Hello!
We just got our cell phone...if you have a calling card, you can call 011268.694.0925 and we can say hi. We miss everyone dearly. More later. Love!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Yes we are alive and well
We are settling in to our host family home which we will be staying in until mid-august. We have a very nice family- they are very modern in their ideas and very understanding of Americans. Writing letters has been a bit difficult… apparently the post office in the closest town (Piggs Peak) only sells stamps for local mail, and tends to be closed a lot. I think it will be easier to send letters when we are at our permanent site. We are learning the language slowly…it is hard to really get into it because most of the Swazi people also speak English. Our SiSwati instructor Themba is really cool, and he is a great teacher too. We miss everyone over there, and want you all to know we are doing great! A note to Donna: yes, they sweep their yards everyday. You were right on when you said it would be like coming to America a few generations ago.
Our nights consist of eating dinner and watching sopas, or soap operas. They are big into sopas here. We also watch the news out of South Africa. I think the hardest adjustment so far is trying to stay so clean. Swazis are very clean people! They wash at least once a day, and we are supposed to do laundry every day (we haven’t been able to do that yet). They also sweep and mop every day, and sweep the yard, to keep it a hard clay like consistency. This at first drove me mad, because I thought it was stupid, but now I see it serves several purposes- if it rains, it isn’t muddy, there are these giant ants that live underground, and it seems to keep them away, and it also deters rodents, bugs and snakes.
Our days consist of classes…technical, language, culture, and medical. Most days are long, and it gets dark at 6pm because we are up in the mountains and it is winter. I am really looking forward to longer days! We love you all, and I am going to wrap this up so we can go start a quest to find a non-stick skillet. Companies that produce skillets that stick should be out of business now, I can’t believe people still buy that crap!
Our nights consist of eating dinner and watching sopas, or soap operas. They are big into sopas here. We also watch the news out of South Africa. I think the hardest adjustment so far is trying to stay so clean. Swazis are very clean people! They wash at least once a day, and we are supposed to do laundry every day (we haven’t been able to do that yet). They also sweep and mop every day, and sweep the yard, to keep it a hard clay like consistency. This at first drove me mad, because I thought it was stupid, but now I see it serves several purposes- if it rains, it isn’t muddy, there are these giant ants that live underground, and it seems to keep them away, and it also deters rodents, bugs and snakes.
Our days consist of classes…technical, language, culture, and medical. Most days are long, and it gets dark at 6pm because we are up in the mountains and it is winter. I am really looking forward to longer days! We love you all, and I am going to wrap this up so we can go start a quest to find a non-stick skillet. Companies that produce skillets that stick should be out of business now, I can’t believe people still buy that crap!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sawubona from Swaziland!
(Added later, sorry)
Well, we we’ve made it at last. We are finally here in Ngonini at a Farmer’s Training Site owned by both the Swaziland Government and a Lutheran Church. The mountains and plants are absolutely breathtaking. The people are very friendly and patient with us. Today we had a few children living on the training site to teach us how to wash clothes…it’s amazing how well they can speak both SiSwati and English. The food is really good. There are lots of veggies and they cook meat really well. We had mashed potatoes for dinner tonight (Yay, Pat!) We aren’t really sure when the next time we will be able to use internet is, but we will be at our training host family’s house by the end of this coming week, and we will know our assignment (if we make it) by the end of the month. We are supposed to get together with the group 5 and 6 volunteers that are left for July 4th and have BBQ. We love you all and keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Hamban Kahle (Go Well).
To the Buddies:
Thanks to everyone who called as we were leaving (and to Yingna for actually notifying everyone). And to those who I didn’t give a proper send off, I apologize for the vanishing act. It was one of those “it all happened so fast” moments. In the chaos, I lost valuable sleep and one sandal in DC. Unexpected perk was a visit from John. We all went to dinner where he had Chinese and sushi for the second time in one evening. Everyone in DC was very nice and accommodating and I didn’t get shot one time, so that didn’t go as planned. Then it was a day/night/day of firsts: the first time to leave the country, to ride on a plane that served meals (three) and played movies, to see an ocean (not counting the Gulf, there were more. We stayed in Johannesburg that night and then took a bus into the Swaz the next morning which lasted about 5.5 hours.
So that’s getting here, but since we parked it’s been awesome like camp. I am next to an orange orchard and I saw some banana trees on the way in. This, to me, is a good thing. Again, you can’t find a jerk around. Everybody’s cool and they all know both English and siSwati and they all coach you on it if you want. The kids showed Brooke how they wash their clothes and then we played hop scotch and I demonstrated both head and hand stands and they all tried to teach us siSwati (they were all fluently bilingual). And, I am about to lose power on the computer so I have to stop here. Love you all and Drive safe,
ReiD
Well, we we’ve made it at last. We are finally here in Ngonini at a Farmer’s Training Site owned by both the Swaziland Government and a Lutheran Church. The mountains and plants are absolutely breathtaking. The people are very friendly and patient with us. Today we had a few children living on the training site to teach us how to wash clothes…it’s amazing how well they can speak both SiSwati and English. The food is really good. There are lots of veggies and they cook meat really well. We had mashed potatoes for dinner tonight (Yay, Pat!) We aren’t really sure when the next time we will be able to use internet is, but we will be at our training host family’s house by the end of this coming week, and we will know our assignment (if we make it) by the end of the month. We are supposed to get together with the group 5 and 6 volunteers that are left for July 4th and have BBQ. We love you all and keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Hamban Kahle (Go Well).
To the Buddies:
Thanks to everyone who called as we were leaving (and to Yingna for actually notifying everyone). And to those who I didn’t give a proper send off, I apologize for the vanishing act. It was one of those “it all happened so fast” moments. In the chaos, I lost valuable sleep and one sandal in DC. Unexpected perk was a visit from John. We all went to dinner where he had Chinese and sushi for the second time in one evening. Everyone in DC was very nice and accommodating and I didn’t get shot one time, so that didn’t go as planned. Then it was a day/night/day of firsts: the first time to leave the country, to ride on a plane that served meals (three) and played movies, to see an ocean (not counting the Gulf, there were more. We stayed in Johannesburg that night and then took a bus into the Swaz the next morning which lasted about 5.5 hours.
So that’s getting here, but since we parked it’s been awesome like camp. I am next to an orange orchard and I saw some banana trees on the way in. This, to me, is a good thing. Again, you can’t find a jerk around. Everybody’s cool and they all know both English and siSwati and they all coach you on it if you want. The kids showed Brooke how they wash their clothes and then we played hop scotch and I demonstrated both head and hand stands and they all tried to teach us siSwati (they were all fluently bilingual). And, I am about to lose power on the computer so I have to stop here. Love you all and Drive safe,
ReiD
Monday, June 15, 2009
Bittersweet Goodbyes
Reid and I just got back from a wedding, and it was the last time I will be seeing my Corps buddies (I will miss you guys!) Reid and I are both getting very anxious, and are staying pretty busy. It is so weird to realize we will be in another country soon. I am going to figure out how to post our address on a sidebar- I promise I am decent with computers, I have just never had a blog before^_^ It should appear right below the title of our blog. Here it is again, and this is if you are sending mail or packages through USPS. If you have to use Fedex or DHL, let us know and we will give the alternate address.
Mbaban
Swaziland
Reid and Brooke Golden, PCV
U. S. Peace Corps
P.O. Box 2797
Mbabane, H100
Swaziland
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Last Supper
We just finished our last Sunday afternoon lunch with Reid's grandmother, "Maw Maw". It has become such a fun time for me to visit her and such, and we usually eat way too much food and pass out on the couch, a tradition Reid says has been followed since he was a small child. We will be going to Ohio to visit Reid's roomate and ride back with Aunt Susan, and then we have a wedding in Fredericksburg, so when we get back, we will only have about 5 days before it is time to head to the DFDub and fly to D. C.
I just wonder if we will ever get packed. Reid and I have made this observation that no matter what the occasion- decorating for a wedding, cleaning before company comes, etc. That whatever amount of time you alot yourself, that is how long it will take. If you think it will take all day, then it will. And this theory has proven true, although at first I thought it was akin to Reid's saying "Pressure makes diamonds". Well, I assume we will get it all together, and this not knowing what to expect is quite exciting!
I just wonder if we will ever get packed. Reid and I have made this observation that no matter what the occasion- decorating for a wedding, cleaning before company comes, etc. That whatever amount of time you alot yourself, that is how long it will take. If you think it will take all day, then it will. And this theory has proven true, although at first I thought it was akin to Reid's saying "Pressure makes diamonds". Well, I assume we will get it all together, and this not knowing what to expect is quite exciting!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Counting Down the Days
Well, we have been counting down the days, and hem-hawing about what to take and what not to take. We will be flying out of DFW on Saturday, June the 20, and we will be staying with my Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob for a few days--whom Reid still hasn't met. We got a welcome DVD in the mail today from volunteers currently in Swaziland, and that was really neat. It made me feel a little better and less stressed. I just added a bunch of other people's blogs that are going to be at staging with us and a few blogs of current Peace Corps Swaziland residents...hey everyone! We are very excited to meet you all!
The language has been daunting...I don't know if I will be able to make the click sound ever...I guess practice makes perfect!
The language has been daunting...I don't know if I will be able to make the click sound ever...I guess practice makes perfect!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
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