Swaziland Recap
I am sitting on the couch in what will be our new Swazi residence come July. It is a humble duplex-style place: tile floors, two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower stall. Nothing fancy and maybe 700 square feet (at the most). But, it is comfortable and I already feel at home here. I am scheduled to fly back to the states later today after a bit over a week of working with Cabrini Ministries doing some long-range planning, problem solving and networking. And while it was great to get some work done and to prepare a few things for our move, the most important part of my time has been the feeling.
If nothing else, spending a week at Cabrini, working in the bush of Swaziland, has given me a feel for what to expect. Obviously it is just a glimpse and I am sure there will be many “surprises” in store for us. But, just experiencing these things helps us to plan for the transition. This week I experienced:
- Power and water outages
- 110+ degree temperatures
- Major storms and serious dryness
- Difficulties in communication (phone lines down, no cell coverage)
- Lack of internet
- Crazy roads and crazier drivers
- Long drives to get anything
- Difficulty in coordinating overseas conversations due to time differences
- Constantly having “the system” be down, preventing things from getting done
- Abject poverty and even death
While in my current life in the States, I may experience one or two of those things in a year, having them all come at once didn’t bother me. All of the difficulties were overshadowed by the other things I experienced:
- People dedicated to Cabrini’s vision of “Restoring Life”
- Playing soccer with the children at the hostel and hearing them sing
- Seeing true “local empowerment” such as the woman who manages the database that hadn’t even seen a computer until 2 years go; professional office staff who grew up on homesteads in the area; all the managers being local and fully competent; continuous training for all staff; a standard-setting clinic run by mostly local nurses and support staff
- Participating in the larger system of support in a country with great need
- Working with dedicated staff who know all the details of patients and children they work with
- Getting to know my neighbors who are deeply rooted in the local chiefdom
- Visiting former students across the country who have graduated from Cabrini services
- Seeing the incredible amount of work and extensive services being completed in this tiny village deep in the bush.
We certainly have a lot to learn and the transition is going to be tough; but, after spending a week here I am more confident in our decision than ever before. July will come quick and I am certainly looking forward to it.