On Tuesday I said my goodbyes to Tent #8 and was on my way to Cottage #1. Seven weeks later, and I am FINALLY moving out.
When I was interviewing for the position, Christy said not to worry about finding a new home... she had been in Swaziland for a mere 4 nights when she made her transition from the Lodge to her permanent home... she had been shown a variety of housing options within her first few days and quickly decided on one. Piece of cake, I thought. And besides... I had no problems staying at the Lodge for the interim because with my own private ensuite bedroom, could it really be that bad?
Well, I was pretty much wrong. Apparently Ezulwini is experiencing a real estate boom, because when I rolled into town, they were fresh out of housing options. Not only that, but on my first night ever in AFRICA, as their new MANAGER, I was placed in a dorm room, with no bathroom, three bunk beds, and a mess of roommates. Some of my roommates went to bed early, some slept in late, and I was forced to sift through two years of my life in the dark. I was not happy... to say the least. And p.s., have you ever stayed at a hostel before? The showers and bathrooms are less than desirable. I think this was the first of many what-the-hell-were-you-thinking-when-you-decided-to-apply-for-a-job-in-Swaziland moments.
About a week later, things were looking a little brighter... Christy showed me her home, Cottage #1, and I decided to move in after she vacated... WEEKS later. I also discovered the joys of tent living and made my way to Tent #8 for night number two. Still no private bathroom, but at least I now had natural light and no risk of hitting my head on the bunk above me... and up to three roommates rather than five. I had to make a few room shifts that first week, and a trip to Mozambique, but was able to secure my corner of Tent #8 for the remaining five weeks.
I have since had a love/hate relationship with the Lodge and Tent #8. Let me catch you up on what it's been like.
So here is a picture of the Lodge and Tent #8. Not too much to mention here... but notice that I am reading Power of One? How cliche am I? This front porch is the main hang out area. Sometimes they make me go and get my DVDS which are then projected onto a big screen for movie nights. I have not yet been able to convince any volunteers to watch Brown Sugar or Love & Basketball, but you will be happy to know they LOVED "Just Friends"... speaking of which, I found my lost copy in one of the bags I brought with me... which has since gone through the wash... so if you want my somewhat scratched, but very clean, extra copy... let me know!! (I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky...)
On the same porch, we also have dinners together every night... cooked and cleaned by the volunteers... and usually consist of either chicken or beef, green and red peppers, and rice. Thankfully, I have not been placed on the cooking roster.
One of my favorite things about the lodge is the wildlife. Some days you'll be lying there [reading Power of One] and all of a sudden you'll hear some banging noises on the tin roof [rust!] and the monkeys are playing. One morning Susie hushed me and I turned to look and a little cheeky monkey was sitting on our tent porch! And if it's not the monkeys goofing around, it's Spotty... my boss's dog. As my brother would say... he's pretty much a yipping fuzz ball, but without a whole lotta fuzz. He likes to bark, and is perhaps the most loved critter on the face of the earth. He roams the property looking for cuddles from the seemingly endless supply of staff member and volunteers. And he also likes to jump on my white capris and leave little dirty paw prints... never fails. And as annoying as she is, I am so in love with the little turd... sometimes she would join us in Tent #8 and would amazingly spend the entire evening underneath our blankets.
And as I sit in Cottage #1... which is in the middle of NOWHERE... completely surrounded by nature... one thing I am definitely going to miss is the social life because basically I have no friends yet... but a few times a week I can talk the volunteers into letting me socialize with them. Not that there's an abundance of opportunity in Swaziland, but we've have some nice dinners out on the town. Here's a picture of my first group of volunteers and a Saturday night outing to Spur at Sheba's Breast. I would like to point at the fourth guy from the left... that's Max, and he is my favorite volunteer so far. WICKED !!
So, let's end on a high note... I won't tell you how many times the bathroom was out of toilet paper, or soap, or there was some major funk on the toilet seat... or how the showers gave you an electric shock when you turned the knob or how the water was freezing cold because it had been raining for a few days and the solar energy failed to heat the water... or how the Khumbis stopped running at 7PM and I was essentially stuck at the lodge without any access to ice cream... or how my clothes would take days to dry on the line and I had to wear wet undies to work... and how it felt like I was at work 24/7 for seven entire weeks. Although I love my new cottage (and the rooster who wakes me up at 3 AM in the morning), part of me is gonna miss that Tent #8.
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