Here’s how it started. Traci, Di and I were headed to Mbabane to pick up my passport which was finally done. I now fully have a permanent passport with ample pages. We get the passport which was wonderfully quick to do. Then we went back through Manzini where AIM has a base and a team house that we were going to drop off some purses the GO-GO’s make and pick some more up. No less than a mile from the team house Traci hears a clinking noise from our ghetto kombie (that’s what they call a van – koom-be) and realizes the brakes aren’t working. GREAT. So we use the emergency break to get us there safely and end up talking to the right people who did a quick temporary fix and then told us we should get it fully fixed in the morning, we’d be staying the night in Manzini. Alright. Nothing with us but the clothes on our backs and some money. We’d survive.
I had with me Anna Barnes computer and camera because I was planning on getting to the internet today to post a couple of blogs at the AIM office. God gave me the substance for another one last night. Hopefully I can load picts now… if not they will come later.
We were told we can stay at The Cowshed Backpackers Lodge. This is where GW’s and Koinonia stayed last month. We were excited to stay somewhere at all and a neat place to boot. Traci and Di went and got pizza at Traci’s favorite place The Rustic Tavern (neat place & really nice) and then we were set to get a bottle of wine (I got Riesling…haven’t had it since home) and enjoy our current events.
We walk in and hear tv’s, something we haven’t seen in quite some time. The Ellen Show was on and we were thrilled. Then in paging through the channels came across Clean House – Extreme Home Makeover and E! THS The Cosby Show. Ahhhh. All channels and shows I would watch back home. I couldn’t believe it. Sitting there with my glass of Riesling. Amazing. Then Don came to sit next to me. He is out of work and here at the lodge for the time being. We started chatting here and there while watching tv. A friendly man originally from Namibia. I told him about my design background and enjoying the shows we were watching and he told me about his ideas to improve the lodge. He’s looking for work and would like to work on this place for room and board and maybe a pack of smokes. He likes to build things and used to work in construction. He made me some tea, asked how many sugars I’d like in it and if I wanted cream. He offered me a sucker and said his favorite flavor is Raspberry I got strawberry my favorite flavor. I told him my dad’s name is Don and his favorite flavor is raspberry too. He then went on to say what he really likes to eat when he’s watching tv is… I had to interrupt him… I said, “if you say popcorn I am gonna freak out.” He said, “Yeh, I like to eat popcorn while I watch tv.”
There were so many resemblances to my dad and to home here in this cow barn it was weird. Very little things. He said, “maybe this is a sign you need to contact your dad.” I responded, “I think so.”
I watched the rest of THS and went to bed. Thanking God for my dad and these neat reminders of him. I prayed for Don and fell asleep.
I woke up in the morning by another familiar sound. The sound of my dad clearing his throat. Strangely enough this Don and my dad clear their throat the same way. Ok… ?
I am writing this in the last hour of staying here, we have to get the van to the team house by 9am
it’s 8. So I am sitting in a break room or kitchen area and Don just said… get this… “gotta catch up on some bloody news” he is now watching CNN! You have got to be kidding me! I am wonderfully weirded out.
“You gonna contact your daddy? Don asked. With a smirk I said, “I’m gonna try.”
