tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38230034929694638402024-03-19T16:29:12.483-04:00This Life of Ours...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-17166264296826112382016-11-09T09:43:00.001-05:002016-11-10T03:41:54.901-05:00...says sala kahle.<div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“I cannot say goodbye to those whom I have grown to love, for the memories we have made will last a lifetime, and will never know a goodbye." - Unknown</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It has been an absolutely incredible experience living and working in Swaziland, but today, Grace and I informed the office staff of our decision to leave Swaziland and head home. To say that this experience has been incredible is actually a gross understatement of what it has been but then again what we have witnessed here within ourselves and our community borders on being indescribable. If I could walk the border and describe all that we have experienced in one long-winded paragraph, it would read like this. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A year and a half ago we came to a small country with a bus full of nervous excitement, wild expectations and fast friends. We studied for months the culture and language, learned the ins and outs of our service, and stayed with an unfathomably welcoming family. We set forth on our own, leaving behind our new family and separating from our friends into communities only a few kilometers apart in distance but seemingly days away in reality. Awaiting us was a new equally welcoming family and a house to make a home of for the foreseeable future. Our community held limitless opportunity thanks to the efforts of the organizations and people we worked with, and limitless it proved to be! We taught HIV/AIDS prevention and education using basketball, dug and planted gardens, restored and added to an aging library, supported local women chicken farmers, handed out a ton of teddy bears, updated the hardware and software of a high school computer lab, made Vaseline with a group of bomake, built a new playground for community children, held a basketball camp for local kids and worked to renovate a church. Now, as we’re due to depart, we have new sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers, and friends. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the point where I'm not sure how to continue…the words dance around in my head amongst the memories I’ll never forget but every time I reach for a word I see a smile on a face, hear a voice of wisdom, smell the morning after a rain, taste the chicken off the braii, or feel a high five from a small hand. I know Grace feels the same way. The truth is that we have received far more than we could ever hope to give back through our work. We owe a tremendous thank you to all of you who have supported our work here with both time and money. Every effort you made had a lasting impact on our community and on Grace and I. We are so blessed and thankful to have those that love us supporting those and that which we love.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally, we are forever indebted to all of the authors of those unforgettable memories and experiences that escape the words to describe them. We have come to know some truly wondrous people here. None of our work here would have been at all possible without the help and support of our community members and our families. We will always cherish our time spent with family playing cards or having a braii, with community members laboring together in the hot sun, with our church family worshipping on Sunday's and slinging plaster on Saturdays, and with our friends enjoying a good hike and a night out. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once again, the end emulates the beginning and we find ourselves saying goodbye to those we love. We love you all, from beginning to end, so let me just say this. Salani kahle bongani betfu na bomdeni betfu, sitawubonana masibuya. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-45022929611183799792016-11-01T12:36:00.001-04:002016-11-10T03:41:05.800-05:00...embraces the 'Canes.<div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alden (Bafana Bonkhe "Bonkhe"):</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sean and Grace invited Ryan and I to share about our trip to South Africa and Swaziland with everyone. I’m considering it a partial payment to them for planning our trip from the tops of Table Mountain, one of the 7 wonders of nature, to the valley of KaLanga. Thanks again for everything!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our trip started in Cape Town with a long list of “must do’s” from Sean, Grace, and Coach Smith who had studied in Cape Town for a summer. The list ranged from hikes that would overlook Indian and Atlantic oceans, eateries, and chocolate candy bars. We had great weather on the first day and hit the ground running by hiking Platekchlip gorge up to Table Mountain. We were able to catch a cable car (closed due to wind conditions) with some maintenance workers and a few tourists down the mountain. Then we pushed onward up a neighboring peak “Lion’s Head”. A great hike thanks to the “tingly” feeling you get when climbing a ladder or a cable on the side of a cliff and the views of Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak. On the descent one of the only clouds rolled over Lion’s Head and helped us to picture a lion laying down facing the bay. We explored the waterfront, national stadium, and eateries for the rest of evening. Day 2 we took our shot at local transport, in the form of a train, to Simon’s Town where we hungout with the penguins before heading down to Cape Point which far surpassed our expectations. We hired a taxi and 27 year park ranger veteran who gave us a personal tour of the light house that overlooks the shipwreck beaches, the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and the Cape of Good Hope. We had to leave before we could completely explore the southern tip of Africa to get on the last train to Cape town. Day 3, we took an uber around the coastline to Hout Bay to hike Chapman “Chappie’s” Peak. The road up to the hiking trail has been the scene for numerous BMW commercials and is a popular place for cyclists and sport cars to test the turns. The trail up to the peak was 2.5 km, straight up hill, with no switchbacks, just like the rest of the hikes we had done in Africa! The trail was lined with fields of flowers and burned bushes that led to a magnificent view of Hout Bay and wine lands. The hike finished on the beaches of Hout Bay, protected by two peaks and we rewarded ourselves with fish and chips. Day 4, we finally slowed down and enjoyed a day in the vineyards of Stellenbosh where we sipped wine with the impalas, zebras, and a stampede of ducks on their way to go eat the bugs in the vineyards.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After Cape Town we flew into Swaziland and spent the evening inflating basketballs, planning camp games, a tournament, and of course all the coveted giveaways. The next morning, we arrived at SOS ready for a day of hoops. The kids trickled in after their chores… or skipped their chores to play before their house mothers came and got them. Our planning the previous night led to a morning of organized chaos, teaching some new moves but primarily playing games with prizes as giveaways. Ryan even played freeze tag with younger kids and girls, which he beautifully demonstrated by crawling between a 3-foot-tall child’s legs. We wrapped up the morning session by sending all the participants home with shorts, socks, shirts, or jump ropes. When we returned in the afternoon for the tournament all the players were “dudded” out in their Union Heights jerseys and even wore shoes so they could wear their new nike elite socks. Some spectators scaled and spectated from the 15 foot fence surrounding the court. The games were all evenly matched but it was the Red Lions who took home the championship led by an mvp performance by Lwazi and they each got a pick one of the coveted NBA jerseys that had been on display for the tournament. All of the players got to keep their Union Heights jerseys for telling us why they loved to play basketball or showing us their favorite move so everyone was able to go home a winner and we rolled home exhausted and sun/wind burnt. Sunday we went to see a playground, library, and church all projects that Sean and Grace had invested in and added some cool twists to. We were confused when we arrived to church if we were going for a sermon or another basketball camp because all of the SOS children at church were wearing a uniform, an arm sleeve or some other prize from the previous day’s camp. The churched welcomed us through song, décor, and DANCE. They showed us all the work that they had accomplished through the gifts sent for Grace’s birthday. We ended the day with a chicken braii at the homestead prepared by our bosisi, bhuti, and make. The next morning, we said our good byes to the family and headed for Malalotja picking up Hannah and Shar to max-out the capacity of our tiny Hyundai Accent. We ascended the mountain into a cold cloud, not the weather we were prepared for. We enjoyed a night of good food, drink, friendly wagers on games of Exploding Kittens, and hot showers. We awoke in the same cloud but were able to escape it at points as we walked through the park with the impalas, zebras, and multitude of wild flowers to a couple of waterfalls. We dropped Shar off with her spoils from exploding kittens before going to have a relaxing evening of food, drinks, and fire at Malendelas. Swaziland was proving to be a much easier trip than what I ran Ryan through in Cape Town. The next morning Ryan navigated the Hlane game park in our new Toyota Avanza. We saw a glimpse of baby Reggie the Rhino’s butt before returning to the pond to wait for wildlife. During lunch a threesome of fat hippos waddled up to the pond to hangout before we took off on a guided tour of the park to see the lions. On the drive we got to see lions, rhinos, hippos, elephants, third legs, and impalas. Later that evening we entered the human game park, the Happy Valley Casino, where we all won hundreds of… rand. After a long night of stealing the casino’s money Ryan, Bingo, and I ran up Sheba’s Breast into and finally out of a cloud. It was a lot like looking down on the Smokies as everything except the mountain tops were in a cloud. When we got off the mountain we took off on a man’s trip to Execution Rock which was quite exhausting after Sheba’s Breast earlier that morning. We explored every drop off at the top trying to decide which rock they used to send the witches off. Upon our return to the car we grabbed a 6-pack of refreshing (skunked as Ryan described) Sibebes and toured the grasslands that were filled with zebra, wildebeest, impala, and warthogs. That night we got hit with a nasty windstorm that caused us to retreat to our rooms and I got an education on tiny houses. The next morning, we were up with the sun, 5:30 and went back to KaLanga and had one more good bye with the family before going to Manzini where we luckily caught the pro shuttle to Johannesburg and of course had a pit stop to pee with the cape buffalo, wildebeest, ostriches, and rhinos.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ryan and I were so blessed to have gotten this opportunity and thankful to all the families and communities that welcomed us. Thanks again!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ryan (Vusu Musi "Vusi"):</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It all started with a 5:30 AM phone call. I have to be honest any phone call being made or received at the crack of dawn is usually bad news. We were so close to immersing ourselves into a life that we had read about, heard about, and constantly talked about, yet that morning at 5:30 AM we never felt so far away. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Upon touching down in Johannesburg I picked up the phone and tried Sean again…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">… “So unfortunately I have some bad news”, I say as Sean picks up the phone this time. “Unfortunately we both didn’t make it on plane.” But that is not my story to tell….</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In every dream journey, there comes a moment when you have to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely and methodically at death. You have to go after a dream that is against the status quo. You take the road less traveled. You go big or go home. You make a bold decision that will change the path of your life. You take the leap of faith. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wish that this story was mine to tell, but again this doesn’t describe my career driven walk of life. However, this is how I would describe Sean and Grace’s journey as I saw it from afar. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perspective seems to move you beyond the superficial and taps into the emotion we all want to feel. Hearing and seeing are great but easy. The perspective I’m referring to gives you an opportunity to feel, to really experience the emotion that can accompany an endeavor. This trip was my opportunity not only to just hear and see, but to really FEEL.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt FULL…Sean literally can cook a mean breakfast!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt COLD…so by 90s and dry, I’m pretty sure they meant low 60s, cold, and unbelievably windy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt LOVE…every single person I met genuinely made me feel like I was a blessing in their life. They were so welcoming and excited to have us. Little did they know that we were the ones who were blessed through experiences such as playing basketball with the kids of the SOS village, enjoying food and fellowship at the family braii, and worshipping God with the community at church. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt SPEED BUMPS…I thought that driving on the opposite side of the road would be the most difficult task of the trip, but really it was identifying the Swazi speed bumps littering the road. Good thing Sean was a wizard in terms of navigating the country. Sorry to those who rode in the back though. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt NERVOUS…betting wagers on Exploding Kittens often times felt like do or die. Who knew that all in with deodorant, body soap, and a few rand could be so intense. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt JOY…there is nothing better than experiencing life with close ones. Whether we were sharing gorgeous hikes, cold sibebes, or magnificent wildlife reserves, great company is what made each experience memorable. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt THANKFUL…to spend time with Sean and Grace. Going in I thought the highlights would be the magnificent scenery, wildlife, and culture of Africa. Really though there is nothing that could beat the opportunity to do life with Sean, Grace, and the extended Swazi family. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I felt in AWE…as we visited the playgrounds, the library, the SOS Children’s village, and the church. I was left in awe of how much of a positive impact two lives have had. Selfless service seemed to light up the world of others everywhere we went.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is no way I could do what Sean, Grace, and the other selfless volunteers are doing in Swaziland, but I am so grateful that they and their Swazi families welcomed us with open arms and provided a life-changing experience!! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-17014228939610366662016-10-21T09:11:00.001-04:002016-10-25T02:40:41.263-04:00...has fall break visitors!<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sawubona sisi.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unjani? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ngyaphila. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yebo. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grace and Sean fluidly roll some version of this sequence to their friends, family, or familiar passerby's. Translated, I think it means:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey sister, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How's it going? (Wait for greeting...)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm doing fine.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yup (followed by smiles).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From a distance, around 4500 nautical miles, I have admired my sister and brother-in-law for whatever it was they were doing over there in Africa... Swaziland... But, admiration is only smoke without understanding, and the short week Dad, John, and I spent allowed for a small, but actual awareness of what our Swazi family members were up to.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the way, it only takes a day, so they aren't really that far away - with the proper transportation. We arrived in the King's airport on Saturday morning, after a series of flights... I sat and slept in the middle of Dad and John the entire trip - most dream of such fortune. We walked through Passport control and were immediately greeted by Sean and Grace. We hugged out hellos, and headed to Hlane National Park.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Day 1 - Saturday</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Saturday started in the late morning, as we had just arrived. Dad took control of the driving with Sean navigating. As the road rules are inverted with left being right and right being left, the key to success is to stay left, find a road partner to follow, and listen to Sean, who holds an intimate knowledge of Swaziland's roadways. Waiting on us in Hlane, was a setting of relaxation. Wooden chairs outlooking a small lake held the potential for a wild encounter. Although we did not see the hippos that chose that day to break routine, we did encounter a lone Crocodile, noisy birds, and Swaziland's prize lager - Sibebe. Success.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After, Hlane, we headed to Grace and Sean's home, where we met Babe and Make. Their welcome was warm, heartfelt, and full of a patient kindness. We got settled, changed clothes, and headed to the S.O.S. Youth Center for basketball. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Basketball was exciting for all involved. No doubt Sean, or Sipho as he is known in Swazi circles, provides these children a highlight with his basketball program. The kids knew the rules, called their own fouls, and managed the ten-foot goal with success; useful techniques such as the lob, baby hook, and even the granny shot made appearances.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Highlights from Day 2 and 3 - Sunday and Monday</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some highlights from these two days included Sunday Church. We walked to 11:00 AM church Sunday morning after banana pancakes for breakfast. Jack Johnson melodies. Breakfast, by the way, was quite phenomenal every morning in the Collins' home. Anyways, church was excellent. The pastor spoke of maturation with Christ and used memorable comparisons. During the service, John and I were presented with gifts from the church, and were asked to say a few words... We pretty much nailed it, not really, but everyone was very nice to us regardless...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After church Babe hosted a brie, and we enjoyed several fine dishes. Apart from the chicken, the cabbage dish was my favorite, and I never thought I would say that about cabbage dishes. So props Make.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Monday morning was preceded by a sampling of Exploding Kittens (a card game), Acoustic Jams (brought to us by John and yours truly), and Sibebe and friends. On Monday, we had fried eggs and potatoes for breakfast... boom. Then we headed to visit Grace and Sean's playground site. At the site we were greeted by willing helpers, as Sean and Grace worked on the wall that greeted children to the playground site. Grace had fashioned some sensory games and Sean worked on the artwork and wording for the playground. During this time, Dad, John, and I entertained some small children with playground antics and rudimentary soccer (futbol) skills. This one child would not stop fake crying, so Grace put him in timeout.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Day 4 - Tuesday</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grace made banana bread for breakfast! During which the crew shook off the night before, and Sean determined that public transport was the right move for John and I. As Grace and Dad packed the car, Sean took us to the road to hail a Kombi. We watched a few of these taxis pass, while Sean was signing direction to vehicles as to our direction. Not really sure of what was going on, the McCord brothers tried to look natural...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sean succeeded and stopping a Kombi headed to Manzini; however, the driver was off-duty, and we got our own private transport, according to Sean this was rare, and although we made great time, we all agreed that this did not count as a true public transport experience - John and I did not mind so much. After exploring the city, we headed to Lidwala where we found a kind of oasis for volunteers and other backpackers. Full of zeal at our success with sort of/kind of public transport we headed out to hike Sheba's Breast, a mountain. The hike was straight up and although it started off painful, the toil was worth the view.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the way down, we were encouraged by a band of baboons who became very interested in the interlopers who had briefly borrowed their mountain. Grace informed us that they may try and feign a charge and we were to stand our ground... this was after she informed us that they could easily rip our arms off... Dad went first, while Sean hooted at them from our position on the low ground. Once back in Lidwala, we had some needed showers and met up with Nolan, Hannah, and Shar - three volunteers of the highest quality. We all packed into the car and headed to the Milan for pizza. The trip consisted of some wonderful pies, excellent stories, and Dad busting through a police blockade; we owned the night!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Day 5 and 6 - Wednesday - Thursday</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next morning we awoke and went for breakfast in Mbabane and met Simiso, one of Grace and Sean's Sisi from their first homestead. Afterwards, we headed back to pack up and relocate to Malandelas. At Malendelas we checked into our room and walked around the House on Fire. Like Lidwala, the accommodations were top notch, and for the rest of the night we sat on the porch locked in conversation. Oh, and we ate another delicious meal.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We went to bed full, and in the morning we headed to the park. A Swazi park is pretty much the same as just being dropped off in the wild. In the wild, we were surrounded by zebras, impala, "wild beast", crocodiles, and some sneaky hippos. We nervously navigated the hippo trail where we heard the not-to-far-away grunts of the hippo family that were supposed to be in the water... they were not. It was not until we were back into the car that we actually saw the hippos leave the area we had just vacated and splash into the water.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After the park, the crew headed to the market and got lunch at the Mug and Bean. Afterwards, John, Sean, and I went to the cinema. As Grace and Dad had headed back to Malandelas, we took a Kombi back. This time, we received a more authentic experience, as we picked up school children and made multiple stops - I sat in the middle. We ended the night with another wonderful meal, which was a consistent theme throughout the trip.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking back on the week, I am confident that I could not do what Sean and Grace and the other volunteers are doing in Swaziland - I would miss home too much, I'm lame - but I was overwhelmed by the welcome we received from Babe, Make, and the community in which they live. Some other things I was thankful for on this trip... quality breakfast, loving pastors, the high ground on hippo trail, early sunsets, spare ribs, emergency breaks, and new family halfway across the world.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-25009443759521755452016-09-30T11:20:00.001-04:002016-10-25T02:38:37.875-04:00...is still building but playing a little too.<div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.” -Charles Schaefer</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well…we’re still building. In fact, we’re building even more! In the past three weeks we have built 4 playgrounds around the Lubombo region, and started a fifth one just today. That's a quite a few long hot days and nights sleeping on concrete floors, but it has definitely been worth all the effort, including the day it tipped 101° in Ntandweni. I'm a little biased, but I would say our playground at the neighborhood care point in Maphatsindvuku has been the best so far! That's completely outside of our doing though, we had a lot of great people come and give their time, energy, and spare materials during our two day build. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We built a smaller version of the playground than what was initially designed because most of the kids are between the ages of 3 and 5, but they play harder than most kids their senior. Now, instead of playing with shoe cars and imaginary tea sets, they have swings, a tire swing, two mini towers, and soon some fun and games on a learning wall! It's been a long time since we facilitated and participated in the playground training in July but it's all come together now and it's a wonderful thing. I really don't know how to explain what it's like seeing kids playing on something built specifically for them for the first time, some of you parents out there will undoubtedly remember, but it's a fascinating thing to see a group of happy kids start defining themselves through play. Some are adventurous, fearless, and bold while others are timid, cautious, and careful. Some become great pushers while others become great swingers. Eventually they all level out, the bold helping the timid figure out the ladder, the swingers reciprocating the efforts of the pushers on the tire swing. (The tire swing is apparently much less intimidating, I seem to remember most injuries of my childhood on the tire swing however…) The whole playground becomes a beautiful chaos of tiny children with huge smiles. A cacophony of laughter and screams and short siSwati phrases that seem to me to say “Let's do that again!”. It's amazing to watch, exhausting to get in the middle of, and wonderful to reflect on at the end of the day. We can only really say thank you to all those people who came out to help us, brought us something to make the job easier, or let us play with them for a couple days while we worked around them. (We’ve learned beep beep is the best child speak for excuse me)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Speaking of thank you’s though we had another great time this week as we passed out 500 bookmarks at the primary school! It was the final cap to a very rewarding library project, and the bookmarks were distributed just in time because we got a call earlier this week saying the librarian is ready to commence the check out process! (Keep our librarian in your prayers because supervising that process for 500 students and teachers with no experience is a Herculean task, one which she is so excited to take on!) We handed out the bookmarks grade by grade at assembly with the help of a few teachers and it was a great sight seeing proud children with bookmarks overhead ready to read! So thank you very very much to Make Collins and all of the family and friends who helped craft and put a little love in 500 bookmarks! Siyabonga kakhulu kakhulu!!! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-71398031027118985912016-09-09T12:28:00.001-04:002016-10-25T02:39:03.461-04:00...builds together.<div>
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<span style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2LB66VF7e92qAxzgOY79rNW3HBsHIlX4TE0A2uVhSovOyNqVCYZ8g6FIc2L_Y40iis3OpZtLLJqAiogdUuivUHcDilDI9ZSsfob94DlxFjTrjA6EwpwYQezyg2K61k-BbkZX7wgm2YY/s640/blogger-image--2024563947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2LB66VF7e92qAxzgOY79rNW3HBsHIlX4TE0A2uVhSovOyNqVCYZ8g6FIc2L_Y40iis3OpZtLLJqAiogdUuivUHcDilDI9ZSsfob94DlxFjTrjA6EwpwYQezyg2K61k-BbkZX7wgm2YY/s640/blogger-image--2024563947.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Remember that moment two blog posts ago when we were so bored we didn't even know what to do with ourselves? Well that time is most certainly over. Over the past few weeks we have been working on renovations at the church we attend in KaLanga. We have been approved by the umphakatsi (only a 3 hour wait time for Sipho this time) to build our community playground at the NCP that I love. We will build 4 playgrounds over the next two weeks in fellow volunteer communities and we will be visited by friends from America for a few days </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">starting tomorrow</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">! It feels sane to be busy again. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before September comes and goes I want to take a moment to speak about the church project we are currently in the midst of at Christian Revival Church. I could talk extensively about how grateful and blessed we were to find this church home last November, but it would take too long and my focus here is to explain the ongoing project. We had been contemplating helping our church finish the renovations needed on the building we attend church in every Sunday. We know with all our hearts they are so deserving of the assistance and we selfishly want to leave Peace Corps knowing we had a lasting impact, and this was something that could give us that gift. With some help from generous people back home we set out to buy materials for the latrines, plaster and paint the building, flooring, and electricity. The work would have to come from the congregation. Our first day of work occurred last Friday. Over 30 people showed up to help. We figured that we could rally some people for the Saturday as well and then maybe plan for a few weekends ahead to have another work day. Plans change, as we keep assuring you nothing ever goes to plan here in this small country. People came in droves on Saturday, boMake, bobhuti, and bosisi working all day in the hot sun. Everyone fed, in Swazi custom, a full meal at the end of the working day. Sunday, day of rest, we came to church with an almost finished latrine house. Sean spoke his word of thanks to all those who came and spoke about how we are all apart of the Body of Christ, loving one another, able to do immeasurable things through God. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Either we way underestimated our expectations or Sean's testimony of thanks rallied people into action, because we worked Monday, Tuesday, took Wednesday off (umphakatsi day), purchased electrical supplies Thursday, and are back at work today laying a concrete floor. We are told that the plan is to finish the floor and all the plaster by Tuesday. I wish you could be here to witness the joy and the work. I wish you could see the smiles on our faces from our inability to keep up with the pace of material needs. Our pastor "does not want to disappoint those who believe in the church". I am proud to say that being disappointed is not in the cards for those who have supported this project. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">"For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individual members of one another."</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">- Romans 12: 4-5</span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-16396632085041118432016-08-22T15:13:00.001-04:002016-10-25T02:36:21.709-04:00...thinks about tea time.<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">-Camille Pissarro</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">There was a tea party outside the SOS village today. Do you remember tea parties as a young girl? Maybe you collected all of your animals around a table or bench. Maybe you had a tea set. Maybe you had crackers or water for pretending. Maybe you had a father who would take the time out of his today to extend his pinky finger and tell you "I've had the most wonderful time my dear". </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">The tea party today lacked the maybes. In the thorny, red dust covered bush 7 young girls sat on a makeshift picnic blanket, made from old plastic bags, bottles, and cardboard. Wearing torn and tattered clothes these girls sat in a circle exchanging pleasantries and pretend life stories, laughing and carrying on for hours. No pretend crackers, no real water, absolutely no tea set or father.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I am a believer in God. I would call myself a Christian each day and a good one every once in a while. I recently listened to an Andy Stanley sermon in which he stated "if you live in America you are blessed. You are ahead already". Most every day here I believe that, but today I struggled with the blessing part. Being blessed, undeserving of such. I've become much more a believer in pure dumb luck since I've been here. My ability to have a voice and power as a woman, access to proper education, free speech, and even access to know "what is a Google". Mimi, Nomdumiso, Nophumelelo, Luyanda, and Samu. All intelligent, beautiful, selfless girls who deserve the same but lack all. They deserve such blessings, why is their luck so bad? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I was told once by a very wise man that feeling guilty about your blessings will destroy your soul. "Never curse your blessing" I was advised. So today I cry for a tea party that deserves so much more glam and glory. Tomorrow, I guess I will try and do the best with my blessed self that I can. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">There seems to be a great deal of strife and negativity in America, we have tried to keep up. But for today, bask in your blessedness and say a quick thanks for your pure dumb luck. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-2109682262150358172016-08-16T06:35:00.001-04:002016-08-16T06:35:39.261-04:00...has found the doldrums.<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMySj8RwpQ7DfpXILGEn2QB19cmMOnWwCoyS4wM1-WbIAtFZ1QFryovxVovD0E9e92h_dbnw6SajMwcSSO3g4z83pRLIeDWt7Q28kekl3ggNZuI3LSjMD5_wblUZKg6IE5jqXVvoIpLE/s640/blogger-image-1423358038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMySj8RwpQ7DfpXILGEn2QB19cmMOnWwCoyS4wM1-WbIAtFZ1QFryovxVovD0E9e92h_dbnw6SajMwcSSO3g4z83pRLIeDWt7Q28kekl3ggNZuI3LSjMD5_wblUZKg6IE5jqXVvoIpLE/s640/blogger-image-1423358038.jpg"></a></div></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>"Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is." - Thomas Szasz</b></div><div><br></div><div>Well it's time to tackle perhaps the foremost aspect of Peace Corps service here in Swaziland. Something that catches up with every PCV sooner or later, and that is…BOREDOM. Grace and I wrapped up the library, chicken farming, and permagardening projects with a fantastic getaway to Italy with friends and family, and returned to a hectic couple of weeks of playground build trainings, but since then we have definitely hit a lull. We have several playground builds coming up in mid-September, but not a whole lot of very meaningful work in between now and then. So…we face a few weeks of unprecedented boredom.</div><div><br></div><div>Boredom is defined in one way as being “the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest.” In siSwati the word for boredom is situnge, but the root of that word ore accurately translates to loneliness. Grace and I are blessed that we don't have to deal with situnge like so many of our peers, but I'm quite convinced that boredom strikes everyone at some point. For us it results in endless games of cards, new workout routines and videos, TV shows both educational and fictional, books from all genres (there's a good reason the PC Kindle library boasts some 20,000 titles), and occasionally, when we’re at wits end, a nap. However, true to definition we eventually lose interest in these boredom remedies. Not because they don't do a sound job of killing time with various added benefits, but precisely because we know that's all they're doing…wasting time. We came to Swaziland to work towards the goals of our program and community, not to waste time. But alas, it is inevitable and it is everywhere. We get bored at all times of day while we wait for our planned events to come up, morning, afternoon, and night. We face boredom in the bus ranks when we wait for an hour for the khumbi and another hour to even start moving (we’re quite fortunate here as many volunteers can wait up to 3hrs total). We lose interest in our remedies and resort to delirious banter or contemplative silence. </div><div><br></div><div>Swaziland has affected our personalities in more ways than we can count, and I think we both agree that for the most part it's been for the better. So, here’s to hoping in the next few weeks that we can shift from boredom to serenity.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXR05wKcwbK_NsuDEh9dCyAgmXHmNHmxkH4EGFbD9gHeXOIjYAEvS931SPKfJAqk7BE08C1dYO70M7U4-_mi6WjdjVKrgF6lEMySWybMx4CTb5eNuDABmkUUTiFNAZndtH1NiMTOd9XI/s640/blogger-image-238739729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXR05wKcwbK_NsuDEh9dCyAgmXHmNHmxkH4EGFbD9gHeXOIjYAEvS931SPKfJAqk7BE08C1dYO70M7U4-_mi6WjdjVKrgF6lEMySWybMx4CTb5eNuDABmkUUTiFNAZndtH1NiMTOd9XI/s640/blogger-image-238739729.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>P.S. - The very not boring photos for this post are from Emlembe, the highest peak in Swaziland and a part of the Drakensberg Mountain Range.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-40899558040503241802016-07-23T07:31:00.001-04:002016-07-23T07:31:38.536-04:00...builds to play!<div><span style="text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"It is a happy talent to know how to play.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCRjrFPxR-dck1pY71klfr10dk7pOT1ZRg-weUyzHGM1DUgUgemkh42FwIybZAzvOcHmjNZzxDyU3EcAUGYNhcUXonxOC7U73eGBnArqSCmLDH_qLBXFh3e_s1pzf88Do8GhT31eo4Aw/s640/blogger-image--1934704233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCRjrFPxR-dck1pY71klfr10dk7pOT1ZRg-weUyzHGM1DUgUgemkh42FwIybZAzvOcHmjNZzxDyU3EcAUGYNhcUXonxOC7U73eGBnArqSCmLDH_qLBXFh3e_s1pzf88Do8GhT31eo4Aw/s640/blogger-image--1934704233.jpg"></a></div></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwWr9JA4tLrlFJOU0FBnXZnQd3iWT7vzH34PSD6JIVRB_nfjvQccUVK6lI9tsTO6T9ozWY1u8TOTCekSdKXKdE8zxCAq8R8lmAgKp7Ly5H50XpuU0171AnB8mjwud0se-NFJgsPDwedw/s640/blogger-image-1386790536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwWr9JA4tLrlFJOU0FBnXZnQd3iWT7vzH34PSD6JIVRB_nfjvQccUVK6lI9tsTO6T9ozWY1u8TOTCekSdKXKdE8zxCAq8R8lmAgKp7Ly5H50XpuU0171AnB8mjwud0se-NFJgsPDwedw/s640/blogger-image-1386790536.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l1abtpVXrEglc10dhQFvCv1qsHiXfoO4L0X1QjEYicTWPvnAQ3nwXKG5sGxuzC-5HD_XExc8FL3bmq7raja1H19wQklZtcb2lVYTuhBfL467OBcJKnjBXT5Rr7yOsW6k8_RxtboLbUE/s640/blogger-image-707100094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l1abtpVXrEglc10dhQFvCv1qsHiXfoO4L0X1QjEYicTWPvnAQ3nwXKG5sGxuzC-5HD_XExc8FL3bmq7raja1H19wQklZtcb2lVYTuhBfL467OBcJKnjBXT5Rr7yOsW6k8_RxtboLbUE/s640/blogger-image-707100094.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div>Playgrounds for Africa is the name. Building a playground in 2 days is the game. Oh, 23 playgrounds all across Swaziland actually. After we arrived back from our amazing trip to Italy we had 2 days before we ventured out to a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer site to build a playground. Sean, the only volunteer with any construction experience, was the trainer for the week long construction process. Anyone want to volunteer to teach 22 inexperienced Americans to build a wooden playground in rural Swaziland? I didn't think so, but Sean bravely was up to the task.</span><div><font color="#454545" face="UICTFontTextStyleBody"><span style="text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></span></font><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">It took all 5 days to construct this playground in which Sean and 2 other volunteers designed. The project was developed by 3 volunteers tired of watching young children sit idle and lack imagination. Knowing how beneficial playgrounds were for these volunteers in their youth, they graciously invited others to join in the initiative. A $20,000 project, these three ladies have organized, financed and planned the building of 23 playgrounds in 23 Peace Corps communities nation wide. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Back to the build - with a few design changes, tool exchanges, and extensive teaching we finished the first playground in 5 days. Now, the plan is to build each remaining playground in 2 full days. Also, without the assistance of Sean, our favorite builder, because he can't attend all builds. The test came this week, on Wednesday and Thursday, at our second training/playground site. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Assignment: Build a playground in two days, without the assistance of Sean Collins - pretend phone calls allowed only.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I wish I could tell you in person how much WE CRUSHED IT! In person there would be exaggerated hand motions and inflection in my voice. Mixing cement, reading plans, cutting rafters, finding square, "racking" it, and making it "plum" became second nature to many volunteers. We didn't have to "scab" one thing! We actually finished at 1:30 on the second day, truthfully showing that we only need 1 1/2 days to build a playground. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Understandably and incredibly humbled by the skills learned, everyone was very well aware that the reason we were overly arrogant is solely due to Sean. The week prior he aimed to teach volunteers that everyone could do it. He over explained, patiently re-explained, and took the time with every question, every action, and every idea. As he sat and labeled tools at build number two, I hope he was aware how much he wasn't needed. Sustainability. Empowerment. Success. Everything he was sent here to do. Its not just reserved for the Swazis. </div></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OkAmHiCoSk_ROdHhCEiVxRvhZGZHoE2VOfcMi_QiTx95Y7pEUWcK6q1Ze5LxBmip8FKZ2EuTl20xQiwmhZO3UnHy1tHI_CdM4gjtdkhQqRgP4j0Jh8K690bXAUia_MYcFCG1vQ-oLIw/s640/blogger-image--1865995388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OkAmHiCoSk_ROdHhCEiVxRvhZGZHoE2VOfcMi_QiTx95Y7pEUWcK6q1Ze5LxBmip8FKZ2EuTl20xQiwmhZO3UnHy1tHI_CdM4gjtdkhQqRgP4j0Jh8K690bXAUia_MYcFCG1vQ-oLIw/s640/blogger-image--1865995388.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbuaSzriVY1eVz6paJ9SlRF1Bz_80ceMtPPaZcqIlheRycAELqkN5MrumyZV-ggLffjy9ZNwUe28oKLqUAcw6O9pJAZZbaQSRV40-8j7Os8HH2mtTKi7RJ0XCsR9WpMSqq4THCzDURiI/s640/blogger-image-18804586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbuaSzriVY1eVz6paJ9SlRF1Bz_80ceMtPPaZcqIlheRycAELqkN5MrumyZV-ggLffjy9ZNwUe28oKLqUAcw6O9pJAZZbaQSRV40-8j7Os8HH2mtTKi7RJ0XCsR9WpMSqq4THCzDURiI/s640/blogger-image-18804586.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKGbhmzT1rq_SkeTVXE7HxpUJWqWzqS5IkMZq_E_loPgt-YYAzBbBsX3qqnCLjpt-_dnUPzoWeY3N1aumoGGdILlFUxeKbH7QQr-NRgI3oty5g73pgRfPYml-nffpG6MOb0kqTalN50o/s640/blogger-image-111269978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKGbhmzT1rq_SkeTVXE7HxpUJWqWzqS5IkMZq_E_loPgt-YYAzBbBsX3qqnCLjpt-_dnUPzoWeY3N1aumoGGdILlFUxeKbH7QQr-NRgI3oty5g73pgRfPYml-nffpG6MOb0kqTalN50o/s640/blogger-image-111269978.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfsyPPXA541Wk_6pz5rI7p5F-4rsv_rkc8kYB75eV_mSG8bbrXmeDFp96D90dp6OYJgL8tD6j6vW_fcN9jUuTGcyFlyk0PyVts1dBFaS5rzIdCCDrxn8gIt6GwgbXKLYjby4A00V3syQ/s640/blogger-image--1219177040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfsyPPXA541Wk_6pz5rI7p5F-4rsv_rkc8kYB75eV_mSG8bbrXmeDFp96D90dp6OYJgL8tD6j6vW_fcN9jUuTGcyFlyk0PyVts1dBFaS5rzIdCCDrxn8gIt6GwgbXKLYjby4A00V3syQ/s640/blogger-image--1219177040.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-74099032107798665052016-06-22T13:02:00.001-04:002016-06-22T13:02:39.514-04:00...just books.<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: inline !important;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnj3u9enS9CVKJXgX0FPVs_Ao30RtlYuMsD-PgYS2plx3xZrrXzGYYM-VvIgf8klR2zn1irh4ktxB1hQMCBoXZ2XXNyqzlmKJ4rkWnf50lNEj52g0uDaPgUEGfZzkMRgUHTSr6sPY_7k/s640/blogger-image-1862436934.jpg"></div></b></div><br></b></div><div><b>"Reading gives us some place to go when we have to stay where we are." - Mason Cooley</b></div><div><br></div><div>We’re done! 1 Teacher’s desk, 3 murals, 3 student-designed tables, 12 textbook benches, 15 categories, 1,866 books plus a few. A few hundred that it is. That's the short version of what has been put into St. Paul's Primary School’s library in the last several months. The project of revitalizing an old library at the school started last year in the blistering heat of November with an application to Books For Africa, and ended on a cold June day today. The Library Club at the school has been working tirelessly each available Wednesday since February, eager to see and aid in the library's evolvement. Admittedly though, rather than help us clean or organize the last couple of meetings, most students prefer to flip through some of the children's books we received from Darien’s Book Aid or stand and gawk at the Tom and Jerry mural on the wall (it turns out Curious George only recently made it to Swaziland, in our shipment of books), but that's the real reason we brought the books and painted the mural in the first place. In this case, less help and a little chaos has actually been welcome in the process! </div><div><br></div><div>For the last month, it seems we’ve been racing against the clock to get the murals touched up, tables and benches built, old books reorganized, and new books catalogued before leaving for vacation. Yesterday was a milestone as we labeled the 1,866th book we received from Books For Africa, but I'm not sure I can truly describe the amount of effort and cooperation that went in to making the library what it is today. I know there are several people to thank including the organizations that sent us books but I’d like to take a little time to thank the three people who have been an unimaginable help in finishing this project. </div><div><br></div><div>First, our head teacher, Ms. Mayisa, has been a tremendous leader and collaborator in the project. Early on, she saw the potential of a revitalized library space and helped us find a counterpart, put forth and fulfill the obligations of our application, and she has given us tremendous not only leeway but also encouragement to adapt the space as we have seen fit. </div><div><br></div><div>Second, our volunteer librarian, Phindile Nhlengetwa has been a phenomenal counterpart. She immediately volunteered to be the librarian after Ms. Mayisa explained what we were trying to do. She hasn't faltered in her support or role in the project since then, even when a librarian training was initially scheduled for Easter weekend, she was committed. She engaged students to join the library club and then became an active member of the club, something that doesn't always happen here. When the books arrived at the school, she helped Grace unbox them and sort them for three hours on a Friday afternoon in her free time. Even when we wound up receiving a couple of boxes of textbooks she wasn't upset or angry she simply stated, “Don't they know how to recycle?” She encourages students to pick up and read the books that interest them but she also doesn't turn a blind eye to a teaching moment when a student mishandles a book. She will be an incredible librarian.</div><div><br></div><div>Third, my co-worker and wife, Grace. We’ve joked with many people throughout this project that Grace is the creative one and I am the creator, but she has been infinitely more helpful than being the inspired designer of our benches, tables, and murals. First let me say that in the eyes of Peace Corps this is my project not ours. It more closely associated with my youth development framework than Grace’s community health, and so I am the “lead” volunteer on the project. Such a thing couldn't be further from the truth. In the past week alone Grace has put more hours into the library than many people put into their own work making 10 times what PCV’s make. She has catalogued and organized over 2,500 books all the while assisting me in the construction of benches and tables and the painting of murals. She's endured headaches, monumental amounts of dust, 7 day work weeks, near 12 hour days, and a grumpy co-worker on many occasions to make our project the inviting and open library it is today. There were moments I'd look up from painting and wonder how a single person could transform a wall of chaos (remember the “plus a few”, I was referring to a wall of textbooks teetering on the thousands) into one of order. Not to mention an order easily and clearly understand by non-native English speakers. Everyone of the jobs I did, Grace was there to make it easier. From stacking and organizing textbooks to be drilled to organizing books to be labeled alphabetically ahead of time. She even packed my lunch a few days. </div><div><br></div><div>So in the end, thank you. Thank you to Books For Africa, thank you to all of you who donated to Peace Corps BFA, thank you to BFA Swaziland, thank you to Darien’s Book Aid, thank you to the staff of St. Paul's, and thank you to the Dlamini family.</div><div><br></div><div>Sure I played my part painting, building, applying labels, but as I stepped back today and looked at months of hard work from so many people believing in a common good, I couldn't help but be humbled in a way I haven't been in a long time. St. Paul's library is filled with books for kids of all ages now but more importantly, it's filled with the pride and joy that comes from seeing a project like this finish and radiates to all those who enter. </div><div><br></div><div>Siyabonga kakhulu.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja23r8kI4KRvvSTUuoGnNUhpLIc82510VIMUwHssrJ3Gm1ehN8KIKnec6_urDDKKl15P0JffmHh9Y5kTFUYgEz2jthfjzfELRqBcAW1pAM1tTSvFnk3svSbzRgI9CZCLfZf6LR7ZaI7B4/s640/blogger-image--1749109242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja23r8kI4KRvvSTUuoGnNUhpLIc82510VIMUwHssrJ3Gm1ehN8KIKnec6_urDDKKl15P0JffmHh9Y5kTFUYgEz2jthfjzfELRqBcAW1pAM1tTSvFnk3svSbzRgI9CZCLfZf6LR7ZaI7B4/s640/blogger-image--1749109242.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6th9EabUluRPHPL29jRHYu7CfuVwQHgcAHh0Q9w_gNs0BdWlzxEs7n584v-VOzIaIeVPa75cGf2PbSUPxJMfETz7szjeM1RddSHIkr9BIA_DXPc_1drtmp9J_pwXFDLRgbzKASimZsA/s640/blogger-image--550060267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EsTosbqLa4GSNhFEEHXGKck5wW-M1F2wart7Slj2Ixw5qjeXPad7ZJQBSfv3o9L0Uc5Fdk45in5mNqESobk5f_Cddy155qZdjytsuXHoW4y5GtczSKXkVMAhyRy2Ft0OVflNauWHBk0/s640/blogger-image-792538336.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-71826049520414803582016-06-13T11:51:00.001-04:002016-06-13T11:55:33.169-04:00...shares a story.<div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><b>Every traveler has a home of his own and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering. –Charles Dickens</b></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Last November Sean took an application to the high school to find a student eligible to apply for an opportunity to visit the United States. In April, Phenduliwe Ndlangamandla, a 19 year old Form 4 student at Ka-Langa High School, attended the 3 week Pan African Leadership Program in the United States. She spent time in Washington D.C., Chicago, and Indiana with students from all across Africa. It was Phenduliwe's first experience out of Swaziland. The following is a summary of her experience.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAzi1m_AzeR6O7-ol2r4r4HqbHGs2Zwkekcu0aySBlZzonhGIxitntMAISP_0ZId8liR6U94p1Knk6hoPL1Io6Lk7eKOtJXZBgO_hum06wATP5dJ06f7u8DvIMvHD9qa1gia2IPV7EZc/s640/blogger-image--404953102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAzi1m_AzeR6O7-ol2r4r4HqbHGs2Zwkekcu0aySBlZzonhGIxitntMAISP_0ZId8liR6U94p1Knk6hoPL1Io6Lk7eKOtJXZBgO_hum06wATP5dJ06f7u8DvIMvHD9qa1gia2IPV7EZc/s640/blogger-image--404953102.jpg"></a></div><br></div><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">My trip to America was great, with funny and shocking experiences. The first experience was cold. America is very cold, whether the sun is in the sky or not. One of the good days in Muncie, Indiana I was on my way to Ballstate University where we usually had our classes. The sun was in the sky but the wind was cold and freezing. I am glad I was able to survive in the cold, all the way from Washington, D.C. to Muncie, Indiana and Chicago it was very cold.</span><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Well, Americans keep their pets indoors. I knew about that but what surprised me is the way they treat the pets, they are treated like children. In Muncie I spent most of my time studying the relationship between my family and their pets. They were close friends, especially the dog called Lilly. At first I thought it is because they are an old couple but Mr. and Mrs. Robbey told me that they always have a wonderful dog in their house and they like dogs a lot. They knew the characteristics of each pet in the house from Lilly the dog and Jack and Peter the cats.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Shocking experiences as well, I could not believe that some Americans thought that Africa is one country with different languages. They thought we were not living a civilized life. Some asked us if we have fancy malls for shopping, television, schools, hospitals, cars, etc. They asked how do we manage to walk from home to school with the wild and dangerous animals. This gave me a clear picture that they do not know anything about Africa. After we have explained to them how Africa is they longed to come and see the beautiful places we have. They said they were afraid of the animals they thought were all over the place.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I went to church with my family in Muncie one of the Sunday's and I could not believe what I saw and heard. They do not have a specific religion and during the service they do not read any scripture. I was amazed when they sang the song "We Are Walking In The Light Of God" in Zulu. This church is a union of all religions anybody can think of, that includes, Christianity, Islamic, Jewish, Buddhism, and if you are not a believer you are free to join them.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Likes about the U.S.:</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">American people are friendly, they were always smiling at us even in the streets. My host family treated me like their own child and they showed me love. I like the idea of bringing children together like the Boys and Girls Club in Muncie, Indiana. The children come together after school, get food, do their homework and play, then their parents fetch them from there and go home. Moreover, the Second Food Harvest is nice, people donate food to be given to the less privileged.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">What can improve:</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I think the American people should improve their knowledge about Africa. It really feels good when we know that they know something about our continent. Reduce the rate of smoking. A lot of people in Chicago smoke in public which is dangerous to everyone. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-81416767150981764602016-06-01T04:24:00.001-04:002016-06-02T03:55:29.221-04:00...concentrates on the joy.<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">We have to choose joy and keep choosing it. –Henri JM Nouwen</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I sometimes forget to find joy in my everyday. I must honestly admit that I do not do a very good job seeking it, I sometimes selfishly feel like it should just appear. It's easy for me to get caught up in the hum drum of my life- the dirty clothes, the excessive carrying of bags and backpacks, the hot sun, the long walks, showerless days, laundry, nighttime bugs, or public transport. See? Where is the joy in that? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the month of May we have planted 21 gardens out of 29 finished gardens. When we began our garden projects in March I told Sean I would be ecstatic about 5, thinking I was "pushing it". Additionally, we have been told repeatedly that the gardens are doing wonderfully and July can't come fast enough for them to show them off once again to us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The library project at the primary school is underway, with a fresh coat of paint and 3 murals almost completed. We have library club on Wednesday afternoons. Students run to library club now. Last Wednesday 53 children spent the afternoon painting their designs on the tables. No paint was spilled on uniforms. This week students will be building library benches. Next week 1,000+ age appropriate books will arrive. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tuesday morning we visited the Neighborhood Care Point in Mapatsenvuku to give out handmade teddy bears from the Mother Bears Project to 25+ children under the age of 5. Yvonne, the teacher, has finally been able to break ground on a building after 4 years of working and waiting for a sponsor. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tuesday afternoon, after a long delayed grant process, 20 hardworking, intelligent women received 100 crates and 35 bags of feed to grow their chicken co-operative business. Early in the week they were granted rights to land in order to establish a permanent place to farm. A process that usually takes years and usually much longer for women.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our sisi was accepted into a university. It rained 2 days last week. Babe learned how to write a business plan and design a cash flow. We added two new recipes to our rotation of dinners. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't speak much to the bugs, public transport or laundry but there is so much joy to be found in my dirty clothes because they are covered in dirt and paint. Backpacks full of bears are worth the long walks for such sweet smiles. They say your hair is healthier if you don't wash it everyday and the hot sun is becoming less invasive as it becomes winter. I find joy in these moments, these places, these people, this life. It isn't hard to find it, I just need to remember to choose it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope the pictures below bring you joy today and you find joy even in the hum drum days this week. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-67282911225895615352016-05-28T06:37:00.001-04:002016-06-02T03:51:50.890-04:00... Is shared.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Norman Macewan</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our guest blogger is Sean’s Mom, Chris, who came
for a visit along with Evan, Sean’s twin brother:</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">We visited one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World … we spotted 4 of
Africa’s Big 5 game animals … we climbed to the peak of a mountain which legends
tell is the site of King Solomon’s Mines … we accumulated 4 passport pages full
of stamps … but </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">BY FAR</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"> the best and
most fulfilling part of our trip to Africa was finding Sean and Grace there. As
you know, our precious son and daughter-in-law/twin brother and sister-in-law
are PCVs serving in the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland since June 2015. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;">Sean and Grace have been
wonderful communicators since they left the USA. They have blogged “This Life
of Ours …”, written notes, emails and texts, passed along photos and
newsletters, and managed regular phone calls from halfway across the world
despite lousy internet and major time differences. For 3 weeks they invited us
into their lives in their newest home and shared </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">everything</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"> – families, language, food and water, culture, work,
play, church – they even shared their pee bucket! We witnessed them working
hard and loving well and as a result, we gained perspective and new context for
all their communications. The day-to-day happenings of their “Swazi-life” mean
so much more now and we feel honored to have had the experience. We are so very
grateful!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;">Our sweet “children” introduced
us to family. Sean and Grace’s tiny hut is actually quite spacious and they
have made it home with her creative colorful touch and his skillful ingenuity.
They divide chores and responsibilities and respect each other’s strengths and
weaknesses. Job well done “Team Collins”! The Shabangu and Dlamini families
are every bit as special as Sean and Grace have said. Make Shabangu has a huge heart
(and huge pigs) and she is most definitely worthy of being our children’s Mom
while they are so far away! I get the distinct feeling of “entertaining angels
unaware” in her presence. Babe Dlamini is an affable family patriarch and proud nkhosi
(of the king) countryman – he taught me so much about his heritage in such a
short time. They are all wonderful people who we will never forget.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our gracious
hosts included us in worship. Again I am astounded at how big our God is and am
thankful for the community of believers sharing truth and love in the tiny
block church at the end of a dirt path in KaLanga. Here, praise music echoes joy. Pastor Saul
preaches and prays (entirely in English) passionately about living “all in”
Christ. The words of the old hymn come to mind: “<i>Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the
fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above</i>”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> With pending projects and
deadlines, these two diligent volunteers incorporated us in their work. I could
go on and on about Peace Corps projects – it is mind-boggling how much has
already been accomplished. Sipho and Siphiwe have learned the language and
immersed themselves into the culture of their community. The results are that
they are known and respected, developing long-lasting relationships, and being
accepted into everyday work and activities. To their credit there are also 24 homesteads
with new permagardens, each with a grey-water filter for sustainability; a
refurbished library at St. Paul’s Primary School with an active Library Club
and well over a thousand new age-appropriate books due to arrive next month; on-going
HIV/AIDS education with weekly pickup basketball games thrown in; a productive
chicken co-op; teddy bears for children to cuddle during clinic visits; and 1 of 25
playgrounds coming to fruition in the very near future. Sean and Grace work
hard and efficiently. Their passion for the Swazi people and their PC projects
is positively remarkable! It is truly inspiring to have shared this glimpse of
their “jobs” and yes, most definitely, I am a very proud Momma. Evan (aka Speed Tech PC) was able to install
Windows 10 as well as provide much needed support to the high school computer
lab. During a visit to the SOS Health Clinic I met 2 amazing nurses and a
pregnant Mom (my first maternal exam since nursing school 30+ years ago). Eish!
Hopefully attempts at encouraging our professional counterparts in Swaziland
were successful because they too were inspiring to watch at work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We also
played together … a lot! We talked tirelessly and laughed and cried as we
discovered history, enjoyed nature, and tasted unknown meats together. We were
drenched by the powerful mist on both the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides of Victoria
Falls. We hiked tough trails to Sheba’s Breasts and Nyonyane Mountain and
blazed our own path between rock cairns of Mahamba Gorge. Swaziland’s dramatic landscape
is beautiful and saturated with color despite the terrible drought and we were
privileged to get our feet very dirty. With Evan as our expert driver (he
quickly mastered driving on the left, maneuvering around cows, pedestrians,
speed bumps, khumbis, and buses), Sean as our uncanny navigator (that map in
his head is extensive), and a whole host of knowledgeable safari guides, we
visited the country’s 3 Big Game Parks – Hlane, Mkhaya, and Mlilwane. Evan and
I had a wonderful 3-day camp out in Kruger National Park, SA as well. We got up
close and personal with amazing wildlife – rhino, giraffe, zebra, elephant,
lion, hyena, waterbuck, wildebeest, water buffalo, crocodile, nyala, birds,
warthog, hippo, impala and a variety of antelope. We learned to watch wildlife
comfort zones and identify the impala’s noisy mating call. Our friendly competition of naming new baby
rhinos and giraffes was entertaining. We admired a myriad of authentic
craftsmen and artists at work as well as their lovely wares. We sang and we danced
and the Collins brothers kicked Swazi-style (or <i>attempted</i> <i>to</i> I should say).
We were awestruck by radiant rainbows and picturesque sunsets. We packed a lot
of playing in to our time together and I think we all have plenty of memorable
storytelling material to share for many a campfire to come.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I get great satisfaction
from carefully planning and researching our travel destinations, but this time
Sean and Grace did most of the prep work and I hoped and prayed for a time of
encouragement and refreshment for them with Evan and me there. I think my hope
came true … and we were refreshed too! As a traveler I have learned to be
flexible and expect change. Sean is 30 pounds lighter, Grace glows with a new
tan … I knew to expect that. I expected changes more than “skin deep” too but
you never really know what you’re gonna’ get. American writer Henry Miller said,
“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of seeing things.” At
the risk of sounding sappy I’ll end with this: SiSwati names have meanings –
Sipho and Siphiwe mean “gift” and “gifted”; Evan was given his siSwati name
Sibusiso which means “blessing” by a sweet Hlane hostess. After some careful
thought from a Make working in Mkhaya, I was given a siSwati name too – “You
must be more than just ‘Make’”, she proclaimed, “Yebo! I name you Sibusiwe,
meaning ‘You are blessed/We are blessed’ to have you visit Swaziland.” Perfect!
Our visit and all that was shared along the way was truly extraordinary. Yebo!
… We are blessed!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-90887006195207747102016-05-01T13:28:00.001-04:002016-05-01T13:28:48.209-04:00...is pending.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPh-UXw-_OjF2nMVo_GZng9V6Yb32kf3svUjUyI4JzVxWIFJkh9rHeDMTklsuqI_MLCJASK_Glt4Z1_vA6nagHyeNLm_7h9Q9Ambu79F0TV1Knkz1Ae82rHeAnuXxsGsEsNvSt71xqPkk/s640/blogger-image--2068608060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPh-UXw-_OjF2nMVo_GZng9V6Yb32kf3svUjUyI4JzVxWIFJkh9rHeDMTklsuqI_MLCJASK_Glt4Z1_vA6nagHyeNLm_7h9Q9Ambu79F0TV1Knkz1Ae82rHeAnuXxsGsEsNvSt71xqPkk/s640/blogger-image--2068608060.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><b>If "plan A" fails, remember you have 25 letters left. - Henry Guest</b></div><div><br></div><div>Pending…pending…pending. This post has been pending for some time now. Much of our life here with Peace Corps Swaziland is in a pending state. Currently, with two grants in the works for our library and chicken cooperative projects, our pending lifestyle has finally consumed us. It's not such a bad thing really, I mean our patience with all things is growing exponentially, as more and more things hit the pending stage, but there is a small drawback. Eventually, all of the pending is actually happening, and it's usually actually happening when we would be fine for it to remain pending a few days. Let me try to explain using last week as an example.</div><div><br></div><div>On Monday of last week Grace and I both received notice that our grants were approved by the small grants committee of PC Swaziland and PC Washington. Each volunteer may have one active grant at a time so Grace’s is a grant for the KaLanga Women’s Chicken Farming Cooperative, and mine is for library renovations at St. Paul’s Primary School, but I must add that Grace wrote both grants. She has grant writing and monitoring and evaluation gift, and I have a facilitating trainings gift, we’re a good team if I may say so. Anyways, both grants approved and immediately moved into the pending category of our lives. It takes up to two weeks for the money to actually get to my account for my grant, and it takes up to two weeks for Grace’s grant to get posted on the PC’s fundraising website. (Hence why Grace uses the term grant reluctantly, she prefers “monitored fundraising”) So, it's Monday and we already have two pending projects. We need to paint the library whilst the primary school is on break, but with the grant pending, painting is pending. We need to deliver 100 poultry transport crates to the Co-op before the chickens reach full maturity in the next 2-3 weeks but with the grant pending, delivery is pending. We also have a very successful permagardening project still underway. We officially finished all of the training sites last week and now, pending completion of each caregivers own permagarden, delivery of seeds, seedlings, and buckets is pending. As you can see, much of our life is pending.</div><div><br></div><div> What happens when pending moves to actually happening is a source of much stress and excitement in our lives. As many of you know, we were set to meet my mom and brother for a vacation to Victoria Falls,in the midst of all the pendingness (Yes I made up that word). We will be in and out of the country and our community intermittently over the next three weeks, but with the expectation that pending will move to actually happening in that same time frame, it's been exciting and stressing to build-in pending work days to our vacation. On Thursday of last week, we were incredibly happy we did build-in some pending workdays as we bought seedlings and buckets for 3 gardens to plant over the weekend. After planting those three we had already made a plan to plant 5 more when we return to Swaziland next week. Pending to actually happening. We have time allotted to paint our library on two weekends depending on when our grant money moves from pending to actually happening. We have several times identified where we’ll be passing through Manzini and able to place our order and setup delivery for poultry crates depending on when pending moves to actually happening. </div><div><br></div><div>This blog post has now been pending for 4 days as we’ve explored Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, but it's time for it to actually happen I think. We’re headed back to Swaziland eagerly anticipating the sudden rush of things actually happening.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFTv8NnQh9leEi4IkOjdXvaJ3fBc970teHKN8ep9fklK1vuvXDTIpAczvyv3StOY0ic6aHQzVASa67keDXv_b96XnJm11QriFpgdC7bnpEm0p4HWUFB2eoI-n0Uqj4pSo1wcw05Of57U/s640/blogger-image--1888341657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFTv8NnQh9leEi4IkOjdXvaJ3fBc970teHKN8ep9fklK1vuvXDTIpAczvyv3StOY0ic6aHQzVASa67keDXv_b96XnJm11QriFpgdC7bnpEm0p4HWUFB2eoI-n0Uqj4pSo1wcw05Of57U/s640/blogger-image--1888341657.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCzQjTqPPzQdSZjEScaSj-MXK2oYMlGj9MnLKJ1loGdleKg6Ss8wKO7l48c51j9AxlZ4iTo3PO2Aeesni7vB0C-eJN4k9-5ECGi_GWOj1fsvBiqBTeRgVncwFNDLxPMbrXzUK_kUBGwo/s640/blogger-image--366937165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCzQjTqPPzQdSZjEScaSj-MXK2oYMlGj9MnLKJ1loGdleKg6Ss8wKO7l48c51j9AxlZ4iTo3PO2Aeesni7vB0C-eJN4k9-5ECGi_GWOj1fsvBiqBTeRgVncwFNDLxPMbrXzUK_kUBGwo/s640/blogger-image--366937165.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyL4spaufi8QWpoBxyafzZpw5qymXrkigWdPlY3NlPvcU90cImiz2KCBy24rSnZwSGE3uoUy5M7WbUbgFiDhOJ_An_vCIHpb66K-CL8tcEcij7ZArwGRA7dlwSAD25P1LNkug6X-rbBDk/s640/blogger-image-118759254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyL4spaufi8QWpoBxyafzZpw5qymXrkigWdPlY3NlPvcU90cImiz2KCBy24rSnZwSGE3uoUy5M7WbUbgFiDhOJ_An_vCIHpb66K-CL8tcEcij7ZArwGRA7dlwSAD25P1LNkug6X-rbBDk/s640/blogger-image-118759254.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-2261247147697115062016-04-13T05:17:00.001-04:002016-04-17T04:18:14.835-04:00This life of ours… has some visitors.<div class="s3" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.6px;">“I like our God” – Make </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.6px;">Shabangu</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">There is a restaurant</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> somewhere between Mbabane and </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Matsaph</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">a</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, and not too far off of </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">the</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> main road called MR3, named</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Mugg</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and Bean. Experts estimate that if a person were to make their way </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">that</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">particular </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Mugg and Bean, which happens to be</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> the only one in Swazil</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">and, they would have about a seventy-five percent</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> chance of running into a P</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">eace Corps Volunteer (PCV). PCV</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> come for the</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> coffee and the food and the Wi</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Fi. And just maybe</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">,</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> they </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">also </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">come because seventy-five percent</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> is a pretty good chance.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Printed on the paper coasters at Mugg and Bean, there is a saying. The saying goes: “You can do anything, but not everything”. CeeGee and I had the honor, privilege, and</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> blessing of</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> visit</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ing</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Grace and Sean over the past couple of weeks</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. In a word, th</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">e visit was extraordinary. It’s</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> still sinking in. But I suspect that it is the sort of visit that will change us. It will make us better. It can’t help but do so, because we witnessed two people who truly lived the wisdom of that Mugg and Bean</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> saying. What follows will be </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">sort of </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">a </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">chronology of events. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">It won’t be everything for sure. M</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">y memory is not that good. But hopefully it will be enough </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to provide a sense of the visit CeeGee and I had and the life that Grace and Sean</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> lead. By the way, my name is Jeff McCord</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">(Grace’s Dad),</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and I will be your guest blogger for this edition of </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">This Life of Ours… </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">“Turn right and stay left…”</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> that was the mantra after we picked up the Corolla Quest at the car rental place in Mbabane. I had never driven on the left side of the road in a foreign country,</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">but PCVs are not permitted to drive in-country, so I was the choi</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ce. Sean rode shot-gun, which was</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> on the left side of the vehicle</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, because he has the</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> uncanny ability to find his way around. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">It’</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s truly remarkable. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">And I needed all the help I could get. B</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">efore we got started, I told Sean that I</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> also</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> needed him not to be nice. He needed to speak up in a non-polite way should I drift to the right or approach a cow too fast</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> on the left</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">He </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">just needed to </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">conquer </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">his innate goodness. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Grace emphasized </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">the point, and CeeGee moved to the seat directly behind me so that she couldn’t see what was happening. So, with Sean re-programmed to be mean and CeeGee intentionally in the dark, we headed off both on and in a Quest. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmJlyU2KN730tysR3NOXUjvKhh78x4WzGS5ifqLkLa0oJTf3JjFJLIKN1Orkyxk4WGaXE__vtQWDsW-rJX4Jwjk9Pp3NKoRMHkbDc77sqwV1SFtt0sYe9zP04yFwJLm_aIxtlach6USM/s640/blogger-image-53871407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmJlyU2KN730tysR3NOXUjvKhh78x4WzGS5ifqLkLa0oJTf3JjFJLIKN1Orkyxk4WGaXE__vtQWDsW-rJX4Jwjk9Pp3NKoRMHkbDc77sqwV1SFtt0sYe9zP04yFwJLm_aIxtlach6USM/s640/blogger-image-53871407.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We had arrived a few days before, braved the</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> hike and the heights of</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Table Mountain, ran a half-marathon in Cape Town,</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ate a lot of good food, and spent time with</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">two other PCVs by the names of </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Shar</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and Hannah</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. They are Grace</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">’s</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and Sean’s </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">good </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">friends and some of the highest quality people you’d ever hope to know. By the way</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, it’s</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> easy to pick out the PCVs after a road race. They are the ones who don’t waste their food. There is no careless toss of a half-eaten apple into the trash can or just a few sips from a soft</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> drink</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. Everything is accounted for and everything is used, or it’s kept for the later.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> They possess</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> an awareness that is unusual. It probably has something to do with gratefulness. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Later, we </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">made the border crossing from South Africa into Swaziland after a long shuttle drive from Johannesburg, which brings us back</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> to</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> the Quest.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B0musDkNXWkmCZnpNoSKayVDUci0Qw_B77NZIt1UXwl1N_qp2dG3OZQbs1fc_2jzPuTguSAAp-pxwCMtk1q2QJHpSw5BNGhh_KHAEaiJslWcqrL4vuS_Eh5ITTGSV07ERhOWs8tyB6k/s640/blogger-image--822292166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B0musDkNXWkmCZnpNoSKayVDUci0Qw_B77NZIt1UXwl1N_qp2dG3OZQbs1fc_2jzPuTguSAAp-pxwCMtk1q2QJHpSw5BNGhh_KHAEaiJslWcqrL4vuS_Eh5ITTGSV07ERhOWs8tyB6k/s640/blogger-image--822292166.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjV877qtEt6mQhtoMgZmfNISmNosf_OqFhlRp5Ou8LqmLz2-oUPDQ69x3UPBID8DM8301SqmJ5c04erhIHZ3_8bx9LpYUoKu_tKq9QpdPqUkCBQIvbtvJNFi24hi6_EYi8yiV3Ystwp0/s640/blogger-image--1887518454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjV877qtEt6mQhtoMgZmfNISmNosf_OqFhlRp5Ou8LqmLz2-oUPDQ69x3UPBID8DM8301SqmJ5c04erhIHZ3_8bx9LpYUoKu_tKq9QpdPqUkCBQIvbtvJNFi24hi6_EYi8yiV3Ystwp0/s640/blogger-image--1887518454.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Our first </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">stop was the </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Shabangus</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, which i</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s the family that Grace and Sean lived with during their training period. Babe </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Shabangu (</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">the homestead’s patriarch) passed </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">away </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">near the end of that period. So, we didn’t get to know him, but his presence was there. We visited for a long while with conversation coming and going like the wi</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">nd. Just being together spoke more than any tongue </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">or turn of phrase ever could. Presence</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> is a universal language, immune from the nuance of culture or custom.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> T</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">he </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Shabangu</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> family was </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">recently </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">asked to host another PCV this year, but they didn’t understand the question. How could they host another PCV when their children were still in the country? Maybe aft</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">er Grace and Sean went back </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to America, but for now their children needed to feel welcome to return home any t</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ime. The </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Shabangus</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> have </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">that kind of homestead</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">,</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and Swaziland is that kind of country. Grace and Sean are also </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">those kind</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> of people. When we stood up to leave, CeeGee kissed and hugged Make </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Shabangu</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> with a loving fierceness</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> - </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">a combination</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> that few people besides my wife are capable of. T</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">hen she did it again, and once again. No words were spoken</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. No words were needed. All </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">of us </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">knew it was</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> a</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> raw and heartfelt</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> thank you for being her daughter’s mother, while she was so far away.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPeEP5YYht_kYzP_c70CfwXyhjSryB5NxV1dzaAS55T8CAA7muozeFnpf5jj3BcUcYLplckVZXknxRqotJ-ib8rHj8PcgPiD5ptEgYoM9z7Q8skeGn_lKHlTdkSsZXI8Oy0UqwB6gG60/s640/blogger-image--1911525293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPeEP5YYht_kYzP_c70CfwXyhjSryB5NxV1dzaAS55T8CAA7muozeFnpf5jj3BcUcYLplckVZXknxRqotJ-ib8rHj8PcgPiD5ptEgYoM9z7Q8skeGn_lKHlTdkSsZXI8Oy0UqwB6gG60/s640/blogger-image--1911525293.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We hiked up another very tall mount</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ain. This one is</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> called Sheba’s Breast. Sheba has a very big breast (ju</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">st saying). I sort of blame Grace</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> for all the hiking. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">If </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">he wasn’t so int</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">erested in being good to her mother</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, I’m pretty sure we would have stayed a lot more stationary.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> But I suppose that’s just her nature.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">On the way up the mountain, a Swazi lady was coming down. The lady had a few stray sticks and leaves in her hair. It’s a tough hike. Grace greeted her and without really thinking about it picked the debris from her new friend’s scalp. Down the lady went and up we went, </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">never exchanging names only kindness. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Over the next few days, we took the Quest on a couple self-directed game drives where we saw Zebras, Warthogs, Crocodiles, a very large lizard looking thing, Elephants, Hippos, all manner of deer-like gazelle looking animals, and Rhinos. We took the Quest where the Quest had no business going. But the Quest went anyway. And when we came across a very large mama Rhino with her very small baby</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Rhino</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, the Quest backed away slowly and took us to safety.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> I don’t know if the Corolla Quest is sold in the States. But I highly recommend going in on one.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1N3FN9RbriPBS_pthQKSiprAQTJWyMrloHAK-uGmJW8wvJG84WVnZ2R2rF-wSsfj18qKkJuIdFRhrMu7qZlfzhA1rPmKXtBVksJWhIYEK0uka1cgLyjaRsEpvWi8ITkIf6lkbRR1au9k/s640/blogger-image-1546488218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1N3FN9RbriPBS_pthQKSiprAQTJWyMrloHAK-uGmJW8wvJG84WVnZ2R2rF-wSsfj18qKkJuIdFRhrMu7qZlfzhA1rPmKXtBVksJWhIYEK0uka1cgLyjaRsEpvWi8ITkIf6lkbRR1au9k/s640/blogger-image-1546488218.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We hiked another very tall mountain. This one is called Execution Rock, because they used to throw criminals off of it as a form of capital punishment. By the time we got to t</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">he top, I thought about committing a crime so I that I could </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">just </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">take the quick way down. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">When the Swazi’s are incredulous about something they say, “How?” With eyes wide open and a bemused look on their faces, they ask this most basic question. I like that. I like that</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> a lot. I think I’ll start saying</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> it. And as I looked out from Execution Rock and back toward CeeGee, Grace, and Sean, I asked it to myself. “How?” </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Heights and I are not friends, but the views from Table Mountain, Sheba’s Breast, and Execution Rock were breathtaking. I am </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">glad for the climbs and most especially for the company.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Whether you are going to this side or that side, t</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">here is something about going together that is </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">just </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">better than going alone.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> How indeed. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">After we got off of Execution Rock, it was time to head </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to the </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">home</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">stead</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Grace and Sean have Swazi names. They are </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Siphiwe</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Sipho</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. They mean “gifted” and “gift”, respectively. They live as members of the family on the </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Dlamini</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> homestead. They have sisters and a brother, and a mother and a father, who worr</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">y for them, laugh with them, and </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ask after them. It’s a family. They live in a small home with no running water. They divide chores, cook great dinners, conserve water, make epic journeys via public transportation, </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">and </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">worship in a church jus</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">t a little way down a dirt road. They</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> serve their community through projects like </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">permagardening</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> training, a primary school library restoration, and the </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">development of a women’s chicken co-op to bring much ne</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">eded economic development to this</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> poor dry region. Their life is hard and beautiful. And they don’t seem to have even the smallest inclination just how amazing they are. We stayed at their home for three days or so</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. We watched them work, saw them</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> serve, and broke bread with their Swazi family. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">It’s not fair to ask words to describe the days we spent with them. Words just don’t stretch that far. So, it’s best just to say that it was a blessing – a true blessing.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">In the market places or on walks down dirt roads, Grace or Sean would greet people in SiSwati.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> And CeeGee and I could watch the surprise on the faces of those people. It seemed they couldn’t believe that Westerners would take the time to learn their language. It changed </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">the entire energy of each and every interaction. It was a show or respect, an expression of love. It communicated something very deep, and it was visible to the eye of even the casual observer. I’m left wishing that I could learn some sort of language that would communicate that same respect and </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">that </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">same love for Grace and Sean.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> But </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I have</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> only the language I know. So hopefully, it is enough to say that</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">w</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">here there is great love there is great sacrifice</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. And on the </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Dlamini </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">homestead</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, the house</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> of </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Siphiwe</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Sipho</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> radiates great love. It’s not the box of chocolate, shiny red card sort of love. It’</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s more t</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">he dusty, I haven’t taken an actual</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> shower in two weeks, hardworking, sort of love. It’s real love, the kind in the Bible that comes before God and your neighbor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Sean and I returned the Quest to the rental car agency. We sort of stood back and crossed our fingers while the large man in the </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">short </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">tie inspected the vehicle. He said we were good to go, so we went quickly. Our transportation to the airport came.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">An</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">d we all said our goodbyes. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I don’t want to write much about that. It was hard. It’s still hard. But only until we begin making plans to return. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">On the plane on the way home, I watched a documentary about the Pope. It was in Italian, or it could have been Spanish. But at the end, there were quotations that scrolled across the screen in English. </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">One of those quotations was from St. Francis of Assisi. It read, “</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">” If St. Francis </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">were </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ever to show up at the </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Mugg</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and Bean, somewhere between Mbabane and </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Matsapha</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">,</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">not too far off of the main road called MR3, </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">and happened to run into Grace and Sean, I have no doubt that he would tell the rest of the world, “See</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">,</span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> I told you so.”</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-63916229557640093962016-03-05T10:01:00.001-05:002016-04-17T04:19:51.086-04:00...is busy, busy, busy!<div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” ~William James</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's been a busy few weeks for us in Swaziland! That's an exciting thing because it means projects are up and running and we’re fulfilling our responsibilities as Peace Corps Volunteers! Currently we have three projects that are ongoing: permagardening, library development, and chicken farming support.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The permagardening project we have going is a training in small, backyard permagardens for caregivers at SOS, the same organization we worked with for SKILLZ Basketball. We are providing permagarden training in three communities (KaLanga, Matsetsa, and Mangoleni) with the help of SOS’s Family Development Program Coordinators. Right now we have about 40 caregivers participating in training in the three communities, the oldest of which is 80 years old. Not bad considering the amount of work involved in developing a permagarden, but as we tell the caregivers, it's only a few weeks of hard work for the next ten years. The training is setup as a six week program, and we meet with each of the communities once a week so that the caregivers have the rest of that week to follow along at their own homestead. We have a good laugh each week as the predominately female caregivers come and tell us that their husband has finished with previous weeks instructions just as they said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our library project revolves around the Books for Africa grant which we received (big thanks to all who supported that initiative!). Our primary school will be receiving around 1000 books sometime around the end of May, so in the meantime, Grace had the brilliant idea of setting up a library club to help us paint/redecorate the space as well as organize all the new books once they arrive. Last week, we had about 25 kids Grade 1-7 on hand to help us clear out irrelevant textbooks on Tennessee and North Carolina history and write down why they liked books or reading. The results were fantastic! We not only cleared a lot of shelf space for more relevant and fun reads, but the kids had a great time expressing themselves and their love for reading and books.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally, we had a meeting this past Friday with the KaLanga branch of the Aludle Lubombo Mulit-Purpose Co-Operative Society, which is a very fancy way of saying a collective of women chicken farmers in our community. These women have joined up with a regional co-op to support and grow their own chicken farming business. They have identified a viable market, and developed a sound business plan for providing their buyer with the number of chickens the buyer wants. We are supporting them by helping them fit together the last piece of the puzzle which is to buy and distribute poultry crates amongst the co-op members, so that they can all transport their stock to a central location for the buyer and sell their entire stock for cash on the spot. Grace has her eyes on a couple of grants to help the co-op members which brings me to my next point.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Peace Corps grant process is not really a grant process according to Grace, I wouldn’t know because I've never applied for a real grant before…however, Peace Corps grant process is really just a lot of paperwork to set up an account to fundraiser for yourself. That being said, we are pursuing a couple of different Peace Corps “grants”, but we will also be sending out some emails pertaining to certain projects where we could use some support. If you are interested in supporting some of our projects here in Swaziland, please email Grace at grace4collins@gmail.com and we’ll be sure to keep you posted!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Siyabonga kakhulu!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-59048025412253739612016-02-22T11:16:00.001-05:002016-02-27T04:37:02.640-05:00...traveled to Ntjanini.<div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><b>"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">On Saturday Sean and I boarded a bus to Ntjanini in 105 degree weather. We got on the bus an hour before it left (at noon) because it is the only bus from Manzini for the entire day, and fills up fast - unlike our buses to our site that run about every 30 minutes from 6am to 6pm and we can hop on anytime. We left at 1:00pm and went about an hour on tarred road before spending the next 2.5 hours on a dirt road. Again, unlike our site, just 1.5 hours on an all tarred road. It was a hot day and all transport is always hot so it was a balancing game of drinking enough water to stay hydrated but not enough to have to pee on such a long ride.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We arrived to Ntjanini around 4:30pm. Ntjanini is rural, about 1 hours from a big town (Nhlangano) and it is very mountainous. Unlike where we live, close to a town and very flat. We have no fruit trees and our maize is stunted from the drought. Ntjanini has a plethora of fruit trees yet the ground and maize is completely scorched by the sun. Both areas are full of children, have a clinic, primary and high school. People speak more siSwati in Ntjanini. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We walked about 2 kilometers down and up a hill to the Simelane homestead. The walk from our station at home is approximately 50 meters. The homestead is run by Gogo Nhlabhatsi who is 89 years of age. She was one of two wives to Babe Simelane before he passed away. Gogo speaks no English. She has a helper who lives on the property with two small children. She speaks almost no English. Also, Gogo houses 5 students who her oldest son (age 70) pays school fees for, because he believes in education. They speak okay English. Unlike our home where there are no small children, a monogamous couple and excellent English speakers. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ntjanini and the homestead of Gogo Nhlabhatsi is the home of anther Peace Corps volunteer and close friend. We have spent the last 8 months with her, sharing in holiday celebrations, out of country trips, and the chaos of the country we chose to be our home for the next 2 years. But this was the first time to see her home. It was the first time to experience her lifestyle and see the people and the town she loves. We met her family for the first time, visited her community store, talked with the French teacher at her high school, and laughed with her neighbors. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leaving today, in the rain, as we walked down to the station it was clear that a short visit changed things. We can picture her life when she talks from now on. We can ask more in depth questions and she can explain things easier now that we have seen what she sees. Her life is similar to ours but so very different. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So on our long bus ride back to site today, and thinking about all of this, it makes the excitement and anticipation of our families coming to visit even more appealing. Our world, our life, which is so extremely normal to us now, can be experienced together with the people we love and miss the most. We can't wait to share in this experience face to face, knowing that when the visit is over a richer experience together begins.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-37744992273668313332016-02-10T04:27:00.001-05:002016-02-11T02:18:37.243-05:00...needs more porch sittin'.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuBRZIQWy_ySih4AOYMMoqnedU4g-Y02waJqEMwRpWCo0YRSKFqXh1lRlPJdUKXOCs7h3tamdXsp-uTARDOWs_jXvnhTp5_giBQh-nIITzquz8-VfQdkBPhmSJ1kBtBE0hk9kru5PIqQ/s640/blogger-image--1363308858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuBRZIQWy_ySih4AOYMMoqnedU4g-Y02waJqEMwRpWCo0YRSKFqXh1lRlPJdUKXOCs7h3tamdXsp-uTARDOWs_jXvnhTp5_giBQh-nIITzquz8-VfQdkBPhmSJ1kBtBE0hk9kru5PIqQ/s640/blogger-image--1363308858.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">"Sometimes, we are so attached to our way of life that we turn down a wonderful opportunity simply because we don't know what to do with it." - Paul Coelho</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Question: What are you giving up for Lent? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Grace and I have done a lot of thinking on the subject this morning and we’ve had a few realizations we’d like to share. For instance, we have successfully given up fast food (Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, etc.) for 231+ days now! Don't get me wrong, there's been mornings when we’d love a grande venti whatchamacallit latte (it's too hot here lets go with frappachino), but we don't miss waiting in long lines of people both patient and impatient to get it. There’s a lot of other things as well that although we desire them on occasion, we’ve realized we get along just fine without (231+ days and counting). Some of that list includes the common things we would normally try to give up for Lent, thinking we were sacrificing something that would make life difficult and thereby honor God and remember the trials of Jesus in the wilderness. The list includes TV (Netflix, News, Sports), sweet tea, milkshakes, and social media sites (really just Pinterest here because it eats up all our data). As we’ve sat and talked through what we’d like to sacrifice for Lent, we’ve realized that all the things we’ve been tempted by in the past are gradually fading away. Sure we’d love a milkshake every now and again and missing the Super Bowl and upcoming NCAA basketball tournaments is a bit of a bummer, but we relish the time that the absence of what we don't really need gives us. The walks through our community, stopping to talk to school children, laughing with our family out on the veranda, relaxing in the hammock, the early morning sun peeking through the trees while working in the garden, but beginning to identify what we can and can't sacrifice isn't all we’ve realized. We’ve begun to see some of the things that we take for granted that millions of people all over the world and here in Swaziland live without everyday. The most notable among them…machines. Specifically, washing and dishwashing machines. Much of our time on weekends that has been freed up by the absence of football on TV or a milkshake run has been replaced by laundry. If you really want to challenge yourself for Lent consider giving up your washer and dryer! All in all, we've begun to really appreciate/admire the resilience of the everyday living and I think we’re beginning to understand the difference between what is a temptation and what is a necessity.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For those of you who are wondering our Lent plans, we’ve resolved to add some things to life here because we’re not quite sure what to give up. At the top of the list is to drink more water. A necessity we don't consume enough of. Also, we’re going to try to wake up earlier and join the Swazis who start their days early to avoid the heat, and we’re also going to limit talking to things that don't talk back. I don't how to explain about the last one…it happens. Finally, we’re going to spend more time out on our porch, enjoying the time we’ve been given to appreciate God’s grand creations and enjoying some of the simpler things in life, like a cool breeze. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Ash Wednesday.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-49143338706802095872016-01-31T06:28:00.001-05:002016-02-11T02:17:07.251-05:00...sends an update.<div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." - Ralph Waldo Emerson</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's time for a Swaziland, KaLanga, and KaDlamini update! There's been a lot happening in January as schools begin opening nationwide, so we thought it appropriate to give everyone a little update on Swaziland, our community, and our homestead.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As mentioned, January brought with it a new school year! On January 26th, schools all over the country opened for 1st term, and what a hectic opening week it has been. Many of you know that Swaziland is in the middle of one of its worst droughts in history (it's rained twice in January for a combined half hour in KaLanga, and keep in mind it's the rainy season) and it has wreaked havoc on the education system. Schools in Mbabane that normally rely on actual plumbing had to turn students away because the Hwane dam that supplies water to Swaziland’s biggest city is hovering at around 5% capacity, and to think I thought Boone Lake looked pathetic before we left…eish! In order to help schools with dry pipes, the government has been distributing 5,000-10,000 liter jojo tanks but with no plan for implementation many of them still sit empty or are not plumbed into the buildings that need water. Many schools began frantically digging out latrines for students in the absence of their usual toilets. Now in the rural communities such as ours, pit latrines and jojo tanks are commonplace so the drought has a smaller impact on the school as a whole, however for reasons not quite known (but widely speculated) the government has been unable to fund the “Zondle” program yet this year. The Zondle program provides all students with one meal during school usually rice/maize meal and beans. Now, with no food, our students simply leave every day to go home when they would normally get a small meal. The government is also struggling to keep pace with their programs that support OVCs and their education because the previous number of 78,000 OVCs has doubled to over 150,000 this year. Also, this is the first year the the Free Primary Education program catches up with the secondary schools. The FPE program, funded by the EU, resulted in an increase of students in primary school, a great thing! Yet, even with several years of awareness that these students would eventually move on to secondary school, the influx of Form 1 students this year has found many schools to be unprepared. Even our own high school went from two Form 1s to five, and they are still working on the class room that will house the additional 150 odd students. Despite all the hiccups and general chaos, PCVs country-wide are rejoicing because with the opening of schools the entire country, which has laid dormant it seems the last two months, comes to life again and projects are getting underway finally! Also, the drought, despite its historic proportions, has failed to warrant the declaration of a national disaster, although our community finally made the list of hardest hit areas, so hopefully some aid is on the way for community members.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Speaking of the community, not a whole lot has been happening lately. Our church that meets at the local high school is busy building a new building to meet in which is exciting! This past Friday a team of doctors set up shop at our primary school and stayed busy all day treating community members with various ailments and just giving check ups, which was a great event to witness. The new Inkhundla is built but we’re all waiting on the King’s schedule to open up so he can come officially open it. The Inkhundla houses the “modern” government’s community leaders aka the Member of Parliament, the Bucopho (translates to” brain” so you get the picture) etc., whilst the Umphakatsi houses the “traditional” government’s community leaders aka the Chief, Indvuna (head man), umgijimi (Chief’s runner) etc. The Umphakatsi leaders and Inkhundla leaders work together but the Umphakatsi usually has more power and controls the people while the Inkhundla has more money and controls development. Such is what I understand, and they both play a significant yet separate role in keeping the Prime Minister and King informed. Also, it is Marula season here! There are marula fruit trees all over Swaziland and round about this time of year the fruit ripens, is harvested, and subsequently turned into Marula, a local brew resembling a fruity mead. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That brings us to news of the homestead as Babe has done his best to keep me informed of national and local happenings while sharing a mug of Marula a couple of nights this week. On the homestead, January was Make and our older Sisi’s birthday month, so Grace baked a cake and bought another to share with our family. After spending a bit of a stressful week in early January with no water except our 100 liter reserve, the jojo is full again (or rather half-full now)! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, my phone has officially survived the long drop. For those of you who are bewildered the long drop means the “long drop toilet” (aka the outhouse or pit latrine among others). Here in Swaziland we enjoy many things but access to the world via the interwebs or the ever elusive 3G network (what's 4G again?) is not one of them. There are certain places on our homestead that one can find a strong enough to use Whatsapp or Opera Mini but chief and greatest among them is what I like to call the office. Yes, you guessed it, it's the long drop. Now before I go on and I get judged by all our readers for playing with fire, I bet there's a good portion of you who take your phone (or a hardcopy magazine if you have such luxuries, my phone houses all my digital books and magazines) to your own office in the states. So, I did nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, I took my phone with me to a place that is the only location on the homestead that has a reliable connection with Swaziland’s 3G network. All of America just about has an equivalent connection as my office so what’s your reasoning? Anyways, after checking my email and ensuring the blizzard hadn't buried our families according to CBSNews, I put my phone down. And then it fell down. A long drop down. Now, let me break down the anatomy of a Swazi long drop toilet. It is essentially your quintessential American outhouse. Big pit, concrete slab floor, block seat, hole in block seat and slab, block walls, and tin roof. Due to the continuance and daily use of Swazi long drops, each one also comes standard with a vent hole through the slab floor, adjacent the block seat. Now, you may find long drops with a metal duct pipe connecting this hole to a hole in the tin roof complete with a whirlybird type passive vent. Or you may not. As is the case with many rural long drops such as ours, the vent just vents into the occupied space. To continue though, my phone took a hop like a ground-rule double and performed a swan dive with such elegance (it wouldn't fit any other way) down the vent hole that I score it even now as a perfect 10. In shock and slight amazement I came to Grace to explain my stupidity and my phones current predicament. Grace handled my explanation quite well, understanding all along that such an event was an eventuality given my habits, and armed me with duct tape, a large metal spoon, two crocheting needles, a flashlight and an epic plan for retrieving my phone. I returned to the long drop tools in hand (or rather in pocket, I preferred a slight level of discretion) and set about looking for my phone. Much to my relief, my phone also executed a perfect landing, just to the side of the mountain of excrement on a plain patch of dirt. I muttered a small prayer of thanks remembering that our long drop was recently built before our arrival and so the mountain had not yet collapsed to the valley floor. It was a ways down there though and it looked up at me reflecting my face off the screen and saying, “you idiot, get me out of here”, and so I begin to duct tape my tools together forming a makeshift pole which I attached a loop of duct tape to sticky side out. From there I carefully lowered my pole through the vent and stuck the duct tape to the screen of my phone. Then pulling upward very very carefully (another drop and my phone might decide it'd rather stay on the mountain than in the valley) I was able to maneuver my prize back through the vent once again. I returned victorious to the house and proceeded to use all of the remaining Clorox wipes, thank the good creators of the OtterBox, and thank my wonderfully resourceful wife for a great plan. With that, you are all officially updated as to the going-ons of Swaziland!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Across the world we want to send a happy birthday to Sam McCord and another one to JL Collins, the big 28 and even bigger 83! We love you both!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-57236078465271604622016-01-23T10:22:00.001-05:002016-01-25T04:14:51.941-05:00...dlalisanani (plays as a team).<div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today marks a major milestone in our Peace Corps journey! We have successfully completed our first project in Swaziland! Yes, thank you, we can hear the thunderous applause clear across the Atlantic! Yesterday marked the end of our SKILLZ Basketball program at SOS Siteki. We had 91 total participants across the two weeks in December and January and of the 91, 33 attended the required 8 or more practices to successfully complete the program with 14 kids earning perfect attendance! We had a little “graduation” ceremony yesterday in the social center for all the different groups of kids and it was a very proud (and a little tiring) experience. Grace has been taking pictures since the start and worked up an excellent PowerPoint slideshow of pictures and videos for all the kids to watch. They were all so happy to see themselves dribbling, passing, and shooting, I wish we could've videoed their reactions! Our favorite 3yr old (I can say that because he's the only 3yr old we know here) and youngest participant was dancing in his seat throughout the entire twenty minute show! After the video we passed out certificates, a candy bar, and a new pencil to all the kids who completed the program, those who had perfect attendance also got a wallet made out of old juice boxes. It was so much fun for us to hand everything out and see all the proud smiles and I think we finally got that sense of accomplishment, and this was before we even knew the real success of the program! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Grace has spent most of the morning compiling our report in our Peace Corps Volunteer Reporting Form (VRF), and below are some of the highlights:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 94% of participants knew that having an older partner increases the risk of getting HIV vs. 33% at the start.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 94% of participants knew that alcohol impairs/clouds judgement and can cause poor decision making vs. 42% at the start.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 100% of participants knew that HIV affects all type of people, not just black people vs. 86% at the start.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 97% of participants knew that if a partner is unfaithful the risk for HIV increases vs. 35% at the start.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 89% of participants knew that an HIV-positive mother can give birth to an HIV-negative baby vs. 62% at the start.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 94% of participants knew that men do not have a right to be violent towards women vs. 57% at the start.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 77% of participants said they feel like they can ask an adult questions about sex.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 95% of participants said they feel like they can ask an adult questions about HIV.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At the end of the program, 82% of participants said they would feel comfortable being tested for HIV.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All in all it has been a great first project! It's been a great opportunity for us to learn all the kids names and just get to talk with them. Some of the older kids who didn't talk much at all in the beginning opened up a lot by the end, and we even had kids catch us on the way home to apologize for being late or missing a practice because they had chores still to do. All of the kids had a blast learning different parts of the game of basketball too, and it was always refreshing to see the kids who took to it naturally helping out their friends who were struggling. The humility of some of these kids is astonishing, but they all beam with pride when we break out the Morristown East jerseys and suit up for 4 on 4 or 5 on 5. It's been a blast both weeks and although we came home dead on our feet most days, we’re encouraged by the impact we’ve made and our ready to start up another project! (Oh and we got some pretty epic farmer's tans out of the deal too!)</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-77085023324824277902016-01-17T01:57:00.001-05:002016-01-25T04:15:58.292-05:00...wants to get moving.<div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Well, I always know what I want. And when you know what you want--you go toward it. Sometimes you go very fast, and sometimes only an inch a year. Perhaps you feel happier when you go fast. I don't know. I've forgotten the difference long ago, because it really doesn't matter, so long as you move."</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Ayn Rand</span></b></div>
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One of my thought-of New Years resolutions was to be better/more consistent with blogging. Clearly, like many of my resolutions, I'm struggling to make much progress. It's much easier said than done. We truly have little to report on since the New Year has begun. Much of Swaziland has been quiet since schools are out and the celebration of the Incwala ceremony continued. We spent a week avoiding boredom prior to spending a week at trainings (separate trainings but same facility). Sean participated in the training that my program group had previously attended in December. Sean and his counterpart planned the beginning of the permagarden trainings that will take place in our community beginning in the next month. My training was facilitated by Peace Corps Volunteers through the program Girls Leading Our World (GLOW). Women from all over Swaziland spent a week learning how to teach girls to be empowered and plan for a camp that will take place in April. </div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The drought situation continues with much talk but little solutions. We had two ETs (early terminations) this week, putting our groups' number at four. There is plenty of time to be spent with your own thoughts, questioning your potential impact, what you are missing, and amount of misused time. We have found that this time of year has been tough for a majority of our group, including us. We are told that the one year mark is another tough time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are ready to get busy and excited that we have a few projects that will help us be so. Sean's application was chosen for Books for Africa so a library project will begin in two weeks when schools open. We have SKILLZ basketball again this week and a few building projects and gardening projects are in the works. Hopefully all of this will help me improve my resolution commitment. Until next time! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-40569549551538522462016-01-03T03:01:00.001-05:002016-01-25T04:17:14.219-05:00...is now in 2016!<div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Happy New Year to you all! We rang in the new year in Durban, South Africa, about a 5 and a half hour drive from Swaziland. With a few friends we took public transport from Manzini to Durban with no hiccups at the border and more than one bathroom stop (which was of concern prior to leaving). We arrived in the afternoon on the 30th and Sean quickly memorized the layout of the city and we were off! Our first stop was Mitchell Park, just a little ways up from our hostel. The park was full of families, games, and flowers (which we don't see much of) and had a small zoo in the middle of the park. We paid our 10 Rand entry (around .75 cents) and had a blast looking at the birds, reptiles, and small mammals that lived there. We were lucky to see the common raccoon as part of the exhibit, the only animal representing North America. Don't worry everyone, its vulnerability status read, "of no concern". After the park we went for dinner and drinks at Taco Zulu with a few of of friends and called an early bedtime so we could head to the beach the next day. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday we woke early because I had talked Sean into walking to Victoria Market. It was about a 4 mile walk and so we decided to walk most of it on the Golden Mile. Many people were out running and walking along the beachfront boardwalk. We turned into the city and it was similar to walking through China Town in New York. Finally arriving at the market, it was not at all what we expected. We spent no time there, called it a loss and went to get coffee and chocolate muffins on the beach to make up for our failed adventure. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We spent the next few hours at the beach and friends joined us. There are long stretches of beach that are open to the public, great bathrooms, and life guarded swimming areas. We walked down the boardwalk a mile or so to a sea food restaurant. Listening to reggae music and eating fish and chips was a definite win. We window shopped and headed home to get ready to ring in the new year. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We ate at a great restaurant called Drop Kick Murphy's and then went out for some dancing... Then went back to Drop Kick Murphy's because it was just that good! Hello 2016! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the 1st we tried again to lay at the beach. We had gotten some sun the day before and the sun on the 1st highlighted the burn from the previous day. As our friend put it "this day is beating me", so we gave up and went to get coffee. After coffee Sean and I split off to go visit the botanical garden. It was beautiful and peaceful and made me more aware of how little I know about foliage. We ate at Drop Kick Murphy's yet again because most restaurants were closed on the 1st and ended day one of 2016 well. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are now back home where rain still hasn't come and most everything is drying up. We are getting ready for more trainings, finishing our skillz camp and planning garden trainings for the next month. Happy 2016 everyone, we hope everyone has a New Years resolution to come visit us!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-69542094360409061882015-12-28T14:41:00.001-05:002016-01-25T04:18:01.137-05:00...is feeling the love.<div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy holidays everyone! We are halfway through one of our favorite times of the year, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so we thought we’d update everyone on our awesome day after Christmas party and our plans for New Year’s Eve. This past Saturday we hosted 9 good friends for a Christmas party. Everyone made it here despite some difficulties with public transport (there’s always difficulties with transport) and we had a wonderful time. We kicked the party off officially around 5pm when everyone got there, hosting parties is a little weird here because different transport situations mean some people show up around 11am, then a few at 1pm, and finally 4pm. Nevertheless, we were just happy to spend some time with good friends and enjoy the holiday. Grace had worked all week prepping incredible finger foods, and despite fearing that it wasn't enough, we had more than enough to make lunch of the leftovers the next day! The food was delicious! We had Mexican roll-ups, 7-layer dip, pasta salad, bruschetta, fruit and cheese, but most importantly…cookies. There was a small army of gingerbread men and mountains of snicker doodles and chocolate oatmeal cookies. We all stuffed ourselves to the limit and then pushed onwards realizing that we’re PCVs and we don't eat that good very often! From there we went on to what was the highlight for all of us that evening, the sharing of Christmas traditions. We made snowflakes and ornaments, decorated our door with a special family Christmas tree, heard the telling of a Christmas story complete with small gifts, and sang what had to be the best rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas any of us had ever heard. At least the funniest rendition. Through it all the most amazing thing to me was the wonderful support network we all have here in Swaziland. 6 months ago we were all complete strangers, and now we’re giving all we got singing the 12 Days of Christmas so Christmas can feel a little more Christmassy for one volunteer. It's amazing how fast and strong friends can be made when you all share a common dream like being a PCV. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, it's Monday. On Wednesday a group of us will be traveling to Durban, South Africa for New Year’s Eve! Grace and I have enjoyed some really fun New Year’s Eve’s parties the last couple years with friends and family alike, and this year should be no different. It’ll also be our first true vacation and we’re very excited to hit the beach and feel like tourists for a couple days! We’ll be sure to update you all once we get back!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We’re loving and missing all of our family and friends back home right now, but we’re also incredibly blessed to be able to enjoy the holidays with bangani betfu eSwatini. Know that at 5pm (Tennessee time) on Dec. 31st we’ll be wishing everyone back home a happy New Year, and wishing nothing but the best to come for all. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-59351782988717269292015-12-23T02:55:00.001-05:002015-12-23T07:21:14.157-05:00...hodgepodges the holidays.<div><b>"Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection." - Winston Churchill</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-l3E0bSx-OBTFNHfxFc-GF3llTvnySmb6vBmVBER5IHy6yfkoEn3R6w2SnbuX5YFUrs3AwTjQFwRdcIyZPv2t-JNb6xcvUXo_X7ZljuG7vzruajE3sJDg37JL-s191LHayA9MRMjFNE/s640/blogger-image-1516971377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-l3E0bSx-OBTFNHfxFc-GF3llTvnySmb6vBmVBER5IHy6yfkoEn3R6w2SnbuX5YFUrs3AwTjQFwRdcIyZPv2t-JNb6xcvUXo_X7ZljuG7vzruajE3sJDg37JL-s191LHayA9MRMjFNE/s640/blogger-image-1516971377.jpg"></a></div><br></b></div><div>So as many of you know it's Christmas time. You are probably saying "duh Grace, how could I forget?", but for me it is actually quiet easy. Christmas is not such a big deal here in Swaziland depending on the region, community, or family. To our family "Christmas is just another day". It is also easy to forget because it's hot. I can honestly say that when I return to the states I intend to live in an area in which coldness and Christmas are paired. Furthermore it's easier to forget it's Christmas because we have found we really miss home during this time. Christmas has always been and hopefully will always remain one of my favorite times to spend time with family. Knowing what we are missing this year has definitely pulled at our heart strings in the past weeks and made some days not so great. But Christmas is still something we want here, mainly because of the memories that it holds. So I baked Nan's gingerbread men and Chris' snickerdoodles. I mean they aren't as good as the original, but no one will know the difference. I have grandmother's stockings hanging from our bookshelf and we cut out snowflakes to pretend it's cold. We plan on getting an extra Charlie Brown Christmas tree and making homemade ornaments, which has been a mini tradition of ours since marriage. </div><div><br></div><div>I know I will miss Christmas Eve with the Eastridge crew. I will miss granddad opening all his presents before all of them are even passed out to everyone. I will miss eating every type of cookie at the Collins and not even being shy about it because there is enough to last until next year. I will miss Freeman talking excessively about exactly what his presents were Christmas morning. I will miss Christmas night movie, well maybe, sometimes mom gives our tickets away. </div><div><br></div><div>But I think it's okay. On the bright side I've never been this tan on Christmas! Sean is going to cook a Christmas dinner and we are going to prepare to celebrate with 10 friends on the 26th. Only two rules apply for those coming to our house, bring your own beverage and bring a tradition to share. So I am excited to share the traditions that we hold so dear to our heart and learn what matters to those that have becomes what matters to us here. </div><div><br></div><div>The more I think on it the more I want to thank the people that make it hard to be gone during this holiday season. I appreciate you making Christmas hard to miss. Christmas has never been "just another day" and for that I am truly blessed. Merry Christmas <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">everyone!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9UI2LwQyP-iBXMJcLrThSkcrh-sYiwHt65i1VsMotIlZVR2MvTIRG88GziywNZCGjtF9y18vwlqNVvTJ4HizuqnskFqrOcLESMvLKVpqFfbbjBHjIPacktbyiyvkyTF4_3RBoG1gSUU/s640/blogger-image-918152771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9UI2LwQyP-iBXMJcLrThSkcrh-sYiwHt65i1VsMotIlZVR2MvTIRG88GziywNZCGjtF9y18vwlqNVvTJ4HizuqnskFqrOcLESMvLKVpqFfbbjBHjIPacktbyiyvkyTF4_3RBoG1gSUU/s640/blogger-image-918152771.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbjgugpWw_IiHKylroH6Ssck8yC00W0AO2T4trzp0ipJ0J0ftfvATtR3ymsLv7Ncgb7E-FEGp2hGCMdIhqERvpsW2zXZqkOyWDWOqQ6cs9CdGClf4nlPwi3jlJzDwJZ_uxgZGjMmhfIo/s640/blogger-image-256383045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbjgugpWw_IiHKylroH6Ssck8yC00W0AO2T4trzp0ipJ0J0ftfvATtR3ymsLv7Ncgb7E-FEGp2hGCMdIhqERvpsW2zXZqkOyWDWOqQ6cs9CdGClf4nlPwi3jlJzDwJZ_uxgZGjMmhfIo/s640/blogger-image-256383045.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-38807688656699303162015-12-13T10:06:00.001-05:002015-12-18T02:07:54.815-05:00...teaches new SKILLZ.<div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” ~Thomas A. Edison</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday concluded the hardest work week we’ve had yet. All week long we’ve been running a SKILLZ Basketball Camp for the youth at the SOS Village here in Ka-Langa. SKILLZ Basketball is all about teaching HIV/AIDS prevention and life skills using basketball in a fun interactive way. We basically used a Peace Corps SKILLZ manual for soccer and adapted it to basketball. In November we pitched the camp to SOS staff and it just so happened that they were scrambling to come up with a summer program for the kids. What Grace and I intended to be a 3 days a week for 4 weeks camp, quickly turned into 6 straight days in December and then another 6 straight days in January. The reasoning for this was that the youth we’re working with at SOS are all orphans or vulnerable children from the surrounding area. During the holidays after school is out, the kids that are able to go home for the holidays do, and the rest stay in the village until school starts up again late January. We were so thrilled about having a good project to dive into we didn't think too much on the schedule, we just wanted to start playing and teaching! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This past Monday we weren't exactly sure what the response would be. We had been around the village handing out flyers on the weekend, and we had given the house mothers a copy of the schedule and group breakdown. The schedule and grouping was 8:00-9:15am 9yrs old and under, 9:30-10:45am 10-13yrs old, 11:00-12:30pm 14-15yrs old, and finally 4:00-6:00pm 16yrs old and up. It's impossible to be out on a basketball court in the middle of the day here, it's just way too hot and the kids don't have water, hence the long break in the afternoon. In the end though we had no reason to worry. Our first day, 61 kids showed up throughout the day and we had a blast! All in all, 93 of 122 kids who stay at the village have participated this week in at least one session with many of them coming to all 6 sessions. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grace and I are exhausted and pretty sunburnt after we finished the first half of SKILLZ this week but more than that, we are motivated and inspired by all the kids who came out this week. Every session there would be a stream of kids ready to play with smiles on their faces despite the heat and the difficulty of learning a new sport. There were no quitters even though surface temperatures on the court were 100+ and a lot of players didn't have shoes. There were no quitters even though the temperature was over 90 everyday (we hit 103 once) and the only water to drink came out of a tap that went dry a couple times. There were no quitters even though some players couldn't hit the rim on their first day. Everybody came back to try again and play another day. Grace and I are also quite proud of what everyone has learned and how much all their confidence has improved. The first day we explained to every group that we wouldn't ever yell at them or hit them for getting an answer wrong (this is common in school), we just wanted them to try in English. The first couple days it was hard to pull answers out of them, and we got no additional questions asked, but at the end of the week in our older groups everybody would raise their hand to answer a question, and we started to have great conversations about HIV and how to prevent it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kids have it rough here. There's no doubt about it, and it's hard to digest sometimes. There's also no doubt though that 93 of the greatest kids Grace and I have ever been so privileged to meet, are right here in Ka-Langa Swaziland. All of them orphaned or considered vulnerable due to horrible circumstances sometimes incomprehensible to them, they've showed all week that they are going to take control of their own lives and make their country a better place. I think that's what the Peace Corps is all about.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BIG THANKS to the Morristown East Hurricanes and Coach Collins for hooking us up with jerseys so we can look like “real pro’s”! Also thanks to Grandaddy and Grandma Jane for making sure it got here!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3823003492969463840.post-41184959775877804292015-11-28T12:55:00.001-05:002015-12-18T02:09:07.994-05:00...is very thankful.<div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">"It is not what we have, but who we have in our lives that counts."</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Siyajabula libuya ekhaya! (We are happy to return home!) after what has been a great close of integration and a wonderful international Thanksgiving! This past week has been both fruitful and rewarding in many different aspects and we are so very thankful for all that we have been blessed with here in Swaziland! Earlier this week on Monday, we had our first project/projects presentation to 27 caregivers at SOS. The caregivers work with SOS’s Family-Strengthening Program in three local communities taking care of vulnerable children. Our presentation was about sustainability and income-generating projects including permagardening and making your own aloe lotion. The presentation took almost two and a half hours because the caregivers were very involved and asked great questions throughout. At the end, we had dedicated sign-up sheets for each of the six topics we had given an overview of and all of the caregivers signed up for one or more practicum-based training programs for each of the subjects! We were amazed and thrilled by the response and are very happy/thankful that we will soon be very busy with community training efforts! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On Tuesday we left for All-Volunteer Training in Matsapha. Basically the Peace Corps brings all the volunteers together and we listen to programming, medical, administrative, and other updates. The best part of it all was Thursday, Thanksgiving, morning we had a mini TedTalks session where 18 volunteers gave short presentations on project successes and other helpful topics. From there we left for our county director’s house in Mbabane for a Thanksgiving feast, and what a feast it was! There were over a hundred people there and we actually had leftovers of nearly everything. It was a very impressive spread. Everyone ate and drank and shared in the merriment of our Peace Corps family. Afterwards, we had a chance to thank and wish our country director luck as he leaves us to be the country director of Morocco on December 14th. Our new director arrives in early December. Once all the goodbyes were said Grace and I and several other G13 PCVs celebrated the end of integration by spending a couple nights at Lidwala's Lodge in the Ezulwini Valley. For those of you who don't know, during integration we aren't allowed to spend more than one night away from site a month, so at the end of integration it's a bit like the leash coming off…everyone is ready to explore more of the country! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyways, we had a great night Thursday calling home and and enjoying more time with friends. Friday morning we got up early and a large group of us went for a hike up Sheba’s Breast, a mountain that happens to be in Lidwala's backyard. The hike was incredibly steep and a bit sketchy at times but the view from the top was incredible! It was cloudy and a bit wet out which reminded us of the mountains and hills in Ireland and Scotland. We had a blast at the top enjoying some snacks and playing around on the boulders that dot the ridge line. We got a bit cold at the top though (yea crazy huh?) and descended quickly for hot showers and a short walk to The Gables shopping complex where Mugg&Bean has free refills on coffee! We had a group lunch and then returned to Lidwala's to hang out and enjoy our celebratory 2nd night out!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All in all it’s been a great week and a great holiday. We want everyone, family and friends alike, to know how thankful we are for your support. We love and miss you all dearly! We’re also extraordinarily thankful to have landed in such a beautiful country and to have found welcoming, new family and friends here. We’re just starting to realize how blessed we are to have a network of love and support on two different sides of the world, siyabonga bonkhe kakhulu! Thank you all very much!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06096931799233232308noreply@blogger.com1