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Roads

I never really thought much about roads when I was back in the States. They enabled me to get from one place to another, but I really didn't think much about their role in society. Living here in Swaziland has certainly given me a different perspective on roads and their significance within the African community.

Swaziland roads are actually very drivable for the most part, with large freeways that are in relatively good shape. Some joke that the King has spent so much on roads because he needs somewhere to drive all of his Mercedes, but whatever the reason, Swaziland has some of the best transportation in the region. That said, while the Mbabane roads and highways are generally in good condition, road quality drops off pretty quickly as you get away from major cities. Long stretches of dirt roads connect most of the rural areas, and this is where you get a glimpse of what life is really like for most Swazis.

I still find it very strange to drive down very long dirt roads. Back home, these stretches of gravel or packed earth are usually temporary, reserved for the last half mile of your trip. On my way to Ponto D'Ouro a few weeks ago, we were on a dirt road for about two hours, and after a while I developed an unsettled feeling that I couldn't quite place. Finally I realized that this was really a feeling of continual expectation.....it felt like we should be arriving at our destination at any moment, even though I knew we had several hours left in the car. My sub-conscience had been trained that dirt roads signify the end of a journey, but to most Africans, this is just part of life.

When you come upon a small village 1.5 hours into a dirt road, you get a real sense of what it is like living on the outskirts of civilization. Here, the road takes on a different function. Almost no one has cars, so the road is generally used for walking. Public transport (kombis) may come by a few times a day, but other than that, it might take hours to sell maize to the next village. In these villages, the roads also function as the local community center. People gather around to talk, catch up on news, or just sit under a tree and watch the passers-by. For younger kids, most of whom have probably never seen a television, the road is a source of entertainment. I'll never get tired of driving through these villages and waving to the groups of children. Most of the kids give a  huge smile and wave back enthusiastically, as if I just made their afternoon. Its great.
   
Roads also serve as a communal rest stop. If there was a national Swazi pastime, it would be peeing on the side of the road. Its almost impossible to drive down the highway without seeing a man on the shoulder of the road relieving himself. People don't seem to be worried that they will get caught by the police... probably because the police are the largest perpetrators. Some people have even developed a roadside urination game, where you get a different amount of points depending on what you see (1 point for seeing the man, 3 points for seeing the stream... you get the point).

As I mentioned before, most of the roads are pretty good around here, but if you get a little bit off the beaten path, you start to get into pothole territory. I saw a sign the other day that said "Potholes Next 60 Kilometers" and it didn't seem that unusual. Depending on the destination, a significant portion of the drive time may be spent zig-zagging around large craters in the asphalt. A friend here told me that that there is a saying here in africa that goes "In the USA, when you see a car swerving all over the road you know that the driver is drunk... in Africa, you assume the driver is drunk if he is driving in a straight line"

Potholes aren't the only road hazards one has to watch out for. Animals on the road are actually one of most common causes of accidents in this region. Cows are by far the most common, and the most dangerous, but I've also had to swerve away from goats, sheep, dogs, chickens, and even the occasional monkey. In some areas, there are much larger things that you need to worry about (See picture below)

The Gringo Chronicles

I finally got my act together and made something out of all the video clips I took in Venezuela. Enjoy!

Venezuela 2009 - The Gringo Chronicles from Jordan Meyer on Vimeo.

Bring on 28

It was a good birthday. For starters, I was in South Africa....never had a birthday there before (to my knowledge at least). I was in Johannesburg as a member of the Mbabane Mbananas, the first ever Swaziland ultimate frisbee team to compete at the Southern African Ultimate Frisbee Championships. What we lacked in experience we certainly made up for in enthusiasm and flair (as you can see from the picture, I played an entire game with my birthday crown). Against all odds, we actually managed to win two out of five games and ended up 5th out of 8 in the tournament.
    After Saturday's games, some of us went to a large, outdoor, music festival where we heard Freshly Ground, one of the more popular South African bands. Post-concert activities included bar hopping and one "flaming lamborghini" (don't ask... i don't know what was in it either, but it was awful).

It has also been a big week for me at work. On Tuesday, my partner and I gave an interim presentation to the Steering Committee where we discussed the potential of the Swaziland dairy and sorghum industries. In short, Dairy seems to have some promise if farmers get some help.... sorghum on the other hand doesn't really look like it has much of a chance. In the next phase of work, we'll be looking at beef, cassava, and vegetable oils, as well as a section where we discuss each crop and how it compares to growing sugar (the dominant crop throughout most of Swaziland). If anyone wants to hear more about either industry, please let me know because I have plenty of info.
   
    In addition to work as usual, I have picked up a few odd-jobs that have been keeping me busy. When living in a third world country, all your skills which may be average to mediocre back in the states are suddenly first-class... kinda like being a small fish in an even smaller pond... Keeping that in mind, this monday I had my first published article in the Swazi Observer, one of two nationally distributed papers here in Swaziland. TNS has a weekly business column in the paper and I wrote a basic "intro to pricing your product". Over the next few weeks I will probably have other opportunities to write about business basics so I have to figure out some additional topics that might be useful to a small business owner or first time entrepreneur.

I have also managed to get a few gigs as a product photographer. My first project was taking pictures for Eswatini, a jam and chutney maker here in town. I have also started taking pictures for 4-5 hand-craft companies that are putting together a corporate catalogue. Product photography is actually much harder than I thought it would be. Picking the right backgrounds, getting the lighting right, and even choosing the angle you are going to shoot from all make a big difference in the final output. I'm certainly getting good experience that will come in handy if I ever want to do this down the road, and I also get to see all the best hand-crafted items from around Swaziland.

    I know I promised before that I would write about some cultural observations. I'm half way through writing another post that I hope to get up this week, so stay tuned. Hope all is well back home, and let me know if you have any questions or would like me to cover specific topics here on the blog. Comments are always welcome.

More Swazi Reed Dance

I threw together a few video clips I took from the Reed Dance to give you a better feel for what it was like. I apologize in advance for the shaky hand-held footage. I would have put up a higher resolution version, but it already took half an hour to upload this one, so that will have to wait.

Swazi Reed Dance from Jordan Meyer on Vimeo.