Working for the Swazi government, one of the first things you learn is flexibility. Meetings are often arranged at very short notice, particularly when donors fly into town.
It's not unusual to get an invitation the day before an important all-day workshop, or to be told on a Friday to clear your diary for the following week.
Dates for traditional holidays such as Umhlanga (the reed dance) and Incwala (first fruit ceremony) are usually announced just a week in advance, so only the brave dare plan anything important in August or December. But it's not really a problem - you learn to keep a flexible diary, and to twist and turn with events.
The past week, however, has seen us turned into contortionists. This year, Independence Day fell on a Saturday, so it was decided that there would be no public holiday - we left work on Friday expecting to come back on Monday. Then on Independence Day itself, government changed its mind and announced, over the radio, a public holiday on the Monday. (Yep, two days later.)
Still, it could be worse - I could be a parent. Schools were due to come back from holidays this week, but the start of term was postponed by a week, again with almost no notice. A friend who works at a private school was still trying to figure out on Monday whether or not he was supposed to be at work on Tuesday...
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