My (final) Monday in Mbabane

My time is drawing to a close here, and I leave the country in under three weeks. It is hard to believe. I am ready to see the good old USA, but I don't quite feel like my work here is "done". I went to Mbabane Government Hospital again today to see Sharon and Dr. Msiska. Sharon and I discussed some vision screening protocols for children, and then we went to meet with the Principal Secretary to the Minister of Health, Dr. Zwane. I had met with him, as you may recall, several weeks ago. I wanted to check in with him again, and see if any progress has been made in the "eye" realm.

He was very busy, but squeezed us in at 2:30 p.m. Sharon and I discussed various things that we are trying to improve. He has made headway in helping us solve several of these issues. I think he has a lot on his plate, and I appreciate all the help and time he has given us. He seemed very excited that my mentors, Dr. Hildebrand and Dr. Farris, will be coming (again) for a visit in March. He is hopeful to meet them and discuss improvements, etc. He was also very happy to know that there will be another "me" here next year (Dean McGee is in the process of selecting next year's Global Eye Care Fellow). That is nice to know that he is starting to see this as a continuing relationship/partnership.

I decided to stay the night "out" tonight, because it is senseless for me to drive from Siteki to Mbabane on Monday and then turn around and make almost the entire trip again the next day. So, I have found this beautiful little B&B called Malandela's. It is reasonably priced, clean, and has fast internet :)

Near this little B&B is the workshop for Baobab Batik, batik that is handmade right here in Swaziland. I stopped off at the workshop this afternoon and everyone was so kind and pleasant. It seems as though they don't have many visitors to the actual workshop, but rather they do most of their sales in nearby botiques. So, they gave me my own personal tour so I could see the women in action! I also wanted to buy two specific pillow cases that I had seen in one of their little shops (now sold out), and they said they could make them specifically for me! I haven't actually had much of a chance to tour or shop in Swaziland (a personal choice--busy during the week, and would rather relax and hang out on the farm on the weekends), so it was fun to see the Swazis in action, making their crafts.

Painting wax on the fabric
 

Dyes



Ladies removing the wax from the batik (submerging the batik in boiling water). All wax is reused and not thrown away.

Batik scarves, newly made, drying on the line

 

Batik aprons. Everything is handmade!

More batik scarves

 

Baobab Batik in the distance.




Beautiful Swaziland.



View from the B&B.