ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

First of all, an update on Debbie: After coming home and feeling miserable, she was driven back to the Mbabane Clinic today and will be resting at 'Gloria's', waiting for the results of multiple tests. I'll update you when we learn something. Meanwhile, the following was written earlier this week in anticipation of this date.


One year ago today, we left Atlanta for our Peace Corps service (answering John Kennedy’s “…ask what you can do for your country”). The next day we found ourselves in a new culture, and after a full year of exposure we have become accustomed or inured to many sights or cultural practices that we couldn’t predict. They were of interest to begin with, but now, these are a few things we find ourselves taking for granted because we see them every day:

Babies riding on the backs of their mothers/grandmothers/sisters, content in their ‘papoose’.
Women (rarely men) carrying large, heavy loads on their heads.
Boobs. (Of contrasting interest, we don’t dare expose our underwear on the clothesline, apparently considered scandalous.)
The lack of personal space; you only own the space you occupy and only for this instant.
Cows and chickens—usually encountered on our way into town.
Lizzards; cute little guys, no longer than 10-12 cm, we share our palace with, and we call them all “Lizzie”.
Cars that coast through stop signs, khumbis that speed and tailgate, and drivers who see how close they can come to pedestrians.
Driving on the left, walking on the right. I am allowed to drive in South Africa and completed almost 1,000 km without incident.
Greeting everyone you meet, but getting in return a beautiful Swazi smile.
Inconsistent, unpredictable, unreliable utilities.
Trash/debris scattered everywhere (mostly because there is no place to put it).
Everyone walks everywhere. (The penalty for noncompliance is a Khumbi ride; severe, indeed.)
We use cash for everything. Credit cards have been used only for on-line purchases.
But there are things we will never understand or become accustomed to such as ‘African time’, the presence of HIV /AIDS, poverty, political corruption or, oh yeah, ask me about riding in khumbies sometime.