Manzini

Manzini is a very unique city. It is the economic and transportation capital of the country of Swaziland. It is also the home of the only airport in Swaziland. The city itself is fairly sprawling and full of lots of what I would call little shacks for homes. We were fortunate to live in a Seventh Day Adventist guest house that had two bedrooms, a living area, and a kitchen. One day we got to take a short walk to the Vanderwals. It seems like everyone had a roadside stand in that small stretch, including fruit (lots of oranges and avocados), peanuts, chips, pop and other assorted goods. We walked past the local hospital and the Nazarene school. You can tell lots of workers by the blue suits they wear. There are also lots of dogs in Manzini and in other areas we saw, but rarely were they as pets. Evidently there are packs of dogs which roam the country and city. Manzini is perhaps best known for its local market. Now it's not like the kind of market here in the states. It's much more like a massive"farmer's market" except with all kinds of goods. There's a downstairs with all kinds of produce being sold. The upper level of the main market is more like a tourist's playground with all kinds of curios and trinkets available for sale. The rest of the market is full of a variety of people selling clothes, tin, baskets, and other things. There's also a few shops set up where witch doctors sell their wares, including the stuff needed to do their work and others to actually do the spells in the market. Thinking of the various things in town, a few come to mind. First is the trash. I don't know why, but it seems like there's no such thing as trashcans in Manzini. The other thing is smoke. When they do something with the trash, it's usually burning it. Despite this, there is such beauty in the surrounding community as the city is surrounded by rolling mountains. The people are also so kind and gentle. They are always smiling, laughing, and easy to get along with. It's a city mixed in goodness and darkness. Pray for the city and the people in the city, that God would continue to shine his light there.