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