A Year in South Africa: Swaziland

Hello Everyone!

We've just arrived back in Polokwane after spending a fantastic week in Swaziland. For the duration of our stay we lived with the Project Trust Swaziland volunteers and we couldn't have asked for better hosts. Jade, Izzy, Joe and Tom made us feel right at home and even introduced us to parts of their project. Unfortunately we didn't have time to travel to Mozambique, but we've already planned to spend a week there during the Easter holidays.

Last Thursday evening we were dropped off in Manzini (the city where the PT volunteers live) and were instantly met by a very excited Jade, who led us back to their accommodation. It's the first time we've all seen each other since arrival so it was really interesting to hear how they're settling in. They also introduced us to this game called '30 Seconds' which is very similar to 'Articulate' so we had quite a few competitive games over the course of the week...

On Friday the girls took us to one of their projects, Mccorkindale's Children's Home. Two of the children had their birthdays so we brought along a cake and played some party games (musical statues and toilet tag). It still amazes me how friendly the children in Africa are. The moment we arrived they ran up to us and gave us the biggest hugs. It was so heartwarming to be shown such kindness from children that have so little. When we were leaving the kids piled into and onto the van and wouldn't get out until we reached the gate. Even then we had to double check for stowaways in the back...

On Saturday we visited Manzini market which is the biggest market in Swaziland. It was amazing to see all the different handmade crafts like hair clasps made from coconut shell. After looking around the market we drove to Swazi Candles, a very small workshop where they hand make wonderfully colourful candles. You had the opportunity to watch a couple of men making some candles and they'd sometimes mold the warm wax into the shapes of various animals. The workshop was situated on the outskirts of Manzini and it was great to get away from the hectic town centre. It was a very picturesque setting - a little wooden hut surrounded by trees - so we decided to stay there for lunch.

A couple of days later we had a girls day out. Myself, Zoe, Kathryn, Jade and Izzy drove to Mantenga Falls, a waterfall that's also near a cultural village. We spent the morning swimming around the waterfall and it was great to jump into the cool water after spending so long in the sun. At one point Zoe shouted, "I just saw something under the water!!" and in response we both scrambled onto a nearby rock... After agreeing that it was probably no more than a stick, we jumped back in. But when we arrived back at the hostel and mentioned to the other volunteers that we went swimming at the falls, they responded with, "You did what?! You do know there are crocodiles in there?" That was definitely the most exciting thing that happened during our stay, even though it was unintentional.

After spending some time at the waterfall we went to see the cultural village which was very interesting. We were taken on a guided tour of the village, which was built to replicate a traditional Swazi homestead. The guide led us round all the different huts, showing us where the boys slept, where the girls slept and where the elders slept. We were told that the men of the village always went first when exiting the huts to check for danger and protect the women. At that point in the tour all the women nodded with approval. He also explained that if the village came under attack, the prettiest village girl would step out of the hut and act as a distraction. Usually, he said, the attacker would then just give up and ask for her hand in marriage. Overlooking the village was a huge cliff that the Swazi people call Execution Rock. If anyone in the village committed a crime they would be taken up there and pushed off the edge. An easy solution, but not very pleasant. The guide then reassured us that they don't practice that form of punishment anymore.

Overall it was a fantastic week and we got to experience so many new things. The planning of it was very last minute, but in the end it worked out surprisingly smoothly. On Monday we start work again and I'll be working with the oldest group in the Enrichment Centre which I'm really looking forward to. After spending two weeks away from the children you begin to really miss them... I'm only a month in so I can't imagine what the goodbyes will be like in August!