Another week and another visitor came to kaHloniphile (my house). My friend Sam spent Sunday night here to have an easy trek the following day to GLOW camp. This was my week at camp to do M+E. I wasn’t totally sold at the idea of spending a week with 50 screaming children, but the GLOW girls 100 percent won me over. All those young ladies were so willing to love unconditionally all of the PCVs there and showed such strength throughout the week, that it was impossible to not be moved. I was also given a nickname for the first time in many, many years that I am happy to go by: Gwalagwala. Ligwalagwala is the red feather worn by members of the royal family and the first word to my favorite siSwati song.

I am also extremely grateful for my siSwati tutor. All Swaziland PCVs are allowed and sometimes required to have siSwati tutoring. I have happily met with my tutor 10 hours every month since moving to site. Recently we have focused my lessons on preparing for the siSwati exam all G14ers will take on Tuesday. I am ready to impress my tester with my siSwati song knowledge, and if I have to have a conversation, rather than just sing songs, I am ready for that too.

The test will happen during the G14 Close of Service conference that takes place next week. The presenters are promising the sessions will be useful for extenders, too, so I hope it is a beneficial week. Even if it isn’t, it still is a week of showers, food I don’t have to cook, and dishes I don’t have to wash. It is also the last time my cohort is guaranteed to be together before PCVs start leaving Swaziland in two-and-a-half months.

In other news, my hand, specifically my left ring finger, is still not back to normal. I will meet with the PCMO this next week to have it checked again.

Baking for the week

• Brownies with Sam

Media for the week

• Kung Fu Panda 3 with my bhuti.
• Queen of Katwe with the girls at GLOW camp.
• I finished the collection of Rumi poems I’ve been reading.
• At GLOW camp, we listened to Bhizer’s “Gobisiqolo” on repeat for days. I’m impressed this song is still loved more than a year after it became popular in Swaziland. You may recognize it from Black Panther (which you should see if you haven’t!). You can listen to it here.