Ba Lelwapa

And now for the long-awaited description of my new Batswana family and where I live:

My mom: Kelebogile
My host mom is pretty young, maybe in her 30's, and her name means 'thank you'. She's definitely not the overly motherly, cuddly type, but I think she likes me and is happy that I'm there. She loves to dance and to help me with my homework.

My brother: Blessing
My brother is 15 years old, and he didn't speak to me for the first day or so that I was here, but he seems to have warmed up pretty quickly. I wasn't sure what to expect from a teenage Motswana, but he's a lot of fun, has good taste in music and movies, and I haven't seen any evidence of the attitude problems of a typical American teenager.

My sister: Daphney
My sister was my partner in crime the first few days I was here. As the 2 daughters, we did everything together, and she helped me through all my chores, giggling all the while. She's away at school in Gaborone now, but while she was here,it was her personal mission to make me fluent in Setswana, and spent hours going through vocabulary with me.In return, I taught her "Miss Mary Mack", which she drove the family crazy with practicing over and over again. She was very intrigued by my hair, and mystified by my hair, which she loves to touch.

My grandmother: Nonofe
My grandmother is also in Gaborone now, but while she was here, she was very sweet to me, and very concerned about my family back in the US. Her greatest wish was to meet my American mom, and she made sure to remind me to call and email her. She is very traditional, and speaks about as much English as I speak Setswana. She had me take many pictures of her performing traditional Setswana chores (which I will post when I can), such as repairing the garden wall with a cement made of cow dung and mud. Yes, cow dung. Traditionally, floors and walls were also made of dung, but most new houses are made with regular cement. It doesn't smell, and generally you can't even tell what it is once it's dry.

When I was preparing to come to Botswana, I read that the traditional culture was disappearing, and was disappointed not to have the "real Peace Corps experience". I really shouldn't have worried. Yes, western culture is present. When I first arrived at my host house, there was a Red Hot Chili Pepper's music video playing, and yesterday I watched the new "Night Rider" series and Botswana's version of American Idol. However, people here seem to allow western culture to be present without having it take over and replace their own ways. They listen to American music, but start dancing when a Setswana song comes on. They watch American tv shows and movies, but go out of their way to watch a comedy filmed in Botswana. They make fun of me eating Kellogg's cornflakes for breakfast, and supply me with overflowing plates full of starchy Setswana food at every meal. Food is actually a pretty big issue for me with my host family right now. I really do like most of the food, but the portions are enormous! I've been putting my leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day, which makes for some pretty funny scenes when I reheat them. Yesterday I made an awesome soup out of my chicken, noodles, and veggies, and my host mother was horrified. Apparently soup is not big in Botswana.

Speaking of food, it's time to get home for dinner. Good night!