My list

People are always asking, "What can I send you in Africa? What do you need?"
While most things I've found a suitable African substitute, there are just a few things that you can't find,- or it's just not the same. So I will update this list as needed, but for now, it's on the right!

What's in a name?

Okay I need your help. I need a name, a good name. A name for my inner-child, you know the 12 year old boy who makes me do crude things sometimes.
Like the photo of the pooping lion, that was his doing, I swear. It wasn't me.
But everything else here has a name.
My house is chippie cottage
My car is punkin
Heck, even the monkeys in my yard have a name.
So what is the name for a crude 12 year old boy? (who BTW had a very funny converstaion with Patrick about poopey diapers.)
comment please and leave your suggestion.

sad but true

“When white ladies find out they are having a baby they celebrate. We mourn. We say, ‘Ech. Another orphan.’”
The others laughed at its reality.

Funeral

I attended my first Swazi funeral today. Words cannot express all that I felt.
Waking up, still cloaked in darkness, we drove out to Siphoceseni to arrive at Gugu’s homestead and bury her sister at 5:30 am. We stood on the hillside opposite the mountains and the rising sun. There was something sacred about that time.
There was no sterile funeral home with organ music and folding chairs, but Swazi church members singing softly and gently dancing.
There was no row upon row of cemetery plots to bury her among strangers, but a hillside of beloved family who had gone before her.
There was something special about the morning,- a sense of returning God’s Creation back to his creation.
But there was a sense of unrest within me that followed.
I counted 20 graves on that hillside, most too fresh to have grown grass.
She was laid to rest beside her infant daughter who died just two months ago.
I saw 3 little girls at the home who were now motherless. They each had a little bundle in their arms,- all of their worldly possessions. A blanket, a few clothes, one carried a little bench.
They were being taken to their father in hope that he would take them in.
“One has a different father, but we don’t know where he is,- if he’s dead. We hope the father of the two will take her anyway. If not we don’t know where she’ll go to.”
The three smiled and waved at me, seemingly unaware of what was about to happen. They were just following Gogo’s direction to take their things to the truck.
“Thank you for coming to us today.” Uncle said to us. “I can say, no matter where you have come from, you have shared with us in our bereavement. You are Swazi now.”
But I will never be Swazi.
I will never know the pain of burying my uncle, then my mother, then my niece, then my sister.
I will never have to bury my 6 children and then 5 grandchildren.
I will never have to harden my heart against the grief just to make it through the day.
I will never be Swazi.

D'oh!!!! (slap forehead now)

I couldn’t believe I would do something so stupid!
I came home and decided to vacuum out my car. Afterwards I cleaned up, came inside and went to bed. The next morning I got ready for work and went out to see that my dome light was on inside my truck.
‘Why?’ you ask.
Because I had left the passenger side door open all night long.
Yes. 15 hours.
That shows me 2 things: First, I have a miracle battery in my car because I’m constantly leaving the lights on or something and it always started right up. Thank you Jesus!
Second, it shows me I’m no longer capable of living by myself. I mean, who leaves a door open for 15 hours? If I don’t get married soon, I need to be enrolled into some kind of assisted living program.

I resolve to...

What are your resolutions? It was suggested to me once that we should make resolutions for our friends.
Hmmmm. That might be cool. I bet no one would ever see you as needing to loose 5 pounds. (Isn’t that what we always resolve ladies?)
Instead they might make you resolve to take 30 minutes a day, just to pamper yourself. Maybe they would say that you are no longer allowed to say negative things about yourself. Maybe they’d say you need to work less, or read more, or stand up straight, or face challenges head on.
I dunno, but it seems that those who love us wish we’d worry about the things that make no difference, and begin to embrace and enhance those things that make us so lovable in the first place.

Meet the Popos

You know, I’d heard about them, but had never seen them with my own eyes.
I’d taken my laptop out onto the porch to do a bit of writing when I saw a great rustling of trees behind the pool. The trees were swaying and bending with too much force to be a bird. I tip-toed closer noticing a scurry of movement through the leaves.
Yep. They were they watching me as much as I was trying to watch them.
A family of monkeys. I counted 2 adults and several babies. I’ve affectionately named them The Popos. That’s a good monkey name huh? (‘popos’ are what they Swazi call papayas.) After all that’s why they live in our yard,- the abundance of fruit trees.
I watched them climb, eat, play. The baby was looking at me with his head cocked to one side. He kept climbing down for a closer look but always kept his distance.
Maybe I’ll write about them one day, The Adventures of the Popos.

An elephant says:

"Shhhh! Maybe if I stand behind this tree, the tourists won't see me."

Execution Rock

You would have been so proud of me.
I hiked execution rock! Yes,the whole thing, from the bottom at Mlilwane rest camp all the way up tp the very tippy top! We didn’t cheat and drive. I know this picture doesn't look like much, but we came from the other direction, and it's high!
I wore my real hiking boots, and my real hiking socks and did a real hike. The day was mild and the distance really isn’t that far, it’s just straight up. I knew if I didn’t make it to the top it would plague me. I can’t stand leaving goals unmet. So I kept trecking. Finally once I made it so far up I quit.
“I can’t do it Rajni. This is far enough. I’m happy.”
Then Nathan peeked his head down over a rock above us? “Why are you guys stopping here? You’re almost at the top. You have about 30 more yards.”
That’s it?
So I rested a bit and then did the final few steps. I made them sing the Rocky theme song as I ran up the last flat portions. I made it, and the view was beautiful
Here are some thoughts I had during the trek:
Back in the old days, if you were found guilty of murder or (ironically) witch craft they would march you up to the top of execution rock and push you off. Hence the name. But when I got up there I was so hot and tired, I kinda wanted to die. So I don’t know it that would actually have been a punishment for these people. The idea of jumping was more appealing then knowing I would have to walk all the way back down.
Second, I’d gone about 20 steps before I got hot, tired, sweaty, and mumbling/grumbling under my breath. So why do I give the Israelites such a hard time when I read about the 40 years in the desert? I guess I need to cut them some slack. I always think they should be “holier” than that. But in truth if I can’t do it on a journey I choose to do, how could they do it in something they were kinda thrown into? Give ‘em a little grace next time you read it.
Finally, I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I’m 30. I’m living in Africa. I get to hike big giant rocks, and sit on the top eating apples and looking over the country. My life rocks! (no pun intended)

Christmas

Had a great christmas,- very relaxing. I woke up late, opened presents with Lauren, Ross, and Jacci, and got a phone call from Heidi in Oregon.
We went to Summerfield, a beautiful botanical garden for lunch then spent the afternoon with L&R friend and their adorable baby. Finally a late night movie and then off to sleep.
You know I learned a lot about African Christmas.
Do you know you don't leave Santa milk and cookies here? You leave him Beer. And his name isn't Santa, it's Father Christmas.
Also, you don't have roasted turkey dressing and potatoes for African Christmas,- of course not, it's too hot! You have a braii, and cold salad with sparkling punch, and a pool and a slip and slide,- a very summery activity. Finally,if you are a good hostess, you provide a Christmas cracker for all of your guest, instead of buying a present for each one. You pull the two sides and it pops! Then inside is a paper crown, a joke and a little prize. How cool!
Then on the 26th celebrated Boxing day with British Emma. Traditionally in England you would spend all day preparing and eating a feast so you would open presents the next day, hence Boxing day. Now it's a day to eat leftovers, play yard games, and since you spent all Christmas day with your family, you celebrate boxing day with friends.
Cool huh? Now you know the African Holidays.

Victoria Secrets, Here I come!

Every year they have that big undie fashion show. You know to advertise their "angel" line. They've been begging me for years, I finally gave in. 2008, I'm in! I've got my wings!

Merry Christmas!

God bless us, everyone!
No matter where you are, or who you are with, I wish you the peace of Christmas.
Just know that I'm am 7 hours ahead of you...so I get Christmas first!

3 monkeys in glasses

Okay this is me, Jacci and our primate friend from Guava Gallery. Who would have thought 3 monkeys could look so good?

Just because I can...

These pictures were emailed to me, so they download very quickly onto blogspot. SO I am putting them here for no other reason than 1)I can put them up without taking all day, and 2) I look cute in them. hee-hee

Thanks Vince

This is me and a baby from Mozambique. I love her so much! She would run right up to me and smile and giggle! then she's dance with me and play, and giggle some more. We had so much fun together. So Vince shot this picture and emailed it to me!

me and Bobo

okay his name is Sibongiseni, but everyone calls him Bobo. And he's one of my graduates. He is so sweet.

For my dad:

This is how we do Christmas flowers here in Africa. No poinsettias, only plumeria and hydrangeas. These are both in my yard.
Christmas in the middle of summer; different, but good.

Missed you guys!

I’m back! After an exhausting week (albeit fun) with the team from Celebration church, I’m back in the office. Did you miss me? I know you did.
I survived Mozambique,- thanks to your prayers. Because of room problems, I had to share the “executive suite” with Jacci and Zinty. I was kinda excited. The executive suite sounded nice huh?
Well it wasn’t. It was a couch at the foot of the bed. And the couch pulled out into a tiny bed which I had to sleep diagonally across.
“Don’t you like your ‘executive’ bed?” Zinty asked
“I guess executives ate only 3’2”.” I said. Well after a long weary day of driving and border posts, that sounded pretty funny to me. It started a giggle fit that I couldn’t stop. At 11pm, I’m the funniest person I know.
But overall it was a great trip, you know I love Mozambique.
So now that I’m back I’m trying to post some blogs and photos.

Charlie Smith, you got some 'xplainin' to do

Remember I told you my teacher Ntombie had a baby? Why does he look like Charlie Smith? Charlie, you're lucky you haven't visited yet. You'd be in big trouble!

Hlane

I spent two days at Hlane Game park with this past team. Now I went once before just for a game drive. It was fine, but staying overnight is a totally different experience. We went on 2 drives, slept in little thatch roof huts, star gazed at the most amazing sky (with shooting stars and everything!) and ate impala stew and wilderbeast vorst (a sausage).
It was perfect weather and an amazing and relaxing experience. I saw the two lions who were just cubs when I came in April 2006, lots of rhinos (my favorite) and I finally saw elephants! yeah!
Here are a few pictures:

heh-heh

Okay, the 12 year old boy who lives in me also shot this photo at Hlane Game park with the team.

Heh- Heh poop is funny.

What did you say?

We speak British English here. A traffic light is a robot, a shirt is a jersey, a candy is a sweet.
While many of the words are the same, some just don’t translate, and some are just down right offensive.
For example, an eraser here is a “rubber.” I guess that makes since, since you rub the mistake to erase it. But I read a story in the newspaper of David Beckham’s son telling his kindergarten teacher he has a rubber collection. Too funny!
Another example, -We were watching a session of the Bait of Satan on DVD. John Bevere was preaching and used the word “sourpuss.” Lauren, my Zimbabwean friends let out a gasp and a hysterical laugh.
“Oh! That is rich my friend!”
None of us got the joke.
“Sourpuss is such an offensive word here. You don’t use it. You just don’t use it!”
Same goes with the word “bonk”
But check out this photo below. I think this takes the cake. This is a restaurant in Manzini. They serve great chicken, but as an American I laugh every time I see the sign. Maybe it's the 12 year old buy that lives inside of me, but I can't say it with a straight face.

Get ready to feel jealous!

My life rocks! There I said it! After graduation, we took all 26 students to Mlilwane Game reserve. The kids were so excited, but I think I topped them all. The park is so beautiful and we walked for quite a showing them all the different animals and shooting photos.
For most of these children this was a first time experience. Even though they are living in Swaziland, most have never had a care giver take them to a game park. their eyes were wide as we drove in. One little girl asked her teacher in SiSwati, "Is this where Auntie Christy lives?" Too cute.
We also had lunch there. Beef curry, salad, fruit, pap, and juice. Again, most of these orphans don't eat meat, so they were chowing down!
Another thing that made me laugh was the kids trying to eat with a fork. Most Swazi will eat with their fingers on a day to day basis, so many of these kids dont' use silverware. I showed them the "proper" way to use the fork, and they gave it an honest effort. But it was so funny to see them dangling the forks, trying to stab some food and then dangle it up into their mouths.
The thing that surprised me the most was that the children were so well behaved. Watching these kids run and play at the carepoints, you'd think they were wild! But they were polite, quiet, sitting well and eating, and so respectful. That says a lot about the teachers who are training these kids.
So all day long I kept thinking, "My life rocks! How many teachers get to take their kids to a game park in Africa as a field trip? How many get to experience so many 'firsts' in their lives.
Jealous aren't you? You should be! I have the coolest "job."

Graduation

we had our graduation at 4 of our carepoints on the 1st. It was so cute. Each child in their little caps and gowns!