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