Home, Sweet Home

Back in the Kingdom of Swaziland

 

 Jan 21, 2014

Well, it’s about time I put a new blog post since it seems like eons.  We had Christmas holidays, then I was busy planning Alyssa’s birthday party, then we had the party and then we were off again, to Johannesburg for my training class.  I did collect a few thoughts in my drafts folder that I thought was worth sharing.  As I reflect on my last four months here in Swaziland, I start picking up some interesting tidbits.  Maybe it’s not limited to Swaziland but the South African region. 

Did you know that Swaziland is one of the smallest African countries?
I see that hitchhiking is a common practice here as people cannot afford to pay for bus rides.
I see that walking along highways and roads are common, as there are no side walks.
I see many women, from the very young to the very old, carrying perfectly on their heads,  
   something that looks like a large box, or a basket or what I consider, quite heavy.
I see many names in Swaziland that ends in “ile.” For example, Fakile, Winile, Phindile,..etc etc.
I also see that 20% of the populations last name ends in Dlamini and that 50% are employed by the embassy (just kidding but a large portion).  There are plenty of other common last names as well and the name reflects the background they are from – Dlamini I believe is from royal family. 
I see many of the drivers as well as local security employees have names that must have been pulled from the bible – from Abraham to Gideon.  Gotta love it.

Last but not least, only here in the grocery store, can you amuse at the packaging of food – Why buy low fat when you can buy high fat cheese?  Picture to be posted shortly on Facebook.

Aside from the many interesting things I’ve come to learn about being here, I’m adjusting OK.  I’ve begun taking horseback lessons and it’s becoming a real enjoyable hobby for me.  Maybe when I get back to Florida, I can blend right in back at Southwest Ranches.  However as I can recall, to stop a horse meant pulling on one reign but here it is with both reigns.  I think it’s the British way.  I start back up this weekend and look forward to doing it again.  I hope Alyssa can keep busy while mommy rides. 

I am taking SiSwati lessons and enjoying it.  The greetings and some words are easy to learn and the locals love it when you use it with them.  They are already friendly so learning their culture is a bit easier when they are so happy to teach. 

Christmas holidays in Cape Town was great.  About the most shocking thing was that the city was actually dangerous, more so than one would think.  I totally let my guard down when I trusted Google Maps to find me a Catholic Church for Midnight mass – BIG mistake.  It took us through the slum areas and almost did not come out alive – kids crossing the street, groups of people in bad areas..Not a part of town you want to be in at half passed 10.  The rest of the city was beautiful, breath taking scenery.  Just don’t come during Christmas when you got tourists and locals vacationing at the same time.

Everyone is probably accustomed to my posting on Facebook about the internet unreliability here in Swaziland.  It can get frustrating when availability is an issue, especially when I was looking forward to Skyping with my loved ones.  Even in Bamako, their internet is decent and their hardship pay is more than Swaziland due to political unrest.  I learned something last week, as I networked with people posted at other African countries during my training. 

Swaziland has its delight such as friendly people, inexpensive household help and close to South Africa (hours to various borders) and the amazing travel opportunity it offers.  The only thing I never saw anywhere else in the world is people on the grass (side of the road) and one can only wonder if that person is alive.  Being in a small town, you’re bound to run into someone you know. 

My car arrived but we had to get it deep cleaned as water got in somehow during its waiting period to be registered.  Then the battery broke and then mommy backed into it and dented it.  Shipping cars always bring issues one way or the other, from my experience anyway.

Well, hope you enjoyed reading and maybe from this post, you may decide I would not want to join the Foreign Service at all.  Some love the change, some hate the instability.  One thing is certain, it’s not for everyone or shall I say the faint hearted!!