What’s it really like? July 14, 2013

I’ve now been with my host family for almost 2 weeks, so the overload of everything new is beginning to sort itself out. In 2 more weeks I’ll get a phone, and hopefully will have more than just sporadic internet after that. For now, we’ll make do with my skills at giving you visuals through words.

I live in what other PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) refer to as “Posh Corps”. My room is spacious, there are carpet pieces on the cement floor, and I have electricity, a chair, a double bed and a small dressing table. Even the outhouse is clean. Of course, we all haul water, then boil it to wash and filter the boiled water to drink. None of us have heaters in our rooms, which get pretty cold at night, and my one light barely lights up the room. Bucket baths have become a way of life, and washing hair is a major luxury since it must be done early on a sunny day, and our time is pretty well scheduled for us. The dogs, pigs, roosters and cattle provide background music, and twice already the tap has gone dry, once for 4 days. I still had water, but it definitely cut back on cleaning and doing laundry.

My family is wonderful – we interact often enough that I believe I’m building trust, but there are enough spaces in our time together that I don’t feel crowded. They are helping me learn the language, and seem endlessly patient with me.

The roads are – words escape me. None of the roads out here have names, and are red clay, eroded into interesting shapes. There are no bar ditches to direct water, so use your imagination. To find where another PCT lives, you meet the person and follow her/him to her homestead. Even with directions, it’s most confusing, since some of what looks like road turns out to be driveway. But most homesteads have fences and gates. Also, the way is as likely to be a path as a road.

Most of the places I’ve seen have gardens and/or fruit trees, as well as livestock running loose most everywhere. That would be chickens, geese, turkeys, an occasional pig or 2 and some cattle. My family has 5 options for cooking: in the fireplace or outdoors with pots on 3 legs which come in a variety of sizes, using the wood cookstove, the electric range or the electric two burner. They haul water, too, and everyone bathes twice a day. I dread it because it gets so cold. I have it somewhat down: top half first, dress it, then bottom half, but I think we all have our own methods.

Peace Corps is easing us into cooking for ourselves (which starts next week) by having a week with 2 cooking activities. First we planned a typical Swazi meal, shopped locally (which meant asking around for which Gogo (grandmother) is selling what). There are also the equivalents of corner stores, with limited goods, within walking distance. We found fresh sugar beans, Swiss chard, a chicken and beets. The store had curry powder, and one of us had some onions. We were good to go. Then we were allowed to shop at a bigger grocery store, and today we made American food. Yummmm! We competed in groups, and our group won prizes – mind was an amazing looking little device that looks a little like a top, and is used to juice lemons and oranges. Yes!!!

Language continues to be a big part of our training, and also a real challenge for me. Ah well, I just keep plugging away, and hopefully it will all gel at some point. The letters are what we know and use, but the sounds are different, and the structure of the language is very different, which makes life most interesting.

This week we are going to visit a school (I get to go to the high school – YES!) and to the chief’s residence. We’ll also be asking our host family members what they do each day. I expect it to be most revealing.

I started with What’s It Really Like, and truthfully – I don’t know! There’s still so much to absorb, to incorporate into my new normal. I’m most grateful for my camping and river skills. I know how to look around, see what needs to be done, and find out how to do it. I’m pretty good with faking it, hooking up my propane stove and keeping things tidy so I can find them again. For all of you who helped me gain those skills: THANKS!

My challenge to you: If you had to write a blog about What’s It Really Like for your own life – what would you include? Exclude? Why?