Tuesday thumps up

One and a half weeks in a totally opposite culture on the other side of the globe are now officially over. I am still alive and actually starting with small steps to settle to Swazi culture and to think in an African way. For instance already the concept  ‘’African time’’, which means half an hour or an hour late from the time agreed, is just the way it’s supposed to be. Life has a more relaxed rhythm.

I feel welcomed. Everyone call me as a sister as they call each other their siblings. Everyone are saying they hope I came to stay. One professor in the Uniswa said ‘’Welcome home’’ even if I told that I came only for one semester.

Most people do speak English very well because that’s the main language at school, but very often they speak mixed SiSwati and English when they speak with each other and therefore it is funny to capture word here and there. To start a conversation you don’t only greet the other person and say ‘’Sawubona’’ which means ‘’Hello’’, but you ask them always also ‘’Unzani?’’ which means ‘’How are you?’’. After winning their heart by these magic words, the language can be changed to English.

I think the conditions of my accommodation on a 8 person dormy style flat located on the second floor of the main building of the hospital are actually almost luxurious to what I expected. There are spring mattresses, warm running water, a real shower, washing machine, Western toilet seat, microwawe, free WIFI, fridge and freezer, tv with one channel, and cleaning ladies mopping floors every day and changing sheets once a week. Our hallway consists mainly of administrative offices and some conference rooms. There are guards guarding the entrances and walking around the corridors during days and nights, so it’s definitely safe. And included to the rent are breakfast, 10 o’clock tea, lunch and dinner. Food is mainly toast bread, eggs, maize porridge, rice and chicken, but sometimes different cabbage sallads, corn flakes, sausages and fish.

These first 2 weeks I will be sharing this apartment with 2 Physisian assistant students from University of Kentucky, 2 medical students from Kansas University and one American nurse, so it has been a very welcome surprise to have a bigger group to share the first experiences of Swaziland! We go out for dinners normally. The nearest place is Mall 5 minutes walk down the hill with fast food restaurants. I should start taking example from my roomie who gets up at 6 am every morning and goes for 45 mins run outside when the sun has just risen. Just as soon as I have recovered from the flu..