Surprises at the homestead

Our Make showed us how she boils sweet potatoes over a fire in the cooking hut. We will be given some for dinner. Really good. 

  Then, since the camera was out, we snapped Philile, the 26 year old, mother of the older of the 2 boys shown. 

We will be sorry to leave this friendly, generous family and their lovely homestead with avocado and mango trees in the yard, overlooking a fertile valley and a rocky  ridge. And they've  already said they are getting sad to see us go. KUF's friendship and conversations with these women have been fun for all.  

  Later in the evening Philile came over and showed us her photo album. Turns out Make Olpa is not her mother!  Her mother was married to the brother of the husband in this household (the "Babe"), but died 9 years ago. We did not ask the cause. Pix of the father of Philile's son, whom she sees a little, and the man she now sees. 

  Amazing to us that as well as we know these women we did not understand that Make isn't her biological mother.  Partly she repeatedly said "in our culture" in applying the words mother, father, sister, brother to relationships where only 1, or sometimes no, parents were shared.  KUF's X-examinations are as thorough as any I've seen from folks who fancied themselves big deal trial lawyers; these women are pleased to have someone to talk with who takes a a caring interest in them. 

Can't tell when I'll get this out. The router at the training facility has been turned on, but we get no signal; the techies say its not connected to the server. 

  Sunday morning Make was dressed to go to (another!) funeral. I wanted a picture showing her holding the clever bag she sewed for us to hold clothes-line "pegs."  She saw us stuffing the pegs in our pockets and dropping them. 

The older sister is on the right with her son. She's getting married in December. She works in Mbabane, the capital, drawing blood at a clinic.