Mambas!

Between now and the last post, much has happened. Site Placements were announced on July 27th. I will be in the Hhohho Region. During our On the Job Training (OJT) we spent a week in our new community getting to know the people and the place. It was an absolutely terrible experience for me, and I was at the point of asking Peace Corps to move me. But, in our final days there, we had the opportunity to meet up with a current PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer), and after hanging out with her-I came to terms with my place. The closest PCV will be about a 2.5-3 hour walk from me (walk-being the key word, as transportation is not readily available). Seeing her place definitely put me at ease about mine. Hearing her insane stories (both good and bad) is a big reason in why I would like to stick this out and attempt at living there. One of the more hilarious stories is about the black and green mambas. She’s had multiple mamba’s inside of her hut. These snakes are poisonous and one could die within 15 minutes of being bit. Well at one point she had about 30 community members inside of her hut with spears. It was a huge ordeal but they killed it, left blood everywhere, and made her drink a “special mixture” so she would be safe. Needless to say, her community loves her, and I feel that mine would do the same for me too! Another funny story is that a few volunteers were hiking one day around our communities. As they were walking, they passed a drunk gogo (grandmother). She started pointing her fingers in a shape of a gun at them and shooting them, then laughing. She continued doing this, and followed them until they realized what she was doing. Apparently she was trying to warn them that if they proceeded further, they would be shot. (We are very close to the south african border and it is an illegal crossing point-thus the shooting). The stories I will get from being so isolated is definitely a perk that I’m looking forward to. :)
To help you imagine my new community, here are some assets HA! (rather obstacles) about it: The King visited our communities last year and told them they were the most rural in all of Swaziland. My community is very large, about 10,000 people. It consists of 7 “areas” within the community. My counterpart introduced me to the next “area” over and I was informed that water is not available to them. In the dry season they often resort to digging holes in the ground until they collect enough water to drink... I have special permission from the Peace Corps Swazi office to ride in the back of pick-up trucks. To do so otherwise, is considered “risky behavior” and volunteers can be sent home for doing so. Though I’m located in the mountains, it is sand. Children play in it as though they are at the beach. Which also means that getting my water, to drink, cook, and wash clothes in, will be a constant struggle for me. I’m either going to be very skinny (and strong) or very stink by the end of this. I hope it’s the first. Haha. Another thing is that I have to be very safe and attentive about my surroundings at ALL times. A gang from South Africa was crossing the border a few weeks ago and robbed prominent figures in the community adjacent to mine. They also kidnapped dogs and killed them in the middle of the night. These men were arrested but a new group emerged and had not only robbed but also raped two small children. This happened a few days ago, to a house not far from my site...It is advised that I do not walk alone but when there’s no transportation, I do not see how this is possible. I’m contemplating purchasing a dog for security reasons. The only thing stopping me is that I do not know what my future holds- and my ideal plan is to travel for quite some time after my service ends. There is no possible way that I could leave my dog here...It is heartbreaking to see how dogs are treated here.

I swear in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer in less than 2 weeks. It's crazy how fast time flies by. When I have more time, money (for internet connection) and battery life, I will update you again. Until then, please keep the comments and emails coming! They are motivating and they keep my spirit lifted. Although I don't have time to respond now, I will have 3 months of NOTHING and I will be responding to every single one of you that's written. All my love. <3