Pre-Embarkation Thanksgiving

Knowing that I'm leaving to drive to San Diego in t-minus five hours, I figure I'll share some pre-embarkation thoughts with you.

I am thankful to the world. I am thankful for this scholarship and the opportunity it brings, and the fact that I can live my dreams without having to ask my family to pay for it. At the same time, I am thankful for the fact that my parents are open and willing to let me continue running around the world. I am thankful for the chance to travel, and learn, and live.

I am thankful for everyone who made this possible, from the man at the Indian Visa processing center who told me where to take new passport photos to the man who helped me work the fussy ATM when I realized I needed more cash to pay for these overpriced photos. I am thankful for all the embassy workers who kept track of my passport, and the Chinese lady behind the desk who smiled when she handed mine back to me with my final visa stuck in place. I am thankful for the international admissions person at Semester at Sea who took care of us international students when we had issues with our scholarships, and who never lost her cool with us. I'm thankful to my extended family who has taken me in, and done more than their fair share of work for this embarkation.

I am thankful for every single car that has not hit me when walking to the embassy, and every single bone in my body which remains intact as I prepare for this trip around the world. I am thankful for the fact that I have good health to carry me around foreign cities and ports and stormy seas. I am thankful for the fact that I am able to get new lenses for my glasses to help my eyes see this incredible world.

And I know that these seem like simple things, having a passport and good health and all, but as I've seen over the past few days, there are too many people struggling to make the logistics of this thing work. Life throws some crazy punches in the way, and I know that I am surrounded by tough people who are working through heck and high water to get onto this boat.

So, while I am sure there are many people simply looking forward to tomorrow, when we get on the boat, I invite everyone to pause for a moment, and be thankful for what exists now. I know you are all looking forward to foreign lands, but take a moment to appreciate the people around you. Give them one more hug, and thank them for being the characters of the beautiful life that you are living. Close your eyes, take a breath, open them, and find the beauty in the scene in front of you. Now, smile, because you're going on the trip of a lifetime :)

And cross your fingers that they find A's passport, which has been lost in the mail... maybe if the internet sends some good vibes this will all work out by tomorrow.

I'm Leeeeeaving, On a Jet Plane!

First things first - I have to pinch myself every five minutes to remind myself that I am indeed actually going on a trip around the world, and that it has finally started (almost).

I have one thing to say about the airport - PEOPLE, GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONES! I spent two hours in O'Hare last night, a massive international airport full of people, and it was literally near-silent. Everyone was plugged in, hooked up, or in some other way attached to an electronic device, ignoring the world around them. I used to think that airports were entertaining because of the people-watching they provided, but last night, the people weren't doing anything worth watching. I beg of you, fellow travelers, you are going to make my life much more interesting if you get off your phones and do something.

Other than that, the flight was great! Chicago to San Diego is about four hours, which felt like nothing after the fact that my last five flights have been over fifteen hours each. I'm a bit spoiled though - there was an awful moment when I realized that domestic flights meant no food and no personal movie thing.... oh darn.

So, we're staying with some family here in California for a few days before getting on the boat next week. I was a bit "ehhhh" about coming here so early, but apparently a massive snowstorm is now hitting Chicago, with flights getting cancelled and such, so HA! TAKE THAT, WORLD! I WIN!

And so it goes! I'm looking out the window at a mountain range, so life is good! Although I've been told that we're not going to go climbing, sadly... it's okay, we're heading to Joshua Tree National Park before we've left here :) Other than that, we're just chilling, and heading down to Mexico to catch the boat on Wednesday!

One Day More!

I'M FLYING TO SAN DIEGO TOMORROW TO START A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD!

Sorry, just had to get that out of my system...

I'm flying to San Diego tomorrow, although we don't actually leave on the boat for another four days, I believe. But, it's still the start, and I couldn't be more excited! After a solid time ringing in the new year, I'm stoked and set for the next adventure. I've got my bags packed (almost... give me an hour more), the paperwork is all set, and I'm ready to go! It's strange to realize how lucky I've been to travel internationally before, because I'm realizing that I'm very casual about everything. I see posts from other voyagers in the FB group trying to figure out details of the trip, and my brain is literally set to the "details? what are details? eh, whatever..." setting. Twelve countries? I'll figure it out as we go :)

For the moment, my brother is watching Tarzan on Netflix, so we'll just chill, because tomorrow, craziness starts again!

NSLI-Y Reunion: Part Four

Every year, a group of us who studied with NSLI-Y in Jordan way back in 2011 get together in Chicago  for New Year's - this year marked the fourth annual get-together! I'm just so grateful to have such a wonderful group of people that are always there, even when we don't get to see each other all the time. They are all doing such fantastic things, studying in Oman and Jordan and working with the State Department. I'm kind of the odd one out, as I've left the Middle East and headed south, they've all continued in their studies, exhausting the Arabic classes of the top universities in America, all essentially fluent in the language that we all started together, preparing to rule the world. (I'll just chill in the back with my siSwati skills, yo).

But, as we all know, the greatest thing you get from studying abroad is not the skills on paper, but rather the people, and the JO Crew is a group of people I wouldn't give up for anything. With all the craziness and travelling and feeling like a nomad without an anchor and whatnot, it's really nice to know that no matter what happens during the year, we're going to end it the same way that we started it - in Chicago, with hugs and laughter, surrounded by these people and love and happiness, and I am ever so grateful for that.

Photo credit: A. Gegios, my zoji :)

Swaziland, America, and a Boat?

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remind myself that I don't live in Swaziland anymore. The most difficult part in getting that fact through my head (other than the fact that our hostel family has been scattered across the world) is that my replacement, at least until May, is to go live on a boat (and I'm not exactly sure where after that). I'm so excited about the whole boat thing, but admittedly, this whole affair has got a little bit of the "homeless" vibes to it - but, that's kind of what I signed up for with this whole wandering the world thing :)

Other than that, I have very little to announce, other than that I'm leaving in less than a month! Until then, you can find me busting my butt working long shifts at Toys R Us. I assure you, spending ten hours at a time in a store filled with colored plastic is not helping with my culture shock on being in America... but I just remind myself - one weekend there paid for my flights within India to be reunited with my other half, and that is definitely worth it :)

The Next Great Adventure

Now that I've been back from Swaziland for just over a week, I'm already in knee-deep in preparing for the next adventure - Semester at Sea. So, I figured I'd write a little bit about what it is that I'm going to be doing from January to May.

Semester at Sea is a semester of fully-fledged university (sponsored by the University of Virginia), where a bunch of university students live on this boat (MV Explorer) for four months, and sail around the world. It's quite expensive, but thanks to the never-ending generosity of the Davis Foundation, I haven't even seen a price tag. I'll be taing classes every day when we're on the boat, and then I'm free to roam in the ports where we will be stopping.

For classes, I will be taking Travel Writing, Gender and Society, Systems of Inequality (a sociology course), and Global Health. I'm really, really excited for these classes! it's nice to finally be able to just take classes that I'm interested in, instead of for requirements for graduation (I'm looking at you, IB). If I were in university already, the credits would transfer, but because I'm planning on university in Europe, and the ECTS system is so different from the American system, it won't transfer. For those at American universities, though, the credits do indeed count for a semester of classes! As for me, I'm just taking it for the fun of it - my grades and credits don't count for anything. Makes for a nice, relaxing semester!

Each class meets when we're at sea, so there are no classes when we're at ports. But, three of the classes do have "field labs," which are one-day programs that we have to do in a port for the class. But, I've picked my classes so that I'm excited about the field labs, which include, in my case, a visit to a market and station for travel writing, and visits to local NGOs in Vietnam and Morocco for systems of sociology and the gender course. Should be good!

Now, as for the exciting part... the PORTS! We will be stopping in the following places:
Hilo, Hawaii,
Yokohama and Kobe, Japan
Shanghai and Hong Kong, China
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Singapore, Singapore
Rangoon, Burma
Cochin, India
Port Louis, Mauritius
Cape Town, South Africa
Walvis Bay, Namibia
Casablanca, Morocco
Southampton, UK

We usually have five or six days in each port, with a few exceptions. Once we're in the ports, other than the field labs described above, it's up to me what I want to do! Right now I have a few plans and a few open pages, but I'll leave that for another post. For now, just looking at this list makes me really excited!

And that's about it! I've been hustling around trying to do all the preparations I've supposed to been doing since October in this last month, as much of it wasn't possible when I was in Swaziland (either that, or not probable, because I had southern hemisphere exams to deal with). Anyways, now, I'm just getting ready, and slowly starting to pack again! I mean, my backpack is never really empty... I submitted my Indian visa yesterday and am waiting for that back, and I've ordered my textbooks last night! Soon enough, it will be January, and I'll be on my way!

Until then, enjoy December!

Upon Returning to America

A few weeks ago, I read quote along the lines of "the point of travelling is not to be a foreigner in a foreign land, but to return to your homeland as a foreigner." Having returned to America after two years in Swaziland, I assure you, that is very much the case. As such, I would like to describe the top six things which have stood out to me over the past two days as points of major culture shock, which I am currently experiencing in my homeland.

1. TELEVISION: I'm not sure if I got just a little bit too used to SABC (South African Broadcast Company) or Swazi TV, but American broadcast television (we don't have cable or satellite) is just bizarre. Infomercials, the extent of repetitive reality TV... I don't know why it's bizarre, but it just is. I haven't seen the United Auto Insurance commercial in a while, and it freaked me out. In other news, apparently if you have had a bladder sling and it has gone wrong, they want you to call their 800 number... I'm already yearning for the South African commercials.
2. TRAFFIC: In America, it's so much more organized, and somehow that makes it that much scarier. In Swaziland, if they have an intersection, one road will go, and then the other. Here, they've got these massive systems of lights and signals and lanes and turn lanes and straight lanes, so that everyone is still driving all the time. I practically had a panic attack yesterday, half because I'm used to driving on the left and everything is backwards here, and half because there were a million cars going every direction when I thought only one side of the road should be driving!
3. FENCES: There are none here. Anybody who has ever lived practically anywhere in southern Africa will understand how weird it is that there aren't any here. No barbed wire, no Inyatsi Security signs, no nothing. 
4. FOOD: It's not a joke. American food is over-sized, over-processed, and kind of weird. The sugar has all these tiny white grains, compared to the big brown grains from the less-processed sugarcane in Swaziland. The pizzas are massive, maybe three or four times those from SD. Cookies are too perfect, and everything strikes me as just being a little bit not-food-ish. Even the vegetables are weirdly shiny. I scrubbed a pepper for twenty minutes yesterday, and then decided not to eat it, because it was just too polished.
5. AMERICA IS A GHOST TOWN: There are literally no people outside. I know that it's cold, but there's not that much snow, and even when it's pouring rain outside there are people around in Swaziland. Even in summer, people aren't outside here. It's bizarre. It's like the aliens have come and abducted everyone in America except for me... and then I see a car drive by. But still, there's nobody outside here.
6. BOILING WATER: Strangely enough, the electric kettles that we use in Swaziland are faster at boiling water than using the metal kettle and the stove like I do here. My tea takes forever, and I feel impatient. Just so you know that Swaziland is more efficient than America, in at least one area.

And that's my list. There are many more, as I'm sure my mother will tell you... apparently I've been walking around the house like someone who has grown up underground and is seeing the sky for the first time in forever.

It Shall Come To Pass.

And so that's it. Two years in Swaziland, I blinked, and it's over. I spent the last two days in airports and planes, flying from Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi and back to America. It's crazy to think about the day that I first got the letter from UWC, asking me to apply, all the way until now, as I've technically become an "alumni," but it really doesn't feel like that. I feel like in the middle of January, I'm going to get on a plane and fly back to Swaziland for another year. Logically, I know I'm not, but that doesn't change the feeling.

Despite my tears and frustrations at being scattered from my best friends and adoptive family, it's strange that life goes on. I got back to the States last night, and I have a job interview in approximately an hour (kind of panicked at what I'm supposed to wear, looking at my haphazard suitcase in front of me), an appointment with the Indian visa people in a week to process my visa for March, a whole lot of other things to do for Semester at Sea, and a rather neglected life and family here in Illinois that I have one month to catch up with before leaving again.

It's strange. There's really no other word for it. During exams, we would joke that no matter how much or how little you study, the exams will simply come to pass. Time keeps going, and no matter what we do, it's going to pas us by, whether we like it or not. When I think about the fact that three days ago I woke up next to my best friend in Swaziland, and now I'm looking out the window at America, my head kind of spins. It all seems so big, somehow overwhelming to even think about the distance between myself and so many of the people I love so dearly. And then there's always that realization that no matter where I go, there will always be someone I love who is on the other side of the world.

And that, as they say, is the price we pay for the life we live.

Waterford Kamhlaba - UWC Day 2014

Today was Waterford's annual UWC Day here on campus! So, since we're such a diverse school and everything, a lot of the times we forget exactly how diverse we are. I mean, I sit between a Tanzanian/Rwandan and a Swazi in maths class, and live across the hall from a Zimbabwean, so it's pretty obvious that "diversity" is kind of an everyday thing for us here.

So, once a year, we have UWC Day, which is our big international festival. Oversimplified, we dress up like ridiculous patriots and traditional people from our respective countries and cultures, make lots of traditional food, and then watch each other singing and dancing traditional pieces.

The great question every year is "what do you wear for a national costume if you're _____?" In my case, what the heck was I supposed to wear as an American? Last year, because I did Indian dancing (my lovely Indian friend in the blue above did it again this year), I avoided the question. But, this year, as the Russian choir I was singing in didn't have a set outfit, I was left to dress like an American - here is what I came up with.

Overall, the day was definitely a success. I performed with the Russian choir, and then spent essentially the rest of the day hanging out, watching different performances (I'm going to attempt to post some videos later today), and eating lots of different kinds of food. Some of my favorites were the banana creme pie from the Britain stall, and the burfee from the south Asian stall, and of course, the caterpillars from the Lesotho stall. There was a specific name for the caterpillar, but I was too busy making this face as I ate it to remember...

Let me tell you - that was not a small caterpillar. Strangely enough, once I got over the fact that I had just ingested a two-inch long insect larvae, the taste wasn't all that bad. Kind of spicy, actually.

At the end of the day - I'm tired, thirsty (from eating Zambian salty snacks) and with aching feet, but I'm also smiling and chilling. Just as I think the "UWC Day" is over, my friend from South Africa walks into my room, and I realize that it's not over, at least until we graduate. And then a Zimbabwean comes in and asks if I've seen her phone, and I hear a Tanzanian laughing in the corridor. Thing is, I haven't thought of anyone by their nationality in a long time. I guess it's just today, and tomorrow, I'll forget we're all from different places, and we'll all just go back to complaining about teachers and homework (some things are the same everywhere).

Gone Rural, Gone Global?

(This is an article on Gone Rural BoMake, an NGO here in Swaziland, based on a visit to their site and interview with the a director. Please check out their website for more detailed information on what they do in different areas of the community).

At Waterford, all IB students are involved in various sorts of community service, but we each have at least one "big" project to work on each year. This year, my two big projects are a women's empowerment group, and the computer classes that I started teaching last year.

Yesterday, our women's empowerment group went to visit Gone Rural BoMake, a group that creates an extra source of income for rural women by selling handicrafts that the women make, mostly from grass and recycled materials. The organization then sells the handicrafts to upmarket shops overseas, using some of the profits for the women's income, and some to support other community projects, such as a mobile medical unit and paying for school fees for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children).

Walking into Gone Rural, there's a large mosaic on the wall reading "Sukumani, bomake!" (translating roughly into "Stand up, mothers!"). The lawn was lined with racks of dyed grass, drying after being colored. The way the group works, the women gather grass from where they are, and give it to Gone Rural in exchange for grass that has been dyed. The cost of the dye is part of the business plan for the NGO, and so there are no supply costs to the women.

At that moment, it started pouring rain, as it often tends to do in Swaziland, and so we all crammed inside a second barn, where the rural women were selling their handicrafts to Gone Rural. At the beginning of each year, the women decide on a price they would like to recieve for a certain item. Thereafter, anybody who makes that item will recieve the same price from Gone Rural for it. Gone Rural buys the handicrafts from the women for this price, and then marks them up to sell to the outlets abroad, to make money to pay for dyes and administrative costs. The outlets abroad then mark them up even more, which is why there are grass placemats for fifteen US dollars.

After that, we went into their storeroom, where they keep the completed products that are waiting to shipped off to the shops. The stores were truly stunning, with stacks of beautifully woven baskets from ceiling to floor, in all sorts of colors, shapes, and different varieties. There were baskets made of grass, recycled materials, and even t-shirt scraps from a factory in Mbabane. Some had ceramic bits in the centers, and some were just grass.

As someone who has lived in America for the majority of my life, I have indeed encountered shops selling this sort of stuff as "African" and "tribal," and I wonder what to think about it.  If people abroad are really into these styles, and really like grass placemats and baskets, then more power to them! But, I wonder how much of the business is created on the portrayal of the rural women as some sort of charity case, who need support through these purchases, and how much this mindset funds the NGO. While it's great that this can be a source of income for the women, on a global scale, I'm not comfortable with the fashion being charity - especially such ignorant charity. And, judging by the names of the companies selling the items, I wonder whether the retail of these sorts of products abroad furthers the ignorant consolidation of Africa into one landmass of grass mats and baskets. There was a pile of baskets going to "Kalahari," an Australian retailer. I wonder whether the customers of that company could differentiate between where the Kalahari is, and where Swaziland is. (Hint - far away). There was a pile of placemats going to an American company called "Ten Thousand Villages," and I don't think that's going to help with America's perception of Africa, either.

But, nothing is perfect, and BoMake has created something that is relatively sustainable, and seemed to be doing an effective job providing some extra income to the women. But, from the perspective of a representative of a women's empowerment group, I wanted to know what the NGO was really doing to empower the women, beyond providing them with an extra income.

Now, before I continue, I want to make it clear that BoMake is doing good work, providing a mobile clinic, and a support structure for these women and their familes that would probably not otherwise exist. But, I am less positive about how they are creating an empowering environment to these women.

I asked the woman in charge how long women tend to work for Gone Rural on average, making these handicrafts. I was hoping to hear that Gone Rural was a stepping stone for women to start their own businesses, or get involved in something of their own choosing, but that wasn't the case. To the woman's credit, she said that the NGO helps to pay for funeral costs, but that's not exactly the empowering answer that I was looking for. Once a woman starts working for Gone Rural, it doesn't seem like there's much of a chance for any stepping up beyond being an artisan. Admittedly, it's better than nothing, but it doesn't really strike me as the creation of a ladder, which is what I tend to think of women's empowerment as. Whether or not people choose to use it is another issue, but the ladder has to be there. This ladder, while it was technically there, had only one rung, and then nothing else.

I wish that groups like this would educate the women in business techniques and entrepreneurship skills, which could be transferred, should they choose to pursue other work. Weaving grass, while providing an income in this one environment, isn't the most transferable skill.

The woman then elaborated that the women's daughters oftentimes start working for Gone Rural when they turn sixteen, which is the youngest age that the company will allow. At this point, I couldn't help but wonder how empowering something really is, if even as generations pass, people find themselves in the same position. Sure, they're no longer at the bottom, but it's as though their ceiling is so much lower than everybody else's.

I'm not sure what else to say. It just feels like another story of an NGO that is doing really good work, but still struggles to find a way to balance charity, aid, empowerment, and the humanity and dreams of everyone involved. And I suppose that's the issue that is always faced in community service, whether it's here in Swaziland, or anywhere.

Do's and Don't's of Visiting Your Long-Lost... Parents?

A POST!?!?! Yes, I am going to continue to make blog posts for this year in Swaziland. Tell yo' friends.

Anyways.

So, I have spent the last seven weeks here in 'Murica for my first visit home in a year. While it has been wonderful, let me make a list of do's and don't's for someone coming back to visit their parents after a very, very long time away from home.

DO gently remind your mother that you have been living away from home for a year, and that you do indeed know how to dress yourself, and do not need to be reminded of how cold it is outside.

DON'T proceed to wear flip-flops, and then complain about how cold it is. Because there will be no pity.

DO enjoy some America foods.

DON'T enjoy so many America foods that while packing to return to Africa, you find that some of your Africa pants don't fit anymore.

DO have faith that the Africa pants will fit in a few weeks, once you are separated from these America foods. Specifically bagels.

DON'T pretend that just because you're "visiting," you don't have to do dishes.

DO continue to pick up your socks. Or start to pick up your socks, if this wasn't previous a habit.

DON'T forget to clean the toilet. While there might be someone at school who cleans toilets for you, your mother STILL isn't the maid. And if you don't clean it, it will become disgusting.

DO see all your friends in America.

DON'T worry when things are awkward at times. You've been apart for a year. It's going to be a teeny bit weird. Or a massive amount weird. But, that's okay.

DO enjoy it. Especially if you only have a few weeks before you leave again, time tends to fly.

So, I'm currently on a plane (the magic of delayed posting), heading back for a second year in Swaziland. I had kind of forgotten what is was like the first time around, but a few of the new students have started their own blogs, and I'm starting to realize how different it is to do all of this the second time around. Before, I didn't know what to pack. Now, I know to pack a rain jacket, because even if it's sunny during the day, it's damp at night. I know that despite the fact that the bus from Johannesburg to Mbabane is rumored to be able to make the trip in five hours, it never takes less than eight.

I know how big (or small) my room is. I know that some of stuff is in my friend's room, so that they could repaint my room over the holidays. I know that the cafeteria milk is half water. I know that the lettuce gets gross near the end of term. I know that I can hitch-hike into town and be safe. I know that you don't pronounce Mbabane as "EM-ba-bayn" (although that's still adorable, Mom and Dad).

I know what colors the mural in my corridor are, because I spent a hundred hours painting it. I know that the yellow fruits on the trees outside the laundry room are delicious. I know that my friend from Malawi will share them with me, and I know that my friend from India will share the mulberries with me. I know that my friend from Zimbabwe lives across the hall, and that if I point to the poster in her room, she will break into song. I know that my friend from Lesotho will say that I'm "hlanya" when I pretend to speak seSotho, probably because I'm interrupting his physics work.

And I know that it's pronounced "li-SEW-too," not "li-so-THOUGH." (No judgement, America. Maybe only a little bit). But mostly, it's that this time around, I'm not flying across the ocean to a mystery - I'm returning to just another one of my lives, which I suppose is also inherently weird.

Anyways, I get to Swaziland on Sunday night, and then it's another year in Swaziland, and hopefully blog posts throughout. To any northern-hemisphere people reading this, enjoy the rest of your winter! (Teehee...)

Blogarific

Hello everyone! I know this blog wasn't the greatest at the end of this year, but I'm going to try and be posting a little bit more on it for my second year in Swaziland. I'm in the States right now, but I fly back to Swaziland through Qatar in just about two weeks. It's a very different feeling to be flying back to Swaziland, because for the first time, the big question was, "what is it like there?" Now, my biggest question is "I wonder if the cactus in my room is still alive?"

So, to be quite honest, I'm still in America at the moment, and while I've had a wonderful holidays, I don't have much to write about travelling or culture or whatever this blog is supposed to be about. BUT, there are a lot of people who seem to be writing a whole lot about getting ready to go to Swaziland - the IB1s (the year directly below me in school - aka, the ones going to Waterford for the first time next week).

In honor of their new adventure, and also because they're all very excited and writing lots of blogs, here is a list of some of the new "swazi-uwc-travel-i-am-so-excited-look-at-me-i-can-write" blogs that I've come across from my IB1s.

IB1s:

• Lise A (Norway, blogs in Norwegian): http://swazistories.com/
• Connor B (German, blogs in English): https://connorbaer.org/
• Roos M (Netherlands, blogs in English): http://redemoor.wordpress.com/

Also, IB2s who have a blog (no guarantees on how well-maintained they still are)

• Torunn S (Norway, blogs in Norwegian): http://swazitorunn.tumblr.com/
• Nick C (American, blogs in English): http://nickcarey0326.blogspot.com/
• Moritz (German, blogs in German): http://chicken-with-rice.blogspot.com/
• Stella H (German, blogs in German): http://stellaswasiland.blogspot.de/

Also, Waterford graduates (you might have to scroll back a bit to get to info on WK)

• Sofia G (American, blogs in English): http://sofiagd.wordpress.com/
• Julian (German, blogs in German): http://www.juliinswasiland.blogspot.com/

And, if you would like a list of lots and lots of blogs from ALL the UWCs, check out Connor's blog's "The UWC Blog List."

That is all from me for now - wishing all the IB1s good luck as you guys leave for orientation, I'll see you after a week when I get there as well! America, you've been great, but I really just want to get back to Swaziland :)

Superbowl in Swaziland

Here's my timeline:
Yesterday, 8 am - Realized it was Superbowl Sunday.
Yesterday, 8:01 am - Realized nobody else here even knew what that was.
Yesterday, 5:00 pm - Realized that with the time changes, the Superbowl was going to start at 1 am here.
This morning, 7:00 am - Realized I didn't know who won the Superbowl, and felt like a terrible American.
This morning, 7:30 am - Googled who won the Superbowl, and was just kind of confused. The Ravens?
This morning, 7:31 am - Wondered why I just Googled who won the Superbowl: I'm in Swaziland and nobody cares.
This morning, 7:32 am - All sports attention goes back to AFCON (African Cup of Nations).

The funny thing about sports here is that I've realized America is a really isolated country. Most other sports are international leagues, meaning that they play against teams from other countries. American sports? They're all national leagues, meaning we only play with other US teams. Football? The NFL. Hockey? The NHL. Baseball? The MLB. Basketball? The NBA. With the exception of a few Canadian teams in our leagues, we refuse to play anyone but ourselves!

Also, we have a weird set of sports. School sports offered here at Waterford are rugby, football (soccer), netball, squash, badminton, cricket and athletics, among other things. They're missing the Big 3 (in America) - American football, basketball, and baseball! It's strange, but to be honest the sports here are cooler.

"Giving," "Superman-ing," and Novelty Babies

In the past couple of days, something that keeps coming up in conversation is community service in African countries, how "Westerners" who want to do some sort of community service see "Africa," and how they act while doing that community service.

First of all, there's this idea of "Africa," as some poverty-and-starvation-stricken wasteland, where everyone is a dying baby with dirt on their face and a spine you can see through their skin. I promise - that's not what it's like. The thing is, there are so many of these NGOs and good-hearted people who come to Africa with these grand ideas of how they're going to help people. The problem with this is that they don't really understand the communities which they're trying to help. I have two examples.

First, there's the TOMS shoes project, which is really well-known in the States. A couple weeks ago, a group of students went to fit and distribute the donated shoes to some local kids. After everyone returned from their various projects that day (I had worked at an orphanage - more on that later), we were discussing whether the TOMS project was really a good idea. First of all, giving shoes to little kids is the least sustainable project EVER. TOMS knows that for it to work, it's not the point to give a kid a pair of shoes once, it's necessary to do so every couple months as their feet grow.

Also, with TOMS, projects of the "giving" sort kind of mess up the economy. While people keep on trying to work towards a sustainable society, where people work, earn money, and buy things, these "giving" projects mess up the chain. The kids parents haven't paid for the shoes, which might be because they don't have money, but maybe not. What if they might have gotten a job in a shoe factory, but they don't, because TOMS doesn't have factories in the city where they're distributing the shoes, and the reason their kid has to wear donated shoes is because they don't have that job. On the other hand, if their IS a factory that employs people and makes shoes, TOMS is undermining their business and making it even harder for those people to make money.

See the problems with "giving" projects?

Secondly, there are the sorts of projects that seem more sustainable on paper, but they're executed in communities that the charities or NGOs or foreign individuals have no idea about. For example, there was a project to install wells in rural villages so that the women there wouldn't have to walk for hours each day to get water. Seems like a good idea on paper, sure. Except that within a few months, the women had purposefully destroyed the well.

Whoever started the project knew that the community didn't have water nearby, and knew that the women spent lots of time out of the village getting the water. What they didn't consider was that getting water was the only time each day that the women had the chance to get out of the village and away from their husbands - essentially, the water time was their girl time, and having a well in the village was messing with that. While the project was good-hearted, the charity had such a one-sided view of the community, and such a shallow view of what went on there made a good-hearted project a flop.

And there is the problem with the "I'll-be-superman-and-swoop-in-and-fix-the-problems" projects. I'll call these "superman" projects. See the problems?

While these are two somewhat different approaches to doing community service, they're similar in that they neglect the complexity and capability of the societies and communities in African nations. They see entire communities as just a group of people that needs one need taken care of, such as water, or shoes. Nice thought, but when you neglect every other facet of life, it doesn't work out so hot.

SECOND THING is how people act when doing community service. Let me describe a few pictures to you, and you can decide whether they sound familiar. I hate to add in race here, but I don't think you can ignore it. A picture of a white, teenage girl, smiling really big, holding up a little black baby who just looks confused. A picture of a white guy, standing in the middle of a bunch of black pre-schoolers, all holding up peace signs. You know what pictures I'm talking about, and it's not that the pictures are all that bad in themselves. Thing is, the mindset in taking the pictures is "Oh, look at these cute African babies," and that's wrong.

The other week, I went to work for the day at the Sandra Lee Orphanage here in Swaziland. It was my first time there, and I didn't know the kids' names, and I didn't speak much siSwati, and essentially, I was someone who had showed up to kick soccer balls around, and not much else. I didn't know the kids, and was honestly a little confused on what we were doing there.

Then, I look over and see one of the other girls from school, a white girl, taking pictures of one of the white guys from school holding one of the kids in his lap. Don't get me wrong - really nice students, but it was bizarre. They'd known the kid for five minutes, and they were already taking these pictures? It's like the kids are some sort of novelty, just because they're black, and in an orphanage in "Africa." I've never seen a black person do this with a black baby they don't know, and I've never seen a white person do it with a white baby they don't know. I hate to say that race is a factor, but it just seems like it is.

It especially bothers me when it's in this sort of "one day service project" scenario. It's totally understandable if you've been working with the kids for months, and know their names, and are really going to miss them later, but in this instant, and most instances, that's not the case. In this instant, it was just treating people like novelties, cute pictures to show their friends back home, "look what a good person I am, holding up a little black kid in Africa. I'm making his life SO good."

It bothers me.

Two sites that I've seen in the past couple months related to this are gurlgoestoafrica.tumblr.com and africafornorway.no - they're both pretty sarcastic, but they make you think.

First Day of (Actual) Classes

I noticed quite a few differences between schooling in America and schooling here, in a bunch of different ways. I figure that this will only be interesting if I explain specifics, so I figure I should do exactly that. Although to be fair, when I say America, I can really only attest to the schools that I’ve been in. I generalize based on what I’ve heard from other Americans. If you have anything to add, please feel free to comment.

First of all, the class schedule. In America, it’s standard to have class for a certain amount of time, a bell, a couple minutes of “passing period,” a bell, and then a class. Class (normally) starts promptly at the bell, and depending on the teacher, students are given detentions if they are late. Here, there are no bells, and no passing periods. While not having bells is WONDERFUL, as you don’t feel like you’re being herded around like cattle, the lack of passing periods is another thing entirely. Having one class end at nine o’clock and another starting exactly at nine o’clock is quite the dilemma, especially when the two classes are in different buildings. Culturally, it’s acceptable to be five or ten minutes late for everything, but in a school setting, this really cuts into teaching time. With a single-block being only forty minutes long (doubles are eighty), being ten minutes late takes out a quarter of the class. Also, with no bells, you end classes when the teacher ends, and they are never cut off by the bell. As such, it’s entirely within reason to end two minutes late, have to walk four minutes across campus, and get to class eight minutes late. I suppose eventually I’ll get used to this system, but I hate being late, and a system that leaves no possibility of being on time, however culturally acceptable that might be, is a pet peeve of mine.

Secondly, paper. Paper is longer here, which doesn’t really matter because the folders are taller. But, loose leaf paper has two holes, as do the binders. Notebooks are rarely spiral-bound; it’s much more typical to use something closer to composition books with actual bindings. They’re also much thicker – notebooks in America are always 70 pages for a single subject, but the notebooks here seem to be mostly 192 pages.

Third, the teaching style is much more laid back. Teachers in America rarely prepare during class. Today, in my Physics, class, the teacher spent the first ten minutes FINDING the books, the second ten minutes, handing them out, and then another significant chunk of time stapling packets together before he handed them out to us. I mean, it was fine, but it was definitely a different atmosphere from, say, Mr. ONeill’s class, where there would be stacks of packets and handouts ready, without fail.

Fourth, the building is quite different. First, I have to say that I really love the classroom block. Secondly, I have to say that it’s terribly designed, and in interesting shape. The architect was from Mozambique, and it’s a very open block. Apparently that doesn’t work out so well in July and August when it’s winter and the temperatures really drop (none of the buildings are heated or air conditioned). Secondly, it’s a full-on maze. You go inside, outside, back inside, upstairs, downstairs, down a sketchy walkway between two buildings, and so on. Some classrooms have doors inside; some of the doors are outside. In America, classrooms are numbered. Here, they are in effect labeled, but the “numbering” system doesn’t help with finding rooms. In America, room 252 is next to 253. Here, G2 is not next to G1. G2 is inside. The door to G1 is across a bit of grass, facing outside.

On another note, they love acronyms at this school. Choir is held in the LSR. Drama is upstairs at the CCLD. The climbing wall is in the MP hall. The first TOK meeting was in the assembly hall. The IB2s are working on their EEs. We have to keep track of CAS hours. LDF had its first meeting, and PAP’s first meeting is coming up. It’s a bit overwhelming sometimes, but you get the hang of it. It sounds really funny at first.

Despite the differences in school though, it’s really nice. I really enjoy my classes, and while I hate to say it – I enjoyed my homework tonight. Having siSwati homework is still novel enough to be enjoyable, so I figure I’ll enjoy it when the novelty remains!

Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thanks for letting me go. I know letting me go is nothing new - I've been leaving since forever ago. To Minnesota, to Indiana, to Iowa, to Missouri, to Jordan, all by myself. I'm sure you've had safety concerns, but thanks for not letting them get in the way of me chasing my dreams. Thanks for sending me care packages full of cookies and stupid trivia games, even when I didn't have the time to write a snail mail letter back. Thanks for letting me get on a plane with a suitcase and an Arabic dictionary, and knowing I'd be all right. Thanks for letting me do all that when I was 14 years old, 15 years old, 16 years old, 17 years old.

Thanks for having let me even apply to go to the UWCs. Thanks for not reminding me about the teeny tiny admission rate while I was working on my application. Thanks for letting me apply to whatever I wanted. Thanks for letting me go wherever I wanted when accepted. Thanks for never saying "No."

I realize that you guys are awesome for letting me just go do this whole Africa thing. Not all parents are as chill as you guys, and that's made such a difference in what I've been able to do, and where I've been able to go. It finally occurred to me that a seventeen-year-old moving from Illinois to Swaziland by herself isn't really normal...

We all know you're sentimental beasts, you parents, but thanks for hiding it. I know that the minute I left in the airport, you probably cried, like you did when I flew to Jordan. But thanks for at least waiting until I left. After all of this "mature" stuff, I'm still a teenager, and no teenager wants to stand in an airport with their sobbing parents.

 

Love,

Diana

PS. Even if you don't like it, I've officially moved out of the house. You're welcome to turn my room into a sewing room :)

LEAVING TOMORROW!

I'll spare you all the "OH MY GOSH I'M SO EXCITED TO LEAVE FOR SWAZILAND!"

Okay, so I let it slip in there once. I promise, I'm done.

Anyways, I'm leaving tomorrow, which is really, really crazy. I'm all packed - one suitcase, one backpacking-ish backpack, and then a shoulder bag for my laptop. It's really strange to see it by the door, after all this time waiting.

So, quick flashback...

Just over a year ago, in the middle of November 2011, I got something in the mail, telling me about this weird school, where I could study in all these different countries for high school... and it was free?

Now, we all know that we get a lot of college spam mail, but I couldn't help but show this to my mom, asking "could this be legitimate?" Spoiler alert: it was :)

Back in present day, I was cleaning out my car this morning about found that flyer in my glove compartment. That flyer. The flyer that first told me about UWC. It was very bizarre, knowing that if the school hadn't, for whatever reason, mailed me this one sheet of paper, telling me about UWC, I would be currently studying for finals at my old high school right now, instead of checking that I've got my passport and yellow fever cards packed.

Anyways...

I'M LEAVING FOR SWAZILAND TOMORROW AND I'M SO EXCITED!!!

^The "life-changing" flyer that I received in the mail over a year ago :)

Deodorant

I was going to bring just one deodorant, and buy more in Swaziland as I need it, but everyone I've talked to says that abroad, deodorant is just not quite the same, and not quite as effective. So, I figured I'd have to bring some more than I thought. But, I don't keep a year's supply of deodorant at my house... so, Wal-Mart!

After finding the deodorant I wanted, and being happy that it was on sale for a dollar each, I grabbed eight, because that was all the store had, and I decided that should be enough.

Now, I've gotten some weird looks walking through Wal-Mart. I mean, I've done the Wal-Mart Scavenger Hunt. I've proposed to a stranger in the aisles of Wal-Mart, kissed a stranger on the cheek in Wal-Mart, set up a full-sized tent in the aisle of Wal-Mart, and set up a battle between the toys on the floor of the toy aisle in Wal-Mart.

None of that even compares to the number of awkward looks I got carrying eight sticks of deodorant through the store. And then I started laughing, because I realized how ridiculous I looked, and then I must have just looked some crazy person, buying eight sticks of deodorant and giggling to myself.

Oh, Wal-Mart. I'll miss you :)

2nd Annual NSLI-Y New Year's Eve

NSLI-Y is probably going to shoot me for saying this, but in the long-run, for most of the students, NSLI-Y isn't about learning the language. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I know that my Arabic skills have plummeted from where they were when I ended the program. I won't make excuses about it - but my Arabic right now is simply not fantastic.

There are two other big things that you gain from exchange programs - the cultural immersion and understanding, and the friendships. Oftentimes, I think that the friendships get overlooked. My NSLI-Y group consisted of fifteen high schoolers from across the United States - who happen to be some of the most amazing people that I know, and some of my closest friends.

It's strange now, because NSLI-Y was years ago for me. And while my language skills have faded, the friendships have not. Between Skype, Facebook, and intermittent reunions when we figure out a weekend and scrape together the money for bus tickets, we've kept in amazingly good touch for a group scattered from sea to shining sea.

A few days before we left Jordan, I remember sitting around in our apartment building, kind of daydreaming about how we'd spend New Year's Eve together once we were back in America. At the time, I didn't really think it would happen, but sure enough, I spent my last moments of 2011 and first moments of 2012 with my "Jordan habibtis."

Wonderfully enough, it's happening again this year! It's the last day of 2012, and I'll be spending the last hours, minutes, and seconds of the year with the same habibtis I started it with. It's changed from a "surprised-that-this-is-actually-happening" excited to a "warm-fuzzy-I-love-that-this-family-reunites-every-year-and-I-just-want-to-hug-everyone" excited, but a wonderful excited nonetheless.

Yo, habibtis, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL! Those of you who can't be there, especially Sera, who is a hoss and on the year-long NSLI-Y trip to Morocco, I miss you. We'll be thinking of you guys as we ring in 2013 here in Chicago!

Time to ACTUALLY Pack!

WARNING: This post is me literally sitting here and deciding what to bring to Swaziland, so it's pretty detailed. If you're someone leaving for exchange, looking for a detailed post about packing - you found it! Oh, and just so you know, this is more of a "what" to pack post. I'll probably write a "how-to-get-all-this-stuff-to-fit" post once I actually start packing.

If you're not really into this packing stuff, I apologize. I'm looking forward to getting to Swaziland and finally having real culture posts again, but these next two weeks are going to be a lot of "hey-look-I'm-an-exchange-student-getting-ready" posts.

Now that my flight leaves in exactly two weeks, I should probably start actually packing, instead of the random putting things in and out of my backpack that I've been doing since August.

First of all, you should probably know that while I am a girl, my packing list looks suspiciously like a guy's. I have a buzz cut, which eliminates the "hair" category on a packing list, and I don't wear make-up, wear jewelry (except for earrings), have bunches of different pairs of shoes, and so on.

DIANA'S LONG TERM PACKING LIST:
(note: It doesn't matter if you're going away for three months or a year - laundry exists. You pack enough clothes for about two weeks either way).
The biggest thing to remember when making a packing list is to MAKE ONE and to STICK TO IT. That way, you never end up throwing random things into your suitcase.

CLOTHING: As far as packing goes, I'm planning on wearing jeans, socks, gym shoes, a t-shirt, hoodie, scarf, and belt on the plane. Everything that you wear doesn't need to fit into a suitcase, and between leaving from Chicago in the wintertime and overly air-conditioned planes, I'm hoping it's not overkill. Oh, and again, remember, LAUNDRY EXISTS!

1. T-Shirts: I'm bringing 15 (two weeks' worth). They're easy to pack. I recommend rolling them.
2. Shorts: Swaziland has its warm times, so I'm planning on bringing three or four pairs of shorts. I usually opt for basketball shorts, but whatever you do, just try to bring shorts you can wear with many different tops, so that bright pink pair of booty shorts? Probably not worth putting in the suitcase.
3. Jeans: I know they're heavy, but they're useful. I'm planning on packing one pair, and wearing one pair on the plane. For most people, I'd say pack two, but I wear basketball shorts well into Chicago winters, and I'm assuming I'm going to be able to handle most Swazi weather in basketball shorts.
4. Sweatshirts: They're obnoxious, but necessary. I'm going to wear my heaviest hoodie, and pack probably two more. I honestly only wear hoodies; if you're a fashion-y sweater person, I suppose you'd want more variety, but I got nothing to help you. I wear t-shirts and sweatshirts... so, uh, don't ask me for advice on packing fashionable clothes. Oh, and for packing, put your bulky sweatshirts into freezer Ziplocs, sit on them to squeeze the air out, and them zip them shut - instant space bags!
5. Footwear: I wear flip-flops most of the time, even in Chicago winters. Therefore, I'm bringing two pairs of flip-flops, wearing my bulky gym shoes when travelling, and packing a pair of Converse. I'm bringing three pairs of socks. That seems like nothing, but I can do laundry, and buy more if need be. But honestly, I wear flip-flops, so socks aren't an everyday thing. I'm also bringing one pair of black heels to use for all dress occasions. When packing, I recommend putting all your shoes into plastic bags, whether grocery bags or Ziplocs. No matter how good you think your feet smell, you'll be happy you don't have to wash all your clothes right when you arrive, just to stop them from smelling like feet.
6. Dress clothes: Gross. I hate dressing up. But, I am bringing a pair of black slacks, two dress shirts, and a fitted suit jacket. I figure with an array of scarves, I can make a couple different dress outfits out of that.
7. Scarves: I am bringing lots of scarves - they work as blankets on a cold plane, shawls in a conservative neighborhood, and a bit of color. Also, when wearing jeans and a t-shirt, sometimes a well-wrapped scarf convinces people I put more effort into my outfit than I actually did. So yeah, ten or more scarves. Scarves are easy to pack - fold them neatly (doesn't hurt to iron out the wrinkles first), place them all together in a freezer Ziploc bag, sit on it to squeeze the air out, and zip it shut.
8. Other: Underwear/bras (hopefully a 'duh'), a few neutral colored tank-tops, a swimsuit, a few floor-length skirts (for certain circumstances where Swazi culture just requires it) and a belt. Oh, and I think I'm supposed to bring an American "national costume," which I'm still figuring out. There isn't really a standard American "traditional cultural dress."

ELECTRONICS:
I would never pack this much for a three-month exchange. I feel ridiculous bringing this much, but I don't think I'm bringing anything I won't use. Listed out, it's a lot though. (Just going to take a moment right here to check my privilege and be thankful).

1. Laptop and charger
2. iPod and charger
3. External hard drive and cord
4. Memory card reader and cord
5. Waterproof camera, battery pack, and charger
6. Nice "photographer" camera, two battery packs, and charger
7. USB drive
8. Plenty of SD memory cards and cases
9. Outlet adaptors

TOILETRIES:
Packing a lot in this category is absurd. Pack whatever you want, but be aware that eventually, you're going to have to go out and buy some of the local stuff. Don't plan on packing enough for the entire time you're there, unless it's a summer program. Even then, try the local toothpaste, deodorant, or whatever. That's part of the adventure! Here's what I'm bringing

1. One tube of toothpaste, two toothbrushes (just because I have a habit of loosing toothbrushes, and will probably loose one while travelling, before I even get to the school. There's a difference between being afraid of local items, and refusing to pay eight dollars for an airport toothbrush).
2. One thing of deodorant
3. Um... that's it.

Here's the things that I'm not bringing, and why:

1. Hairbrush: I have a buzz cut. I highly recommend it - most convenient thing EVER.
2. Shampoo: I don't think you understand - I have less than a quarter of an inch of hair. I wash my head with a washcloth... shampoo isn't necessary.
3. Clippers: Here, I cut my own hair every other week with my own pair of clippers. I'm not bring it, just because the voltage doesn't match up, and it's not worth buying a voltage converter to use a five dollar pair of clippers. I'll figure something else out once I get there.
4. Razors: Can't carry them on, and while I could check some, my checked bag is my tuba... I just figure buying them there is easier. I'm not too picky.

DORM STUFF:
Not really necessary for most exchange programs, but for UWC, I'll be living in dorms, so it's necessary. If you're living with a host family, you really don't need to bring this stuff.

1. Bedding: UWC asks that I bring two sets of sheets, two pillowcases, a blanket, and a pillow. Sheets and pillowcases are easy enough to pack, and while the blanket is kind of annoying, I decided to bring a big quilt. It's not puffy of anything, which is nice as far as packing goes. It's going to take up a lot of room in my bag nonetheless, but I figure that it'll be nice to have a blanket from here, instead of having to buy some random one there. When packing bedding, I fold everything neatly, and can fit the sheets, pillowcases, and blanket into a 10"x10" plastic cube thing that an old set of sheets came in when we bought them.
2. Towels: I have one travel "microfiber" towel, which is amazingly teeny-tiny all folded up, but still a decent sized towel unfolded. While I'm probably going to wind up wanting two towels, I'll buy another one there if need be. While I think it's reasonable to want a blanket from home, a towel doesn't work like that, at least for me. I'm packing a washcloth.
3. Room decorations: Descriptions of empty dorm rooms usually run along the lines of "prison cells." While it's not possible to bring the sorts of stuff people sometimes get for college in the States (rugs, lamps, curtains, funky chairs, microwaves, strings of Christmas lights, etc), I'm still bringing some decorations. For me, that means a full sized Jordan flag, as well as flags from Scotland and England (after spending the summer with the British counselors at camp), as well as some pictures, and a few posters I snagged out of National Geographics. Ironically, I don't think I'll be bringing a United States flag. Whoops!
4. Dorm necessities: A mug, a spoon, and a flashlight. Easy enough to bring, and while I could buy them there, I think it'll be nice to have a mug from home. And I really don't want to have to go buy a spoon and flashlight there, when those might be the easiest things on my entire packing list.

OTHER:

1. School supplies: UWC provides stationary and such, but I still need to provide my own pens, pencils, calculator, erasers, and such. I figure I'll bring my calculator, and a few pens and pencils, as well as a few big erasers. It won't take up too much room, but I'm definitely planning on winding up buying more there at some point.
2. Backpack: My "personal item" on the plane will be my laptop, in my school backpack, so I'll just use that.
3. A book for the plane. Not sure what yet, but something.

OH, and I'm bringing a tuba, which means I'm bringing a tuba, a hard shell case, several mouthpieces, and a bunch of sheet music, which is hard enough to procure in the States, much less in Africa. So, all this clothing and stuff? It's getting packed around the tuba in the case. I'm literally not bringing a suitcase - just my tuba, a backpack, and a small shoulder bag.  YAY FOR TRYING TO PACK LIGHT AND THEN DECIDING TO BRING A MASSIVE HUNK OF TUNED METAL! Ridiculous, but I after much deliberation I decided that I couldn't bear to just stop playing the tuba.