The End of Integration!

- Our integration period (3 months) is officially over and all restrictions have been lifted! We were previously only allowed to be away from our site one night per month. It wasn't a huge issue, just minimally annoying at times when it proved to be highly inconvenient. We are happy to have 'graduated' from that stage and are now official volunteers!

In the next week and a half we will finish up assessing our community, write up our findings and be off to Mbabane on the 19th for a week worth of training. Although we are adjusting to life here in our community, we are looking forward to a week away with our fellow volunteers. IST (in service training) will also - hopefully - provide us with some valuable resources and information on opportunities we can bring to our community. The next stage begins! In other news....Lewis got a new hat :)

- The garden is GROWING! It had a rough start, but we are seeing growth from day to day. It's exciting to watch. The Squash patch, especially, has taken off. We have a row of yellow crookneck, a row of zucc's, a row of spaghetti squash and a row of melons which is still small. You can also see strings going up the fence. We are hoping that our beans will begin there vertical accent using them. It's all a process.

The squash flowers have just started to bloom in the last few day's
Can't wait to start eating them! We had fresh swiss chard with our burger patties last night. They were surprisingly tender. They are still slightly small, still young, that must be why. Yum!

- Yes I know....more pictures of radishes and pizza. I just think radishes are such a beautiful veggie and we're still having fun with our many pizza creations. The picture of me is mostly for my mom, so she can see my face :)

- See! They are so bright and cheery. The Swazi's have never seen them before and are a little turned off by their distinctive spicy flavor, but I think I have a few converts.
- Caramelized onions, zucchini and mustard green pizza with homemade garlic ranch and sriracha from home. Mmmmm.....
Miss you all,

Ruby & Lewis

PS....another couple here always lists what they each are currently reading. That's fun right?

Ruby is reading: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Lewis is reading: Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo