Thursday, we went into Mbabane so one of the house mothers could have a biopsy on an ankle sore that won’t go away (please it that to your prayers since it has been a year) and Peter could run errands & meet with some folks. I tagged along to see something different, get a SIM card for my cell phone that actually WORKS in Swaziland (note to anyone visiting, MTN really is the only choice) and stop at the internet café.
We dropped Winnie off at the clinic and after checking her in, we heading out for our errands. Peter went to the bank and I went to the MTN office. A SIM card only costs 15 Emalangeni and then you can prepaid for any amount on the card. After that, I decided to head out on my own once I got a crude map from Peter.
I kept my exploring fairly simple. My first stop was a meat pie (meats and cheeses in a pastry shell) since I was hungry and remembered how good they were. It hit the spot along with a coke (the good stuff since they don’t use high fructose corn syrup.) I walked around a bit and stopped at an internet café for about an hour. It probably cost me the equivalent of about $7 for my whole time.
I continued my journey but forgot to cross over and check out the fire station I had spotted across the street when we first arrived. I later saw a legitimate fire engine driving down the highway on the way home. As I rounded a corner, I realized the KFC (they love chicken around here and KFC is everywhere) that I was standing in front of was the one I ate at when our 2007 team crossed the border into Swaziland. Across the street was The Mall which was exactly what it advertised. J I walked around the Pick and Pay to see what you can get at the store and it was pretty much everything you might need. Some things were expensive but it was mainly only the prepackaged items. A package of simple biscuits (cookies) cost me about 3.5 Emalangeni and will last for awhile. As I walked around The Mall, I was amazed at the mix of people. Swaziland has quite a few white people that are a few generations here. Some have come from other African countries such as Zambia over the generations but came there to work in the colonies. It is an interesting mix of people to say the least. I even overheard some distinctive US accents of some young ladies talking as I walked by. I decided to sit and enjoy a tea and read a book on my Kindle in a coffee shop in the mall. Eventually, Peter joined me and we ate lunch.
We couldn’t get hold of Winnie at the clinic because her cell phone was forwarding to someone still at the farm. We decided to head to the clinic and find her after a quick stop at the grocery store for a few items. We found Winnie and she was just preparing to be released so it worked out perfectly. We loaded up in the truck and headed out for a few more errands.
Our first stop was to drop a package that had come in the mail to a girl that used to live at the farm. Her sister sends items to the Kopps address for them to pass along to her. The whole family (minus a brother) was living on the farm when I visited in 2007 but have since moved. They were from Rwanda and had fled during the genocide. Parts of the movie, Hotel Rwanda were very real for Stan, a high level government attorney, and his family since he had to borrow a vehicle to go find his wife, a doctor, and shouldn’t when things got the worst. They traveled from refugee camp to refugee camp around Africa eventually staying in Swaziland. Marlin, the youngest daughter, was the girl we dropped off the package for. She came out and gave me a hug and said she remembered me and the team from 2007 and would never forget the songs we taught the children. Marlin was a small girl when she left Rwanda and has only known life as a refugee. She is beautiful (she actually works part time as a model) and smart. Her older sister and her brother both went to the US to attend universities and are working on getting residency so they can stay. Marlin was not able to secure funding and her parents have no money to help her. If she was Swazi, and she could get in, the university here would be free. Sadly, she is stuck since she is still technically Rwandan. It is a country that she does not consider home and I don’t even think she has a passport from there. Marlin has been placed in no man’s land. The possible good news would be that Rwanda is offering an education for those that return to the country. The problem is it is not home for Marlin and not where she wants to be. So, she works in an office and does modeling on the side to make ends meet.
It is an amazing reminder of the blessing we have as US citizens. We may be the only country that comes into a country to help a citizen in trouble. Our embassies are ready to help when and if they can. I have also been blessed with so many opportunities for an education. Even the poorest in the US have at least some option (though not always simple.) Marlin has none. But she is still smiling and praising the Lord for the life that she has and is so thankful for the things New Life Homes did for her and continues to do for the kids here.
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