Shamelessly Requesting...

Sanibonani bekunene!

So, we all knew this day was coming. It was just a matter of time. Now that my projects are finally coming together, I’m shamelessly asking and begging you to take out your wallets and donate! And yes, I know that this recession and put us all in a tight spot, but ANY contribution can and will help. There are 2 projects I am working on and BOTH will need all of the help and support it can get!

The first is: BOOKS FOR SWAZILAND! Books for Swaziland is a project designed to establish new libraries or enhance existing school library facilities in rural Swazi communities. Each location will receive roughly 1,000 books, donated by Books for Africa, a US- based organization. Around 45 schools have applied to participate in this year’s project, but ultimately only 30 schools could be selected. My primary school has been chosen! Both my school and community are working hard to build shelves and raise the money needed on their end, to help transport the books to Swaziland. What we need is help raising money to ship the books from America to Africa. There will also be a chance for you to send any library materials (i.e. construction paper, scissors, markers, pens, pencils, paint, crayons, beads, etc.) to the Books for Africa warehouse in America, which will then be included in the cargo ship and given directly to my primary school. So start collecting all those art and craft supplies around the house- unused, collecting dust, and taking up space- and send them to Swaziland where you will make hundreds upon hundreds of children in my community happy. More information on mailing supplies will be posted shortly.

Go To: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=645-090

The second project I’m working on is called Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World). GLOW is a project run by Peace Corps Volunteers throughout the world. It’s targeting girls and young women in rural villages educating, empowering, and offering support and guidance to their lives. Peace Corps Swaziland has never held a Camp GLOW before and with the highest rate of HIV infections in the world, this small African kingdom has never needed this successful international project more.

Over 5 days our leadership and health camp will encourage and inspire gender equality and empowerment at the community level by bringing young Swazi women together to access education, share ideas and develop skills in a safe environment. This is a chance for the girls to not only meet other young women around Swaziland (whom have probably never left their communities before), but to also gain the contacts of various NGOs, learn who they can contact for information and help, and most importantly- pass that information on to other young women back in their communities. My charter club consists of a small but passionate group of young, motivated, and wonderful girls who would love nothing more than to have this once in a lifetime experience.

Go To: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=645-091

This Christmas, give the gift of education. Help start libraries and support the growth of education and gender empowerment for the hope of a brighter future in Swaziland. So get into the generous, tax-deductible, Christmas spirit and send your hard-earned dollar dollar bills our way. Siyabonga! (Thank you!)

Painting Projects and Poetry

There’s a popular project many PCVs in Swaziland have been working on the past year. It’s a health awareness campaign which paints bus stops in PCVs communities with health tips and messages made public and available for those who might not be able to afford a visit to the clinic. At the time of each painting there’s a chance for dialogue and information to be distributed concerning the chosen topic.

I loved this idea and I’ve had the opportunity to assist other volunteers paint in their communities but had trouble finding a way to bring this project into my community. My village is fairly far out, bordering South Africa, and nowhere near a main road. Trees and rocks are my “truck stops” (instead of bus shelters). After talking with some of my community members, the PC office, and writing out a VAST proposal, we have tailored the painting project to the needs of my community. We decided to paint 2 pre-schools and 2 Neighborhood Care Points (NCPs). I then approached the schools, 2 primary schools and 1 high school, and held a drawing and poetry contest. The winner’s artwork or poetry would be painted onto the walls. The only requirement was that it had to be related to HIV/AIDS.

I returned to the schools last week to collect participants’ entries and was surprised at the turnout and the quality of the work. These children have experienced more pain and loss than most of us have or ever will experience. They have had family, friends, and/or loved ones who have passed due to HIV. In some cases they too have had to live with the virus either from Mother to Child transmission, from being raped, or from having unprotected sex. These kids know what it’s like to be stigmatized and they have personally felt the effects of the devastation from this terrible disease. Below are 3 poems that touched me. I hope you enjoy them and as you read it, think about what a BLESSED life you live.

Just Because I’m HIV Positive…
By: S. Matsenjwa
High School

Just because I am HIV positive
It does not mean I am dying tomorrow
It does not mean I am no longer human
I may even live longer and longer.

Just because I am HIV positive
It does not mean you must set aside
Spoons, toilets, dishes for me to use.
You can’t get HIV from those things.

Just because I am HIV positive
It does not mean I have no right
To work as a professional for government
I also like managing even though I am positive.

The right thing for you to do is get tested for the virus.
Stop stigmatizing me,
you might also have it right there in your blood
of which you do not know about.

What I may tell you is that I did not get it in a bad way.
It was just an accident.
I was only trying to help a person, just helping
I never knew she was HIV positive.


The Deadly HIV/AIDS
By: N. Sibmbo
Grade 6

Be careful! Beware! Be clever and alert
All you generations of tomorrow
AIDS kills and leaves no stone unturned

Therefore watch your steps
And straighten your paths
This is not a joke but millions of souls
Are under the grave you know!

Protect yourselves with everyway you can.
O’ even abstain from this monster disease
If it requires.

To you who are in relationships of any kind
Your spear should be faithfulness and also
Having protection when having intercourse.

To the youth and those innocent from love affairs,
I repeat to say abstinence
Is the only key to your survival.

All because AIDS kills without a limit.


AIDS Why?
By: N. Bhiya
Grade 5

AIDS! AIDS! Who are you?
You are an incurable disease
You kill our brothers and sisters.
You kill both old and young ones
Why HIV & AIDS?

You killed our mothers and fathers
They left us as orphans
We were having better dreams
About our futures but now
They’ve vanished in the air.
But why HIV & AIDS?

AIDS! You do not care about
The economy melt down.
Instead you are making it worse than before
As the number of orphans increases every year
Therefore increase government spending on orphans.
I do not understand! Why AIDS?!

Our future is doomed
When there is no food we are tempted
To be in love with sugar daddies because
They have ample money.
However, they are the ones who spread you HIV & AIDS
I am asking why HIV?

Young vibrant stars
Stand up and fight HIV & AIDS
So that we can make it possible
And achieve our goals in life.
Maybe we can get the reason why.

"The Girl who swims in the cold"

It’s December already?! I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. I’ve only got 7 more months left in Swaziland and I’m not sure if I’ll be ready to leave yet.

So once again, we had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving at the U.S. Ambassador, Mr. Earl Irving’s house. My family has never been one to fully celebrate Thanksgiving with the intensity that most mainlanders do. This was never a problem since I didn’t know what I was missing out on, but the ambassador has outright SPOILED me. Multiple tables filled with the largest array of dishes with as much as you could possibly eat. Out on the patio there was a drink station with tubs filled to the brim containing juice, bottled water and alcoholic beverages- as much as you could drink. Held up in the Peace Corps (or perhaps it’s just my personal) tradition, was swimming in the pool. A friend and I were the only ones crazy enough to jump into the water in the cold rain. After swimming we joined the rest of the group for the President’s Thanksgiving speech, prayer, and the ambassador’s speech. After changing out of my bathing suit, I briefly talked to Mr. Irving and he not only knew my name but called me the “girl who swims in the cold”. Obviously, I felt pretty special. Following the feast there was a large amount of food and drinks leftover. It is in the Swazi culture to bring plastic bags or containers to any event and take away anything remaining. Let me say, we have very successfully integrated. PCVs began pulling out Tupperware, Ziploc bags, and plastic bags and began raiding the kitchen. People watched amusingly as we filled our pockets, bags, and clothing with food and beer and unabashedly left the ambassador’s house.

I will never forget these past 2 years and the kindness Mr. Irving has shown to us poor, semi-disgusting PCVs. He has opened his house, let us use his pool and showers, and offered us endless amounts of food and drinks. No Thanksgiving will ever come close to the time I’ve spent here. Thank you!

A typical "mouse"

This poor sucker fell off of my roof and into my water container. Beautiful, huh?! (If these are my mice, just imagine the size of my rats)

Birthdays, Camping and Hiking

Calling all October birthdays to the floor. Whatup?! This month marked the 2nd birthday I’ve spent in Swaziland and it was absolutely perfect. There’s a surprising amount of volunteers who were born in October and because we were on lockdown last year- a.k.a. integration and couldn’t leave our huts for more than 1 night a month leaving most of us to spend our birthdays alone or with limited company- we decided to do something fun this time around! The plan: a camping adventure at the Ngwempisi Gorge.

Our original group of 14 people quickly reduced in half following an incident concerning the PC office. So our small but amazing group of PCVs met in the tiny “town” of Luyengo. All necessities were picked up: toilet paper, bread, peanut butter, eggs, water, and alcohol. From there we hired a khumbi to drive us out to the Ngwempisi Gorge. Unfortunately the khumbi driver had absolutely no idea how far out this place was and in turn, ran out of gas. Having no other choice we hopped out and contemplated our next move. Luckily we weren’t stranded for long. A U.S. AID car picked us up and gave us a lift to the drop off point. From this homestead, which was perched on a mountainside, we hiked in for a little less than ½ km until we arrived at the Ngwempisi Gorge Rock lodge.

First off, let me explain this magical place. The community surrounding the Ngwempisi Gorge built a Rock Lodge on the mountain side. Yes, I said a ROCK Lodge. They used the pre-existing boulders and trees to shape a three story lodge creating what best could be described as a “tree house for adults”. And it is not to be taken lightly. This place is indeed for adults. The steep stairs carved into the rocks without guardrails, the outside toilet and shower situated on the side of a cliff, the boulders you can dangle your legs off of, and the one bunk-bed leaning against an “open window” - a few planks nailed in to stop someone from rolling out (This was my bed!), all of which made this the most unique and lovely place I’ve ever stayed in. These contributing factors along with the non-stop rain and lightning persuaded us to stay at the lodge for 2 nights so we wouldn’t have to carry our tents, sleeping bags, and belongings on the probable muddy 8 km hike we were doing the next day. Instead we chose to visit the hot springs in a day, hiking 16km.

The next morning we set off with our newly made friend and hiking guide at 9am. Energized and excited we stopped at 3 different viewpoints taking in the splendor and beauty of this country. Our guide pointed out anything and everything we asked about including porcupine poop, birds, trees, and even enlightened us on his community and the life he’s lived. Whoever took lead behind him learned and talked A LOT! We reached the Ngwempisi River around 11:30am. The next part of the journey was to cross the river and reach the hot springs which were “just around the corner”. My pride and Hawaiian roots emerged and I became confident I could walk the next part barefoot. Stupid, ignorant pride always gets in the way. After forging the river we hoped that the “15 minute walk” was indeed 15 minutes because the ground was COVERED in thorns, sticks, stones, and pine cone stickers. Due to this unexpected obstacle it was taking us a lot longer and so our wonderful guide gave us directions to the hot springs and went back to watch our belongings at the river. Cursing and swearing to ourselves every other step then pausing every couple of meters to clear our feet of thorns we eventually made it to the "HOT SPRINGS" about 45 minutes- 1 hour later. The hot spring was about a 4x4 ft. wide and 1 ft. deep pool. Laughing at how sad, disappointing, and not worth the pain the last section was, we soaked our feet and prepared ourselves for the walk back. Three of my friends decided to make native shoes out of leaves. As I have attempted and failed at doing this on many hikes in Hawaii, I decided to not even bother. I powered through and made it back in 30 minutes! We crossed back across the river and hung out until everyone made it. As my punishment for hanging out in the river, I was bit by some mysterious creature. A very sharp, stinging sensation and a welt soon appeared on my butt. A few weeks later this bump is still there. So, we rested up on the river bank for another ½ hour and then proceeded up the mountain. The first third of the hike was absolute torture. The men were running up the mountain and I, in turn, was gasping for air and longing for water. We hit the 1st resting point, a small stream, and bathed/drank in its glory! After regaining our strength we proceeded back to camp. Hiking at a slightly slower pace we made it back without as many stops. The entire time we were talking about how wonderful a shower was going to feel and calling DIBS on it. Lo and behold, there was NO water when we returned. It’s a good thing we are all Peace Corps Volunteers and used to not bathing and smelling acceptable! At the end of the day I climbed onto the boulders, watched the sun set behind the mountains and marveled at the splendor and beauty of this marvelous place. This trip restored my love in Swaziland. With so much corruption, problems, and issues that we face daily, it’s easy to become spiteful. This getaway wiped the slate clean and I found joy and peace within my soul. I am looking forward to the day I’ll return to this oasis!

I've got my mind on vacation and vacation on my mind!

For the past year I have been planning two big trips. The first was to J-bay for the Billabong Pro surf competition and the second was to see my family. As PCVs we are allowed 2 vacation days per month, we cannot travel our first or last 3 months of service and under our old CD, we could use up all of our vacation days (if we so choose) after our first year. Aware of these conditions early on, I carefully planned out my vacations. I took a week for Christmas 2010 in Mozambique and then gave myself a week for J-bay and a little under a month with my parents leaving me with about 8 days to take the GRE and maybe one last surf trip in S.A. I had asked my parents to plan a trip roughly past my 1 year mark- which would give me something to work towards and my only requirement was that we had to be near the ocean for part of it. In the end, the winning destination was Italy! I decided that I would meet them there and I’d stop in Germany before hand. It worked out perfectly. I did 6 days in Berlin then met my parents, aunty and uncle in Florence where we took a train down to Cinque Terre, the 5 breath-taking towns on the Oceanside. I spent 6 days there where we hiked, played in the ocean, ate amazing seafood and even attempted to surf (but sadly all the surfboards were rented out). While my family stayed there, I went to Rome to see the jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring architecture and artifacts that I grew up studying about. It was mind blowing. I stayed for 3 days then met my family up in Venice for 4 days. From Venice we went to Florence for another 4 days and I went back to Berlin for a day then Paris for another day, and finally ended the trip in Jo’burg. It was an absolutely incredible, breath-takingly beautiful and wonderfully rejuvenating trip. The best part (well besides the amazing seafood) was getting to see my family again. Perhaps next year they will come to Africa? ;)

J-Bay

Growing up with a dad constantly watching surf movies and documentaries and who subscribed to Surfers Journal and Longboarding magazines, I quickly became familiar with surfers, surf styles, and most importantly- surf spots. My love for traveling started as a child and grew with age. As a kid I’d start packing months before our annual outer island trip to Oahu to visit family. I’d look forward to boarding the plane, sitting by a window and getting that delicious POG juice served on Aloha Airlines. In the 9th grade I was fortunate enough to go on a surf trip to Indo and my love for exploring exotic places sprung. I was hooked. But it wasn’t until college where I studied abroad twice that I realized travelling is easy and affordable, if done right. While studying abroad in Spain, some friends and I made it out to the Billabong Pro Mundaka 08’. The day before we got there Kelly Slater won his 10th world title. As upsetting as it was to miss him surf, we were able to catch CJ Hobgood win the tournament. It was a memorable trip and the following semester back in L.A., I found myself buying Surfer magazines, National Geographics, and travel magazines to plan out my next adventure, which to be sure always involved surfing.

So, coming to Africa I knew I had to go down to the famous world class waves that I’ve seen time and time again featured in documentaries and magazines; the ever inspiring Jeffrey’s Bay . Thus in my first 3 months at site I began planning my trip to watch the Billabong Pro J-Bay 11’. The competition was planned from July 16-26 and I decided to go down for the first week. But, as fate would have it, I got incredibly sick 3 days before my trip. I couldn’t keep anything in my system and my body was in shock. I stayed in the hospital until the day I left for S.A. Though I really was in no condition to be traveling, I couldn’t bear to lose money on the pre-purchased tickets. So on July 15th my friend and I went to Jo’burg then to Port Elizabeth and ended in J-bay. It was exactly what I needed and within the first day of arriving there, I started feeling better. The ocean was my remedy. It was absolutely amazing. We stayed at Island Vibe Backpackers located right on the ocean front. The hostel and staff was everything I could’ve asked for and more. The waves were small but I got in almost every day and we ate sushi daily! Unfortunately, the first night there my friend was mugged. Luckily they just stole her stuff and didn’t harm her. On our return to Swaziland, our Safety and Security Officer (nicknamed the Ninja) had been following the criminal activity at J-bay following our incident. He notified us that a business man was murdered there a couple weeks after we returned. This is just another realization and lesson to us all that even in the” safest places” we deem perfectly fine, we always need to stay cautious and take precautions in everything. In the words of the ninja, “Stay Vigilent!”

Kelly Slater, who was supposed to be the main event and attraction at the Quiksilver signing, was a NO SHOW to the competition. This makes the 4th-5th competition that I have missed him at. Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to witness him surf? Ha! Yeah right. I have the worst luck. Regardless, I will be at the tournament next year ready to cheer them on, and ready to brave the cold water without a wetsuit. Here’s to the Billabong Pro J-bay 2012!

GOODBYE SUMMER!!

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't updated this in a while. So, I'll do my best to summarize the past few months. We had our mid-service in March (only 9 months into being in country), but it was exactly what I needed. We brought our counterparts and planned out what projects we want to do and how we want to execute them. Being able to share project ideas with our fellow volunteers, seeing what has and hasn't worked and what motivates their communities was a great way to encourage us as volunteers to continue what we are doing. Following the mid-service conference, we had a grief and loss session. A session aimed at helping us to overcome losses in the past, present, and those we will be experiencing in the future. Swaziland is said to be one of the most difficult Peace Corps countries to serve in due to the amount of death we deal with. My own personal reminder is the fact that I'm being invited to more funerals than to weddings. Such a heavy burden weighs down on the soul. It's no wonder Swaziland once held the highest Peace Corps Early Termination (end of service) rate.

Following that week, I had a lovely 2 days relaxing, hanging out, and catching up with my fellow volunteers. It was absolutely wonderful! I also booked my flight to see my parents in a few months. Something that I really can't wait for because of: 1) Westernized countries- reliable transportation, and no crazy animals/insects finding their way into my hut and bed 2) SHOWERS on a regular basis 3) FOOD 4) Seeing my parents after a year away from home and 5) The OCEAN!!! It will be rejuvenating for the body, mind, and spirit. Luckily for me, swimming lessons using a hotel's facilities have begun and I'm beyond ecstatic. April 26th marked the 10th month anniversary of being in Swaziland. Our Peace Corps Country Director (CD) is returning home this month and we celebrated her service, time, and commitment to Swaziland with a ringing out ceremony in late April. Following the ceremony, PCV's from groups 6, 7, and 8 celebrated in true Peace Corps form- eating and drinking as much as possible, of course while watching the Royal Wedding and trying to spot Swaziland's Royalty on television. PC Swaziland's New CD is in training and we will have the pleasure of meeting him in June when Group 9 comes to Swaziland. BUT the absolute BEST part of it all- IT'S FINALLY WINTER!!! No more 120+ degree days and waking up at 5am drenched in sweat. I have never been happier to see winter come and summer go.

Making International Headlines

It's been a while since my last entry and A LOT has happened. Some of you may have read the articles I've been posting on facebook but for those of you who haven't and are curious, here's what's been going on.


-Following the outbreak in Egypt, students in Swaziland decided to hold their own protest against the government. The protest ended in them being dispersed by teargass. Protests are illegal here and an application must be submitted and approved in order to hold one.

-Swaziland had requested to purchase arms from the UK. Britain denied the request but a little while later a suspicious shipment came in from Mozambique. That shipment was later identified as arms.

http://www.times.co.sz/News/26159.html

http://www.starafrica.com/en/news/africa/article/mozambique-police-deny-swazi-arms-shipme-152199.html

-The government has no money. Civil servants were not getting paid.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/article1061977.ece/Swaziland-cant-pay-civil-servants

http://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-11-broke-swaziland-cant-pay-civil-servants

-The King has given himself a 24% raise.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/world/africa/26briefs-swaziland.html?_r=1

-The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to give Swaziland a loan if they make certain adjustments to the government.

-Nurses, students, and teachers all joined in on a peaceful protest held in March. The largest protest this country has ever held.

http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/incoming/2011/04/06/swazi-kingdom-faces-revolt

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gjLE6MJuX2cbzNw3Z_Bh4OOL4Qmg?docId=CNG.cb9a703546a716b6ea833e7994a082c9.2b1

http://www.news-africa.com/demonstrators-throng-swaziland-capital-calling-for-gov%E2%80%99t-reform-protesting-pay-freezes/

-President Zuma of South Africa called for a private meeting with King Mswati III the day before the protest took place. ANC Youth League of South Africa also voiced their opinions.

http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=22433

-What some referred to as the "Mother of All Protests" and others were calling it the beginning of a "Revolution", a large protest was scheduled for 3 days starting on April 12th, the day when political parties were banned 34 years ago. The week before the protests were scheduled to take place, the Prime Minister declared all protests that week illegal. The days leading up to the protest, the streets were heavily patrolled by armed guards and policemen.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article1014563.ece/Swaziland-billed-as-next-domino-to-fall

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/world/africa/13swaziland.html

http://mg.co.za/article/2011-03-26-swazis-call-for-change

http://mg.co.za/article/2011-04-13-brutal-crackdown-routs-swazi-protesters

-International African trade unions have requested the African Union Commission (AUC) to intervene.

http://www.times.co.sz/News/27859.html

-Swazi labor unions are planning monthly protests.

http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Swazi-unions-plan-monthly-protests-20110420




It goes without saying that this is a very strange and difficult time not only for me, but for this naturally peaceful country who has never seen war. This has been the first time I've ever seen such a heavy presence of guards and policemen armed with AK 47s, tanks in the cities, and a large amount of road blocks. It's alarming. My heart goes out to every country in this world who is currently in a war, who faces genocide, and those who have been and are currently facing heavy political unrest. There is so much death and destruction in this world and it makes me sick. Will human kind ever be rid of the thirst addiction of blood and power?

Marula Festival!

Behold, the Marula Season is upon us! Every year Swaziland sets aside a month of celebration to enjoy the fruits of the earth. One fruit specifically, the marula fruit that ripens and becomes alcohol. Women from around the country gather for the weekend and bring their marula for both themselves and as a gift for the king. For a country that is normally highly against alcohol and against anyone that consumes it, it seems they are easy to set aside all beliefs and drink their heart's desire for the month. It's a contradiction I do not understand but also a very fun tradition that I'm happy I got to experience. This past weekend was the official start of the Marula Season and my first encounter with this unique holiday.

The Marula Festival (which is the official kick off for the Marula Season) is held annually in my region, and takes place within the King's Kraal. I went down on Friday to check out the scene. It was identical to tailgate parties in the U.S. Truck after truck entered the area carrying loads of Bo-Make (mothers) and Bo-Gogo (grandmothers). There were grills set up, a Coca-Cola booth, people selling goods, and everyone just hanging out, talking and sitting beneath trees. I found out that the dancing and festivities were to begin the following day.

On Saturday I went down and met some friends. As we sat under a tree and talked, two men interrupted us and started with the normal marriage proposals and propositions of love. We eventually turned the conversation towards HIV, which is our goal as HIV health educators. What started out as a normal conversation on health, HIV, and AIDS took a turn for worse when a police officer joined the conversation and blamed us personally and America, for bringing HIV to Swaziland. As soon as a figure of authority said this, it immediately became a statement- and being a woman in a male dominated society anything we said would be a lie. The 2 men we were talking to immediately started blaming us. It was the most frustrating, difficult, and unpleasant conversation I have EVER had. Not only were their facts all wrong, gender specific issues were addressed (women could not/should not say and do things- even at the most basic level), they brought in the Bible which they had NO idea what they were talking about but because we were women they would not listen to a word we said, and anything that a male figure head would say would automatically become the truth no matter how inaccurate and laughable that statement would seem. This conversation nearly ruined the day for me, but luckily more friends arrived and the drunk Bo-Gogo stumbling around and singing diverted my attention. We went into the main area where I bought some Swazi jewelry to compliment my traditional Swazi wear I was sporting. As we sat inside waiting for the dancing to start,another man approached us. This time the conversation was a pleasant one. We talked about traveling and the States. He had traveled all around the world and his wealth was made apparent not just in the places he's been but in his attire. He was very pleasant but as we talked, I could not help but wonder what do the 70% of Swazi's that live in Rural Communities and live on less than 2 dollars a day think and feel when they see a someone like him? Do they just accept it as a way of life, or do they question the possibility of corruption and injustice? The rich and the poor are on opposite ends of the spectrum and it's heartbreaking to see it and not be able to do anything to change it. The dancing started shortly after. It was amazing. Endless groups of women entered the kraal dancing and singing. The King and the Queen Mother entered with armed guards a little while later. We left shortly after in order to make it back to site, missing the dance by both the King and Queen Mother. Maybe next year I will catch their dance. In the meantime, here's to another beautiful day in Swaziland!

Projects, Crocodiles, and Jesus was Circumcised

A lot of people back home have been asking me what I'm doing, what projects I have been and will be apart of. That's an excellent question; one that I've been unable to answer until recently. Being a Peace Corps health extension volunteer focusing on HIV and AIDS prevention and impact mitigation in Swaziland is challenging. While it is wonderful having the freedom to choose what we want to do in our community, it is equally as frustrating figuring out what we can contribute to society which will be sustainable and where we will not be just another "Santa Claus": a white man handing out free gifts. Over the past few months, taking into account both the successful and failed projects of volunteers in the past, I've come to realize that my talents will best be used through schools and dealing directly with the children and young adults. I want to be involved directly with the youth- knowing that if change is going to happen in this country it will have to start from them. Behavior change is what we're aiming for, so we should get them when their young. (Plus they are the only ones that speak English- so I have to take what I can get).

I am currently teaching computer classes and physical education/swimming classes in the schools. The swimming classes are in a community a couple hours away from site but I make the trip once a week because I am desperate to get into water. Though I have been going to the school for months, last week was the first time I have actually taught a swimming class. The lightning storms are intense here (Swaziland has the highest number of lightning strikes in the world). I've never been afraid of storms until now, when lightning struck my hut a few months ago. Either it struck my hut directly, or struck a tree and the tree fell on my roof but there was an incredibly loud bang on my roof, followed by sparks flying out of my electric socket, then a full body convulsion/shock. I'm officially terrified of lighting storms. Anyways, last term every single swim lesson coincided with the lightning storms meaning we spent the days inside a gym with children playing duck duck goose, dodge ball, and running laps. Yes, I am that uncreative. This past weekend was the first time I got in the water with the kids and it felt absolutely wonderful! When I told a few of my community members about the swimming classes, they were jealous that I was teaching another community how to swim. I proceeded to offer them lessons in the dam with which they always responded with, "AIESH! no. We cannot. The dam... no. Aiesh!" No further explanation was ever offered. Many community members have hinted that "something" may live in there. But then others would laugh and say, "it is fine, nothing lives in there". Thus began my ever curiosity of figuring out if in fact there were crocodiles and/or hippos in the community dam.

As the rainy season continued, that dam which is in between me and my nearest PCV, overflowed and has become a river. When it rains too heavily, her transportation stops and nothing comes in or out of the community, and when transport stops, the only way out of the community is by foot. Either crossing the river (sometimes getting waist deep), or taking a shortcut to my community and passing through marshlands where the dam has overflowed. Over the past few months when I grew bored, I would take the trek out to her and cross the river. Then, in late January news came out that a 14 year old boy was eaten by a crocodile in my community. My community is very large and the river in which the boy was playing in is far away from where I reside. As I was talking to my Make (mother) about it, my bhuti (brother) said he and his friends saw a crocodile in our "river" which is so incredibly small that in the dry season it's a small pond at most. This river connects to the dam, meaning that the crocodile lives in there. As I pressed further into the issue, I found out from a friend that in 2008 a child was eaten by a crocodile in that dam. Everyone knew about this, and yet they pretend nothing lives in there? Aiesh! I now stay away from all shortcuts (marshlands).

Besides teaching computer and swim lessons, I had hoped to teach a life skills class and a health class this term but it has been pushed back until next term as other projects have taken precedence. One of my biggest projects that I am thrilled to be apart of is with our Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Youth Club. OVCs are children who have lost one or both of their parents who may live with relatives that often don't have the means to support themselves let alone their children and the children of their deceased relatives. Some OVCs don't get fed daily, some are beaten, and some are kept from school to work and to "earn their keep". My counterpart is an OVC herself and explained how important it is to know that you are not alone and that with hard work things don't have to stay the same (you don't have to rely on others your whole life). My counterpart started this youth group with another PCV in the community over and I fell in love with the idea, jumped on board, and started helping them expand in my community. We are teaching them how to sell sweets (the value of earning money, saving, and basic business skills) and how to sew. We are currently in the process of obtaining a piece of land to teach the children how to garden and grow vegetables in order to eat healthier and avoid malnutrition and to sell vegetables to earn a profit. This past Christmas we held a Christmas party for the OVCs and we used the money that they had earned to buy them things they needed: i.e. underwear, soap, candles, matches. It was incredibly touching as you can imagine. But, the biggest project that I am devoting all of my time and energy to is building a dam. Peace Corps as a whole, usually abstains from getting involved with large infrastructure projects due to many factors and I now understand why. This project was handed down to me, and while I am more than happy to help them complete it, I cannot wait until this headache is done and over with. That is why for the next 6 months I am devoting ALL of my time and energy into finishing this...

More entertainingly, in January I was also invited to be apart of the Male Circumcision nation wide campaign that will be starting up in Swaziland very soon. Futures group (from the US) has partnered up with the Ministry of Health in Swaziland with a goal to have 240,000 men ages 15-49 circumcised. I was part of a group of people selected to do marketing research within the rural communities. We were to ask 10 people what they thought about various logos and phrases. It was highly entertaining as my community STRONGLY opposes male circumcision. After each interview I spent a good 30 minutes to an hour debating with each person, and explaining why it is healthier for men to be circumcised. *Mind you- I am a woman in a very traditional community talking to men about sensitive issues*

Here are some entertaining excuses and reasoning on their part:
- If Jesus wanted me to be without the skin He would have created me without it
- what will you do with the skin afterward? You just want to put magic on me (voodoo of some sorts)
- Jesus does not want me to
- Circumcision is against the Bible
- Will you do the procedure? I will do it if you circumcise me (talking about me personally snipping)
- man: "No woman will want to be with me if I am circumcised. Would you want to be with me?" Me: "Circumcised is the only way I would go. Almost all men in America are circumcised." man: "you are lying!" me: "why would I lie to you about that? No American woman would have you if not" (Ok, maybe I did lie a little I'm sure there are American woman who support it- BUT the tune changed for the rest of the conversation, and he started listening to what I had to say)
- man: "I am married, I do not need." Me: "and this is a polygamist country, are you faithful to your wife? DO you have girlfriends?" man: "yes, but we are all faithful to each other. We do not need condoms and I do not need to be circumcised." (And this is how HIV is spread SO fast throughout the entire country- The interconnected web)
- The foreskin is like a shoe. You wear a shoe to protect your sensitive feet. If you do not have a shoe to protect your feet how do you protect it? (The man is also walking around barefoot)"
-BEST ANSWER: I will go into the shower and WASH away HIV after having sex. (A political figure within the country is quoted saying this in the national news. This misconception has spread into the rural communities further damaging the fight against HIV).

I have found through these conversations, that bringing the Bible directly into the conversation is more effective than solely using scientific data. Almost all of the men used the excuse that it is against the Bible. And so our response is, Jesus was circumcised (Luke 2:21- If you're going to use the Bible at least get your facts right). A fellow PCV found some Bible verses to help support our argument. This response is at least getting the men to think about it, and not to reject circumcision immediately. All in all I'm highly looking forward to being apart of this campaign. It's fun, entertaining, and I'm apart of something on a grander scale. I'm getting a taste of what Public Health is about and I'm liking it!

Christmas in Mozambique

It's 2011! Another year has come and gone- passed in a blink of an eye. From being a senior at LMU, graduating in May, then moving to Swaziland in June- life has been moving with the speed of a bullet but thankfully, has finally started slowing down. I couldn't have asked for a better 1st Christmas away from home. I've never spent a Christmas away from the ocean (with some of the most memorable Christmas mornings on a dawn patrol surfing with my dad and close friends) and so now was not the time to end the tradition. 3 friends and I went to Mozambique for a week. We left for Maputo on December 22 and met up with a friend, a local of Mozambique. While hostels are always fun, there is truly nothing like staying with native of the land. It gives you a whole other perspective and adventure. She too us to a fantastic seafood restaurant and acted as our tour guide of the city. Though we were all ready to be in bed by 8pm, our new friends were eager to show us a good time. It was here that I fell head over heels for Mozambique. This country combines everything I love so much from around the world: The Portuguese influence, European architecture, African tradition, Latin/Spanish dancing, Portuguese language (Spanish acceptable), Reggae music, and an Island way of life. The rest of the week was spent in Tofo, on the beach soaking up the sun. I was determined to see a whale shark which I unfortunately didn't, but I went on a dive and saw a Manta Ray "cleaning station". It was incredible. Manta Rays were on the reefs being cleaned (or so I was told). They looked peaceful just hanging out on the ocean floor. The other highlight Was our own personal chef. We met a guy who was a chef at a 5 star restaurant in Cape Town. He was sick of the demands of his job, visited Tofo on vacation and never left. We loved his cooking so much that we returned on Christmas day and convinced him to take us to the fish market. There we watched as he scolded the fishermen for catching cray fish/lobster that were either pregnant or undersized (still young)- which goes against laws set forth in America which ensures the species survival- and sadly the fishermen didn't care as they could easily find another buyer. Then we watched as he spent 20 minutes arguing for a fish, saying "when you were 2 I've been a chef for 20 years!" We lost the fish-but we had prawns, calamari, crayfish, and much more. It was heavenly. We left Tofo on December 27th and headed back to Maputo. This is where we experienced big city African transportation at it's finest. As soon as the chapas (vans-what Swazis call khumbis) came, people sprinted towards them. I got caught in the mad dash and was physically being moved without actually moving. My friends weren't going to make it on and so I fought hard to get out of the crowd. We saw another chapa coming and so we sprinted to it. As we got on a man tried to sit down on a seat but the conductor said no and squeezed 4 more people into that spot. Let me explain that they fit as many people as possible. There'd be butts hanging out the windows (sometimes 2 butts out of 1) and if there's too many people the doors remain open and the people hang onto the outside of the vehicle. There is no such thing as a comfortable ride in Africa, but at least in Swaziland there is a "maximum capacity". I LOVE YOU Swaz for that. It was during the 1st rat race that my phone was stolen. As much as that sucked I am so thankful it wasn't my wallet, passport, or ipod all of which would be significantly harder to replace. When we returned to Swaz, we weren't ready to give up our vacation and so we hung out at a hotel and swam in their pool, then stayed with some amazing volunteers. I returned to site for 2 days then left to celebrate New Years Eve in the capital city! While everyone had goals for finding a midnight kiss, my goal was simple: to NOT fall asleep before 10pm. I failed. New Years Eve was fun but traveling from my site is exhausting in and of itself. That morning I had waited 2 hours for transport, finally got a khumbi as trucks weren't running because cops were out, then the khumbi got stuck in mud. We got out and hiked through the mud and waited for something else to come. Aother khumbi came, then dropped us off and called a cattle truck. The cattle truck took us to town where it too 2 more khumbis to reach my final destination. Life is rural Africa never dull. On January 1st before heading back to site we got to see the movie Life As We Know It, because Swaziland now has a movie theatre!!! whoohoo!

All in all it was a fabulous vacation. It made me realize that placing an Island Girl in the middle of Africa- with no water sources near by- was a bad decision. I desperately wish I was placed in Mozambique but since that won't change I can say without doubt that I will return, for the culture, the people, and the ocean. I've also realized that I need the ocean so trips every 4-6 months NEEDS to happen. This is going to be a long and challenging 2 years. 6 months down, 20 more to go!!