A note to Matt Hunsinger-McConnell

Swazi food.

I'm sorry to say, I'm not such a fan. Most Swazi meals consist of 2 starches, usually rice and pap (pap is corn meal mixed w/ water), gravy, and a sort-of vegetable. I say sort of because Swazis have a serious aversion to raw vegetables. My bhuti was disgusted to watch me eat a bell-pepper without cooking it. And they don't just cook their vegetables, the boil them for upwards of an hour. I'm convinced there is no fiber left in any of the cabbage or spinach I've eaten. The only time I've seen them eat uncooked vegetables they were covered in mayonnaise.

The most important part of the Swazi diet is meat. As one of our training coordinators said "In Swaziland, a party is not a party unless there is meat." A meal without it, is just not worth eating.

I tried to introduce my family to spaghetti and American-style salad (you know, with salad dressing). It was an unqualified disaster. I had to bake cupcakes to make up for it.

There are a few food items where I see eye to eye with the Swazis. Emafat cakes are like Swazi donuts, only there's no glaze. They make a tasty breakfast. And Swazis are crazy about salt and sugar. They love candy and dump salt on their food. Megan can tell you I'm prone to both of these vices.

Life in the village of Khiza

Some quick SiSwati:

Make (mah-gay): mother, ma'am, Mrs., woman

Babe (bah-bay): father, sir, Mr., man

bhuti (booty): brother, young sir, boy

sisi (see-see): sister, Ms., girl

So I've been staying in Khiza (which means rain in SiSwati) for a little over a month now. I live with the Shabangu family, which means that I am now a member of the Shabangu clan. My host-parents gave the Swazi name Vumile. They are a pretty traditional Swazi family. Babe is a firefighter in Nhlangano and Make keeps the home running. I have 2 bhutis, Mgceni is 13 and Mlondi is 4. I also have one sisi, Sindi, who's 8. Lately the 3 kids favorite form of entertainment is to sit in my hut and watch me make myself dinner. Needless to say, this is slightly awkward for me (I should mention that there is actually no word for "awkward" in the SiSwati language). We only began cooking for ourselves about 2 weeks ago. Until then, I was the best-fed volunteer the world over. Apparently it will reflect poorly on the Shabangus if I weigh less than 100 kilos. Other Swazis will assume they didn't feed me properly. I finally had to explain to my Make that American boys won't marry a chubby girl. She suggested I find a nice Swazi man instead.

Swazis are incredibly friendly people. The American taboo against touching people certainly doesn't exist here. Actually, I have been hugged by several strangers. I'm even starting to get used to it. I have even been proposed to 3 times now. So far, I'm worth 25 cows. I told the gentlemen that if he could get the cows to my father in Oregon, then we might have a deal. Apparently I'm not worth 25 cows plus shipping and handling.

Training is remarkably like junior high. I spend my day in something that looks remarkably like school, I have to be home before dark, and there are a lot of awkward moments. It's odd to go from being an adult to essentially being someone's child. Our Swazi families take their commitment to us very seriously, and consider us members of their family.

Here are some of the highlights:

4 of us were sitting at the local high school (which serves several villages north of Nhlangano) when one of the local Makes walked up, engulfed us in a bear hug, and cried out "Look! It's Khiza's girls!"
The same day I made rather an idiot of myself. I saw what appeared to be the only white student at Nsongweni High School, and pointed him out to my fellow volunteers. I began to wonder why at least 3 of them had smacked me upside the head. It turns out he was an albino. Way to go Beth.

When I received my permanent assignment my host family sat me down to explain something. My babe is concerned that my next family will try to overcharge me for water and electricity. He instructed my to call him and let him know what I was expected to pay, so he could tell me if it was fair or not. If it wasn't, he offered to drive to my new site and help me out with me water needs.

Swaziland's a hell of an adventure.

PC/Swaziland and Pre-Service Training

All right, at last the real blogging begins. Here's some basic information on what the Peace Corps program looks like in Swaziland. We are a community health education project which means we are trying to give Swazis the tools they need to stop the HIV/AIDS crisis in their country. We were invited to serve by the Swazi government and have been here since 2002. Currently, there are about 55 volunteers serving in Swaziland. A new group arrives every year. Group 6 is the largest group of volunteers so far.

Until the end of August we will still in Pre-Service Training. In Peace Corps, you spend 8 - 12 weeks training for your volunteer position. Swaziland PST lasts for 9 weeks. We are learning basic SiSwati, Swazi culture, and receiving technical information on completing our jobs once we arrive at site. The 36 volunteers are staying in 3 different villages near Nhlangano is Southern Swaziland. I, and 10 others, are staying in Khiza. We live with host families during training and will receive a new family for the duration of our service.

We just received our assignments for the next 2 years. I will be serving in Phobane, which is a village near Hlatikulu in Swaziland's Shisselweni region. Today I am leaving for On-the-job-training (OJT) where I'll visit Phobane and get to know my new home.