The Sound of popcorn and the smell of chicken feed

There is definitely something nostalgic about the sound of popcorn popping.  Most recently in memory we  ran through 3 tins of jiffy pop in Chicago.  I bought them because Target was selling them for $1 each.  Although the memory of jiffy pop and its enjoyment is clear, we are currently experiencing what it is to make popcorn using real corn.  It is possible it is maize.  It did come from a package, but the frequency at which the kernels pop reminds me that we are in Africa.  It also helps that the bobhuti (boys) next door are singing the theme song to the 2010 World Cup.

We have been exceedingly busy lately, occasionally taking a day off to do nothing but sit on the floor and wish it was cleaner.  It is quite difficult to keep things clean, and we have had a several hour conversation about just how far do we lower the bar on what “clean” means.  It has been decided that “unfilthy” is the new clean.  After a few weeks of work on our new ceiling insulation, the feed bags are up in the living room.  We are the proud owners of 50 used chicken feed bags, 14 of which now hang from the tin roof above my head.  The idea is to create a space beneath the tin roof to trap the heat.  It so far seems to be working as the room was considerably cooler today.  The unfortunate part of this process has been the amount of chicken dust kicked into the air.  Regardless of how much Thandiwe has tried to prepare the bags, they still are sprinkling minute particles of magic chicken feed dust on our heads.  The bags have been cleaned, stapled together, and cleaned some more.  They were even left outside for a few hours, but there has been a fine layer of dust on most surfaces after working on them.  I have given up on the idea of hiring a traditional healer to cleanse the place, as it likely involves more unpleasant smells.  Thankfully now they are hanging, the dust should be an absolute minimum.

(insert sounds of donkeys, crickets, and drunk bomake (mothers) clapping and dancing)

Where was I?  Oh yes… dust.  Something has been affecting my sinuses, and I had to go into the Medical Office last week, as I have been suffering from moderate dizziness and irritated sinuses.  I have been given a steroidal spray for the rhinitis, and taken off Mefloquin, in case that is the cause.  I was unhappy about being on Mefloquin due to the side effects, but now I must say I miss it.  I have to take doxycyclin now once a day, and I receive none of the fun side effects of Mefloquin.  My dreams have mellowed out, and my daydreams are gone with them.  Goodbye hallucinations, goodbye out of control sleep patterns.

Some of the good things to come out of the office visit included picking up mail, and getting to see one of our good friends from training.  The PC office is so far from we we live that in a car it might take 90 minutes.  When taking the public transportation here, it is 2 buses and a khumbi (minivan) for a total of 3-4 hours.  Just long enough that we will be required to spend the night in town when we want to get our mail.  Thankfully Mfonzile (Joe) lives about 90 minutes from the PC office, and had enough floorspace to have me over.  And he happens to be a fantastic cook.  I was served $40 equivalent worth of appetizers in the form of radish, butter, and tarragon.  I say $40 as that is what it would cost in the US, here is was closer to $10.  Then I was spoiled with a E60 bottle of 2008 Pinotage, and some home made Indian dish.  That was followed by great conversation, catching up, and getting lost on our morning hike.  We were supposed to only go down to the river, so it was acceptable to me that I left my phone, wallet, and water at his place.  I am pleased at the result however, I was able to see untarnished and uninhabited Africa.  No people it seemed for miles, no trash anywhere, running water, green trees, and absolutely minimal signs that humanity had ever touched the ground around my feet.   And then it started to rain.  We likely doubled-back 3 times before we gave up and cut through someone’s cabbage patch.  In the end it turned out exceedingly well, as Mfonzile made friends with the son of the cabbage-patch owner, and they will likely be working on a few projects together over the next few years.  Just three kids hanging around in the cabbage patch.  <insert joke here>

Our own work has come a long way over the last several weeks, yet we are still up-in-the-air as to what is the best approach.  Peace Corps stresses “capacity building” as the definition for development, as opposed to the traditionally thought of “build it, give them money, and the will come” approach.  This puts us in a position of trying to motivate the people around us to do things that require no money and obviously this idea meets with a lot of blank stares.  Occasionally I can pick up on someone’s eyes glazing over when I say we “bring no money”.  (more donkeys)  In spite of no-money approach, we have been repeatedly introduced to how desperately our community desires is water.  Even the pastor said water is most important.  There is one NGO in our area, and the Govt itself working on a water project, so that puts us out of the running for what everyone is looking for.  It is a good thing however since sustainable water projects cost millions, and still don’t always work out.  The quick fix small borehole may cost a few thousand Emalengani, but when that 60 meter borehole dries up, people are going to be really upset. 

The best news out of the water crisis is that the second most desired thing we can do is work with the youth on empowering leaders for tomorrow.  If you are a boy and you don’t play soccer, there is very little for you to do here.  There is supposedly a boxing club of 4 people.  If you are a girl you are lucky to have free time.  There is a youth center here which is in bad need for restoration, as it has been mangled through neglect and lack of funding.  The pool table has a 45° slant to it, and the foosball table is a few players short of a full team.  The burglar door has been pulled off by either an overweight kid, or an overweight kid riding a bull.  The keys were lost and all the interior doors now have a doggy-door hastily installed in case Lassie needs to help kids on the other side.  The grass is green.  It is also waist high.  It is quite funny with all of this, how all I can see is an incredible stroke of luck for us, and all the potential this place can be.  Now we just need to figure out how to spread our vision.  Step 1 : Fix Youth Center.  Step 3: Profit.

We are exceptionally lucky to live in a community which so far seems quite versed on HIV and we haven’t confronted much stigma around it.  People are sick and dying, but people aren’t afraid to talk about it.  Condoms are passed out frequently, and the male circumcision program is strong here (ask me sometime what circumcision can do for you). All this does bode well for our role in actually feeling like we are accomplishing something.  I believe we are riding on the wave created by the Group 6 volunteers who left the site better than they found it.  Thanks to Dumsane and Lindelwa!  I rarely get mistaken for Dumsane, but Thandiwe corrects at least two people a week that she is not Lindelwa.  Happened yesterday actually.  “Not Lindelwa” had a good day of staying inside and reading the Darwin Awards today.  Ahh reading… what a great past time.  Reading is entirely underrated in the US, and I am pleased to need more than one hand to count the number of books I have read in the last 4 months.

ACK!  4 months!  I saw some video of Chicago on TV today while I was interviewing a local business owner.  It seems like time has just blown by at an astronomical speed.  There was much talk during training about the Lifecycle and moods of the volunteer, and it resembles a roller-coaster.  Now that Thandiwe nami (Krista and I) are out of training, speaking siSwati more often, and integrating, we are supposed to be slowing down considerably and adjusting to “Swazi time.”  So far it hasn’t been happening in obvious wa ys, but I will look up from my gardening and 5 hours have passed.  We are now growing carrots, chives, tomatoes,  green onions, basil, hybrid green peppers, organic peppers, dill, and oregano.  The two types of peppers are kind of an experiment to see which grows better, tastes better, etc.  They are planted side by side and will get the same treatment.  The organic peppers will likely be able to have their seeds harvested and planted next year.   Mfonzile was telling me that the big seed company here was bought by an American company, and Walmart bought Shoprite.  This means even more of the money spent in Swaziland will go to US companies who pay taxes, which then get given to Swaziland as foreign aid.  What a world right? 

(take a breath… changing subjects)

I am also growing cactus, iboza and wild something-tree (name censored!).   As much as I talk about the climate and scenery being like southern Arizona, nothing drives it home more than realizing I am growing cactus.  The kind we have looks just like ocotillo, but is terrifically short like a shrub.  The point in planting it is to keep the tinkhukhu (chickens) out of the garden.  I came all the way to Africa to cultivate cactus, and what a good job I am doing.  But here is something I can bring to Africa.  Prickly pear jelly is something that will be widespread and marketable by the time I am done.  My book says it grows here, now I just have to find some.    Of all the plants however, nothing I have seen is quite as beautiful as a Jacaranda.  If you haven’t seen how gorgeous that tree is, Google it and look for pictures of it in bloom.  If it isn’t invasive I am bringing some back home with me.  If it is invasive I will take up painting so I can at least bring that back. 

Speaking of paintings the art available at the big tourist market is incredible.  Goods from all over Africa are traded as this market.  The market itself is likely the size of Tucson Mall, and all outdoor.  Some areas are two stories, but it is all wood planks and wood stairs.  It is precisely what your mind would picture a market in Africa being like.  Drums, jewelry, and paintings are available.  Some for as little as $1 US.  My plan is to buy a drum and several of pieces of wall art next time we are there.  Right now we are actually feeling the squeeze of living on a PC budget, and recognize that my $2 a day juice habit may need to go.  The juice habit is incredibly satisfying though.  I can buy a liter of 100% fruit juice for $2, and it is the most delicious thing I have ever drank.  The price may be lowering in the next few weeks also, so the juice habit won’t go quite yet.  Sadly the Mozambican bread habit is already on its way out.  The bread is only good with the spicy bean patties they make, and we just bought a 2 pound sack of chilies for less than $1.  Just not sure what we are going to do with all those chilies.

One thing I am sure of is we will be eating under lighted circumstances now, thanks to the solar lights Pop sent us.  Pop… those things are great!  I put together a small outdoor charging rack so they are less likely to be trampled by goats while outside.  We can now truly stay up until 9pm again and not bump into walls doing it.  The same time as the solar lights came, Powertraveler fulfilled its promise and delivered free of charge a solar-powered battery that will recharge the laptop.  The battery takes about 8 days to fully charge in the sun, but can charge the laptop 5-6 times on a full charge, so I should be able to type on a real keyboard like I’m doing now more often.  This is a good thing, because as great as I have been about keeping a journal, it is devolving into a series of bullet points on what has been happening, and doesn’t include any personal interpretation or substance to it.  It is nice that I ate cornflakes.  Again.  (more donkeys… they really are dumb asses).  I don’t need to look back on my journaling 50 years from now and say “yup.  I was regular in those days.”  Hopefully when inspiration for writing something of quality is on my mind, I will enshrine it here.  In the meantime I am still trying to learn how to juggle and do magic.