Swazi shut down

December and January are difficult months here in the Swaz. Between Christmas, New yYear, and Incwala (a traditional celebration) the whole country is more or less shut down. Schools and government offices close and it seems as though the limited private industries look on in the envy and think "Eh, let's pack it in too." For the average PCV this is excruciating. The pace of life here could already be described as painful, but the holiday season can be downright mind-numbing. Especially since the bulk of my time has been spent with the schools, I've been out of luck. Along with my boredom I've also been jealously listening to my fellow voluinteers talking about their clinic work. My community doesn't have a clinic. the nearest medical facility is Njanini, which doesn't need me, seeing as a married set of volunteers lives next door. However, a nearby volunteer named Amanda left early (we miss her) and has left a relatively close clinic without a volunteer. Am I above poaching my friend's turf? Of course not.