Host Family Thank You Party and Pula!

Some of us, girls, before the party. Look at the cute pup!

For the past two weeks we have been planning a big party for all of our host families. We had different committees for cooking, decorating, entertainment, ushering, and shopping. We’ve been really excited to host this and it was a pretty successful event. Certificates from the Peace Corps were presented, gifts were exchanged, and food was given to everyone there. (Even IF some people didn’t like it. Haha) I’d say it was a success but preparing wasn't so easy.

I was in the shopping committee and that wasn’t really an easy task. You have to remember that in America, when we need something done it gets done. And it gets done fairly quickly. In Botswana, I will really be learning patience because everything here will take 10x longer than it would in America. For example, if I planned to buy food for 200+ people it would take a trip to the store, a while to find and purchase all the goods needed, and some time to pack it up and drive off. Well, in Botswana it is the exact same thing but for some reason it will take about 5x longer than necessary. I have to keep in mind that this culture is different. I also have to keep in mind I come from Los Angeles. People from LA are constantly rushing, always have somewhere to go, and get pissed off when someone delays them, even to the point of rudeness for some. In Botswana it is okay to stop and talk to someone for a while even if you are a taxi driver and have somewhere to take your customers sitting in the back. (e.g. Me waiting for 5 minutes while the driver stops another taxi driver friend and talks with him) It is also okay for a cashier at the supermarket to talk to the neighboring cashier as I am waiting for her to ring up our 100+ items that we’ve already put onto the counter. We probably waited for a few minutes before she started ringing our items up. My point is that you really have to be open-minded and patient to be here. It is not necessarily a bad thing, it is just different. I am reminded daily about cross-cultural sensitivity and I am learning how to deal with situations patiently and with humor. Some days it is harder than others but I have to remember most people here are friendly and caring and more patient that I would ever be. Haha

So cute in her traditional outfit!

Penne with a tomato sauce, BBQ pulled chicken, garlic toast,
sweet baked beans, and oat cookies.

Back to the party…I helped in the kitchen and let me say, making food for that many people is not easy. We decided to make food that we ate in America and so we decided on an Italian/Southern-style feast. We pulled 10 bags of chicken, we cooked 10 kg of pasta, we toasted 20 loaves of garlic bread, boiled 20 cans of beans and it was stressful and fun. A lot of the Batswana thought everything was way too sweet and most of us trainees thought it was the best meal we’ve had in 2 months. Haha Either way it was fun to sing our national anthem, do skits as a way to entertain our guests, and end it with dancing to some kind of slide I didn’t even know how to do. (Electric slide?) I’d say it was a good time.

This girl could dance - Latin, Ballroom, Hip-Hop; you name it.

Tom is quite the actor.

My baby Junior came to the party!

Some of us went back to the room where we hold our 6-days-a-week-sessions and danced and played games all evening. I have never sweated so much in my life! I learned the electric slide, the boot-scootin’ boogie, and the basics of ballroom and latin dancing. (Thank you Eden!) Even Luis danced with us, being the only male in the BOTS 13 group who is not married and is under 30 years old. I really think all of us just wanted to spend our last weekend in Kanye with the familiar faces we have all grown accustomed to in the past 2 months and realized how much we would miss each other. 

Around 6:30 p.m. we turned off the music and waited for the rain to calm down before we all walked home. While Luis, Sarah, and I started walking home, Luis had the idea of feeling the nice wet grass on our feet for one last time and with that, we took off our shoes and played in the rain! We danced, we laid our bodies down and soaked up the water, we opened our mouths and felt the raindrops on our tongues, we rolled around in the grass, we did cartwheels, and we enjoyed each other’s company while our clothes were drenched in water. My inner child is always with me and this was the most fun I have had in a long time. What I love is that we can really be ourselves and be silly around each other even if we have only known each other for a short while. I will really miss them when we go off to our sites but I will remember to look back on days like these when I am down/bored/lonely and remember that I will have made great friends in my service. It will be a reminder as to why I am here – to help others, to find out more about who I am, to make new friends, and to have fun and enjoy the rain when it comes. Pula!

I believe I can fly!

This Thursday, November 15, 2012, we will officially swear-in as Peace Corps Volunteers. I can’t believe how 2 months flew by! The next time I update you I will be an official volunteer but after that I won’t know if I’ll have internet access readily available to me at my site. I will definitely let you know by Thursday. See you then!