Thursday, August 22, 2013

All better now!

We are at the training center today for testing and I'm actually getting some signal, so I'll try to get out an update. 
  There's been an ugly head and respiratory infection going through our group and KUF came down with it Saturday. Tuesday morning the Sudafed etc on her empty stomach was upsetting that end too. She called the Med Officer, they sent a car and took her for the day at the "Med Hut," settled her tummy, cleared her chest, and brought her home in the evening. 10 hours of sleep and she was a new girl Weds. Lesson: the PC is very careful and attentive. The Med Staff is kind of frantic with Midservice physicals for one group and Close Of Service physicals for the outgoing group, but we could not have obtained this level of attention back in The World.  PC makes a lot of demands on us, especially during this training period, but when it's their turn to step up, they are all over it. 
  But KUF missed 3 days of prep for finals and is feeling hammered. It helped a lot that, as our host country language instructor finished our last class yesterday, he pointed to a black bird with a crimson throat and iridescent greenish blue head - amethyst sun bird.  And on our afternoon walk we identified 2 good birds we'd seen but hadn't been able to name.  A good omen, for sure! 
  The next phase is moving; back to the training center next week, then on 8/30 to our permanent site. It will be good to be able to start shaping our home to our needs and tastes, and to have more control of our schedule.  And to finally start doing the work we came for. 
  Mark will start teaching. 11 to 14 year-olds -  "life skills":  how to make good decisions, especially on health, which here necessarily means sex, since HIV here is mostly spread that way. I've always wanted to teach.  We've had several days of training, observing and practice, and there are lots of PC lesson plans and materials, especially if we ever get enough Internet connection to browse and download anything. 
  KUF will have the task/opportunity to define her role at the refugee camp. We are also supposed to carefully get to know all the homesteads in the area, and to start developing "secondary projects".  And if we can lay the groundwork for a new library in the neighborhood,  we could get some books shipped next fall (April) if we can get proposals in by Dec 1. If our proposals are accepted. 
   The language tester KUF had this morning was really hard: reduced several of our tougher compadres to tears.  Mark's likes me and really tried to get me over the hump. 
  Tomorrow is "host family appreciation day."  Our host families will take the bus into the training center for a catered lunch. Our family is quite excited. One daughter us having her hair done. The other is  taking a day off work. Some of these clever kids have put together a terrific slide show of the families and PC trainees.  I will dress up - maybe even a tie!  Our families will be dressy. Swazis do that - they'll walk through the dust and chicken poop of their homestead wearing cocktail attire.  
  Then next week is swearing in, at a hotel in the capital, with the US ambassador, and Swazi officials, many of whom are said to feel called upon to speak. At length. 2 of our group will speak ( briefly ), one in siSwati!  And he will also play the 2 countries' anthems on his violin. 
Rehearsing:  

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