I spent 2.5 days in town this week for an all staff training on Child Protection. Ben stayed back on the mission to watch Mikayla and hold down the fort at Cabrini. I got a lot of raised eyebrows when I said that Ben was watching Mikayla while I was at the meeting. Swazi men are not typically seen as the "caretakers" of the children so for Ben to watch Mikayla for almost three days without me being around was strange for them. He did a great job keeping up with our almost three year old! They played games, had school, washed the car and just hung out.
Handprint Tree Ben and Mikayla made while I was gone.
Most of the meat of the meetings were things that I already knew, but new information for a lot of our staff. It was nice to hear their perspective on things and I even learned a lot about the Swazi culture. For example, when the Gogos (grandmothers) were kids they actually lived in their Gogos huts instead of their mothers so they wouldn’t see things. Want to hear an interesting fact – Only 20% of the children of Swaziland still have both parents? No wonder we have such a problem with child abuse and have so many OVC (orphan and vulnerable children). Another thing that raised my eyebrows was that the school systems still practice corporal punishment!
In other news, mangos and lychees ripened enough to call them into season this week. In case you aren’t familiar, lychees are small fleshy fruit with a tough skin that peels off and a pit in the middle. They taste kind of like a green grape without the skin. Ben and Mikayla are big fans but they aren’t my favorite. But I am very excited about the mangos. I can’t wait to try some of the mango recipes people have sent me soon. Did you know you could get a mango burn? It is similar to the rash you get with poison ivy. Ben and Mikayla had the pleasure of experiencing this first hand. It comes from the sap.
We had some unseasonably cool nights this week so we spent a lot of time hanging out on the porch. Mikayla loved blowing bubbles and running around. Ben even had a couple of braais while I was away.
She is a redneck at heart! Blowing bubbles barefoot in underwear, a t-shirt and headlamp!
On Saturday we had some family time by making homemade gingerbread cookies. I found the recipe here. They turned out delicious, even if we didn’t have any holiday themed cookie cutters. We decided to not spend lots of time frosting them (they were that good), but make some cream cheese frosting to dip them in! This was my first attempt at gingerbread cookies. I usually make sugar cookies this time of year (and we still might), but I really enjoyed the change of making gingerbread instead. Mikayla of course had a blast rolling out the dough and using the cookie cutters to make designs. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my little family? I missed them so much this week, even if I was only away for 2.5 days.
Doesn’t he look handsome in his jewelry?
Working hard with daddy!
This kid loves playing with dough! She took it very seriously and would not let us help her at all.
Ben cut this Christmas tree out of the dough by hand. He was really proud of it and Mikayla enjoyed eating it!
We spent a lot of Sunday in imaginative play. Mikayla began by dragging out some of her stuffed animals and had a tea party. We then made her a car out of a large box and she drove her "family" around all over the place. Her imagination never ceases to amaze me! And it is amazing how a few pieces of "trash" can stem an hour or so of play.
Necklace dance – She spent a good bit of time dancing around with some necklaces on Saturday night. It was hilarious because she was so serious about it.
Family tea party
Pretend car made from old box
