Category Archives: Swaziland

Sometimes things do not work out as planned

Posted on December 15, 2019 by elliewick

It has been 30 days since I left eSwatini. I am sure you have a million questions, and I do, too. Simply, Peace Corps ended my service because of a security incident. It took me this long to tell you … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, eSwatini, Life, Peace Corps, Swaziland | 5 Comments

Wednesday photo: Art

Posted on October 30, 2019 by elliewick

I saw some excellent art of Swati imvunulo, or traditional clothing, at MTN, the cell phone provider. I was happy to see that all my money spent on their products over the years was at least spent on some beautiful … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: My view

Posted on October 16, 2019 by elliewick

My new apartment complex has a nice sunset view. My apartment has no view, so I’m happy there is some common space to spread out. I have been trying on the weekends to spend time outside, especially the sunset.

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Wednesday photo: Jacaranda tree

Posted on October 2, 2019 by elliewick

I’m not sure which season in eSwatini is my favorite, but I do love the spring flowers. The jacarandas bloomed this month and I love looking at these flowers. Sadly, this tree is considered a pest here and it is … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: Frank’s Red Hot

Posted on September 11, 2019 by elliewick

While in Ohio, I have been shopping for food to take with me back to eSwatini. I also had to shop for additional kitchen storage space to hold all this food, but that’s a different story. I miss all kinds … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: Umhlanga

Posted on September 4, 2019 by elliewick

This year’s Umhlanga ceremony was held over the previous week, with the main day of dancing on Monday. The king showed up early, so the emakhosatana, or princesses, were able to start the parade around 2:30 p.m., rather than the … Continue reading →

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Make waSitfwatfwa

Posted on September 4, 2019 by elliewick

It is common practice for other people to call mothers: mother of child’s name. For instance, if your eldest child is named Wenzo, you would be called make waWenzo. For at least two years, one of the language instructors for … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: Bananas

Posted on August 21, 2019 by elliewick

My neighbor and I realized late into our stay at our apartment complex that the plentiful fruit growing here was ours for the taking. There’s avocado, banana, guava, orange, lemon, and mango trees. We did a bit of research to … Continue reading →

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How to survive winter in eSwatini

Posted on August 8, 2019 by elliewick

There always seems to be disbelief and confusion about how cold it gets here, especially in the mountains of Hhohho, including where I currently live in Mbabane. I admit to not knowing how serious winter is here when I was … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: A goose

Posted on August 7, 2019 by elliewick

My apartment complex has a menagerie of animals, including a pair of geese. These usually stay in the upper yard, seldom visiting me in the lower yard. They aren’t too noisy but when they do visit, they love to hiss … Continue reading →

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