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.