Sorry for the long absence! I can't write too much since I only have a half an hour left of internet time! I know I should write these blogs at home but because of my laziness, I have resorted to writing key words on random documents all named blog something or another and now I can't find them or I don't remember what they mean. For example... I seem to have written Mexican food - beans in one of my documents. I'm not exactly sure what I was referring to.
I am fine and alive everyone! It's getting ALOT warmer in Botswana. You know what's strange? Even though it hasn't rained at all, Botswana is getting GREENER!! I don't know about all of Botswana, but my village smells exceptionally good. Mopipi trees (will someone find the english word if there is one?) are these bushy green trees that seem to attract a lot of flies or bees and smell very sweet. I guess they have a really tasty fruit too. Well anyway, with those trees, stepping outside is heaven... until the sun gets to me.
By the way, our lockdown phase is over! In-Service Training has come and gone! We are FREE TO ROAM!!! (more on IST and roaming after IST in the next blog entry)
So what has happened in between the last post and IST? I think the most eventful thing was a week long event youth forum at Barolong (or Borolong I haven't figure it out yet) Vocational College. Students from different schools within a district, primary through senior secondary schools, came to this event that was held by the Ministry of Education during the first week of the month long vacation. LS PCVs were invited to watch/participate in the event so we have an idea of how to help organize one when it happens in the Kweneng District. This camp incorporated a bit of everything, from "normal" camp activities like ball sports and games to team buildling activities, to more academic activities like taking notes on powerpoints oabout disabilities. Not only did these kids take notes, some of the kids recopied them before going to bed. Incredible.
The week started out rocky (I have to admit, I had my doubts) but overall, I think it was an awesome experience, especially for the kids. At times, I felt I couldn't handle one more flip chart (writing ideas on a huge piece of paper and posting them) but I realized that these kids were used to this method of learning. It was quite possibly just intolerable for me. However, there were many interactive activities and role-playing that was incredible to watch. Many of these students are obviously talented in acting.
I'll think about more to write on this on the next post (I'll write at home this time) but I only have 10 minute left so I don't want to rush writing about this experience. Oh and remind me to write about Thamaga too.
Here's a glimpse of the youth forum. Dancing PCVs and Friends!
Pictures are posted, but not all I apologize. Not many of them have captions either.
Quick Peace Corps Volunteer Moments:
Scenario--
Andrea comes over to pig out at my house. Made lots of mexican food... and beans. Still not remembering what I'm supposed to remember about that...
Q: How do you open a bottle of wine without a bottle opener?
A: With a screw driver, a screw, tweezers, a knife, and much patience.
Instructions: After trying to hack through the cork with a knife, use the screwdriver to drill in the screw into the cork. With the tweezers as leverage, pull up the cork .01 millimeter at a time. Cut off excess. Repeat until done
Trust me, the wine tastes much better this way.
Bee gets into the kitchen... we bagged it. We screamed like little girls while swatting it the whole time.
After working up our appetite with these two activities... ate enough mexican food for 8 people. Ate til we almost threw up. Felt awesome.
End Scene
Went to a baby shower with Andrea:
First of all, I guess I'm not supposed to talk about what goes on in these events (especially with men). But I thought you would be interested. There are punishments for anything and everything. There is a MC at the party (usually best friend/sister) who gets to determine what deserves "punishment" in the case at the party I atteneded, it was eating mysterious "baby food" which was grainy sweet salty mush that didn't taste very pleasant. You are spoon fed this as "punishment" Another form of punishment includes dancing in front of the other women. There is a "pass" to get into the party, a johnson & johnson product in our case. You forgot it? You'll be spoonfed "babyfood." You forgot a gift for the baby? There's another spoonful of babyfood. The mother to be sat opening the presents blindfolded and if you she guessed correctly who the gift was from, the invitee had to eat ... babyfood. If the mother to be guessed it wrong, she had to eat baby food. Making the mother to be dance with her huge belly was amusing on its own, especially with a small onion, carrot, and another onion (in that order) tied around her waist... that flopped between her legs. Afterwards, the mother had to answer ANY question truthfully that was asked by the other ladies . It quickly got dirty. Then there was a serious portion where all the guests were to give a piece of advice to the mother to be and most of it was very serious. The mother to be's sister advised her to follow the clinic's advice because she was HIV+. Then the crazy dancing and eating resumed and that was that. If I ever throw a baby shower for one of my friends, I am going to borrow some of these ideas. =) This is fair warning.
~~~
Next story:
With hot weather comes, bugs. Lots of bugs. Big hairy spiders. and HUGE cockroaches that fly around! Thank you sue for the visual of the cockroaches you've experienced as well. They were not quite as big as the ones you saw in asia, but these FLY!!!!! Sigh. To kill these bugs, you spray Doom (bug killer) for 10 minutes. They don't die. They just get angrier. Eventually they'll drown. Unfortunately, my first experience seeing these things was when I was making oatmeal raisin cookies. I couldn't eat them afterwards because the raisins looked like cockroaches after.
Put up my mosquito net recently. fell off the chair on top of the coffee table, got the wind knocked out of me, bruise on my arm and my chest, and a gash on my leg. I'm alright
Shoutouts!:
Thank you Ms. G, Sue, Gordo, Regina Renee, Frank, and Mom for sending me Love!!!!!
I do appreciate it so much!
I still get questions about what I need in Botswana. I am really okay you guys. I have a refrigerator making my life 10000x easier. I'll need you guys later when I work on my library project (more on this later)
But... Please keep sending me emails!!!! and snail mail letters! and if you'd really like to do something, please send me music, pictures of yourself, or a postcard. The kids love seeing pictures of different places.
Must go.. way past time. I miss you all and I will hopefully be on the internet within another 2 months.
Love--
Nicole/Tshego
