2-13-12 Brought to you by KFC I’ve had the opportunity to meet all kinds of people on this epic adventure. One of my dear friends is the owner of all the KFC’s in Swaziland. Yes, KFC, as in Kentucky Fried Chicken- random I know. He called Kelley and I up last week and [...]
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2.3.12 the little things… I crawled from my nest this morning, like a zombie climbing from his grave. No sleep… again. It’s been weeks since i’ve slept through the night. I sit up on my bed, and let my eyes adjust to the light blaring in through the curtains. Reaching for the mosquito [...]
1.27.12 This week the weather channel predicted more intense rainfall due to a second cyclone off the shores of Mozambique. I am so happy to report that cyclone Funso had a change of heart, and took a more scenic route south east. As I type this, it is a beautiful day on the plateau. [...]
Dear Volunteers, The Swaziland Meteorological Department has issued a warning that Swaziland will experience another round of intense rainfall similar to what we have just experienced, probably beginning from Thursday and going into the weekend. These rains are as a result of Cyclone Funso that is expected to hit Mozambique at the same time. [...]
1.17.12 Rain, rain go away… As you may remember from previous posts, such as the “bus incident”, when it rains in Swaziland you don’t (or shouldn’t) go anywhere. It’s been nearly a week since I have seen the summer sun in Swaziland. In fact, when I peer out my little hut window, I [...]
if anyone is interested, below is a link to my community assessment. This is the initial report I spent the first 3 months at site working on. Its long, and mostly boring. However… if your into that sort of thing, here is the link to the pdf https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9emFVjTMHYIM2JiYWZmZjctZDUyNi00NjkxLWJmYzItMmI5ZjI1M2U0NmIw
1-10-12 creepy crawlies… Its summer in Swaziland. All of the hills are lush, green and in full bloom. It’s a beautiful view from the plateau. With all the beauty, a few natives have crawled, or slithered, from their holes in the earth, to soak up some of the summer sun. many of the [...]
12-18-11 this blog is a a little different than usual. I normally write about my life in my rural community, and my Peace Corps related projects- however, you may be surprised to know I have a social life too! This weekends events were too amazing to pass up sharing; in fact it may be my [...]
12.9.11 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… One of the most frequent requests I get from friends/family at home is; “what is an average day in your life like.” I never know how to answer this question, it varies, and after your here for a while, “out of the ordinary” events, become pretty [...]
11-24-11 Slapsgiving It’s turkey day! And I have to admit I’m a tiny bit homesick today. It could be the fact that I’m thousands of miles from home, missing my special kitchen duties, and my aunt Darlene’s famous cheesy potatoes or that i’ve spent a week away from my swazi home, sitting in peace corps [...]
11-12-11 when I first moved to my new site, near the town of Siteki I noticed beautiful colonial style houses dotted along the dirt road heading out of town. They stand out among the small, square, stucco houses more common to Swaziland. I have often tried to glimpse over the high fences of these lavish [...]
The video i posted yesterday has inspired several requests for an xmas wishlist- seeing is believing i suppose! Packages for me: everyone has been so awesome about sending me packages, its overwhelming actually that so many people already have! thank you so much for all the love. If you are wondering what to send, this [...]
11-1-11 GEORGRAPHY i’ve been thinking a lot about geography lately; in two parts really. Part 1: as a foreigner I am always asked, “where are you from?” I answer, “I am from America.” This seems like the most simple, straight forward answer available- and doesn’t leave much for mis-understanding or confusion, however, it almost always [...]
10-26-11 CAPITALIST IS MY MIDDLE NAME if you were to break down my job to the simplist term it would be “networking”. Everything I do, place I go boils down to having conversations with people. When I work in the clinic pharmacy, the main perk is talking to the staff and patients. When [...]
10-19-2011 pillow talk my official tittle in the Peace Corps is “community health educator”, there should be a focus somewhere in that tittle for SEX. Qualifications should include a certain comfort level when talking about sex, sexual activities, sex options, sexual behaviors etc etc- fortunately for the PC, I am qualified. Everyday I seem to [...]
10-1-11 I met a young man on the bus the other day and he asked me, “why would you move from a 1st world country to a 3rd world? Isn’t it hard to adjust?” I had to stop and ponder the question for a moment. Sure there are many things that have been a challenge [...]
9-26-11 The sun shone through my window, so bright in the morning I though for a moment I had slept until noon. I can’t remember when the dogs stopped barking, the roasters stopped their ceaseless crowing or when the people outside my thin stone walls began their morning activities. Pots clanking, chickens clucking as they [...]
9-1-11 can’t sleep today. I wish I could say that it was late when I said that, but in actuality its barely 10pm. I should have been asleep hours ago so I could get my full 12 hours! Things have been busy for a change! Well… busy for Swaziland. Last week I traveled to Manzini [...]
Sorry its been a while- in the interest of time and slow internet speeds, this post is actually 3 in 1! have fun catching up on the last few weeks- wish it was more interesting! It’s official! 7-10-11 I applied for the peace corps in february of 2010, and through it all I have been [...]
7-27-11 BURRR! Apparently the weather here isn’t much different then chicago after all. We had a blissful week for 80 degree days, with sunshine galore. Then, out of nowhere it took a turn for the worst. With a 12 hour storm that brought rain, wind, and mudslides (in my room). The last couple of [...]
7-20-11 Today was a great day! I received 2- count them 1-2, packages from home! One, I technically sent myself, but the other was a needed boost. I was starting to feel like the last kid picked for kickball watching everyone else open their american bounty daily. So THANK YOU family for the love [...]
La La La Lubombo 7-16-11 Come Aug 9th i’ll be spending the next 730 days and 729 nights in the exotic Lubombo region of Swaziland in a little town called Tikhuba. I know nothing about this scenic area, except I will be approx 5-10 KM away from the Mozambique border to the east, and I [...]
7-16-11 Come Aug 9th i’ll be spending the next 730 days and 729 nights in the exotic Lubombo region of Swaziland in a little town called Tikhuba. I know nothing about this scenic area, except I will be approx 5-10 KM away from the Mozambique border to the east, and I will be living in [...]
7-16-11 Come Aug 9th i’ll be spending the next 730 days and 729 nights in the exotic Lubombo region of Swaziland in a little town called Tikhuba. I know nothing about this scenic area, except I will be approx 5-10 KM away from the Mozambique border to the east, and I will be living in [...]
7-8-11 what a week it has been! This week was exam week, were we had a round robin of tests (9 total) in one day. It was mentally exhausting, and I spent most of the week in a semi-freakout state of mind. When the big day finally arrived it was in a whirlwind. I had [...]
6-29-11 It has been 3 weeks since I arrived in Swaziland, which means I am responsible for cooking for myself. Those who know me may think this would be a challenge, as I am known as the “take-out queen” or the girl who only knows how to heat up things from the freezer section. HOWEVER [...]
In Swaziland, or maybe just as a Peace Corps volunteer you get renamed. The first day I met my gogo (grandmother) she said “Ginger” once, and then referred to me as Philile. It took me 2 days to realize this was my new name. My 9 year old sisi (sister) told me it means strong [...]
i apoligize in advance for the short and sweet blog this is going to be, but there are 40 people in line behind me to use the computer! i made it! and most importantly i am VERY safe. for the last 7 days i have been staying in a dorm style housing with all the [...]
I have spent the last 3 hours sitting on the floor of my room (also known as my sisters basement) surrounded by piles of what will be my life for 2 years. this has become a daily ritual. taking one block of goods out of one of 4 bags, carefully examining the contents and assessing whether [...]
With 50 days left to departure, I have being doing everything I can to prepare myself. When i left my aptartment in Chicago in December, i felt prepared. i had been volunteering at a few clinics, i had my lugage, and everything i thought i needed. my list was so long of “things i needed” [...]
In the last few weeks, I have received a few emails and comments from friends, wondering why I’m going to Swaziland, how long I’m going, what I’ll be doing and what the Peace Corps is. It has occurred to me, that although I have been eat/sleep/breathing the Peace Corps for a year and Swaziland for [...]
Its been 331 days since my interview with the Peace Corps, 300 days since my nomination to join, 290 since I received a huge pile of blank medical forms in the mail, 200 days ( 3 doctors appointments, 3 dentist appointments, and 5 trips to retain past medical documents) since I gave the forms all [...]
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