The last few weeks have been fairly uneventful- busy with work but very few social events- just taking it easy, spending time in Mochudi and learning A LOT at work. We recently selected the 27 new participants for Stepping Stones- it was really difficult to choose who would be good for the program because we wanted to be able to help all of the applicants, but unfortunately we can only do so much. There were several kids with severe emotional trauma, history of physical and/or sexual abuse, problems with anger, and failure in school. It was really sad to read about these kids, but reassuring to know that we can help most of them. It will be interesting to see how the new kids adapt to the current participants and the program in general- we'll have over 50 kids in total!
I've been learning about proposal writing and program management, activity development, and methods for working with difficult kids. I'm gaining a lot of skills that will hopefully help me with future jobs and school. It's hard to believe I have less than a year left in Botswana, I'm just trying to figure out what my next step will be! There are so many options, hopefully I'll figure out which one will be the best for me.
Sorry to not have much exciting to report, but I'll be sure to post pictures/more exciting stories next time I travel!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The story to go with the pictures...
I had almost forgotten to write about my trip when suddenly it dawned on me, as much as pictures are worth a thousand words, I should probably still write something :)
So my trip started out with a 12-hour bus ride from Gaborone to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Nothing much to note about that trip- the scenery was not too different from what I'm used to in my part of Botswana- dry, bushy, sandy. Still beautiful, but a lot of the same. Windhoek was shockingly clean, modern, and almost European-looking, except for its very wide streets- I felt like I had left Africa. I stayed at a very fun and cheap backpacking place and met up with my friends Tony and Jay- I knew Tony from my time at Willamette and Jay, his wife, was the person who had inspired me to join Peace Corps in the first place after I heard her stories about doing Peace Corps in Namibia in the 1990s. I was really excited to see them, although it was once again really strange to have my old life convene with my new one- sometimes I feel like I'm living on a different planet or in a strange dream, but seeing people from home just makes my old life seem that much more real.
I was really sad to hear that the depressing legacy of apartheid lives on in Namibia and in South Africa, as many Namibian and South African blacks live in terrible conditions on the outskirts of the clean, beautiful towns and cities, while the white people live in relative luxury. There are still difficult race relations in both countries, and crime against whites in predominantly black areas is quite common. It was sad to me that after having dinner with Jay's host sister from her Peace Corps experience and one of her friends, both of whom were Namibian, we were unable to drive them home because it wasn't safe for white people to drive in that part of town at night. It definitely made me realize one thing I value about Botswana- that sense of segregation is rare, and not present at all in most areas.
After a peaceful night's sleep in Windhoek, my friends and I hit the road- we drove from Windhoek to the border of Namibia and South Africa- a drive that was beautiful in it's dry, desert appearance, different enough from what I'd seen in Botswana to keep me taking pictures from the car all day. The landscape reminded me a lot of the southwest in the US- amazing rocky outcrops and desert colors, mixed with dry white grass and odd cacti. We stayed at a cute lodge in a place near almost nothing else- just a small vineyard bordering the place with a beautiful reddish rock hillside in the background. The lodge was a perfect end to a fun day- playing cribbage, enjoying Namibian beer, and eating a delicious fire-cooked meal with traditional side dishes.
Crossing the Orange River in the morning, we entered South Africa and headed further south to greener, somewhat more mountainous terrain. We reached a beautiful river valley with winding mountain roads, I was so excited just to see a flowing body of water for the first time in so long! Vineyards lined the valley, and we passed through miles of orange orchards. Everything seemed too beautiful to be true. Near evening we reached Cape Town and I was blown away to see the impressive and majestic Table Mountain immediately behind the town- it was partially engulfed in thick fog, but still shockingly close and magnificent. The city itself was clean, extremely modern, and more like anywhere in America I'd been since being in Africa. Skyscrapers and fountains, parks and condo complexes- it as a lot to take in. Our backpacking place was a quirky old house with all hardwood floors, elegant staircases, a bar, free internet and delicious coffee, and satellite tv- talk about luxury! And very cheap, I was relieved to find out.
While in Cape Town I rediscovered the excitement of delicious restaurant food- seafood, smoothies, wraps and gourmet sandwiches, cappucino, nachos, etc. I ate until I could hardly eat anymore! But food was inexpensive and too delicious to pass up, after so many months of my own cooking (which isn't awful, but access to delicious things is limited in Mochudi) :)
We spent a day just walking all over town- to one of the harbors on the Atlantic Ocean, through the heart of downtown, to an open air market with tons of beautiful arts and crafts, through a botanical garden, and eventually the several hour hike up to the cable car station on Table Mountain. We walked through amazing neighborhoods that held what I would consider dream houses overlooking the city and ocean below, up through tall palm trees, and finally, we were there. Unfortunately a cloud hung over the top of the mountain, but we made it up to the top by cable car anyway, getting amazing views along the way.
The next day we ventured out to Robben Island, home of the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years for his speaking out against apartheid. It was truly inspiring to hear about how he and other great leaders who were imprisoned there helped to educate the other prisoners and even the guards. Despite awful living conditions and discrimination, somehow these people managed to maintain their dignity and make the best of a horrible situation. We were given a tour of the prison by a former prisoner- a man who had been held for 15 years for being part of a protest against inequality in schools when he was in high school. It was horrible to think about being imprisoned and treated inhumanely for so long when so young and simply asking for basic human rights.
The lighter side of the island was that it was home to thousands of rabbits (they were everywhere!) and over 60,000 African penguins (although we only saw a few). And the view of Cape Town, with the crashing waves on the rocky shores in the forefront, was stunning.
The next day I reluctantly returned to Botswana, but I was thankful to have had such a great adventure, covering so much ground and experiencing so much in just a matter of days.
So my trip started out with a 12-hour bus ride from Gaborone to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Nothing much to note about that trip- the scenery was not too different from what I'm used to in my part of Botswana- dry, bushy, sandy. Still beautiful, but a lot of the same. Windhoek was shockingly clean, modern, and almost European-looking, except for its very wide streets- I felt like I had left Africa. I stayed at a very fun and cheap backpacking place and met up with my friends Tony and Jay- I knew Tony from my time at Willamette and Jay, his wife, was the person who had inspired me to join Peace Corps in the first place after I heard her stories about doing Peace Corps in Namibia in the 1990s. I was really excited to see them, although it was once again really strange to have my old life convene with my new one- sometimes I feel like I'm living on a different planet or in a strange dream, but seeing people from home just makes my old life seem that much more real.
I was really sad to hear that the depressing legacy of apartheid lives on in Namibia and in South Africa, as many Namibian and South African blacks live in terrible conditions on the outskirts of the clean, beautiful towns and cities, while the white people live in relative luxury. There are still difficult race relations in both countries, and crime against whites in predominantly black areas is quite common. It was sad to me that after having dinner with Jay's host sister from her Peace Corps experience and one of her friends, both of whom were Namibian, we were unable to drive them home because it wasn't safe for white people to drive in that part of town at night. It definitely made me realize one thing I value about Botswana- that sense of segregation is rare, and not present at all in most areas.
After a peaceful night's sleep in Windhoek, my friends and I hit the road- we drove from Windhoek to the border of Namibia and South Africa- a drive that was beautiful in it's dry, desert appearance, different enough from what I'd seen in Botswana to keep me taking pictures from the car all day. The landscape reminded me a lot of the southwest in the US- amazing rocky outcrops and desert colors, mixed with dry white grass and odd cacti. We stayed at a cute lodge in a place near almost nothing else- just a small vineyard bordering the place with a beautiful reddish rock hillside in the background. The lodge was a perfect end to a fun day- playing cribbage, enjoying Namibian beer, and eating a delicious fire-cooked meal with traditional side dishes.
Crossing the Orange River in the morning, we entered South Africa and headed further south to greener, somewhat more mountainous terrain. We reached a beautiful river valley with winding mountain roads, I was so excited just to see a flowing body of water for the first time in so long! Vineyards lined the valley, and we passed through miles of orange orchards. Everything seemed too beautiful to be true. Near evening we reached Cape Town and I was blown away to see the impressive and majestic Table Mountain immediately behind the town- it was partially engulfed in thick fog, but still shockingly close and magnificent. The city itself was clean, extremely modern, and more like anywhere in America I'd been since being in Africa. Skyscrapers and fountains, parks and condo complexes- it as a lot to take in. Our backpacking place was a quirky old house with all hardwood floors, elegant staircases, a bar, free internet and delicious coffee, and satellite tv- talk about luxury! And very cheap, I was relieved to find out.
While in Cape Town I rediscovered the excitement of delicious restaurant food- seafood, smoothies, wraps and gourmet sandwiches, cappucino, nachos, etc. I ate until I could hardly eat anymore! But food was inexpensive and too delicious to pass up, after so many months of my own cooking (which isn't awful, but access to delicious things is limited in Mochudi) :)
We spent a day just walking all over town- to one of the harbors on the Atlantic Ocean, through the heart of downtown, to an open air market with tons of beautiful arts and crafts, through a botanical garden, and eventually the several hour hike up to the cable car station on Table Mountain. We walked through amazing neighborhoods that held what I would consider dream houses overlooking the city and ocean below, up through tall palm trees, and finally, we were there. Unfortunately a cloud hung over the top of the mountain, but we made it up to the top by cable car anyway, getting amazing views along the way.
The next day we ventured out to Robben Island, home of the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years for his speaking out against apartheid. It was truly inspiring to hear about how he and other great leaders who were imprisoned there helped to educate the other prisoners and even the guards. Despite awful living conditions and discrimination, somehow these people managed to maintain their dignity and make the best of a horrible situation. We were given a tour of the prison by a former prisoner- a man who had been held for 15 years for being part of a protest against inequality in schools when he was in high school. It was horrible to think about being imprisoned and treated inhumanely for so long when so young and simply asking for basic human rights.
The lighter side of the island was that it was home to thousands of rabbits (they were everywhere!) and over 60,000 African penguins (although we only saw a few). And the view of Cape Town, with the crashing waves on the rocky shores in the forefront, was stunning.
The next day I reluctantly returned to Botswana, but I was thankful to have had such a great adventure, covering so much ground and experiencing so much in just a matter of days.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Namibia and Cape Town (just a few photos)
From top left: 2 views of Cape Town from the ferry to Robben Island; 2 pictures of views from one of the many beaches in Cape Town with Signal Point in the background; sunset on the Atlantic; Namibia, south of Windhoek; sunrise on a hillside near the Namibia/South African border; guineafowl and cat; beautiful river gorge in northern South Africa; one of the harbors at Cape Town
A fantastic trip!
I just returned from my extremely fun and exhilarating sojourn to Namibia and Cape Town- check out pictures at lesliebotswana.myphotoalbum.com (I will post some here as well soon).
Stories to follow later this week when I have time to write.
Stories to follow later this week when I have time to write.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
We're famous!
My friends and I were recently made famous by Botswana's best-selling newspaper, the Voice (it's quite amusing since the Voice is famous for articles on witchcraft and demonic possession, and other such enlightening themes), but hey, fame is fame. There's an online version of the article about the walk that I participated in, along with some funny photos of my friend Stacy. Check it out at http://www.thevoicebw.com/index.php/Features-News/Features.html
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A sad event
Life, true to form, is full of ups and downs. The last few weeks have brought some unfortunate events, the worst of which was the death of a fellow Botswana Peace Corps Volunteer, Cathy Saltwick. I did not know Cathy well, but the few times I spent time with her gave me the impression of someone who was truly kind, genuine, and very dedicated to helping others. She had a great sense of humor and will be missed by all of us. My friends designed a memorial blog for her at http://cathysaltwickmemory.blogspot.com/ if anyone is interested in reading about her.
On a lighter note, I'm excited there will be a new volunteer in Mochudi! His name is Rex and he'll be working with the District Aids Coordinator. I'm also looking forward to a trip to Namibia and Cape Town coming up later this month.
On a lighter note, I'm excited there will be a new volunteer in Mochudi! His name is Rex and he'll be working with the District Aids Coordinator. I'm also looking forward to a trip to Namibia and Cape Town coming up later this month.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Stories and pics from the big hike
Top to bottom: Some of the falls in Moremi Gorge; Stacy and I in a narrow cavern we had to literally crawl through; an example of some of the climbing we did; one of the rock walls of the gorge; more waterfalls; Moeng Dam; boulders along the trail; Hunter and Stacy at Moeng Dam; the baobab tree at the entry to Moremi Gorge; another waterfall.
I survived! 3 days of intense trekking through mostly deep, dry sand and rocks, approximately 150 kilometers (about 90 miles), 9 or 10 hours of hiking each day (including some serious rock climbing on the final day). It was a fantastic journey, but obviously completely exhausting. Two other Peace Corps Volunteers, Hunter and Stacy, accompanied me on the journey, as well as about 12 Batswana from different parts of the country. We had a small but energetic team which made all the difference when it came to keeping spirits up. We started from some church ruins in Old Palapye, the area that Palapye used to occupy in the 1800s before the resources were exhausted and moving was necessary. Day one- hiking from Old Palapye to Malaka, a very small village where the leader of our hike was from. There was very little impressive scenery on the first day, and it happened to be the longest of the three days as well (10 hours of hiking) so I have to say I got a little discouraged. Fortunately we had a nice meal and warm water to soak our feet in waiting for us at the campsite. I fell asleep very early and slept more soundly than ever. Day two- We ventured out to see an old reservoir and the Moeng Dam, a very small pool of water, but at the time seeing any water at all was exciting. The area surrounding the dam and the small streams nearby was relatively green and lush- I saw the first ferns I've seen in Botswana and got overly excited. It's amazing how a little green can brighten my spirits and remind me of home. The rest of the day was spent pushing ahead full force through more dry sand, tall grass, and brush, followed by a long and painful descent to the entry of Moremi Gorge. Everything ached, I was exhausted and on the verge of giving up- but finally we arrived at our camp under a fantastic Baobab tree that was glistening in the evening sun. We had come to a public campsite and, amazingly, there were showers and flushing toilets! Even though the shower was freezing, it felt great to get off the several layers of sweat and sand that covered me for the past 2 days. In the morning we ventured into the Moremi/Manonnye Gorge (Manonnye means vulture in Setswana)- this was by far the most beautiful and impressive part of the hike. A baboon barked at us from the top of the gorge and it echoed across the impressive rock walls. We climbed and struggled up and then down and up again until we could see one of the falls below- a very narrow but tall waterfall trickling down into a dark pool. We went on to see 2 other waterfalls, which, considering we're in Botswana and one of the driest places in Africa, was phenomenal. The rest of the day was spent climbing back to the base of the gorge and hiking through many hours more of sand and rocks, going through a small village and finally arriving back at the church ruins where we'd camped the first night. I was so excited to make it with minimal injuries, only one blister, and a beautiful porcupine quill I'd found for a souvenir. A giant thank you to everyone who helped me raise money for the hike, it was such a great and challenging experience!!
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