All the good people

One very important item to have in Africa…

·         Flashlight

After almost 5 months, I think I’m starting to get used to the power outages - kind of.. The last 2 days were spent without electricity, yet alone water not only at my house, but also in most of the village. Makes you think twice. Kids get sent home from school, should we encourage them to exercise when the sun is blasting and there is no running water. What about cooking or watering the vegetables growing in the gardens? It’s moments like these when life becomes very simple and can enjoy some candle lit darkness…
 
What I’m missing at home…

·         Friends getting married and having babies!

 So, while its now officially summer at home, so it is officially winter in Swaziland. I know I’ve mentioned it a few times, but now it’s really as cold as it gets! Toques and gloves in the mornings and evenings, while sunglasses are still just as important during the day J

Guaranteed daily encounter…

·         What’s your name and are you married?

  

Last Friday (as part of organizing the volunteers) we spent the day at Swaziland University celebrating what is known as Day of the African Child. It’s a celebration of all children, particularly this year - those who are physically challenged. While the typical speeches and cultural dances filled the morning, the afternoon was spent playing with hundreds of kids. This coming weekend we’re looking forward to the annual worldwide Olympic Day Run event – celebrating the Olympic movement (if you’re in Ottawa this Saturday June 23 – check it out!) Our aim here is 4,000 people so we are dividing up the ‘runs’ in 6 communities and one of those will be hosted where I’m working at the sports development center. Keeping busy organizing sponsors, volunteers, and activities and promoting the event, we’re aiming for up to 1500 people – wish me luck!

Quick slang translation…

·         Hey, what’s up = Eta (8Taa)?

·         Not much, I’m good = Sharp sharp

Otherwise, the daily routines go something like this… I’m usually up at 6, and either standing on the side of the road anticipating a bus (van) to get to work on time, or walking for over an hour to get to the center. Mornings are usually busy enough catching up on paper work, until lunch rolls around when I’m tempted to just eat a massive avocado picked from the tree down the road. The afternoons go quite quickly as the kids come and play until it’s dark – around 5.30 or so. I’m home by 6.30 (as any later, there is no more transport).

New favorite way to keep fit…

·         Rope skipping

The experience in the office is nothing short of an adventure. I’ve been trying to keep track of all the things I’ve been involved with– project proposals, taking notes, strategic planning, presentations, accounting, program development, evaluations, reports, marketing projects, bookings, editing etc. I feel like I’m just starting to understand the complexity of working at an Olympic Committee when there are less than a handful of staff (3) organizing and implementing over a dozen projects and programs.

Favorite part of the day…

·         Sunsets

 
The weekends have come to be part of my work, as usually on Saturday’s there are events going on and I’m busy organizing the volunteers or otherwise just helping out. Not too long ago we had a motivational group come speak to the volunteers, inspiring us with their stories of success and hard work (including a famous Swazi musician ‘Bholoja’), while last weekend we hosted the annual Daimler football tournament with over 500 kids. There is also a local orphanage quite close where I like to spend some time, mostly because the kids don’t get any cuter! Sundays I’m relaxing or hiking, washing, cleaning, and baking– all the usual things that keep us people busy…
 
Something I can’t get used to…

·         Monkeys in my garden!

So, as the end of the month nears, the athletes are off to the Senior African Championships for their last chance to qualify themselves. Otherwise, they are looking fit and ready for their journey to begin in London early next month.

Also, in the past few weeks I’ve been meeting with this lovely lady whom I’m helping start a community project with at the center - our goal is to empower those unemployed women who are keen to learn or improve their sewing or computer skills. Aiming to promote self-dependence and help eradicate poverty, it’s an exciting proposition and would love to see it take off before I think about leaving. More and more I’m falling in love with the people, their kindness and of course the kids – We often talk about values and respect at the center, but I truly believe that these children have the warmest hearts in the world.

 
What I’m going to miss the most…

·         All the good people

Bushfire!

Yebo!

Time flies when you're having fun! I can't believe I have 2 months to go, when it feels like I'm just starting to settle more and more. The winters are just as incredible as the summer time, the cool mornings and nights are crisp after a hot and sunny day - no reason to complain...when the sun shines every day. I love Swaziland! No rain in the winter calls for really dry days so you see many fires in the fields and rolling lush hills. I've moved into a beautiful house overlooking the valley I live in - and if I hadn't lost my phone with some pics on it, I'd love to share the views ;)

Last weekend was Bushfire..a very cool music festival with a great vibe, good tunes and lots of entertainment. A lot of artists come from South Africa or the rest of Africa and a ton of tourists so there was a real mix of people...Mango Groove and Mi Casa were the highlights..Lots of good food and tasty beverages.. I had my doubts camping out with the cold nights but it was a real treat (mostly waiting for the sun to blast at 7am) and truly an unforgettable experience..already on the calendar for next year ;)
Also went on a bit of a local tour (including the swazi museum) learning more about the history of the country and general culture of the way people live. Usually the set up of 'housing' is such that you live with almost all your relatives (until you marry) and each have a little hut, or sometimes siblings share. The staple food is of course a braai - they love their meat - and bap (maize meal). When you marry the groom is expected to pay cows - as many as are requested by the family of the bride..Would really love to see a traditional wedding, though not sure I'd dare the nudity of the attire!

As for work, Im keeping busy as ever. Was part of our strategic planning workshop with the Olympic Committee, which was a good experience - particularly speaking in front of a lot of very important people...and preparing the presidents speech. The athletes I'm working with are gearing up for the Senior African Championships in a few weeks time, and while we officially announced our Olympic team today, they still have the chance to qualify themselves at "B" level for athletics, (at the moment they've qualified through what is known as universality). So, the countdown continues...60 days to go! The mentoring of volunteers and coaches is going great, and we are still cleaning and organizing the centre...so Olympafrica will be in full force for our Olympic Day Run at the end of June...stay tuned!

Hopefully you're all enjoying the start of summer back home!
XOXO ~ Nomsa

In action @ workshop..

A crocodile..or two!

Love Milwane Park!

Yep..horseback riding in Africa!

Avocados in full bloom..

Playing tourist!

Warm-up dance 

Olympafrica by night..

Bushfire 2012

Lots of markets..lots of good music..

Sandi & Senzo!

Yay! Ellen's in town!!

Mozambique Puppet Drummers

Taste of history..

Bap & Braai!

Ha!

Too cute..

Totally Swazi!

snapshots!

"Why would someone plant the seeds of a tree the shade of which they never see?"

Mobile pics..(not sure which ones are actually loading..but mostly from my favourite vendors (ie. corn stand, delicious grapefruits...and some hiking!)

Winter is here!

What are the chances that it's cold in Africa...yesss, it's cooold! I'm sitting at work with a heater blasting at my feet, time to buy some dress pants and warm sweaters for the office!Yesterday I even saw someone walking around with gloves and a toque! All essentials for the winter months..even in Africa. I keep getting the ol'..oh, but you're from Canada you like the cold. This is very untrue.

Time is flying by and as I'm trying to make the most of my days off, I've been very lucky to see some beautiful parts of southern Africa. I've heard it several times, but now I understand, "You can leave Africa, but it will never leave you". I've seen the sun set and rise with incredible views, and it is truly something I can't put into words.

A few weeks ago, I was eager to get to the beach, so Mozambique (a portugese speaking country) was next on the list. It was about a 4 hour drive to the coast and though when we arrived, we found out there were cyclone warnings, so only got a glimpse of the beautiful white sandy beaches, and a touch of the warm Indian Ocean. Maputo was chaos. Any type of item you would want to buy in the store was sold on the streets. Every time you stopped at the lights or stepped out of the car someone would be trying to sell you something, anything. The city was jammed packed so we decided to drive north and enjoy the stormy weather in a place close to the Xai Xai district. Highlights were being entertained by an Africa grey parrot, the Indian ocean, and tasty seafood (not to forget about getting stuck in dirt roads -4x4 needed when venturing through Africa -and of course, google maps showing roads that only half exist!)

Over Easter and my birthday I was spoilt! We rented a fine Toyota Condor and drove south, first stopping at one of the most beautiful parks, Golden Gate (in SA). It's an enormous area with stunning views of the Lesotho mountains and incredible sunsets and sunrises. Was a great spot for a bit of hiking (close to 3000m hike AND I saw my FIRST SNAKE- which was probably more terrified of my scream than I was seeing it under my feet!!), and of course..wining and dining. Next stop was Lesotho. Though similar in size to Swaziland, it was much colder, even more mountainous and likewise people were incredibly friendly. The first thing I noticed were the hats and warm blankets almost everyone wears. The different vibes you get across all these countries is hard to explain, but is definetly deep rooted in the vast history of this continent. On the way back we stayed in Mkhaya game park back in Swaziland. A park with many endangered animals including 4 of the big 5! Surrounded by 5,000 volt fences the park was incredible- elephants, giraffes, rhinos (white and black), birds, hippos etc etc.. Spending the night in the middle of a 10,000 acre game park, (after a tasty wild kudu dinner) in an open air lodge, listening to creaky trees and all sorts of wildlife, was pretty neat.. What an incredible trip!

29 years old..the more I see, the more I want to see... better get back to work! Lots of love from Swazi - XOXO (and thanks to Chu for photo credits ;)

Staying inspired

You must make a loud noise before entering...

These were the instructions I was given when we randomly stopped in the middle of nowhere at a South African shop when I urgently needed to pee. SNAKES. You must make a noise before entering the back guest hut where the toilets are- it is one animal I think that scares me more than a 3 m long crocodile that was also a bit too close to comfort at my last visit to a game park!

Last weekend I was in charge of taking our 2 Olympic track hopefuls to some competitions across the border in SA. Our first stop was in Pretoria, though once we arrived found out the meet had been cancelled earlier on in the week. Doh. Pretoria itself was my first SA city I’d been too, and what a difference it was to Swaziland. Though neighbouring countries, the vibe of the city was eye opening. Each and every single house we saw was gated or wired, or both. Compared to mountainous Swaziland our 4 our journey to Pretoria was flat, and became hotter by the mile. The next day a further  3 hour journey, took us outside of Jo’burg to a place called Potchefstroom, which was hosting what is known as Yellow Pages competitions- a qualifying event for track athletes gearing up for London. It reminded me of being on tour with the girls (I miss hockey oh so much), but the experience for the athletes was still similar. Travel, hydrate, eat, sleep, morning run and stretch, sleep and start mentally preparing for the event. Their coach wasn’t on the trip, so felt as if I needed to manage and act on his behalf. While I’d never attended a track meet (should have called my sister), the starting heats were announced less than 20 minutes before the races started which made for a very hectic warm-up and a bit of panic on my behalf. Though the athletes were ready, and competed well- both improving their overall time, they are still fighting for Olympic qualification. Both are incredibly motivated and have the ability to compete with the best, so it’s only a matter of a bit more experience in the 200m race, and they are well on their way for an Olympic dream. I believe!

South Africa was very different than what I had expected, though not sure what I had really expected. Integration seemed minimal, which really surprised me, and many of the areas I was in, showed resemblance of American small towns. It is obviously much more developed, similar to the malls in Botswana, though of course, the 'slums; cannot be overlooked. I had my first taste of some lovely South African wine and another glimpse at a private game park -  so overall, the experience was yet another one to remember ;)

While I’m back home now and into office mode, there are a few ongoing projects keeping me busy. Over the previous past two weekends, at the Olympafrica centre (which I'm hoping to revive), we held a camp, teaching kids fundamental athletics and gymnastics skills, rope skipping skills as well as art and introducing computer skills. Today I spoke in another school about the Olympic movement and shared what the Games are all about. There is a tremendous lack of knowledge of what sport actually is, yet alone the Olympic Games. My mission will be to create some Olympic hype and get this country to support its 3 Olympic hopefuls gearing up for this summer...121 days to go! The teachers and students were super keen and very thankful for the sharing of knowledge; these are the moments that are truly inspiring on this journey.