150 DEGREES
The passive solar water bug has really bitten me. Out of curiosity I took a shallow, wide basin and put 10 liters of water in it. I laid a clear, thick piece of plastic over the top and left it in direct sun for about 3 hours. It reached 150 degrees! I had to imagine: what would it do if the basin were black? Probably scald the kids and I, so I should leave well enough alone. You can see a photo of the basin at http://poglitshphotos.blogspot.com. It's the turquoise basin on the ground in the lower part of the photo. You can also see the gutter (attached to the roof) and the black barrel beneath it. This we installed to catch rainwater, which it does very well-and it fills quickly, even in a moderate rain.
HOW MANY OVCS?
The government is paying school fees for an ever-increasing number of students labelled as OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children). The idea was to keep kids in school who had lost parents and could not pay the fees. Then, they didn't want to embarrass these kids, so the definition included "vulnerable". This has expanded the OVC pool quite a bit. At a recent school assembly, the headmaster asked all those students who were receiving a government scholarship to remain behind. About 80% of the students stayed behind. Of course the scholarship means well, but it appears surviving and responsible parents are being punished: they are forking out a couple thousand Emalangeni a year for school, while most kids marked OVC are paying almost nothing.
SCHOOL SOCCER
I am happily not coaching soccer this year. Soon after school opened, I gave a letter of resignation to the athletic director, and I've heard nothing since. Really nice. The school picked up a local man to coach; he has played at the highest professional level in Swaziland, and after briefly watching his training, it's clear the players respect him. Wonderful. I did notice, with satisfaction, that he had them running like crazy and not even touching a ball. Magnificent.
UNEXPECTED BLESSING
During the track and field practice, a senior student I had trouble with during soccer last year (who ended up off the team permanently) walked over to me and, unannounced, sat in my shadow at my feet. He said he was feeling sick and asked if I would pray for him. I said "Sure, I'll pray for you" and put my hands on his head and prayed. He then remained sitting at my feet for 10 more minutes as we discussed international soccer. Then, just as unceremoniously, he got up and walked off. We have had a good relationship since then. I don't know what to make of this, but I'm happy with it. Thanks be to God, whose grace is sometimes very amazing.
UNEXPECTED INVITATION
During halftime at a recent soccer game between my "home" club (they come from the area of my adopted Swazi homestead) of Hlokomeni Cosmos and a team called "Sundowns", I was asked by a student/player to give the team some advice. At first I blew him off, because he tends to tease me. He persisted. I told him I could see two men standing in front of the team, talking to the players. He replied "No, those guys have been drinking"-which I could see was true. I said "There's that other guy; he's a player, and he's coaching". "No, he's also been drinking" said the student. Yeah, I could see that too. Okay, I tried to turn him down three times, but he seemed serious. I hesitatingly walked over to the team and said something about sticking with your man even when he doesn't have the ball, and something about passing the ball quickly and then moving to get open for a return pass instead of dribbling it. The players turned their heads more than 90 degrees to see me, and they paid attention the whole time I spoke. After my little talk, they got up and went back on the field for the second half. I walked back to the sideline, astonished. I would say this place keeps you on your toes, but sometimes it just plain knocks you down. Cosmos won the game, 2-1.
TRUCK CROPS
A student named Bhutana Ncongwane (who is related to one of the players on Cosmos) comes from a hard-working family. They grow cabbages and maize for sale, and they also buy fruit wholesale and sell it retail. Bhutana told us in January that they have cabbages, bananas, and mangoes for sale. I placed an order with him, and told him to bring it to school the next day. I can't remember if it was the next day or the same day, but he pulled up in the family pickup truck and let us take our pick from the bed. It was E1 for a banana, E2 (I think) for a cabbage, and E3 for a mango. What a deal! See pictures at the blog. He has arrived at other times and simply honked his horn. The girls (and the other teachers) have figured out what that means, and they run out to meet the ambulatory green grocer. He can keep busy selling things for 20 minutes. We are happy: the money stays local, and we don't have to lug it home from town on bus and back. He recently sold us 16 ears of big, healthy corn for E10-that's enough corn on the cob for 8 people for about $1.50.
TRAVEL AND CONVERSATIONS
We travelled to town on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17th. The US Ambassador had an open house for US residents at his home. We tried to cluster our town appointments, so Ruth set up a doctor's appointment for the same day. Ruth went in early, and the girls watched a movie at home while I taught for 2 more hours. Then the 4 of us packed up and got into town. After the 4PM get-together we spent the night at the Mater Dolorosa guest house, courtesy of the ever-hospitable Sister Bene (from Italy).
As we made our circuitous way to the doctor's office, Kit said (at least twice) "I know where mommy is". I asked "Where?" Kit replied "Somewhere else."
By the time we got to the Ambassador's house, it was raining pretty heavily. We hadn't packed any umbrellas, and as we walked up the driveway to the front door Grace said "I'm using my head as an umbrella, and it's not very comfortable."
Here's one from Cubby (Faith) to round things off. Faith--while playing with a stuffed pig. "Kit, real pigs don't really have fur. They just have skin that looks like plastic."
Have a nice day,
Rudy for the gang
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
January 26, 2010
MONEY MAKERS
Three great stories about income generation recently.
1) Stan Mamba told me he knows a man who has an arrangement with a local poultry company. The man has built a chicken house up to the company's standards. The company brings chicks (I forget the age) and food for them for the next 9 weeks. At the end of 9 weeks, the company comes back and pays the man E2 for every chicken that is up to the minimum weight. With the numbers of chicks running into the hundreds, and the 9-week process taking place year-round, this is a money maker! I was glad to hear about it. One catch: you have to have a steady supply of water to keep things clean. Still, with a relatively small input, this is good and steady income.
2) Thokozane Khumalo tells us that two local health food stores have sold 30kg of moringa powder since November. 30kg might not sound like much, but multiply 30 by 2.2 and you get 66 pounds of a powder with the approximate density of parsley. Harvesting the moringa leaves and turning them into powder also takes place numerous times a year. I didn't ask the price per (small) bag, but even at just a few bucks this looks like a money maker too.
3) I spoke with a young man at a computer firm in Mbabane last week. I told him I was a teacher and that I wanted to pass on to my students stories of people who have "made it" in the work world. I asked him, then, how he ended up doing this computer work. He said he just liked computers and got himself a desktop and a laptop, and started using them. He knows them inside out, and he's got steady work from it. He also said he's worked with people who have taken training courses in town, and they know almost nothing. As with a plumber and an electrician I've known, motivation and hands-on practice make a huge difference in getting paying work.
87:1
That's the ratio of the number of minutes I (and hundreds of other people) stood under the January sun in southern Africa waiting to sign a new contract to the number of minutes we needed to put our names on the dotted line. I arrived at Mjingo high school in Manzini (the first school in Swaziland where I taught a full term) at 7AM, and signed a contract at 2:15. The process ran like Swiss trains-which have been hit by avalanches during a week when the snow removal guys are on vacation in Miami. The man in charge showed up at 9:30, spent some time introducing the folks at the front, then said people from two regions (Lubombo and Shiselweni) should stay in the hall to sign contracts, while teachers from Manzini and Hhohho regions should go to the appropriately-marked classrooms outside. Too bad he didn't add "Let the games begin!" for flourish. Our Ugandan friend Godfrey Mubiru happened to be in front of the appropriate classroom when the announcement was made. He later told me he was so pressed by teachers trying to get into the room that he could not move forward or back. I thought the pileups to get into kombis were bad; contract signing day made them look like a stroll in the park. One could occasionally hear women emitting long, high-pitched cries of fear and pain near the door. At times the door itself would slowly and erratically open and close, clearly under the opposing forces of people trying to get in and the Swazi police (who attended the event) trying to keep people out. I stood for 45 minutes in the "wrong" line (the one for elementary school teachers), but it didn't really matter, as the lines for high and elementary schools converged on the same classroom. What was the point of that? Another teacher and I came up with ideas for streamlining this process, mainly by decentralizing it. All the same, we teachers didn't show much professionalism with our pushing and shoving. And yet every year the process takes this long. Why does the ministry of education insist on bringing everyone together in one place for one marathon "see-if-you-can-figure-out-where-to-stand-and-hope-you-can-catch-the-last-bus-to-your-house" paperwork extravaganza?
The process isn't quite over yet. I have to make a copy of one of the forms they gave me (um, howzabout you guys make 2 copies and keep one?), and return these with another form from my headmaster to the office in Mbabane.
Two bright spots, though: I got to speak to some teachers from Zimbabwe, and they said things are better (if not perfect) there. Food and gas are available again, and one teacher attributed it to the national unity government of Mugabe and the opposition guy (whose name I can pronounce but cannot spell off the top of my head). Apparently US dollars are now the currency; perhaps that has also helped.
Also, the contract I signed is good for two years. That means, hopefully, no 7-hour suntanning session next year; so the ratio above can perhaps be cut in half.
CORRECTION
Some time back I wrote about AIDS and sexual behavior. I said that habits established before marriage generally carry over after marriage. A friend of mine who works full-time in AIDS prevention said that in fact promiscuity generally ceases after marriage. I appreciated and wanted to pass on his correction.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? PART II
This may be funnier to folks in Swaziland than to those in the US. I typed this year's class roster into a computer, then ran a spellcheck. The names of students are on the left, and the computer's suggestions are on the right (after the hyphen).
Mabaso-Tabasco
Mkhontfo-Pocahontas
Pholile-Loophole
Thandowetfu-Thankfullest
Hlophe-Gopher
Nomkhosi-Hosiery, Cirrhosis, Sinkhole, Psychosis, Khomeni
Mncina-Medicinal, Menacing
Khumbuzile-Humbugged
Ngabisa-Nabisco
Temlandvo-Timberland
Lomathemba-Aromatherapist
Tfwala-Halfway
Bonsile-Tonsil
Gcinile-Glycine
Mbongiseni-Trombonist
Mcolisi-Coliseum
Cedusizi-Undersizing
Ndzingane-Manganese
Nombulelo-Combustible
Three great stories about income generation recently.
1) Stan Mamba told me he knows a man who has an arrangement with a local poultry company. The man has built a chicken house up to the company's standards. The company brings chicks (I forget the age) and food for them for the next 9 weeks. At the end of 9 weeks, the company comes back and pays the man E2 for every chicken that is up to the minimum weight. With the numbers of chicks running into the hundreds, and the 9-week process taking place year-round, this is a money maker! I was glad to hear about it. One catch: you have to have a steady supply of water to keep things clean. Still, with a relatively small input, this is good and steady income.
2) Thokozane Khumalo tells us that two local health food stores have sold 30kg of moringa powder since November. 30kg might not sound like much, but multiply 30 by 2.2 and you get 66 pounds of a powder with the approximate density of parsley. Harvesting the moringa leaves and turning them into powder also takes place numerous times a year. I didn't ask the price per (small) bag, but even at just a few bucks this looks like a money maker too.
3) I spoke with a young man at a computer firm in Mbabane last week. I told him I was a teacher and that I wanted to pass on to my students stories of people who have "made it" in the work world. I asked him, then, how he ended up doing this computer work. He said he just liked computers and got himself a desktop and a laptop, and started using them. He knows them inside out, and he's got steady work from it. He also said he's worked with people who have taken training courses in town, and they know almost nothing. As with a plumber and an electrician I've known, motivation and hands-on practice make a huge difference in getting paying work.
87:1
That's the ratio of the number of minutes I (and hundreds of other people) stood under the January sun in southern Africa waiting to sign a new contract to the number of minutes we needed to put our names on the dotted line. I arrived at Mjingo high school in Manzini (the first school in Swaziland where I taught a full term) at 7AM, and signed a contract at 2:15. The process ran like Swiss trains-which have been hit by avalanches during a week when the snow removal guys are on vacation in Miami. The man in charge showed up at 9:30, spent some time introducing the folks at the front, then said people from two regions (Lubombo and Shiselweni) should stay in the hall to sign contracts, while teachers from Manzini and Hhohho regions should go to the appropriately-marked classrooms outside. Too bad he didn't add "Let the games begin!" for flourish. Our Ugandan friend Godfrey Mubiru happened to be in front of the appropriate classroom when the announcement was made. He later told me he was so pressed by teachers trying to get into the room that he could not move forward or back. I thought the pileups to get into kombis were bad; contract signing day made them look like a stroll in the park. One could occasionally hear women emitting long, high-pitched cries of fear and pain near the door. At times the door itself would slowly and erratically open and close, clearly under the opposing forces of people trying to get in and the Swazi police (who attended the event) trying to keep people out. I stood for 45 minutes in the "wrong" line (the one for elementary school teachers), but it didn't really matter, as the lines for high and elementary schools converged on the same classroom. What was the point of that? Another teacher and I came up with ideas for streamlining this process, mainly by decentralizing it. All the same, we teachers didn't show much professionalism with our pushing and shoving. And yet every year the process takes this long. Why does the ministry of education insist on bringing everyone together in one place for one marathon "see-if-you-can-figure-out-where-to-stand-and-hope-you-can-catch-the-last-bus-to-your-house" paperwork extravaganza?
The process isn't quite over yet. I have to make a copy of one of the forms they gave me (um, howzabout you guys make 2 copies and keep one?), and return these with another form from my headmaster to the office in Mbabane.
Two bright spots, though: I got to speak to some teachers from Zimbabwe, and they said things are better (if not perfect) there. Food and gas are available again, and one teacher attributed it to the national unity government of Mugabe and the opposition guy (whose name I can pronounce but cannot spell off the top of my head). Apparently US dollars are now the currency; perhaps that has also helped.
Also, the contract I signed is good for two years. That means, hopefully, no 7-hour suntanning session next year; so the ratio above can perhaps be cut in half.
CORRECTION
Some time back I wrote about AIDS and sexual behavior. I said that habits established before marriage generally carry over after marriage. A friend of mine who works full-time in AIDS prevention said that in fact promiscuity generally ceases after marriage. I appreciated and wanted to pass on his correction.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? PART II
This may be funnier to folks in Swaziland than to those in the US. I typed this year's class roster into a computer, then ran a spellcheck. The names of students are on the left, and the computer's suggestions are on the right (after the hyphen).
Mabaso-Tabasco
Mkhontfo-Pocahontas
Pholile-Loophole
Thandowetfu-Thankfullest
Hlophe-Gopher
Nomkhosi-Hosiery, Cirrhosis, Sinkhole, Psychosis, Khomeni
Mncina-Medicinal, Menacing
Khumbuzile-Humbugged
Ngabisa-Nabisco
Temlandvo-Timberland
Lomathemba-Aromatherapist
Tfwala-Halfway
Bonsile-Tonsil
Gcinile-Glycine
Mbongiseni-Trombonist
Mcolisi-Coliseum
Cedusizi-Undersizing
Ndzingane-Manganese
Nombulelo-Combustible
January 23, 2010
END OF SCHOOL BREAK
This has been a very enjoyable break. We had good times with friends over Christmas and New Year's, and the rest of the time we have completed most of the things on our to-do lists. Rudy especially enjoyed hiking, once with a friend from town and 3 or 4 with our girls. School opens Tuesday, Jan. 26. Catch is, temporary teachers (which Rudy has been all 7 years, and will continue to be until we leave) are supposed to sign their contracts on Monday the 25th in Manzini. We'll see what that does to the schools countrywide!
THE ROAD AHEAD
This was put together by Ruth a while ago. Rudy hesitated to send it, but now thinks it's a good thing to get out.
Dear Friends and Family Members,
About a year ago, we announced our intentions of moving into agricultural development work in a year. To accomplish this required 4 things:
1) Having a US based organization and doing fundraising
2) Having a Swazi based organizaton for legal purposes
3) Having a plan of action
4) Having local housing
Updates:
#2) During the first school break we spent a lot of time exploring what different groups were doing. We found a Swazi NGO that we would feel good about working with. #2 done
#3) We wrote up a proposed plan that would fit our skills and abilities. We have continued to do the demonstration garden at our church. We have been able to mentor a young man working with SwaziAid's program introducing moringa. We have seen some good things, but frankly very few youth are interested in agriculture as an occupation. It seems that Swaziland's relative prosperity means that while jobs are few, most homesteads have someone employed in a paying job and many preparing or looking for paying jobs. Low paid jobs with stable salaries are more appealing than the uncertainties of agricultural work.
The Farming Gods Way/Conservation tillage method has some serious flaws for our area because of cattle eating all of the mulch during the dry season. We will be experimenting with some cow resistant green manure crops at the church this year.
We were counseled by an American experienced in this type of work to move back our time schedule. She felt that while Rudy was employed it was wisest to start the types of things we would like to do so that we can work out the problems with our program design while things are small. She also suggested waiting until the children were older so that I would be freer.
#4) Right as we were considering making this transition there were a string of break-ins in our community. Including the house on Rudy's homestead that we were interested in renting (just a few days before Rudy met with the owner to talk about renting it). We realized that we would be a magnet for thieves and the best option would be to try and make arrangements to have a house on the school grounds--but that would involve $20,000US to build a place.
#1) It took us awhile to realize how serious the economic situation in the US had become. Three years ago I am sure that we would have had no problem raising the funds that we needed to work in agriculture. At this point we don't feel good about doing fundraising and starting a new venture when so many people are struggling financially. It seems wisest to stay put teaching, do what we can on the side, and let the Teacher Service Commission/Swazi Government continue it's support of our time here.
So our plans have been greatly modified. We decided to have another child since that is something we won't want to do in the middle of a big life transition and our chances to do that will run out soon (We just turned 42). Rudy is continuing to teach.
After many years of teaching, Rudy has become interested in a job with more defined tasks and accomplishments and one where his success isn't based on the actions of other people. This growing desire doesn't fit well with agricultural development. The ag work is definitely my dream--and while I think Rudy and I would work together extremely well in this kind of a program, I am coming to realize that for us to succeed we need a shared dream among community members, Rudy, myself, and funders. We are very far from this shared dream, and at this stage in my life I do not have the time available to devote to this project. So we are stepping back from moving into full-time agricultural development work. We don't anticipate changing our situation in the next couple of years. Long term, Rudy has developed an interest in ultrasound work and he will be exploring that interest to see if it would be a good option for us when the time comes for us to leave Swaziland.
We appreciate your interest in our lives here. We would appreciate prayers for clear direction--I like to have a sensible life plan.
The school has announced that it will not admit students with low exam scores into Form 1 for 2010. They will have to repeat part of primary school or find a different place to study. This should make the Form 1 classes smaller (Currently about 60 per class). In a previous year they didn't re-admit students who failed their Form 3 exam. The current group of Form 5's was a very good class and the school has high hopes for them. The administration wants Nsukumbili to be a more academically-oriented school. We will see what happens.
PROJECTED MAIZE (CORN) HARVEST
I (Rudy) am pretty slow on the draw. It has slowly dawned on me, as Ruth has known for most of her adult years, that subsistence farmers depend on their annual harvest for the coming year. Most of us (including the Poglitsh's here in SWD) simply go to the store to get our food; that is not quite as easy for most of our non-school neighbors. As a result, I have been paying closer attention to maize fields. Grace and I went on a big hike today, and I happily report that most fields around here look good. The corn crops are at different stages of development, but they pretty much all look good. Barring any horrendous hailstorms (we had one a few years ago), it appears that this will be a good maize year. I am convinced one of life's greatest gifts is a hard day's work (including sweat, ideally), followed by a bath, followed by a good meal, followed by an unbroken sleep. Dlangeni residents look to be in good position for this happy sequence.
NSUKUMHILLBILLY
Your eldest daughter says "Mom says marshmallows are just another kind of candy-so let's try roasting some of the Life Savers the grandparents sent us for Christmas!" You concede. Roasted Life Savers aren't that great, and beware of the hot and dripping bits that are right above the candle flame; they hurt on the skin!
Hillbilly
The water is out, but you want to clean the pan you baked tonight's chicken in. Solution? Put the pan in the backyard and let the neighborhood dogs lick it clean, and use soap and water the next day when the water returns.
Hillbilly
You are tired of the dirty walls, but you only have 10 liters of paint at your house to cover 20 liters worth of wall. Solution? Paint the bottom half of the dirtiest walls until the paint runs out. Everything looks nice except the hallway, but a line of children's artwork over the seam where the colors don't quite match takes care of that problem quite nicely.
Hillbilly
This has been a very enjoyable break. We had good times with friends over Christmas and New Year's, and the rest of the time we have completed most of the things on our to-do lists. Rudy especially enjoyed hiking, once with a friend from town and 3 or 4 with our girls. School opens Tuesday, Jan. 26. Catch is, temporary teachers (which Rudy has been all 7 years, and will continue to be until we leave) are supposed to sign their contracts on Monday the 25th in Manzini. We'll see what that does to the schools countrywide!
THE ROAD AHEAD
This was put together by Ruth a while ago. Rudy hesitated to send it, but now thinks it's a good thing to get out.
Dear Friends and Family Members,
About a year ago, we announced our intentions of moving into agricultural development work in a year. To accomplish this required 4 things:
1) Having a US based organization and doing fundraising
2) Having a Swazi based organizaton for legal purposes
3) Having a plan of action
4) Having local housing
Updates:
#2) During the first school break we spent a lot of time exploring what different groups were doing. We found a Swazi NGO that we would feel good about working with. #2 done
#3) We wrote up a proposed plan that would fit our skills and abilities. We have continued to do the demonstration garden at our church. We have been able to mentor a young man working with SwaziAid's program introducing moringa. We have seen some good things, but frankly very few youth are interested in agriculture as an occupation. It seems that Swaziland's relative prosperity means that while jobs are few, most homesteads have someone employed in a paying job and many preparing or looking for paying jobs. Low paid jobs with stable salaries are more appealing than the uncertainties of agricultural work.
The Farming Gods Way/Conservation tillage method has some serious flaws for our area because of cattle eating all of the mulch during the dry season. We will be experimenting with some cow resistant green manure crops at the church this year.
We were counseled by an American experienced in this type of work to move back our time schedule. She felt that while Rudy was employed it was wisest to start the types of things we would like to do so that we can work out the problems with our program design while things are small. She also suggested waiting until the children were older so that I would be freer.
#4) Right as we were considering making this transition there were a string of break-ins in our community. Including the house on Rudy's homestead that we were interested in renting (just a few days before Rudy met with the owner to talk about renting it). We realized that we would be a magnet for thieves and the best option would be to try and make arrangements to have a house on the school grounds--but that would involve $20,000US to build a place.
#1) It took us awhile to realize how serious the economic situation in the US had become. Three years ago I am sure that we would have had no problem raising the funds that we needed to work in agriculture. At this point we don't feel good about doing fundraising and starting a new venture when so many people are struggling financially. It seems wisest to stay put teaching, do what we can on the side, and let the Teacher Service Commission/Swazi Government continue it's support of our time here.
So our plans have been greatly modified. We decided to have another child since that is something we won't want to do in the middle of a big life transition and our chances to do that will run out soon (We just turned 42). Rudy is continuing to teach.
After many years of teaching, Rudy has become interested in a job with more defined tasks and accomplishments and one where his success isn't based on the actions of other people. This growing desire doesn't fit well with agricultural development. The ag work is definitely my dream--and while I think Rudy and I would work together extremely well in this kind of a program, I am coming to realize that for us to succeed we need a shared dream among community members, Rudy, myself, and funders. We are very far from this shared dream, and at this stage in my life I do not have the time available to devote to this project. So we are stepping back from moving into full-time agricultural development work. We don't anticipate changing our situation in the next couple of years. Long term, Rudy has developed an interest in ultrasound work and he will be exploring that interest to see if it would be a good option for us when the time comes for us to leave Swaziland.
We appreciate your interest in our lives here. We would appreciate prayers for clear direction--I like to have a sensible life plan.
The school has announced that it will not admit students with low exam scores into Form 1 for 2010. They will have to repeat part of primary school or find a different place to study. This should make the Form 1 classes smaller (Currently about 60 per class). In a previous year they didn't re-admit students who failed their Form 3 exam. The current group of Form 5's was a very good class and the school has high hopes for them. The administration wants Nsukumbili to be a more academically-oriented school. We will see what happens.
PROJECTED MAIZE (CORN) HARVEST
I (Rudy) am pretty slow on the draw. It has slowly dawned on me, as Ruth has known for most of her adult years, that subsistence farmers depend on their annual harvest for the coming year. Most of us (including the Poglitsh's here in SWD) simply go to the store to get our food; that is not quite as easy for most of our non-school neighbors. As a result, I have been paying closer attention to maize fields. Grace and I went on a big hike today, and I happily report that most fields around here look good. The corn crops are at different stages of development, but they pretty much all look good. Barring any horrendous hailstorms (we had one a few years ago), it appears that this will be a good maize year. I am convinced one of life's greatest gifts is a hard day's work (including sweat, ideally), followed by a bath, followed by a good meal, followed by an unbroken sleep. Dlangeni residents look to be in good position for this happy sequence.
NSUKUMHILLBILLY
Your eldest daughter says "Mom says marshmallows are just another kind of candy-so let's try roasting some of the Life Savers the grandparents sent us for Christmas!" You concede. Roasted Life Savers aren't that great, and beware of the hot and dripping bits that are right above the candle flame; they hurt on the skin!
Hillbilly
The water is out, but you want to clean the pan you baked tonight's chicken in. Solution? Put the pan in the backyard and let the neighborhood dogs lick it clean, and use soap and water the next day when the water returns.
Hillbilly
You are tired of the dirty walls, but you only have 10 liters of paint at your house to cover 20 liters worth of wall. Solution? Paint the bottom half of the dirtiest walls until the paint runs out. Everything looks nice except the hallway, but a line of children's artwork over the seam where the colors don't quite match takes care of that problem quite nicely.
Hillbilly
February 6, 2010
TREELINE
Almost every spring (around August/September here in the southern hemisphere) we experience strong winds from the west. In August 1996 we experienced one night of winds so strong they tore the roofs off some houses (visit http://poglitshphotos.blogspot.com for photos). Many of you contributed money to rebuild the damages buildings, and we appreciated it.
After that harrowing night, Ruth and I decided to do something: build a living windbreak. Using pits from avocados we had eaten or pits we found laying around (even in the gutters in town), we planted a line of trees on the western end of the teacher housing (from whence the winds come howling each spring). At the same photograph website mentioned above, you can see photos taken of the line of trees yesterday. For scale, Grace is about 4 feet tall. We may not be here long enough to see the trees get really big or even set fruit (though Ruth says it will be only about 5 years before the avocados appear), but it sure is satisfying to see the trees coming up.
BANANAS DO NOT GROW ON TREES
Technically (as I am led to believe), banana plants are not trees. I don't remember the reason, but you past ECHOites probably do.
Whether they are trees or not, three of our banana plants are setting bananas, and we recently harvested one bunch! The plants were gifts a few years ago from a student whom we put in touch with a scholarship fund. He won a scholarship and could finish his education, and the plants were a token of his appreciation. The short, fat bananas are delicious. In a few more months we'll be able to harvest at least one more bunch. We got to give his brother (who is in school) two bananas (one for him and one for his brother) as a thank-you for the thank-you. Unfortunately, the original gift-giving student is home sick with some chronic abdominal problem. If you would pray for him, he and we would appreciate it.
A TREE GROWS IN MSUNDUZA
Msunduza is a peri-urban area around Mbabane. Recently I got off a minibus in Msunduza after it had carried Cubby and I from the school into town. We came across a VERY large tree (once again, visit the poglitshphotos website for a photo) that I did not recognize. I wondered how I could miss such a very big tree, coming through this area as frequently as we do. Then I looked a little closer (do so yourself, before reading on): in fact, the "tree" is a cell phone tower disguised as a tree. My brother Chris lived in Johannesburg for a year or so and said these things dot the highways around Joburg; now we have one of our own. I think it's a good thing; if you're going to have a cell phone tower (and they sure are nice for reception), it's nice to have an arbor-esque themed one.
GYM TEACHER
The first sport of the school year is track and field (called "Athletics" here). Almost very student is reqired to participate. The school population (about 500) is divided into four teams, and after a few weeks of training the groups compete in an inter-school track meet. Then a smaller team is chosen and trained to represent the school against other schools.
As you may imagine, not every student in a school likes or is familiar with running. In the past, I have laced up my running shoes and hit the dirt road with the students, as an encouragement and for "sheperding" and for the exercise myself. For some reason, though, my left knee was so painful last Friday after a morning run that I hardly left the house Saturday or Sunday. I know running is out for now, but I wanted to help with the team. So I got my bike down and went with the students that way.
To keep the back of the group moving, I would pedal slowly behind them. If my presence didn't work, I would whistle like the herd boys do when they are driving cows or goats. That worked for a few, but not too many. So, I did the next thing herdboys do: pick up some small stones. If stragglers at the back of the group still weren't at least trying to trot, I would raise my stone and threaten to throw it. After lobbing a few stones a few feet behind the dragging feet of students without substantial effect, I reached for a stick (also a herd boy tool of the trade). THAT the students understood. I touched not one student with the stick, but an uplifted 30 inch tree branch is SiSwati for "Move it!" We all got back to the soccer field
in good time. We have 2 or 3 more days of practice; next Thursday is the big track meet. It's almost always a good time, except when the afternoon thunderstorms common this time of year threaten to drop lightning on our fun. Swazis seem oblivious to the dangers of lightning, though every year the paper carries stories of people dying from strikes. I regularly tell my science students about the dangers of lightning and what to do in case a storm is near.
MORE WRITING ABOUT RAIN AND BUILDINGS
This has been the wettest summer we can remember. If you have been receiving this newsletter for a while, you also know how annoying and inconvenient it is when the water stops coming out of our taps (and how much fun Mr. Mamba and I have fixing the problem).
We have a 100 liter (think 50 two-liter bottles) plastic barrel we had been placing beneath the eaves to catch runoff during rains. We wondered how much more water we could collect if we just had a short length of gutter. So the same Saturday (I think) that Cubby and I met the cell phone tower tree, we purchased 3 yards of raingutter and the brackets to install it. After the rest of our errands, we carried the gutter to the bus rank (station). The line for kombis straight to Nsukumbili was huge, and I knew a 9 foot plastic tray would not be appreciated or easy to manage in a crowd clambering for seats. So another kombi which gets within walking distance of Nsukumbili was nearby, and we went over to it. A bus rank officer protested that there was no way the gutter would fit in the kombi. But I saw no other way to get it home, so gently reassured him that it would even as I went about trying to shoehorn it in. Sometimes, I find it useful to simply proceed with one's project and deflect objections from authorities/onlookers as you proceed. Ask me about getting my into a shopping mall with my bike sometime, if you are interested. To my happy suprise the gutter did make it, though it touched the back window of the kombi and went so far forward it sat near the shoulder of the driver. Looking back on it, it reminds me of like those parrots which sit on the shoulder of the pirates in the old movies/cartoons.
We began our trip, and the weather was holding-for a while. By the time we were in Pine Valley, the clouds were spitting intermittent rain. By the time we reached our destination, we had thunder (as best as I could tell) coming from two directions. Though we had almost no groceries, I knew Cub and I couldn't reach the school before a storm hit. The kombi wasn't interested in taking the riders any further. So, Cubby and I began to walk, and I tried to act brave while Cubby started acting like we both felt: scared.
Swazis are very nice people though, and when we turned into the first available homestead, we were welcomed inside. We spent close to an hour talking with the Sihlongonyane family in their living room while the heavy rain and thunder crashed outside. After being treated to juice, bread, and peaches for the road (what did we do to deserve this treatment, when we were simply looking to save our skins?) we continued our walk. Cubby walked the last 2 or 3 miles almost all on her own, without complaining. I only picked her up once, when I wanted to hurry us along.
A couple days later we installed the gutter, and man-does the water come in quick in a rain! It's also nice because the gutter covers a little of the back step. This means you can stand on the back steps in a decent (but not torrential) rain and not get wet. I think that when the combination of no water in the pipes and water falling from the sky strikes again, everyone in the compound will be able to get the water they need for necessities if they just bring their container and wait a few minutes.
ORA PRO NOBIS
This is "pray for us" in Latin, I think. Our deputy headmaster (vice principal) lost her husband in December after a prolonged illness. If you could pray for her and her family, all would appreciate it.
CONDOM MADNESS AGAIN
The day I'm writing this (Friday, Feb. 5) I taught two classes before the 9:50AM break. In preparing for classes after break, I was told there would be no more classes today because a group from PSI was coming to give a presentation. PSI stands for Population Services International; they are addressing the AIDS crisis, in large part through promoting condoms with pretty explicit advertising (judging from billboards and ads stuck to the sides of public transport).
Today, PSI came promoting circumcision. This has been able to slow infection rates some. The backs of the T-shirts worn by the presenters read "Double Your Protection-circumcise and condomise". I am not against circumcision per se, but in this context the presumption must logically be that "they're just gonna do it anyway, so let's make sure they can do it 'safely'". After all, a man wouldn't need to be circumcised to avoid a sex disease if he were going to save sex for his wife, who had also saved sex for her husband.
Ruth and I pulled together some resources explaining the various failure rates of HIV-avoidance techniques and gave a copy to each of the four presenters. They received them graciously. I also got to talk to the students (all the male students in the school in one room) briefly, saying Ruth and I have never had to use any "protection" because we are both free of disease and we are faithful to each other. I ended with telling them if they just wait for sex until they are married, they will have no worries. The presenter smiled and nodded. That was encouraging.
OVERHEARD
The new (since 2007) headmaster has made staff cameraderie one of his goals. To reach this goal, teacher trips to various places (game parks, Maputo in Mozambique) have been encouraged, sometimes with contributions from the school's coffer. There was no trip last year, and so the cashbox is pretty full. During our first full staff meeting this year, a few teachers suggested a road trip. Mr. Lukhele, an English literature teacher who sits next to me in the office and who turns chicken, beef, and bratwurst on the barbeque with his bare hands (I have seen him do it on many occasionas), suggested putting the money into a barbeque (braai). With upwards of a thousand bucks in the penny jar, this would be a substantial amount of meat. His suggestion was gently chuckled off by the other teachers. I spoke to Lukhele later and said I agreed with him. He said "You see: why should I put money into petrol when I can put meat in my stomach?" Probably the money will be spent between the two options.
Almost every spring (around August/September here in the southern hemisphere) we experience strong winds from the west. In August 1996 we experienced one night of winds so strong they tore the roofs off some houses (visit http://poglitshphotos.blogspot.com for photos). Many of you contributed money to rebuild the damages buildings, and we appreciated it.
After that harrowing night, Ruth and I decided to do something: build a living windbreak. Using pits from avocados we had eaten or pits we found laying around (even in the gutters in town), we planted a line of trees on the western end of the teacher housing (from whence the winds come howling each spring). At the same photograph website mentioned above, you can see photos taken of the line of trees yesterday. For scale, Grace is about 4 feet tall. We may not be here long enough to see the trees get really big or even set fruit (though Ruth says it will be only about 5 years before the avocados appear), but it sure is satisfying to see the trees coming up.
BANANAS DO NOT GROW ON TREES
Technically (as I am led to believe), banana plants are not trees. I don't remember the reason, but you past ECHOites probably do.
Whether they are trees or not, three of our banana plants are setting bananas, and we recently harvested one bunch! The plants were gifts a few years ago from a student whom we put in touch with a scholarship fund. He won a scholarship and could finish his education, and the plants were a token of his appreciation. The short, fat bananas are delicious. In a few more months we'll be able to harvest at least one more bunch. We got to give his brother (who is in school) two bananas (one for him and one for his brother) as a thank-you for the thank-you. Unfortunately, the original gift-giving student is home sick with some chronic abdominal problem. If you would pray for him, he and we would appreciate it.
A TREE GROWS IN MSUNDUZA
Msunduza is a peri-urban area around Mbabane. Recently I got off a minibus in Msunduza after it had carried Cubby and I from the school into town. We came across a VERY large tree (once again, visit the poglitshphotos website for a photo) that I did not recognize. I wondered how I could miss such a very big tree, coming through this area as frequently as we do. Then I looked a little closer (do so yourself, before reading on): in fact, the "tree" is a cell phone tower disguised as a tree. My brother Chris lived in Johannesburg for a year or so and said these things dot the highways around Joburg; now we have one of our own. I think it's a good thing; if you're going to have a cell phone tower (and they sure are nice for reception), it's nice to have an arbor-esque themed one.
GYM TEACHER
The first sport of the school year is track and field (called "Athletics" here). Almost very student is reqired to participate. The school population (about 500) is divided into four teams, and after a few weeks of training the groups compete in an inter-school track meet. Then a smaller team is chosen and trained to represent the school against other schools.
As you may imagine, not every student in a school likes or is familiar with running. In the past, I have laced up my running shoes and hit the dirt road with the students, as an encouragement and for "sheperding" and for the exercise myself. For some reason, though, my left knee was so painful last Friday after a morning run that I hardly left the house Saturday or Sunday. I know running is out for now, but I wanted to help with the team. So I got my bike down and went with the students that way.
To keep the back of the group moving, I would pedal slowly behind them. If my presence didn't work, I would whistle like the herd boys do when they are driving cows or goats. That worked for a few, but not too many. So, I did the next thing herdboys do: pick up some small stones. If stragglers at the back of the group still weren't at least trying to trot, I would raise my stone and threaten to throw it. After lobbing a few stones a few feet behind the dragging feet of students without substantial effect, I reached for a stick (also a herd boy tool of the trade). THAT the students understood. I touched not one student with the stick, but an uplifted 30 inch tree branch is SiSwati for "Move it!" We all got back to the soccer field
in good time. We have 2 or 3 more days of practice; next Thursday is the big track meet. It's almost always a good time, except when the afternoon thunderstorms common this time of year threaten to drop lightning on our fun. Swazis seem oblivious to the dangers of lightning, though every year the paper carries stories of people dying from strikes. I regularly tell my science students about the dangers of lightning and what to do in case a storm is near.
MORE WRITING ABOUT RAIN AND BUILDINGS
This has been the wettest summer we can remember. If you have been receiving this newsletter for a while, you also know how annoying and inconvenient it is when the water stops coming out of our taps (and how much fun Mr. Mamba and I have fixing the problem).
We have a 100 liter (think 50 two-liter bottles) plastic barrel we had been placing beneath the eaves to catch runoff during rains. We wondered how much more water we could collect if we just had a short length of gutter. So the same Saturday (I think) that Cubby and I met the cell phone tower tree, we purchased 3 yards of raingutter and the brackets to install it. After the rest of our errands, we carried the gutter to the bus rank (station). The line for kombis straight to Nsukumbili was huge, and I knew a 9 foot plastic tray would not be appreciated or easy to manage in a crowd clambering for seats. So another kombi which gets within walking distance of Nsukumbili was nearby, and we went over to it. A bus rank officer protested that there was no way the gutter would fit in the kombi. But I saw no other way to get it home, so gently reassured him that it would even as I went about trying to shoehorn it in. Sometimes, I find it useful to simply proceed with one's project and deflect objections from authorities/onlookers as you proceed. Ask me about getting my into a shopping mall with my bike sometime, if you are interested. To my happy suprise the gutter did make it, though it touched the back window of the kombi and went so far forward it sat near the shoulder of the driver. Looking back on it, it reminds me of like those parrots which sit on the shoulder of the pirates in the old movies/cartoons.
We began our trip, and the weather was holding-for a while. By the time we were in Pine Valley, the clouds were spitting intermittent rain. By the time we reached our destination, we had thunder (as best as I could tell) coming from two directions. Though we had almost no groceries, I knew Cub and I couldn't reach the school before a storm hit. The kombi wasn't interested in taking the riders any further. So, Cubby and I began to walk, and I tried to act brave while Cubby started acting like we both felt: scared.
Swazis are very nice people though, and when we turned into the first available homestead, we were welcomed inside. We spent close to an hour talking with the Sihlongonyane family in their living room while the heavy rain and thunder crashed outside. After being treated to juice, bread, and peaches for the road (what did we do to deserve this treatment, when we were simply looking to save our skins?) we continued our walk. Cubby walked the last 2 or 3 miles almost all on her own, without complaining. I only picked her up once, when I wanted to hurry us along.
A couple days later we installed the gutter, and man-does the water come in quick in a rain! It's also nice because the gutter covers a little of the back step. This means you can stand on the back steps in a decent (but not torrential) rain and not get wet. I think that when the combination of no water in the pipes and water falling from the sky strikes again, everyone in the compound will be able to get the water they need for necessities if they just bring their container and wait a few minutes.
ORA PRO NOBIS
This is "pray for us" in Latin, I think. Our deputy headmaster (vice principal) lost her husband in December after a prolonged illness. If you could pray for her and her family, all would appreciate it.
CONDOM MADNESS AGAIN
The day I'm writing this (Friday, Feb. 5) I taught two classes before the 9:50AM break. In preparing for classes after break, I was told there would be no more classes today because a group from PSI was coming to give a presentation. PSI stands for Population Services International; they are addressing the AIDS crisis, in large part through promoting condoms with pretty explicit advertising (judging from billboards and ads stuck to the sides of public transport).
Today, PSI came promoting circumcision. This has been able to slow infection rates some. The backs of the T-shirts worn by the presenters read "Double Your Protection-circumcise and condomise". I am not against circumcision per se, but in this context the presumption must logically be that "they're just gonna do it anyway, so let's make sure they can do it 'safely'". After all, a man wouldn't need to be circumcised to avoid a sex disease if he were going to save sex for his wife, who had also saved sex for her husband.
Ruth and I pulled together some resources explaining the various failure rates of HIV-avoidance techniques and gave a copy to each of the four presenters. They received them graciously. I also got to talk to the students (all the male students in the school in one room) briefly, saying Ruth and I have never had to use any "protection" because we are both free of disease and we are faithful to each other. I ended with telling them if they just wait for sex until they are married, they will have no worries. The presenter smiled and nodded. That was encouraging.
OVERHEARD
The new (since 2007) headmaster has made staff cameraderie one of his goals. To reach this goal, teacher trips to various places (game parks, Maputo in Mozambique) have been encouraged, sometimes with contributions from the school's coffer. There was no trip last year, and so the cashbox is pretty full. During our first full staff meeting this year, a few teachers suggested a road trip. Mr. Lukhele, an English literature teacher who sits next to me in the office and who turns chicken, beef, and bratwurst on the barbeque with his bare hands (I have seen him do it on many occasionas), suggested putting the money into a barbeque (braai). With upwards of a thousand bucks in the penny jar, this would be a substantial amount of meat. His suggestion was gently chuckled off by the other teachers. I spoke to Lukhele later and said I agreed with him. He said "You see: why should I put money into petrol when I can put meat in my stomach?" Probably the money will be spent between the two options.
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