SWAZILAND (an overview)
On the morning of Friday, October 4, Suteh picked up Mel and I from Pretoria and we drove to Swaziland, where we stayed until the morning of October 7.
The people and culture: Swazis are very friendly and non confrontational. There is very little crime and begging is uncommon. Rather than begging, it is much more common for people to loan or exchange.
Our hosts: Sean and Nicole are an American couple who have lived in Swaziland for about a year. We camped in their backyard. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with them learning about their lives here in Swaziland. Sean is introducing water pumps to the community and helping people start their own gardens. Nicole is a doula and is also delving into permaculture. It was fascinating! The biggest thing I took away from it was how they try to help the people by empowering them rather than creating a culture of dependency.
Misconceptions about Swaziland: that it is just like South Africa is one great misconception. Also that there is nothing to do there... there was a lot to do but much of it is off the beaten path. Lucky for us, Sean was kind enough to make suggestions and direct us to things many people don't know about.
What I loved most about Swaziland: there was much less hostility between races and I felt very safe there. I also got a lot out of the time I spent with our hosts. Also (I really loved Swaziland) the hiking we did there was beautiful.
