MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!

Merry Christmas to everyone stateside – It’s been hotter than we’ve yet experienced in Swaziland, so that makes me happy. Of course, we’re thrilled to have Troy, Dana and Brian visiting with us so we can all celebrate Christmas with the Pasture Valley family. And, our family has grown by 4 – yesterday we welcomed 4 new girls to the home – ages 4, 8, 10, and 12.
It’s been so great to have access to the rental car Dana & Brian rented from Joburg. We’ve had a chance to show them more of Swaziland than can be accessed via local transport or via foot. On Monday we got everybody acclimated to the farm, the children and our life here. Then, on Tuesday we drove northeast and went to Mkhaya Game Reserve. We had a guide drive us around the park in an open land rover for 5 hrs. They don’t have the big cats (aka lion, cheetah), but we saw rhino, hippo, giraffe, elephant, buffalo and much more all up close and personal. It was a great experience.
On Wed. we packed up parcels of food and clothing to take to outlying homesteads in need. We took several of our children along to help. We relied on the local home based care providers that we know to direct us to which specific homesteads need the most help. It was humbling and educational for us all. We tend to get used to life here on the farm, and need to get out and see how many, many Swazis are living a subsistence, true poverty existence.
Thursday was Christmas play practice. I helped Michelle write and script and am madly preparing costumes for all 32 children. We’ve got sheep, shepherds, wise men, Mary, Joseph, angels, king and queen Herod and court and townspeople. This year we’ve even got some dance numbers. The performance is tonight. We’ve invited lots of local friends and family. Afterwards we’ll all sing Christmas carols and then have refreshments & socializing. In Swazi culture, children are taught to speak softly, and to lower their head and not make eye contact. It’s been quite a struggle to get them to speak loudly, enunciate, smile, etc. All a great learning experience for their future.
On Christmas Eve, we’ll have a cookout at lunchtime and open presents with the kids. For lots of reasons, there’s no Christmas Eve church services (no one goes out at night, etc.), and here people can’t understand why Americans generally don’t go to church on Christmas Day. To Swazis, that is what Christmas Day is all about – worshiping God and thanking him for sending his Son to us. My kind of place.
Next week Dana & Brian head for Capetown and we’ll have Troy here with us. He’s really getting into the rhythms of this place and has adjusted very well. We hope all of you will be able to be with your families. Of course, we’re missing Hatcher, Lavinia, Mary, John, Ellen and Kevin, but are so grateful to at least have ½ of our kids here with us.

Merry, Merry Christmas and Happy, healthy new year to you all.

MIKE AND Gail

UPDATE 4 DECEMBER 2011

Greetings from Swaziland – hope you are all surviving the holiday frenzy. I’ll have to admit, that’s one part of the US culture I do not miss. The slower, quieter pace is much better for my soul and spirit. That, however, doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with whatever family was able to gather. Our Peace Corps family (all 70 volunteers and about 20 staff) were invited to a grand buffet at the Ambassador’s residence. Also included, of course, were embassy staff, and several other displaced Americans. I was a lovely affair – so nice to dress up, and have adult conversation with so many interesting people. Sadly, it was rainy & cool, so only 2 brave souls swam in his pool. They managed to serve turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes (they are grown locally in abundance), pumpkin pie, and much, much more. I was full for 2 days.
On the day before, the morning of, and the day after Thanksgiving, Peace Corps gathered us all at a conference centre to present some new programs, give us a chance to share our successes and challenges, and to review some peace corps policies. It was a very productive 2 days. In addition, in our “free time” I was able to sell quite a lot of our Bambanani jewellery. Another fellow volunteer has also started a similar program in another part of Swaziland. Her jewellery is lovely, distinctive, and compliments our products. It gave me new incentive to keep on improving and working on new designs. The good news is that from our successes with our sales in the US and through the many volunteers who have bought our products, we have had a very successful year. Not only have I been paying a fair wage to each of the craftspeople each month, but we will be able to invest in new development for the project, so as to keep it sustainable in the years to come. The group voted on a new sewing machine. I couldn’t be more pleased. We’ll work on training sessions beginning at the new year. They each will get a small year-end “bonus” as well, based on their sales. That is a very un-Swazi idea for them to embrace. The usual Swazi attitude, is all for one and one for all, in order to be “fair” to all. The group voted to do it this way, and even put it in writing – stating that they wanted to encourage the “lazy” ones to get working! On the way home, I took advantage of being in the “big” city and did some shopping – mostly for Bambanani supplies. I continually am surprised at what I am finding when I look carefully. Some items are actually cheaper here than in the states, esp. zippers and now even glass beads. All good for sustainability.
We had another treat that Thanksgiving weekend. On Friday evening after Thanksgiving we were invited to the farm of a friend of our host family. It was a much larger operation, more typical of what I would picture a South African farm would be – beautiful large farm house, “rustic”elegance. They served us a lovely meal – meat grilled on the braai, with salad, veggies, bread and dessert. Again, I had to pinch myself to be reminded that I am a Peace Corps Volunteer – as we could have been anywhere in large rural American farm. I could get used to this.
The kids are all home from school for about 6 weeks. Schools closed 2 weeks early, I suspect due to budget cuts. So, we have scheduled holiday programming each morning and afternoon. Michelle does not like idle time, and I agree. So, each morning they have farm chores for 1 hr.; then a break; then an activity for 1 hr. followed by either reading or math. Then the afternoon is looser – just 1 hr. of activities, one of which is swim lessons for 8 of them 3 days a week. Yes, I’m teaching swim lessons with another volunteer. We’re alternating with 2 groups of 8 kids, ages 10 – 18. We’re using the pool of a lovely guesthouse “nearby”. Michelle drives us there and we walk home – 1 hr. uphill. By the third day, I’m a bit beat. Half of the kids are water friendly, but can’t “swim” The other half are novices. The biggest surprise was that the 4 new children are the least fearful and most willing to accept instruction. I’m having fun. So far the other activities have been making Christmas cards, cooking and memory games.
One last comment. Just as I think things are going quite well, I learn of another difficult thing the Swazis must deal with. We’ve enjoyed relative efficient and reliable mail service overseas, so I just assumed the internal mail was the same – with the exception of no delivery, meaning everyone must go to a nearby town for collection of mail at their post office box, or at “general delivery”. Wrong. We’ve been watching Michelle try to collect a document from a colleague in Mbabane so that she can sign it and then return it. They’ve been at it for weeks. Both parties refuse to trust the internal mail, because they say it will never see it again! I wonder what they did before fax machines and email. No wonder things seem to move more slowly here. Thankfully, that’s not part of our world.
We’re enjoying the warm and mostly sunny weather, although the rains are coming more frequently now – which makes farmer Peter very happy. The cows produce much more milk when the grass is green. Gotta go get ready for church. Love and hugs to all of you. Gail and Mike

NEW BLOG POST--FIRST SINCE SEPTEMBER

Hi Everyone,
It’s hard to believe I’ve been back in Swaziland over two weeks. The trip home was amazing, especially when I was seeing the states through Michelle’s Swazi eyes. Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without Mike’s superb planning and organizing. We did manage to see & do a lot, but now that I’m back, I’m still thinking of all the things we didn’t get done. We were both so touched by the wonderful welcome we received from everyone we connected with. Mary and John were most gracious hosts for both ends of our trip – airport pickup, meals, logistics, and on and on. After just one hour of holding Hatcher and Lavinia, I said the 17 hr. plane ride was worth it. The Columbus leg was a whirlwind – but we managed to see everyone we wanted to and then some. The reception and interest of Jones Middle School students was fantastic. Thanks Molly for all your hard work in making the connection of Pasture Valley to Upper Arlington. We do look forward to future contacts. The donation of clogs and school supplies made it back to Swaziland and was distributed the day we returned. The kids wear the clogs all the time. Thanks to Frank and Kathleen for hosting the Friday night pizza party for the family and for leaving us so comfortably settled while you headed to Fla. It was great to have the use of your car that weekend. It was great to see old friends, Bruce, Kathy and Meredith and to meet new ones – Amy & Grant drove from Indianapolis to see Michelle. Of course, it was great to come home to Bethel and see so many loving faces there. I’m so sorry we weren’t able to spend more time together. Thanks for your support in buying our jewellery. I’m happy to see that our improved quality was worth the effort. It seemed every time we gave a presentation, we made new connections to those who heard the story of Pasture Valley.
Then it was on to Sarasota. It was nice to relax a bit and to see all of my family, especially mother. I’m amazed at how well she looks, acts, and goes at age 95. May I age so well. The beach dinners were great, the banquet at Bay Village was memorable. Mother is in a wonderful, caring environment, as evidenced by how many of her friends came to our presentation. We had a good trip to ECHO in Ft. Myers, Fla., where Michelle was able to get much valued information and will be able to connect with them to get help on future botany research and development projects. I do miss the beach and access to a body of water here. We both really enjoyed time on the beach – Michelle even brought some sand home to show everyone here. Thanks to all for helping with transport and shopping.
Then it was back to Washington D.C. – just in time for the Halloween weekend festivities. It was good to see how many young families live in Mary & John’s neighbourhood. There were quite a few activities that weekend: birthday party, 2 Halloween parties and a Halloween parade. Of course, Hatcher was the most precious pea and Lavinia was the cutest carrot. We had an amazing experience at the 1 yr. old birthday party. When talking to the grandparents, I discovered that he had been in the Peace Corps, and that his wife also went to Upper Arlington and was a cheerleader with me! Then, Mary discovered one of the dads also went to UA. That’s 4 UA grads in a group of about 20 in D.C. Small world. The last few days was spent exploring D.C. and shopping. We also had lots of visitors from near and far come to visit Michelle. Thanks, Shirley for all your donations, which made it safely here. Now that I’m back, I cherish the memories, esp. of Hatcher and Lavinia: from our early morning wake-ups together, to meal time, to outings, to bath and bed time. My empty arms ache, but I can now better visualize their routines and chuckle at their distinct personalities which are so clearly evident. Mary and John are amazing parents – juggling work, grad school and babies, and even finding time to be with friends. I try not to compare their lives to life here in Swaziland, as the disparity is too great. Thankfully, babies are cherished just as much here as there, yet the hardships of life are so great, it’s often hard to keep one’s head above water.
We came home to a whirlwind of activities: birthday party for 5 kids at once; movie night, buying trips to my two handcrafting groups, teaching the kids, and preparing them for their final exams. School ended about two weeks early this year – one way the govt. can save some money. So, they’ll be home for nearly 2 months. Yikes. Then, Tim Deller and 3 friends came for a week. Tim is a 30ish single guy who’s been successful in his job and having been to Pasture Valley before, wanted to do something for us. So – he funded the building of the 3rd house, which now has 8 children in it. We had a wonderful dedication ceremony and party to celebrate. What a generous heart from someone so young. Then, we went to Mbabane to catch our friend Millie who was touring southern Africa and had an overnight in Swaziland. She was with us in the peace corps in St. Lucia, so we had fun reliving old times, and filling her in on the “new” peace corps.
We’ll be working hard keeping the kids busy during their break – we plan programming for them – reading, math, crafts, sports, etc. Since there’s nothing organized in the community, we have to do it ourselves. We’re hoping to teach swimming lessons to the older kids. Now that our numbers are at 32, and the age span is 2 yrs. To 17, the logistics of any activity take some planning. Gotta go, and despite a delightful trip to see everyone, Swaziland now feels like home, and I know it is where I should be for the time being. Take care. Gail

MORE ON HIV/AIDS in SWAZILAND

Hi everyone,
As promised, here’s part 2 of “HIV/AIDS in Swaziland according to Gail”:
So, how did a little country like Swaziland gain the dubious distinction of having the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world? Especially given its relative stability politically, high literacy rate, strong family units, and predominantly conservative Christian beliefs, things don’t seem to add up. However, one has to dig a bit deeper into the culture to understand how all this happened, and more importantly, why it continues to be an ongoing tragedy.
I believe HIV/AIDS first came to Swaziland from S. Africa. Due to our proximity and limited natural resources, approx. 10% of the population works in S.Africa. In 1998, approx. 10,000 men worked in the S.A. mines, often remaining there for months at a time before travelling home for brief stays. Prostitution is well documented around those mining areas, and Swazi men are no different from other male populations working in isolated and rough conditions. So, once the men brought the virus home to their wives, how is it continuing to spread? To answer that, one needs to understand a bit of Swazi culture (which I’m just beginning to get a handle on). First of all, it is strongly male dominated, and polygamy is still legally recognized. I see very few multiple-wife family units now, but it was very common just 1 or 2 generations ago. The king currently has 13 wives. In addition, a man traditionally must pay a bride price (lobolo) to her family before a wedding can take place. And yes, this lobolo is traditionally paid in cattle – usually between 10 and 15 cows is what I hear is normal. It can take many years for a man to save enough money for payment, thus engagements are often long and/or marriages delayed until the price is paid in full. That doesn’t mean that either the man or woman is celibate during this time. And, since the relationship is one of commitment, condoms aren’t considered necessary. After marriage, it is very common for Swazi men to have 1 or 2 long term girlfriends on the side. And, although it isn’t readily acknowledged, the Swazi wife will also often have a long term boyfriend on the side. These are called “multiple-concurrent partners”. Just 1 HIV pos. person within this network and ultimately infect 10 or more persons, who in turn can infect 10 or more. Again, since these are long term relationships, few are consistent with condom use, each not wanting to accuse their partner of infidelity. Most statistics show that Swazi’s aren’t more sexually active than other cultures and have fewer lifetime partners than those in the west, they just have several at the same time. And, remember, no one “looks sick” for up to 10 years after they are initially infected, with the first 3 – 6 months being the most “contagious”. Lastly, most males here are uncircumcised. Apparently the HIV virus rapidly grows in the foreskin, making uncircumcised males more likely carriers. There’s a big campaign on now to circumcise males from age 14 – 35. It is going well, but it will take a long time to complete, and even after circumcision, that only reduces the likelihood of transfer by 40%. What we are seeing is that everyone is aware and concerned about HIV, but they often seem unwilling to take the personal responsibility & initiative to protect themselves each and every time they are sexually active.
Part 3 will talk about HIV treatment practices, but we’ll have to take a break so we can tell you all about our Victoria Falls trip. Until then, blessings and love
to all. Gail

HIV AIDS in SWAZILAND-GAILS PERSPECTIVE

Hi Again Everyone,

This is a big week of milestones for the Messicks in Swaziland – 1 year ago today we had our Swearing In Ceremony and officially became United States Peace Corps Volunteers assigned to help fight the HIV pandemic in Swaziland. On Thursday 26 Aug 2010 we moved to the Nhlangano area and began our work at the children’s home. And we are scheduled to complete our Peace Corps Service on 22 August 2012—less than a year away. Where did the time go ?? To celebrate our first year in Swaziland I have decided to take a step back and review some of my training materials and see what I could make of this HIV/AIDS crisis in my little part of Swaziland.

So, here it is: HIV/AIDS in Swaziland According to Gail’s Perspective - Part One
Before I arrived in Swaziland, I thought I knew a fair amount of info about HIV. After all, as a hygienist I certainly knew how it was transmitted and how to protect myself. Beyond that, I really didn’t know many details, since it really wasn’t part of my world. Here are some facts I learned, as it helped me gain an understanding of how things got out of hand in Swaziland. HIV is spread by direct contact of body fluids, usually via sexual contact or sharing of needles. What I did not know, is that once the virus has been transmitted, the recipient may show no signs or symptoms, except possibly some mild flu-like symptoms. During the first 3 months the virus replicates relatively unchecked, actually using the CD4 cells (which arrive to fight the virus) for replication. Thus, before one knows they might be infected, their viral load is very high, and they are the most able to spread the virus to others. During that 3 – 6 month timeframe, the immune system becomes amazingly good at trying to contain this virus. By about 6 months time, the immune system has stabilized the virus, and most adults who are carrying the HIV virus will look and act quite healthy and normal. (although they will test positive for HIV and still can pass it on to others) They will be able to remain in this state for perhaps 6 – 10 YEARS! (sometimes even longer). So, unless one voluntarily goes to the clinic to get tested, they might be transmitters and not know it. Only after this 6 – 10 yr. period does one “look sick”, because now the immune system can no longer fight the virus and they develop diseases like Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, etc. A person can have sexual contact with an HIV positive individual and not get HIV – it depends on their viral load, and your health (do you have a sexually transmitted disease, are there any lesions in the area of contact?) Or, a person could have sex only once with an HIV positive person and contract the virus. HIV positive pregnant mothers don’t necessarily pass the virus on to their children at birth – in 2003 the rate was about 40% in Swaziland – again depending on the mother’s viral load. Now there are relatively easy measures to reduce the mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) – which are to administer the ARV’s (antiretroviral) medication in the late stages of pregnancy to reduce the viral load of the mother. If all pregnant mothers took these precautions, the rate of MTCT could be reduced to 1 – 3% of births. However, denial can be very powerful, and thus far, in 2010 the MTCT here is only down to 20% of all births are now infected. In real numbers, Swaziland has about 27,000 live births annually. We know that about 39% of those women are HIV positive and if 20% of those don’t receive the preventive treatment, about 2,000 babies are born HIV positive each year. That is about 1700 MORE babies born HIV positive, than would be if all pregnant women were to take proper precautions. So, we’ve got a lot of work to do.

That’s all for now – I’ll send Part 2 later – How did HIV fit into the Swazi culture in such a way that they now have the highest incidence in the world.
By the way…all is still good for Mike and I in Swaziland, especially since Spring has arrived and we’re enjoying warmer weather. Gotta go teach the pre-schoolers.
Love To All, Always, Gail and Mike

Kruger Park and Farewell to Morehead scholars

Hi everyone,
We had a fabulous 4 days in Kruger Park. We were blessed with the best of both worlds: Kruger is located just north of Swaziland, so access was easy and we traveled with Peter, Michelle, their 2 kids and his parents - all of whom had been to the park numerous times. First of all, Kruger is big - bigger than Yellowstone. It has great paved roads, with lots of gravel side roads for exploring. Because it includes predatory animals, there are strict regulations about remaining in your car except at designated areas. I thought that would restrict our access and visibility to the animals, but quite the contrary, the animals are not threatened by vehicle movement, noise or smell. In fact, we often had to get out of the way of animals wanting to cross the road in our path. I'm glad we went at this time, since it's winter here, and quite dry, the grass was low and the temperatures mild. That way, we could open our windows and hear the sounds of animal & birdlife. Despite the more open viewing, I was amazed at how well camoflaged some big beasts were. We did manage to see 4 of the big 5 - somehow missing out on the lion, but did see lots of elephant & buffalo, 1 rhino, and 1 leopard. The highlight for everyone was seeing the elusive cheetah - a first for everyone in the car, and he walked right across the road. In addition, we saw hippo, giraffe, zebra, warthog, wildebeest, kudu, waterbuck,baboons and at least 1,000 imphala. We saw 2 recent kills - making us quite glad that each accommodation site is well fenced, and we get locked in at 6 pm.
p.m. The accommodations were perfect for us: modest huts to sleep in, a common cooking and washing up site and nearby bathing/toilets. All was kept clean and best of all, the guests were so respectful of others - no loud partying, etc. We brought in our own food, but there was a nice restaurant and a lovely gift shop/grocery. We also got into bird sightings - others spotted them for us, but so fascinating to see: Cape parrot, sunbird, lilacbreasted roller, starling (much different than ours) and lots more. There's lots to be said for going to a smaller park where you culd see all they have, but we had a great experience, despite only getting to 1/4 of the park.
Where did the last 2 mos. go? It seems like we were just welcoming our 3 collegiate volunteers from Univ. of North Carolina, and on Thurs. eve. we said good-bye. They blended into the chemistry of Pasture Valley so well that they hardly seemed like volunteers - helping with farm maintenance (painting roofs, digging fence poles, controlled burns, etc.) to helping with tutoring and supervising farm chores with the kids. Best of all, they were great role models for the kids. We'll miss them and wish them a great trip to Kruger and Capetown before returning to Carolina.
We're nearing the end of the school term - which is offically Aug. 10, but the kids are already taking exams now. That means between now and then, very little teaching/learning will happen, but the schools will still be operational. In one way it's good - we can focus on supplemental learning during our tutoring time, but still sad that the kids effectively miss out on 2 weeks of school each term. Gotta go. Love to all, Gail & Mike

ONE YEAR IN THE SWAZ--and more !

Greetings Everyone,

Life for us continues to be a crazy mix of many scheduled activities coupled with lots of unexpected events to make for busy but productive days. Because summer is when most Americans want to travel, we have had quite a few groups visit us for mission-type work. It’s been great to have the extra help, and fun to share our experiences with them and to help them understand what life here is all about. I do wonder how the kids process all these people coming, becoming their “friend” and then leaving after a week or 2. They are very private about their feelings, and we feel the benefits of these positive role models far outweighs the negatives of the revolving door of volunteers.
Our 3 male students from The University of North Carolina have had a tremendous impact on the kids and have done some real farm work and helped with some much needed repairs on the farm, and at the Childrens Homes. Because it is now the dry season, there’s a real threat of fires. We have a mix of open grasslands coupled with lots of forests used for firewood & timber growing/harvesting. Those who live here play the cat and mouse game of creating controlled burns to keep future fires contained and then being ever ready for the fire outbreaks. Of course there’s no fire service, except in the cities, so those in the country work together and help each other out. We have a huge container of water—500 litres-- with hose attached that remains on a truck for those emergencies. The Carolina boys have participated in controlled burns, and plenty of firefighting experiences. One of the reasons for the fires is that now is the time to smoke out a bee hive so as to collect the wild honey. It is delicious, but in the process of smoking, a fire often starts and gets out of control. Of course, the honey poachers run off, leaving us to contain the fire.
We’ve also had Cindy and Jane from the All4Jesus organization(USA) for a week. Then 4 ggentlemen from Texas also stayed for a week. In addition, a family of 6 have decided to leave Johannesburg, S.A. and move here to Swaziland, and have devoted the next 2 years to helping us at Pasture Valley. What a blessing and asset they have been. Pasture Valley hosts volunteer family-style dinners each Wed., and 2 weeks ago, the count was 20 !
This month marks our 1 year anniversary of arriving in Swaziland, as well as the arrival of the next wave of new Peace Corps volunteers. At the same time, we are saying goodbye to those who are completing their service. Thankfully, several are extending for another year and most have signed on to work with non-profit organizations headquartered in Mbabane. We’re glad to have them around a bit longer. As we meet the new vols., we can’t help but reflect on how far we’ve come this past year, and hope we can help these newbies transition into the life called peace corps Swaziland. They are training in the region where we live, so we often run into them during our shopping visits.
Lots of good news from the children’s home. One of our grade 6 boys is part of his school choir. They placed 2nd in a regional choir competition which qualified them to go to the national competition in Manzini where they placed 3rd. Then one of our grade 7 boys entered his school’s science fair competition (with a little help from volunteer Joss) and received 1st place! These kids have so few opportunities to receive recognition, we’re thrilled they were so successful.
Our third home is nearing completion, and already, social welfare is calling with children needing placement. We agreed to take a lovely 3 yr. old girl last week, knowing that it will stretch us a bit for the short term until she can move to the new house. She is rather quiet and shy. I’m sure that will change with time. Now my little preschool is up to 4. I’m grateful to be able to have a real impact on these children’s early education, which will certainly impact their future learning. We’re interviewing for house mothers – a vital component to the management of any home. Unfortunately, the number of available candidates is small – so many are caring for extended family members as a result of HIV. And, we ask a lot of these individuals – they must agree to live and work here with only 1 long weekend off each month. Then, as the number of children’s home increases, those willing and able to do this work are already doing so elsewhere. I’ll address the whole HIV/AIDS issue here in Swaziland in the next 2 blogs – again, as I see it, having lived here 1 year.
We’re off to celebrate 3 birthdays today—all young boys. Always a fun affair – each child gets a cake—which they usually get to select from the bakery in town !-- and a few presents, which is probably more than they would ever have received at their home. We’ll play some games and watch a movie. Again, a big treat here. Imagine your child’s life without television, and limited access to video and computers. We do manage to have a lot of old fashioned fun without that technology.

Blessings to all of you, and keep the prayer chain rolling.

Love, Gail & Mike

OF BATS, and BEES, and WASPS, and SNAKES

Hi Again to All Our Loyal Readers !

Hope all well with each of you, and Memorial Day was pleasant, peaceful, and restful
As always lots going on here at the farm. Last Monday three young men arrived to spend nine weeks volunteering, working, and experiencing the Childrens Home, and Swaziland. They have all just finished the Freshman year at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, have arrived/adjusted safely, and are working hard as well as getting to know the children, and spend time helping with teaching, tutoring, etc. The young men are great to have with us, and it is fun for Gail and myself to again see Swaziland, thru young new eyes……..I am sure the time with them will fly by, and they will do great things and have a good experience too.

It is rumoured that the next group of Peace Corps Volunteers is to arrive in Swaziland 9 June. 35 new arrivals, fresh from the USA. Yikes! Means we are the old hands now, and that our assignment is almost half over….it will be fun to have new people, here in Swaziland, and in Peace Corps..but also means that sooner or later we will need to start thinking about life after Africa. I think we will start thinking about that later….like in 4q this year. No need to rush.

We have had a lot of activity with all sorts of “creatures’” while living in Africa, and thought it might be fun to describe some of the stuff that has become quite normal…..

Let’s start with bats. Couple months ago while preparing dinner, Gail says…”I think I see a bat in our house”. And yes, flying around the lounge—that’s living room—in fact was a nice little bat. I think it was more frightened by us, than we were of it, though I was terrified….and in fact the bat was frantically trying to escape. Not easy to do inside a closed up house. We opened all the doors, and windows—it was dark—and starting waving brooms, mops, etc…and pretty darn quickly it found freedom.
Then the wasps. Seems like we ( honestly I should write GAIL) are forever knocking down wasps nests—outside thankfully ! Neither of us have been stung yet…but every couple weeks we notice a new small swarm in the eaves, under gutters, attached to the geyser, etc—all making a new nest. So every couple weeks we get out the spray poison—it’s called “DOOM” ( what a GREAT name)…and we get all covered from head to toe…and then spray like crazy, and once all the wasps look dead—and DOOM works very well—then we knock the next down, again with the helpful broom…and we are good for another couple weeks.

And bees. Once upon a time this farm had a working, extensive honey operation, and as a result there remain many, many honeybees. Aggressive, African bees. Seems like fighting the bees is a constant battle as they are always in the houses—yes our house included. And we are always trying to shoo them out, smoke them out, show them out….and no sooner than we get contro, they are back. Oddly enough the most pesky thing, about the bees, is the noise. We get a few inside the house, flying around, and the buzzing is really quite LOUD. I do not think Gail and I have been stung yet, but it is quite normal to have a few bees buzzing around inside the house, making a nice racket. We have learned to ignore them, until the mass of bees gets too large, and we simply must get them out, or try to kill them. Just another part of life in Africa, we guess, as everyone—at least everyone on this farm, wages the constant battle with bees.

And finally snakes. Truth is there are poisonous snakes—adders, black mambas, etc.-in Swaziland. Truth is about the ONLY thing I was concerned about, coming to Africa, was the snakes. We have seen a few snakes during our 11 months in Africa. A small house snake visited inside our hut in training. We saw a life small common adder---venomous, not poisonous—on the road at the farm. There has been sighted recently a large night adder—again venomous, not poisonous—around the brown cottage. The adders will not kill you, but if they bite a finger, and it is not treated properly, quickly—you can lose the finger. And then on walks with the children, thru the forests, we have seen a couple very large, very poisonous, and thankfully very dead snakes. Always fun to pick them up, with a stick, and pretend we are carrying them. The dead snakes, that is.

To make a log story very short…as odd as it may be for you to read, seems normal to us to daily deal with God’s creatures. All of God’s creatures—even bats, and bees, ands wasps, and snakes—in this life we are living, here in Africa.

That’s all for now. As always we will try to write in a couple weeks. Cheers !

MEDICAL CARE and SWAZILAND

Swaziland and Medical Care

Sawubona Again Dear Family, Friends, and Readers

All still good in Africa, but getting chilly, and days getting shorter—already we are looking forward to 21 June ( our 37th Wedding Anniversary !—yikes, we ARE getting old)..when the days will start getting longer…..
Today we are gonna chat a little about medical care in Swaziland. Seems good to do, especially as we left the USA in 2010 June, still a lot of noise about the state of USA medical care, cost of care, quality of care, etc. We know that LOTS can, should be done to improve USA medical care….but thought you might find of interest a little about our experience here in Africa.

Thankfully, due to diet, exercise, time spending chasing children outdoors we have been in great health in Swaziland, in Africa. Gail has had a couple bouts with 24 hour flu bug/ gastro-intestinal bug, and Mike was done for about six hours in August…but outside of those times we have been healthy. This is good because the best medical advice we get from everyone is DON’T GET SICK. All medical services here are very different than USA, and when medical professionals come over I make a point of giving them hospital, clinic tours..just to see.

For starters, the good news is there are govt clinics, that are cheap, almost free. There are also private international organization—Doctors Without Borders, Baylor Pediatric Aids Foundation-clinics that are pretty darn good. The bad news is that the govt clinics have LONG lines, that start forming about 6am, even though they open about 9am…so if you have a minor aliment, let’s say the flu…and you go to clinic…you get there, and are maybe 25th in line, and plan to spend most of day waiting….So simple medical visits take the better part of a day….

Then let’s look at access to services. The nearest town to us is Nhlangano. We are told it is second largest town in Swaziland. There are NO dentists. If we want to go to dentist, nearest is Manzini—60 miles. Again an all day adventure. A couple weeks ago we looked in the phone book for Swaziland—yes one phone book for entire country, and there were NINE dentists listed. This in a country of about 1,100,000 population….so I guess that is one dentist for every 122,000 people. When we left our USA home community of Upper Arlington (pop 30,000)—Gail tells me there were at least 30 dentists…or one dentist for every 1,000 people….. I think you get the drift.

And that assumes you have the money to pay for dental care. About a month ago, we took six of the children to see the dentist. Just typical stuff, each had a cavity or two that needed attention, so all six piled into transportation, and off to Mbabane for the entire day, to see dentist. Seems they got GREAT care, and good dental work, and all accomplished in one day. Cost for all six was 4800 emalengeni…about $725 US dollars. Now this may seem reasonable to you reading this in the USA, six children, dental care, $ 725…..but remember, that 70% of Swaziland population earns about 400 emalengeni per month…so in ONE DAY we spent ONE YEARS INCOME on dental care, for six children. Needless to say the cost of medical care is a little daunting for the vast majority of Swazis.

All you medical professionals reading this…if you want to do a “medical missionary”…give us a shout…we can communicate about getting something organized whether dental, pediatric, etc.

Finally, on medical care. I have friend who is HIV+. The medical specialists he is seeing regularly for treatment recommended that he get his “viral load”checked, to see how the HIV was progressing, or being controlled. They requested the “viral load””, and told us that the govt clinics could not do this test, and that it could only be done at a private clinic in Manzini, and was expensive. Last week we went to Manzini—60 miles each way, and just the transport is about two and a half hours each way…getting to transport, etc. We got the test done, clinic good and efficient. Cost was 456 emalengeni---over one months pay for the vast majority of Swazi population. Crazy.

So let me close on this note. We all know that there is LOTS about medical care in the land of the good ole red, white and blue…..that needs to be fixed, re-arranged, changed, whatever. Let’s be clear, we in the USA still have pretty darn good care….and accessible, and available, and affordable, compared to the rest of the world….and when you look hard at the developing world—especially places like sub-Saharan Africa sometimes the services/ care situations make you cry.
Thank God for all the folks trying to help…medical missions, international organizations, universities from all over the world, and yes even lots of private citizens that “just decide”to come practice medicine, dentistry, whatever….over here where the need is so great.

That’s all for today, Cheers, and Sala Gahle ( Stay Well !).

WINTER COMIN, EASTER and More !!

Hi Again to All,

Hope this finds you well, and for some of you enjoying the coming on of Springtime in the Midwest. Things are a-ok for us, but as the days roll on, there are definite signs that winter in Africa is coming on………sunrise is now about 6:20AM…around Christmas Day it was about 4:45AM………and now sunset is about 5:30PM, and it is again pitch dark at 6PM. We like Africa, but not sure we will ever get used to the early darkness……even the “longest days of summer” here are only daylight until about 7:30PM. Ugh. And lots of other signs too that winter is approaching….we are now burning a fire in the fireplace almost every evening---thank goodness we harvest timber, and cut/ sell firewood on the farm…!---since most homes have no central heating in Africa…..When the temperature drops, you just put on some layers and build a fire….. just a few months ago we were sleeping in summer pj’s, and under a sheet….now it’s flannels, and a couple blankets….and wearing furry lined bedroom slippers, instead of our flimsy flip flops—on these cold tile floors….and in the summer when I would walk back from town mid-day…usually I would be wet with perspiration, but now I can walk back, and not even break a sweat….and in the summer we were living in tee shirts, and now long sleeves, and fleeces, and sweaters, and sweatshirts. Yes winter definitely comin on…..

April is the month we have a LOT of birthdays back home… so HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY: Dana, Troy, Mark, and Gram….no childrens birthdays here this month, so I guess we will just need to celebrate each of your birthdays here, 11000 miles away.

The kids have been home for their first term break for the last 2 ½ weeks, and will go back to school tomorrow. We had an action-packed “holiday program” planned for most days – both morning and afternoon sessions led by either Mike, myself, or Tim, a volunteer from Wilkes Barre, Pa. Who’s been here for a month. It was nice to have the chance to prepare the kids for Easter – with crafts, songs, and Bible lessons of the events that led up to the arrest and crucifiction. Michelle then had us all watch the first half of the Passion movie. Good Friday reminded me of my childhood – most go to church for a lengthy service, many shops & businesses are closed, and it is a day of reverence. Easter Sunday was less celebratory than I’m used to – both in church and at home. Here they also celebrate Easter Monday. That was the day we had an Easter egg hunt. Michelle cleverly had the boys hide chocolate eggs for the girls, and vice versa. After that, we had some fun relay races and games.

This holiday program we thought we’d start a daily reading program so as to keep their reading skills sharp. For the most past it was very successful. Each morning we had independent reading/with an adult reading to the younger ones. Each afternoon we paired an older child with a younger one, so they could either read to the younger one, or help the “learning to read” kids sound out words & sentences. We all enjoyed those sessions.
English is their 2nd language, but after grade 2, all classes are taught in English, and their native language is treated as a special subject area. There are very few books printed in SiSwati, so we work mainly to teach the kids to read English.

Another bulk of the program sessions focused on becoming independent. As a children’s home, the plan is for the kids to become emancipated once they turn age 18, and/or finish their schooling. We outlined for the older children what the responsibilities as well as the freedoms they’ll enjoy, and the steps we’ll be taking to help them reach their goals. Mike did a session on budgeting and saving and another on public speaking. We “played store” to give them practice in buying and selling items and making change. The lessons were exciting for some; sobering for others, especially if they are struggling in school. Unfortunately, with the high unemployment rate, those who don’t advance to higher learning face a challenging future. We watched the DVD of the original “Miracle Worker” movie, so they could see how Helen Keller overcame her disabilities.

We balanced the learning stuff with sports: soccer, volleyball, cross-country running and ping pong. Also, singing, movies, taking walks, playing games like bingo, Uno, etc.
Today was “get ready for school” day. Lots of school uniforms needed repair. I’ve taught everyone how to sew on a button, so we did lots of that. These kids are no different from kids everywhere: some take good care of their clothes; others are very hard on them; some school shoes are in great shape, while others already have holes in the toe, even though they were new in Jan. Yes, the shoes are part of the school uniform. They are black leather tie shoes for the boys and black leather buckle shoes for the girls. They generally polish them daily, since they get so dirty on the way to & from school.
Everyone takes a lot of pride in dressing nicely for school. Many US schools could take a lesson from these kids.

The early fall rains have dried up, and now we’re having lovely weather: cool, crisp mornings and evenings with bright sunny, warm afternoons. We’re enjoying the year-round growing season. After a brief lull, the cabbages and lettuce are back in season, along with avocados and guava and pears.

We’re gearing up for a lot of volunteers to come help us over the North American summer. It should be fun – we’ll feel like old timers – there’s always lots to keep many bodies busy. Some will stay with us; others will sleep in the education center. We’ll be breaking ground on our 3rd children’s home any day now, so that will add another dimension to the controlled chaos we now call home.

Love to everyone. Gail & Mike

NEWS FOM APRIL 18

Hi Everyone,

All is well here, although we’ve had some cool, rainy weather lately – I’m not ready for winter just yet, but it is coming. So, we’ve been burning fires in our free-standing wood burning fireplace for 2 reasons – warmth and to discourage the bees that want to nest in our chimney.

Two weeks ago, our church had a special visitor: the bishop from Iowa. Apparently the Anglican church in Swaziland and the Anglican church of Iowa have a long-standing partnership. This bishop was in country for several months and spent a week in our region. We arranged for him to come to Pasture Valley for an overnight. I helped prepare a musical program with the kids, and we all helped prepare the evening meal. The next day we met at church for a seminar on ways to empower lay leadership within the church. Afterwards we were able to enjoy a lovely luncheon at a local guesthouse before he departed for another village.

The need for housing for orphans continues to grow. Just last week Pasture Valley ot a call about taking in a 2 day old baby…. Even though we are full (actually beyond our capacity), the local child protective services unit of the police has called more than once about whether we’d take just one more child . . . There now are many “child headed households” where a 12 – 14 yr. Old is taking care of younger siblings alone, or with minor support from neighbors. When things fall apart, as they often do, these “family units” are very difficult to place in a children’s home, esp. since the child leader has become so independent that they no longer can function within the rules & guidance of a group home. To date, Michelle doesn’t know of any children’s homes who will take in a child older than 10! That leaves a lot of very vulnerable young teens at risk. There are no easy answers.

We are soon to break ground for our 3rd home, with a hopeful completion date of November. There will be no trouble filling those beds. We are praying for the right individual to apply as housemother. They are a critical component of making the home operate smoothly. Yes, Michelle and Peter are in charge, but the housemother sees to the day-to-day operations of “their” home and the children in that house.

Last night we got to attend the 60th birthday party of a new friend. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1989, and after his service, stayed in country, married a Swazi and is running the Nhlangano Funeral Service with his wife. It was nice to get out and socialize. The party began at 3 pm with a social hour, and concluded with a fabulous dinner. Nightlife is certainly something we both miss here. I know my children are laughing as they read this, because we traditionally go to bed early, but we did have our share of evening affairs in the US. Here, it’s lights our before 9 every night—and we mean for the whole country….
.
We wish all of you a happy and joyful Easter. We don’t know quite what to expect for Easter here, but we do know that Good Friday will be a holiday. Egg dying is not often done, and we decided that was more than we wanted to try to do with 24 children! So, we’ll hide chocolate eggs. The kids are on a 2-week break from their first term of school.
We’ve scheduled a holiday program for them with activities each morning and afternoon for 1 ½ hrs. each. That way they still have some free time, but also some structure to their days.

The first day of break, the children were supposed to sleep in past their usual 5 am wake-up. Of course, several boys were up early playing soccer outside. One thing led to another, and somehow, a broom handle got broken over another boy’s head! No one was hurt, but the culprit showed up at our door at 6 am wanting to borrow our broom, while holding the broken one! We sorted out the story as best we could, and then sent him up to Peter to ‘fess up. He did, and will have to use some of the pocket change he earned to purchase a new broom. Brings back some “fond” memories of raising our own kids.

Hope you all are enjoying lots of sunny spring weather. Happy Easter.

SWAZILAND--Where Change Happens, For Us !

SWAZILAND—WHERE CHANGE HAPPENS ( FOR US) !!!

We have really come to love and appreciate all the good things about Swaziland, the people, the hospitality, the culture, the geographic beauty…. the fabric of life and the quality of life, especially in light of the trying times that folks here face with the HIV/AIDS Pandemic swirling about us….

All that said, there really are, for Gail and me….…..two very different Swazilands.

One place is the rural areas, where 70% of Swaziland’s population still live-- on family homesteads, and existing by subsistence farming, and where women/ girls still carry water from streams for all household use, and carry wood from forests to build fires with which to cook. And boys and young men still herd cattle, often instead of attending school. It is our perception that life has been like this for many, many years….and really not much change takes place. In fact, usually when we go back to see friends living on homesteads, and we ask about “what’s new”….the most common answer we get is “nothing has changed”, “nothing new”.

The Swaziland where Gail and I live, and work is most definitely not the place described above. Every day things change. A lot. And for the better. New arrivals. Education Centers being built. Children learning skills like sewing. Sometimes in the swirl of our work day, we do not appreciate or even notice the change….but it is real, and good, and a big part of our life.

Two happenings just last week highlight this change we experience:

1) Last week we installed SOLAR GEYSERS !! FIVE !! We are “off the grid” for hot water !! Now this would be a big deal, in the USA, but really remarkable that we had to travel 11,000 miles—to Africa—to “go solar”. Here is the deal. In Africa, hot water heaters are called “geysers”—pronounced “geezers”( as in some people think I am an “old geezer”). And the vast majority of people do not piped water, let alone hot water geysers. And the geysers that are installed, are almost always installed, on the exterior walls of a house—on the outsides…and are electric. They pretty much look like hot water heaters as we know them in the USA, but are shiny, like stainless steel, and not white….being electric, they are pretty expensive to operate, and electric costs here are increasing dramatically. So, to make a long story short…last week a crew arrived, with all the frames, parts, housings, tubes, etc….to install solar geysers. It is really a great idea as we get plenty of sun, and the solar geysers will get water MUCH hotter than traditional, and can keep the water hot, for days, and use the renewable energy source of the sun, and save on electric costs. Pretty cool, we think.

2) On Friday last week ( the 18th) an earth leveler, (bulldozer ?) showed up and leveled the land for a third home to be built, on the grounds here at Pasture Valley. Most of you reading this know that the children are housed in two homes—David’s House, and Stella’s House. We have been at capacity since our arrival in August. Yet still we have taken in two additional children. And as you might imagine, the need is great and there is constant communication from Swazi authorities re: placement of additional children….and now it has happened. Ground being leveled, prepared to build additional capacity. When all the dust settles, it means more kids, and more to do, and more work…..but it is truly GOOD WORK, and NEEDING TO BE DONE, and we are ALL UP FOR doing it.

So as you read above….the Swaziland we call home, is most definitely not the place where……….”nothing ever changes”… and when friends ask us “what’s new”…..we always have an earful to bore them with……..and it is all good. Seems our existence here is a nice analogy for life….each of us is either standing still……or moving forward. And for now at least, Gail and I are quite happy—though sometimes tired --to be very much in a moving forward place…..

That’s all for now, Sala Gahle ( Stay Well !).

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER !!!

Hi everyone,

Greetings from warm, sunny Swaziland. We’re just ending our summer, and most people here can’t believe that summers in the Midwest are much hotter and more humid than here. That said, we are in the highlands and have much cooler temps than the volunteers who are in the lowlands to the east. We hear the weather’s broken for most of you, so enjoy the spring.

Last week I was invited to visit the newly formed preschool in which I had a part in the teacher training. They meet in a church and are the only preschool in that community. They already have 15 children attending, and I hear, more are wishing to attend. The 2 teachers have done a fabulous job of doing a lot with very few resources. The kids are thriving and learning, not just their abc’s, but the basics of following directions, taking turns, etc. Best of all, the teacher is introducing traditional stories and folklore. Since many of these children are from single parent households, or have a father working in South Africa, that cultural heritage isn’t getting passed on. I gave them a dental health talk and passed out toothbrushes. Sadly, quite a few had visible decay. They all bring sweet drinks for their lunch, so I bet that is probably a big factor.

On Friday, a large preschool from our town came out to the Pasture Valley farm for a field trip. We were expecting about 80 children, but 130 arrived! Luckily we had 4 adults to divide the kids between-32 per adult leader !- and we rotated them to 5 stations: calves & timber; milking dairy; plant nursery; rabbits and chickens; childrens homes. I’m not sure they got too much out of the talks, but then they went into the Education Center for lunch. There we sang some Christian songs and they heard a Bible lesson on creation. They were here for about 2 hrs., but we were all ready for them to go. I’m grateful that my preschool class is so small. I doubt if I could manage a class of 30 children as this school does. Oh, my.

This was my birthday weekend, and I had a wonderful celebration. On Saturday the children gave me a party, complete with homemade cards, lots of hugs and a cake. We always clap for each year, so yes, they clapped 59 times! Most of the kids are surprised that I can do as much as I do, because in their eyes, 59 is VERY old. One of the best gifts was 2 giant mangoes – bigger than I’ve ever seen – and they were delicious. I’ll have to admit, I did not offer to share them with the kids. I hardly wanted to share with Mike.

And over Saturday and Sunday I got phone calls from both of my sisters, and all four of our children, so thanks very much to Alice, Helen, Mary, Dana, Ellen and Troy…When we say it is great to hear your voice, we truly mean, “it is great to hear your voice”. Thanks much for calling.

Then, Peter & Michelle hosted a lovely braii (cookout) for me on Sunday afternoon, and invited her parents who live on a nearby farm. To my surprise, Michelle’s mother baked me a cake and brought me preserved peaches, home pressed macadamia nut oil AND gave me 3 lovely pots that she had made. (she makes lovely pottery). I was overwhelmed. It was a delightful afternoon. It’s certainly not the typical Peace Corps experience.

We’re still having a learning curve on the rabbit and chicken care. The kids are divided into teams of 3 each – and each team has 1 day in the week to feed and water the animals. We were having a bit of a compliance problem, so mean old Aunty Gail decided we’d have to get tough – the animals must be properly fed & watered each day for a week, and then they get to watch a movie. Even if they miss 1 day, no movie. Last week they finally got it right, and we showed them The Wizard of Oz. They loved it, but are still not fully believing that the Munchkins are real, adult people. Yes, the movie night is a big deal, since they don’t have television on the farm (it’s available, but not really too much to watch). It’s bringing back memories of when Mike pulled the plug on our television for the summers our kids were growing up.

Time to go tutor my 2nd graders. I’m determined to get them to learn their basic math facts, esp. since we see the older ones still counting on their fingers. It’s an uphill battle since the schools don’t enforce it. The same with reading – they learn by rote, and not by phonetics. I’ll let you know how we do in the future. So far, I’m resorting to tests on Friday, with treats as an incentive for doing well.

Blessings, Gail

PS From Mike. Managed to get on my phone Monday a.m. and see the NCAA brackets. At least I know who is playing who, and when. No coverage whatsoever, here, not on TV, radio, newpapers, etc. Nada. Truth is, this is first sporting event I am really gonna miss. No real way to follow March Madness…so I will likely just jump on the web—on my phone—every couple days, to see who is advancing. I have been able to write up the brackets manually….and think Ohio State plays the 18th—Friday—in Cleveland. And if I got my facts correct, Carolina, and Kentucky are in that region. Should be interesting.

MORE NEWS FROM THE SWAZ

Hi Everyone,

Last week we said farewell to Jen, the peace corps volunteer who extended her time here in Swaziland so that she could work with an income-generating business model for two groups of home-based caregivers in our region. These individuals do a phenomenal job of delivering care to those who are unable to get to the local clinic. They truly are the hands and feet for the underserved rural population. Unfortunately, they are paid a minimal amount—about $1.50 USD daily, hence the need for supplemental income. In just 6 mos., Jen has one group making various forms of necklaces and earrings out of recycled materials, and another group making primarily earrings, and sewing various bags & purses. Their work is creative and the quality keeps on improving. Now that Jen has departed, I agreed to help with the monthly visits to these groups to advise, and purchase items they have made. Mike handles the marketing side of the business. I went to my first meeting last week. Since the access roads to our farm are unsafe for single females to walk on, I had to catch a ride to town at 6:30, and then later catch a bus to the community for the 10:00 meeting. Although I had been there before & Jen assured them that I would continue what she had started, I’m sure there was some skepticism. Three ladies brought items for me to review: One woman wanted to show me her partially completed work for approval; the other two women had nicely made items to sell to me. I also brought a large bag of off-cuts of fabric from a nearby garment factory and showed those who sew a new purse pattern. The turnout for the meeting was large – 21; so hopefully my future visits will result in more products to market.

Mike and I traveled to the peace corps office for Jen’s official “ringing out”. The staff and volunteers who come can all gather to thank the departing volunteer and wish them well for the future. After that, Jen and I planned a small trip together to visit a children’s home in the north we both wanted to see. First, I traveled to our training homestead to visit and to bring them the items we’d brought from the US. Thankfully, everything fit and was well received. The kids had a great time with wiffle balls and matchbox cars. The next morning I met Jen for our trip to Bulembu Children’s home. The site is rather unique: it was a working asbestos mine—the second largest in the world-- and adjacent town that was abandoned in 2001. When the asbestos problems came to light the town went from a thriving population of about 12,000 to about 100…almost overnite. A few years after that, 2 mission-minded businessmen bought the town, all the property, all the buildings with the idea of converting all into a childrens home/ tourist attraction. And that is what they have done. There were already many existing structures that could be revamped to meet their needs, which greatly reduced the start up costs. Unfortunately, the needs keep increasing for safe housing and care for the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children. They now care for 280 children, and have plans to increase that to 1,000 at that site. They have incorporated some working businesses into the town – so far a dairy and bakery, hoping to reduce the need for ongoing donations and to make it somewhat self-sustaining in the future. Because of the numbers, they have separate buildings for infants and toddlers; a big preschool; a primary school and plans to build a high school. We got a tour from one of the volunteer leaders whom I’d met at a previous conference. It is remarkably well run, but the scale of things is a bit overwhelming to take in. The kids live in groups of 6 – 8 with a resident caregiver at each dwelling. They are now actively working on how to transition the older children into semi-emancipation and eventually to independence. It makes our work here at the farm seem quite manageable.

Back on the farm, we’ve all been kept busy caring for our newest addition: 2 yr. Old Melusi. He was quite delayed in development, so it’s been fun watching him catch up. He comes to the preschool with me most mornings, and enjoys all the commotion there. We’re concerned that he isn’t making any progress in speech, but he certainly makes his desires known. It’s good that he has a strong will – he’ll need it in the future.

We’ve got 1 teenage girl here who is going through some emotional issues which look like a form of depression to me. Unfortunately, there’s limited resources to tap into for psychological care here. So far she is responding to some counseling from our pastor, but I worry that we’re going to have more storms before the sky clears for her. Please keep her in your prayers. Gotta go tutor.

Bye for now. Gail

BACK IN SWAZILAND---WRITINGS FROM 11 FEB

BLOG UPDATE 11 FEB 2011


It's hard to believe it's only been 2 weeks since our return from the states, We had such fun distributing all the loot we brought back from the US, thanks to the generosity of our families and church family.
Our first weekend back brought the arrival of a previous volunteer from the U.K. He and his wife were instrumental in establishing the 2 homes where the children now live. In fact, one house is named David's House and the other, Stella's House, in honor of them. Sadly, Stella had an untimely death from cancer. So, David has returned alone. We all wanted the premises to look their best for his arrival. But, there had been so much rain, it took a lot of work just to clear out the grounds around the homes. I helped the kids practice some songs and to memorize some verses to recite for him, as well as a Welcome Uncle David banner.

In addition to that, Mike & I had to prepare our first Volunteer report, now that we've been 4 mos. At sight. That's something we never had to do in our previous peace corps experience – like everything else, there now needs to be some accountability to the volunteer's time at site.

Our big news is that we now have a new addition to the Children's Home family – a little 2 yr. Old boy, who had been abandoned by his father, and whose mother was no longer willing to care for, since he is both HIV pos. and is recovering from TB. The leadership here wasn't sure we were up to the task, but when it came down to the final decision, they decided to give it a try. The doctors at the hospital were very optimistic about his recovery, provided he receives his daily medications and gets good food and stimulation. He certainly has had plenty of stimulation from the 23 other children, as well as from the adults here. The medications for HIV are tablets to crush and give morning and night. That's the easy part. The TB treatment is as follows: 1. Daily injections for the next 4 mos. 2. For the next 18 mos, 6 different medications, all of which are downsized adult medications which we must either crush or open the capsule or mix with yogurt. The great news is that he's responding well, and doesn't fight us too much with all the nasty tasting stuff. He is quite developmentally delayed, but he is making progress each day. His name is Melusi.

We brought back lots of books to read to the kids, which have black-skinned children in them. One of the books talked about the astronauts landing on the moon, and was beautifully illustrated with life-like drawings of the space shuttle and the astronauts. The theme of the book was for children to hold on to their dreams. When I was reading it to an 11 yr. Old boy, it was clear that he'd never heard about man landing on the moon and truly didn't know that astronauts really do go to outer space. I'm not sure he's convinced, even now but hopefully we'll find more books on the subject to reinforce our lesson. It just goes to show how much I took for granted when my kids were growing up and going to COSI (our local science museum in Columbus), and seeing a real space capsule.

This week we'll be saying farewell to Jen, a peace corps volunteer who stayed an extra 6 mos. In Swaziland just so that she could live and work here at the children's home and develop an income generating project with a home-based care group. She's done a remarkable job, and has become a close friend. We'll miss her a lot.

ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE SWAZ

Sawubona (Hello) Everyone, 24 JAN 2011

Our trip home has ended. We're waiting to board the plane for Jo'burg, and really looking forward to returning “home” to Swaziland. It was great to be back in the USA and we cherish the opportunity we had to hold grandchildren and see most of our families. However, our work and mission is at the children's home, and we know that's where we belong. That is where are hearts are.We were able to adjust back to the faster pace of American living pretty easily, but are ready for the slower, albeit more difficult lifestyle of the third world.

Things we especially enjoyed stateside: the vast availability of foods – from hamburgers to pizza to crunchy cereal to good ice cream. Yes, we eat remarkably well in Swaziland, but the selection is limited and much of the preparation is by hand. Everything looked so modern and well built. The stores seemed so well stocked and everything seemed so well made. We enjoyed having some nightlife. Everything closes down at dark in Swaziland, and no one goes out, unless you are in the capital city. So, going to a restaurant for dinner was a treat. Of course, Mike got his fill of US sports. We can access scores via the internet, but actual live sports coverage is only for African soccer & rugby & sometimes cricket. No one knows ( or cares !) about the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, over here . We're not big movie watchers, but accessing movies on netflix was fun, and amazing. I had a hard time allowing the water to run out of the faucet. Even if you have running water, in Swaziland, you use it sparingly. Recycling is nonexistent in Swaziland, although many do reuse items over and over. I still bet most in the US waste far more than those in the third world. We see more trash, but that's because there's no trash pickup, and everyone just puts their own trash into a pit & burns what they can & leaves the rest
.
Imagine what your backyard would look like if you had to dispose of all your personal trash yourself.
Contrast to Swaziland: grocery stores have the basics, usually just 1 or 2 choices per item. Most other items you might want to buy are made in China and are often of poor quality. There's rarely a choice to find better quality. For example: we wanted to buy a lamp, but only could find a very small one and it is only sold as a pair. Mattresses are quite expensive, and unless you buy the top of the line, the springs start popping through in 6 mos. If you want to buy a sofa, you usually also have to buy 2 matching chairs. We truly are spoiled in the US.

In Swaziland, most public buildings – schools, health centers, churches, etc. - are surrounded by barbed wire fences. I'd gotten used to it, so it seemed strange back here to have everything so accessible. Many of the main roads are paved—we call them “tar roads”, but after that, it's dirt roads which get quite muddy, and rutted when it rains. Their potholes make anything you've experienced in the USA seem minimal. There's very few sidewalks, except for in the capital city. Swaziland has few museums, so of course I enjoyed visiting the museums—two !--while in DC. In Swaziland, if I see more than 2 white people in a store, I feel “funny”. So, back here, even in DC, even with its diversity, there seemed to be lots of white people around. Here's hoping we have an uneventful return trip & that we can readjust to the 7 hr. time change.

Bye for now. Gail & Mike

Back in the USA - January 2011

Hi Everyone,

I'm writing from Washington, D.C., taking a break from holding my grandbabies, Hatcher and Lavinia. Yes, being a grandparent is all it's cracked up to be and more. I'm having a great time learning their personalities and marveling at how well Mary and John are managing life with twins. I'm so glad we made the trip and happy with my decision to remain in D.C., and let the rest of the family come to me. And come, they did! Dana was on the end of her semester break from her MBA studies at Berkeley, and was here for the week prior to our arrival, thus overlapping for 3 days. Ellen, Kevin and Troy drove out from Columbus and were here for 2 1/2 days. Mike then drove back to Columbus with them so he could see his family and give greetings to friends around town.

One of the goals of Peace Corps is to bring our experiences back to the US, so Mike is presenting talks to members of our church and to his sister's 6th graders at Jones Middle School. Since we knew we are allotted 2 checked bags each on an international flight, we decided to take advantage of that space and bring items back to Swaziland for those whom we know can use them.

We spread out our requests to various groups: Mike's extended family, my extended family, our children, Bethel church and the students at Jones. We were thrilled with all the donations. More importantly, the kids at the orphanage, and our homestay family will be overjoyed with their gifts - items they need and will use, which are for the most part, unavailable, or of vastly inferior quality there. Thank you, thank you to all who contributed. Best of all, they all fit in the suitcases, and we're just under the weight restrictions. So, we'll be just as overloaded on our return trip as we were for our first journey, but it won't seem so daunting now that we've done it before.

After Mike & the kids left, we had a day break before my mother and brother, Steve, arrived from Sarasota. Then, a surprise visit from my sister, Helen, from Denver was quite a thrill. Next came sister Alice for 2 days. Despite all the commotion and strangers, these babies continue to be remarkably well behaved and calm. I know it was especially fun for my 94 yr. old mother to come up to meet her 2 latest great grandchildren. We're all going to have quite a readjustment period when we go home.

Our trip from Swaziland wasn't that difficult, just long, primarily because there is no transportation after dark. So, it took 2 days to get from our home to Johannesburg, and only 1 full day to fly from Jo'burg to D.C. I might just have to come home one more time to see these adorable babies who will change and grow so much over the next few months. Although it will be hard to leave, I'm finding my heart is also attached to the kids in Swaziland. The needs there are so great, and I have a wonderful opportunity to do my part in facilitating their growth and development, and eventual independence. That's all for now, babies are fussing & my arms are ready.

Love, Gail