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