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October 21, 2005
I have a Pet Monkey, hello!!!!
Ok, so I will start of with the bad news first. I was really really sick a last week. Projectile vomitting all over the place. I couldn't keep anything in my stomach, not even water. I would say that i lost another 10-15 more pounds but i'm not sure. Vomit city for 4 days or so. Yeah that's it. On to the good news. I have switched homesteads, Thursday 21 October. PS. I still have the same address PO BOX 1093 Siteki, Swaziland, Africa. The homestead is better, four kids, 20,19,14,13. They all speak fluent english. The babe (Father) used to be a member of parliment. Five dogs on the homestead that bark and nothing and everything. SO that's good sort of. the mother just had puppies so cute and adorable, then can't open their eyes yet. AND...i have a pet monkey!! It's a smaller place for me, but all my stuff still fits, somehow. It is a thatch roof which is supposed to be cooler than tin roofs. I am not sure yet. SO my first night there, it rained, something uncommon in this area, even though it is rainy season, 4 year drought. SO it rained so hard last night and thundered and lightned like i have never seen before, directly above me, the power went out, yes i do have electricity now. and it went out last night. And my whole room flooded (25x25 feet maybe) and it came through the wooden door and under the door and through some parts for the thatch roof and it came in from a corner of the room it came from all over and it was creepy and this morning i had a full inch of water in every part of my room. So that wasn't a really fun first night, but prior I had a wonder talk with my new babe. We talked about everything from politics to religion and everything inbetween race relations. He is skeptical of the bible and all the contradictions that he reads. I just say and listend to him.
Speaking of religion, i have received questions about the religious practices in the country. IT is all over, mostly christan, methodist, zionists and jehovahs witnesses are HUGE here. But regardless of religious beliefs all swazis have roots in traditional ideas and thoughts, THey have dreams of ancestors that give them answers to what to do, who to marry, when to harvest and plant crops things like that. It was funny though when we first came into the country the catholic church here declared masterbation safe or 'legal' in hopes that the 14-25 age group would have less AIDS cases. I have a feeling it won't make a difference especially in the rural areas that are more set in their ways than urban areas.
More sad news. I have been visiting homesteads and finding about who lives there and if anyone has been tested and basic questions like that. I came to my first homestead the other day with people who had been tested, three members had been, and they were all HIV positive but they are getting medicine but the gogo (grandmother) was terribly ill horrible legions, leprocy all over her body. Talking with members of the first group that are getting ready to leave the country, many have a fatalist attitude. They feel that there will not be a Swaziland in the next ten years. It's sad but it is possible if there is no MAJOR help from the government who seems to not care at all. There is so much to do and so little time, two years seems to take forever sometimes and at other times it doesn't seem like it will be enough time for everything i want to do. Err, it's all so frustrating.
Ok well I gotta go, I have a lunch date with another volunteer. But i will update again soon, two weeks or so. OK bye take care and I miss you all.
Birthday shout outs:
My mom oct 18
diana dames oct 20
lucas poirier(nephew) oct17
mark novotny oct 23
belated one
Camille july 17 and brad rackow
lester june 5ish?
ellen aug 2
jimmy o aug 5-7 i think
ok bye
Posted by colin at October 21, 2005 10:11 AM