Swazi Time

Here in Swaziland things run on a different sort of time -something I like to call Swazi time.

Here's a little story to illustrate. Enjoy!

On Friday afternoon at about 2pm, I was told that I would be attending a training for the entirety of the following week. The training was to be residential so I need pack a bag. To get there I could either take a kombi to an unfamiliar destination or I could meet one of my coworkers at work (in Mbabane) at 7:30 on Monday morning.

--a little sidetrack is that I was going away for the weekend, and thus was unable to communicate this to my host family until Sunday night, when I had just returned AND I had no clean clothes (having planned on doing laundry on Monday once I had returned from my weekend trip. OF COURSE, it POURED rain on Sunday night, leaving me to be quite resourceful with my clothing strategies while away. typical---

In anycase, my commute to work normally takes about 45 minutes from doorstep to doorstep. So I lugged my backpack to the kombi "stop" on Monday morning at about 6:30. For some reason, it was apparently extra busy, because every kombi that passed by was full. I waited for about 45 minutes, which brought me to 7:15. I began to stress a little, because I had no idea where this training was, or how the heck to get there. I imagined l would lug my pack all the way to work (crammed into the back of the kombi) only to find I had been abandoned. haha.

I didn't have the phone number of my carpool buddy. of course. I only had the number of his boss. I called. And woke her up. I got his number, and sent him a message. Finally, I got a kombi. phew. By the time I got to work, it was about 7:45.

My carpool buddy wasn't there. But one of my other coworkers informed me he hadn't been there yet. He came at about 8. Turns out, he was at the salon getting a haircut.

I sat in the office for about an hour. We need some sort of document before we can leave, some emails need to be sent etc etc etc.

So at about 9:15, we're ready to go - the car won't start. I walk outside to the sight of my coworkers repeatedly pushing a truck up a small hill and then pushing it down while the other attempts to start it.

After about three tries, it finally starts. No one seems to be concerned that the truck wouldn't start on its own, because we all pile into it.

Then, we have to drop one of my coworkers off at the government buildings. He's supposed to come to the training too, but no one told him, so he doesn't have his stuff. lol. I have no idea why we dropped him off at the government buildings.

Then, we go back to my office. huh?? I know, right? Turns out, the truck needs gas. The gas is on an account, which needs vouchers. Once filled up, we bring the vouchers back to the office. FINALLY, we're on our way.

We arrive at the training centre at about 10:30 (its 20 minutes from where I work). We were supposed to be there by 8. No biggie. Its swazi time!