ThanksGiving In Swaziland

Hi everyone, 25 November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving. Our Peace Corps group that arrived in June is back in the capital city of Mbabane for a week of In-Service Training. I'm sure you're thinking – didn't they just finish 2 mos. Of training – when are they ever going to get to work? Actually all of this front end info really helps us to be more effective volunteers in creating sustainable growth – change that lasts long after we've departed. We can come in and quickly change things how we think they should be, or we can spend the time getting to know the culture, language, ways things are done etc. and then work within the system to be a catalyst for the change that the community all wants to happen. That takes time, networking, and communicating. Peace Corps has learned some things in the past 50 yrs and this is now their model world-wide.

Although we'll be missing our family on Thanksgiving, at least our group will be together, to ease that loneliness. The country director has invited us all to eat with her at the Ambassador's house. The total number of volunteers
in country is about 70, so it should be fun.

I promised to tell you some about the schools. Our kids get up at 5:00 a.m in order to be dressed, washed, beds made, fed and out the door at 6:15 to walk the 45-50 min. to the Primary School in town. School begins at 7:20, and continues until 1:30, with a ½ hr. break around ll:00 or so. There is no formal lunch break. Some kids pack or buy a snack for break time, but our kids usually wait to eat their main meal when they get home around 2:30.

There are government run schools throughout the country, but no buses, so most kids walk. The government has just begun to provide”free” education and has started at the 1st and 2nd grade levels. All other grades require a fee – which is relatively small for primary grades, and gets higher for high school. Still, it was enough to prohibit some from sending their kids to school. The classes are quite large – most average 50 to a classroom, with the 1st and 2nd grades at 60. The schools are constructed of cement block, have doors, windows and a corrugated iron roof. The classrooms are sparce, wooden benches and tables, a chalkboard up front and little else. Most learning is by rote and repetition. They do have textbooks and are offered a variety of subjects: Math, Science, English, SiSwati, Social Studies, and Religions Education, even at the first grade level. However, we've discovered that no one is taught to think or reason. There are few books published in SiSwati for pleasure reading at any level. All subjects are taught primarily in English, so the kids become bilingual at an early age. We've noticed that there's little interest in reading for pleasure even when books are available. So, that's one of our goals is to introduce interesting, recreational reading to the kids we're in charge of, and hope it sticks. Secondly, we've noticed even 6th and 7th graders who still count on their fingers for math. They never had to “learn the math facts” - except the process. So, again, Mike & I want to see if we can at least drill a few math facts into these kids while we're here. We have a captive audience, we've built positive relationships, and have a great learning environment, so hopefully we've have some success. We've noticed that many of these kids, who've had lots of turmoil in their lives prior to coming to the children's home, have difficulty learning in traditional ways. There's no such thing as “special ed” in individual schools – just 1 school for the deaf, 1 school for the blind, and one school for severe mental handicaps. So, we've already seen some progress during our tutoring sessions and will keep on plugging away.

Gotta go to class. Don't eat too much turkey. I hear we'll be eating turkey, but know stuffing will be different, since I have yet to see any celery here.

Love to you all, Gail & Mike

Travel Plans from The Swaz to USA--Fun, FUn, Fun

BLOG11062010

Hi Everyone, “Sawubona” and Greetings from “The Swaz”---

I think some of you know that Gail and I are new Grandparents (!) and perhaps some of you know that we are planning a little visit back to the “good ole US of A” in mid January to see the new grandchildren, as well as catch up with family and friends.

In this posting, I will describe how we are going to return to DC to see John, Mary, and the grandkids………and I think you will agree that the trip is going to challenge even the veteran travelers we are.

We depart 8PM Africa time from Johannesburg, South Africa on jet destined for NYC/JFK. .

That sounds easy except that we are 5 hours from Jo’burg, by car, and essentially there is no scheduled public transportation service from where we live to Jo’burg. So here is the game plan….

1) Depart our house at 6:15AM………and get a ride into town –with our 4 big suitcases—to the public bus station. The station is open air---pray for no rain, as it will be the heart of African summer and also the rainy season. At the bus station arrange for a ride in a “kumbi”—think Passenger van……to Jo’burg. The van will start loading at 7AM, but no set departure time……it leaves when full—and I mean full !!—and we are hoping to depart by 10 or 10:30 AM for the 5 hours approx to Jo’burg. The van will be hot, overcrowded, maybe wet, but with a little luck we will depart, and get to the South African border—and cross into South Africa. Let’s say we leave at 10AM, we are still in good shape for our 8PM flight. Except…..the transportation does not go to the airport…so our choices become: 1) Try to “arrange” with the driver to take us by the airport if we “grease his palms”, or 2) Get a local cab in Jo’burg—extremly expensive, and extremely unsafe—to take us to airport from wherever we get dropped. And remember, we are hot, maybe wet, and got the luggage. And by the way did I mention we have NOT got cell phones that work in South Africa ? We got phones for Swaziland and when you cross the border, uh-oh !! Yikes ! Let’s assume all goes well, we do make it to the airport, and get checked in, thru passport control, to the gate for the 8PM flight.
2) Flight is 17 hours total time. But I bet the most fun will be when we land half way thru—after 8 hours—in Dakar, Senegal for refueling, and we are kept on the tarmac, not allowed to depart the plane, for 2+ hours while refuel. And of course it is 4AM Africa time and probably 90 degrees. If all continues well, we get back to 35,000 feet…fly for 8 hours, and land at NYC/JFK…..at 7:40AM Eastern Time, but to our bodies it is 3:40PM. We now must collect those 4 BIG suitcases, clear customs, and find our way to the gate for our 10AM flight to Washington, Dulles. Flight leaves JFK, lands at Dulles at 11:40AM. We collect our four big suitcases, and figure out how we will get to Mary’s, and by the way….remember we left African summer, 90 degrees/wet…and have flown into mid-winter in the DC area. And of course our Swazi phones will not work in the USA, either !

Needless to say, if we make it safe and sound to Mary’s, with all our stuff, dry and warm, and on time—after traveling for 38 hours ( remember Africa is 7 hours ahead of DC, so if we get to the Grandkids by 1PM….that is 8PM to our bodies)….please allow us to be a little “grumpy” shall we say….or at least have on hand several icy cold American beverages…as we have not had ice in a drink since 25 June…

The return trip home—wow, did I say home ?-- is a straight fly from DC to Jo’burg…but we still get to have the refueling fun in Dakar……and since we lose 7 hours…….we leave at 5PM one day, land Jo’burg at 5PM the next day, and since it seems you can not travel much after dark in Africa, we will spend the night in a hotel in Jo’burg……and then travel back to Swaziland—by land--- on the third day----total travel time for the return about 40 hours………but on the clock it will be 48 hours.

So I guess suffice to say, those that complain loudly about air travel in the USA, should give Africa travel a try, and then see if you feel like complaining. I might add if there are any “glitches” ( weather, flat tires, illness, border crossing problems, etc.) in the above plans, then we got some issues that will certainly tax our always high spirits.

All that said we are VERY MUCH looking forward to seeing the Grandkids for the first time, and catching up with everyone else. And being with those grandkids, and our kids, and all the family will make every moment of the above described adventure well worth it.

That’s all for now, as we say in the Swaz---“Sala Gahle” ( Stay Well)

Mike