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 !
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
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 !).
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 !).
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
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
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
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