America the Beautiful

Sanibonani (Hello) Friends!

I am so excited to be writing you. I can’t believe it is only a matter of weeks that I will be returning back to the US. You know when you start planning a trip somewhere and then becomes real once you start researching airline tickets and dates? Well, that is what is happening. It is November, but all I can think about are my plans for going home and prepping my work place to leave. I think now it is purely excitement thinking about going back to the US after two and a half years of being gone and I anxiously await seeing my friends and family, ESPECIALLY my nieces and nephews! I’m sure they have changed! I have too though. Actually, I am now a 4 foot man with a beard. It looks good on me if I do say so myself. I can’t wait to see how all of you have changed too! I will be back home in January for my 26th birthday and I can’t imagine a better gift than to see all of you again.

Host Family and Swazi Life:

So this month I’ve tried to take advantage of time with friends and exploring new adventures since I will be returning home soon. First, I decided to climb Sheba’s Breast, a small “mountain” in the HhoHho region of Swaziland. So when the Swaziland Breast cancer awareness walk was offering a chance to do a 10k/5k run last month up the paths of Sheba’s Breast, I jumped on it! I decided to do both a 5k and 10k back to back. Last year I ran a half marathon so in the back of my head I thought that eventhough I sit around in an office now and never miss a meal...I still am in the same physical condition I was a year ago living in my hut. I assumed wrong. My friend Rachel and I were about half dead running 5 minutes up the mountain and my friend Matthew ended up carrying our bags all the way up. Haha Soon the racers (mostly senior citizens) began to pass us. I just flapped my arm to signal to go around us on the steep path up because I didn’t have breath to say it. Needless to say, we only finished the 10k race. Only 3 older people were at the finish line when we pulled through to congratulate. The others had already left. Haha

To continue my adventures I convinced a visiting scholar from Columbia to go to Kruger Park, a game reserve in South Africa, with me. It was my last chance to see the “Big 5”. The Big 5 includes the Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, Lion, and Buffalo. From what I am told, they were the 5 big animals mostly hunted in Africa through history. I have seen all of them up til now…except the leopard. The leopard is stealthy and rare to spot (…pun intended!) and so I took this last chance to explore my luck. We backed a loaf of bread, peanut butter, apples, a block of cheese (that should have been refrigerated…my stomach cramps now seem justified), and a 5liter water container. We packed the back of our tiny Euro car and were off! We decided not to take any tours, but to go into the game drive alone and try to find the animals ourselves for three days. We were tugging up trails with that poor car on paths clearly meant and made by large animals. In the US, I am scared to hit deer crossing the road. This will probably be the last time I will be scared to hit an elephant family that is walking by. I should have worn a diaper because on multiple times we brushed elbows with death, I thought I was going to pee my pants. One time in particular we got lost. Why would we buy a map? We were on an adventure…and broke! We ended up somehow on this off road up on top of some mountain full of trees and bushes. I spotted a heard/pack/whatever of dinosaurs and what later turned our to be elephants! These elephants were HUGE and looked like they ate cars our size for breakfast. I’ve had bad experiences before with elephants at a game park in Swaziland. One charged me after I tried to take a picture in front of it eating a hotdog. Anyway, it is spring which means lots of babies throughout the park and most importantly, lots of protective mothers. This was no exception. As I slowly realized they were coming, we became very quiet and I turned off the car to appear invisible. Well, it kinda worked until 5 babies surrounded the car with one angry very large mother. She noticed us and threw her trunk up while flapping her ears. (I needed a new clean pair of shorts.) It was intense and for 30 minutes we were trapped. We were afraid to breathe just in case that would make her mad. We didn’t move and she eventually left, but not without showing her anger. They slowly walked off the path and two of the elephants began fighting. Karla and I slowly drove forward after I took my hands from covering my eyes and I slowly pulled forward away from the group of elephants. We survived. After we bathed stopped shaking, we began talking about how cool that was but neither of us wanted to spot another elephant for the rest of the day. 10 minutes later a new group of elephants found us along another path. Kruger Park is not made for armatures and by the end of our adventure we felt like Pacos Bill and Paul Bunyan. We fought monkeys who tried to vandalize our backseat, set free a large scorpion that got lost within our tent cover, and learn how to outrun a rhino who clearly didn’t want his photo taken. It was an amazing trip and at the perfect time. Driving up and down the mountains and terrains of the southern region of the park for hours on end looking for animals was amazing and therapeutic. There were wild flowers and beautiful sunsets. I felt so much peace there and the adventure left us both feeling quite liberated. To rad more about these adventures...and to see lots of pictures go to karlainafrica.blogspot.com

My host family brother got position one in his class. When I lived at home with the family, I really invested in this brother. He was sick for a while and during that time we really bonded. Sadly he hasn’t been able to pay his school fees to attend school this term because he is an orphan. Thankfully, I finally talked about it with my parents and they offered to help. This is common though and it got me thinking that often times when we donate money or try helping people in other countries, we just give money to the situation. I’m happy my parents can trust that the money is directly going to school fees because I am putting it in the account for them and that we know the child and his living situation. I’ve been living with him for two years so its nice to really see what the need is and the best way to help. I know we don’t always have the opportunity of directly knowing the person we are trying to help especially when donating to large organizations, but if this is something you are interested in, I want you to look at a website called Young Heroes. My good friend is the director and also my pal does a lot of the consulting within the program. They are about 5 staff deep, but they manage and are all very passionate about the work they do. It really is amazing. They are people of integrity and are on leadership team with me for Hole In the Wall camps here in Swaziland. If you are interested in seeing their work or want to help them, take a look at their webpage. There are some cool stories on there and also some great pictures. I was considering signing up my brother to be apart of their program to get help, but they only take double orphans (both mother and father are deceased). My brother’s father is living, but it is still tough because he still doesn’t financially support the child. This program is great though and they are always willing to talk to you and offer invitations to come visit the kids that you end up assisting. www.youngheroes.org.sz

Entertainment
I was in the newspaper about two weekends ago. It was supposed to be an article about Peace Crops work in Swaziland and so the PC director asked me to interview on behalf of the program. One of the articles had a special piece about my love life. Haha According to the article, I am "stressed by love proposals” (if that doesn't like I have a big head…than I don't know what would) and I am currently not dating anyone. Sounds like a dating column? I thought so too! The funny thing is, we didn’t even talk about that during the interview. There are few people who know about my love life, but thankfully I now have the entire Kingdom of Swaziland to discuss it with.

Work
Like I said earlier, I will be home in about 10 weeks! While I am trying to slow down my work life and not start new projects, it has been difficult. My whole Swazi existence has been to get involved in anything and everything, so now as I turn down or pass off projects to others it feels a bit sad. Its like I am missing an opportunity to help, but I know I would be doing more harm than good getting involved in new projects now. By Thanksgiving all my work as Baylor’s Teen Club coordinator will officially be over and I will just be working at camp. I think these next few weeks will fly by quickly. Scary! I’ve really enjoyed the amazing and challenging experiences I’ve had here in Southern Africa and it will be sad to say goodbye to not only host families and communities that I lived with the past two years, but the new city friends and connections I’ve made in these past few months.

We are opening a new support group in the Lubombo region. It’s the first of its kind. I so excited for Teen Club and the progress that has been made. We are planning a giant Christmas party for the kids in December. There are 350 of them that are in the program. We’ve been trying to get donations for the past month to help pay for the party. Its been going well and we are on our way to a great Christmas. Last Christmas I received the worst sunburn of my life. Not a lump of coal, but 3rd degree burns from head to toe by laying on the beaches of the Indian Ocean. I’m hoping Santa brings me sunblock this year.
I’m sad I need to start saying by to the kids now. I won’t be there for December Teen Club because of camp. My little friend, Masotja (name changed), is a little Casanova. He is 14 years old and ever since I started as the support group coordinator, he has joyfully given me these cute little winks and smiles. He just found out I was leaving. I missed one of my HIV teen support group meetings last month to work on applications for grad school. The southern support group has a special place in my heart because it’s the one I started when I first became coordinator and a lot of kids from last camp I recruited from that area. Masotja was telling the adults that since I wasn't there that day it wasn't going to be fun. The purpose of support group, of course, is to get the kids to meet each other, but when the adults that attended that day told me this I couldn't help but be a little flattered. Haha Masotja's little brother also had HIV and passed away earlier that week. This job is really humbling and I see how disposable I am too. Many people (I can think of a few of you back at home!) that could coordinate this program better and more effortlessly than I do I’m sure! I try though and sometimes I wish my work with Masotja and others could go on forever. I also recognize its time to go back home. It will be bitter sweet leaving after the past 2 ½ years. I know though that there will be plenty of people left behind here that will pick up where I left off and continue to mold these kids. I’m gonna miss the teens I work with, especially those I’ve managed to really get to know well. Camp in December will be a great way to end and I will build relationships with lots of new kids. I just pray that it isn’t too exhausting emotionally right before I depart for America. My last support group is next week in Masotja’s region of Swaziland. I’ve been there since the opening, so I know the kids. Those little turkeys are gonna tear me up next Saturday!


See you soon! I know some of you are married, have beards now (I’m talking to you, Tina), new haircuts, fresh tattoos, babies, and maybe even a mix of the above…tattooed bearded babies, but whatever the changes that have happened to you since I left in 2008, know that I am excited to apart of them again. I’m also excited to play Pop 5 while eating Mexican food…after taking a 40 min shower. I’m counting the days and asking for your prayers as I try to end things well here. If you think of it, I would appreciate your help. Thank you guy so much for your support through prayer, donations for the roofing project, packages, letters and phone calls the past 31 months! I know I wouldn’t have made it this long without your support. Love you guys and talk to you…SEE you all soon! XXX