One year anniversary in Swaziland and I spent my day teaching over a
hundred 6th graders to knit and scheduled a meeting to start
afterschool tutoring. Yesterday after a trip to Mbabane, submitting a
grant application to start a community garden for the orphans and then
a visit to Ruby and Lewis's where Ruby fed me awesome food, gave my
hair a trim, and let me check out one of their NCPs. I returned home
to find a planning meeting for a community clean-up day had just
started. Busy busy.
One year in review, looking back
Things I miss about America: Subway sandwiches, Hoffmann hotdogs,
Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate, sweet corn, a kitchen with a nice oven,
pots and pans and sharp knives, wireless internet everywhere, 24 hour
news (24 hour everything especially giant grocery stores), DVR, having
a car, squirrels, delivery pizza and Chinese food, limitless choices,
optimism, self-reliance, strong work ethics, and obviously being close
to friends and family.
Things I have become accustomed to: 8pm bedtime and waking up before
6am, using a latrine, bucket baths, way overcrowded public transport
on dirt roads swerving around the cows in the road, roosters in the
morning, visits from all the neighborhood children
Things I will never be accustomed to: constant marriage proposals,
women's inequality, never knowing what people are talking about
completely, mistreatment of animals, corporal punishment, screaming
pastors
I have only seen one airplane in the sky in the last year, but I see
tons of stars. I like to make a wish on the first star I see and then
when my 7 year old sisi is around we count the stars as they appear
until there are too many to count.
I saw road kill the other day, two goats. It was the first time I
have seen road kill in a year which is amazing because there are
always cows and goats in the road and speeding vehicles. I believe
it's also pretty common to see road kill in America. And that joke
about road kill being that night's dinner is probably pretty close to
the truth here.
Yesterday I said hello to the pig that lives in the sty next to where
I throw my trash out, this morning the pig is gone and my Make offered
me some pork meat. Not sure how I feel about that yet, but it tasted
good with some homemade applesauce. However I have no problem and
rather enjoy eating oranges fresh from the tree. There is something
really cool about watching your food grow. That is why I tried to
start a veggie garden, but it's harder than it looks and the chickens
don't share my joy of watching it grow and would rather destroy it
before it has a chance.
Looking back, this has been one memorable year and I am looking
forward to making more memories in the next year. Lots of projects on
the horizon, obstacles to overcome, and chickens to outsmart. I can
honestly say that I am happy living in Swaziland, but I am also happy
knowing that it is only a two year commitment.
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