Week 5

The past few weeks have been amazing.  They have helped me view the world in such a way that I could have never seen in the United States.  We read statistics, read about homes of many, or homes made of mud.  Here it is not a story; it is not paper with typed words.  These orphans are real and have been struggling with their pasts and to survive.  Even public schools cost money, and the tuition for the final year of high-school alone can be about 1000 USD.  A lot of this did not hit me right away, until our hike up the highest mountain in Swaziland led us through a small village near Bulembu.  The village contains several homes, all or most of which are constructed with mud or made with thatch.  The people in the village do not have the luxury of constant plumbing; they actually get water from small pipes that go from the springs within the mountain.  I have also found that even though I came here to serve, I have been served by those who live here.  I can still remember one day when a cook came in to work with me on his break.  He told me his story, his favorite movies (all of which were much older movies like Terminator), but he also gave me advice that back home I would ignore.  He heard me mumbling to myself about how I was thinking that I would drip too much paint while painting the ceiling and ruin the carpet.  He simply walked in and asked me how I was doing.  I told him I was fine, just trying to paint correctly.  He chuckled, looked at me, and said,”I know we’ve only spoken a few times, but I think you are a little hard on yourself.  I think you worry too much about how it’s going to turn out and don’t put enough faith that you are capable of doing it.  If you think positively, everything always turns out alright because you are positive.”  I looked at him with astonishment, a man I had only known for the duration of this trip, a man I came to serve, just served me.  I was not sure how to respond at first, so I just smiled back.  It was not until later I really thought about what he said, and since that day, I think I have done rather well at all the jobs I’ve been given.