http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Swaziland en-us Mon, 09 Nov 09 09:44:28 +0000 Mon, 09 Nov 09 09:44:28 +0000 Monkeys. They look cute from a distance but up close they are a tad terrifying. Perhaps that is only because of my phobia of diseases that largely originate from or are transferred by monkeys. It is not likely that someone with smallpox or Ebloa will come up and bite you for shits and giggles. Monkeys on the other hand... they seem to live for both shits and giggles. The monkeys I saw today on m http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/blog-433286.html Okay so. Egypt. I am so incredibly psyched for the trip and in the meanwhile making the best of the time I have left here. Traveling around via khombi studying Arabic reading my psychology books and getting some writing done.I'm also dealing with various issues that need to be dealt with. My mind hasn't been in the right place for quite a few months. This trip was probably to some degree me http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-433205.html I've had to admit the unthinkable to myself. It turns out I actually donrsquot like it here. I'm not sure if it is just Swaziland that I dislike or working at the Ministry of Education. It isnrsquot the actual work that I dislike I plan to continue working with Fundza even once I am no longer going into the office. I'll know whether it is culture shock if I end up working the Cabrini Mission http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-430392.html So... things. Things have been... strange. Despite how conflicted I usually seem when there is a situation that requires me to make a choice I usually know what I am going to do on some deeper level. I've spent the past few days thinking some pretty crazy things. Last night I was planning a route from Swaziland to Egypt flying over Sudan of course. I've decided since then that I might forgo t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-429873.html I sincerely hope that things go well today for Da'. He deserves a break after the past few years of all this shit. I know that is not how it works but I can hope. It's about 1500 here which means it is about 9am in NYthis is one of those moments I wish I was not so far away. Or at least somewhere on the same continent. Everyone who isn't already doing this please keep my dad in your though http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-428114.html Now in dualpost on blogger.com Wow okay more excitement than strictly necessary. Fundza has become enjoyable I wrote up a grant today and now I need to find someone or a plural amount of someone to fund a debate competition. Friday will be devoted to getting those sent out and starting on the next focused grant. It's the second day I've worked with them and today's problem was someone no http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-427876.html African masks are fairly intriguing. As far as I know they are usually for use in ritual ceremonies and represent spirits of both humans and animals good and evil deities mythological beings etc. Many of them look amazingexcept when you are alone in a house at night for long stretches of time. I am not an afraid of the dark sort of person. But if S.'s house didn't have such a comforting http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-427100.html I start with Fundza on Monday I have begun working on a website for them and I am optimistic about being able to do some good through this program. The only problem is that aid and grant funding is so short these days. But one of Fundza's main goals is to help stem the spread of HIVAIDs through education so perhaps that will encourage some donors to contribute money. My coworkerboss Nonkulul http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-426114.html On line at the grocery store...Hey mama how are you Gentleman in line behind me at the grocery storeFabulous taking out my license and credit card to pay for groceriesOh you are from the U.S. Gentleman grabs my license to look at.Yep. silence as I pay for groceriesWhat does this mean points to the organ donor symbolIf I die a horrible death they get to use my http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Ezulwini-Valley/blog-424940.html 73009 still more to comeIt's winter yet somehow there are still bugs around that like to divebomb my eyeballs. Is there something attractive to insects about my pupils Perhaps there is something written there in Insectese that says Oh hello there it'd be rather nice if you bludgeoned this spot right here... The weather is getting a bit warmer which might explain the whole bug thing. Th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-423829.html I now have a mailing address More details available through messaging me on facebook. Don't want to put the address up here. Why Well here's something interesting that once again reminded me what a small place even the internet is...S. comes home from work a day or so ago and asks Hey do you have a blogUm... yeah. Why I assumed she stumbled upon it in the history on her computer.Well http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-423050.html 72609My lizard friends were not out this morning but perhaps like the rest of the country they are at church. The country is very religious by all accounts but I have not yet learned to what degree they are superstitious. As you would expect many of the shops in town were closed today except for a couple of the grocery stores and random other stores. The security guard was perplexed that I http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-422364.html As promised nothing terribly interesting but I'm getting used to the place a bit. The walk into town is already getting easier today was my 3rd trip. It's mainly the walk back up that presents the problem. Yesterday I went off in search of peanut butter which I found in the brand Yum Yum and today I went in search of a phone card and oranges. My siSwati is improving a bit though I won't be http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-421787.html 230709 Took a walk into Mbabane today Sarah has three other guest with her at the house Dale and a couple Suzanne and Wade. They are all very amiable and have all done a good deal of traveling. Dale who I walked into town with is an older gentleman and used to be in the Air Force and Foreign Service. The walk was wonderful but steep. On the way down we walked on worn dirt paths walkin http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mbabane/blog-421459.html Jenna ja mina lahdimme varhain lauantai aamuna Mayallan kanssa Mwanzasta ajamaan kohti Serengetia. Serengeti on 135 kilometrin paassa Mwanzasta ja sinne on suora tie. Meilla ei ollut etukateen varattuna majapaikkaa joten ajoimme majoituspaikkaan nimelta Kijereshi joka on on 18 km paassa Nyabakatan paaportista. Halusimme kayda Kijereshissa koska muutama tuttu Mwanzasta suunnitteli telttaillua si http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/blog-414384.html Time for a bit of an adventure out of South Africa again the kingdom of Swaziland. Dean and Jill was heading that direction too so we decided to go all four of us. Stupidly enough we decided to walk to the minibus station with our backpacks... It's not insanely far away but it was heavy Got there anyway and found the bus we wanted. They don't have any departure times for the minibuses they http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Ezulwini-Valley/blog-405219.html Some trip decisions bite you even when using common sense. Looking at a recent map we could enter Swaziland from the north and drive 30 K on a gravel road or use RSA hard roads to enter from the west and have a much shorter drive to Pigg's Peak then proceed to the next gate south and depart. We chose the latter. Our map lied as the road was under construction to BE paved. It climbed i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Piggs-Peak/Maguga-Dam/blog-404889.html Stayed on the sanctuary and spent the days hiking and horseback riding. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mlilwane-Wildlife-Sanctuary/blog-399772.html Hello allApparently my last blog didn't email subscribers for some reason But you should read about my neardeath experiences below they're pretty funnyThis actually is gonna be a quick one coz I'm in an internet cafe and have only paid for an hour and still have some facebook action to catch up on PFUNNYINTERESTING THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED THIS WEEK IN INGWAVUMAThere is a dog in one http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Manzini/blog-387569.html Nach der Safari ging es sofort weiter nach Swaziland.Dort wohnten wir mitten im Nationalpark. An unserem ersten Tag haben wir eine 4 stuendige Trekkingsafari unternommen. Puuhhh Dafuer haben wir ein riesiges Krokodil gesehen und ein paar Aeffchen und Zebras und und und...Obwohl gar keine Sonne da war und wir uns meistens durch den dichten Dschungel schlagen mussten haben wir beide etwas Sonnen http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Swaziland/Mlilwane-Wildlife-Sanctuary/blog-377328.html