Week 113: Goodbyes are Hard

As of October 13, 2015 I am an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer). This may be just another acronym to many but for me those four letters hold countless memories of dust storms, bus rides, cups of tea, and experiences that I will always carry. There were many times I did not think I would make it to this moment but I am happy and proud to say that I have. 

Ke a leboga Botswana.

Thank you Botswana.

 

Week 112: Constantly Oscillating

One moment I am going out to the lands with my landlady and her family and I cannot imagine saying goodbye to the people who have guided me on this difficult journey and then the next I am wondering why I am in the bush, when all I want to do is eat dinner and be in the comfort of my own home. As my time wraps up here my mood is constantly oscillating. I am both incredibly sad to leave, excited for my next adventure, and full of love for the people I have met and the people I will see again soon. It can be challenging to hold all of these truths at once. In the meantime I will continue to make brownies, run, and lay on my floor hoping that the water comes back on before I attempt to do my dishes with some of my precious stored water. 

A photo from one of the going away parties. 

 

Week 111: Kindness

The past two years have been filled with many challenges, misunderstandings, and heartbreak as I tried to work in an arguably broken education system. However, I cannot begin to count all of the moments of laughter, love, and kindness that I was a part of and that were shown to me. Grading papers and looking at end of term test results can make me want to throw my hands up and admit defeat. Then I go home to find my landlady in her beautiful garden insisting that I take some fresh greens. Her definition of ‘some’ turns out to be enough greens to have me eating Merogo (Setswana vegetable) all week and I am reminded again why I am not ready to give up. I want to do the best I can for her children and her grandchildren. I want to repay the kindnesses shown to me in the best way I know how, through reading. The end of term test results may not show the work I have done but I know my time in Moshana has been beneficial to those around me and most significantly myself. 

The 'greens' my landlady shared with me, and Lefa being sassy in the back.

Week 110: Lefa, Lungile, Tetlo, and Kate to Name a Few

It was not until I arrived in Botswana that I came to the realization that I am not a kid person. I have babysat for many families and always loved the kids and translated those specific relationships to broad statements about how I like kids. However, I have had the privilege of forming close relationships with a few kids here that will make it incredibly hard to say goodbye. Lungile and Kate have both been born since my arrival and now I cannot imagine my days without their smiling giggling faces. We have full conversations with only noises that always end in giggles. Tetlo has lived in the house behind mine but only recently started to trust me and Lefa has been my friend longer than I have been hers. These four children always make me smile, laugh, and of course drive me a little crazy but they are a part of my day and I do not know what I will do without them. 

Lungile on a regular Monday afternoon, hanging out in my doorway while I do the dishes and surreptitiously take his photo.

Week 109: A New Baby

In so many ways I will always be an outsider here and yet this is my community. I am accepted and I am loved. On my run today a few neighborhood kids ran after me telling me about a woman who had a baby. Between their English and my Setswana there were a few holes in the story. It wasn’t until I was on my way home from the run that the story came together and I paid a visit to my friend who just had a baby and who sent the kids to find me. As I sat in her home holding her new baby and hearing about her first reactions to motherhood I felt like I had been invited into an intimate moment. Her accommodation may be modest but her priorities are seen in the new fuzzy cloths for her baby and her smart phone. I left feeling grateful to the people who have let me into their hearts.

Week 108: Village Pictures

My House!

The Clinic

The Kgotla (Traditional Meeting Place)

Week 107: Weddings

This week I had the privilege of attending a friend's wedding and here is a photo of me in a traditional skirt that married women wear to weddings. It was made as a gift for me, even though everyone is aware that I am not actually married.