Desiree & Lewis Hoffman write about Peace Corps training in Swaziland



"The next 7 weeks will consist of language training, culture training, and technical training (HIV/AIDS). The language classes are held at our homestead. Our teacher, Sibusiso, really enjoys us, as we do him. We told him about giving us gold stars when we do well, and he complied. He gets very excited when he gives them to us. It's wonderful."

Desiree & Lewis Hoffman write about Peace Corps training in Swaziland

Saturday, June 18, 2005
The Journey Begins

Sanibonani Nkhosi!!

Well, we have some catching up to do, don't we? Orientation in Philadelphia was great. We met a lot of good people and got our first taste of Peace Corps life. Traveling through New York City, Johannesburg, and then Swaziland was exciting and exhausting at times. We stayed the night in JoBurg then we flew into Swaziland. Our last night in a nice hotel was in Mbabane (The Mountain Inn). It was a very nice place. Then we were off to Nhlangano for our first week of training. We stayed an Ngwane Teacher's College, in the dorms. Good Times!! Last night was our first night with our host family, and we enjoyed it immensly. Our rondavel is fantastic, our family is wonderful (make, babe, bhuti, sisi). It is going to be a nice place to live for two months.

We walked about a mile last night to go and catch our dinner (chicken), walked it back home, and Lewis (Musa)cut it's head off. Des (Mbali) proceeded to pluck the chicken. Dinner was excellent. Our babe (father) is really excited to have us in his home, but doesn't speak much English; therefore, our siSwati will be coming along quickly. Our make (mother) doesn't speak much English either, but our bhuti and sisi (brother and sister) speak English well. We will probably go to church tomorrow-it should be an interesting experience. We believe they are Zionist.

The next 7 weeks will consist of language training, culture training, and technical training (HIV/AIDS). The language classes are held at our homestead. Our teacher, Sibusiso, really enjoys us, as we do him. We told him about giving us gold stars when we do well, and he complied. He gets very excited when he gives them to us. It's wonderful.

All of the Peace Corps staff has been very friendly and helpful. We are in good hands, so please don't worry too much. We will be taken care of.

We miss you all very much. Remember that you can send us emails to our phones. You can also give us a call...we would love to hear from you. To find out the details, click on the link that says "Contact Us". We will update again as soon as we can. We are doing well and we are having the time of our lives.

Salani Kahle!! (Stay well everyone)
Musa and Mbali

Musa means "soft to everyone", and Mbali means "flower".

When this story was posted in June 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:



Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

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June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

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