Tuesday, December 21, 2010
December in the Swaz
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Happy Holidays, Y'all!
Happy Holidays Everyone!!
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas slash I hope you had a good Hanukkah and have a Happy New Year! I don’t think I’ll get another post up before Christmas and then we’re leaving for Mozambique a few days later so Seasons Greetings to you all now. :)
I’m writing this as I’m listening to Christmas music in shorts and a tank top. It’s weird. Sorry to those of you who got caught in Snowpocalypse 2010 in Minneapolis. Not that I’d rather be there in the snow, it just does not feel like December much less Christmastime when its so darn hot out. Also, I leave and you all break the Metrodome? I mean I didn’t like that place really either but was that really necessary? Ha. I still think it was a ploy by the Vikings to get a new stadium. ; )
Not a lot is going on here at the moment. Since IST I’ve basically been hanging out and doing diddley squat. Just reading, washing, reading, and running. Most government offices, and just about everyone else, close up shop for pretty much the whole month of December so there is nothing going on. Plus the Incwala ceremony is going on now so really nothing happens during that. I had one meeting with my counterpart and we put up some tentative plans to start a Health Project after I get back from Mozambique. Hopefully things will start going again around then. The Health Project I want to do is a pretty big project, especially for my first one, but some other volunteers did it in the community about a half hour north of mine and it was a huge success and hopefully I can get some of their curriculum and surveys so I won’t be reinventing the wheel on this project. The basic idea of it is to educate one person from each homestead on basic health topics, specifically HIV/AIDS and TB, with the idea that the information will diffuse to everyone else in the homestead, thereby educating the whole community. I’m really excited about it, and pretty nervous even though we haven’t even started yet, and my counterpart seems excited about it, so hopefully the community will be too! I’ve also got some ideas about building playgrounds and maybe gardens at the NCPs (neighborhood care points that educate and feed the OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) in the communities) around May. There’s an NGO that is looking into building playgrounds at the community next to mine so I’m hoping I can sway them into doing it here. We’ll see. I’ve got some ideas of things to do in this next year and a half, but I think the toughest part will be just getting started.
Well I think that’s about all I have for now. Like I said, not a lot is going on these days so there’s not a lot fun to report. Except that I’m going to the beach in a week and a half… Enjoy the snow! ; ) Merry Christmas everyone and have a Happy New Year! Can you believe its 2011 already?! It seems like just yesterday I was ringing in 2010 with the wolf pack in my apartment at the U, having no idea that in six months I would be moving to Swaziland. My how things change.
Love you all and Happy Holidays!
Megan
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas slash I hope you had a good Hanukkah and have a Happy New Year! I don’t think I’ll get another post up before Christmas and then we’re leaving for Mozambique a few days later so Seasons Greetings to you all now. :)
I’m writing this as I’m listening to Christmas music in shorts and a tank top. It’s weird. Sorry to those of you who got caught in Snowpocalypse 2010 in Minneapolis. Not that I’d rather be there in the snow, it just does not feel like December much less Christmastime when its so darn hot out. Also, I leave and you all break the Metrodome? I mean I didn’t like that place really either but was that really necessary? Ha. I still think it was a ploy by the Vikings to get a new stadium. ; )
Not a lot is going on here at the moment. Since IST I’ve basically been hanging out and doing diddley squat. Just reading, washing, reading, and running. Most government offices, and just about everyone else, close up shop for pretty much the whole month of December so there is nothing going on. Plus the Incwala ceremony is going on now so really nothing happens during that. I had one meeting with my counterpart and we put up some tentative plans to start a Health Project after I get back from Mozambique. Hopefully things will start going again around then. The Health Project I want to do is a pretty big project, especially for my first one, but some other volunteers did it in the community about a half hour north of mine and it was a huge success and hopefully I can get some of their curriculum and surveys so I won’t be reinventing the wheel on this project. The basic idea of it is to educate one person from each homestead on basic health topics, specifically HIV/AIDS and TB, with the idea that the information will diffuse to everyone else in the homestead, thereby educating the whole community. I’m really excited about it, and pretty nervous even though we haven’t even started yet, and my counterpart seems excited about it, so hopefully the community will be too! I’ve also got some ideas about building playgrounds and maybe gardens at the NCPs (neighborhood care points that educate and feed the OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) in the communities) around May. There’s an NGO that is looking into building playgrounds at the community next to mine so I’m hoping I can sway them into doing it here. We’ll see. I’ve got some ideas of things to do in this next year and a half, but I think the toughest part will be just getting started.
Well I think that’s about all I have for now. Like I said, not a lot is going on these days so there’s not a lot fun to report. Except that I’m going to the beach in a week and a half… Enjoy the snow! ; ) Merry Christmas everyone and have a Happy New Year! Can you believe its 2011 already?! It seems like just yesterday I was ringing in 2010 with the wolf pack in my apartment at the U, having no idea that in six months I would be moving to Swaziland. My how things change.
Love you all and Happy Holidays!
Megan
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Hut Pics!
Hey everyone!
Finally got some pics up of the INSIDE of my hut, all furnished and painted and CLEAN! ;) One of these days i'm going to get to the curtain situation, but the nice shiny piece of green fabric works well for now... I have two years to get to it.
I think that's all I have for now. Happy December, Happy belated birthdy to Lindley, Happy almost birthday to Deb Montilino and Susan, and keep looking for those sunflowers... they're everywhere, even two years later. :)
Good Luck at Porter to all my skaters!
Miss ya, Love ya!
Love Megan
Finally got some pics up of the INSIDE of my hut, all furnished and painted and CLEAN! ;) One of these days i'm going to get to the curtain situation, but the nice shiny piece of green fabric works well for now... I have two years to get to it.
I think that's all I have for now. Happy December, Happy belated birthdy to Lindley, Happy almost birthday to Deb Montilino and Susan, and keep looking for those sunflowers... they're everywhere, even two years later. :)
Good Luck at Porter to all my skaters!
Miss ya, Love ya!
Love Megan
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Hey everyone! Sorry i haven't updated in a while, things were pretty crazy around IST and Thanksgiving. But i hope everyone had a great turkey day and ate lots of lefse for me! We had a great time at our Thanksgiving at the ambassador's... Lounging by the pool on the hot day. Actually, it was cloudy but i wanted you to be jealous. Ha. Happy December by the way as well. It is so hot here so i'm having a hard time believing my phone when it tells me its december. Today is also World AIDS Day. There is a huge, i don't want to call it a celebration... Event going on in the hhohho region today, a bit too far for me to get up to unfortunately. But i think just spending time in my community in the rural part of a country with the highest HIV prevalence in the world is a fine enough way to spend this day. I'm spending this week laying low, getting back into the groove of the slower life after a fast paced week with americans at IST then next week i think i'll try to get together with my counterpart and see what we can come up with in terms of projects. I've got a few ideas and i'll keep you all updated on them as they come to fruition. Well, i hope you are all enjoying winter. I for one am sweating. ;) i've spent just about six months here by the way, can you believe it?! Don't look now but i'll be home soon! Ha. Love you all! Megan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)