24 January 2011
Monday
1333
Ekhaya wami
I’m taking a wee break from my Mini-VAST proposal. I’m also waiting for my counterpart to come over so we can discuss a few of the details for our event that need to be added to my application for funds. (It’s a soccer tourney & we’ll have Red Cross & the police from Tiny Town come down & do a drama & talk about gender violence & rape.)
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about the things that I brought over that have proved mighty useful. So here is a continuation of the packing saga for G9’s benefit.
Cooking stuff. You’ll be doing that, obviously, & even if you’re not a chef there are a few things that are either hard to find here or just too expensive for what they actually are, & it will behoove you to bring it along. A good chopping knife, a can opener & a potato/carrot peeler were of great value to me. People here open cans w/ knives, & they are of poor quality. The trick is to not pack them away in the bag that they have you immediately store away for the first two months. Defeats the purpose of bringing them, you know. Some PCV friends learned that the hard way.
Also, it’s a good idea to pack your two checked bags w/ that in mind from the get-go. I was unlucky enough to have both my bags lost in transit for a week, & when I finally got them, I had one day to figure out what I wanted for the next two months & then hand a bag over again. After wearing pretty much the same thing for an entire week, I had a hell of a time figuring out what I really needed for a Swazi winter.
My solar flashlight has been wonderful. My brothers really like it, & I don’t have to worry about them wasting the battery, cause it takes about two seconds for this insane sun to recharge it.
A quality solar shower is a nice treat. These days, I mostly use a 1.5-liter pitcher & a washcloth while I stand in a bucket, but at first I used that shower every day at training. I would put a bit of hot water on in the electric kettle & mix it in the bag w/ cooler water. (My family had a lot of animals on the property & nowhere for me to set it out that the goats wouldn’t attack it.) Now that I live on the surface of the sun, I splurge on ultra-hot supernova kind of days & fill my 5-gal bag about 1/3 full of tepid water & open the valve & try not to have a heart attack as I cool down. Once day I came back from the community garden & hoped in the bucket to de-sweat for a while. As I poured the water over my head, I actually thought I was going to die: the water felt so cold that my heart flipped around & I had to gasp for breath. I had no idea I was that overheated, & I almost fell out on my ass from the shock of it. So, uh, beware of that.
I packed three months’ worth of Irish Breakfast tea, cause I love it. & you would think that in a country that was a former British protectorate that they’d have decent tea… but you’d be wrong. & though sometimes you might get lucky in town, you’re sure as hell ain’t going to town during training. & this goes for coffee drinkers, too. The coffee that is prevalent here is called Recoffee, & coffee is not the first ingredient on the list. I think chicory is. Whatever it is, is gross. So even if you think you’re above drinking Folgers Crystals, you might just want to bring them anyway, cause it will taste like liquid gold in comparison. Also, plan to have these things (or actual coffee beans, grounds, etc) sent to you on a regular basis.
I think that just about covers it for things that need to be brought w/ you. I’ve got a ton of things that I didn’t need that I brought anyway. If there is something that you think you can go three months w/out, then don’t bring it. You can buy it here. Really. Though people might give you crap for it, I think it would be a smarter idea to save that money you would have spent on something before coming here & just getting it in-country (w/ that money. They amount they give you for setting in won’t be enough for things like that). As long as managing it on a bus wouldn’t be too tricky, then I’d highly recommend that.
There are so many things that I’m just going to leave here. My family will make out like bandits when I take off, as the majority of it will go to them. I know that I seriously did over pack on the clothes-front, & both my bags were even under-weight. A few people in our group were at the check-in counter in Atlanta throwing things out or stashing them in other PCVs bags. It is not worth it to pay the overweight fee, & honestly, you won’t need it anyway. I brought four pairs of shoes, & only wore my Addidas flip-flops for six months anyway. I finally had to order a pair of Chacos & had them mailed here, but that’s a rare exception. Also, don’t weigh yourself down w/ vitamins. They get heavy fast.
I did bring a backpackers’ guitar, & if you’re into music & have access to something like that, then do bring it. You are allowed two carry-ons, & I held on to that bad boy all the way from Washington state to Swaziland. I had that & a backpack w/ a few necessities like toiletries, my electronics, a change of clothes, earplugs & a sleeping mask. & you know what? I survived out of that bag for a week & everything worked out. What I should have put in that bag was a towel, but Peace Corps sprung for an extra large washcloth, so I guess that was nice.
& my last tip is this: if you have a mobile phone that will work abroad & has been unlocked, then bring it. Peace Corps give you 500 Emalangeni for a phone, but if you have one of your own, then you can just pocket that or spend it on airtime so you can finally talk to your family. & believe me, calling your folks from Swaziland costs a pretty penny. For a three-minute convo in which I told my father what my number was & to call me back immediately, it cost E50.
Right. I’ll get back to work now.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
hello to possible G9ers!
23 January 2011
Sunday
1122
Ekhaya wami (my house)
The office is about to begin site identification for Group 9 this week, & that means the new arrivals are just around the corner. My friends who are on the Peer Support Network begin their trainings in two weeks, & last week my co-editor & myself put out our first edition of the Sojournal, or SoJo (the Peace Corps Swaziland newsletter). The Volunteer Action Committee is about to begin their term next month & the new wardens will be trained (for if/when the Emergency Action Plan is activated) next month, as well. Next week is the seventh-month marker for my group, & I can hardly believe that I’ve survived this long in an African summer.
But what I’ve been thinking about this week is the scant month in which I quit my job, packed up & moved to the other side of the world. In that short time, there was so much to do, & I barely had time to think about what life here would really be like. I’ve heard through other PCVs here that they had about just as much time as I did to prepare for Africa, having thought that they would be sent elsewhere in the world. The few people that did know Africa was their continent had been given the idea that it would be the French-speaking Western African region. So I guess my point is that at this time back home, I wonder just how many people are actually thinking that they have a shot at Southern Africa. On the off-chance that there might be a Peace Corps Nominee reading this now or in the near future, I’m going to start listing a few things that I brought w/ me that I have proved essential to my existence here in the Swaz.
Peace Corps tells you so much (& so little sometimes), it’s easy to get overwhelmed & forget that oftentimes it’s the little things that will make you feel at home & like you could actually do this. I’m going to be stressing over & over for the next few months (if I remember, that is) just how important it really is to be flexible, try to keep an open mind about what’s going on & why you wanted to do this. Comparing a service to anyone else’s in the world is pointless, as every culture & every person is so different. But sometimes it is a good idea to get an idea of what’s going on at a Peace Corps post.
I don’t know how many people saw that 20/20 segment on Peace Corps that apparently aired last week. Certainly, we haven’t seen it here, though our Country Director gave us the heads up on the negative slant of it. So while I don’t know what you guys saw, I wanted to take just a quick second to say that I have never once felt unsafe at my post. The family that I live w/ is great, & I think that even the kids look out for me when I’m out & about. Living in the sticks can be just as dangerous as living in a big city anywhere in the world; it’s just that the variables have changed. I don’t personally know anyone who, having reported any unease to Peace Corps, wasn’t taken seriously or given assistance. Our Safety & Security Coordinator is utterly fantastic. He is the coolest guy you might ever meet, & his accomplishments are pretty impressive. You’ll find out when you get here. (It adds to his mystery if you find out a little at a time!) He was just given an award at the Peace Corps Safety & Security conference in DC a few moths ago for being one of the top five SSCs in the world. There have been times that I’ve been discouraged, but never once did I think our SSC would let me down.
Okay. That’s out of the way. Here is a quick list of things that I’ve brought or done to make myself feel like this hut that I live in is really mine & that I have a safe & comforting place to come back to when shit gets weird out there. & bear in mind that I live in down in Lubombo, the hottest region in Swaziland. The climate here really does change region to region, so as Staging gets closer, I’ll drop a few more tips on what really is appropriate to pack, & what I might suggest you buy in-country. Having a lighter load to cart across the Atlantic will really be appreciated (& also score you Hard Corps points among other PCVs when you finally all meet up).
-a few pics of friends & family
-two of my most favourite books of all time. The PCV library in the main office is pretty nice, actually. Books are regularly left there when Volunteers COS, so the selection is eclectic & fairly good.
-my favourite sweatshirt. It’s a pullover, though honestly I wish I brought a zip hoodie, or at least a track jacket. They are extremely popular here, & once you get to site you will blend right in when you wear it.
-media. It’s the life-blood for many a PCV here. Music, movie & TV files will make you a hit among your new peers, & for those of us who have been in-country for a while, we will just eat up any new release you have & love you forever for sharing it w/ us.)
-comfortable shoes. If you’re a gal, I wouldn’t stress too much about bringing “dress shoes.” You can get something nicer if you feel the need when you get here (as long as you’re under a size 9—the ladies here don’t typically have larger feet), but plan for lots of walking. Even if you’re fit at home, it WILL NOT BE THE SAME HERE. The terrain is so different that you soon will begin to feel muscles in your feet that you swear to god you did not have. Unless you’re an avid hiker, I wouldn’t suggest hard-core boots, either. They aren’t strictly necessary. Nice to have, but not essential.
- a tiny football. I, apparently, am one of the only people in the world that soccer does nothing for. If this sounds familiar to you, I insist that you bring a little Nerf football or even a ball & two baseball mitts (if that’s your thing). The kids are always into playing w/ you & will be down if you want to teach them a new game. I left my Nerf football w/ my Pre-Service Training little brother, & I’m confident that he will love me forever.
-board shorts. Even though skirts are heavily encouraged here (& Peace Corps even tells you that they are required apparel for women), it really depends on where your permanent site lands you. For example, my community is pretty relaxed about it, as is my host family. I do not wear skirts on the homestead or in town. At PST, it’s important to look the part for Peace Corps’ sake, but things change once those first two months are over. If you are like me & hate wearing those damn things, pack two or three decent-looking ones that can get you through the first bit of time, & if you find you like them or if your site doesn’t give you the evil eye for dressing in (longer) shorts or jeans, then you aren’t out a ton of money or space in your bag. & chances are you’ll want to buy a few traditional skirt wraps (called lihiya). Those go over well at more formal meetings w/ the chief & w/ other elders in the community (& even at the local schools).
That about does it for things that I brought. But before I go, since there’s a thunder storm blowing in pretty rapidly & I’d like to get off this thing before it blows out the power & fries my beloved laptop, I’ll tell you that decorating your hut is the No 1 thing that will make things feel all right for you. At least it did for me. I love the sea & anything to do w/ the oceans, so moving to a landlocked country that is hotter than the face of the sun has been difficult for me. I’m a Pacific Northwesterner, after all. Here’s what I did upon immediate arrival to my site: I painted. Peace Corps tells you to home-up your joint, & they are absolutely right. I bought a custom color at the hardware store in the capital, Mbabane, & even though it was a little pricey for 5-liters of my “arctic blue” shade, it has helped to convince my brain that it isn’t as hot in my house as it really is. I painted the bedroom first, & have plans for (& have sketched) a tall ship mural on one of those walls. In my sitting room, I painted one wall the blue & found gift-wrap paper w/ tropical fish on them. I spent hours & hours (w/ the help of my little brothers) cutting them all out & gluing them to the wall in schools. All that work was worth it, since at the beginning you will be having plenty of time on your hands anyway. But here’s why it was so good for me: 1, it was a great way to bond w/ the kids in my family right away (& it’s not something you really need impressive SiSwati language skills to do), & 2, it’s just awesome to look at. I’m not the most artistic person in the world, so for me to say that it’s beautiful isn’t me tooting my own horn. Every day when I get home, it refreshes me, & every time I have a PCV guest over, they say they wish they’d done something more w/ their house right away. It’s so much easier to do things right off the bat when you move it, because even though you have time, the motivation rapidly leaves you.
My suggestion is this: do the things that you want & think will be cool first. You’ll always make time for the things you need (like curtains) later. I used an old sheet for the longest time before I finally sewed my curtains… & I don’t even know how to sew. They are totally McGyvered up there, by the way. & they work just fine. So don’t freak out about stuff like that.
& lastly, since the lightning is getting pretty damn close, if you are a Nominee to Africa & have questions, leave me a comment or shoot out an email. I’m at quovadimus83 at gmail dot com. & assuming that our mobile carrier isn’t sucking the big one & lets me log in, I’ll get back to you fairly soon. There are plenty of welcome videos on youtube that G6 & G7 made last year, so look them up. They were really nice to watch before I shipped out. & since a number of G7s are trying to extend their service, you’ll even have a few familiar faces when we gather for 4th of July at your training. PCVs will travel across an entire country (ha. Cause Swaziland is so big) for free cake. :D
Sunday
1122
Ekhaya wami (my house)
The office is about to begin site identification for Group 9 this week, & that means the new arrivals are just around the corner. My friends who are on the Peer Support Network begin their trainings in two weeks, & last week my co-editor & myself put out our first edition of the Sojournal, or SoJo (the Peace Corps Swaziland newsletter). The Volunteer Action Committee is about to begin their term next month & the new wardens will be trained (for if/when the Emergency Action Plan is activated) next month, as well. Next week is the seventh-month marker for my group, & I can hardly believe that I’ve survived this long in an African summer.
But what I’ve been thinking about this week is the scant month in which I quit my job, packed up & moved to the other side of the world. In that short time, there was so much to do, & I barely had time to think about what life here would really be like. I’ve heard through other PCVs here that they had about just as much time as I did to prepare for Africa, having thought that they would be sent elsewhere in the world. The few people that did know Africa was their continent had been given the idea that it would be the French-speaking Western African region. So I guess my point is that at this time back home, I wonder just how many people are actually thinking that they have a shot at Southern Africa. On the off-chance that there might be a Peace Corps Nominee reading this now or in the near future, I’m going to start listing a few things that I brought w/ me that I have proved essential to my existence here in the Swaz.
Peace Corps tells you so much (& so little sometimes), it’s easy to get overwhelmed & forget that oftentimes it’s the little things that will make you feel at home & like you could actually do this. I’m going to be stressing over & over for the next few months (if I remember, that is) just how important it really is to be flexible, try to keep an open mind about what’s going on & why you wanted to do this. Comparing a service to anyone else’s in the world is pointless, as every culture & every person is so different. But sometimes it is a good idea to get an idea of what’s going on at a Peace Corps post.
I don’t know how many people saw that 20/20 segment on Peace Corps that apparently aired last week. Certainly, we haven’t seen it here, though our Country Director gave us the heads up on the negative slant of it. So while I don’t know what you guys saw, I wanted to take just a quick second to say that I have never once felt unsafe at my post. The family that I live w/ is great, & I think that even the kids look out for me when I’m out & about. Living in the sticks can be just as dangerous as living in a big city anywhere in the world; it’s just that the variables have changed. I don’t personally know anyone who, having reported any unease to Peace Corps, wasn’t taken seriously or given assistance. Our Safety & Security Coordinator is utterly fantastic. He is the coolest guy you might ever meet, & his accomplishments are pretty impressive. You’ll find out when you get here. (It adds to his mystery if you find out a little at a time!) He was just given an award at the Peace Corps Safety & Security conference in DC a few moths ago for being one of the top five SSCs in the world. There have been times that I’ve been discouraged, but never once did I think our SSC would let me down.
Okay. That’s out of the way. Here is a quick list of things that I’ve brought or done to make myself feel like this hut that I live in is really mine & that I have a safe & comforting place to come back to when shit gets weird out there. & bear in mind that I live in down in Lubombo, the hottest region in Swaziland. The climate here really does change region to region, so as Staging gets closer, I’ll drop a few more tips on what really is appropriate to pack, & what I might suggest you buy in-country. Having a lighter load to cart across the Atlantic will really be appreciated (& also score you Hard Corps points among other PCVs when you finally all meet up).
-a few pics of friends & family
-two of my most favourite books of all time. The PCV library in the main office is pretty nice, actually. Books are regularly left there when Volunteers COS, so the selection is eclectic & fairly good.
-my favourite sweatshirt. It’s a pullover, though honestly I wish I brought a zip hoodie, or at least a track jacket. They are extremely popular here, & once you get to site you will blend right in when you wear it.
-media. It’s the life-blood for many a PCV here. Music, movie & TV files will make you a hit among your new peers, & for those of us who have been in-country for a while, we will just eat up any new release you have & love you forever for sharing it w/ us.)
-comfortable shoes. If you’re a gal, I wouldn’t stress too much about bringing “dress shoes.” You can get something nicer if you feel the need when you get here (as long as you’re under a size 9—the ladies here don’t typically have larger feet), but plan for lots of walking. Even if you’re fit at home, it WILL NOT BE THE SAME HERE. The terrain is so different that you soon will begin to feel muscles in your feet that you swear to god you did not have. Unless you’re an avid hiker, I wouldn’t suggest hard-core boots, either. They aren’t strictly necessary. Nice to have, but not essential.
- a tiny football. I, apparently, am one of the only people in the world that soccer does nothing for. If this sounds familiar to you, I insist that you bring a little Nerf football or even a ball & two baseball mitts (if that’s your thing). The kids are always into playing w/ you & will be down if you want to teach them a new game. I left my Nerf football w/ my Pre-Service Training little brother, & I’m confident that he will love me forever.
-board shorts. Even though skirts are heavily encouraged here (& Peace Corps even tells you that they are required apparel for women), it really depends on where your permanent site lands you. For example, my community is pretty relaxed about it, as is my host family. I do not wear skirts on the homestead or in town. At PST, it’s important to look the part for Peace Corps’ sake, but things change once those first two months are over. If you are like me & hate wearing those damn things, pack two or three decent-looking ones that can get you through the first bit of time, & if you find you like them or if your site doesn’t give you the evil eye for dressing in (longer) shorts or jeans, then you aren’t out a ton of money or space in your bag. & chances are you’ll want to buy a few traditional skirt wraps (called lihiya). Those go over well at more formal meetings w/ the chief & w/ other elders in the community (& even at the local schools).
That about does it for things that I brought. But before I go, since there’s a thunder storm blowing in pretty rapidly & I’d like to get off this thing before it blows out the power & fries my beloved laptop, I’ll tell you that decorating your hut is the No 1 thing that will make things feel all right for you. At least it did for me. I love the sea & anything to do w/ the oceans, so moving to a landlocked country that is hotter than the face of the sun has been difficult for me. I’m a Pacific Northwesterner, after all. Here’s what I did upon immediate arrival to my site: I painted. Peace Corps tells you to home-up your joint, & they are absolutely right. I bought a custom color at the hardware store in the capital, Mbabane, & even though it was a little pricey for 5-liters of my “arctic blue” shade, it has helped to convince my brain that it isn’t as hot in my house as it really is. I painted the bedroom first, & have plans for (& have sketched) a tall ship mural on one of those walls. In my sitting room, I painted one wall the blue & found gift-wrap paper w/ tropical fish on them. I spent hours & hours (w/ the help of my little brothers) cutting them all out & gluing them to the wall in schools. All that work was worth it, since at the beginning you will be having plenty of time on your hands anyway. But here’s why it was so good for me: 1, it was a great way to bond w/ the kids in my family right away (& it’s not something you really need impressive SiSwati language skills to do), & 2, it’s just awesome to look at. I’m not the most artistic person in the world, so for me to say that it’s beautiful isn’t me tooting my own horn. Every day when I get home, it refreshes me, & every time I have a PCV guest over, they say they wish they’d done something more w/ their house right away. It’s so much easier to do things right off the bat when you move it, because even though you have time, the motivation rapidly leaves you.
My suggestion is this: do the things that you want & think will be cool first. You’ll always make time for the things you need (like curtains) later. I used an old sheet for the longest time before I finally sewed my curtains… & I don’t even know how to sew. They are totally McGyvered up there, by the way. & they work just fine. So don’t freak out about stuff like that.
& lastly, since the lightning is getting pretty damn close, if you are a Nominee to Africa & have questions, leave me a comment or shoot out an email. I’m at quovadimus83 at gmail dot com. & assuming that our mobile carrier isn’t sucking the big one & lets me log in, I’ll get back to you fairly soon. There are plenty of welcome videos on youtube that G6 & G7 made last year, so look them up. They were really nice to watch before I shipped out. & since a number of G7s are trying to extend their service, you’ll even have a few familiar faces when we gather for 4th of July at your training. PCVs will travel across an entire country (ha. Cause Swaziland is so big) for free cake. :D
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