I'm Gaining Weight in Africa?!?!

July 23, 2012

I know, the name of this blog is mind boggeling, and a lot of you wonder, HOW CAN IT BE?  Well, I don't know if it is really true, but I'm sure it could be.
Let me explain why.  Training.  Although very important, most of what we do is sitting in a room for about 8 hours watching powerpoints and discussing.  And let me tell you a bit about Swazi life.
You wake up in the morning.  Or, I should say, you wake up in the middle of the night.  At least 3 times (I think the best I've got so far is only waking up twice, woot woot). You wake up so many times because the roosters start crowing at 2:48 am.  Ok times have varied since then, but I do know that was what time I first looked at the clock that first night at my homestead, about 3 weeks ago.  At first I believed the rooster was relatively timely, but after a few days I realized these roosters are whack.
The roosters are crowing all morning, and day.  And then, not only that, but really I am living in what seems to a be a giant farm.  Seriously.  Cows walk around randomly all the time, grazing anywhere they want.  Its a miracle people know whose cow is whose! But, they do seem to keep track somehow.  On every homestead chickens cluck about, chicks, teen-babies, chickens, we got all ages folks! On all homesteads! Goats walk around too, and just the other day I saw some RATHER LARGE (read: Cow Size) pigs doing the unmentionable.  See, large farm.
Anyway, you wake up early in the morning due to the roosters.  This factor is fine, seeing as I've gone to be by 8:30 almost every night.  So back to the weight gain.  I sit in school all day, from 8ish to 4ish.  Then I come home.  Another KEY aspect of Swazi Life is not going out at dark.  Therefore, from getting home from training, I have maybe 2 hours of daylight before eating dinner and going to my hut.  WHERE IS THE EXERCISE PEOPLE?
Also, in my no-exercise defense, I blame this also partially to not having electricity.  Because, if you would like to know the truth, my reason for turning on my laptop tonight was not to type this blog (Gasp!) but in fact to make sure my copy of Ab Ripper X worked. It does! (Don't forget about that 6 pack I mentioned before leaving the states people!) I do have goals of exercising, and if I do not have electricity at my permanent site I will definitely "work something out", but for now, due to time constraints, exercising is tough.  Anyway, due to the no electricity and no going out after dark, I just haven't got it down yet.  But I will, and things will change at my permanent site (not having to sit in a classroom for the whole duration of sunlight, per say).
ps. the no-going-out-at-night thing is because it is dangerous.  No one does it, Swazis or course included.  People don't even walk to the pit latrine at night
Another huge portion of how gaining weight in Africa is possible is because for the first 2 weeks I ate with my host family.  Ok, in truth this was awesome, because it was nice having someone cook for me every night.  But, it is also awesome cooking for myself now, because I can make healthier eating choices.  For example, I will never again have a meal which only includes lipalishi and beans.  What is lipalishi you ask?  Corn.  Corn that looks like mashed potatoes because it has been dried, ground, and then boiled.  Pop is pretty good, but just not with only beans.  I had other variations of pop with meals, they weren't all just with beans, just lipalishi and beans was my least fave. On a happier note, I have discovered a new love! Rice and beans! Who knew it was so good?  (I know, a lot of people, including Rob and someone else from SU..maybe it was Stephanie). I do really enjoy rice and beans, and am happy to have found it.
Anyway, eating corn all the time was heavy on my belly.  Another thing, avocados.  Ok, it is AWESOME (even though he doesn't see it this way) that my Babe has SOOOO much stuff growing at our homestead.  He grew the corn they will eat all year, and he grows most the other things the family eats too.  There are banana trees, avocado trees, papaya trees, there will be mangoes in season, there is an orange tree, and I just discovered a lemon tree.  It freakin rocks! But this also meant that for the first few weeks of not being able to go buy our own food I ate a lot of Pop, avocados, and peanut butter.  Not the healthiest. (Also, probably not the healthiest that I seem to enjoy a nice PB&A sandwich (pb and avocado), but things got desperate after the first 2 weeks of just pb!)
That is how I am gaining weight in Africa. I know I will be walking more when I get to my permanent site in a month.  Also, who knows if I will be lucky enough to have such a fruitful homestead once I move.  I just got to enjoy the avocados (and moan about how there are no tortilla chips in the Swaz) while I can! (while they are freeeeeee) :)