About My Site

Now that I am at my permanent site, I can share some details.  I am in the village of Khuphuka, which is located in the Manzini region just south of the Mnjoli Dam, and I will be working at Khuphuka High School.  It’s in the mid/low veld, so it will be very hot, although there are hotter areas.  Khuphuka is close to Hlane Nature Preserve, which is the only one in the country that has lions, so that’s exciting.  Hlane also has leopard, cheetah, elephant, hippo, and much more.  I look forward to seeing more of the country, and have already enjoyed being able to settle into my permanent site a little more.  I’m in the process of having some furniture built by a local carpenter, a set of shelves and a cupboard for food/pots/dishes, and where I will do my cooking.  While I’ve settled in a bit, putting up maps, posters, flags, pictures, etc, I’m still living out of a suitcase, so it will be nice to get some shelves to put clothes on.  The last item will be to get a table, and then I’ll be all set.  That’s a little more expensive to have built, so I’ll probably get a smaller fold-up one in town. 

My hut is a rondavel right in the center of the homestead.  It’s a pretty lively place, with lots of people around.  My family is a babe and make (father and mother), with their nine children, including several adults who work elsewhere most of the time.  The youngest of their children is about 3, but then one of the older sisis (sisters) has a baby, and one of the older bhutis (brothers) has a wife and baby on the homestead as well.  There are a couple high school age kids too.  The parents do not speak much English, so I’ll have to work harder on my siSwati.  The younger generation speaks better English, but they all communicate in siSwati, of course.  One of the bhuti’s, who’s in From 2 (grade 9), has been helping me out a lot by showing me around and translating a little bit.  He’s my main point of contact for the family, as the rest of them are hesitant to speak English or just seem afraid of me.  It’ll take time to feel at home with them, but I’ve got two years and I’m sure it’ll happen.  I was surprised when I got to my site and there was electricity, as I was told I would have none.  That’s a bonus, although I didn’t mind living without it before.  I’d trade electricity for a decent bathroom/sink in a heartbeat.  I’m not sure I’ll ever really get used to living without running water.  On the homestead are dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl (I think), goats and sheep.  The family also has a herd of cattle, but they have been grazing somewhere else since I’ve been here.  I think there’s a gecko in my hut as well, which is great since they eat up the bugs.