Week 70: My Friend’s Wedding

A dear friend of mine got married this week in Moshana and I had the privilege of attending all eleven hours of the wedding, and I am not being sarcastic it really was a privilege. The day began early, as I went to her house at 7:30am, however, the day began much earlier for others who were cooking since the wee hours. We then went to a district office in Kanye for the exchange of vows and signing of the marriage license. There were 21 other couples exchanging their vows on that day and thus quite a crowd. The traditional outfit for married women involves a blue skirt, white shirt, and a blue plaid blanket over the shoulders. Although there is plenty of variation, one is guaranteed to see a sea of blue plaid at most weddings.  By 12:30 we were on our way back to the village to celebrate. As soon as getting out of the vehicle the wedding party and most guests start doing a two step dance march around the yard. Now I have been to many weddings and done this dance just as often, yet somehow the seemingly simple steps require my full concentration and I can guarantee I look a fool in such a way that my fellow wedding goers don’t, I still don’t understand this. Next there are speeches and the wedding feast, which everyone should be thankful, I had no part in preparing. The meal consisted of samp (a maiz product), rice, seswa (pounded meat), shredded beets, and butternut squash. The rest of the afternoon was filled with dancing (mostly on the part of the kids), and socializing. I am extremely grateful for this friend and her entire family. When my friend had bridal duties to perform she would make sure I had someone to talk to and to explain things to me. I was never without a buddy, which made for an enjoyable day.

Week 69: The Chicken Killing

In honor of Thanksgiving my landlady gave me a chicken. Now there was some confusion on what this meant. In my mind my land lady was being very generous and killing and cooking a chicken for me. In her mind, she was giving me a chicken as plain as that, and I, as a good village daughter, would know what to do. My city roots shone through in this moment and I was a bit helpless. Lucky for me in Botswana one is never alone and a friend came over to do the dirty work of killing, plucking the feathers, etc. Prior to coming to Botswana I was a vegetarian for seven years and thus was very out of my element. However, I watched the whole process and from “farm to table” (my front yard to my plastic plate on my lap) I think it took 2 hours. Although the whole experience has pushed me back to my vegetarian roots, it was the sentiment that will stay with me and I could not feel more loved than I do by those around me.

Week 68: The Princess of Moshana

November 24^th-30^th

Thanksgiving is quite possibly my favorite holiday and I wanted to share it with my friends in the village.  Going the whole nine yards with a turkey and stuffing seemed a bit too complex so I settled for an apple pie (of the square variety).  A few of my teacher friends and my land lady came over to enjoy the pie which was the perfect way to celebrate with my Moshana family. I tried to explain the saying “As American as Apple Pie” which turned out to be more difficult then I thought so I settled by telling them that they were eating the most American food. The average Motswana doesn’t seem to have as much of a sweet tooth as the average American but luckily my guests all enjoyed the pie and asked me to wait till they arrive to start baking next time.

Earlier in the week I had a meeting with the clinic staff about how we are going to work together next year. Later in the meeting I was encouraging the women to come to the library and borrow books. One of the women claimed she couldn’t read because she didn’t have reading glasses. I asked if she had children, which she confirmed and I told her to have them read to her. She then said that they only watch TV and abuse her, I told her to turn off the electricity and in an attempt at a joke told her to abuse them back. Due to her look of confused horror, I do believe my joke bombed and I accidently encouraged violence…oops!

We had a road safety event in Moshana this week, which was supposed to begin at 6:30 am with a march through the village. Time is a lot more flexible here and thus the boy scouts and I were the only ones to show up at 6:30. When the event did start at 9:30 I was glad to be there because the Kgosi (traditional leader) called attention to my presence and introduced me as the princess of Moshana. I don’t think I have ever been called princess, however, after the event numerous people went out of their way to call me that and I am worried it will stick. However the nickname is a small price to pay for the acceptance and love I feel in the village.

Week 67: Dr Tau o kae? (Where is Dr Tau?)

 November 17^th-23^rd

My annual dentist appointment rolled around this week and I left the village armed with the Dentist’s name and a rough hand drawn map that I could not make heads or tails of. Admittedly I was a bit irked with this minimal amount of information I was given and felt none of the control over my day that I so enjoy. The day started well as I got my favorite bus to the capital and the conductor assured me he knew where I was going and would help me get there, I rested easy for the next hour and a half. Then upon arrival to the bus rank he directed me to the combi I needed. Just to be sure, I double checked with the combi driver to see if his was the right route, he then directed me to another combi, promising that that one was better. A slew of other kindly strangers and combis later I was headed out of the rank sitting next to the combi driver who reassured me he knew where I was going, this was more than I could say for myself and I decided to trust him. Fifteen minutes into the route he asks me where I am going and before I lose my cool, I remember that I really haven’t the faintest and I can’t be angry with him for also not knowing, despite his earlier promises. A few minutes later I decide to get off when I see a sign for a dentist, in hopes it will be mine. As it turns out it was not, but the lovely ladies at the office did know my dentist and my map made perfect sense to them. I left their office armed with a phone number (which I didn’t have before) and a sense of gratitude for all of the people who helped me along the way, even though they did not have to. Even down to finding the right building in the complex and the office when I was in the building, there were friendly faces helping me along. Countries are made up of many individuals but by and large I have found Batswana to be very helpful and willing to assist a stranger, as one of those strangers, I am very grateful. As it turned out I have a cavity and thus have the privilege of making this trek again in two weeks, as fun as it was, I do hope it is a bit simpler next go around, maybe I can even give someone directions to pay it forward.

Week 66: Mid Service Training

Mid-Servicer Training was this week and thus I spent the first half of the week in the Capital with my fellow Bots 14ers. It was great to catch up with some of the members of my cohort that I have not seen since our last training in February and enjoy the amenities such as a hot shower and air conditioning. I am very grateful to be going through this experience with a great group of people, even though by and large our paths do not cross on a regular basis when they do cross I know they understand what I am going through and I them.

One of my best friends in the village is the four year old who lives on my compound. As I type this we are reading a book by Eric Carle interspersed with singing head shoulders, knees and toes. This child has affected my life more than she will ever know and always reminds me to keep it simple, giggle, and sing.

Week 65: Little Frustrations and Midterm Elections

  Since I have been living and working in Moshana for more than a year, I am definitely more comfortable but that also means that little frustrations which I thought were funny and endearing I no longer see that way. This week I worked with the standard 6 teachers and the guidance department to put on a self esteem workshop for the standard 6 students. In order to put this event together there were many hurdles however the one that makes for the best story involves the hunt for the projector, which turned into a hunt for the key to the filing cabinet it was stored in, and finally a hunt for a sharp object to jimmy the cabinet open with. It was about the time that I was scanning the school for anything flat and metal to open the cabinet with that I realized a few months ago this would have been funny to me and just another part of my adventure here. Now I see it as an unnecessary hoop I have to jump through to get to my end goal (showing a power point).  I can appreciate that I am growing here and do not need for every frustration to be a laugh but I hope I can still see the humor in a situation while still standing up for my needs.

I assume most people know that this week there were the Mid-Term Elections in the States. Recently I have been watching copious amounts of the TV show The West Wing and drinking the idealism juice that Aaron Sorkin is putting out there. As a result of drinking the juice I was very excited for elections and I hope people took their civic duty seriously to be informed and vote. I will own up to the fact that I did not submit my absentee ballot and hang my head in shame. Although I can promise I will be voting next time around.

Week 64: Trouble in Paradise (When Paradise is the Library)

I was enthused by how many children were using the library at school, with 50-100 books being taken out daily. However as the week wore on, I was becoming less enthused with the amount of books being returned, the state of the books that were returned, and the over all state of the library after the hurricane of kids left each day. My first reaction was to get angry with the kids for mistreating the books and make it personal feeling that they were mistreating me. Then I was reminded that my mother read to me every night as a child and I was surrounded by books at school, at home, and (because I was cool like that) the library. Most of the kids I am working with have not had the same exposure to books and thus my new goal is to try to create a culture of reading and mostly just don’t take it personally.

Week 63: Elections

On October 24^th there were long lines at the school as community members waited to vote. Botswana has had a parliamentary democracy, modeled after the UK system, since independence in 1966. Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has held the majority in Parliament since independence and remained the majority this election keeping President Sir Seretse Khama Ian Khama in power for another 5 year term (his second and last due to term limits). This election was more heated then recent years and opposition parties now have 20 seats in parliament, which is greater then ever before. Keep an eye out for the next election in Botswana times are a changing.

At the end of the day I went over to the Kgotla, our other polling place, to see how voting was going that side. Civil servants such as teachers are the ones who work and manage the polling stations and thus I wanted to check in with my friends. While chatting with the teachers one of them told me that there was a case of Ebola in New York and then let me read the article on his phone. Just as an fyi there have been more confirmed cases of Ebola in the States then there have been in Botswana (there have been zero Botswana).

Week 62: "The Bugs are Back in Town..." and Prize Giving

Summer has started and the bugs are back in town. My old friends from last year such as large cockroaches, a variety of eight-legged creatures, and everyone’s favorite, the persistent fly, which is not stymied by a swat of the hand. However with this old cast of characters come beautiful sunrise runs and shamelessly lazy afternoons.

This week at school we had the end of term prize giving event, where the best students in each class and subject were awarded (you guessed it…) a prize. Last year at this event I was new to site and eager to please which ended in my cutting cabbage (rather poorly) for three hours. This year I began the morning with gift-wrapping the prizes and as one of the teachers remarked, “At least this time you are doing something you are good at.” Not only was she complementing on my masterful wrapping but also the first of many to acknowledge the cabbage incident of last year. This time when I entered the kitchen it was only to get away from lengthy speeches in Setswana or to banter with the friendly kitchen staff and remind everyone about the cabbage and how I make much better company than help. Later receiving a lesson on the proper way to eat chicken from a bone I was called away to the kitchen. Worried, that I did not rattle everyone’s memory enough about last years events I wondered what task they would trust to me. Upon arrival in the kitchen I found out the task was taste tester, winning! Taste testing turned into a heaping plate and thus when the event ended late I was not cranky but pleasantly full not only of samp (a maiz product) but also of my co-workers kindness.

Week 61: Mad Libs

This week was the first meeting of English club and I feel like I figured out the secret, work with motivated kids. I had been fighting this and trying to work with the kids who need the most help, those who cannot read and are not supported. Like many before me I have discovered that is a very difficult job and a tall order. I am only one person and my motivation is also limited.

For our first meeting of English club, I thought that Mad Libs was a great way to start. We could discuss parts of speech and have a good laugh. It turns out that in order for Mad Libs to be funny the context has to be understood, lets just say that was not the case. I came to the realization that I think every day is like a game of Mad Libs for the kids as they hear words and do not understand the context. On the Brightside we all understand nouns, verbs, and adjectives, but maybe I will plan something different for next lesson.

Week 60: Bouipuso (Independence)

September 30^th was Independence Day and I celebrated with the rest of the community by going to the Kgotla. Although I have been to the Kgotla many times, this was the first time, I learned that there was a male and female entrance and sure enough I used the male entrance… oops! After living in Moshana for a year my village savvy told me if the event started at 8am, 10am was a good time to arrive. I was not led astray by this notion and instead had time to get a seat but did not have to wait long for the festivities to begin.  Soon after I arrived, the women’s choir of Moshana started to sing and I was hit by a wave of Botswana patriotism. My misguided notions of the peace corps before arriving made me believe that this would be what my life was like; Immersed in a vibrant community learning about another culture. Although these “vibrant” moments exist, they can get lost in the day to day. I need to save this memory for a rainy day when I forget why I want to be here, because in that moment, sitting next to my friend, surrounded by my neighbors, and listening to the choir, I felt like a part of the community that at other times I question the existence of.

Also fun fact our Kgosi (traditional leader) was videoing the whole thing on his iPhone. Don’t worry at the same time I was surreptitiously taking photos of my Kgosi.

Week 59: Ga ke itse Setswana (I don’t know Setswana) Nnya, wa itse Setswana (No, you know Setswana)

When I first arrived at site, many people were very impressed with my Setswana; I could greet people and have very brief conversations about trivial things. I had just come off of two months of Setswana lessons at least 4 days a week, which I am pretty sure that no one knew and thought I just magically picked up the language as I ambled around the village. Also although there are white people around Botswana anecdotal evidence has shown that many do not know Setswana and thus my Setswana greetings won over the hearts of many villagers. Now I have been in the village for a year and if my Setswana was progressing as community members assured me it would, I would be fluent right now. In fact my Setswana has stagnated and although I can still greet people, make trivial conversation, as well as all of the noises, I am no closer to fluency then when I first arrived. However, this has not stymied people’s beliefs that I am fluent and has even gotten me thinking that maybe I am fluent; this is until people proceed to only speak in Setswana to me and I realize I have no idea what is going on. Perhaps I should hit the books again, but I must admit this self-delusion has been nice

Week 58: Orange Marmalade

I have always thought of orange marmalade as Classy and British, two things I want to be. Consequently when I came into 7 kilos of oranges, that were quickly hardening past edibility, I thought it would be a great idea to make marmalade. A brief Internet search later I came across a very simple recipe and was not at all stymied by the fact that I did not have a candy thermometer nor a mandolin to cut the oranges. Sunday afternoon came and it was time to begin the marmalade process, as it turned out my knife was no match for my oranges and there is a reason that a mandolin is recommended to thinly slice the oranges. However, orange chunky marmalade is still good and I instead like to think that I made candy coated orange rinds in a thick goo. Okay perhaps not quite as thick as marmalade usually is, but here is where I understood the purpose of the candy thermometer and mostly just did not want my cooking gas to run out. I am not quite ready to go into business but I think it was a good first attempt, and I believe the most important thing for me to remember next time is that, I do not actually like orange marmalade… oops! Now what to do with the jars of candy coated orange rinds in a light syrup… Any takers?

This week I also went up to Serowe to help out with the training of the new volunteer group and continued to tutor my neighbors.  I wanted to share that so it doesn’t sound like I am only boiling oranges for hours at a time, I am occasionally working and interacting with people.

Week 57: Shadowing

The tables have turned and this year it was my turn to host a shadow. My shadowee has been in Botswana for a little over a month and is halfway done with her training.  As I showed her how to bath, do dishes, and collect water all using various buckets, I thought about how much I have grown since being in Botswana. These daily tasks are no longer anxiety producing but instead just a part of my day-to-day. Even the prospect of running out of water is no longer stressful because I know that my Moshana family will always look out for me and when that fails I know that my peace corps family is there.

Communication is crucial to getting things done, maintaining relationships, and general daily functioning. Introducing my shadow around the village, I realized just how much I have learned to be an effective communicator in my village. My Setswana is still sadly lacking and a variety of hilarious (or unfortunate) miscommunications still inevitably arise, but after nearly a year of living in Moshana I am quite proud of my Tswana English. This is not “broken” English, but simply a different kind of English where “too much” is used to say very, where “akere” is sprinkled in frequently (similar to saying “you see” or “you know”), and where one has to ask very direct questions to get answers (for instance, instead of asking “Is there anything going on today?” it is best to ask, “Is there a guidance meeting today at tea time?”). These are lessons and mannerism that have come with time in the village and continue to show me that there are always a variety of ways to approach a situation.

Week 56: “I am Special because…”

I think low self-Esteem is the root of all evil and consequently I want to foster positive self-image amongst the pupils at Modisi. Fortunately this week I found a delightful book that focuses on that very thing. As the standard 2s and I were reading the book we focused on what makes us special and each student went around proclaiming to the class, “I am special because…” This put a smile on nearly everyone’s face and left me thinking it is something that I should do every day.

Next class to read the book were the standard one’s and this time we focused on love, both who we love and who loves us. After a rousing round of each student proclaiming their love for their classmates, teachers, and family members the teacher turned to me and said wow I feel better. I came to class in a bad mood and now I feel great. I agree with the book, we all have so much love in our hearts and it is important to share it.

Week 55: Lesotho

 For week two of my sister’s adventure we got a car and headed down to Lesotho for some hiking and breath taking scenery, and we were not disappointed. Lesotho is a land-locked country surrounded by South Africa and known as the Mountain Kingdom. It took us roughly 8 hours to get there which was the perfect amount of time for a well rounded sing along as well as plenty of fun car treats. Due to well-marked roads in South Africa the driving went off without a hitch until we arrived in the capital of Lesotho and only roughly knew the name of the B&B we were staying at. An hour and half later after combing the streets of Lesotho, making friends with passersby in the hopes of using them for their directional savvy, we arrived at our destination. This method of travel made us all the more excited for the little things such as a roof over our heads as well as a much better understanding of Maseru, then I dare say some locals have. We had definitely entered the Mountain Kingdom and wholly enjoyed the electric blankets and hot showers.

Then it was on to Malealea Lodge, which is only 60k from the capital but pleasantly tucked away off gravel roads, through “The Gates of Paradise”, and nestled into a picturesque valley. The Malealea community has a Peace Corps Volunteer and I have been in PC long enough to know that their life is far from idyllic, but simply being a traveler at Malealea I was enamored with the place. We spent our time hiking, pony trekking, reading, and watching the peacocks (okay mostly just watching the peacocks, but they were so fun to watch). On our last day at Malealea we woke up to snow!  Since I was not the one driving nor going back to a country where it snows, this was the best possible send off.

Week 54: Visitor in the Village

My sister came to visit and had the best attitude, “No running water no problem.” She is now an expert at bucket bathing, cooking with limited to no counter space, and dealing  with the ever present dust in the village.  It was a lot of fun to share my day to day life with someone who was eager to not only learn about it but also be a part of it. As a fancy New York writer, I thought who better to talk about her time in the village than herself, so here is her take.

Michelle Meets Moshana

Three days and three flights from my apartment in Brooklyn, I landed in Botswana. I had seen photos and heard stories, but it was still so fascinating to actually be in Dawn's village. (And leading up to my trip it was a lot of fun telling people I would be out of town, and then saying Botswana when asked where I was going. It was definitely not something people expected to hear.)

I felt lucky to be somewhere so remote and beautiful. (Although, incidentally, no one who lives there seems to think it is a pretty place.) But to me, it was stunning, especially just outside the village. It was one of the most unusual places that I've ever run. (And I've gone running on five continents.) Imagine running for two hours through the bush and not seeing a single person walk by, and only a few pickup trucks. It was just me and the road and the sky, plus occasional groups of goats and donkeys and cows. They seemed surprised to see me.  

Dawn and I spent about five days together in Moshana before leaving for a road trip to Lesotho, and I was never bored. We met with a friend of hers who made us a delicious lunch of sautéed greens and boiled bread cooked over a fire, toured her school and met the teachers, hosted a dinner party, and wandered around making unannounced social calls. Even though I did not particularly like bathing in a bucket or washing dishes without a sink, I really did enjoy spending time at her house. (And to be fair, I probably washed about four dishes the whole time I was there since Dawn handled everything.) 

I was so impressed how Dawn has made her two-room house a cozy little pocket of home, with photos and candles and podcasts, while just outside the window were small farm plots and animals pecking around. Even though she doesn't have running water and just uses buckets from a water pump outside - one volunteer said that Peace Corps. brings a new relationship to buckets - the kitchen is still very functional and Dawn was such a great host. She made me French toast for breakfast and brought me hot tea in the morning, and whipped up so many delicious dinners: lentil soup and coconut milk curry and risotto and some traditional Tswana meals of beans and corn, as well as some very American foods like grilled cheese and applesauce and apple chips. 

Although I've traveled a lot, as someone who grew up in Chicago and now lives in New York, the village seemed so different from anywhere I've ever been. According to a sign at JFK Airport on my way home, New York has 27,000 people per square mile. In all of Moshana, there are less than 2,000 people. I kept imagining all the empty space in comparison to my neighborhood. It seemed so much more peaceful to have neighbors across the yard instead of across the hall, and to avoid all the traffic and construction noise. (However, I am still glad none of my neighbors have roosters.)

The best part of the trip of course was being with Dawn. I had so much fun laughing with her and I hope the village realizes what a treat it is to have her in town. 

Week 53: "We have a Surprise for you"

“We have a surprise for you!” exclaimed Mma Pule’s standard 2 class as they skipped into the library shortly followed by Mma Pule. Usually this means a fat cake or someone wants me to do extra work, however, Mma Pule instead pulled out one of their readers and five kids stood up saying they could read the whole page in English. This was the best surprise I could have asked for and came at the perfect time. I wasn’t sure who was more excited, the kids who could read, Mma Pule, or me. Regardless it gave me just the boost I needed in my midweek slump and reminded me that although I cannot always see it, I am making a difference in people’s lives just as they are making one in mine.

This week the “Bots 15s” arrived and their energy and enthusiasm is contagious, hopefully I was able to share some experience with them and become infected with their spirit.

Week 52: Singing and Combis

 Every Monday and Friday Morning the kids have morning Assembly, which begins and ends with the children singing. The most common being a Christian themed song, “We are marching over to Jerusalem…” Clapping and foot stamping usually accompany the singing and inevitably I am singing it to myself all day long. However it is much more culturally acceptable to be walking around singing to one’s self here and thus I fit in.

The Moshana combis in and out of Kanye (the nearest shopping village) can always be seen full of bags of maize meal, sorghum, and other personal items while the owners of said items are in the midst of finishing their shopping else where. Since I do not buy maize meal in bulk and have had a hard time shaking my American distrust, I usually carry my shopping bags, however, having just stocked up on flour (and living in Botswana for a year) I decided it was time to trust a little and leave my bag on the combi. I then went to go buy airtime (minutes for my cell phone) only to return to see the combi pulling out of the bus rank. My American kicked in, and I was angry with myself for letting my groceries out of sight and mostly just sad that the snack I bought was now traveling further from me and closer to the place I wanted to be. I knew that my groceries were not gone forever, it would just be more of a hassle tracking down the combi driver later and maybe the butter I bought would be a little melty. Resignedly I walked to the new combi that is waiting at the rank and what do I find inside? My bag! The combi driver saw that I was not back yet and relocated my bag to the next waiting combi. Although I had to wait another hour for the combi to leave I sat happily munching my snack and grateful for small acts of kindness.

Week 51: HIV Lesson and Investing

Peace Corps Botswana’s mandate is to teach about HIV/AIDS. My motto is I can only fight one loosing battle at a time and the fight I have taken on is literacy. If you cannot read, that affects every other aspect of your life so I think that is a good starting point. Some my call my mindset pessimistic, but I call it realistic.  However, this week I was able to have an HIV/AIDS lesson with the standard 6 students. This was a short 45-minute lesson, however the planning process was not quite as short. Many meetings were held in order to pass through the proper protocol including one with my counterpart where he got up 15 minutes into the meeting to pass a message onto another teacher, never to return. It was only him and me in the meeting so 45-minutes later I go to the teacher he went to see only to find out he never made it to her, then I go to his classroom where I find him. He was shocked to see me and completely forgot we were in the middle of the meeting.  Luckily I was in a good mood that day and was able to laugh it off.

I was still laughing later in the day when I came across my land-lady’s eldest son traipsing through the bush next to our home. I greeted him and he responded with a mutter, “I am going to invest in property, not living things.” His mother on the other hand has invested in goats who have recently had babies and the little ones do not know their way home yet so Mpati was sent to retrieve them and had apparently been looking for some time. In his mind, property cannot go wandering away and is thus a better investment. As a result of the baby goats wandering they are now only allowed in the yard and have been continually trying to sneak in my house.

Week 50: Sese Bush Walk

I am incredibly proud of another PCV friend who organized a 25 and 10 K walk between her village and a neighboring town. She exceeded her monetary goal and will now begin building a library and a woodshop at her school. Like a good friend I went to her village the weekend of the walk to help with last minute details. Promptly upon arrival I got sick and ended up sleeping in her house all weekend. I was bummed I missed the walk and was a poor helper, however, it was the best place to be sick, surrounded by friends who fed me tea and chocolate.

Traveling from Moshana to Sese begins with me walking to the paved road outside of my village to catch the bus to Jwaneng. This time I walked the 2K with a guy from my village who was giving me a history lesson which after my prodding turned into a discussion about the politics of Zimbabwe. The man was articulating that people are averse to change because it is scary (which I agree with to a degree), however, with the sun shinning, a light breeze in my hair, and the prospect of a fun weekend ahead I was pro-change. A year ago, I was excited and afraid to move to Botswana, now it is my home and it has opened me up to experiences I could not have gotten elsewhere, cheers to taking chances.

Week 49: GLOW

“FIVE-FOUR-THREE-TWO-ONE, Left hand, FIVE-FOUR-THREE-TWO-ONE…” Shouted 15 boys as they shook their hands and feet to warm –up before learning about gender roles at the Southern Region GLOW camp.

GLOW stands for Girls/Guys Leading Our World and is a camp usually put on by peace corps volunteers focusing on leadership, self-esteem, gender roles, puberty, and HIV/AIDS education. This particular camp I have been working on with 10 other PCVs since March. Together we brought 60 boys from all over the Southern Region for a long weekend.

Working on this camp has been the most rewarding work experience I have had here. I co-taught two lessons on gender-roles and risky sexual behavior (that increase the risk of HIV infection). In the gender-roles session, one of the boys admitted that he babysits his younger sister, which sparked a lot of discussion and some of his peers to make fun of him, since as a young man this was not a role that he should have. The courage of this boy to be honest with his peers warmed my heart and reminded me that this is how change happens. I feel lucky to have created a space where that boy felt comfortable sharing because I know that his peers got more from what he said than all of the other things I taught. On the contrary when I asked other boys what they learned in the session, they replied, “Men eat more than women.” Haha you can’t win ‘em all.

Overall the camp was revitalizing. I had the privilege of working with other motivated PCVs, teachers, and students, can’t wait to start planning another!

Week 48: Goodbyes and Goats

This week we lost another Bots 14 (this was the intake group I arrived with). Thankfully it is not due to any medical emergency, however, it is still a loss. August 2013, the 60 some Bots 14 s met in Philadelphia for “staging” before we all got on a plane and our journey began. Staging is often referred to as a last chance to decide that Peace Corps is not for you and the women who led our staging continually referred to the group as our new life long best friends. I remember being frustrated with her thinking, “No! My best friends are by and large in Chicago and I recently had to say goodbye to them. I am currently sitting in a room full of strangers.” Since then I have had many conversations with other volunteers who felt similar then and now we laugh as the joke was ultimately on us. The people I am having these conversations with I believe I will be friends with for a very long time. I arrived in Botswana with 60 other Americans and although I am not close with all of them, they have become my family, for better or worse, and I am sad to see one of them leaving.

In other news I continue to be obsessed with goats and I believe they have surpassed elephants in the quest to win over my heart. They are just adorable and hilarious at the same time. I used to only appreciate them for the delicious cheese they produce, but now my appreciation goes deeper.

Week 47: There are Leopards?

I went to my friend’s house after school to plan a time when she can teach me to make this delicious boiled bread. Her husband and her were enjoying the sun’s powerful rays and so I joined them and we started to chat about my friend’s new chicken. I started advocating for my friend to get more chickens so I could have a reliable egg provider in the village, she responded that this was not a viable business plan as I would be leaving in a year. As sad as I am that I will still have to buy my eggs in another village, she is making financial sense. Then the conversation progressed to how long I have been in the village and the things I still appreciate. Regardless of how much time passes I still love the gravel/dirt road east of the village that heads into the bush, which has become my running path. My friend’s husband asked if I was scared running on that path. I chuckled and asked what is there to be afraid of? Previously the answer has always been other homo sapiens, however, this time he threw me for a loop and said the tigers! Comforted with the knowledge that there are no tigers in Botswana, I respond that I am not afraid until the language barrier was broken and it is determined that he meant leopards instead of tigers. So after nine months of running on the same dirt road I have only just found out that my running companions are not limited to small children, cows, and donkeys but also leopards and large snakes!

My temporary fear turned to excitement at the thought of seeing these animals but then was quickly placated by the reality that it has been nine months with no sightings. After an afternoon filled with laughter, my friends company, the warming sun, and new knowledge I now feel much more hardcore about my running. In the unlikely event that I encounter a leopard I now know to just pretend like I didn’t see it, which I may have inadvertently been doing for months.

Week 46: Victoria Falls Half Marathon

I ran my second half marathon this week in the beautiful Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Along the run I was able to see the falls, cross a bridge to Zambia, see Baobab trees, and meet some cool people. Making new friends is one of my favorite things about travel and highlights the multitude of different ways to live one’s life. Whether it’s talking with an Australian lawyer about their justice system,  learning about the good places to eat in Durban, or breaking people’s stereotypes about Americans, I enjoy meeting new people, learning their story, and sharing mine

Before going up to the falls I lead a workshop on Gender Based Violence in a friend’s village. So much of what I do here involves me learning things as I go or more often than not from my mistakes. “Lesego speak to the kids about Commonweath Day” Great let me first learn what that is. Speaking and educating about GBV was a welcome relief as it is a topic I am both passionate and knowledgeable about.

Week 45: 5 Things I love about living in Botswana

1.     The Sky

2.     Goats, especially baby goats

3.     The hills around Moshana village

4.     Fat Cakes (Megwinya in Setswana)

5.     People’s kindness

Week 44: “Happy Birthday to Me…” June 9th-15th

I am now the wise old age of 22. One year ago I graduated from University and became legally able to drink in the States and then promptly moved half way across the globe to Botswana. A little geography lesson, Botswana is located in Southern Africa resting just above South Africa and bordered by Namibia to the west, Zimbabwe to the east and touching Zambia at the site of Victoria Falls.  The official languages in Botswana are Setswana and English although there are also a variety of other languages spoken including Kalanga, Sarwa, Ndebele, and Afrikaans.

As of June 13^th I have been living in Botswana for 10 months and in the village of Moshana for 8 months. Frequently I question what I am actually accomplishing here, however, I have some how managed to worm my way into the hearts of the teachers at my school. In the staff room there is a small calendar where I post my monthly schedule. The calendar is mostly so the staff can see when I will be working in other villages however I also marked my birthday. This did not go unnoticed (it also probably helped that I told everyone) and the teachers threw me a surprise party complete with cake, presents, and speeches. Highlights of the party included the photo shoot, where everyone took a photo with me, which is made better by the fact that one of the teachers tricked me into going home at tea for my camera saying she needed it to film her students. She was a very convincing liar and although the project was fictional, now that I know the idea, I would love to see it come to fruition, and am grateful that the party was well documented. The presents consisted of a space heater and a blanket, which could not have been better, I am currently sitting under the blanket next to the space heater and I am quite toasty. Hilariously I was a bit late to school today since I could not rouse myself from the cold, with my new heater, I have no excuse. To conclude the party the school head said, “This is love,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Week 43: Back to Village Life

Sadly there were no metal cowboys to be found this week, however, I did feel vaguely like a cowboy (okay more like a dairy farmer) as I learned how to milk the goats my land-lady keeps

Term two at school has started up and the temperature has dropped. Morning temperatures this week reached a whopping 27 degrees Fahrenheit, which lead me to put on all of the warm things I owned and then dance around my house singing, “I am a marshmallow, marshmallow, marshmallow.” The temperature is likely to reach the 60s by the afternoon, which brings an end to my marshmallow dance and the feeling back to my toes. As a native Chicagoan I am used to temperatures much colder for longer periods of time, however, I am also used to insulation, central heating, and indoor plumbing. Lucky for me, the winter is much shorter in Moshana than it is in Chicago.

Week 42: Ghanzi Metal Festival

The last week of May marked Ghanzi’s fifth annual metal music festival and my first metal concert. Initially when my friend invited me to the event I thought, “Oh fun, I love crafts!” It was not until weeks later that I discovered I had actually agreed to go to a metal music festival and not a craft fair. Knowing that I may not have agreed to attend, however, I am so glad I did. The festival draws bands and metal enthusiasts from all over Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa (as well as an unsuspecting peace corps volunteer). The weekend was also quite informative as the mystery of what constituted a metal cowboy, was unraveled. From what I saw a metal cowboy wears leather chaps, fringe, and a whole lot of studs.

During the day we were doing HIV/AIDS education and community outreach and by night we were all just a few metal enthusiasts. Highlights for me included the march across town, in the name of ending poverty however more like an excuse for the metal cowboys to strut their stuff. The march was very informative for me as I also learned the appropriate way to strut, even if my bright orange shirt did not exactly match the leather body suits, I did learn to strut with the best of them. Although I am still partial to crafts I am also excited for next years metal music festival.

Ghanzi is a village in the northern part of the Khalahari desert on the western side of Botswana, not far from the Namibian border.

Week 41: World Map

Drawing a map is an empowering experience. In the course of a morning, I am redefining borders that have been fought over for years. This was not intentional nor do I relish the idea of conflict, however, it is a funny way for me to let go of my perfectionism and be honest about my drawing ability. Really, with the help of a grid the drawing of the world is not as intimidating as one (drawing challenged individual) would expect.

For the second week in a row I was lucky enough to get my co-workers excited about a project I am doing. Throughout the week, I had nearly all of the teachers pick up a pencil or marker and help draw or outline various parts of the world. We also all learned new information. I admitted to not knowing where Botswana was before I found out I would be moving here and felt less guilty about this as I held a mini South American geography lesson.

One of my favorite things about this project is being able to have something tangible to show for my efforts. Many of my endeavors and daily actions I do not have the privilege of getting measurable results. However, assuming the paint holds I have left a little mark on  the school, hopefully for years to come.

PS Pending capable internet, photos coming soon!

Week 40: Plaited, Books, and Gratitude

I got my hair plaited! Aka braided. This took three and a half hours and the dedication of three women. The end result left me with a dull headache and after a look in the mirror, I felt partially bald. However, the community would disagree and they could not get enough of it. This new hairstyle coupled with my favorite purple pants means there is no end to the conversation about my physical appearance. Lucky for me it is all positive. Fun fact these purple pants are also the favorite of many of the teachers who repeatedly tell me that the pants make me look smart. I realize this is the equivalent of saying that they are flattering, however, I prefer to think that they make me look intelligent. Admittedly I feel pretty cool, with my hair plaited, which means that the teachers braided my hair in many very tight braids, however, it was decided to not braid my fringe (bangs) which I think was a wise choice. It is a very odd sensation when I touch the back of my head and am met with either my scalp or a new bumpy texture.

Thanks to the generosity of the Books for Africa Project, my school has received 17 boxes of books! The library has doubled in size and everyone around the school is taking much more interest in it. My school head even pops in to discuss the creation of a “reading culture” at the school, I am blissfully happy. I am particularly excited for reading-comprehension appropriate books for the kids and some of my personal favorite books. For instance we have acquired a HUGE copy of the under rated book Piggies, which consists of adorable drawings of pigs in various climates and settings. 

I am so grateful for all of the people I have met and the ideas they open me up to. This is relevant to many people in my community, fellow PCVs, and I particularly wanted to give a shout out to my friend Liz (Kelebogile) for our honest conversation and her never ending kindness.

Week 39: Visitors

 This week the women of First United Methodist Church of Roseburg, OR donated over 100 dresses and some shorts to the students of Moshana and we were able to distribute the clothing. A big thanks goes out to the “Little Dress Ladies” as well as the PCV Terri Lundy for her generosity and facilitation of this exchange.

I felt like I had a break through with the standard one students this week. I picked them up from their classroom and led them in a silent line to the library building. This set a much more behaved tone then the usual excited screaming rampage that is their favorite mode of transport to the library. This rampage inevitably leads to the desire to continue the same level of excitement and noise once in the library.

Over the weekend I had some surprise guests, leading to a delightful PCV filled weekend, where the conversation never failed to be flowing and interesting as well as the baked goods. I also had the privilege of meeting some other Americans who were traveling in Botswana, who allowed me to continue to expand my view of religion and what it means to different people. To close out my weekend I had an unwanted surprise visitor, but the silver lining was that I was able to see that my landlady and her family always have my back.

Week 38: Ke Lesego (I am lucky)

My Setswana name means lucky which struck me as kind of funny when I arrived since I felt that luck was foolish and hard work was the real deal. As I type those words I cannot help but laugh because now that sounds quite ridiculous to me and I am embarrassed that I thought that. I am a hard worker but if someone from a lower socio-economic status and I worked equally as hard, I would get farther because of the opportunities and privileges that came from where I was born.

Upon seeing my co-workers again, one greeted me with saying, “Your white!” I could not help but snarkily look at my arm and go, “Yup still white.” In her defense she was implying that I have lost some of my tan or at least did not get any more tan since I saw her last.

I have begun writing for our volunteer run newsletter, and below is my first article. STEPS is an international NGO that uses films to promote debate and discussion around HIV/AIDS related topics.

Trying to Show a STEPS Film

By Dawn Bangert, Bots 14

Everyday I see 374 students at the primary school who would love to watch a movie. These same students I would love to teach about HIV, what better way than to show a STEPS film, winning! The other teacher at my school who came to the training is eager to show the films as well and it looks like all signs are a go. Another PCV friend texted me about the success of their film screenings and I am excited to get things going.

The saga begins with one working TV and an elusive DVD player that is rumored to be somewhere on the school premises.

Attempt Day One: There is an all teacher meeting and I am unable to look for the DVD player as planned.

Day Two: My counterpart is too tired from yesterday’s meeting to look for the equipment and I cannot locate the keys to the storeroom where I suspect the DVD player may be hiding.

Day Three: Counterpart is still tired, but the cleaner has my back and lets me into the storeroom. No sign of DVD player, and Head Teacher has meetings in his office all day and I am unable to look there.

Day four: DVD player has been located. I am ecstatic my counterpart has a new found energy and we begin setting up. The TV works however the DVD player is missing the cables to connect it to the TV. After a brief chat with another teacher we discover these cables should be easy to locate in Kanye and fairly cheap. CRASHHHHHHHHHHH That would be the sound of the table crumpling and the TV crashing to the floor. The score now stands, down two (non-working TV and no connector cables) however up one (DVD player).

Day Five: Begins with a text from a friend about yet another successful STEPS screening and I am begrudgingly happy for friend. Vow to self that if I do nothing else all service I will show a STEPS film.

Day Six: A projector randomly appears and the hunt for a teacher willing to share their laptop begins.

Day Seven: A school laptop appears, I can almost smell a successful STEPS screening in the air that is until I spend the better part of the morning trying to hack into the password protected device. After I try every combination of my head teachers name, position, birthday, and anything else I can think of, I no longer smell success but intense frustration.

Day eight: Work on my VRF and feel like a failure as a volunteer. Also contemplate swearing off STEPS films as over rated and probably not as good as they are cracked up to be.

Day nine: A teacher brings her laptop to school and another teacher asks to show a film. Could this be real? One o’clock approaches, I successfully set up all the technology components. The students settle down, I hit play and in walks my head teacher in a tizzy waving a sizable report that he needs me to type immediately so he can turn it into the education office in Kanye by 2. Based on the combis in my village him getting to the office, let alone with the report in hand, is an impossible task, however, after making sure that the teacher is comfortable leading the discussion, I duck out to bitterly enjoy my success from behind the computer screen.

I may have been too frustrated to enjoy my success in the moment however after sometime away, I am not only happier for my friend but also able to enjoy the fact that a STEPS film was shown at my school. With only a minor attitude adjustment my happiness greatly improved as well as my sense of accomplishment. In the moment it can be hard to remember that we all have different timelines and varying levels of motivation and support from our community members and co-workers. Just because a friend of yours or a facebook status tells you of other volunteer’s success, chances are that someone else is at the same place on the spectrum that you are. It’s a roller coaster, stay strong and reach out for help when you need it.

Week 37: SAFARI!

My first visitors from the states arrived! My adventurous parents arrived in Botswana and the visit was complete with dancing at a traditional Wedding, my dad inadvertently agreeing to take people back to the States, and an amazing Safari trip. We spent three nights at the Mosetlha Bush camp in Medikwe Game Reserve, which is just over the border into South Africa. On our game drives we saw Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, and a slew of other exciting animals. The camp we stayed at is sans running water or electricity but at night it is lit with a plethora of oil lamps that gives the camp a magical feel and through the owners ingenuity there are hot showers (this involves a donkey boiler and some jerry rigged buckets). The cabin that we stayed in was complete with a friendly welcoming crew of bush babies, a small nocturnal primate that has huge eyes and is a very respectful roommate. Our days started with a 5:45 wake up call from our ranger and a 6:15 departure for our first four-hour game drive of the day. On the drive we usually got to watch the sun rise and midway through we would stop for tea and rusks (a somewhat biscotti like breakfast bar). Then it was back to the camp for a relaxing communal breakfast, downtime, lunch and then at 4:00 it was time for the second four hour game drive, where we got to watch the sun set and track leopards!, see various animals at the watering hole and enjoy the breath taking views. After the second game drive it was time to sit around the fire, share stories with the other guests and enjoy dinner. Highlights included following a band of male cheetah’s as they prepared for a hunt, seeing wild dogs (which are an endangered species due in part to rabies, however all I could think of was Brigette Jones “To be eaten by wild dogs”), and baby elephants learning how to use their trunks.

Thank you to everyone to sent school supplies and other treats. The kids are very excited for the supplies and I am already happily munching, decorating my house, and wearing my new goods.

Week 36: “Standing Outside the Fire”

  I feel like I am where I am supposed to be at this point in my life, however, that doesn’t mean that some days are hard, really hard and then others are great. I went to see a friend in her village this week and we were sitting on her front stoop listening to music when “Standing Outside the Fire” came on and I was reminded why I decided to join the Peace Corps. Every moment of every day may not be fulfilling and life altering but I am reminded of a professor I had at University who would remind us to “Not loose the forest to the trees.” When I get caught up in the day-to-day, I loose sight of the forest and the amazing experience I am having. I get caught up in the fact that I am missing my friends’ graduations, going to brunch in wicker park, and being in the same time zone as most of my family. However, what I am gaining is so much more, when I return my friends will still have their degrees, brunch can always be had, and my family will be a phone call away. In the mean time I am having enriching experiences that are cushioned by a lot of downtime where I get to fill my day with whatever I please.

This week the students were on holiday for Easter and thus there was not a lot of work to be had in Moshana. Consequently I set off to Kanye in hopes of getting paint donated for a world map project I am trying to complete at the school. As I walked into my first hardware store, I was reminded how much I dislike asking people for things especially donations. However, I was met with a generous shop keeper who after a very confusing conversation for me, donated 20liters of paint and various other supplies. I was touched by this mans’ kindness and so excited for the project to get off the ground. When the man asked where my car was parked so he could carry the paint to it, I laughed and said I was taking the bus. This was quickly deemed not a great idea and a friend of mine came to my rescue with her car. If only I was better at carrying things on my head, I am sure I could have maneuvered the paint.