Back again on Saturday Dec 6, 2008

Hello again,
They have decided to keep the internet cafe open for us, so here I go again.
Our house is on the Deaf School campus, it sits on the side of a hill and we have a decent view of the coutry side and of Good Shepherd Hospital. The children at the school are incredibly sweet but want to come by and talk/sign and write with us. Their summer break starts next week so it will be much calmer where we are living. Food wise, we are surviving. Lots of pasta, eggs and grilled cheese. Fortunately there are a couple liquor stores in town so we are able to make a cocktail in the evening. And yes, they have Coca-Cola here made with realy sugar so it is most delicious and I do appreciate it.
It is considered very unsafe to be out after dark. So once the sun sets at around 6:15pm we are in for the night. There is no walking outside anywhere in town because it would not be safe so that has been a drag not being able to be out in the evening breeze. We have a fan that helps with the heat and mosquito netting to keep the bugs at bay. David's bedtime routine is quite complicated, imagine adding netting, the proper fan positioning, bug spray, security concerns to name a few to the already neurotic night time routine, most of you will understand. We have spent a fair amount of time reading and just rehashing the days events and falling deep asleep by 10ish. We have two bedrooms but only one bed so the locals are very concerned that David and I have to share a bed, (for some reason it has not been so concerning to David and I, we adapt rather quickly at times) the administrator at the hospital has promised another bed but who knows when it will arrive. The administrator at the Deaf School, Rose (who is very sweet and helpful) feels quite bad for us the we have to share a bed but not at all concerned with the lack of water. Yesterday she said the water may come back on tomorrow or the next day, in Siteki you never know. Thank God for Old Spice Deodorant, although the locals do not use any deodorant at all and boy can it be quite overwhelming on a hot day, which is most days.
Queen, thank you for organizing my going away book at work, it has been so wonderful to read and savor. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and wishes and prayers. Mary M., I have been using the rosary and I very much appreciate your parting with such an important object in your life, I do cherish it. The church we are going to is just incredible. What gorgeous voices the choir has. The mass lasts a good hour and a half, the church is nearly full, very hot with an occassional breeze blowing by and the service is completely in Siswati. Obviously we do not understand a word yet but it was very fulfilling spiritually to be present and sit quietly and peacefully at the mass. We are able to follow along after forty years of Catholic masses so we are not missing out. We are looking forward to tomorrows service.
Jim P. there are many here that would believe as Shirley's caregiver did about rocks. Girl, there are rocks in abundance here! Seriously, the soil is very rocky so growing crops is quite a challenge especially in the drought conditions here of the past several years. Most homesteads have a very small plot of land, say 10 x 20 feet or less, to grow some crops in although the soil of late is very dry and does not produce much.
The hospital looks as one would expect from movies that you have seen about Africa or other poor countries. The hospital has about 24o beds although they do not all seem to be full. Some wards are full while others have a few empty beds. On the weekends there are very few staff around and on my first visit the wards I was shocked and horrified at the preceived lack of patient care. Nothing happens quickly here, learning to be patient is going to be one of my big lessons here. The hospital has 9 doctors now, the most ever at the hospital to date. The only eye doctor in all of Swaziland is here at GSH and has given sight to many of the old men and women of Swaziland and is very well respected as are all of the doctors and nurses here. Most people think that David and I are doctors, there are several male nurse here and they are called Sisters, isn't that appropriate and a bit campy. The busiest part of the hospital is the Out Patient Department, by 7:30am there is a long line of over two hundred people to be seen, many more on Mondays and Fridays. They must pay 15 Emalengeni each to be seen which is equal to about 3 days wages, if admitted the costs just escalate and is very prohibitive to most of the population. Although in the midst of it all there are some private rooms at the hospital for those who are well off financially. The patients arrive by bus/coombie or in the back of a pickup truck. It is not unusual to see a mother bringing her cachetic child in their twenties or early thirties for their first visit to the hospital to find that they have acitve TB and AIDS with very few T-cells remaining. If the patient is well enough to go on ARV's then they must make the journey to the hospital at least two more times before they can get their meds (which are provided free of charge) to show that there is a chance that they may be compliant. Unfortunately, many cannot afford the bust fare to come back so basically go home to die. There has not been an outbreak of Malaria in this region in many years, I am still taking my doxycycline since I am making home visits in the Lowveld area where there is a higher risk and more ticks and chiggers looking for a place to lay their eggs or bite you.
I know that it sounds so dismal here but there is also alot of joy here. The people are incredibly friendly and they just open their hearts to you immediately. We have learned a few greeting in SiSwati and the locals really appreciate the effort. I, of course do not understand more than a word or two of their response but give a big smile and a hand shake. Amy, thanks for the information on how to shake hands and to show respect to the elders, it has been most helpful and very well received.
Please tell the others about my blog because internet access is so limited and I am unable to respond individually to emails at this time. Also, please do not email any attachments because it usually makes the computer 'freeze-up' and I loose what little time I have on the computer. It is best to respond to this blog, it is most accessible for me. All of the internet access we have is dialup and is very slow.
Last weekend we went on a drive around Swaziland and ended up in Ezeilwini Valley (not spelled correctly) where the royal family lives. We went to the Incwala celebration which gives thanks for the new crops and the King appears, eats a pumpkins and tells his people that they can eat the new crops to come. I have very mixed feelings about seeing the king but really enjoyed the ceremony. David and I both danced, barefooted and with sticks, it was something that you would see on the Discovery Channel where you would say 'look at the silly white boys trying to dance' with all of the warriors. They were all dressed in tradition garb, animal skins, feathers, shirtless etc, Daniel B. you would have been in heaven. The Incwala was really great to participate in and kind of spiritual I must say.
I am out of time. Sending lots of love to you all.
Peace,
Scott