That's what i like about Sundays
This weekend Celimphilo and her brother Andile came to their grandmother’s (my host mother) house to visit. Cel is 9, and Andile is 7. We played Crazy 8’s and watched a bootleg version of “Mr. Bean”. Mr. Bean is ok, but not that funny. He’s like a poor man’s Monty Python. The next morning we were supposed to go to a neighbor’s funeral just before dawn, but Musa and Colisile overslept so I just did my wash, cleaned a bit and read.
After everyone came home from church in the afternoon, Coli cooked us a delicious lunch of pap with beef and carrots in gravy. Then I walked the two kids home to their mother’s, about 3k away. It should have taken around 45 minutes at normal walking speed, but it took twice that. As kids will, they stopped to play, rest, look at a bug, climb through a drainage pipe, eat a peach (from the bag that we were supposed to give to their mother), jump rope, etc.
Celimphilo is hilarious. She picked up a small tree that was twice as tall as she was. She carried the portable shade with her for some time while singing the Umbrella song by Rihanna (not sure where she heard that).
When we passed by the shop, they told me to wait outside with the bags while they went inside. Cel bought chips, while Andile bought bubbles. He also gave me two candies as a thank you for walking them back. In addition, Cel gave me two more peaches. I was surprised and touched by their thoughtfulness. Then, 800m and a few more road games later, she asked for one of the candies. I cracked up at this and gave one each to them.
I enjoyed that weekend, especially since I’ve only been home about half of this month due to Programming in Mbabane. UNICEF just came on board for the walk, which we’re excited about. They also agreed to my proposal for an HIV and AIDS educational calendar. We are in town this week to discuss the future of the Peace Corps Swaziland program with a lady from Washington DC headquarters. Ugh, a full day of conference. At least it’s catered, and at least I’ve got leave days in Durban this weekend.
After everyone came home from church in the afternoon, Coli cooked us a delicious lunch of pap with beef and carrots in gravy. Then I walked the two kids home to their mother’s, about 3k away. It should have taken around 45 minutes at normal walking speed, but it took twice that. As kids will, they stopped to play, rest, look at a bug, climb through a drainage pipe, eat a peach (from the bag that we were supposed to give to their mother), jump rope, etc.
Celimphilo is hilarious. She picked up a small tree that was twice as tall as she was. She carried the portable shade with her for some time while singing the Umbrella song by Rihanna (not sure where she heard that).
When we passed by the shop, they told me to wait outside with the bags while they went inside. Cel bought chips, while Andile bought bubbles. He also gave me two candies as a thank you for walking them back. In addition, Cel gave me two more peaches. I was surprised and touched by their thoughtfulness. Then, 800m and a few more road games later, she asked for one of the candies. I cracked up at this and gave one each to them.
I enjoyed that weekend, especially since I’ve only been home about half of this month due to Programming in Mbabane. UNICEF just came on board for the walk, which we’re excited about. They also agreed to my proposal for an HIV and AIDS educational calendar. We are in town this week to discuss the future of the Peace Corps Swaziland program with a lady from Washington DC headquarters. Ugh, a full day of conference. At least it’s catered, and at least I’ve got leave days in Durban this weekend.
posted by Mark at 6:17 AM
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