2014 begins in a relaxed way.

Christmas is over for another year and 2014 has settled in well here and I hope it is going well for you also.

It was great to have SKYPE contact over the break with you and also great to have a lovely chat with Sonny on Christmas Eve.

My Christmas day ended at Penny’s.  She had sent a txt message as I was finishing the last blog and was apparently expecting me for lunch.  It was 3.00pm - yeah, that’s normal.   I was aware that she had other invited guests, but didn’t know who…..   It was the VET!   with some of her family.  We had a phone conversation earlier on that day about the sick dog. Penny describes her, Sibongile Songo, as a quiet reserved person who likes to keep to herself.  When she realised it was me coming through the door, she jumped up from her chair and gave me a very welcoming hug, just like old mates.   Penny was looking on in surprise! Well we are friends now. 

On the Saturday after Christmas I went touristing with Isabel.  We went to the glass factory just out of Mbabane.  A place called Ngwenya.   They make some amazing glassware and always have something happening for viewing for the tourists.  Isabel was on a shopping spree for some glasses for family back home.  She is preparing for her departure.  The glasses she bought have a round bottom especially designed for yachting people.  They will roll but not tip over, so your drink is safe - don’t know the degree of rough seas it would fail in though!!

We watched a large red with black and white vase being made.  The viewing platform is above and surrounding the entire area. We chose to view from the best vantage point to see what was being done, it was the hottest part of the area as we were facing the furnace. The factory is promoted as the ‘hottest’ tourist destination in Swaziland. 

In the same complex there are many other smaller ‘shops’ where local produce is sold.  The local produce ranges from chocolates, honey and preserves and jams, clothing, a huge variety of woven articles using bamboo, cotton and mohair – fantastic! -  jewellery made from paper and other recyclables, woven baskets  and other ‘grass’ creations including some beautiful bags.

One of the shops in this location is the Swazi Fair Trade shop.   I was very interested to see this shop as it is the first on my list to talk to the management about getting our products accepted by them.

I want to get our sewing group on a bus and let them have a good look around this location and others in the Malkerns / Ezulwini area so they can see for themselves what other people are doing and making and their attention to the finished article.  I briefly mentioned it to Teresa on one of our SKYPE meetings. She didn’t answer with the enthusiasm that I wanted, but I’m going to work on that.  These ladies have not had opportunities to access such places and I think they need it.

Being the ‘hottest’ destination, after shopping and looking, at 3.00pm we went to order lunch and after there had been 2 tourist busses in we could not get any food.    We went back to Mbabane and ended up in the courtyard on 1^st floor Plaza of the Nedbank Building.  This is civilization.  Several eateries open onto the courtyard, complete with water feature and sculptures and on this occasion live music.  We dined at the Ocean Basket and both ordered basic fish and chips.  It is served in a frying pan!!  Different.  With a soft drink, our lunch cost $10 each.   While we dined we were also entertained by 3 young children who were taking advantage of the water feature and having a ball until a security guard put an end to their fun.  We both watched with interest where they went, did they have parents?  So many of them just roam free.  They were possibly in the 7 – 9 yrs. bracket, well dressed – before they started to get wet!  When we left and headed back to my place we saw them walking through town towards a housing area.   Who can remember when we were so young and free that we went to a park for some fun without any worries and parents??  Came home probably wet and dirty and got into trouble! But we had fun. Just like these 3 little ones.

                                                                 

I had been invited to dinner that night at the home of friends of Teresa and Daran.  Robin and Michael Pratt, also missionaries.  Robin originates from US and Michael from NZ.  They met many moons ago in Alaska and have now been in Swaziland for about 20 years or more.  Michael was a Pastor, now retired, sort of.  They have 4 adult children now living in various part of the world.  Robin’s background was nursing and Michael was a builder, some years ago they commenced an orphanage for abandoned children.  Robin was working in the Mbabane hospital and was aware of the need for this.  So they are both busy now with about 30 children, 4 houses, each with a house mother.  They have adopted a Swazi girl now 17 yrs. together they are a lovely welcoming and relaxed family.

Robin has asked if the sewing ladies could make some basic dresses for the girls.  I have said yes!!!

New year’s eve I took Annah shopping to Manzini to get some more wool.  She is totally addicted to her knitting and is now planning to knit for family and friends in preparation for winter.  She now has her own needles and is knitting a hat, beret style.    After we returned home I made some ANZACS.   Now she’s addicted to them.  I don’t think I have ever made them before, that was always Malcolm’s specialty along with apple pies and other biscuits as a very young age.   I miss your cooking Mal, I’m hanging out for duck fat potatoes, spag bol, Miss Alice’s fig jam and a long list of other yummy treats.  I had decided to treat my sewing girls to some typical ozzie food as they always ask what would I eat at home.  I’m making another batch to take with me on Tuesday.

New year’s day I was invited to lunch with the family I had gone to Kruger with.  It was a smaller version of the family, the parents of the small child were elsewhere for a week. Allyson’s parents from Durban were staying with her.  It was a lovely relaxed day with some great food.  I have discovered that trifle is a very popular dessert here.  I have been to dinner with 2 families and trifle was on both menus.  No complaints from me.  I LOVE it. 

After lunch Allyson decided that we would go up Rosa’s rock to see the view.   What a feat that was.  I was not wearing hiking boots, but some low wedges.   Their house is already high up, but not much view as it is well built up, but once we got to the top of Rosa’s rock and I managed to breathe again.  The view was huge.  We could see all sorts of Mbabane.  It is quite a well spread out city.   I know –  I know - what about some photos?????   I’m getting to that.   Coming down the hill I decided bare feet would be safer and that was a wise decision. 

After our exercise we watched some TV and Victor disappeared for a nap.

I feel that I have had enough rest now and I’m keen to get back to work.  I actually miss the ladies and our activities and I am missing some of the people from the Mananga complex.     However, I had a wakeup call at 6.00 today from Mkhosi (he was doing my gardening).  He is in the Good Shepherd hospital in Siteki with a broken arm.  A work accident.   You are probably wondering the same as me!   Why did he call me?  Why at 6.00am?   I can only assume that he needed a Mum, he is a very sensitive and emotive young man and he doesn’t have parents or family living – victims of aids.  I think he wanted to go somewhere other than where he now lives with no one there and he thought I was already living in Ezulwini.  If I was, I think he would have been comfortable with some company for a few days. 

I will be going out to the Low-veld on Tuesday and so I will catch up with him then.  I was planning to do a one day trip to talk to the girls and give them a brief on what is to come.  BUT I have to move my bed to Mhlume and catch up with others and now add Mkhosi to the list.  So perhaps I’ll be doing an overnighter and returning on Wednesday.

On Friday I decided to investigate the Ezulwini area a little more to see what’s in store for me.  First I had a drive around the area and there are so many tourist places.  The entire Ezulwini Valley is beautiful.  Rolling hills, lots of greenery and many trees.  Some huge resorts, a large golf club, hotels and an area of administration.  There are two shopping areas – one each end.  When I first arrived in Swaziland I stayed at Timbali Lodge which is at the western end and there is one shopping centre nearby.  The other end is about 8kms away and has the Gables shopping centre and the US Embassy.  In the middle somewhere there is a casino.  It doesn’t look like suburbia from the main road that joins it all together.  You need to get off the main road and have a gander around.  There are some lovely buildings that blend with the fabulous feeling and atmosphere of Heaven.

After a drive around I went to check out the shops.  I had seen one end of the Gables and was keen to see the other end which is newer.  There is a huge undercover parking with about 4 cars in, so I made the number up to 5.  All shops are upstairs which is actually ground level.  It’s so new that all shops are not filled yet. I lunched at Mugg & Bean.  It was good and I have now found the people who understand customer service.  They were great.  After lunch I went to the supermarket ‘Shoprite’ that Jenn has told me is the best.  She’s not wrong!!!  Huge, clean, tidy, well set out and displayed and the friendliest staff.  Yeah!! I am going to enjoy living around the corner. 

Isabel has given me info of a Yoga class nearby and so I have plans for 2014.  Lots of walking to do shopping – it is so close I could not justify driving.   And when it gets hot I can go to the Malkerns Country Club for a swim, about 5 kms away.  Probably a good idea if I get some swimming togs first!

Have you noticed?  I have given up the roller coaster!

After the huge blog last time, this is the mini one. 

my daily friend

Merry Christmas

BLOG  10.

YEAH !!!   WOW  !!!! and HURRAH !!!!  

I have a permit to stay in Swaziland until 6^th December 2015.      I am due to leave here on 14^th Sept 2015 as that is the end of my 2 year assignment.  So I am well covered.  The Permit was approved on 6^th and I collected it on 12^th   and it ONLY took 3.5 hours in the immigration dept. most of that time was standing in lines waiting for my turn to pay the E2400.  It has taken me 4.5 pages in my journal to record the story.  I just wish I could have videoed it.  You wouldn’t believe it.

 I have now been out of the country and into South Africa twice and passed the border control point where I was introduced to special treatment for foreigners.  All was calm and peaceful on these 2 occasions.

It feels so much better, being legally present in a foreign country.

Now I need to think about the past fortnight and what has happened and where I have been etc.

Let’s start about the time publishing the last blog,,   on the following Monday 9/12  I drove Daran’s ‘Bakkie’ to work.  A Bakkie is anything that may resemble a ute !!  if it can transport huge loads all tied on with thin cord it’s a bakkie.   Daran has a Nissan dual cab, therefore limited ute space.  Anyway I didn’t have much to bring into town.  It was such a different experience to drive the 150kms to work in such a big vehicle.  My little GSV was left at home so that Mr Shongwe, Penny’s friend, the bush mechanic, could do a service on it.

We had a pretty good and productive day of sewing and then it was time for me to head to Mananga college,  I was on the road, very muddy and pleased to have this big vehicle until -  to my horror realised that I had left the keys to the house in MY GSV – now 150kms away.   After many calls to get hold of the maintenance crew – they did manage to find a key for me to one of my doors.  PHEW !!!  I didn’t want to drive back to Mbabane just to collect a key. 

It was raining Monday and Tuesday, I worked again on Tuesday with the ladies.  It rained again Tuesday night.  Then on Wednesday morning, it was still overcast, but thankfully no sign of rain. I started to pack all that was left in my house.  My bed went to Nomsa’s house temporarily until Bongiwe has access to her house in Mhlume.  I will be staying at her house on Monday and Tuesday nights when I am back at work in January.  Hence I need the bed with linen and a fan.

Nomsa had arranged for one of the men in our complex to assist to load the fridge onto the bakkie and then us girls loaded and ‘secured’ all the rest.  Bookcase, tables, chairs, storage boxes and all the kitchen stuff.   We stopped about 3 times to resecure the load as it kept moving while we were on the gravel/dirt/mud roads for 14 kms. 

I now have ‘stuff’ stored in many rooms of the Rehmeyer’s house and before they return I will need to sort it out and try to get it all in one location.

The following day I got my permit, almost a full day exercise and later I had dinner with one of the volunteers, Isabel, who lives in Ezulwini.   Isabel is leaving us at the end of February and hopefully taking up a paid job in another country in Africa, Burundi.  Her last interview is at the end of January.  Fingers crossed for her.

I like her unit and where it is located and have let the landlady know that I am interested to move in after Isabel leaves.   Ezulwini  - the word in Swazi means Heaven.     How cool to live in heaven for 18 months of my stay here.  Ezulwini is an area that I have sort of looked at longingly as I drive between Mbabane and Mananga.  My first 3 nights in Swaziland were spent there at Timbali lodge.

It is the centre of art and craft, hospitality and tourism and seems like just the perfect place to be.  The unit is at the back of the BEST shopping centre in Swaziland and has a cinema. ‘The Gables’. Adjacent to the shopping precinct is a huge building under construction for the US Embassy.  It is surrounded with screens, privacy and security.   I will need to go past it to get to my unit.  I feel that it will be a very secure location.  The unit is at the end of a house, using the same secure gated entrance then drive to the left for my entry.  Isabel tells me it is a lovely place to live.  Penny was upset when I had to tell her of my change, which I had expected, but this time I need to be where I am the most comfortable, at ease and the bonus is it is my choice.

I can stay on at the Rehmeyer’s until I move and will occupy the underneath room and now that the dogs are my friends, I can come and go without being considered breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Bear, the scary dog, eats from my hand now and loves carrot.

A very important event for all of Africa, but mostly South Africa was the passing of Nelson Mandela.  I have kept some newspaper cuttings from here as some of the stories really touched me.  I sort of felt privileged to be here at this time.  I think the entire country lives in the hope that his legacy will be upheld although the current President seems to be very different to Nelson. 

It has been so perfect for me to have SKYPE access and to have experienced a few conversations with familiar faces and voices over the last week or so.   Thanks to all who have been available to chat with me so far and for all others, let’s do it soon.   I have 3 weeks left of this luxury.

Since being in town I have made contact with people of interest to the ladies and their sewing, like the Swazi arm of Fair Trade and a group called Gone Rural and hopefully that will lead to others.  I have been told of organisations that may be worth contacting and of course there is a zip manufacturer in Matsapha, near Manzini.  I am on the lookout for what sort of craft there is here, especially in the area of easy sewing that would suit my group.  I may be traveling around a bit early January for this purpose.  There is some interesting time ahead for me and the girls.  I would like them to accompany me to some locations so they can also see what others are making and creating to get them inspired from external sources to really strive to reach their goal of financial independence.

On Tuesday 17^th the sewing ladies of Section 19 and their teacher had a Christmas lunch.   It was unlike any other Christmas lunch I have ever experienced. Without actually being there and experiencing the atmosphere and hearing and seeing all that happened it will be hard for you, the reader to fully grasp it.  I will give it my best shot to give you the feel of it, because it was so special.

I left Mbabane at 8.00am and the entire top of the mountain was in thick cloud.   The road out of town, major highways / 4 lane, was treacherous and very scary.  Most vehicles travelled slowly and with their hazard lights on until we got done low enough that we were out of the cloud area.   As I got closer to the lowveld it was becoming clear, blue skies and a promise of a good day.  I first went to Tambankulu to have my nails done – pretty colour to match my outfit.   I was wearing black and white African print skirt with a hot pink t-shirt and matching cotton scarf.  I now have hot pink nails.

I arrived at Section 19 at 12.00 which was pre-arranged.  Most of the ladies were there on the sewing veranda and were all aghast as I drove in.  It took me a while to work out why.  They had never seen me dressed any other way than for work and no makeup.   I noticed that the veranda and surrounding area had been cleaned very well, but there was no preparation of the foods we were to eat – it was all on the table!!  I did wonder what time we would eat.

I unloaded my car.   Christmas cake, 4 large bottles of soft drink, a bag of oranges, apples and bananas.    On the table there was 3 chickens, killed, plucked, beheaded and be footed, although these walky, talky parts were in the same container.  Jane seemed to be in charge and commenced to clean the chickens thoroughly in water that looked very clean.  I didn’t dare where it came from.  The chickens were put on the board and Jane and Rose started to cut into cooking size pieces, maybe not as keenly jointed as we may do, but similar.   Any thicker parts that may require more cooking time were cut /scored for this purpose.  I was invited to cut up the last of the 3 chickens.  They were testing me to see if I could be a Swazi woman. While this was being done Nonhlanhle and Khunyisile sat on the edge peeling the tiniest cloves of garlic until they had about ¾ of cup.   They handed this over to Khumbuzile who put them onto an enamel plate, sprinkled with salt and then crushed with the bottom of a glass jar to blend into a paste.    Who needs the kitchen whizz???

All the chicken pieces were covered with the garlic paste and set aside for a while.   Mean-time, Nonhlanhle had the braai going (the open pit smouldering wood – with a heavy wire grate over it).

A huge bowl of lettuce, tomatoes, onions and capsicum were then washed thoroughly and inspected closely.   Once done I was asked to break up the lettuce into bite size pieces and put into a bowl while 2 others then sliced all the tomato.  I was also given the onions to cut !!!!   another test.

Once all these ingredients were ready, Jane asked me to mix them together. There was as much tomato as there was lettuce.  Everything was salted as it was washed and no dressing used, just the juice from the tomato.  It was actually a delicious salad.  Who needs oil, vinegar etc.??

The chickens went around the corner to the braai and the salad was covered with a large plastic bag. 

Time is marching on – it’s now about 1.45pm.   nothing was going to happen until the food was cooked and I noticed that there were signs of hunger and it was not just me. 

I suggested that we have a cold drink and a piece of cake while we wait.  Brilliant idea. No cups !!!!   Of course I didn’t think to bring something to drink from.  Someone produced a pile of empty 500ml drinking bottles that were thoroughly washed and we decanted from the 2 litre bottles into smaller ones.  Brilliant!   I cut cake and little bodies seemed to appear from nowhere.  I made sure all the ladies had a piece of cake, generous size and then I went for a walk around the complex with a plate of smaller pieces and gave every child a piece of cake with really thick fondant icing -  a good sugar  hit for all.  There were a few other adults there as well so they all got a piece. 

I had bought all the ladies a scarf like mine and all different colours.  I got them to choose their own colours and that seemed to be the best thing to do, because had I chosen it would have been a different picture entirely.   They were all worn immediately and many photos taken with lots of laughs and nonsense.

Without a drop of alcohol the party mood was in full swing and the atmosphere was so friendly and warm and fabulous.  I kept checking on the cooks to make sure they were not feeling left out. 

It happened about 2.45pm  the food eventually came off the braai and was delivered to the table. 

I must back track.   Ncamsile made a gravy!!!   In the 3 legged cast iron pot – it has a name – but I didn’t write it down – she put in the walky talky parts and the innards of the chickens with some onion, garlic, tomatoes and something with a bit of a kick and some water.  The pot went into the braai.  Jane had also prepared some ‘pap’.  That is mealie meal (made from Maize)  it is made like a porridge totally without flavour!.  Its just white stuff that fills you up.

Now all food is on the table.   We are all gathered around the table and I asked Jane to do the prayer.  These ladies are all Christian and prayer is normal practice to them.   A she was about to open her mouth a man came along and wanted to buy air time for his phone.  Jane left, and so did Nonhlanhle, not sure why.    I looked at the others and asked what now???   Ncamsile started to sing a Christmas song in SiSwati and they all joined in. They natural sing in beautiful harmony. It was fantastic to be with them.  Khumbuzile started another one that includes hand gestures and some dance type moves.  Well I could not do the words, but I could copy the hands and feet part.  It was fun and I created some laughs for them.  When Nonhlanhle and Jane returned, Jane did the last verse of this one in English for me.  It was such a treat to be in the company of these women and so happy and just all big smiles and happy faces, no one sad or miserable or bickering.  

After the singing Jane did her prayer -  she is training to be a pastor.  Jane spoke in SiSwati, but it was easy to get the thread of her prayer, a thanks for everything in front of us and beside us and for our teacher.   I noticed that a couple of the ladies had wet, red eyes.   I tried to respond but was a little choked and so I waited until I could speak.  We all hugged and then ate.    The chicken was FANTASTIC,   try it sometime…..     the salad delicious,  pap – filling and the gravy just perfect.   The ladies all had something on their plates from that pot other than just gravy.

All the food went somewhere -   there was only 8 of us and it was all eaten or a piece kept for a partner or a child.

We finished the drink and I cut up the last half of the cake. After we each had another I cut smaller pieces.  The children were watching from a distance and as soon as I walked to the edge of the veranda and called them I was surrounded by all these cute little faces.   They were so happy to have a second bite of the cherry so to speak and again I went for a walk to make sure that Sister got another piece.

Without a doubt, those few hours will be one of the most memorable moments of my time in Swaziland.  So many hugs and smiles and laughs and great food and the best company.  I was then able to do my little talk and thanked them for making the day one to remember for a life time and for them to be my Swazi family especially as I could not be with my own family. They have made me very proud of them all.

I left with tears and dropped Rose and Khumbuz at their stop.

Alas the roller coaster continues……   

Thursday I was to have a meeting with the AVI coordinator at 11.00am.   I left the house in plenty of time, drove about 500 meters and my car stopped !!!!  tried starting it and it would not stay running. I noticed a smell of petrol and so I abandoned that plan, rolled it back down the hill until I could get it off the road safely.  Walked back to get another vehicle from ‘our personal car yard’.  Took the bakkie to town for the meeting and shopping and in the meantime got Mr Shongwe to do his magic.  It was a fuel line and so it was replaced.

The meeting was OK nothing to report there, just had to fill in a form about my current situation with contacts etc. etc. etc.   AND I had to do it properly. . . . . .

Friday I went to Nelspruit with Penny.  She gets Mr Shongwe to drive if she goes long distance.  So it was a cruisy day for me.  The scenery was fabulous, beautiful green rolling hills and mountains behind mountains behind mountains.   Once we got into South Africa the roads were much better and the rural homes different shapes and more colours.  In some areas there were big farms with bananas, pineapples and a lot of citrus, apples and pear orchards.    It took about 2.5 hours from Mbabane travelling northerly along some very winding roads.

I wanted to go to Valencia.   It is a shop in Nelspruit, similar to spotlight, but much better quality.  Their fabrics are beautiful and so well displayed and many staff to assist you.  There is a separate room, huge, with all the sewing notions and accessories.   Down stairs is the home-wares and curtain section.   On the upper level there is a café that opens into the shop.  Great food and also some books for sale.   I was having a good browse and getting some ideas for our group and they announced that the store was closing at 12 and re-opening at 2.   HOW !!!   (that is Swazi for WHAT!)

Guess what I did?   YEP, I positioned myself in the café for 2 hours having found a book to purchase and start reading.  Another book from Alexander McColl Smith, title 44 Scotland Street.   I love this author – famous for the No1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  

At 2 there is another announcement that the store is reopened.  The owners are Muslim and the closure was for prayer.

My shopping was pretty quick as I had done all the choosing before lunch.  Penny didn’t return until well after 4 from her shopping expedition.  We then picked up KFC and headed for home.  Our return trip was in the opposite direction going through Pigs Peak, a northern part of Swaziland.  A very strange name -  but named after a Mr Pig and the area is the peak of the country’s mountains.   This took us past the Maguga dam.  It is pretty massive and most impressive as it was overflowing due to the amount of recent rains.  

I got back home about 7.30pm and was then contacted by friends of the Rehmeyers, whom I had met, with an invitation to go to Kruger National Game Park with them next day. !!!

Oh Boy !!!   This is a bit too much fun – will I cope?

We left @ 6.00am and returned @ 9.00pm

There was 8 of us in a people mover type of vehicle – fortunately.  There was Mum and Dad and 3 of their 4 offspring, one of them was accompanied by her partner and 2 yr old child.

Our journey took us through Pigs Peak going in the opposite direction, and because it was daylight we stopped at the dam then drove across the wall road.   

Arrived at Mlalane Gate of the Kruger Park just after 8.00am

The buildings are mostly concrete brick rendered and with thatched rooves.  It all looks African!!

Because of recent rainfall – it is rainy season, everything was very green and lush.  As we drove through the many roads and tracks, it was difficult to spot animals because of the thickness of the vegetation and there is an abundance of food for all animals and they don’t have to travel far to feed.  I know this because I was told by the occupants of the vehicle.   Thought I would add that explanation – I’m no expert YET !

There was one person either side of the vehicle with binoculars to do the spotting.   We hadn’t gone far when we saw 2 Giraffe.   When you see them in their own place they look so much different and of course it is the whole experience of actually seeing them without a cage and the knowledge of them being  ‘at home’. They tell me the park is fenced and monitored.  The park is about 400 miles long and almost 100 wide at the widest part.   That’s like a station property in the north of Australia.   

I enjoyed the experience of seeing for the first time so many of the African animals and birds in their own place.  I have taken photos of all I could get and have realised that my camera does not have the zoom power I thought it did.  Allyson’s camera was just perfect and so she has promised to share her photos with me.   I saw many elephants in family groups, some just eating, walking and some playing in muddy water.  Saw two littlies playing around the elders’ legs.  They probably weigh 4 times what I do and ever so much cuter !!!

Only one complaint -  not one big cat was out for viewing on this day.     Well it just means a return visit or 4.!!!

There are many gate entrances to the park to accommodate the huge distance it spans and giving people access from many geographic locations.  All gates have some form of accommodation and recreation facilities.   The roads and tracks are in excellent condition and they all link up somewhere and there are numerous signs, so with the park map you cannot get lost.  Of course you not allowed out of the vehicle unless you are at a gate facility.  There are park vehicles always taking people on tours and so if you have a problem you will be found.  All of the gate facilities have natural water courses that are for animals and they have viewing facilities. 

They tell me it is best to be there either at dawn or dusk for the water activities of the animals.  My next trip will be an overnighter so I get both of these times in while there.  The accommodation is reasonably priced.  A 2 person round hut is about R400 per night – that is about $40.

Anyone care to join me??????

I just loved having the opportunity to visit the park with others – for the first visit.  I am happy to return myself if there are no takers!

When I got home I was greeted by my two furry friends, one who is now unwell.  Very hot to touch and not eating.   Great!!!

I had to call the vet to him on Monday as he was getting worse.   Diagnosis was tick bite fever.   Pretty bad.    It’s now Christmas day and thankfully, he is much better, although the vet was prepared to come by earlier today.  He has started eating again so she went about her Christmas day a planned.

Yes it is Christmas day.

When you read this it won’t be . . . . . .  however I do wish you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.

I hope you are able to enjoy every minute of your time with family and friends and cherish the occasion and be loving and gracious to each other.  It is so humbling being here in my situation and to have the opportunity to really think about what is important in life.

I miss you all and I love each and every one of you.   I think of you all constantly and even when I’m driving in game parks – how I would love to share these moments with you. But all I can do is put it in print and then (hopefully) with pictures.

I did have invitations to join several people for the day, for lunch, or for whatever.  I declined all.   I had such a wonderful day with my sewing ladies, and I am taking that as MY Christmas day.    I would dearly love to be ‘home’ with my Sonny and Miss Alice and family and  friends and familiar places, but I cannot.  So I have made myself comfortable for the day, looking after the dogs and doing some chores that the maid is no longer able to do.   The maid is Annah and she has been with the family for about 8 years now.  She is a delightful, round, happy and smiley person and I have taught her to knit.   Fortunately there is not much work to be done with only me in the house and so I make sure that she rests and does knitting and has a quick nanna nap.  I think Annah is in her 50’s and she has some form of cancer, but she cannot get accepted for surgery as she does not have the money to pay upfront.  So she is waiting for the Swazi Govt. to do a deal with the South African health service.

We all just look after her as best we can.

So my message for Christmas is –

Take care of each other, love and cherish every moment, be happy with what you have and give up wanting what you have not.

Be kind and comforting to yourself so you can be kind and comforting to others.

I send love and hugs with this message to all who read it.

Georgie xxxx

p.s.  I found another Santa tea pot for my new collection.  I’ve given up collecting fabrics and such.   

Blog 9

Dear Readers,

Will I dare to start with the Permit story?

The surprise is I don’t have it yet. . . . .

I moved much of my gear into Mbabane on Wednesday. A friend who has contacts in high places, made a phone call and it started an avalanche of events,  the first was a visit to immigration where I was told by the person I was to report to, that there was a document required and I was given a name of the document.  It didn’t make sense to me  - the uninitiated!!  -  I was aware of the documents that were gathered by the AVI coordinator and all was present – I thought.  The immigration officer became very agro and I think she was in training for a job at the border control.

She wrote vigorously on a piece of paper what was required and then stamped it with the official immigration date stamp with the force of an iron monger that made paper the shudder.  I grabbed the paper and high tailed it out of there before I was next with the date stamp.

I called the coordinator and imparted some of the story and handed it back to her.   Many phone calls later, including to the employers who are now in the US having a holiday.  We needed to prove to immigration that KuDvumisa is a registered business in Swaziland.  For this they wanted to sight the original document and have a certified copy of same. Word got back to me that it was on the desk in the house.   FOUND and taken by the coordinator to where it had to go and she was told that it (my permit) will now be ready on Monday.  From the start of the day 10.30, first phone call, this ended at 4.45pm

Next blog should have  . . . . . . .  I’m not putting it in print – just in case.

Last week was affected by lack of energy from whatever bug I had ingested and resulted in a trip to the clinic at Simunye, where once again a nurse did all the prescribing and would refer me to a GP if the conditions were unchanged in 2 days.  Well in 2 days I was moving to Mbabane and I can report that there is significant change to prevent me from returning for medical treatment at this stage.  The nurses appear to be highly trained and the one I saw on Monday was in the process of applying for a scholarship to do her masters in Australia.  We discussed some aspects of Australia and it was revealed that she does not like the cold, because she had not yet clicked on send to for application, she was going to have a look at Perth and Brisbane for other options.

I returned to the sewing group after the clinic and shortly afterwards, Teresa and Daran arrived to talk to them.   It was all very friendly and positive and they were told of their need to take notice of the teacher and to continue to do a high quality of work as they have shown they can do it!!   Teresa was good with them and they showed a good response. Even though we are never sure that the interpreter is telling it as it is or putting their slant on things.  They do not like to check on each other and I notice they rarely comment in a –ve or +ve manner to each other.  Let me explain a little further on that point.  Because they do not criticize - they cannot let another know that she has made a mistake.  So in terms of the new person who cannot sew a straight line to save herself, they won’t comment or assist her, because that would also be seen as criticism.  This goes for me also.  One of the biggest issues I have is to tell them when they have done something wrong and to unpick (goop goop – that is their word for unpick). It can take some time for them to recover, no matter how delicate I put it.  I must admit I have changed a bit on this note and they understand and joke about the previous teacher who used the word rubbish if their work was not up their own standard, so I have started to use the same word when things get too bad!

I will return to them this week coming and that will be it for a few weeks.

On Monday last week I had a call from the AVI coordinator, to say that our country manager is visiting Swaziland and he will be coming to Section 19 on Tuesday

There was clear evidence that it was going to be a very humid day, I arrived at S19 to find no body there yet and so the workplace was a mess.  Jane was not ready yet and so sent her daughter to help me to clean up.  (this is another change scheduled for 2014 – a roster for preparing the workplace)

I had stopped to talk to another of the ladies who lives in one of the stick, stone and mud buildings, actually hers is the one with the bright orange door.  Her son about 16 months is the cutest little cheeky monkey on the planet and she has now taught him to say Georgina.  He talks so clearly and it sounded so funny to hear my name from one so little. I need to get a photo of him to show you and then I need to get onto flickr with my photos. That is a Dec/Jan plan.

We commenced the day with 2 catastrophe’s  -   1. Janes machine would not work and 2. Khunyisile’s husband had locked the door and gone off somewhere, so she could not get in to clean up after working in the field and her machine was locked in there as well.

I decided to ignore these issues as I wanted to get on with showing them this new bag. My intention is to perfect it early next year and make it from their traditional fabric.

I tried to start everyone off at the same time having cut our about 6 bags ready to go.  This plan got way out of whack very quickly, there were bobbins being threaded, needles being replaced, people sharing machines, a bit of goop goop happening as well and they were only on the hem of one of the inside pockets. !!!   what chance did I have for the rest of the bag????   Sometimes I want to sit down and cry and other times like this one I just want to burst out laughing as it really is a comedy.

This little bag takes me 30 minutes to construct and that includes cutting out.   –Yeah – I know - I’m just a smarty pants.

By lunch time we had almost 3 bags completed having started at 10am. 

Then the AVI pair arrived. Firstly the Swazi coordinator talked to the women in Swazi and introduced herself and Thomas, who is from Botswana originally, has lived in NZ for many years before coming back to Africa 2 years ago with this AVI contract.  So he didn’t understand the Swazi conversation and we chatted quietly.    I could see that there was a lot of encouragement happening in the conversation as Lusanda had met with Teresa and Daran the night before and had been briefed on what was said to them.  There was a bag for sale that I had hung especially for Lusanda, knowing that she admired the fabric.  And of course the pressure was on to buy.   Which she eventually did.    

I was taken to the Tambankulu club for a drink!!   Soft or course. However I thought this was a bit strange as it was lunch time.  They just wanted to have time with me so they could tick off that box.

It was all very cordial, pleasant and encouraging.  When we returned, my car had been washed by some of the women.  It was caked with mud and our water at Mananga had been off for days – outside taps only that is!!!

Thomas was very interested in the small bags and was keen to purchase.  I talked him out of it at this stage and suggested he wait until next year when they are sewing them really well and we are using shwaeshwae.    He agreed.   Here is the link, there are some lovely new colours and designs.  I am so looking forward to playing with this fabric rather than what we currently use. 

 http://www.dagama.co.za/

I think I mentioned in the blog 8 about the storm on Saturday night (30^th Nov) and the roar of the wind.  It reminded me a bit of cyclone wind sound, but I didn’t take much notice until we went to Tambankulu club.  In the vast grounds there are many very large old trees and it is such a beautiful oasis, so lush, green and cool.   I had been told that Tamb had taken a big hit from the storm.  As we drove in and through the grounds I could now see what they were saying.  Many of these large trees had lost many big branches, some split in 2, and then just before we got to the club 4 very large trees were totally over.  The root ball still intact as they were lying in a row.  They were very old trees sadly with mostly surface root systems.   The root ball of the biggest had a diameter of approx. 5 meters.   Thomas took a few photos with his phone and I am waiting for him to send me a copy.

Meanwhile back at S19, 3 of the ladies cut out another 2 bags each to sew the next day.   When it was time to leave, Rose was missing…   I usually give a lift to Rose and Khumbuz.  It was eventually revealed that she had gone to collect her phone from a man who was charging it for her.  He has solar panels and charges phones for a price.  I was wondering how they managed to use their phones without power ?????

My new abode, 

I moved in with a car full of my things.  I am now rattling around a huge 5 bedroom house and have 2 guard dogs, secure gates and razor wire for protection.   The dogs have become my friends already as I am getting rid of some stale bread that has been in the fridge for who knows how long.  I also have discovered that is the best way to give Bear his daily pill, in his daily bread.  These 2 lovely creatures who are supposed to be very scary!!!   They are outside dogs and spend most of it reclining, resting, eating and pooing.  One of their staple foods is avocados.  The neighbours have a huge tree and they get all the fallen fruit on our side of the fence.  They eat at least one a day.  And none is saved for human consumption.  I would have to be there and catch it as it falls, because once it is on the ground it belongs to the dogs.  I and won’t argue with them over an avocado.

It is very quiet where I live, and no rooster at 5.00am.   From the front of the house all I can see is the houses on the other side of the street, but from the back of the house, quite elevated, I can see across the gully and up the hill in the distance.  It is dotted with houses and trees and sometimes I can see them.  At night it looks lovely with the lights.  Today it is reasonable clear now, it was in cloud earlier and I could only see white fluff. As the cloud lifts the view changes to just out of focus.

I was out driving yesterday and not being in the mindset of getting back to Mananga, it was a pleasant journey and I enjoyed taking in the scenery as much as I could while driving.  I was impressed with how green everything is at the moment and that is the entire country.  This is the rainy season and it sure has rained.   It all looks so clean until you get into some of the town areas and that is where you see how people live.  Litter is a huge problem here.   

I wanted to find a store in Manzini called Standard Traders, I had been given directions, but not really looked until this trip.   I was told it is the best place to get sewing requirements.   FOUND IT.

Maybe not such a good thing!!!!   It is so clean and tidy and it has so much fabric!  Their range of shwaeshwae if fantastic and zips equally fantastic and prices also fantastic.  It will be the place I go to now for all our supplies,  that is until I can get to South Africa, Nelspruit, where there is a store called Valencia.   I had parked my car around the corner, in most areas of Manzini there is a parking attendant assigned to an area of each street and he comes to you when you park to collect E2.50 and give you a ticket to display.  On my way back to the car I walked into another shop out of curiosity – remember that I have been out in the bush for almost 3 months and have only seen the shops in Simunye and Tshaneni – pretty basic.  I now discovered there are shops!!!!   I bought a handbag, fabulous, medium size, black and bright orange in leather for E170, less than $20.    I then headed for the car and quickly left before I was overtaken by the shopping bug.  I could feel it chasing me down the street.

Because I now have unlimited internet while house sitting I did some internet searches yesterday and I have found the choir and the band who entertain guests at Malealea Lodge.  Here are the UTube  links for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGNFoK7IYac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1_pFp8SgR4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4bH7WFaQCo

OK, with promises of pictures and more visual content, here is a little sample for you.

It’s now time to get this published and I have got some prep work for tomorrow with the ladies as I will not see them after this week until January.

So I best get on with it and not disappoint my students.

Love to you all,

Georgie.  xxxx 

Blog 8

How time flies when you’re busy.   I know that is supposed to be having fun -   but!!!  It is not all beer and skittles here.

When I wrote the last blog I was on the verge of getting on the next plane out of here.

And now so much has happened since then, I’m still keeping an eye on the airlines, and at the same time working through some changes.

Since my return from Lesotho I have been to Mbabane 3 times to follow up on my Temp Resident Permit.  Still not ready.  I do know now that it was only lodged on the 8^th November.  I have spent a lot of time travelling every week to Mbabane.  This week just gone I went to get the TRP – having been told the previous week that it would be ready on 28^th.   Now it will be ready on Tuesday 3rd. would anyone like to guess another date ???  The nice man at the desk did tell me that I do not have to do a border run – just do not try to get out of the country and I will be OK. No more fines etc.  That’s comforting.

I’m jumping all over the place as I try to put the last 2 weeks into some sequence.  Hope you can keep up …  J

When I came home the week before on 22^nd Nov. there was a note under my door to say that my lease expires on 1^st Dec and due to the takeover of Mananga College, by an unknown company, all renters are to be out by the 31^st of Dec.  the dates are a bit confusing, as the lease for my house is supposed to be the 31^st Dec, so there could be a typo in the written notice, but I’m going with the 1^st. as it suits what I am about to do. I know the 1^st is today, but I have 10 days.

Teresa & Daran are going home to the US for 7 weeks, leaving on Tuesday.  I am going to house-sit for that time.   For the first 2 weeks I will be coming back out to Mananga to spend Mon, Tue, Wed with the ladies.  After that I will empty my house and leave some things with Bongiwe at her house in Mhlume.  Bongiwe is another employee of KuDvumisa foundation / CHIPS. And has offered for me to sleep 2 nights at her place each week.  Mhlume is about 15 kms from section 19 and mostly on sealed road.  YAY

For most of Dec and the start of Jan I will be doing research online and locally to see what we can do to assist these ladies.  Also doing a submission to AusAid for a grant.

When Teresa & Daran return from the states, I will move into Penny’s and rent one of her single bedroom flats.

Initially I did not want to live in the city, but now I am quite looking forward to being able to live a life that may be more normal for me. I’ve done the adventurous part and I’m mostly over it now.  I will miss Jenn and Ian, who have become my saviours of late.  They are about 5 Kms from me.  I will continue to see them each week when I am back here. I am especially keen to move so I can buy food fresh that is what I like to eat.  While house sitting I will have access to unlimited internet and so my SKYPE will get a work out.  So be prepared.

Apart from that - the only other update on me is – probably not what you want to know, but too bad. On Thursday night I attended a thanksgiving dinner / feast.   I then vomited all night and still have diarrhoea.  I have slept on and off from Friday 5.00pm until this morning, Sunday 7.00am.  I now feel that I have enough energy to keep my head on my shoulders.  I haven’t felt this bad since I had glandular fever.   No more thanksgivings for me.  What was it ???   all the food was over cooked, over spiced and over flavoured and did not blend very well at all.  My delicate gut protested very long and loudly.   I have had a small breakfast today, the first I’ve eaten since Thursday night, and it is still in me somewhere.

Did I mention this before ??  If so just gloss over it -   who watched the TV series No1 Ladies Detective Agency?.  Penny has about 6 of the books and I working my way through them rather quickly.  They are just as fabulous to read as the series was to watch.  Now that I am in Africa it is even more real for me.  I can see what the writer is talking about.  If you ever have the chance to get the books you will not be disappointed.

Now for an update on the sewing project.

I am learning about the Swazi people – I hope.

We achieved 77 bags and the majority of them are very good.  10 of them I had to finish or unpick to finish as the sewing was either bad or the sewer was not up to that skill level yet.

So 50 have gone to NZ and 20 to US and 7 staying here and I have another local order for 10.   The story of the bags - I have probably mentioned before - they were making a particular bag that has become their staple selling item.  I made some simple changes to the way it is made so that the finish of the bag is much more professional and classy and attracts a higher price. They were selling for E120 – about $13 AUD.  They are now E150 about $16.

While the new way of stitching them is much easier, they have a habit of cutting corners, not measuring, not matching, falling back into the bad sewing habits that they have adopted and testing my tolerance.  I watch them sometimes, well all the time, and they know what they are doing and look very slyly at me to see if I have noticed.  When I pull them up on it they become annoyed.   I am having difficulty getting them to understand that if it is done in a particular way they will always have a great result and not have to unpick anything.  This is obviously too much for them to comprehend. 

I have been battling with this for weeks and constantly repeating the same instruction over and over, and when I thought we had finally made it, they almost in unison, decided to show me otherwise.  On Wednesday I was totally dumbfounded at the workmanship they were turning out it was appalling, the day before they were fine.

At then end of the day I called to see Jenn and Ian and burst into tears as I walked through the door.  Then I discovered that these ladies have a reputation for being manipulative!  They have been through several teachers over a period of 4 years.  While talking to Jenn and Ian, we thought that early next year I will get an independent translator to start the year off with how it is going to continue. Topics will include praise for work of course – as well as - quality control, payment for work based on quality, payments for machines taken from earnings etc.

I was talking to a man from US who has been here for several years and he is convinced that they do not have the capacity for information retention that we have and it could be the case that they do forget from one day to the next what they have learned.  So he suggested to have samples of every step of each item for them as a visual aid.   That’s another job the Dec/Jan.  At this point I’m willing to try anything.

A little story from last week.

On Tuesday morning I drove Khumbuzile and her daughter to the clinic in Vuvulane on a back road, full of ruts, potholes, water and mud.  I lost a hub cap !!!  Wednesday I decided to go to work that way to see if I could find it.   Driving along peacefully - and my car just stopped !  dash lights on and no engine sound.  PANIC !  I am on a road much less travelled.  Now what ???  I was about to get out of the vehicle and behind me was the CHIPS van.  They pulled over to assist me and everyone decided that I was out of fuel.   I’m thinking now that if I bothered to look in the bush I would have found my hub cap. Why else would my car just stop for no reason ???

Anyway – on with the story.  I locked up the car and hopped into the old van and off we went to Simunye to get some fuel. This old van should have died a long time ago.   First I bought an empty 5lt. plastic water bottle for E5.  Got the fuel and on the way back the staff had other errands to do, so that was taken care of and eventually we got back to my car.  I suggested that I try to start it before we put the fuel in and of course, like all good little cars it fired up straight away and nothing wrong.  The fuel light was not on and Mary still lectured me about driving on low fuel when in this country etc.

I then continued on my journey to section 19 and at the junction I picked up a very well dressed Swazi lady and gave her a lift to the highway.  ‘Coincidence’      she speaks excellent English and is looking for a new career, vocation etc.  She runs her own grocery store at P5 and has had other small businesses (see below for P5)

She has qualifications in marketing and business.  Swazi’s love to have qualifications and their uni is free to encourage an educated society.

She is very interested in learning about sewing - not necessarily to sew, but I was taken with her style and perhaps the opportunity of mentoring her as the person who will take over from me to keep the group going.  I had already decided that it would not be appropriate for a current member of the group to take on that role as there is too much disharmony and bickering amongst them.   We will be talking to her next year to see if we have a match.  Fingers crossed.

P5.  Scattered throughout the cane growing areas are these settlements / villages for workers and their families.  P5 is just the name given to this particular one.  Because the inhabitants do not have transport it is a good little business to have a shop in a village.  This lady, Phindile, was saying that the cane cutting season is about to finish and she will be looking for something else for a while.  They are all so mobile in their lifestyle and where they live and what they do out this way.  Totally different to the life in the city.   I thought that the cane was grown in rotation all year round.

I think we’re up to today now.  Last night there was a bit of a storm with very high winds.  As it approached us it sounded like a giant bear roaring.  It was strange.  Instead of moths, I had leaves in the windows.   It only lasted about an hour.  The good thing is today is cool and very pleasant.

I’m signing off now.  I wish I could send you some mangoes.   We have hundreds of them here and after last night most of them are on the ground.

It’s cheerio from me for this week.

Love to you all and thankyou so much for your continued support with emails and comments and knowing you are there.  Please don’t stop, I need the regular sanity intake.

**HUGS**

Georgie xxxx

BLOG 7

It is so long since I had time with my computer I almost forgot how much fun it is. . . . . .

As I was ending the previous blog, I was about to go to Lesotho.  Pronounced -  Less oo (as in who) too. 

I have not only done that and returned, but it is now a week later.    I am also a week behind in my journal book and have planned to do ‘ketchup’ again this weekend and get this blog out to you all.

I am now a registered ‘criminal’ in Swaziland and they have my thumb print and E500 payment in fines for overstaying my welcome.   WHAT ????

On our way to South Africa, for our trip to Lesotho, we had to go through a border control point between Swaziland and South Africa.  Our Swazi team of 6 volunteers with our country coordinator were on a bus from Mbabane and headed for the airport in Johannesburg – Tuesday 29^th Oct.  I will remember this date for a long time.

We all got off the bus and filed into the check point with passports etc.  

We are allowed to stay in Swaziland for 30 days without any visa or permit.  On this date I had been here for 46 days and did not have my Temporary Resident Permit YET or evidence of a permit application, even though it was submitted on the 25^th Oct and it is normal practice that a receipt is given!   A senior customs officer who wanted to flex her already big muscles (?) really gave them a work out with me.   Oh boy!  Was she savage!! I was taken out to a back room.  Then came 2 police officers into the picture – playing at good cop, bad cop and a senior male officer waiting with the cell door open.

I’m not going into all the detail of this only to say it was a very stressful situation that would have been avoided if I had gone out of country on or before my 30 days. Which I would have done, had I known.  I was allowed back into Swaziland after our visit to Lesotho and now I have another 30 days for my application to be processed and hopefully approved.

I have my date of escape marked on my calendar now in BIG PRINT.   Just in case I need to a border run.    Sounds like a TV show ???

Lesotho – a good story.

A must visit again place. !!

I was fortunate to have a window seat on the flight and the approach to Lesotho was spectacular.  The majority of the country is high altitude and mostly mountainous.    I was again seeing similarities in the appearance of the terrain to the Kimberley and was eager to get out of the plane to see it at ground level.

In every direction I looked there were a serious of hills after hills and hills all getting higher and higher.  I understand that they are covered in snow every winter.  The temperature was very pleasant.  I had been told to expect cold and was loaned a jacket -  I had longing thoughts of my favourite blanket jacket that was left behind.  Anyway – it was not needed.  The weather was just perfect for the 3 days of our visit.

I need to add in here the purpose of our visit!!  Once a year all volunteers are to attend an In-Country Meeting (ICM).  Swaziland and Lesotho volunteers were grouped for this ICM and the location was chosen by the Lesotho team.  PERFECT. They get full marks for this spot.

From the airport we were taken to Malealea lodge by kombi bus, about an hour’s drive south of the capital (and airport) Maseru.

Along the way the terrain and buildings etc. was so different to Swaziland.  We were in rural locations and it appeared that residents live in small round or square dwellings and have a small plot of land for growing a variety of crops and having some form of livestock.  Every one of these plots has a herd attendant.  I noticed how clean and tidy they were.  (My drive route from Mbabane to Mananga is littered with litter and straying animals without attendants etc.)

While we were all in short sleeves, the attendants all wear a blanket that is historically and culturally linked with Lesotho.  (Checkout  Louis Vuitton -  he has used these blankets in his latest fashion shows.) They also have a beanie or hat and a stick for gently moving the animals if they stray too close to the road.    This is totally the opposite to what I experience when travelling out to my location in Swaziland, the cattle and goats just stroll along the side of the road or across it when they can see that the grass is greener on the other side. 

The dwellings are mostly made from concrete block bricks (modern – it used to be mud) with a thatched roof or a tin roof that is secured on top of the building with many large boulders, rocks or more bricks.  One thing really stood out --  all of these little plots has a bright shiny tin square object with a vertical white poly pipe on one side.    YES  outdoor dunnies, of the self-composting variety.   They are all so new and shiny – it looks so out of place with all other dwelling types that are very grey and brown.  But it is so good to see this type of humane development.  We could do with a few of these at section 19.

On the way to Malealea there is a rough handmade sign  “Picture Perfect”.  For a few seconds you wonder what it means and then over a little rise  -  in unison we all went WOW !!   and the driver of the van, probably seen this a thousand times, just kept driving.  We all wanted to get out with cameras and capture what words just cannot describe and I’m not even going to try.   Well just a little bit -  an amazing vast valley that was surrounded with mountains and dotted throughout were little huts, sewn crops and livestock, all of them minute from our platform.

We eventually arrived at Malealea Lodge after about 10 kms of gravel/dirt road that makes my daily journey seem totally glorious. 

The lodge is spread over several acres and caters for up to 150 guests in a variety of accommodation huts!.   I forgot to charge my camera battery !!  I do have some photos, but not what I really wanted to capture.  The colour theme of the location is a reddish brown mud finish on all buildings, with thatched or bright blue roof and red window and door trims.  The mud render on walls is patterned with finger drawings and embedded stones.  There are round huts, square huts and larger oblong shaped buildings that have 3 rooms.  All are scattered across an acre or 2 with lawns, gardens, trees and stone pathways.    Very basic accom inside the rooms and a communal dining room, bar and activities room.  Also a meeting / function room that we occupied for our meeting.  The atmosphere was made for relaxing and de-stressing.  Separate to the dining room there was a small coffee shop where you could get good coffee, tea, muffins and great cakes for a good price.  I had coffee and cake, twice,  for E35 – about $4.

Some of the older buildings that are not mud finished are painted with murals depicting life in Lesotho.  I am planning to return before I leave Africa just to unwind and take the photos that I didn’t get.

Every evening a group of local men and women come to the lodge to entertain with their singing and dancing – all in their local language, but they give a story prior to each song.  The lead singer / teacher has the most amazing voice -  soprano !  Their harmony is fantastic and they sing about 8 songs and do their feet and hand movements. One of the songs is about a dance that is performed in a kneeling position.  It did look rather strange.

After the choir, the men take over with their hand made instruments and their song and dance routine.  The instruments are made with roughly carved sticks and tin cans with some form of wire.  They hold these like a guitar. There is about 4 of these and one drum.  It is a 40 litre drum with a solid rubber top and attached to it the percussion!  This is fashioned from a solid piece of wire like an upside-down U and small tin/metal discs attached across the top.  The drummer has two short and solid sticks as drum sticks and he bashes out a pretty good sound.  There are about 3 – 4 men who do a dance routine and they all sing.  Some of their dances are very cheeky and they get lots of laughs.  They have a very strange shoulder movement that is very captivating -  one of the other vollies said “its not captivating Georgie, it’s HOT!”  Liz has recorded one of these routines on her iPad and has agreed to share it.  I will get a copy from her one day soon to show you.

They have CD’s that sell for 100 Rand - $11  Liz purchased one for us to share and I put in donations for both groups.

While we were there many other tourists were staying as well.  Our group was 17 and other groups were larger than ours, plus many couples and smaller groups.  It was always busy in the dining room and the bar.

The food resembled boarding school menus, but was at least wholesome. ???

On our last afternoon Liz and I went for a walk into the village area where life is very basic and rural.  We were joined and highly entertained by 3 young girls age range was about 3or 4 to about 8.  I have great difficulty working out the ages of the children, they look older than their years.  The girls were very entertaining and loved to dance and sing.  Especially the youngest.  She was so gorgeous I was very tempted to smuggle her out of the country.  Their smiles were huge and showed beautiful teeth. They just lit up for us and performed so well.  We were then joined by a young boy as well who joined in the dance routines and he did the shoulder thing as well.  It must be something they learn very young.  We tried to do it but – no go !!!  It looks like their spine from base of neck down is separate to the part of the spine above.   Liz has videoed some of the entertainment also and I will get a copy from her soon. The little one who kept following us, appeared to be having shoe problems as she kept bending to remove something from her shoe – I thought it was stones, but no she was giving us her treasure collection.  The ring pulls from cans.   We both came home with about 6 of these.  We were told later that they save them.  Not sure what for.  All I had with me to give them was a handful of mints that I had taken from our class room at the end of our sessions.  We now think that money was the preferred exchange.  OOOPS !

We also stopped to talk to some ladies in the craft centre who were sitting and stitching by hand.  We both bought a pair of earrings handmade and I purchased a stuffed doll of sorts depicting a mother and baby with traditional fabrics and the Bosotho blanket.  Each doll had a tag that showed a photo of the creator – I was very interested to discuss this back here for our ladies.   I was wearing a bag that I have made here using the traditional shwaeshwae fabric.  It hangs across chest from one shoulder and is just big enough for passport, money, cell phone and has 3 pockets that are secured with a large flap that velcro’s closed.  One of the ladies was very interested and wanted to examine it.  I bet next time I visit she is making them.  She asked how much I sell them for.  I had made it to show my ladies and it will be the next item I introduce into their product line.  Since making this little bag I have used it almost daily.  Especially when shopping, travelling etc. it is very handy and secure as it is under your arm or can be worn under a jacket.  Brilliant creation.  Even if I say so myself.

All orders welcome and will be filled ASAP of course.

The tragedy was having to leave on Saturday morning.

I was a bit nervous travelling back and not feeling confident of getting back into Swaziland.  I’m happy to report that I got through with a fantastic greeting and a great smile from the customs officer.   PHEW !

Saturday was a very long day -  I know it still has 24 hours -  and 13 of them was travelling or waiting at airports.  I arrived back at Penny’s around 7.30pm.

On Sunday Penny had arranged to take me to Forrester’s Arms for lunch.  It is one of the landmarks in Swaziland that is a must.  The drive from Mbabane is roughly 40 minutes in rolling hill country, with some great views.  Forrester’s Arms is a restaurant / guest house / function centre.  Sunday brunch is very popular and the food is fabulous and selection is huge.  It is buffet and cost is E140 per head.  $15.  Many people consider this expensive and use it as a special treat location.  Keep in mind that salaries are very low here in comparison to our basic wage.

After lunch I packed my car and headed for Mananga.  It had been raining quite a bit while we were away and there was a pretty nasty storm on the Wednesday and many trees down etc.  I left Mbabane around 4.30, had to call into a store for some fresh supplies and knew that I would be getting home on dark.   Before I reached the gravel part of my journey it was dark.  The roads were a mess and it took ages for me to reach my home.  About 200 meters before our gate a power pole was almost on the ground and took up ¾ of the road and right at the point I was there another car was coming from the other direction.  I had to stop and pull over to allow the other through.   It was Wednesday before the pole was righted.

This last week was HOT and so the roads have had a chance to dry out.  Most of the roads where I drive have since been graded, but the Mananga end has not.  I think when the roads are constructed a layer of river stones is compacted into the soil and with constant use they embed themselves further.  The rains were so bad, apparently, that the soil has been washed away leaving the stones exposed and reasonably high making the road very rough -  ‘rocky road’ without chocolate and marshmallows- who ever heard of such a thing.

Did I mention before that the COUCH has gone to a new home???  While in Mbabane I met a couple who are returning to US and have things for sale.  I have secured a futon bed/couch for the lounge and some outdoor furniture that will also go in the lounge and a lawn mower for Mcoze to use instead of his back breaking hacksaw.  He is so excited.

Last week at work was very hot.  The direction of the sun’s rays is moving and our sewing area is in a bad spot.  From lunch time we had sun at the edge of the veranda and by 2.00 it covered half of our space.  It was so hot on Wednesday that the heat and glare from the floor was very uncomfortable for me, but they just kept moving to avoid direct sun and continued to sew.   I think they are determined to get the order of 50 bags done as it means good money for them before Christmas. 

They revealed to me last week that they are the same as people anywhere!   There was some unrest amongst them based on the uneven number of bags being made by each person.  Of course the beginners are much slower and still require assistance and I was not there for a week, while the experienced sewers had more bags made.  On Monday I had to sort this out and ensure that each has the same opportunity to sew and achieve the same level of income.  This is going to be a bit tricky as the sewing skills of 3 are still pretty raw.   I do all the cutting out at home as it saves time while with them and means I can help more.

After experiencing the heat and discomfort of the sewing location I am determined to find a way to gain funding for a location that they can easily access and will provide for a more suitable facility to cope with the extremes of summer heat, the wet and the cold of winter.  I have been talking to Liz, another vollie about crowd funding and Daran has come up with WORTH for micro loans and I am already donating to KIVA for micro loans.  So with all the above we should be able to secure something more suitable eventually.

I have obtained some frangipani cuttings for my garden.  I had to go the Simunye Police Stn on Friday for Teresa and Daran to get forms signed. . . .  that didn’t happen – normal stuff, wrong person, wrong look, wrong form etc.  (They will need to do it themselves next week.)  my reward for the journey was -  I saw a garden opportunity just waiting for me -  it appeared that maybe during the storm while I was away, a large frangipani tree had blown over and was cut up and stacked ready for disposal -  I picked up 3 lovely pieces already dried and ready for planting.  It is a beautiful magenta / red flower and will look fantastic at my little cottage. 

I think that’s about it for No.7.

How did you all go with the Melbourne cup?   Picked the winners I hope. 

Cheers from my part of the world,  Georgie xxx

it's been a hottie today,   

blog 6 - catch up

Blog 6.

I want to catch up with what’s been happening since last blog entry. 

The days seem to melt into each other and before I know it a week has gone.  I thought life would slow down when I got here, but alas that hasn’t happened, its going faster.

So Saturday 12^th was as hot as hades, about 100 in the waterbag. And now this Saturday was about 17.   Is this sounding familiar???    Just my luck -  the weather here is changeable too. And of course I shouldn’t complain because there is lots of relief from the heat at this time of the year.   And summer is just around the corner. 

I need some hang out at home trackies here.  Of course I got rid of that part of my wardrobe before leaving OZ, and now I live 2 hours from a decent shopping area.  Oh well.   I’ll just have to suck it up….  Because I went to town last week and there are no tackies to be found – wrong time of the year for that shopping.

So the sewing days this week – 14^th – 16^th.  Was not a good one.  Two machines had to go to the fixit man in Manzini and Daran was not happy.  Both machines where left from other ladies who are no longer part of the group and therefore the organisation had to pick up the cost of repairs.  

So with 2 machines down, 3 new ladies decided to choose this time to introduce themselves and let me know that they are the replacements for the ones no longer here.   One lady, Ellenah, has her own machine, not in good nick and she does not speak or understand English or simplified commands.  WOW – just one of my challenges.   I am discovering there are limitations to my illustration skills and putting a pin where you want them to sew does not work.   They will sew either side, and maybe they think they have to avoid the pin or break a needle.   When will I be able to talk enough SiSwati to give good instructions ???   probably in 2 years time. !!

The next new one whose name is  -  Nonhlanhle -   she is a natural. !!!!   WOW -  was I excited.  She speaks and understands English and has a great attitude to learning and cannot work hard enough.  She has shown me her perfectionism already.  Unpicks things quietly if it does meet her own standards.  A few more like her would be fabulous, but then I would not have much to do.   Hahahahaha

The third lady -  I cannot even remember her name, but I do remember that I could not get my tongue or teeth to work right.  So I need to discreetly ask for a repeat and practice before I run into her again.

With our new purchase of fabrics I spent some time on the weekend cutting out some of the bags that they have been making.    When they started to sew I quickly realised that what they have previously learnt, and the best way to sew this bag, are very different.  I watched in amazement at some of the sewing skills being applied and watched in horror at others.   By the end of day 1 I was exhausted.  Day 2 more of the same and at the insistence of Teresa, who wanted the ladies to make a particular pyjama pants pattern that seems to be trendy in the ‘states’.  So I thought we would give it  go. 

This was about lesson No. 6 for me -  don’t try anything new on mass !!!   just do it as a single and get everyone to watch. 

The pyjamas were a disaster.  1 out of 6 was acceptable.  I was most concerned about the waste of fabric that is not easy to get.   As a result we are going to advertise for any unwanted fabric to be donated so we can use it for training and learning purposes.   I know where there are tubs of fabric in storage !!!!

One of the ladies, Kumbuzile,  I call her Koombooz.  She is very quiet and sits and sews and doesn’t chatter to much like the others,  a quiet achiever, she has only one eye that works – not sure how much though and is a culprit of not sewing where the pin is placed.  The ladies are encouraging her to learn to speak some English, and so she is inclined to repeat what I say. 

Last Monday I was telling the ladies I would not be seeing them until the following Monday as I had to go to Mbabane.

After our class I often give Kumbuz and Rose a lift to the nearest corner for them.  I had only Kumbuz this Monday and she loves to sit in the front – if Rose is there she is relegated to the back seat as Rose would not be able to get in or out of the back of my  GSV.

I stopped at the corner and KumBuz, gets out   -   and in her best Ozzie accent says -    “see ya Munday”     I didn’t know what to do or say -  I was laughing so much at her strine accent.  She copies me parrot fashion.

When I got control of myself I replied,  “humba kahle”  that means go well.  She went off with a big smile on her dial.   See it’s the quiet ones you’ve gotta watch.

Now I have to be careful with my words and polish up my pronunciations a little.

So I headed into the city on Tuesday morning,  it had been raining for 4 days, not heavy, thankfully, as I have 14 kms of dirt / mud to navigate to reach the sealed roads, I did , a few mud skates in places, but got there without too much drama just a very muddy little GSV.

The new volunteer who was supposed to be with us at departure, had finally arrived and so we were doing some of the orientation things together, like the visit to the UN office for more talks on security, then to the medical centre for  a check to ensure that we are not idiots.   The form is to be signed by the GP and attached to our application for Temporary Resident Permit.  I have now been in Africa for 6 weeks and this was to done within 4 weeks from arrival,  so I may be home soon.  The other requirement for being in town was to do the first Assignment monitor and evaluation discussion with my employers and AVI officer.   Very typical govt red tape stuff.    The biggest concern was that I am only teaching for 3 days a week and what do I do on the other 2 days.

As this assignment is full time we need to come up with justification for the 2 days.  I have given Daran a list of what I do and when etc. and he will add others things as he feels necessary, like communicating with his other staff who look after the health of the people I am teaching as most of them either have HIV/AIDS or are exposed to it.    Sadly the country officer doesn’t use reality when assessing things, and gets heavily involved with the jargonistic political correctness and always choosing the longest and most convoluted way of addressing a question or statement.  Like I just tied to do.!!  Daran kept asking her to put this into simple language – I  love him!

That meeting went for 2.5 hours and commenced an hour late due to the country officer, who being Swazi is allowed to be ate, but we are not.  I have noted that Teresa and Daran are practicing to be Swazi in this regard.  So I have decided that I will give it a go too.

We finished the meeting at 5.30 and then raced up the hill to the home of Teresa and Daran to pick up some old curtains that can be used for their office in Vuvulane or sued for training purposes. I was asked to stay for dinner and so did and helped to cook spag bol.   Very different !   after dinner they host a family fellowship, I stayed for this and it turned out to be a very good idea.  One of the ladies arrived with the biggest and the yummiest cake ever.   She has now been given the task of cake provision every week.   The people were all fabulous, very friendly and welcoming.  There was a couple from NZ who have been in Swaziland for 2 years and have just been told that their 3^rd year has been cancelled.  They are now leaving early in December and returning to NZ via Australia.   I just happened to have with me one of the bags that the ladies are making and it was the first with some good changes and it looked fabulous.  Well Sharon wanted to buy it.  They have selling for E120  (which is about $13) because of the changes made to the bag I said E150.  She not only bought that one, but another that Teresa had purchased for a friend.   I sold 2 bags!   I was so excited and can’t wait to tell the ladies.

Sharon asked if she could have 50 bags before she departs to take with her to sell.    YAY !!!  our first commission.   WOW.   I have about 20 cut out already to start.  I have also designed a small bag that is most suitable for travellers to hold passport, cash, glasses – the things you need to have ready access to and keep securely.   I requested opinions from people I met and other vollies and will re-design before we go into production.  I use one for myself now and I love it for when I go shopping. 

I went shopping with Penny before leaving Mbabane and it was very pleasant, she is a great person and I have secured a place at her home whenever I am in town.

I arrived back at my palace about 5.30 on Thursday and fund that I have now secured a gardener.   What a miracle transformation.  He is a lovely young man, so polite and friendly.  He had cut down all the dead branches, cleared around the trees where there was 3 feet high grasses etc.    Teresa and Daran had arrived behind me to pick up the ‘couch’   it has now gone to its new home.

I noticed that Nomsa had done washing ad was still cleaning my house,  I walked in to find the kitchen covered in dead bees. .   – so the story goes -  the gardener had disturbed a hive in the garden, i.e. he chopped down the part of the tree that housed them, and of course they were in search of a new home.   The ones that got into the house couldn’t get out and got caught in the mosquito net and that was the end of them.  Pretty powerful netting.   I then found that they were making their new home in the roof space and the drone from inside the house was very audible.

My gardeners name is Mcoze,  he is familiar with bees and understands their behaviour.  He said he would smoke them out at night when they were quiet.   Around 8.30 he arrived with a piece of rubber from a tyre that was alight and he was holding that in front of the small hole they were using to access the roof space.  He was not sure how would it would work and would check in the morning. 

Well they appeared to be quiet,   later in the day I heard an incredible swarming sound and noticed that they were all in the mango tree and only the occasional 1 or 2  near the eaves.   A little later another swarming and now I don’t where they have gone to.    I thought of all the honey in the roof space – YUM. 

Well it’s now Sunday 27^th and I am up to date.

Before I sign off I must tell that I found short life – real fresh milk in Mbabane and have filled the freezer.

Next week I am going to Lesotho for an AVI in-country meeting of the volunteers from Swaziland and Lesotho – about 20 of us in total.  Staying at www.malealea.co.ls

Georgie **