Wooden Swings and Memories

 

Lately all I can think about is how I can’t wait to come back here and see all the people I love so dearly once again. Ironic when every other person is battling homesickness. For the past few weeks what I’ve been is really Nsoko-sick…already! This is a normal tendency of mine to miss a place and people before leaving, which is weird, but it’s also so good because I tend to process through much of my grief of moving on even before leaving. But in the name of processing this grief, I’ve composed a list of all the things about Swazis and Swaziland that I know I will miss.

I will miss…

                Swazi children frequenting our home with the daylight…their irresistible giggles, unaffected personalities, and unrestrained love.

                Our “guys” who spend the night here regularly…my awesome handshake/hug and deep convos with Mapile, Majabane’s refreshing honesty and incessant teasing, and seeing what a good daddy Bhekumusa is when he’s taking care of his darling two-year-old son or when he’s looking out for me.

                My Nombali…her quiet beauty, strength, and wisdom – she is no doubt a woman of noble character. Nobody would know she’s only seventeen with how mature she is. Oh, how I’ll miss talking with her on our random walks or just hanging out with her at her house.

                All my girls…some I’m closer to than others, but I will deeply miss hanging out with every single one of my girls when they get out of school. Who would have thought that my closest friend group would ever be comprised mostly of fifteen-year-olds?

                Waking up at 6:30 to make Bacca PB&J sandwiches before school for her breakfast/lunch…I will just miss Bacca altogether. I will miss hanging out with her on top of the container, filling up her jugs at the water pump, and snuggling on the mattresses out in the main room.

                My daughter/husband Fisiwe…this girl has stolen my heart. I think if I was a seventeen-year-old boy, I would have the biggest crush on her. I know it’s a cliché, but this girl is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, and she could be America’s Next Top Model. I can’t tell you who, but there is one of my friends here is serious about wanting to marry her in a few years, and it delights me to guide him into the ways of chivalry and godliness (sorry for the redundancy. Chivalry is next to godliness…?)

                Fisiwe’s little brother Sandile…I might actually have a crush on that eleven-year-old gentleman. You would, too, if you saw that precious boy being a big brother to all the little kids. Favorite memories with Sandile include him tagging along with me just because, having him and another of the boys holding either of my hands while we go, helping him learn English, having him help me learn siSwati, combing each other’s hair with his four-toothed comb, guessing who’s hiding behind my back when I know that it’s him, attending a traditional wedding dance with him, and having him teach me the steps.

                Babe Oswald, Make Saullinah, Simanga, Phindile, Sanele, Ngosingiphile, Mdeni, tsotsi (gangster) Siswe, Koskhona, Majazi – the whole Mabuyakhulu family…they have made an indelible mark on my heart, and I will always consider them my family here in Swaziland. They have changed my life.

                The craziness and spunkiness of Gugu, Nomphilo, but especially Cebile…these girls have taught me to laugh at a whole new magnitude. And you should see these girls dance (I have video clips I can show you!) Their energy and zeal for life is completely contagious. I will really miss growing closer and closer to Cebile as she has grown more and more confident in English and has opened up to me more.

                Living at a community center: having my home as the hub of hanging out. With having friends spend the night almost every night comes waking up to people in my living room talking to me even while I’m still in “I have morning voice, but even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t want to talk to anyone” mode.

                Our dwindling collection of silverware, but most especially spoons. Though I hate it now, I know I will miss having to wash one of our three remaining spoons just to eat my cereal in the morning.

                A toilet only one thin door away from houseguests and my malfunctioning excretory system…I admittedly am silly enough to care about strategizing the timing of my toilet usage in that sound proof-less room. My first e-coli-filled week here forged an impenetrable bond between me and that toilet.

                Our one mirror that I know I take for granted and the broken door that separates it from the main room. One of my favorite memories with that mirror was when I was picking peeling skin out of my hair like a monkey and glanced up to find one of my friends, Oscar, watching for who know how long, fully entertained by my incoherent explanation of my prolonged mirror-staring.

                The wooden swings outside…indisputably the most life-giving place to be at the center. I could (and have!) pushed kids for hours on those swings. Eventually they tell me to swing with them and we have competitions for who can go the highest…pretty dangerous considering how close together these swings are positioned and how slanted they tend to swing. Sandile and I almost collided today at the peak of our competition – terrifying!

                Communicating without saying a word…I had no idea the extent to which this is possible. It’s true what they say about facial expressions and vocal inflections conveying more than words ever could. This is especially true of Swazis…I guess this is why siSwati is such a simple language.

                DJ Call Me…Thanks to him, I’ve had incredibly unique experiences with the Swazis here, singing and dancing. “Marry Me” will be always ingrained into my memory…possibly because it’s scarring, but nevertheless, etched into my mind forever! Just wait ‘til you hear his stuff – you’ll be changed, too! ; )

                I could go on to talk about the ways that I’ll miss each of my friends here, plus all of the random things, but that would make an unbearably lengthy blog, so I’ll cut it short here. All this to say, I love Swaziland, and even more, I love my Swazis! Their friendliness, laughter, and passion for living life have made a lasting impression on my heart. They are irresistibly lovable and utterly unforgettable!