We have now hit the two-week mark for being here in Swaziland and it has been filled with great surprises to say the least. This idea that we had to begin with that we would be “roughing it” in Africa is as far away from reality as possible: our house and overall accommodations are incredible, everything is clean and our beds are made each day when we get home from work, our clothes are laundered and waiting for us in the foyer each week, and our view is as good as it gets! Our first weekend here was meant to be slow, but, as is our typical modus operandi, we filled it to the brim with activities from flying to concerts to food—life wasn’t supposed to get easier upon arriving in Africa, was it? The thing I have been most impressed with, though, are the people—I can’t even remember the last time I had a conversation on the side of the street with a complete stranger in the U.S., let alone one that seemed sincere. Granted, I rarely go down the street on foot instead of by car so I don’t often have an opportunity to talk to strangers, but would I do it anyway?
Within a day of arriving here I was thrust into the position of teaching math and science to all of the 12-20 year olds at a school here. Did I receive any teaching guidelines? No. Did I get any lesson plans? No. Did I get a textbook or any materials from which to teach? No. Did I have to submit anything to say that I was actually capable of teaching math and science? No. It is safe to say that the requirements aren’t quite as stringent as in the States…. It is widely believed, though, that the biggest thing that is holding development in this country back, besides the average life span of 31 years, is limited or no math and science education. Swaziland relies on expats almost entirely to run the technical side of the country because so few residents have the tools necessary to do the work.
I don’t know if I am cut out to teach these kids, but I can safely say that they have very few options for learning it and I feel like I am in the right place at the right time to help. As with every group of students, some move more quickly than others. I have been spending a decent amount of time working on fundamentals that hopefully everyone will grasp, but I have also been able to work with a few students separately from the rest to start learning higher-level math and science that will really help build a foundation for the technical and medical fields that they are shooting for. It has been a real honor for me to help nurture their drive and potential to really get these kids (well, some of them would more be considered adults) set for college and beyond.
I’ll let Ben, Grace, and Eric tell you what they are up to, but I can safely say that we are all having a great experience here. Life is slower and simpler, the people seem more genuine, and it already feels like we are part of the community. We are now 1 month in to this 4.5-month venture and we have had glimpses of homesickness but they are heavily outweighed by good times and long-lasting memories in the making.
Thanks again for following along with us on our adventure.
- Brad
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