Uptown Girl

I have never been a very lady-like sort of girl. Until I donated my hair to Locks of Love prior to my service, I had been rocking a basic, waist-length hair style for the better part of a decade. I do not own any make-up, and I didn't even shave my legs. I was convinced that Swaziland would makes this lack of decor significantly worse. Strangely, it has had the opposite effect. We live a pretty scruffy lifestyle. With all the dirt and grease I find myself trying anything just to feel a little bit pretty.
So I am writing this with a new haircut (courtesy of a fellow PCV) complete with layers and bangs. My legs are shaved and I even have garish pink polish on my toes. Viva Swaziland.

Ode To My Vermin

living in Africa comes with its natural hazards. There are black mambas and puff adders. I even saw a lion the other day while the bus was passing a safari park. It was a little disconcerting because the fence was so low, even I could've jumped it. Despite these exciting animal adventures, it is the less charismatic animals that really affect the day to day life of a PCV. Bats, rats, and cockroaches (oh my) have become part of our daily routine, as well as the object of some unfortunate creative outlets.

Dawn breaks and homestead animals call,
cattle, pigs, chicken, geese and goats.
The very worst creature of all,
is the rat that poops in my Jungle Oats.*

Out of bed, I go with a light,
he sits on the floor and gloats.
My personal terror of the night,
the rat that poops in my Jungle Oats.

Breakfast time, I discover the turd,
on top of the box it floats.
So early, this seems absurd,
the rat that poops in my Jungle Oats.


*Jungle Oats are South Africa's answer to Quaker Oats.

So, does she work?

Amid my charming anecdotes about avocadoes and my popularity as a marriage prospect, it might appear to some that I am not actually working. It is high time to offer an explanation. After Pre-Service training the first 3 months at site are spent "integrating," that is, getting to know your community and assess their development needs.
Group 6 is just finishing a week-long In-Service Training (IST), and once we get back to site we are ready to start our mission. Most of us have already begun small projects though (ssshhh. . .don't tell the Peace Corps).
So what do I do, exactly? I teach English and Life Skills at the high school as well as trying to start a computer club. Once I return to Phobane I'm hoping to work w/ the local HIV/AIDS support group, begin an income-generating project, and help impove food security for the 100+ AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Let the real work begin!

Bodice-rippers: the global language

I have a deep love for books with titles such as "Taming the Scotsman" or "The Sinful Nights of Nobleman." This makes me easy fodder for all sorts of jokes from my fellow PCVs. Despite their ridicule more than one of them has come to me when they think no one is watching asking to borrow "Hard Day's Knight." Of course, they'll never admit to it in public.
One of the greatest challenges in a foreign country is making meaningful friends across cultural lines. Romance novels are the quickest and easiest way to accomplish this. That's right: smut is not an American phenomenon, women the world over love to read about washboard abs.
While waiting in the faculty lounge of my local high school I was passing time by reading "Conquest Bride." One of the other teachers came up to me and announced that she too was an ardent fan of such novels. She immediately offered up a trade: her Danielle Steele collection for anything I had, so long as it wasn't historical. A most excellent mutually beneficial relationship.

Grocery shopping, Swazi-style

Innocently walking home from the high school last Wednesday with my host sister we were summoned to a homestead to greet the family. This happens fairly often. A white person cruising through rural Swaziland is extremely rare, so people want to know what on Earth I'm doing there. They ask basic questions, What's my name, Where do I live, Where am I from, What am I supposed to be doing, and How do I like Swaziland. They also frequently ask how I like the Swazi food. The women that summoned me last week were very curious about my food preference. Lindiwe, my host-sister, told them that I ate a lot of peaches and avocadoes. As we got up to leave, the women handed me 2 bags. One had 6 peaches, the other had 11 avocadoes (these are Swazi avocadoes, which are almost the size of my head, not dinky ones imported from Chile). Nearly 30 rand worth of produce, an extremely generous gift
I'll be eating guacamole for a month. Now all I need are some nachos. . . Alas.

Expat Elections

In honor of the recent presidential election nearly every Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland journeyed to Mbabane to be w/ fellow Americans. Group 6 rented out a backpacker's hostile . Because of the time difference election night became an all night party. We ordered pizza, made red and blue pancakes, and used lots of American slang.
Swazis are huge Obama fans. I've been asked several times who I'd be voting for. Most Swazis responded by asking me why I'd support Senator Obama. They thought that my being white was an automatic vote for John McCain. The Swazi Times predicted a win for Obama nearly a week in advance, based on opinion polls of Swazi locals.
Living abroad has given me a new love and respect for the American democracy. It was moving to be a part of that process, even on the other side of the world. It seemed as if PC Swaziland unanimously supported Barack Obama (if anyone voted Republican, they were too afraid to say). One of the highlights of the evening was spending it with Americans from all parts of the country. If your home state went blue then you had to stand up while everyone applauded. If you home state went red, you'd get a pat on the back and group condolences. Barack Obama was declared the winner at 6 in the morning. We were especially amused by his mention of Americans around the world tuning in, even if they were huddled around a third-world short-wave radio. Admittedly, we were huddled around a third-world satellite TV w/ CNN.
The next day another volunteer and I were walking back to the bus rank when a car pulled up next to us w/ the window rolled down. Bracing ourselves for a marriage proposal we looked over. The driver simply waved and yelled "Yay Obama!"

the rainy season

It's spring in Swaziland! The weather is interesting, it alternates between sunny, hot, dry, with no clouds (I'm using my sunscreen, Mom) one day to overcast, humid, and still pretty warm the next. It's not exactly comfortable, but it could be so much worse. Think: Mauritania. The best part is the thunderstorms. My electricity has been out for the past 2 days because of these epic t-storms. My host family thinks it's a little odd that I like to chill on the porch and watch the lightning, they're used to it.
An interesting side note: Swaziland has more deaths by lightning strike per year than any other country. Fortunately, PC installed a lightning rod onto my little house.
These power outages are very common (once or twice a week) so my babe (that's father in siSwati, not a good looking specimen of humanity) went out and bought a generator to hook up to the main house. At least now we won't miss Generations.
Even with these it's still about 80 degrees outside, so I still walk around in jeans and a t-shirt. At least twice every cloudy day someone asks me "Why aren't you cold?" Real temperature is not important here, it's gray, therefore freezing. And to look at my Swazi friends and family on these days, you would think they were expecting a blizzard.