Tag Archives: Culture

Two years in the Peace Corps in numbers

Posted on June 16, 2018 by elliewick

Today is my second anniversary of arriving in Swaziland. Now I live in a country called eSwatini. Like the name of this country, many other things have changed. Or been broken, disappeared, or accumulated. When I first started thinking about … Continue reading →

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Tips for attending Bushfire

Posted on May 13, 2018 by elliewick

In less than two weeks Swaziland’s famous music festival Bushfire will open its doors for a weekend of international music. Last year I wrote about some of Swaziland’s best places to visit in conjunction with attending the festival; now I … Continue reading →

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“You’re a Swazi now” and my role as an ambassador, otherwise known as life as a PCV

Posted on April 19, 2018 by elliewick

I am regularly surprised when I surprise siSwati and isiZulu speakers with what I think are my poor language skills. Speaking a few words of the local language has always been important to me. I have spent many hours learning … Continue reading →

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A traditional Swazi wedding, part two: Lobola

Posted on November 28, 2017 by elliewick

After the teka, the bride will return to her parents’ homestead. Her family will need to decide on the bride’s price, and then the whole family will travel back to the groom’s homestead for the sitsinjana, or lobola negotiation. In … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: Umtsimba dancing

Posted on November 15, 2017 by elliewick

A few months ago I participated in my first Swazi wedding. The bride had already been teka-ed and lobola was finally paid. The bride was my make’s elder sister, and I am guessing it had been 40 years since her … Continue reading →

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A traditional wedding, part one: The teka

Posted on November 14, 2017 by elliewick

Making the bride cry tears of sadness because she is leaving her home and becoming part of another family is an integral part to first large segment of a traditional wedding. The teka follows the kujuma (sleepover), where the bride … Continue reading →

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Embracing Swazi culture

Posted on November 12, 2017 by elliewick

In the two months that have passed since the end of Umhlanga, I have met so many astonished and proud Swazis and Zulus. People are still telling me that they saw me dancing and everyone is impressed. Some ask me … Continue reading →

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A few more photos from dancing Umhlanga

Posted on October 23, 2017 by elliewick

Because I have so many wonderful photos from PCV Kirby at http://www.whatiskirbydoing.com, I want to share a few more of the Umhlanga ceremony. If you want to read more about my experience, check out day six  (delivering the reeds) and … Continue reading →

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Day seven: Dancing time

Posted on October 19, 2017 by elliewick

The day of big dancing started off like every other day – with me unsure of what was going to happen. It turns out that Monday’s activities are a replica of Sunday’s, except that the reeds have already been delivered. … Continue reading →

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Delivering the reeds in photos

Posted on October 17, 2017 by elliewick

Delivering the reeds was everything I wanted and more. You can read about that day here. I finally got the 1500 photos from day six and day seven, so here are the best ones from delivering the reeds. Please note … Continue reading →

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