How is Swaziland?

All my emails want to know what it's like here in Swaziland? All I can say is most is the same but with a different twist on it.

It is prettier than Loganville. There are so many gorgeous flowers and birds. I have a bush that has grown up in front of my bedroom window that has orange ball like blossoms that hang down. Every morning these birds that look large hummingbirds, their wings don't beat as fast but they have the long beaks and irredescent blue chests come and sing and hang where they can suck the necter from the blooms. There are also beautiful yellow birds that join them.

It's not so hard driving on the left side of the road. Like everything else you learn to rethink. I have to rethink most things.
The left turn is the easy turn
7 Rand (or in Swaziland it's the Emalangeni) = $1 which makes this R110 how much?
If it's 27 km from here, how long will that take?
If it's 1 kg how much mince (ground beef) is that?
Gammon = Ham
Robot = Stoplight
If it's 35* C, how hot is it? And when it drops to 17*C it's how cool?
Their coins make more sense though, the smaller the coin, the smaller the amount.
I'm glad I love math.

The weather has been strange for this summer, so I'm told. But it has gotten a little nippy when it rains, at least for not having heat or AC. It's hard to wear sandals out in that weather and then at other times it will be quite warm. That's what fans are for. I'm told to just wait for Dec. & Jan. It is their rainy season and it has rained here often. I wish I could ship some to Loganville, especially the loud thunderstorms. FYI I was told that Swaziland has the most lightening strikes per capita of any place in the world. That wasn't on my missionary brochure.

The staff have been awesome!! I don't feel isolated at all. I feel I have people to call for anything from getting lost to how to work the circuit breaker to what store can I find a little desk.

What I miss:
High speed internet
WalMart - you have to go to one store for groceries, one for electrical, one for kitchen anything, one for spiral notebooks, and some things you just have to wait until you go to South Africa.
TV (I can pay for cable but it's expensive and it's a season or so behind) I can watch DVD's.
I can live without those. But of course I really miss getting to see and talk to everyone on the phone. You don't even use the phone much here because you pay by the minute for cell & landline phones, but only if you call. I can receive any and all calls free. I'm in the process of getting a home phone so anyone can call me all they want. I won't have an answering machine so if I don't answer, I'm not home. I would suggest not calling me from a cell phone because that will cost you about $1.50/min. or more but from a home phone using a calling card that calls Swaziland it is only like $.20/min.

If you have specific questions I would love you to email them to me sandra@theoasischurch.org or make comments to the blog. Have a blessed weekend!