much I've grown through the past month with the thought of leaving. Just the idea of it all has challeged me. Imagine what God can do with that once I start actually doing it. So to answer the question if I am scared... I guess no. I'm a sad, yes, but that's because its difficult and aren't those the most rewarding experiences anyways?
At least I know what I need to do now to prepare myself. I will have to learn to keep myself accountable, entertain myself and stay motivated. I've always been pretty good about laughing at my own jokes. Sometimes even before I say them...so that should kill a few hours each day. :)
I was reading this book Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. He said, "We aren't supposed to expect circumstances to be easy or safe just because we pray about them. We're only supposed to go into them knowing that we'll be given what we need when we need it." I need to remind myself of that. I know for me this is not an easy experience that I am doing, but that's why i am doing it. God has been working there before I even knew these people existed (and will continue long after I leave). I wonder how I could possibly begin to help in this huge plan He has for them?
Next time I write...I may qualify as an African American. :) Maybe not, but I can pretend. (wink)
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