Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and 2Pac

(written 4/30)
What a strange day. It began with heavy fog and mist, and ended with skies blue enough to match the Botswana flag- no complaints there. Tensions and frustrations met their highest point yet in Setswana class. I feel like I'm not doing badly, but it's still a difficult language, and our group's performance has just not been meeting our instructor's high standards. We have our first language proficiency exam very soon, so we'll see how we're really doing then. We ended the morning with a security briefing by the Peace Corps regional security officer, an ex-Marine with a strong southern drawl. It was a long, informative session, but I'll summarize by saying that I continue to feel safe here. Most people got to take a lunch break after the briefing, but I spent my break getting vaccinated for hepatitis A, meeting the country director for a group discussion, and getting an official diagnosis of 'sprained foot' from the medical officer. I hopped down from a ledge and twisted my foot last week, and was a little concerned when it was still painful and swollen today. It's really no big deal. I can walk and get around fine- just a minor inconvenience.
We spent the afternoon speaking with a panel from a local HIV positive support group about stigma and discrimination. It was probably the most interesting and inspiring session we've had so far. Here in Botswana, it is very rare for an HIV positive person to go public with their status, and today we met a group of people who have not only gone public, but were willing to share their stories with 60 Americans. Despite high infection rates, their support group is one of only a few in the region. The attendance numbers are not astronomical, but they are a dynamic and ambitious group, and they are already looking to set up like-minded groups around the country. One of the Peace Corps volunteers here does a lot of work with this group, and it was inspiring to see them recognizing his efforts- volunteers are not always recognized or thanked for their work, so it's always nice to see it happen.
As has been happening more and more often, a few of us ended up at the lodge for some cold drinks and internet access after training, and were treated to 2 hours of non-stop Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. And this was not the first time, and it wasn't even surprising. While their careers have in essence ended in the US, their music lives on here in Botswana. When I asked my 11 year old host sister who her favorite musicians were, she answered “Rihanna and Celine Dion.” My host mom sings Bette Midler and Whitney Houston songs while cooking and cleaning, and the blaring of Dolly Parton literally drove me out of the house on one particular Sunday. Divas are not only Western imports. Hip-hop is huge here, and “2Pac” is spray painted on the front door of one of the houses on my street. Chris Brown is another celebrity whose career would be completely revitalized if he came to Botswana- they love him here. Beyonce doesn't exactly need a career face lift, but if she came to Botswana, I think the whole country would turn out to see her. Of course, traditional music is played too, and is even preferred once the dancing gets started at parties, but it's still a bit of a trip to move across an ocean to Africa and have my host mom like the same music my American mom likes.