LIFE IN SWAZILAND

Many of you know we have been on standfast this week because of political unrest and civil protests in Mbabane and Manzini. Civil servants, especially teachers and nurses, are upset because they haven’t been paid, and the college students want more allowance, and all are facing the threat of cutbacks; hence the call for a general strike. We have been limited to our community and restricted by no commercial travel, although we don’t feel particularly limited because we have a refrigerator and can walk into town and to our work sites. We are ‘posh corps’, but we feel for our friends who are more rural and are stuck at their homesteads. We don’t worry about our safety because the Peace Corps takes that responsibility seriously. The fiscal year ends with this month, so April is an unknown, and another demonstration is scheduled for April 12, which is the anniversary of when political parties were banned in 1973. That date comes after civil servants have missed a pay day, so it could be even more exciting. On the other hand, rest assured that nothing will happen at 10:00 a.m., any day, when everyone drops everything for tea break.

Sunday is the equinox, when day is equal to night everywhere. I remember writing that line in a previous post, which is an indication that we have been here at least six months—but who’s counting? We have noticed that the days are getting shorter and we thought they should be getting cooler, but in the past couple of weeks we have suffered from some of the hottest and most humid days we’ve known. And after the rains stopped, the clay has been baked until there is no water in it leaving over an inch of dust on top of the ground. After the work-day, we come home and strip off our sweaty clothes for something more comfortable. Our friends in the low veld tell us they go home, strip, and then lie on the concrete floor of their huts; higher is hotter.

Next week, we will be in Mbabane for Peace Corps training. We should be a little cooler because it is a little higher. And at the end of the week, we plan on dallying a bit because there is now a theatre in the kingdom! Rumor has it that it has movies—in color— with sound—and perhaps popcorn! I’ll report on that once I’ve seen it. We’ll also visit the best grocery store in the kingdom so we hope to bring home cream cheese, ‘real’ parmesan cheese, and bread that is neither simply white or wheat. Life is good!

After a quick review, I think I’ve done it! I have written a post without a single parenthetical! (But now I see the exclamation points are growing in number. Damn!)