Adventures in Swaziland..

Hm.... I can't remember what I wrote last time so I'll do my best not to repeat myself. I think my last post talked about Kruger National Park, which was absolutely amazing... I could honestly spend another week there scoping out the wildlife if I had the time. Since then, my fellow volunteers and I have started our various projects. My volunteer projects involve 1) Building a new child care center for orphans who cannot afford to go to school. Many of these children do not have parents and they have lost them to HIV/AIDS. At the building site I have experienced manual labor like never before using wheelbarrels to haul dirt and cement to make bricks in a brick machine where we have to pump a lever up and down to compress the dirt and cement to form a brick, then remove it from the machine, place it on the ground and wait a couple days for it to dry to use it on the bulding. The first day I started the building had no walls, today the building's walls are about 4 feet high! In addition to the care center which is really like a daycare/school, we are also constructing an open-air soup kitchen to feed those in the community who are in need. Also, there is a wooden store room which is nearly completed. And last, but definitely not least, the there are 3 separate rooms for the toilets for girls, boys and teachers. There is a public shool only 50 feet away from our building site for young children and their parent's pay for their schooling. However, the children use their playground as rest room because someone tore them down. It's unsettling to look over and see the children urinating where they play, but that's just how it is Most people here in Swaziland live much different lives than we are used to in the states. They have chickens and goats running freely, wash their clothes my hand, carry heavy items on their heads, and speak a language that i can barely understand. And I love it. It has opened my eyes a great deal and allows me to appreciate everything I have back at home... (and realize I have way too much "stuff"). One of the women who works for our volunteer organization was so kind as to invite the voluneers over to her one room home and make us traditional Swazi food. We packed her home with all ten bodies and had a great time listening to music and dancing!
A little bit about Swaziland: The Kingdom of Swaziland is run by the king and is a patriarchal society where the men rule the roost. Men are able to take many wives, but have to pay a dowry to their fiancee's family. They pay this dowry in cows. So frequently Swazi men will ask you to marry them, and we give them response "how many cows will you give me?" apparently 25 is a good number, but I ususually tell them my parents are asking for more. I have to get off the computer now so I have to cut this short. I will be going to Mozambique Oct 26-31 to snorkel in the indian ocean with whales sharks, I will try to get some pics to share!!!!

I made it! I'm in Swaziland!

SAWUBONA! Greetings from Swaziland. I arrived at Lidwala backpacker lodge on October 5th as planned even though I had unfortunatesly missed my first flight from PDX. Met a nice gentlemen on my flight from JFK To Johannesburg who was so kind enought to extend an open invitation to enjoy a braia (BBQ) with his family in Jefferey's Bay (where I will be learning to surf in a month, how convenient). I am sharing a room with 5 other girls at the lodge. 2 are a mother-daughter duo from North Carolina, 1 from London, 1 from Sweden and 1 from Gernmany. All the other volunteers are great. We went to Kruger National Park last week and were fortnate to see all big 5 animals: rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, and buffalo. Also saw Kudu, Waterbuck, Impala, Steenbok, Porcupine, Hyena, Hippoos, Babboon, Giraffe, Zebra, Warhog, Genet and a Lilac-Breasted Roller to name a few!! Groups of animals have different names. Example, giraffes= journey, hippos=raft, Zebras= dazzle, Baboons=troop. We also were fortunate enought to witness 3 separate lion kills. 2 juvenile lions killed a baby wildebeest, a young female lioness had killed a zebra and it was ripped completely open, exposing the ribcage, and also saw a mother lion after she had killed a huge male kudu and her 3 baby cubs were running around playing (so cute!!!!). Now we are back at the lodge volunteering. In the morn I engage in some real physical labor in the sun building a childcare center for orphans who cannot afford school, it will also serve as a soup kitchen. In the afternoon we go to the Nazarene Hospital in Manzini and entertain/stimulate the children who are very ill or even bedridden. While very sad to see the children ill, it feels great to put a smile on their faces by blowing up balloons or just being silly. I have definitely been keeping busy and rarely have a moment to get on the computer. I love you all and hope you are well. Feel free to send me an email if you get a minute... I may not check it for a week, but will be delighted to hear about anything from back home!!!

For starters..

So I finally have a created a blog.. and only 8.25 hours prior to my departure!!! I feel as though I am approaching a mental breakdown due to the fact I can't quite stuff all my clothes and gear into my oversized backpack. It's time to minimize! I would love to rant about my anxiety levels right now, but first I must first complete this major packing procedure. Please stay posted I have so much more to share!
I depart from Portland, OR at 7:55 pm pst. After a layover in San Fran and JFK in NY followed by a 14 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa I will be well on my way to my final destination in Swaziland. Can you see Swaziland on this map?