Meeting my pen pals!

This is an entry I wrote for Peace Corps' official blog. I'm not sure if it'll appear on the PC site, but here it is for your perusal.

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I had woken up early that May morning: There was work to be done. My mom joined me in the kitchen as I mixed the dough and slipped small blobs into hissing oil. We were making Swazi treats, fat cakes, for a special crowd.

Since September I had been writing letters and sending photos to a first-grade class at North Glendale Elementary School, and it was time for all of us to pair names with faces. I was back in America for my sister’s wedding. North Glendale, the suburban St. Louis school where I’d spent my tender years, was in the neighborhood.

I was excited to meet Iyana, who had asked me if the scorpions of Swaziland came into my hut and ate my food. I couldn’t wait to hear more from Brock, who had informed me that, in contrast with my rural African homestead, they had running water in America. I wanted to meet the children whose letters had started off simple last fall, containing more pictures than words, and had grown to three-page missives by spring.

Alongside my fiancé, Jack, I entered the school in my traditional Swazi wear with a basket of fried dough. The office staff members directed me to Mrs. Coombs’ class with nary a raised eyebrow.

The conversation started immediately after I walked in the door, and the questions never stopped. What if my traditional clothing (tied at the shoulder) fell off? Why did the king have more than one wife? What if the king wanted to marry me? What kind of animals did I see? How long did it take to get to America from Swaziland? Could you go by car, or did you have to fly?

One student, Carlye, raised her hand.

“Do they have hospitals there?” she asked.

“Yes. There are some hospitals in the cities, and in the rural areas there are clinics. Some of them are bigger than others, with doctors. Some are small and only have nurses.”

“Oh.” She thought a moment. “Because having babies is dangerous, and you need good hospitals.”

Rendered nearly speechless, I could only agree. I studied maternal and child health at public health school. This was a child after my own heart.

We spent a fast-paced hour together. Jack and I shared more photos from Swaziland, passed around Swazi money and celebrated one of the children’s birthdays. They ate the fat cakes and each took a small Swazi coin to keep. And we took some photos of our own – two normal ones and a goofy one (you’ve got to have a goofy one). As we lined up for the photos, the children crowded around to hold my hands. I tried to grab as many little paws as I could. For a moment, I was back in my African village, laughing with children who were excited to make a new friend from a foreign place.

At the end of our visit, Mrs. Coombs told me the children had been looking forward to the day.

“Some parents were even telling me how excited the children were to come to school today,” she said.

As we left, I couldn’t stop smiling.

GLOW!

To my dear readers,

Sanibonani!

I apologize for my lengthy absence, though I take comfort in knowing you all just went about your lives as usual.

Since we last spoke, we had our Girls Leading Our World camp. GLOW brought together nearly 80 girls from across Swaziland, as well as about 20 Swazi counselors and a group of Peace Corps volunteers. The girls learned about sexual and reproductive health issues, and they talked about relationships and other topics related to adolescence and womanhood. They also learned how to apply for university and how to interview for a job.

And, of course, they played games. We had an art day and a service day. During the service day, they played team-building games and had races with condom water balloons. Photos of all are below.

My counterpart/friend joined me, and we brought three girls from our community. Camp ran from April 28 to May 3. At the beginning the girls were shy, avoiding looking at me or speaking to me directly. By the end, we were hugging and high-fiving. On the last day at breakfast, they had prepared a tiny statement thanking me for allowing them to come.

As part of the camp, the girls had to apply. They were required to get a recommendation letter as well as parental/guardian permission, and each had to write an essay and undergo an interview. I know those skills will serve them well as they apply to university and for scholarships.

When I left camp, I was on a huge high. I watched my friend teach an abstinence session that she and another counselor prepared on the fly. I watched quiet girls come out of their shells, and we all watched as a shy girl with a disability stood up in front of everyone and sang solo at the talent show. It made our tiny little hearts vibrate.

On the whole, it was probably the most worthwhile activity I've participated in during my service. Since my service ends in a couple of months, I doubt it'll be outdone.

If you contributed to GLOW, thank you! And if you contributed to me by being supportive, thank you!