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.