I want to give an accurate portrayal of what I’m up to. The
foolishness I’ve gotten myself into this week, the joys, the rough bits, and
the rich culture but one post a week simply cannot capture the complexity and
the nuance. In many ways my life is the same here as it is back in the states,
I wear scarves and big earings and when I am so happy I don’t know how to
contain my joy I have a dance party when no one is looking (Botswanaswanaswana).
However, at the same time I can acutely feel how far away I am from my support
networks and if this week taught me anything, its that no matter where I am I
still like to talk about my feelings.
Most things I thought I knew last week have proven to be
incorrect, but I now think that’s just how life is. Peace Corps is about
expecting the unexpected and laughing along the way.
Sunday of last week was hard because we had another person
ET (early terminate) and leave for the states. This shook me up and made me
question my decision to be living in Botswana. So Monday I was going to get
back on track and learn to cook dinawa (beans), cheers to more protein and less
starch. However then I come home to B (the housekeeper/ my sister) being sick
and my host mom and I taking her to the hospital. As I understood more, I
realized she probably had the equivalent of the flu and that I could stop
stressing over her like a mother hen. In the mean time my host mom is stressing
over me and is concerned that I might be hungry and that I have homework, so
she has her daughter pick me up from the hospital on their way into town, mind
you have I have yet to meet this daughter and her family. This means that
moments later I am being sheparded into the back seat of a car where I thought
I would be kickin’ it with a three year old, but instead found myself on the
lap of someone I had yet to meet. Did I mention greetings are really important
in Batswana culture? Because they are. Luckily after arriving home and tumbling
out of the vehicle, I formally met Sheila who is the nanny for the three year
old I was expecting, and the rest of the family. Luckily Sheila is one of the
most loving people I have ever met and I don’t think she is holding my lack of
greetings against me.
The more time I spend here the more I realize that what I think
know about Batswana culture is probably not true. What I am sharing are a
fraction of the experiences I am having that are filtered through my world view
and depend on my mood while I am writing. So what is Batswana culture? Good
question. Hopefully in 27 months I might have some insight and if nothing else
I can guarantee a slew of stories.
No matter what language you speak, laughter is a powerful
tool. There is a noise/inflection that Batswana throw into conversation that
cracks me up, so one night I tried my hand at working it into the conversation.
My host mom and Sheila were surprised and delighted by my choice and needles to
say we were laughing for hours.
To keep me centered I have started to meditate each morning
with a handful of other volunteers and I am extremely grateful for this. It
makes 9.5 hours of power points more bearable. Sometimes training seems quite
long but when I actually think about it I am grateful to be receiving this
training, it is encouraging to be in a room full of Peace Corps staff who want
you to succeed.
All in all the week went well and despite the rocky beginning
it ended on a high note as B, taught me how to make Magwinya, the long awaited
fat cakes! I can safely say I am a fan. It is basically a doughnut with out the
sugar.
Magwinya Recipe
(according to me watching B)
Flour 1 Kg
Sugar 6 Tbs
Salt 1Tbs
Backing Powder 1Tbs
Yeast ½ Tbs
Warm Water 2 Cups
Mix, Knead. Rise (1 hour), Deep Fry till golden brown
(turning once)
Enjoy!
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