It seems like it has been ages since i last posted, sorry for that. I figured it was about overdue for me to update you all on how my life back home has been treating me.
I must say first and foremost, that it didnt take long before i was busy with swim meets, catch up dates, graduations, and and other various things. It was a hard adjustment, especially at first! I found it strange adjusting to the amount of cars on the road and other things that create this fast paced lifestyle. It has been crazy coming back, and looking at all the same things, but from a different point of view. After spending so much time in Swazi, making friendships and getting used to their culture it was wierd to see the intensity of recreational swimming, graduations, finals etc. I definitely appreaciate the awesome opportunities that i have grown up with, it is crazy that i have taken it all for granted.
REality set in a few weeks after being back, and i quickly found myself a few jobs to earn money for school, rent, and a car. I have been extremely busy, but things have been going well. I am having to trust the Lord with my plans for next year, and years to come. It is hard not know where i am going next, but after seeing how the Lord has directed my path this past year, I am able to trust Him with everything!!
I wish that i had been able to organize some sort of gathering to tell all of you about my experiences, share the beautiful purses my Gogos made, and give information about sponsoring one of my kids through school. Things have been crazy though, and i was unable to pull anything together. However, i did put together packets of information for each child that is in need of a school fee sponsor. So if you are interested please please let me know and i can send you all of the necessary info.
Thank you so much, God Bless!
here is a sent to me by the organization i worked with.. The smiling proud after their first day of school!!
I am partially through my long journey home, and find myself in Kenya! Random i know. Since i had a long layover, i figured i would give you all a short update of my last two weeks in Swazi. For the most part i had very successful goodbyes, i got to see and spend time with almost everyone that i have gotten to know here, so that was a huge blessing. But at the same time, i didnt feel right about the whole thing, i just couldnt face the reality of really saying goodbye to these people and this culture, i knew i had to be back someday.
It is crazy to me that i have left swaziland, and wont wake up there in the morning. I feel as though i have just temporarily been taken away from what i have come to know as my home. Unfortunately, once I boarded my first flight, reality did start to sink in. I almost immediately felt a huge sense of loneliness, because for the first time in 5 months, i am not with my teammates. I looked at pictures and was devastated, not knowing when i get to see my babies again. I know that once i do finally arrive home, the transition will probably get even harder, so i suppose flying is a good buffer zone, eh? I am scared to face the crazy busy life that is waiting for me back home, so please have patience with me!!
And on a lighter note, im completely stoked to share stories and pictures with anyone who wants to hear/see!
Reality has been hitting me hard lately, I cannot fathom the idea of coming home in a little over two weeks. So much will be different when I adjust to life back in the states, and I know it will be a challenge in many areas. Here are some interesting things that happen here that I wont experience anymore in the states…
o Cooking over an open fire on a regular basis o Having the electricity go out weekly, and water shut off in the middle of showers o Receiving multiple marriage proposals a day from men I have never seen o The country having a shortage of CO2, causing certain soft drinks to dissapear o Recieving a live chicken as a thank you gesture from a friend's family o Killing the chicken, watching it run around headless, and then eating it for dinner o Not having to stop at red lights… only for cows and goats blocking the road o Traveling for over an hour in a hot crowded Kombi, just to receive internet access o Having a social life which consists of different card games o Remaining inside the house after 6pm
Although most of these things will be relieving to let go of, I know that I am going to struggle adjusting in the more serious ways. I am going to miss so many things about living life here, in this home, in this country with these people.
I will miss… o Swimming on such an intimate swim team, that is so eager to learn more. o Having three roommates to argue, debate and laugh with o The friendly and genuine nature of this culture o Not being judged by everyone who sees or meets me o The simplicity of life without a tv, car, or tight schedule to keep up with o Having quality time be something that actually happens between people o My precious kids at the carepoint who greet me everyday in an indescribable way o Being able to love and comfort my kids, who have such rough lives at home o The Gogos, whos' attitudes are always so appreciative o Being able to care for people I don't know without being questioned o And talking to my parents for long periods of time, about life
These are all great pieces of what my experience has been here the last few months, it will be a crazy transition when I return in a few weeks. I have had so many awesome things happen to me, and I have learned a tremendous amount. I hope that when I see you next, you will not be satisfied when I tell you my trip was amazing. PLEASE, ask questions because I would love to tell you how I have been transformed, and the things that God has been teaching me this semester.
This past Thursday Ashley and I got to bring our little baby girls that we teach to the house for a night of fun. On Tuesday I visited each of their homes to ask permission for them to spend the night. In America this process would be a little more difficult: I would have to explain where we were going, who would be there, what we would do, when they would come home. But here in Swaziland, without any information, the parents immediately gave us permission to take their kids. On Thursday, when we arrived to the care point, the girls were dressed in their best clothes and had packed their backpacks that we gave them. Having never been to town before, the kids were ridiculously excited when we got on the kombi to start our adventure. We sat with multiple kids on our laps in order to save on bus fares. Many of the kids gasped as we turned into the bus ranks because they had never seen anything like it. Walking through town was crazy, and many people shouted at us in Siswati, wondering if we had stolen the kids!! We took them to KFC (the best place ever to Swazis) to get ice cream, which they were surprised to find out was COLD!!
It was times like this that we really got to see how much this all meant to 'our' sweet girls. We brought them to the house, where we had a new stuffed dog, pictures that we printed, and a pair of underwear set out in little piles for each one. They had us strap their new doggies to their backs, just as the Swazi moms strap babies to theirs and of course, I joined in the fun with my teddy Fred!
They went crazy over a lot of things in the house such as the stairs, using a toilet and the bunk beds. We had a great bubble bath time before bed that the girls LOVED. It was so fun to play with them and get them really clean for once, plus they were ridiculously cute in those bubbles.
0They fell fast asleep, exhausted from the long and eventful day. I was surprised that even though they were lined up like sardines, they all slept through the night perfectly. It was such a blast having our babies over, it definitely helps that they were well behaved J. We will see how the boys go this week!
As time has started to wind down, we have begun to see the reality of leaving our kids. Realizing that leaving them without any teachers or schooling of any kind would be a huge deficit, Ashley and I put our heads together. With the help of my Dad and our translator Zenele, we investigated the pricing and possibilities of entering our kids into the local pre-school. We discovered that with uniforms and tuition costs, it would add up to be around $200 for each child to finish the remainder of the year in school. We enrolled them and are now starting to tackle the task of finding a supporter for each of our precious little ones. If any of you are interested in sponsoring one of these kids to continue in their learning career please let me know. It would be great to have them sponsored for the remainder of the year, and possibly into the future as well! How awesome would it be to ensure these kids have schooling all the way up until highschool graduation? I am so excited for our little ones and I wish you could have seen their faces as they were sized for uniforms. They loved being in school during their trial week, and supposedly showed lots of prior knowledge!! WOOT WOOT! This has been such an awesome step and it makes me so much more at peace about leaving in a few weeks. Again, if you would like to support one of these precious kids for this year, or years to come, please contact me.
Being an American, and having grown up in the United States Swimming world, when I first thought of what it would be like to go to the Swaziland Nationals I immediately imagined it to be slightly similar to the Sectionals or Junior Olympics of my past. But after living here, I have learned that it is better to not create any kind of preconceived idea about anything, cuz you will most likely be miles off in your prediction.
When we arrived at the pool I was surprised at the size, which I would compare to Campo Cabana club for those of you back home who know. The meet proceeded with as much organization as a rec dual meet, and just as many people. There was a snack bar, a swim shop, and also three countries being represented.
The Mozambique swimmers turned out to be very competitive, especially in Swazi standards and it was really neat having them there. Being at a swim meet with so many cultures mixing is quite exciting and it keeps you on your toes! I ended up winning most races; however, several races I swam unopposed for my age group so it was not all that great of an accomplishment! When the weekend came to a close I was tired and ready to be home. The weekend did give me an invitation to be part of the Swazi team that traveled to the Mozambique nationals the next weekend!
My swim team with their new caps from Orinda Aquatics
When my parents came to visit they brought a lot of things with them, some of it being material things. Packed in my mom's bags were many tools to help us teach at the carepoint. Ashley and I decided to give every few days a color theme, hoping that consistency would really help things stick for the children. It was so great seeing and hearing them start to understand. We started with the color green. We finger painted with green, did worksheets with green, found green objects, chased after green, and much more greeeen. One of many moments that gave me a laugh, was when we switched our color to red a few days later but Nomvuyo was still sure that it was green! It definitely takes longer for some than others!
Having my parents visit was a blessing that I don't even have words to express. It was so amazing to have them alongside me everyday, getting to know the people I have relationships with.Their freshness brought excitement and new perspective to everything I do daily. I got to talk with them throughout each day, serve alongside them, and show them everything I know about this country.My mom, who flew in first, immediately fell in love with the kids and Gogos that I work with.We got to hand out clothes that everyone donated the first day, which was such a great and hectic way for her visit to start. We re-entered some kids into school that were "chased away" the day before, and worked on some details for some other kids.When my Dad arrived we had some great family time together, celebrated my mom's birthday, went to a nearby game park, and saw some other sites around. My Dad added many things to the ministry at the carepoint, trying to provide shade for the kids, and giving them wheelbarrow races. The kids loved having both of my parents around and it was so neat to watch their reactions to them… it's not often they have men around who want to play with them, or a woman with funny things glued to her teeth!
It's weird to think that my parents are already back in the States back to normal life. Their visit was an experience I will never forget. How often do people get to serve alongside both of their parents!? Since they have left, many of the people that I see everyday have asked about them: kids, Gogos, parents, coaches, teammates, and roommates. It is so rad that I get to see the fruit of their time here. It just shows how much of a difference you can make in peoples lives, even in a short span of time. I know my parents made a big dent here in Swaziland in the 2 weeks that they were here. They affected everyone they spent time with, including me. It will also be neat to share with them when I come home because the picture will be that much clearer for them
This week in ministry we were faced with the problem of school fees. The trimester is coming to an end, and exams are just a few weeks a way for the children who are in school here. Many of these kids were given extensions at the beginning of the year for paying their school fees. On Monday we had a few extra students at the carepoint, and quickly learned that they were kicked out of school because their parents had not been able to pay the fees. It broke our hearts. These kids were just a few weeks away from passing the trimester, and now because of school fees, they will have to start all over again. My mom, Ashley, Zenele and I all decided to help these kids out. Although we new there are many kids in this same situation, we wanted to help the ones we had at the carepoint. So after making many trips between the school, homesteads, and the bank we were able to enter two kids back into the system! I am so excited about this, and their faces showed that they were too! The parents were also extremely grateful for the blessing. I just hope that we can figure a way to get all of our kids in school all the time.
Nomcebo, who is in first grade, also did not have a uniform like her peers. We were able to purchase one for her which she will be able to wear for a few years. Her and her mothers excitement were priceless, it made me so happy to be able to give so joyfully
This past Saturday I attended my second swim competition in Swaziland. It was a small meet, a championship for younger swimmers, but an opportunity to get some more times into the book for the season. My mom and I were picked up fairly early in the morning for meet, which ended up being in the mountains! It was very cold at the meet because of some fog that I was completely unprepared for. I swam nine events in a very short amount of time but it was fun! I met some new friends that were home from college in Cape Town and also trying to get times into the book before Nationals. My mom volunteered as a timer, which just shows how some things never change even across the world! I am excited to see what Nationals will have in store for me, this has all been such a great adventure.
