Snippets

4 August 2013

Snippets

I'm writing this  with a keyboard attached by bluetooth to my ipad by flashlight and candlelight.  What a strange combination of technology and - and what?`Just took a candle over to my host family. I balance my keyboard on my SiSwati language manual, and the irony and incongruity amaze me.

Still, I want to share snippets of life here. And to reassure you that when I can, I'll post pictures. This land is incredibly beautiful; the vistas that greet me as I walk to the stesh (bus stop) each day fill my heart. So here are a few snapshot moments.

~"What happened on September 6 (Independence Day)? "The British allowed us to speak our own language in the schools."

~New Normals: waking to rooster choirs, usually before dawn. Dirt roads. Buying veges that have to be picked to be sold. Greeting everyone, every time we meet. Seeing drivers on the right. Choosing outhouses for cleanliness (flush toilets not even a consideration). Eating everything with a spoon (or my hands). Getting used to British words, especially those that could be embarrassing. We say napkins, they say serviettes. We say diapers, they say napkins. And they often stress a different syllable than we do, even when we share words, which makes life interesting as well. I've discovered that if I don't look directly at the speaker, I often misunderstand the message. Interesting self-observation, for sure.

Luxuries that used to be givens:  being able to wade and swim in rivers and lakes. Well water. Heat in the house. Refrigerators and ovens. Cell phones, wifi that works. Fast wifi. SHOWERS.

And we're all becoming adept at reusing rather than recycling. For example, hauling water makes us most aware of waste. So the laundry rinse water can become the floor mopping water. All the waste water goes onto the lawn or plants. Cardboard juice boxes can be made into wallets that won't draw attention. No string is thrown out, nor plastic bags.

It is now August 13. My posts are overlapping since getting them online can be challenging. But a few more snippets before I attempt to get this to my blog:

A little girl,  too short to reach the latch, launches herself (backpack intact) at the gate, climbs up high enough to unlatc it, then drops nimbly to the ground, strolls through, closes the gate and heads down the path to walk the kilometer to school.

Hungry, grumpy pre-schoolers headed home on a bus, bouncing along a dirt road singing aloud for all they're worth. Staff are exhausted and kids are going strong.

Spending the night with a PCV mentor who lives in 1 small room, making use of every inch of space, including the walls which, at small child eye-level, are covered with small child art. Her latrine is rickety and out in a field; her perspective is that it has one of the best views in Swaziland.

This land overflows with people with big hearts and with opportunities for gratitude. All I need do is open my eyes.