Today, we said goodbye to the wonderful staff of the Stillpoint Country Manor as we began our journey into Swaziland.

We didn’t leave for Swaziland until around 11:30, which means that we had the morning to ourselves for packing and exercising (for those so inclined). After a delicious breakfast—and some last minute packing—we were on the road to Swaziland!

We traveled in a wonderfully spacious 20-seater bus—a great improvement over our previous 7-seater rental car (there are 10 of us, so you can imagine how well we all fit). I slept for the majority of our 5-hour journey, but I was able to catch the occasional glimpse of the beauty of the South African countryside.

We stopped briefly for lunch at a rest stop with some delicious options. I split a sandwich with Adriana, while others got pizzas and burgers. After a few more hours, we ended up at the insanity that was border patrol.

For the first time in my life, I crossed a border on foot, and it was madness. We walked into a small building and were immediately greeted with one large mass of people, all pushing to reach the three open counters at the front. After a long lesson on the dangers of tuberculosis and hearing a few coughs in the crowd, we made sure to open all of the windows along the way. I think the best parallel I could make would be to a mosh pit, or to Spring Fling. It was a great form of group bonding, as we all got to know each other very well in there. After about an hour of that, we were cleared to enter Swaziland, and we finally had arrived in the country that will be our home for the next 4 weeks.

The hotel that we’re staying in is beautiful. When we pulled into the driveway, my breath was taken away. Each pair of us has a small little hut to call our own for the next few weeks, with two beds and a bathroom and a teakettle. (Of course there are more amenities, but I’m just listing my favorite three). We discussed our first journal article as a group over dinner. It discussed the spread of MDR-TB and XDR-TB (multi-drug resistant and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis) in hospitals in South Africa, and what could be done to slow the bacteria’s spread. I really enjoyed our “journal club,” and I look forward to many more.

The night was reserved for roommate bonding, so Jessica and I spent the night watching Youtube videos (we finally have internet in our rooms!) and having spontaneous dance parties. It was a great way to end a fun day!!