Saturday, November 21, 2009

New entries, at last

First of all, if anyone has been reading this, I apologize for the lack of entries this fall. One excuse I have is that I've been sick a lot; another reason for the lack of communication is that there’s not so much new to report. Life in the second year of a fellowship takes on a familiar and thus somewhat boring routine. For work, I’ve been teaching my classes – the News Reporting class again for JMC and one section of ACS (Academic Communication Skills – freshman English/composition), plus some practice sessions for Virginia’s grammar class. In my spare time, I’ve been trying to organize a couple workshops for the teacher training colleges, which is surprisingly and frustratingly difficult considering that we’re not charging the colleges a single emalangeni to come and teach their students useful methodologies. Unfortunately, while the lecturers (at least some of them) are enthusiastic about the opportunity, the college administrators seem to think these events will somehow involve effort on their parts, the prospect of which they adamantly oppose. This is definitely a place where people rise to their level of incompetence.

In my personal time, I watch TV, workout, take walks and talk to myself a lot (which I suppose begs the question of why I don’t take the time to write more blogs). Oh, and of course, I eat, which is why I must workout and take frequent walks. Living on campus is secure and convenient, but it also makes it easy to get into a rut of just going to work then coming home every day. Sometimes I go a week or so without visiting the outside world.

Anyway, as I haven’t a lot of new, exciting events to describe, I’ll go back and tell about some of the things that happened last spring.

Virginia's Lobola -- part 1





Although Virginia and her husband Abiola have been married for about six years, they decided to hold the traditional lobola ceremony to cement the ties between their families. They chose the end of June, which meant I was able to attend before heading off on my summer break. About a week before the event, Virginia suggested that I acquire some more traditional attire for the occasion, so I went along with her to the tailor. Virgina was having a couple different garments made – she needed a traditional Swazi outfit to satisfy Swazi custom and a traditional Nigerian outfit to honor her husband’s family. I bought some of the blue and white fabric that’s pre-printed into panels from which to make a skirt. Traditional Swazi women wear skirts or dresses; in fact, wearing pants is considered improper, even slutty, and their are gangs of self-righteous traditional males who sometimes harass women (even foreigners) caught in slacks. Most rural women sport a uniform-like pinafore which often includes a built-in apron and ruffles around the sleeves and hem. I asked for a very simple, long skirt and was satisfied with the result.

In the week before the lobola, I also ran some errands with Virginia to fetch supplies to sustain the many guests who would be converging for the 2-day event and to deliver said items to the family homestead. We purchased fresh milk and mas (sour milk) from a local self-sustaining convent, acquired copious quantities of sweet potatoes, pineapples and paw paws from the farmer’s market, and arranged the purchase of an entire cow to ensure adequate supplies of meat (Swazis are insulted by small servings of meat).

The pictures included here include a couple at the tailor’s and from the convent where we bought the milk products (I loved the old wood stove there).

Virginia's Lobola, part 2




The pictures here are from the family homestead. You can see that Virginia’s mother is wearing a very simple version of the pinafore (combined with other, mismatched colors that oddly mimic what I’m wearing at the tailor’s – hmm). The building she is posing in front of was built by her long-dead husband and is falling down, but she won’t allow Virginia to demolish it; too many memories. The snazzy, stuccoed building shown is the new house Virginia and Abiola have built for her.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

More on Umhlanga (please start w/ first entry)






Dear Reader:

I realize I should have posted these entries in reverse order so that they could be read from top to bottom. However, I didn't think that far ahead, so if you haven't already read the first Umhlanga 2009 entry, please scroll down and work your way back to the top.

The official estimates, which may be inflated, declared that some 80,000 maidens participated in Umhlanga this year, most travelling from rural areas by public transport or by government-provided buses and kombis. The government also provides barracks-style housing and food for thousands of participants, which makes me wonder what the whole event ends up costing. Most urban Swazis I’ve spoken with don’t attend the events although they may watch it on TV, and most don’t seem to let their daughters participate. I was told by one such person that the rural girls just come for the free meals, as many are OVCs (orphans & vulnerable children) who live in near-perpetual hunger. I’m sure other girls participate for the chance to travel out of their villages (and, probably, to meet boys, although the girls must be “certified virgins” to participate). Certainly there were many young and not-so-young men roaming around the fairground. And according to one local newspaper columnist, Umhlanga girls are renowned as easy picking for sexual predators.

The government also estimated that nearly 30,000 tourists travelled to Swaziland during, and presumably to attend, the Reed Dance festivities. I doubt that I saw more than a hundred or so obvious tourists on the day I went (meaning white folks with lots of cameras although those with the fanciest cameras were likely the press).

Once the reeds were deposited, the long lines of girls moved on to the parade field and began to snake their way around with each group again singing and dancing for the crowd of royals and spectators. There was also a group of official singers who sang the same song with gusto over and over (and slightly off key). The king and his entourage eventually came out and ran among the girls to inspect, or perhaps, to honor them, as photographers madly rushed behind.

More Umhlanga 2009





The process of lining up and waiting and singing and dancing in place and marching took the thousands of participants a number of hours. So, of course, there were vendors around to sell needed cold beverages and food (after days of chilly temperatures, the weather had turned quite hot). At the end of the line, each girl finally handed over her bundle of reeds to be added to the ceremonial stack.

Umhlanga 2009






This year, I attended the Reed Dance ceremonies on the first official day (Aug. 30. On that day, the girls ceremoniously lay bundles of reeds against the royal krall (corral) at Lobamba. They gathered these reeds a few days earlier in specified areas, and the material supposedly will be used to repair and maintain the Queen Mother's residence.

The pictures here are mostly of some of the girls gathered and waiting for their turns to present their reeds. I enjoyed wandering around with my cameras and found the participants generally accepting of having their photos taken. Some, especially the young men, even insisted. The young man pictured here was chagrined, after seeing the image, to notice that he had a chip bag stuck in his armband. But he was still pleased to have his photo taken and even offered to marry me (he'd had a bit to drink).

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Kruger -- part 3






On the second day, we were treated to several big cat sightings. We even saw a cheetah, and they’re very rare (perhaps less than a hundred in the whole park). Somewhat surreally, we encountered that animal on a tarmac bridge. It came right out and meandered among the vehicles, which of course had all stopped. In fact, I saw quite a few illegal arms and heads out of windows as people tried to see past the car ahead or to get a photo. We were parked quite a ways back down the bridge (we joined this scene a bit late as at first we thought people were just hippo-watching); thus, we didn’t get a good glimpse of the cheetah until it exited the roadway and climbed up a bank. Then we saw it clearly. Not long after our cheetah encounter, we saw two lions swimming across a stream – another rare sight although a bit distant. After that we headed back to the dead rhino site to see if the lions were more visible. They were, if one could make it through the parking cluster and get close enough to see. As the lions had now been in this area for a couple days, it was so well known that the small parking area was mobbed. Marjorie somehow shoehorned her Lexus into a spot from which we could see (I got a photo showing both the male lion and the rhino). Then we got out of there quickly before more vehicles could squeeze in and trap us there.

That day, there were quite a few elephants near the road. Some were not pleased at being gawked at and hemmed in by large noisy vehicles. Once one of them charged our vehicle, I realized that possibility was why Marjorie always left an open lane between us and any elephant. Other drivers would pull up and stop much closer which gave them little room to maneuver for a quick escape.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Kruger Park – part 2






Despite the uncivilized behavior of a few drivers too much in a hurry to share the roadway with a slow-moving kudu, most folks prowling the park roadways are on the same mission – to find and enjoy viewing the wildlife. Thus, most are happy to share information on where and what they’ve recently seen. To aid in that effort, each entrance gate or rest camp area features a map on which one can stick colored dots to indicate species spotted at a particular location. So, when entering the park, you can find out where a leopard or lion or herd of buffalo was last seen.

On the first day, when leaving Ntandanyathi Hide, we were told of several lions feeding on a rhino kill not far past Lower Sabie rest camp. We knew that would be a good viewing bet, as the cats wouldn’t be likely to quickly abandon such a large food source. So we headed to the camp where we ate a picnic lunch Marjorie had packed (she’s very organized); then, we set out to find the lions. By the time we arrived, in mid afternoon, the two big cats had finished feeding for the day and were napping in the tall grass. I only managed to identify one when it twitched its tail although I assured Marjorie that I could see both of them perfectly well. Unfortunately, what I could see perfectly was the dead rhino, which had clearly been poached. The poor thing was still posed upright, having fallen to its knees, and was intact save for a huge gouge in its face where the horn had been cut out. Slightly behind the rhino and in the water was a dead hippo ignominiously positioned on its back with its stubby legs poking up. It must have charged or somehow disturbed the poachers as they went about mutilating the rhino corpse – certainly there was no reason otherwise to kill a hippo. The whole sight was rather sickening and cast a pall over the afternoon.

At the end of the day, on our way out of the park, we saw a small herd of water buffalo, including one big bull that stood belligerently in the road for quite some time. We also, on a much smaller scale, were thrilled to see an ambitious dung beetle rolling its giant ball of poop across the road and back. The park’s opening hours depend on available daylight – in fall it closes at 5:30. So we were out by 5 pm and heading for a nearby guesthouse (Marjorie had only managed to book us within the park for one of the two nights). Our accommodation, Buckley’s Africa, was first class, which I expected as the place had been recommended by the ambassador. Of course, it was a little out of my usual price range, but I could handle it for one night. The setting of this guesthouse is beautiful – right on the river. It would be the perfect place for a romantic getaway (sigh). It also provided a lovely breakfast in the morning, which got us off to a slightly later start than we’d intended.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Kruger Park – part 1






I had the opportunity to ride along to Kruger Park with Marjorie from the embassy and her friend Allison. Both are Kruger fanatics and like nothing better than to take off and head for the park on a free weekend. April 18-20 was a three day weekend, as Monday was a public holiday for the king’s birthday. We set off from Marjorie’s place in Mbabane around 7:30 am and arrived at the park I think around 10 am. Other than freezing from the air-conditioning in Marjorie’s Lexus (despite having worn two pairs of socks, two shirts and a jacket in preparation), it was a pleasant enough ride. And I always appreciate NOT being the driver.

Our first day in the park was quite productive. I was amazed at how adept Marjorie was at spotting animals. Even though she was driving, she still managed to spot more creatures than either Allison or I (admittedly, I was abysmal at it). Sometimes, I never did manage to see what she was insistently pointing out. I soon learned, however, just to say that I had seen whatever it was, as she would keep after me, trying to describe the location, until I claimed to have seen the distant creature.

Soon after entering, we stopped at Ntandanyathi Hide – one of the few places other than a rest camp where people can leave their vehicles. In fact, along the roadway, you can be fined for even sticking your arm or head out a window. I suppose, with lions, elephants and hippos around, caution must be more than just advised. From benches in the rough wooden shelter there, we looked out over a watering hole and saw elephants, crocodiles, hippos, assorted birds, and nearby, a small herd of zebra. I could have sat there watching for hours, but we had to move on.

Regarding the photos -- The pic of two elephants was taken at the hide, while all others were taken from the road. Do note that I don't have a camera with a long telephoto lens. My basic Canon digital has only a 4X optical zoom, which means that animals which appear to be quite close really were! I tried to get a video of the line of cars following the two giraffes -- they strolled along ahead of us for at least a couple of minutes -- but it didn't turn out. Another of the parkk rules is to always give animals the right of way. Unfortunately, we did encounter a few motorists over the three days who didn't respect that rule and who honked their horns obnoxiously or even refused to stop the car and drove right through groups of animals to get them to move. Jerks are everywhere (but why come to a park if you don't want to watch the animals?).

Monday, April 13, 2009

Cairo trip, chapter 4: The Khan El Khalili bazaar





Part 1:

Tuesday, January 27, was the first day of the English teaching conference at American University of Cairo. Conference registration and presentations would begin at 2 pm, with my workshop contribution scheduled for that day at 5:00 p.m. Plenty of time to take in some other activities and sights. So Jesus and I caught a cab downtown to check out and photograph the scene around the big bazaar, Khan El Khalili. If we could find it, that is. We immediately went the wrong direction, ending up in a warren of alleyways around the Hussein Mosque (we later learned we were in one of the older parts of town, which in Cairo means pretty darn old). This modest neighbourhood offered a view of everyday life in the shadow of the giant mosque – students from the madrasa were gathering before class for a cup of tea; groups of men sat outside the mosque discussing important matters; deliverymen strode down the alleyways carrying loads of bread or fruit on their heads; women were out sweeping the roads in front of their doorways or hanging out laundry.

Cairo trip, chapter 4: The Khan El Khalili bazaar





Part 2:

Once we’d finished exploring the area around Hussein Mosque, we figured it was time to find the big bazaar. That task proved more difficult than we anticipated. We wandered here and there, and even consulted my map, but it still took a while to figure out that the market seemed to consist of many smaller markets – one selling clothing and assorted housewares, a spice market, a jewellery and metal-work area, etc. Of course, some areas were much more touristy than others. And the more touristy stalls featured some hard-selling vendors. I left without buying very many souvenirs (which I later regretted as I had few little gifts to distribute once back home). But, I just can’t stand super-pushy vendors, and my ultimate response to them, if they won’t back off (and they seem pathogenically unable to) is just to exit the shop, often with the salesman in hot pursuit, waving the contested souvenir and shouting angrily at my back. Not an enjoyable shopping experience. I really think Middle Eastern (and Mexican, for that matter) vendors need training in effective soft-sell techniques suited for American customers. We just can’t take the hard-sell; in fact, we (I) find it personally affronting.

Cairo, chapter 4 - The Khan El Khalili bazaar





Part 3:

For the most part, Jesus and I were able to take photos without offending anyone or being forced to buy anything. Once we found the spice market, especially, there were countless colourful photo opportunities, and no one seemed to mind our lingering over the bags of spices. Despite the photogenicity (new word) of the spice market, I think I prefer taking surreptitious snapshots of people shopping for household items. I saw such contrast between the array of negligees and slinky, sparkling dresses on display and the black-robe-encased women who were seemingly meant to buy them. Made me wonder what those women are all wearing under their shapeless, head-to-toe coverings.

By the time we’d finished wandering through the market and rested with a cup of exorbitantly priced tea (about $3 per cup), the hour was well past 2 pm. Although we were near the conference location, I had to go back to the hotel to change clothes and grab my stuff. By now, unfortunately, traffic was busy and s l o w. It took about 20 minutes just to go the first few blocks, and I began to despair of getting to Zamalek and back in less than two hours. But, the worst traffic jam was just near the market, and we managed to get back within a half hour or so. After a desperately quick change, I jumped in yet another cab and sped back toward the city center. I made it to the conference site about an hour before my presentation and used the time to find my room, set up and review my notes. Time well spent.

My workshop/presentation went all right, although attendees kept coming and going throughout (arriving late, leaving early). Finally, another ELF who was attending planted herself outside the door and refused any further admittances or departures. I guess such behaviour is not considered rude in Egypt; I certainly found it disruptive.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Cairo Trip, chapter 3: Walking with Jesus





No, I didn’t find my savior; I found my friend Jesus Villegas, a fellow ELF who is based in Tunisia and who is an avid and gifted photographer. Once we met up at the ELF meeting on Sunday, we hung out, taking several photographic excursions over the next few days.

On our first outing after meetings ended around 4 pm, we took a cab to the area near the museum, then wandered along the river and back. Just getting across the street to the river promenade area was a challenge. I was amazed to see horses pulling carriages in the midst of all that traffic. For one thing, the setting seemed unsuitable for something as romantic and fanciful as a horse-and-buggy ride. And those horses (not to mention the drivers) must have nerves of steel, or perhaps no nerves at all anymore.

The river walk was populated mostly by young lovers and tourists. Vendors were set up here and there selling shockingly bright-colored beverages and snacks such as chickpeas boiled in a round metal pot. We tried some chickpeas, once we got the price down from the 20 pounds originally quoted (nearly $4) to 5 pounds for two cups full. They were served in a salty, tasty broth, in tall plastic glasses. Quite filling. The vendor didn’t appreciate my taking a photo of his stand, but I did anyway. After all, I’d been a customer.