Propane on my Back and Joy in my Heart.

Hey friends! How have you all been? It always feels like I have so much to tell you every time I blog. I guess its better than not having anything to say. That would be a warning sign I guess. :)

A few friends at World Vision called me last week to see if I would judge a debate competition. I’ve done this before and they tell me to bring along two or three other volunteers. Luckily two good friends of mine are fairly close by and we enjoy any excuse to meet up, so we judged the past competition. Last time it was four high schools in an old abandoned church. I figured the same thing would happen this time, so I didn’t think twice when preparing to hitch a ride to the small satellite World Vision office in my area. This time only one of my friends and fellow volunteer could help me. Her name is Justine. She got a lift that morning to the building and had the same carefree attitude I had. A few hours…and it should be over. Well, my friend at World Vision forgot to tell me that this was actually a bigger event than I thought. This time eight schools would be debating and it would take place in a large auditorium packed full of teenagers an hour away from the World Vision office. Justine and I were the honorary guests and sat at a table in front of everyone. Students packed the balcony and the floor had no sitting room. Of course I was wearing the ugliest bright-colored dress possible and huge rain boots with mud caked to the bottom. I walked into the room and walked through the quiet crowd looking up at me while I was dressed like a blindfolded fisherman. Of course we were late because they forgot to pick us up at the office, so we made quite the entrance as we entered the auditorium damp from the rain. My student, 1st Princess Ms. Culture (actually the winner of my pageant I held last year with my friend Alexis went to nationals and became Swaziland’s 1st Princess Ms. Culture) was a guest speaker sitting at the judge’s table with me to the left. Justine sat to my right and I got the “Paula” seat right smack in the middle. After judging the event all morning we were asked to tally up all the votes and find a best speaker in each category. They started asking us to do all sort of things and then said, “You have 5 minutes to do this.” People forget that just because we look different than most people around us, it doesn’t mean we have supernatural powers. Doing the best we could to add points on scraps of paper, we finished on time. Finally relaxed after all that work, a representative of the hosting school said, “Now if you could give out all the awards. Give critiques and….oh yeah, give a motivational speech.” Jigga what?!? Why make the children suffer by having to see what I am wearing again?! Justine and I split the task. I gave her my ideas what she should talk about for the motivational speech (She made it 3 minutes!) and I finished and gave out the awards. After I gave out awards, I somehow got stuck up there because no one came to take the microphone and gave me slips of paper and whispers of what I had to announce next. I involuntarily became the MC the remainder of the event for the 700 students, teachers, and World Vision Staff. What in the world happened? All I know is that Justine and I took too soft drinks as payment for holding the event together without any foresight of what we were getting into. Oh Africa...I’m not even mad. It was hilarious.

I’ve been working with my three senior classes. They are so much fun. I thought it would be really bad. Teens can sometimes get an attitude and when they know I am not that much older than them, they sometimes treat me that way. BUT my classes, although relaxed and call me friend and not teacher, still respect me a lot. Probably because form the beginning I told them I wasn’t being paid to be with them, so if they do anything that makes this difficult…I will leave and get to sleep in every morning on a guilt free conscience. They actually thought that was really funny and have been so much fun since. We finished our letters to MOC/FV High School seniors. They are SUPER excited to hear back from them. I was able to really use their letters to help them work on grammar and see what common mistakes are. They asked their own questions too like, “Do you know R. Kelly?“, a question burning inside of each of us. Also a popular one, “I hear you put adults in an old camp (aka nursing homes). Now we are waiting for Mrs. Wiese’s class to reply back, so we are reading plays like Ryan White (the famous HIV/AIDS story in US) and articles out of Newsweek and People. Although wanting to quiz them on Bradgelina or Jennifer Aniston's summer workout plans, I decided to use the articles dealing the more universal issues like the earthquake in Haiti, etc. I give them quizzes everyday (I'm that teacher), but later I let them ask questions about anything they want at the end of every class. I really like it and they seem to really enjoy it too. We are preparing ourselves for the library we are building in the high school and trying to put together students who want to make a club for the library.

I carried a propane tank 2 miles yesterday. Think about it...yep. Did you imagine me breathing heavy and primary school students following the white lady home with a tank up on her shoulder? Then you imagined it correctly. I've never sweat so much in my life. It was a humbling moment as I stopped every 2 seconds to readjust the propane. I kept imagining it blowing up when I carried it on my back and turning it into a rocket pack. Didn't happen though. I ended up looking like a sweaty piper leading the little mice (a trail of 12 first graders) out of the village down a grassy path to my home. This is just another day in my weird life. haha

Lastly, for those who have not heard, originally my plan was to return this summer. My two year contract is over! Can you believe its been that long already. Lord knows I’m super excited to get back and see you guys and my nieces and nephews and catch up on everything. I want to see Kim and Mike Poll’s baby, hear about Jantina’s new job, communicate with Kate in Mexico, get Lacey back to Sioux Falls, go to a Sieffstyle concert, see both of my sisters‘ new houses, and plenty of other things. The thing is though, I have an opportunity to work with the Baylor Pediatric HIV/AIDS Clinic here in Swaziland. They will give me an apartment in the capital and I will become the national Baylor Support Group Coordinator. It a brand new position and a much needed one. I will coordinating and developing HIV/AIDS support groups for kids and teens all over Swaziland for Baylor Clinic. They needed a full time placement and someone willing to stay until around October of 2011, BUT they are willing to work with me. I told them I want to go to school so they are going to let me do it as long as I can (January 2011). By then I will helped with starting a few different projects hopefully and have trained another volunteer into my spot fully so that they will take over when I am ready to leave. Next year the goal is to have a Swazi native SiSwati speaker holding the position. I wanted to help so bad, but I didn’t want to stay another year. I miss home. I miss you guys a lot! They have been flexible with me though and are letting me do it more on my terms so I can celebrate a late Christmas with the Schaap and Klienhesselink families!

I miss you all very much. Hope you are well and I think about all of you guys often.