I’m back at an internet café and
how good it feels to be able to check my bank accounts and take care of things
back home! The last time I was rushed so hopefully I can get more things done
and update everyone on how I am doing and what I missed the last time.
I
recently found out that my host mother’s son, my brother, is studying
engineering in Thailand. What a coincidence! He is studying at a University my
dad took me to the last time I was in Thailand. It’s really cute because my
sister, Dondo, keeps saying we are meant to be together. First, at the Host
Family Matching Ceremony, my sister was wearing a top that is EXACTLY like one
I have from H&M. And I am easily amused so you could only imagine I was
excited to tell her I have a top just like hers. And now my mother tells me her
22 year old son is in Thailand while her host daughter is Thai and she can’t
believe it. If this is not a coincidence then I don’t know what is. I had a
late night talk with my mom the other night and I asked her what made her want
to host. She told me that the Thai government has blessed her son by giving him
a full scholarship to study in Thailand and that she wanted to pay back the
government in some way. She told me how grateful she was and that she wanted to
take care of someone just like the people in Thailand are taking care of her
son. She also went on to tell me that when life gives you blessings, you bless
others with the same. Our conversation left me with feelings of hope and
happiness. I kept thinking that what my mother had told me was one of the most
genuine and human things a person can do and it makes me have so much more
respect for her. It also makes me feel that there is still some hope in the
world and that my career path that I’ve chosen is right for me. It was a nice
night. Also, that same day I experienced the first day of rainfall since I’ve
been in the country. It was really exciting. Summer is coming and it’s the time
when Botswana has major droughts so it’s always nice when Batswana see rain. It
was raining so hard – thunder and lightning status- and it was weird because it
wasn’t something I expected. The power went out and I lost mobile service so
that was also kind of scary. We made dinner using my nifty headlight Trenton
gave me before I left (Thanks Bub!) and I wrote a letter in almost complete
darkness, for the exception of a single candlelight. And when I went outside to
use the pit latrine (google it), I was scared for my life. Just imagine going
outside to complete darkness, in Africa, and having to use the restroom with no
light, whatsoever. Never again. I’m holding it next time. Here are just more
pictures of the fam that I didn’t get to upload last time.
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| Fashionable sis. We have matching tops! |
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| Thati is such a little diva, I swear. |
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| Aww. sisters. |
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| The Boss! |
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We tried to get a silly shot and
we failed. We tried once more…FAIL again.
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| Over it. |
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| Angry face. |
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| Silly Fefe being really creepy. haha |
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| Baby Junior! I call him my little chubby cheeks. |
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Power outage in the whole village means we play with light. She's so beautiful.
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I forgot that a lot of my friends
and my family asked me to post pictures of the house and my room and I didn’t
get a chance to last time. It’s nothing fancy but it’s enough. I live the most
simplistic life I have ever lived and it feels pretty good being disconnected
for most of the week. It’ll be a big change but they are just minor
adjustments. I’ll have to get a front view of the house next time.
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| My lovely bed. |
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Peace Corps issued phone,
Pre-Service Training Materials for the first 10 weeks, mosquito net, and a very
comprehensive medical kit. That kit has everything you need!
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| The view from my reading spot. |
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| View of the room from my doorway. |
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| Settling in. |
If most of you recall from my
last post you remember that I told you that Batswana LOVE their weddings. By
the end of this weekend I would have already gone to four, including a baby
shower. And apparently anyone can go to the baby shower too. Well the first
wedding I went to was really fun. I was pulled in by some mosadi moholo , old
lady (not a negative connotation in Botswana), and I was forced to dance with
the wedding party with all eyes on me. You can only imagine how many eyes were
on me. I was embarrassed but realized it’s all fun and nobody cares if you
don’t know how to dance to the music, as long as you’re having fun. My mom also
made me give some type of offering for the new bride and groom and that
entailed carrying a bottle of soda on my head, while dancing in a line with
others. That was…interesting but also fun. I was very surprised at how much
Western influence Botswana weddings have. The outfits are not always traditional
and that goes for the music as well. It is all very beautiful to see,
nonetheless.
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| Bride and groom. |
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| This wedding party knew how to get down. |
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| Mignon learning how to dance from an older Motswana. |
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| Wedding food. (This is for you, Vandana!) Yum! |
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| Offering the couple drinks. |
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| Making a fool of myself and loving it. |
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| Dancing in a line to bring the drinks to the couple. |
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Brides village. (1st
day is celebrated in the bride’s village, second day is celebrated in the
groom’s village, 3rd day the bride goes to stay with her new
mother-in-law, and the 4th day the couple starts their first day of
married life in their new home together. I wasn’t playing when I said weddings
are long and expensive!
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| Traditional Housing |
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The first of many “I want to take
a picture with the mekgoas” pictures. She then persisted to tell everyone we
were her friends. Haha
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As far as new updates I haven’t
really got much to say. Six days a week we are at the Kanye Education Center
for our extremely long sessions. We start around 8:30 and end at 5:00. A normal
day consists of about four sessions covering anything from Permagardening to
HIV/AIDS epidemiology, and EVERYTHING in between. I literally feel like I’m in
college again with all the group activities and homework assignments. But I
know one thing, I will be an expert on HIV/AIDS by the end of Pre-Service
Training (PST) and I will know how to survive on bucket baths, cooking beef,
water preparation, and capacity building. Those are just very few of the things
that PST covers.
The most exciting things that
happened this week was the rainfall, going to Gabarone, getting to use the
internet, and stuffing ourselves with junk food from Botswana. A day before we
got all the rain, lightning, and thunder, we went to the capital city of
Gabarone to set up bank accounts, do our program interviews, and have time to
shop at Game City. Let me also add that I successfully did my laundry and am
continually amazed at how fast my clothes dry. I love the smell and sight of
fresh linen on the clothesline. It makes me feel accomplished. Haha (Washing
clothes by hand is no joke!) Anyway, back to what I was saying…Since everything
is in Gabarone all of us were excited to get to spend the day there. But that
was short lived. The people here run on Botswana time meaning nothing is ever
started on time, respectfully. We are told this yet volunteers continue to get
impatient. We are advised to always have reading material and food with us just
in case we are ever held up anywhere, which is very often. After setting up
accounts and having my interview, I had NO time to do anything at Game City.
Game is like a big Wal-Mart (Wal-Mart owns it) and has everything you could
imagine for decent prices. We all go crazy when we get to go there because most
of us re-acquaint ourselves with clothing stores, junk food, and a population
that is more diverse and English-speaking. To most of us it is the closest
feeling of home that we get so it means a lot to us. Although I didn’t get to
do much shopping around I was happy that I was able to buy a fudge bar for 50
cents and a pack of envelopes, for sending my letters (Your letters are coming,
Trenton!), for a dollar. The little things will start to mean the world to me
for the next two years. But it’s okay. I like it here and I can’t wait for all
the great experiences I will have and all that I have to learn about myself. I
can’t wait to start teaching and co-facilitating. The thing I’m scared of most
is integrating into my community when I go to my permanent site and building
trust and rapport with my neighborhood. I really hope that they like me and
that I am able to assess the needs of the people and build on that. I strongly believe
that this will definitely be “the hardest job [I’ll] ever love.”
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| Our first birthday of the group, in Kanye! Happy Birthday Liz! |
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| A photo from my niece's perspective. |
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| Peace Corps office in the capital city of Gabarone. |
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| Success with hand washing! |
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| This is how happy we look when we find an internet cafe! |
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| An ambulance that immediately reminded me of Trenton. (I miss you!) |
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Enjoying our cheddar and onion
Simba chips from the tuck shop!! (A tuck shop is a like a tiny convenience
store that is found all over Botswana, in different villages. They are usually
family-owned businesses and have the essentials you might need for home within
walking distance.)
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