Welcome to the Kingdom of Swaziland!

The long weekend gave us the perfect opportunity to travel as it was five days long! Our librarian at school, Kenny, made a joke in the staff meeting that was he the only one who had heard that we were breaking up at twelve instead of half two and the Principal laughed and then said, “why not?” Everyone was so happy as we were all so tired and it would be a great start to our little break. Patrick came up to Ingwavuma on the Thursday night and Katie went down to Manguzi with Johno. After a funny evening of skyping with various friends and family, Patrick and I got up around six on the Friday morning to set off early...

It was the first time since I arrived here that I used my huge rucksack, although it was not quite as full! Unfortunately, neither of us had had our driving license a year (for me it was a couple of days before!) so we were unable to hire a car to get to and around Swaziland. So it was taxi's all the way! That day was long, hot and sometimes uncomfortable and we found our way over the Swazi border and were surprised when they did not charge us for a visa but just a stamp in the passport. We waited ages at this desolate border post for a taxi to come along and when one finally did, about twenty people crammed into it. We had to wait for the engine to cool down first so a local was showing us the Emalangeni- the currency which has wavy cent coins which I thought were really unusual. They are equal to the rand and we could use SA rand in the country, but not the other way round. After a few more taxi journeys, and someone declaring that I was to be their wife, we got into into the touristy town of Elzulwini in the early evening. We walked to our backpackers which was annoyingly at the top of a hill. It was pretty dead there so we soon went out again to this pub girll place for dinner where loads of tourists, or maybe they were locals, had come out for the night. We didn't feel like we were in Africa and it wasn't what we had expected Swaziland to be like but it was a good night.

The next morning we walked to the craft markets which were just down the road from where we were staying and this time I actually didn't buy anything. We then walked on to an art gallery and then to the cultural village. At the village we were just in time for the traditional dance which involved about twenty women and ten men all dressed in traditional costumes with furs around their legs and colourful cloths. Their singing was amazing and the dancing even better, with the women kicking their legs up with their feet by their noses! It was so full of energy and they even made some of us join in! I liked dancing with the lady I was with because she was so funny even though it was embarrassing for me! At least I can say I took part in something like that! Afterwards we had a short tour of the village- where the chief lived, his wives, the children and the other men. The men had separate cooking areas and a smoking areas where sometimes they smoke 'special' cigarettes, no guesses what that might be! It was quite strange to be doing such a tourist thing like that after all this time of living here! We caught a lift with a family from Jo'burg up to the waterfall where everyone was advised to go next. The place was full of city people taking a short break in the countryside for the long weekend. Patrick went over to the waterfall and swam beneath it whilst I played with Nondo, the little boy who liked to follow me around taking photo's. Later that afternoon after seeing a huge monitor lizard on our way out of the village, we got back into town and got a private taxi- the only way for us to get around and also very expensive!- to a place called 'The House on Fire' which houses live music events and other functions. We didn't expect anything to be happening there but were just interested to look around as we had heard it was decorated beautifully and traditionally. Unfortunately, when we got there we were quickly ushered out as they were about to host a wedding but it was a stunning venue, I was quite jealous of whoever was about to get married there! We went back into town after a nice Canadian lady offered to give us a lift as she was going that way. We managed to change the place we were staying to a more lively backpackers called Lidwala Lodge. There we were placed in a 'Safari tent' which was basically an oversized tent with a south african couple who were very nice. We went out in the evening for Chinese and then to the Hot Springs which was a new experience for me! It was getting dark and not cold with clothes on but wearing my bikini it was a bit chilly so when I got into the warm water it was like heaven! We stayed there for a couple of hours and I joined in with a group of very hyperactive Swazi girls who were doing congas, and singing and playing games. They saw me get my camera out when we were about to leave and shouted “SHOOT US!” something I had forgotten means 'take my picture!' and not something else!

The next morning can only be described as hectic! We had to find our way to the other side of Swaziland to the Hlane Game Park. After getting a taxi along the road, I remembered after about ten minutes that I had left my coat at the backpackers so we had to go all the way back. We then went into town and did our food shopping after a nice couple gave us a lift there. We then caught another taxi to Manzini and then from there we were advised to get a private taxi to some hotel where we would be able to get a bus to the park. We did this and found ourselves on a road side where hundreds of people were gathered waiting for something. We wondered why we had left the taxi rank and ended up here and asked the group of police there for help. They told us that there had been a bus strike the day before and this is where the people would usually wait for them so taxi's had been filling in. no taxi would take us to where we wanted so we waited for what seemed like forever and it was too hot! Finally, a public bus came along who was not on strike and we piled onto that hoping it would take us to where we wanted. I think the whole of Swaziland was on that bus! We were lucky to find a seat, with our huge bags on top of us and people down the aisle. Even chickens were travelling on that bus! It took a while but we were finally dropped off at the entrance to the park, not knowing how long the road was into the park. To our luck, a family in a 4x4 came past and a lovely Afrikaans man offered to help us despite having a car full of children and toys. They seemed horrified that we had just used public transport and exclaimed “with all those blacks?” (yes, there is still racism here) He gave us a lift in and dropped us at the camp site where we would be staying. There were loads of people staying there so we picked a spot at the back and set up our tent quickly. With it being so hot, I fell asleep in the tent for a while before Patrick ran in to tell me he had seen a rhino. I walked down to the water hole with him and I saw my first African rhino scratching himself in the bushes. We watched it for a while over the tiny electric fence and then it suddenly came right up to Patrick, it must have been only a few metres from him. I backed away but Patrick was unsure as to what to do but luckily a ranger was nearby who told him to move slowly back. That evening we saw two more rhino come right up to the fence and look at everybody there for ages as if they had been told to do it! I got majorly attacked by mosquitoes on my legs as the sun was setting which was not pleasant for days afterwards! We braaied next to a family from Jo'burg who also thought we were crazy for catching public transport around the country and only being eighteen. Never mind, I don't mind being called crazy if I'm having the best time! Patrick made friends with the family who were staying next to us as they invited him over to see the elephants that were behind the camp site. Unfortunately, I had no idea where Patrick had disappeared to so I missed them but I met Richard and his son Storm and we had a good chat about South Africa and places we had been to and the wildlife. They were driving back to their home in Durban on the Tuesday morning so we were very happy when he offered to give us a lift back as we would be on the way. I think they felt a bit sorry for us at the start as we had arrived with no car (you definitely need a car in this country!!) and just our bags! That night was uncomfortable on the extremely hard ground but so fun as we could hear the lions roaring and mubling, the impala who were in the rutting season making funny noises, the hippo's laughing and the elephants trampling around. At one point we both woke up and it sounded as if a warthog ran straight past our tent- I couldn't help but laugh it was so funny!

The rest of our time at the park was sat down by the water hole by ourselves or with our friends from next door who were all lovely. We watched as a crocodile was confronted by a very large hippo, the hippos walking over in the morning to settle in the water for the day, an elephant come to wash himself and a family of warthog! We went on a sunset game drive at three which was really fun! We saw our first lions- a male and two female who were very happy to pose for photo's, a group of three female rhino's, a lone bull elephant who looked amazing walking through the open plain everywhere we drove and we got so close! He kept edging towards the car as he was grazing and at one point I could have easily stood up from my seat and touched him! That night, our friends invited us to join them around their fire and we had a lovely chat then found a herd of elephants behind the camp with our torches. They look so magical in the dark, and I felt bad for shining the light at them in their peace but I thought I would probably never have an experience like this for a long time, if not ever again! That second night was not so noisy on the animal side, or maybe I was just so tired I slept through any noise. In the morning we were welcomed by about six rhino's lazing about by the water front and then we helped Richard, Freda, Storm and the rest of the family pack up their things and by half past one we were ready to go! It didn't take long to get to the border which was actually really near to Ingwavuma and they dropped us at the junction where they were going right to Mkuze and we were going left to Jozini. We found a taxi that was about to leave so we quickly said our goodbyes to Richard and Freda, thanking them for how kind they had been the whole time and that we would maybe see them at the rugby in Durban at the end of the month. We caught a taxi to Jozini which was going to Bhambanana and then to Ingwavuma where Patrick stayed again at ours before leaving in the morning. A truly fun weekend! 

So, I guess I should also include on this post what has been happening since the long weekend, but to tell you the truth, not a lot! Even though last week was only three days, I felt completely shattered from our time away and also a little under the weather. For some reason I was even feeling a bit homesick and just fed up of living where we do. I was desperate to have a shower, not just a sort-of bath in a washing up bowl, I wanted water to come out of the taps and not get water from the tank and also my own bed at home, not this one which is very uncomfortable! I decided to stay here for the weekend to catch up and Katie went down to Manguzi to stay with Johno. Patrick was away with his school so I just had Minky next door for company. On Saturday I was quite happy to be on my own but cleaning the kitchen and doing piles and piles of hand washing was boring. I still wasn't feeling great and after coming back from Minky's in the evening I felt very sick. I tried to sleep for four hours but the feeling kept getting worse and I threw up quite a bit but I won't go into details! Minky and Abel from next door came round to look after me and when I was sure I was not going to be sick any more I went to stay with Minky in her big double bed, which was really lovely of her to offer. In the morning I thought I was feeling better so I went to the hospital church as I had promised I would go and watch some of my student's sing, as due to poor timing I missed it a few weeks ago when I was here! One of my nine B girls, Snethemba, was over the moon that I had come and I saw that about eight of my students from grade eight and nine were there in the choir. I was greeted by other students from the school and a lady offered to interpret the Zulu for me and she was so lovely. It was not as scary as the church we went to the first weekend and it as mostly three hours of singing and dancing, which was so good to observe and as usual, the singing was beautiful. However, I realised that I was still not OK. I walked back, phoned home and then decided to eat some yoghurt which I regretted all day as I stayed at Minky's feeling sick and very tired but being unable to sleep. She did school work and I sat on her bed, drifting in and out of sleep watching whatever films they were showing on TV and the day just sort of passed. Katie was unable to come back until the morning and I still wasn't able to eat in the morning so the principal took me to his doctors who gave me lots of medicine and in the last four days I have finally started to feel better and myself again! I still don't know what caused it but I think it might have been some dodgy tank water as we have been having trouble with the tanks here that haven't been cleaned so even if the water is boiled, we can't drink it. Never mind, hopefully it will be the only time I'm ill here. This week I have been feeling quite down though but I'm not sure why, I think it's the mid term blues which I had before. I wish they had half terms here! My classes are doing well, if not becoming quite lazy but they are making me laugh all the time and I'm finding it quite hard to keep a straight face when I'm supposed to be annoyed at them! I am still enjoying teaching Social Science although it is stressing me out a little bit as Mr Raf told me I need to finish Apartheid by the end of May- better start doing more writing on the board and less talking! Today we finished the French Revolution with the grade eight's who did a test. The best thing about covering Mr Raf's subject is that he comes in at the start of each lesson to make them aware of his presence so they don't misbehave with me. I marked half of their tests today and most of them are passing which makes me really happy! Unfortunately, those who don't get over fifteen out of twenty five will be dealt with not by me but by Mr R and I won't say any more! Next week we are going to start the Industrial Revolution and I've got some good ideas of how to teach it from when I learnt it at school. I used to get very annoyed with the grade eights but now I am really fond of them and after feeling really low this morning, they really cheered me up after spending the afternoon with them. We had a staff meal at one today for the lady in the office, Beulah, who left at the start of this term to pursue another career at a nearby lodge. She has been at the school for about eleven years so was loved by everyone and I know I was really sad when she said she was going. Mr Magagula, the Principal and Beulah all gave speeches and then we ate chicken and pap which I didn't really feel like but it was a nice social occasion. 

Not much is happening this weekend either: I am staying here tonight and then going down to Manguzi tomorrow to help paint Johno's new flat and maybe go camping for the night with Patrick and Jacques. Next week is much more exciting as I am turning nineteen on Wednesday! I don't think much will be happening on my actual birthday but I am looking forward to it anyway and especially Friday as we will be travelling to Mozambique for the weekend to celebrate! We are going to Ponta D'ouro, just the other side of the South African border which is in Kosi Bay, so it won't take us long to get there. We are staying at a resort and I believe the area is made for tourists and holiday makers and we are going swimming with dolphins! I'm sure there will also be consuming of the local drink Rum N Raspberry! I can't wait to get away again and it is exciting to finally be going to Mozambique as it is so close to us and it's the fourth African country I can add to my list after SA, Lesotho and Swaziland! (I don't care how tiny the second and third are!) If anything, I can't believe that it has been a year since I was turning eighteen and having my party, passing my driving test and leaving school. I have had the best year being eighteen, I don't think I would have changed anything about the past year at all. I wonder what being nineteen will bring besides starting university? Nothing as amazing as the experience I have had out here! It is only six weeks left for us at Nansindlela and I am starting to feel very sad about it. Time has gone so quick and continues to do so that before I know it I will on the plane and back in England. In some ways I am looking forward to coming home, but mostly I would love to stay and know I will come back! Anyway, enough of thinking about all that and time to mark the rest of my grade eight tests! Love to everyone back at home xxx 

Quotes from the weekend, for Patrick:

"My name is Mswati, and I'm not like those South African dogs"

"SARABI?!...She's not here"

"Thanks for the apple crumble"- warthog outside our tent.

"HOWWW??"

"What if one of those elephants just came over here, picked me up with it's trunk and carried me off into the bushes. What would you do?"- Patrick

"Whyyy don't the poachers just go up to the rhino and cut the horn off and not kill it?"- annoying American's sat next to us on the game drive.