Bits and Pieces

(written 5/18)

Hello again! Sorry for the length of time between entries, but I'll try to catch you all up as well as I can with one blog entry. For simplicity's sake, I'll break up the major events and updates into their own little sections
1. Shadowing
For those who are not quite sure what shadowing is, I'll attempt to explain here. As part of Peace Corps training, trainees are split up and assigned to a currently serving volunteer that they spend a couple days with to get a sense of what a volunteer really does. I shadowed Erica, an amazing volunteer who is based in the S&CD (social work) office as a CCB (same program as me) in a small rural village called Mokubilo, about 120k west of Francistown. Another trainee, Sydney, also shadowed Erica, and since there were a bunch of us taking the same bus into Francistown, we all met our shadowing hosts there for lunch at an Indian restaurant and a tour of the town. Francistown is the second largest city in Botswana, but it is still pretty small. There's an open air market atmosphere at the bus rank, and you can get cold drinks, produce, snacks, and air time pretty conveniently there. There are a couple mall-like areas with shops, restaurants, and grocery stores, as well as office buildings and a new stadium. We didn't spend too much time in Francistown, as we all had to catch rides to our actual destinations. There should have been an afternoon bus to Mokubilo, but bus schedules are not set in stone here, and by the time we finished our lunch, all the buses had left already. We took a cab to main road, and set out to find a ride. Hitching is not encouraged by the Peace Corps, but it is accepted that it is sometimes the only mode of transportation, especially when traveling in and out of very small rural villages. As Americans, we think of hitching as a negative thing that will only end badly for either the driver or the hitchhiker, but here in Botswana, most people do it, and it is generally a very safe and affordable way to get around. There are areas on main roads that are agreed upon 'hiking spots', and the hiker and the driver agree on a fee before a ride is accepted. And of course, hikers know to be on the look out for drunk drivers and vehicles that look like they're ready to fall apart. Anyway, it took a while to find someone heading the right way, but we eventually found a ride and made it to Mokubilo. Erica doesn't have electricity, so we made a lovely grilled cheese sandwich dinner by candlelight and headlamp-light. I learned a lot from my shadowing experience. I learned that no electricity is fine, but a real bath can be considered a coping mechanism (she had indoor running water!). I learned that watermelons in Botswana can be yellow inside and must be eaten by scooping with your hands and then slurping the juice- no knives or spoons allowed. I learned that it's important to know that there are times when jokes are an appropriate response, and that the people of Botswana have a great sense of humor. I learned that there might not be a lot of structure to my days once I'm at site, and that's ok. Erica has a few different projects that she is working on, including building a library, working with the HIV support group, teaching computer skills, and whatever is needed by the S&CD office, among others. She does some grant writing and fundraising, and always makes sure that she's not the one running the show, which is really the key to capacity building. I know she absolutely hates it when I say this, but I think she's doing a great job, and she really helped Sydney and I understand the role of a CCB. I learned a lot of other things and had other great experiences while shadowing, but you'll just have to ask me if you want to know more.
2. Setswana language lessons
We had our first language proficiency exam right before shadowing, and I placed novice-mid, which is where most people placed. I was a little disappointed with how I did, and didn't feel that I was able to show off the extent of my knowledge and that I got flustered with what was asked, but now I know what to expect. We switched up our classes and instructors after the exam, which I think was needed. I'm not really settled in with this group yet, but I like everyone in it, and think that aside from a little burn-out, we're doing fine.
3. Site Placement
No idea yet. We'll find out on Saturday where we'll be living for the next 2 years. This may be the longest week of my life.
4. Cultural visit
On Saturday, we went for a “cultural visit”, which ended up being a visit to see some rock paintings and some traditional dancing. The rock paintings were pretty cool, mostly pictures of animals painted by the bushmen (I know the term isn't exactly politically correct, but that's the term our guide used). A few of us scrambled up the rocks ( I felt like I was back in the Hudson Valley!), and got a pretty good view of the region. I'll try to get a picture up on here, despite the slow internet connection. The dancing was very interesting, and they even put on a mock wedding ceremony for us, with one of our instructors as the 'groom' and one of the trainees as the 'bride'. The traditions they showed us are not really part of every day life here anymore, but many children still learn the dances, and people are proud of the culture. I imagine that it's a lot like the Native American traditions in the US, but I'm definitely no expert. We also made a stop at place that sells handmade pottery, and we struggled to remember that we are not tourists who are leaving in a week, but people who will be living here for 2 years and have that length of time to accumulate things to bring back to the US. It's still hard to get my mind around that!
5. Odds and ends
As usual, life at PST has a lot of ups and downs. After shadowing, I was a on a high for a few days, and was very excited about seeing more of the country, getting to know people better, finding out our site placements, and beginning service. I really feel like I should say something more about the people here, because they are that amazing. It is incredible that there are 57 trainees, and in the whole group, I can't think of anyone I don't like and couldn't get along with. While some people have naturally gotten closer to some than others, there are no cliques. Everyone is very accepting, and there is no sufficient way to describe how wonderful it is to have a group of people backing you up who know exactly what you are going through. Sometimes it's tough to remember what a diverse group we are because of our common experience here, but when we remember it, it only adds value to the connections we've made. Within this group, there are people that I can see myself being friends with for a long time, people that I know I could really talk to if I needed to. There are people that have already accomplished things in their careers that I hope to accomplish in my future, people that can serve as mentors (and maybe even stand-in grandparents!), and people that are excited about the same things that I am excited about. It's true that if a few of us are down, sometimes it can drag the whole group down, but that has been pretty rare for us. Mostly we're holding each other up, even when we're commiserating.
However, there are always the downs, too. I went to Catholic Mass on Sunday for the first time since moving here, and while the service was lively and wonderful, I walked out missing home more than I have in a while. Sometimes doing things that I connect with home hurts more than it helps, but it's usually worth it. I can get all caught up in the things that I gave up to come here- two years of seeing my family in person, 2 years of holidays as I know them, 2 years of going to the beach, 2 years of hanging out with friends, 2 years of talking to all the people that have known me for most of my life, 2 years of snow and changing leaves, 2 years of driving a car, 2 years of seeing my younger siblings grow up and reach new milestones in their lives- and I wonder if it's worth it. Then this afternoon we found out that we had our first ET (early termination)- one of our fellow trainees made the decision that Peace Corps wasn't for her and asked to go home. While we completely understand (and we really, really do) and wish her the best in whatever she decides to do (and will miss her!), I know it has at least made me step back and think how I would feel if I were going home tomorrow. While I do miss home and don't anticipate that changing anytime soon, I don't think I would feel good about a decision to go home. I know that I'm here for a reason, and that I'd be disappointed in myself if I went home at this stage in the game. This is still an adventure for me, and I think I can see this through to the end. I have a lot of support from home, and a lot of support here in Botswana from staff, current volunteers, and fellow trainees. There are things that I want to do here. I want to get to site and see if I can hack it there. I want to see if there's a way that I can help people make their own lives a little better. I want to get to know my fellow volunteers better, and make friends within this new culture I'm trying to adapt to. I want to learn new skills and see what I can really do if given the opportunity, and I don't think I would easily find such an opportunity in the US. And I refuse to leave Africa until I have seen a lion, a hippo, and a zebra. The end. I'm staying, at least til then.
Please don't let any of that keep anyone from sending letters and packages and reminding me of home- like I said, it's worth it! Letters and packages are the highlight of the week when we get them. I'm still working on getting to the post office here, but I promise to write back. Hope to hear from you!