Author Archives: elliewick

Wednesday photo: Ndebele village

Posted on December 6, 2017 by elliewick

The first stop on my parents’ visit to Southern Africa was to visit a village I had been dreaming about since eighth grade. I made a beautiful piece of abstract art that year with inspiration from a National Geographic article … Continue reading →

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The curious incident of the rodent in the night-time

Posted on November 30, 2017 by elliewick

I have spent a lot of time wondering whether or not this story is true. Could it just be a figment of my Malarone-altered dreams, or do I really have a roommate? In the week that this has occurred, my … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: Pies

Posted on November 29, 2017 by elliewick

Last week on Wednesday I was so busy baking pies for Thanksgiving that I forgot to post.  Twenty-one pies and a week of sleep later, I have generally recovered from my most intense 24 hours of baking.     Thanksgiving for … 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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How I spent September’s PCV stiped

Posted on November 18, 2017 by elliewick

I started spending September’s living allowance the day we got paid in August. Albeit two trips to the office, purchasing lots of food, and lots of transport for Umhlanga, I still came in under budget. I still ran out of … 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 funny story about my vomit

Posted on November 10, 2017 by elliewick

This was my second round of vomiting since moving to Swaziland. Both lack explanation and both were incredibly misery-inducing. The first round was during PST, and I had to participate in a presentation while trying not to vomit on my … Continue reading →

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Wednesday photo: Food for 700

Posted on November 8, 2017 by elliewick

A couple weeks ago I was invited to a teacher’s retirement party. I ended up in the kitchen helping out, because you can always use two more hands when you are feeding 700 people.        We filled 600 clam … Continue reading →

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