The Okavango Delta and some new housemates

After Christmas some other volunteers and I decided to venture up north to the Okavango Delta to go camping and visit some volunteers that live in that area. We rented a truck and started the long trek- it took us a few days to get to our final destination- and we passed the time by playing car games, it was a nice flashback to childhood. We passed through many villages which I had heard about but never seen- Nata, Maun, Gumare- and we managed to spot some elephants in the wild, I was so excited to finally see some after hearing so much about how many there are in Botswana. We stayed in Gumare with a volunteer and had some trouble sleeping- partly because there were 5 of us sleeping side by side, and partly because the insects were abundant, pestering us while we tried to sleep. The following day we travelled further north along the western side of the delta, arriving at the Okavango River where we took a ferry across to Shakawe. We then drove south to our final destination of Seronga, a small traditional village of mud huts and sandy roads. Some of the travel was difficult given the deep sand and gravel roads, so we were thankful to have 4-wheel-drive. We stayed with a friend of a volunteer and rather large group of other volunteers, most of us camping in the yard which bordered beautiful grassy wetlands. The sunset that night was amazing, so many shades of pink and purple over settling over the water. The following morning we awoke and proceeded to an “island” (supposedly when it rains more it really is an island, but it was hard to tell given the current level of water)- the driving was a real challenge and I was thankful to not be behind the wheel. We drove through deep white sand on windy paths, then arrived at a pond which we had to drive across- it was a little scary but we managed to get across without any trouble. We finally drove through a huge field of tall grass and arrived at our campsite, only to drive right into a huge whole that was hidden by the grass. With the help of an experienced driver we managed to get out of the hole with no damage to the truck, what a relief. We set up camp near a beautiful pond covered with lily pads and lotus flowers, surrounded by tall trees and grassland on the periphery. There were tons of amazing birds that I couldn’t identify, and we discovered lion tracks in the dirt where we were setting up our picnic area. All of us at some point heard strange grunting noises coming from the bushes and we were later told that it was most likely hippos- not the most reassuring thing to hear given how violent hippos can be, but we managed not to get too freaked out and went the whole trip without actually seeing any. We spent the few days sitting and talking around the fire, reading, taking naps, hiking around, swimming, playing volleyball in the pond, and riding a mokoro (like a canoe) around the pond. We spent New Years eve with some Afrikaners who were camping across the pond from us, it was interesting to meet some new people although they were a little crazy. They had roasted an entire goat on a spit for the whole day and I got my first taste of goat meat- it was actually pretty good. Some of the volunteers put on an entertaining skit of events from 2007, and we all toasted with champagne to ring in the new year under the stunningly star-filled sky. The trip back was long and tiring, but at least we managed to see more elephants, this time much closer- they were right on the side of the highway. It was amazing to see them up close, so giant and majestic. All in all it was a good start to the new year.
Now I’m back at work with our center reopening on Monday. It will be nice to see the kids once again and start a new year with new programs and staff members. I’ll be working on developing a peer education program aimed at training our kids to work in their schools to improve education regarding children’s rights and healthy relationships. It should be challenging and interesting. The highlight since I came back from vacation is that I’ve adopted 2 kittens, both black and white- their names are Batman (since he looks like he’s wearing a mask) and Mittens. It’s been really nice to have some companions to come home to.

Pics from my New Years trip

Here are some recent pics from my trip to the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana. I wrote a whole story to go along with them, but I forgot to bring it with me to the internet cafe :) I will post it in a few days, but in the meantime enjoy the pictures!

The Okavango River, other volunteers and myself on the ferry across, sunset from our campsite

Pictures from the kids performing at our Christmas party: Bonno reading poetry; The "Four Super Boys" performing, Keneilwe doing a very dramatic scene, and a bunch of the kids plus my coworker Tinny dancing

Happy Holidays!

The holidays are here, but it still doesn't feel like it in Botswana. The heat is back in full force after 2 months of frequent rain and thunderstorms. Christmas is not a huge deal- there's some of the same hubbub at the stores, a ton of people traveling, but I really have to use my imagine to envision it being Christmas. I'm spending Christmas with a few friends, eating lots and trying to make it seem more festive.
Last week Stepping Stones International, the NGO that I'm working for, had our Christmas party with the kids. The kids pretty much organized the whole event, coming up with songs, dances, poetry, and even a drama to perform for their caregivers, my coworkers and I, and some members of the community. It was a great way to end the year with the kids, since our center will be closed until after New Years.
I'll soon be leaving to go up to the Okavango Delta for the first time- it's supposed to be the most beautiful part of the country, with some of the most diverse wildlife and a welcome watery diversion from the otherwise parched desert. I'll be visiting with other volunteers and camping out for the New Year, so it should be a great time.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Years. I miss everyone back home and hope you're all doing well!

Holidays

I spent most of Thanksgiving weekend waiting for buses and riding them- not how I had intended to spend it, but at least the times between busrides were enjoyable :) I went up to Mahalapye to visit my good friend Chandni and her parents who were still visiting- they were having a party with a bunch of Chandni's coworkers. Her mom cooked an amazing Indian feast and we all ended up dancing- some Setswana dancing, some Indian dancing, and some dancing I really couldn't associate with any culture. It was certainly a unique evening.
The following day I ventured out to Phikwe where I met up with at least 20 other volunteers for a real Thanksgiving feast. I arrived just in time to eat all my favorites- mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and a bunch of other comfort foods. It was so nice to meet up with so many other volunteers and get updates on their progress with their projects. Many people are struggling in their jobs- one of my friends had her counterpart (boss) die very suddenly and now her organization is nearly closing; another was strangled in her house. But overall most people are making some progress in their work- it's just a very challenging experience.
Things at work have been okay for me- things are slowing down a bit as the kids are on their holiday break from school- many are out of town visiting family. We're planning a big Christmas party next week, complete with a drama performance by the kids, prominent community members visiting, a big feast, and presents for the kids and their families. It should be really fun, I'll do my best to get pictures to post.
As Christmas approaches, I feel really sad to be so far from home, but I'm very thankful to be safe, have good friends here, and to be able to keep in touch with everyone.

Giant Moths, Diwali, and Learning to Teach

The last few weeks have flown by- I’m still reeling at the shock of it being nearly halfway through November. What happened? Fortunately the increased speed of things has been for a good reason- I’m enjoying work (and feeling inspired), and having a great deal of fun with my friends. For Halloween, which nobody celebrates here except us crazy Peace Corps Volunteers, I ventured to a village called Bobonong to meet up with a bunch of my friends. We had a braai (the Setswana word for barbeque), dressed up in some hilarious costumes- the Hamburglar, Bam Bam, a sumo wrestler… and many more- and I’m sure the neighbors thought we were genuinely insane. But it was a great time. On the way back to Mochudi, our bus was stopped at a checkpoint- apparently the area around Bobonong has been known for hoof and mouth disease, thus people’s shoes are checked in hopes of not spreading contamination to other parts of the country- and as I stepped off of the bus I noticed a moth larger than my hand. It was beautiful- grayish in color with large eye-like circles on the wings, covered in a delicate layer of fur- but it still caught me off guard as I had never imagined a moth so huge. As I looked around I saw another one… and another one… and suddenly realized they were EVERYWHERE, nearly covering the ground. Most of them were dead, but some were still stirring. I looked out over the main road and saw another collection of them, most of them crushed by the passing cars. The whole scene seemed like an eerie experience out of a horror movie- I tried to imagine all of them in flight, but the thought was a little to creepy to entertain for long.

This last weekend my good friend Chandni’s parents came to town and invited me to meet up with them in Gabs to celebrate Diwali, an Indian festival of lights. We ate at one of the few Indian restaurants in the country, and I can’t even begin to describe the meal- we had several courses (too many to count) that had so many different and unique flavors and textures- it was some of the best food I’ve ever had. Compared to my usual attempts at cooking for one, eating an amazing meal with great company was a dream come true.

On the work end of things, I’ve been having a great time. I’m becoming more comfortable working with the kids, and I can tell they’re getting more comfortable with me as well. In the beginning none of them would talk to me (most of them are very shy, and especially so around foreign strangers), but now I feel like I’m really getting to know them better. I’m working with the younger kids daily to help them learn to read stories in English (most of them can read a little bit, but not well). I’ve also been doing more on the administrative side of things- learning to write proposals, helping with accounting, writing some of the content for our upcoming website- so I’ve been busy and learning a lot. All is well.

Adventures with Mom

My mom came to visit for about 10 days and it was great fun! I tried to introduce her to life in Botswana as best as I could- the crowded bus rides, the beautiful and newly green scenery that stretches on for miles, the kind and slightly slower-paced people, the cows, goats and donkeys that roam the city streets freely- so many different experiences to take in. We spent a lot of our time around Gaborone and Mochudi, going to the Gaborone game reserve (saw lots of monkeys!) and looking at arts and crafts- we found an amazing place called Oodi Weavers (in a small village called Oodi) where these old women spend hours everyday hand weaving wool tapestries and wall-hangings. They spin their own yarn from sheeps wool, then hand-dye it and then hand weave everything on large wooden looms. It takes them a month to weave a square meter! Most of the weavings display traditional village scenes, with rondavel houses (round huts), livestock, and daily activities that many of the Batswana partake in.
Dereje, one of my good friends, drove us around for the weekend and took us to Otse, Lobatse, and Pitsane, all villages in the southern part of the country. We stopped at the Otse Cheese Factory (the only cheese factory in the country), visited my boyfriend Jason's village, and eventually returned to Gaborone for a delicious Ethiopian meal cooked by one of Dereje's friends.
The next day a visit to my host family in Kumakwane was in order, so my mom got to meet my Motswana mom. My host mom was so excited to see me and meet mom. My host brother, Bofelo, already looked older and more mature despite it only being a few months since I've seen him. It was great to visit and have mom meet the family that helped me get through the very rough first few months in Botswana.
Mom got to meet the kids that I work with, spending time helping them to write letters to their US pen pals. It was a fun activity, and all the kids took it really seriously. It's very hard for most of them to write in English, so it was nice to have mom there to help out. We even got to meet Muriel Williams, the sister-in-law of the first president- she came to speak to the kids about what it was like to grow up during World War II and leading a life of volunteerism. She's English but has been living in Africa for the 38 years, the last 10 of which have been in Botswana.
Friday, on our way up north to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, we spent a night in Palapye with some other Peace Corps Volunteers, and then proceeded to Serowe, a large town known as the home of the first president, Seretse Khama. We stumbled upon an old, abandoned church surrounded by a few other derelict buildings, rocky cliffs and several different types of cacti. From on top of the rocks we got a terrific view of Serowe, and we had a blast taking pictures of our strange surroundings. Who knew abandoned buildings could be so exciting? We finally made it to the rhino sanctuary later in the day. This was my second time there, but it was still a lot of fun- we went on a guided drive for almost 2 hours and saw white and black rhinos, wildebeest, impala, kudu, springbok, zebras, and warthogs. I managed to arrange for mom to meet some of my good friends up north as well, and we had excellent Indian food made by my good friend Chandni.
All in all it was great to have mom here. It was hard when she left because it reminded me just how far from home I am, and how long it will be before I get to go back. But at least I have good friends here, I have a great job that keeps me busy, and I have some great memories of adventures with my mom.