Never leave home without your loin cloth

Sanibonani bonkhosi...

As Christmas approaches we're preparing to do something that we haven't done since arriving here: leave the country. We are joining some fellow PCVs and going to South Africa's Kosi Bay National Park, which is on the coast right below the SA/Mozambique border. The Indian Ocean will be warm, the weather will be sweltering, and we'll be going through the bug spray-- and we cannot wait.
I took the above pic while at the local Incwala ceremony, which is kind of hard to explain. It's basically the primary "male" ceremony of the Swazi culture. We went there with some guys from our homestead and community, thinking that we'd just be watching, but in true Swazi style they asked us to join in. There was a part for women as well as men so we both got in line and mimicked the motions of those beside us. It was great but somewhat embarrassing: We had no idea what was going on-- and of course that day was the one time I (Tim) left home without my loin cloth... it's not often that shorts and a T-shirt makes you feel over-dressed for the occasion. Still, it was pretty cool to be included, and next year we'll have some of the chants and "dance" steps down.

Over the past month or so, we've had some actual community development/support work to do. On Thanksgiving we helped out with a local event for pre-school aged kids, most of whom were orphans/vulnerable children from the chiefdom's NCPs. They had a drama competition around the theme of "challenges at home" or something (imagine: tiny kids acting out family dramas like poverty and abuse... it was heartbreaking and adorable). Hundreds showed up, probably because beef was on the lunch menu. More recently, we helped out with a Red Cross food-aid effort in our chiefdom. We helped put the "recipients" list together and then jamie-girl accompanied the MP and other local officials when the Red Cross distributed it. It was quite a scene, with more than 1000 men, women, and children lining up in the heat to receive bags of rice and cooking oil (donated by Taiwan/World Vision this time). It was one of those, "you know you're in Africa when..." moments. And that same day I (Tim) was back at our local umphakatsi (chief's homestead and community gathering center) for a much-anticipated groundbreaking: we're beginning construction on a small community soup kitchen for the NCP (neighborhood care point, which feeds OVCs). The Zombodze MP (Member of Parliament) has so far been great to work with, and he managed to secure some funding for the project. One of our goals for the next few years is to make sure that every NCP site in our chiefdom (there are about 8) has a structure to store and lock up their food and conduct little classes or educational sessions for the OVCs they feed every day. Currently they all have some kind of firepit, but only about half have an enclosed, lockable structure.

Jamie-girl has been working to implement a community calendar of events and has made great progress on that in the past few weeks, as well as an effort to get important health information on the bulletin board of our local Clinic. School will be back in session by the end of January and we'll both be active there, starting up student clubs that target career and life skills guidance counseling, as well as a small-business/Jr. Entrepeneurs project with a partnering NGO.

Training is over, folks-- let the work begin!

It's hot these days. Our garden is growing and expanding-- over 80 tomato plants alone!-- and we have spent some sweaty afternoons weeding the beds, planting corn, and clearing new beds for transplants. Thing is, there's almost always a breeze and it's downright pleasant in the shade. The evenings are beautiful. We do need more rain (haven't had any all week), but otherwise we're fine with Zombodze's summer weather... so far. They say January is blistering. But you know, ever since spending May in India (and a sampling of Phoenix in summertime), nothing has really felt unbearably hot. I think our internal thermometers were permanently altered.

We sure miss everyone this Christmas season and wish you all a very merry holiday season. We'll not likely get back online until after the new year, so everyone take care until then!