Blame it on the rain

Hello all! We are quickly moving through the month of December and along with that precipitously nearing the end of the year. As you are enjoying the cool wintery weather we are learning what "Africa hot" really feels like. Temperatures have been driving the mercury up (at least if we had a thermometer it would). Corrugated aluminum is a great conductor of heat as we are learning as the sun beats down and our roof heats up. It is very strange to attempt to make holiday preparations which include sunscreen and swimsuits instead of scarves and mittens.

For the festive season we will be staying in Swaziland for Christmas but will be heading East to Mozambique to bring in the new year. We will be traveling with several other Volunteers and will be in Maputo for a couple of days and then further North to Tofo Beach. I've heard it is beautiful and the pictures I've seen look amazing; coral reefs, snorkeling, scuba diving, and more! So we are very excited. However, even though we will be spending the holidays in "Paradise", it still will not be the same without the things that makes Christmas great; family and friends! We are wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Below please find some links to a couple of projects that benefit orphans and vulnerable children (OVC's) here in Swaziland. The last link is to the Friends of Swaziland Website. From this site you can access the online version of the Swaziland Peace Corps Volunteer newsletter "The Sojo". In November's issue there is a poem from Amy entitled "Licudze", which is siSwati for Rooster. It's pretty funny and worth a read. She has become quite good at killing and recently added goat to her list of personally slaughtered animals.

Well I've been told by a fellow PCV that they need to use the computer so I need to jump off. We hope this finds everyone well and please be sure to check out the links below!

Surviving in Africa,

Joe & Amy

www.motherbearproject.org

http://www.youngheroes.org.sz/

www.friendsofswaziland.org