Exciting adventures!

Here are some highlights from my recent travels- I was lucky enough to see some amazing places over my Christmas break, returning to Cape Town and getting to see the legendary Victoria Falls and Kasane, one of the most beautiful areas in Botswana.

Highlights of Cape Town: I could hardly contain my excitement arriving in Cape Town- I had already witnessed what a beautiful place it was, but the second time around was still breathtaking. Table Mountain looks completely surreal as the backdrop of a sprawling city and amazing beaches. I was surprised at how dry the areas below the mountain appeared this time around, especially since it’s the rainy season in Botswana, but the higher parts of the mountain were still a lovely green mixed with the rocky cliffs. Chandni and I met up with her cousin Jackie and her husband Jay and we drove together to the same backpacking place I’d stayed before. We went out for really nice appetizers and champagne at Wakame, a fancy restaurant/bar overlooking the ocean. Afterwards we walked along the pier to watch the sunset- amazing! We all awoke early to drive to the house in Camps Bay, one of the more upscale beachfront areas of Cape Town. The house was unbelievable: 8 bedrooms and bathrooms dispersed over 3 floors with huge windows looking out at the ocean and the 12 apostles (on the backside of Table Mountain)- the view was unbeatable. All the rooms were incredible, and the top floor had a huge deck and hot tub. We were too excited to leave the house for most of the first day.

Over the next several days we met with more of Chandni’s family and I started taking morning walks along the beach- I couldn’t resist the chance to walk in perfect weather with such breathtaking scenery! Chandni’s teenage cousin came along for some of the walks and we discovered a whole crew of rock dassies- creepy and strange groundhog-like creatures that lived in the cliffs along the beach. All of us spent time at the beach, drove down to Boulders Beach one day to see a huge gathering of African penguins, went to the top of Table Mountain by cable car and hiked around (you can see all of Cape Town and the surrounding bay areas and mountain ranges- it’s a little dizzying but unbeatable as far as views go)- there was no shortage of fun. We spent one day driving around Stellenbosch, one of the luscious wine-growing regions outside of the city. We visited Spier vineyard, where we indulged in an incredible gourmet African buffet with countless delectables to choose from. The food in Cape Town deserves mention - I didn’t have one meal that wasn’t amazing. All in all it was an incredible trip, and so much fun to get to be there with friends and Chandni’s family.

Livingstone/Victoria Falls/Kasane/Chobe National Park: It was so exciting to finally get to Livingstone in Zambia, home to part of Victoria Falls- a magnificent waterfall that spans part of the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. As we hiked along the huge gorge to the waterfall we were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water in the spray from the falls- within minutes we were completely drenched! We rented raincoats for the rest of the walk which at least served to protect our cameras a bit. The waterfall is really a series of smaller falls cascading over a deep ravine that stretches as far as one can see- the gorge wraps around a corner when meeting the Zimbabwean border. At one point a bridge crosses another ravine, giving you a view of where the water continues into yet another parallel gorge. Rainbows could be seen on both sides of the bridge due to the spray- it was a beautiful sight.

After visiting the falls we shopped at an open-air market run by local vendors and artisans nearby. It was a little overwhelming to be confronted with the intense persuasion and sales pitches of each vendor, and bargaining with them was exhausting, but we all managed to find a few beautiful pieces of jewelry and art to take home.

We had an interesting encounter at the Zambezi Sun, a large resort not far from the falls where we attempted to have lunch. We had ordered a pizza to share and had started eating it when the umbrella over our table started to tilt- I grabbed onto in time to keep it from falling on us, only to realize the cause of the trouble- a monkey had jumped from the roof of the restaurant onto the umbrella, then onto our table to grab a piece of pizza. One of us swatted it away, but it boldly returned to the table and in the bustle knocked over a drink, gin and tonic and broken glass flying everywhere. What a mess! It was pretty ridiculous. I had always though monkeys were cute, but changed my mind after that incident.

After visiting Livingstone I returned to Kasane, the nearest town in Botswana, which is accessed by ferry across the Chobe River. Kasane borders the Chobe National Park, a huge expanse of luscious green hills and valleys surrounding the river. I went on a game drive through the park where I got to see wild dogs attacking a baby impala, hundreds of baboons, hippos, crocodiles, and countless species of birds and antelope. In the evening I went on a river cruise to see elephants and many other animals, as well as the Caprivi Strip, part of Namibia that borders much of northern Botswana. The long green grasses and setting sun were stunning to see, especially reflected in the river.

More Camp GLOW pictures

At the High Court of Botswana in Lobatse; meeting with Unity Dow (top left in the picture), girls dancing at camp, my group of girls with my co-facilitator, us with our GLOW banner, fun around the campfire.

Pictures from GLOW and SSI Christmas Party

Stepping Stones kids with their Christmas presents, some other GLOW facilitators, kids having fun with the camera on Friday, and kids acting in the drama competition

Highlights (and a few low points) of Camp GLOW

After attending a few days of camp with the kids from Stepping Stones, I jetted off to Botswana College of Agriculture for Camp GLOW with youth from Baylor Teen Club. The camp consisted of 54 kids from 12 different villages/towns throughout Botswana. Here are some highlights from my journal for the week. (See pictures above)

Sunday: Today was the first morning of GLOW- and what an early morning it was! The sun was up by 5 and campers and facilitators all reluctantly got up at 5:45 for morning exercises. It was tough motivating my group to get up and moving, and I could tell they were stressed about interacting with other kids they didn’t know. Fortunately throughout the day things slowly improved- it was nice to see everyone making new friends by the end of the day.

It was sad to see one of my campers leave this morning- she had become very ill and had to go to the hospital. I hope that she’ll be okay. I’m sad that she’ll be missing this opportunity, I think the camp will be a great learning experience for everyone involved.

Monday: I led my first session today- I was pretty nervous but so excited to have Natefo, a nurse auxiliary from Baylor Clinic, as my co-facilitator- she’s great! Very enthusiastic and excellent with the girls. We presented a session on marriage and family, and it was really interesting to hear the girls’ different views on the topics. One of the main goals of the week is to get girls and guys to think clearly about the choices they have and to help them make healthy decisions. Hopefully we’ll be successful in this task.

Wednesday: Today the fatigue really set in for most of the campers and leaders- it makes sense, after having 4 days here full of activities and sessions. We still managed to cram in a bunch of activities, starting with the 5:45am wake up call, going room to room to get everyone out of bed for exercise.

The most notable of today’s sessions were the drama competition and an informal debate. The kids were divided into groups to portray different situations that commonly occur in Botswana such as infidelity leading to HIV infection, prostitution, stigma and discrimination because of HIV, etc. I was really impressed at everyone’s acting abilities- it’s amazing the dialogue and stories they were able to come up with with limited preparation. The debate activity was intense, with questions about whether or not marital rape exists (most said it does) and if all forms of sexual orientation should be legal in Botswana (the vast majority said no). Us Peace Corps Volunteers had to stick together with the few kids who were brave enough to argue for those who weren’t heterosexual. It was discouraging to see how many of the kids believed that homosexuality was wrong and awful, and yet had no good reasons to back up their beliefs. And all this after talking all morning about the importance of human rights. How disappointing! Botswana has a long way to go in terms of equality.

Friday: Today we had both a dance competition and a talent show. Boy, these kids can dance! And sing, and act… I’m thoroughly impressed. The most random of the “talents” was one of the boys who got up to preach to the audience about “taking the straight path to JESUS!” and that “those who drink alcohol are all going to HELL!!!” I was a bit taken aback, and then I looked around and realized all the other kids and Batswana facilitators were screaming “Halleluiah!” at the top of their lungs. I know for a fact that I’m not the only one there who enjoys the occasional glass of wine, so I found the scene a bit puzzling and disturbing. But this is not the first, nor will it be the last, time that Botswana has shocked me.

Saturday: Today we woke early as usual, got ready and boarded the buses for Lobatse. This was by far the nicest bus I’ve been on since being in Botswana- air conditioning, cushy seats with a reclining option, and fun house music that helped me zone out and perk up. I was amazed at how beautifully Kgale hill and its surrounding areas have become with the rain- the landscape is lush and a shockingly brilliant color of green. We arrived at Lobatse High Court and the home of Unity Dow- the famous author and first female high court judge of Botswana. She was kind enough to arrange for all of us to spend a day at her house and the court learning about human rights and different career/future options for the youth, as well as doing a mock trial. The kids started out in groups in the lovely house, each led by a couple of local professionals. Us facilitators got a chance to relax and read newspapers and magazines while drinking strong, real coffee (not the bitter powdered stuff I’ve been subsisting on at camp)- I was thrilled. The kids seemed to be engaged and interested in what was going on. We had a delicious catered lunch thanks again to Unity Dow and her husband Peter, the education coordinator for Mokolodi Nature Reserve. I’d met him last week at the Stepping Stones Camp but hadn’t realized he was married to Unity Dow.

Following the lunch was a mock trial in one of the actual courtrooms, with several of the kids dressed in full legal attire. It was a rather comical affair, most of the youth having had no experience even witnessing any sort of trial. Part of it could have been since the kids conducted the trial primarily in English- maybe things would have sounded less funny in a language they were more comfortable with.

In the evening we had our closing ceremonies. My favorite part of the evening was a praise circle- everyone, facilitators and campers alike, sat in a huge circle with our backs to the middle. Two groups at a time were asked to stand in the middle and to tap the backs of any people who they thought had certain positive qualities that were read aloud. It was so overwhelming to be tapped so many times, to realize that even in a week we made an impact on so many people in so many different ways. What a great way to end this very challenging and rewarding week.

Pictures from Camp

Just a few pictures from camp with the kids from my program- some goofy photos, some of the boys in their mock initiation ceremony (not taken by me, no girls allowed!) and some of the girls plaiting hair during a break. Although I was only able to spend a short time at the camp, it was great to be able to bond more with these wonderful, fun, lively kids, and the camp setting really made the experience more enjoyable (the showers were even working this time around!). We did activities such as drama, arts and crafts, advocacy training, goal setting activities, and the Journey of Life- a session in which everyone creates a timeline of their good and bad experiences in their life thus far- it's a very intense session, but it was great to get to know the kids better and to be able to support them in dealing with the hardships they've faced. Most of the kids at the camp were orphans, and several youth were HIV positive, so some very personal and difficult issues came out of the activity. Luckily all of the staff at the camp are trained in counseling and several are social workers, so the each child will be followed up with on an individual basis and assisted in getting any help they need. And luckily all the kids seem very supportive of each other- I think it's helpful to everyone to have friends around who have had similar experiences.
I'll be reporting on another camp I'll be attending for the next week or so, stay tuned for more pictures and stories! :)

Busy busy!

Here's a silly picture of the little furballs that now live with me (and yes, I am giving them away when they're old enough, I don't want to become a crazy cat lady afterall). But they sure are cute, and help keep me company.
Things have been very busy- planning for 2 camps with the kids from my program and the GLOW camp I mentioned previously. I'm also in the midst of writing a proposal for a drama/dance project that would allow the kids in my program the chance to learn performance art and then tour around the district advocating for positive change among youth in Botswana. Wish me luck!
Lately huge thunderstorms have been frequenting the area, bringing with them torrential downpour which has turned the dry, brown sand and shrubs into a luscious emerald green scene- a change I've long been waiting for. Unfortunately the combination of storms and the surge in power use by those with air conditioners has brought about frequent power outages for the rest of us- my power goes out at some point nearly every day. But I'm still thankful to have power at all!
Recently there have been some tragedies among my Peace Corps friends- my best friend's boyfriend died suddenly of a heart attack, and another friend of mine very suddenly lost her mother. Events like these remind me of how much I take for granted, and I'm so thankful that my loved ones are alive and well!
Speaking of being thankful, us Peace Corps volunteers will be celebrating Thanksgiving together- in the absence of family it will be nice to have some sense of community. And lots of delicious food! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home.
Things will be crazy busy over the next month, but I'll try to write when I can, hopefully before Christmas.

Summer heat and Camp GLOW

From the refreshing cool of Oregon back to the excruciating heat of Botswana... it hasn't been an easy transition back! But weather aside, things here are going well. I recently attended a facilitation training in Maun, a town in the northern part of Botswana which is the gateway to the Okavango Delta. I've been selected to accompany 3 HIV positive girls from a great program in Gaborone to Camp GLOW, a leadership camp that will take place in December. Adolescent girls and boys from all over the country will be at camp for a week, with activities addressing everything from relationships, self-esteem, and leadership to prevention of HIV addressing stigma related to being HIV positive. It should be a great experience to be a part of.
Work has been very busy, trying to get everything organized before we have our holiday break in December. I'm trying to figure out travel plans, as this may be the last chance I'll have to travel before I finish Peace Corps next May or June.
Sorry for the lack of pictures, I'll try to post some soon!