Hey everyone! What’s new? I haven’t been able to blog for some time! I’m excited to give you a little bit of a run down of what’s going on:

My mom, dad, sister (Angi), and cousin (Janna) are coming to see me in about 2 weeks! I can’t even begin to explain how happy I am. I’m hoping to show them the area I live in, sleep in my room the first night, go to a game park the second night to see the animals, and go into the capital the last night. They’ll get to pop a squat in my pit latrine, meet Loyd my lizard, and maybe fetch my water. :)

I’m busy with a youth empowerment competition that we‘re preparing for April. I’m helping my community do a girl empowerment pageant, but there’s a lot to be done. Thanks to people at home who donated dresses. That is so helpful and the girls will love it. World Vision is helping us and donating a tent. I’m still teaching on Saturdays life skills class to the youth in a church near me. I spent Valentine’s Day teaching them. Most people get roses and chocolates and I get questions from high school kids whether Tupac Shakur is still alive. I’m livin’ the dream. I’m trying to help my school get a library, so I’ve been having meetings with the school committee. It sounds like I’m busy, but don’t get ahead of yourself, my days are still full of countless hours staring at the wall, combining leftover ingredients together to see what it tastes like, and reading a May ‘08 People magazine. Does anyone want to know about the cast of Gossip Girl, including favorite food and corky habits? I, unfortunately, can tell you.

Bat attack #3 last night. I sleep in fear everyday. I had to knock on my bhuti’s window last night to help kill it. Bhuti (pronounced like booty) is SiSwati for brother. I know, so many jokes with that name. So of course I take advantage of that word as much as possible. Sometimes when my brother calls me I say to whoever I’m with, “I’m sorry. I have to take this. It’s a bhuti call.” Although half the time my audience doesn’t understand the joke, I still say it because it gives me some sort of personal satisfaction that it could be funny. Anyways, sometimes I sleep with a candle next to me to scare away any nocturnal creatures. Dangerous? Maybe, but my beauty sleep is more important. You can’t look this good without taking risks.

Finally, I met some missionaries from South Africa last week. They are from Capetown and live in a church about 1 hr walk from my bus station. They drove me back to my place after. They wanted to see where I lived, so I showed them my room. They were so impressed with my siSwati. It made me feel good because I think its terrible. After, they turned to me and asked, “Do you have plans today?” I told them nope. They said, “Can we take you to eNhlangano for lunch?” I was stunned. Even more stunned they were going to drive me to a town just for lunch! If volunteers go to town, we’re going because we need to survive! We stock up on food and supplies to take back like we’re packing to set out on the Oregon Trail. We jumped in their nice truck and they drove me all the way there. Normally by public transport it takes me 2 1/2hrs. This time it took us less than 1hr in their car! When we got there they said, “Tell me what you want. I‘m buying.” What?!? I was having so much luck! I tried to reason with them and decline the offer, but they insisted so they paid for my meal! YATZEE! I won the jackpot! The motherload! These missionaries were so kind! Soon I had KFC all over my face. I was eating it like someone was going to take it from me. I had to look up at them, take it easy for a bit so I didn’t look uncivilized or choke, and then I started chomping down again. I barely said a word until the last salty extremely unhealthy french fry was consumed. Just the site of the chicken sandwich could have made me cry and/or get emotional, but that wouldn’t put it in my stomach any faster, so I just skipped the tears and went at it. I think I bruised my teeth shoving it in. Today Santa Claus was in town and he seemingly brought a bag with my name on it, including a #11 chicken meal from KFC. After eating I was so full. They wanted to stop at the grocery store to get dessert for the rode. The older lady came to me with a bar of chocolate after we checked out. They bought me more stuff! I thanked them for everything. It was a great day. I was blessed with new friends. And well fed that day. Just ask my thighs.

I love getting your letters and packages. It keeps home closer and I can't thank you guys enough for everything. Take care of yourselves and let me know if there is anything you need in Africa. :)

“Use me God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Hey everyone! I'm in town for a trimester report, so I thought I'd write you quick. I haven't been able to communicate with people from home because of Skype issues, but I hope you all perservere and we are soon reconnected! I've been cut off cold turkey. I've got the shakes.

I miss everyone. Its been seven months now. Can you believe it? Seven months of driving on the laft side of the road, being proposed to on public transportation, and taking mid night stolls to the outhouse. Last night I sat in the main house with my family in a rain storm. It was kinda lonely in my hut, so I decided to get out and join the others. The adults played card games while the kids were getting ready for bed. One is about 7 and is a boy. He is naughty! He’s the one that flung my underwear that was drying on the fence all over the yard with a stick! It took me all day to wash my clothes at the river, so I was mad. I chased him as he screamed bloody murder, grabbed the lil fart, flung him over my shoulder, and rubbed those now muddy undergarments all over his face. He screamed! Haha I snapped. Little boys here think that if you touch a females underwear you’ll turn into a girl. Thus the reason my laundry was flung with a stick rather than a bare hand. haha But I understand, I don't want to be responsible for a sex change. Its all fun and games until someone turns into a woman. Anyways, he never touched my laundry again. Last night though, him and his also naughty little sister were in the room with us. My overprotective grandma was passed out on a cushion, but randomly would wake up in a panic and ask in SiSwati, “ Where is Sihle?!” Maybe thinking I was outside in the thunder storm? I'm white, grandma. Not an idiot. haha Although I wanted to say, “Last time I saw her she wrapped herself in tinfoil and was playing with a lightening rod…“ but I can’t say that in SiSwati, so I just looked up from my book and responded, “ I’m right here, gogo.” :) She just fell back over and continued sleeping. :) As the night went on, no one could leave to go to their rooms because the lightening and rain were still going strong. I sat quietly in my chair reading when the little girl crawled up into my lap. Its so difficult because language prevents us from talking a lot, but that night it was easier to play with them. The little girl crawled up, gave me a hug and kiss on my cheek and fell asleep like that. Her little shaved head was laying on my chest with her arms wrapped around me. It was so sweet. Her 7 yr. old brother did the same, crawled up to the space next to me, laid his head against my shoulder, and held my hand until he was asleep. It was such a surprise. The kids aren't scared of me anymore! I’ve been missing my nieces and nephews a lot lately, so it was nice to be with the kids.

Well, some news from my hut is that my gas stove ran out of propane this week and I’m about a 2 hour drive from any town that can give me affordable groceries or fill up my tank. My personal staple food is popcorn and without a stove, I’m finding it difficult to survive. :) I bought a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter to get me through the rest of the week at a small sitolo (store) within walking distance from my home. Yesterday I decided I couldn’t choke down another sticky PB mess. I found a packet of tuna that was sent to me from my mom and a can of corn (not sent from mom haha). Mixed it together, put it on some bread and Tah Dah…a Corn Tuna Sandwich. I’m living in a bachelor pad dream! Holla! I was saving it for a special occasion. Like starvation or PB overload. If I’m hungry enough, I’ll eat about anything I’m realizing. I’m like man vs. wild. I eat what I want, when I want and answer to nobody. :) Just livin the dream. One can of corn at a time.

So it looks like I will be living off of bread and crystal light packets until I get a chance to go to town to refill the tank. Can you imagine taking dry calcium tablets without some sort of flavored water? Me neither and quite frankly, I don’t want to. Thank you so much to the people who have sent them to me because they take water to a whole new level. For real, they are great. I like to think of them as the handy work of God. It even got me thinking, yes, God created water within the first few days of creation and it was good, but I think he realized after the seventh day of drinking plain H2O that the water could taste even better. And that’s when, my friend, He invented crystal light packets. What if crystal light packets have been around longer than what we thought? For example, the time Jesus turned water into wine. Was it a quick dump of the sweet artificial taste of a raspberry ice crystal light packet? He is perfectly capable of miracles, but I also like to think of him as resourceful. So thanks to all who’ve sent them to me. Miss you all and hope everything at home is going well. :) Let me know whats going on if you have time. :)