Swazi Safari

Hi all,

Wow, so I've been having a lot of fun over here let me tell you.

Its a beautiful Monday morning. Maputo is starting to feel like fall is rolling in. Its still sunny but windy and with a chill at night, my favorite type of weather. Good news on the project I am working on for a rapid needs assessment. Research has been approved by all of our ministries and we are going to the field next week! Very exciting and putting me in a good mood. I also had a great night sleep last night, which put me in a happy mood this morning. Fighting my mefloquine induced dreams is hard, but guess I am getting better at it. And this weekend, well was wonderful. See for yourself.

Swazi Safari

I went on a 24 hour safari to Swaziland, which is only about 1.5 hours to the border and another hour or so to get to the park where we visited. I am not usually one for this type of tourism because I feel like it is very artificial but this one was so beautiful and non-intrusive. The place grew all their own vegetables and used their own meat. They didn't use electricity so it had this romantic candlelight dinner feel about it because it was all oil lamps and gas powered. And our rooms were huts but they were formed out of stone and natural wood with the space completely open. So, you would take a shower in stones and be looking out into the forest. Absolutely amazing. Not to mention the animals. We were within 10 feet of the animals, rhinos particularly. A baby rhino tried to charge our jeep and it might have been the cutest thing that I have ever seen. I can't explain how nice it was to take a trip to a place where I felt like I was observing, but in a productive way...this is the kind of tourism that I enjoy.

So, yes, I am in a good mood on this fine Monday morning. Not much has happened since last week. But, I've realized once again that life is good, I am lucky to have so many wonderful experiences that most people would never get to enjoy, and I am blessed that I am healthy and have so many wonderful people supporting me. I am basically at the point in my experience and I remember it from last year, where I am starting to feel OK with who I am in Mozambique and what I am doing here. And OK to know that even if I don't come home in August, I'll be OK to stay here until November because there are things that I can now see myself doing.

Thanks for all the comments and please keep them coming. They really contribute to my work and my thinking all the time.

Ate o proximo....which should be both before and after I go to the field...
Aparna