Working (sortof)

Okay so things are finally getting rolling for me. I’m doing stuff! I have something to do everyday. There’s a clinic where I go and count pills, weigh babies and then squirt vitamin A supplements down their throats (poor things), distribute soya flour from the World Food Project, but mostly just chat with people. The nurses are great. I have an appointment to shadow the “career guidance teacher” at the high school tomorrow. I hope to team up with him to teach the high schoolers “lifeskills” and about HIV. I’m going to the primary school on Thursday to see about possibly shadowing a teacher there as well. The teachers at both of the kresh (preschools) in the community are texting me and asking me to visit them too. I went to a community meeting yesterday, during which the six sub communities in Mashobeni each elected committees to be in charge of food distribution to needy families. The food has been donated by Save the Children. And I thought they just made commercials that make you feel guilty. Turns out they actually help people. Friday I will start traveling from homestead to homestead, conducting a census, asking about members of the family, ages, deaths, etc. But mostly it’s so people know who I am and that I’m here to work. Mumcy will be going with me to help with translation and just keep me company. Mumcy is the kagogo manager. The kagogo is a building in the community, designed to support orphans in the community. In truth though I think Mumcy is facing a lot of road blocks. It’s hard to get work done here. Sometimes it feels like everything is going so slow. Still Mumcy’s wonderful and I have high hopes. I took one woman to Nhlangano AIDS Training Information and Counseling Center to get some medication for swelling in her ankles and wrists. We weren’t able to get a CD4 (T-cell) count done but I hope eventually we will be able to get her on anti-retroviral therapy. She just lost her husband and two older children to AIDS. She has two young kids. It’s the first time I’ve felt like I might actually be helping save somebody’s life. Um, yeah I’ve been doing other stuff, but nothing too exciting. I read by candlelight and sip tea. Oh but one big thing, my babe na make are having a huge anniversary party this Saturday at their church. Over a thousand people are expected to come!! We’re killing a cow, several goats, and fifty chickens. Lots of people to feed. I’m going to wear traditional Swazi attire I think. I’m also part of the entertainment, we’re doing a taditional dance for Make and we’ve been practicing for a week now. Ought to be hilarious. I invited other volunteers, so good times. I miss home…send me letters guys! XOXO

interesting...

Okay so a couple interesting things about Swaziland before I just take them forgranted. Warm milk with cereal (usually made with powder or straight from the cow. Grown men hold hands in public (seriously.) Couples don't usually touch each other in public. If you drop something, hurt yourself, fall on your ass, etc. you will hear a round of "ncesis" or "sorrys." The staple food here is call lipalishi or porridge which is basically grits only thicker. I'm not a fan. They also eat sour porridge and emasi (sour milk.) Boobs are no big deal here, you can pull 'em out whenever. The other day my Make started "breastfeeding" her newborn grandaughter as a joke. Church is very enthusiatic here, you will find people throwing themselves around, sobbing, praying outloud, laying hands on each other. Like Pentacostals gone wild. Everyone believes in withcraft, and I mean everyone. Some people think you can cure AIDS by sleeping with a virgin. Halls are considered candy here, and you see little kids running around and eating them. People beat their kids and their dogs. They think it's hilarious when I say we let the dog sleep inside. The price of a virgin bride is roughly seventeen cattle. Not a virgin? Let's negotiate. Families are real spread out here, you tend to find a husband will stay in one town and a wife in another, and they visit once a month or less. Maybe that's the ideal situation. They call me a giant. Respectable women don't drink here. In fact, drinking and smoking is fairly uncommon. But there are those that do, and I've seen my fair share of old guys holding 40s of castle on the bus, wasted, screaming "umlungu (white person), marry me." Swazis love to dance, and the singing is beautiful. The biggest tourist attraction is the maiden's reed dance where all the young girls go and collect reed and walk a long distance carrying them back to the king's city, all while wearing no shirts and verrrrry short skirts. At this ceremony, the king often picks one of the girls to be his new wife. Good times. I'll think of more later...XOXO.