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