Thursday, August 8, 2013

Never Slowing Down


Things here continue to move at high speed. A few weeks ago I had strep throat that sealed off my esophagus and landed me in the hospital for a few days, but thankfully my friends Erin and Cathy came to visit and kept me in high spirits. I lived down the hall from Erin when I studied abroad in Tasmania, and she brought Cathy to visit me in Iowa a month before I left for Swaziland. The two of them have been traveling the world since then and decided to make me their last stop before they finally head home to Australia. They spent three weeks here helping me set up the library and baking me tasty treats to make me chubby. Last weekend the three of us met up with a group of Peace Corps buddies to go to Hlane Game Park (the same park I went to when Mom, Dad, and Emmy came to visit). We set up tents and listened to the lions roaring on the other side of the fence all night. Our sunrise game drive was not quite as eventful as the trip last month, but we did see giraffe, impala, kudu, warthogs, and the hole bit. We even found ourselves right in the middle of a herd of elephants (female elephants - a “mating herd”. The males are in a “bachelor herd”). At one point an elephant came right up to our Jeep and raised its trunk right in Cathy’s face! The driver kept whispering, “Remember the rule - No Screaming. No. Screaming.” Cathy was cowered down in the front seat as the giant trunk came  down right in front of her. Afterward Piers’s only question for Cathy was, “Could you smell his breath?!” It was pretty awesome. We followed some herds of white rhino and got up-close and personal with them by the waterhole. Fun stuff!
Things are moving right along at the orphanage. The library is starting to look like a real live library, and the school term is coming to a close soon so the kids are all taking exams now. I am preparing a school-holiday program for them, a sort of  day camp/class thing. I am having a dozen Peace Corps volunteers come up to my site over the course of six days to teach volleyball, HIV, healthy relationships within the Swazi culture, photography, fitness and nutrition, drawing, and heaps more to small groups of kids. I hope it all goes well!
I also just got a new roommate named Rachel. She is a missionary from North Carolina. She only just recently moved in, so I don’t know her too well yet, but she seems like a very nice girl, and I am hoping maybe we’ll be able to work on some projects together.
Well, G10 is in our 13th month now here in Swaziland. Only 13 months left! (... Right?) [Cue Bon Jovi - Whooooa We’re half-way there! Whooooa! Livin’ on a prayer!] Eish... only half-way... 
Any-who, I hope all is well in your corner of the world (wherever it is you are right now). Stay tuned as exciting things are around the corner - Orphanage day camp, the Reed Dance (yes, it is that time of year again), I am in my mid-service medical exam for three days now, so maybe something exciting will happen with that... hopefully not.
Please enjoy the following photos:
Girls being silly, silly girls!

Spring Burning

The library is coming along great, but the school has an interesting collection of books including "The Usher's Manual" featured here.

Goodie, Piers, Erin, Me, Kerry, Janna, and Cathy's hair (upper right-hand corner) partying it up at Kerry's house!

I saw this guy on the side of the road while I was hiking up the mountain to the orphanage! What in the heck Swaziland?! Iowa Hawkeyes?! Please someone send this one to the alumni magazine. I'll be published and famous for this incredible find... I am sure of it.

These new cars are AWESOME!

Me, Cathy, and Erin on our game drive!

The gang at Hlane!
Piers, Janna, Me, Cathy, Erin, Peter

Sometimes it takes all day to catch a lift home.

A Gift
Elephant Brawl!

Takeoff