Site Placement!!!

October 18, 2012 was the day all of us, trainees, were looking forward to since we stepped off the plane. For some of us, it was the day we’ve been waiting for since we got our invitation in the mail. On this day we celebrated all of the different locations we were assigned to and all of the places we will soon be calling “home.”

Site placement is really exciting for Peace Corps Trainees. For weeks, prior to the day we find out, we all talked about where we might be going, looked at maps and guessed the different villages we might be assigned to, and wondered how life would be in our new homes: Will we have running water and electricity? Will my community like me? Will I make a difference out there? You can imagine how anxious all of us were and how excited we were to finally find out where we’d live and what we’d be doing! Plus, I think we are all really over Pre-Service Training (PST) at this point so any break from our learning sessions are well received. There were balloons, drinks, cookies, and candy; the whole nine yards (for Peace Corps standards). You know it is a big deal when Peace Corps decides to provide all these with their limited budget. We all sat in a big semi-circle and were asked to look under our chairs for a number. This number indicated the sequence in which we were to go up and find out where our village is, announce to the class where we’d be living and working, and then find and pin your village on a big map of Botswana. It was all really fun and exciting as we cheered for each other not knowing where most of these places even were. So aren’t you all just dying to know where I am???

I am going to call the village of Hebron my home for the next 2 years starting November 16, 2012! I will be the very first volunteer to work and live in this small village. The site is new and that means I will set the bar and not have to fill anyone else’s shoes. Phew! I will be teaching at Iphutheng Junior Secondary School meaning I will be working with 13-16 year olds. Eeek! These are middle school kids, wish me luck! J I’m really nervous about working in a Junior Secondary School but I know it’ll be alright. (I hope they’re not bigger than me. haha L) The needs and challenges that are identified in the site development visit from our program director are: destitution (very serious), lack of school uniforms, personal hygiene (yes!), alcohol and drug abuse, the high cost of transport (great), and many orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Ironically, I am really happy that there are a lot of needs and challenges to address so that I can better focus my projects to gear them towards these issues. I am so eager to start my life here and start my community assessment. Most of all, I am excited to see how my place is going to look and feel like. I can finally say that I have my own place and that it is in Africa! Ahhh, how cool is that?! I tried to beat out information about my house from the program manager, Mpho, since we are buddy-buddy. haha He’s the one laughing at me in the picture where I’m announcing to the class where my assignment is because I jokingly said I’d be near the Okavango Delta. (A girl can dream) Well…I found out that I’d be in government housing! People who live in government housing are usually teachers, school officials, and employees from the clinics so hopefully this will mean my place will be pretty decent. I will be living on a Primary School compound or area but will be teaching at Iputheng Junior Secondary School. I didn’t expect much when I decided to join the Peace Corps but from what I hear, government housing is pretty legit and usually comes with running water and electricity so I am not complaining! In fact, I’d love to know what turning on the faucet feels like again and being able to use the internet on a regular basis! Honestly speaking though, if I didn’t have these things I would still be okay with it. I’d learn to adapt, live, and be grateful for every single thing. Mpho also said that he thinks he remembers my site having a bathroom (yay for western toilets!) and two rooms. TWO. What will I do with that?! I can’t wait to cook for myself and have an actual place to call mine. Even if I didn’t have a toilet and had to go out to the scary pit latrine at night I know I would love my very own place, nonetheless. I love my family and all but I’d like to be able to have a little more privacy and do things on my own, at my own time. I’m getting so excited just typing about it! So on Monday and Tuesday I will be going to the capital to meet my counterpart and the Head Master (Principal) of the school. I’m really excited and nervous and I pray that both my counterpart and Head Master are friendly, willing, and helpful. I will also be able to ask them about my home, my work site, the village, and my mailing address so stay tuned for the updates!

First encounter with a camel spider! Gross.

Cutest girl

Tate, my host during shadowing

These guys are all over!!! UGH!!!

Backyard view

Our living room

Pizza!!!

rainy day

Lightning and thunderstorm