I am most grateful for being paid this past week, which enabled me to leave my house and buy groceries. I also had a wonderful FaceTime conversation with a friend from home that conveniently finished that month’s data on its day of expiration.
I have started thinking about how I will use the vacation days I will earn as an extender. The four of us who vacationed in Mauritius last year are all extending, so we are considering another island trip. I’ve checked flights to Mauritius, Madagascar, Iceland, Cape Verde, Comoros, Malta, Socotra, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Fiji, and Bali. Nothing is as cheap as we would like, so no decision has yet been made.
Unfortunately my shower streak broke today, as I succumbed to an at-home hair washing.
This week had a few stressful moments and disappointments, so I’m planning to go to Hlane next to add some excitement into my life and replace the loud music with the roar of the lions.
The other interesting tidbit of the week is that the king turned 50, and Swaziland will also turn 50 this year. The king also decided to change this country’s name to eSwatini, which is the siSwati version of Swaziland. Cote d’Ivoire and Czechia have done this in recent years, but there was still a big uproar.
Baking for the week
- I made half a batch of chocolate chip cookies because that was all the flour I had.
Media consumption for the week
- I finished Nine African Tales.
- I read 101 Kruger Tales: Extraordinary Stories from Ordinary Visitors to the Kruger National Park complied by Jeff Gordon. Some of the stories were truly incredible, from once-in-a-lifetime sightings to many animals seeking a human meal to lions opening car doors and someone pulling the tail of a baboon. Some stories are actually quite scary, so I would only recommend this after visiting.
- I’m still reading Alexander Hamilton.
- I started Kuki Gallman’s collection of short stories called African Nights.
- My bhuti and I watched Back to the Future, and I watched The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Mrs. Doubtfire and finished The Handmaid’s Tale.
travelin' the globe 
Wow, you’re extending? Also, do you live with a host family but cook for yourself?
Yes to both! Adults in Swaziland may still live on their parents’ homestead but in a separate house. So we all live in our own houses. There’s usually 10 people home where I live. But I get to move to town for my extension! Yes to a real stove and running water in my house!