June 3 (day 12)

Friday

Got up and went to the market in Manzini to buy some gifts. I'm the worst at bartering. I felt really bad trying to lower the prices and I failed miserably. But I got some neat things for some people, as well as myself.

 Then we went to the Milwane game reserve, which is beautiful. You're allowed to walk around there, which is cool, but that also means no elephants, giraffes, rhinos...We did see hippos and crocs there, though, as well as wildabeasts, water buffalo, wart hogs, impalas, and zebras. So we got there a bit before lunch, so a few of us just walked around the main area and reserved a time slot to go horseback riding! Lunch time eventually came, but the university students had not. So we waited for them to come and they finally did. By that time, our time slot was very near, so we had to shovel food into our faces and get over to the horses! Lunch was still great though!

Finally we got on our horses and headed out with our tour guide into the reserve. It was seriously so awesome. And so incredibly beautiful! Really just a great experience being out in the open plains with wild African animals around you. So peaceful. I wish it would've never ended.

About an hour or so later we headed back and rejoined the team. Talked with some of the university students and a few of them gave us Swazi names! My name is Nokulunga, which means kindness. It was amazing how Nathaniel (his American name) could just look at us and give us a name with a meaning that fits who we are! I really felt so flattered and I'm so grateful for that moment. It really means a lot to me.

Eventually it was time to go and we headed back into Manzini and up to the flats. Right now we're just hanging around the chill place until dinner.
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Devos was good tonight. I've been thinking a lot about how I would respond when people ask, "How was Swaziland?!" I don't just want to answer with, "It was a lot of fun! It was such an amazing experience! I made a lot of friends! I learned so much!" I want to answer with something that goes beyond all of that...Something that God has put on my heart and that I can apply deep into my everyday being. Things like, "How have I transformed spiritually? How has this trip changed me and defined me? What can I actively do?" So much has happened during this trip that I wouldn't even know where I would begin. And I have no clue exactly what I would say. I  just don't know if I could put this experience into words!