Dumela!

Dumelang! (Hello to everyone)

O tsogile jang? (How are you?) I’ve finally landed here in Gaborone Botswana after 2 days of travel, 3 flights, and only one plane missed. After stopping in Paris France, spending a day travelling around, visiting the Eiffel tower and going on a boat cruise of the city, I was off to Johannesburg, South Africa. Fortunately, I was travelling with another volunteer from Canada, Vanessa so the layover times weren’t so bad except when we missed our connecting flight because our baggage was MIA. Anyway, after spending a few hours in South Africa, we were off to Gaborone Botswana where we landed in 37˚C sandy bliss. It’s beautiful, dry, and a very sandy place here in Gabs city where I’m living. When I arrived my first day I was taken to a house to live with another volunteer from Students Without Borders (SWB), Iman. We lived in that house for about a week, along with other volunteers from other organizations. The house was pretty unique, with an outdoor terrace in the middle of our home, along with a security guard outside and barb wires around the property. I feel pretty safe here, given all of the precautions they told us to take. So during the first week of orientation we got to see a lot of the city, from the restaurants and the vendors, to the neighbourhoods and the exposure to the Setswana language. It was a really busy week, so busy I feel like I’ve been here for a month. We went to the University of Botswana for a lecture on the history of the country and received a talk on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Botswana being one of the highest in Africa. This epidemic is pretty intense. It's is neither seen nor talked about by the people because of the significant stigma attached to it. Unfortunately, it affects/infects 1 in 3 people here in this country.

I started my placement on Thursday, working with the Cancer Association of Botswana (CAB). I’m working with 2 other ladies who plan and implement various fundraising events for Cancer in Botswana. While I’m here, I will be helping out with the Golf tournament, Cancer Awareness Month (October), Lifestyle and Psychosocial Challenges of Cancer Conference and so much more. We also work within an Interim Care Home, which has 22 beds for patients who live in the villages outside of the city and require treatment within the city. Currently, the involvement with the patients from the staff is minimal due to lack of resources and capacity to fulfill the needs of the individuals. I have been asked to develop recreational programs for these patients and for the home, so they have meaningful experiences on a daily basis, rather than sitting all day with nothing to do. This is going to be quite the challenge since I have so little to work with and don’t speak their language, but we will find a way through partnerships and souring out the community for support. I’m sure there will be many updates to come, on the progress of its development.

The food here in Botswana is great. At almost every meal, there is a staple food called pap that is served. It’s a small grain that is finely ground and made into a mashed potatoe-like dish. It doesn’t have too much taste to it but it is a food that provides much energy to the body. Beef is also huge here, as the 2nd largest industry in Botswana aside from diamonds. I haven’t tried the mopani (caterpillar) yet, but I will get around to it before I leave. I have had cow intestine, which was mmm unique. My mom always told me that it’s good to try everything someone offers you, so mom I did and I won’t be having anymore. From a transpo perspective, I walk pretty much everywhere. I walk to and from work everyday with the chickens and roosters, goats, and even a bull that was on the sidewalk with me on my way in to work today. It’s so wonderful walking to work and being greeted by locals when they say dumella mma (hello to a woman) rather than people starring passed as what happens in Canada. It’s neat to watch their reactions when you greet them back in Setswana, as they smile and laugh because they don’t expect I would know any of their language. The combi (bus) rides are quite the experience as they pack them full of people, at 3 pula each (.50 cents Cdn.) and play music so loud sometimes you wonder if they will hear you when you yell out your stop from the back of the bus. It’s also pretty wild in the city because everyone driving honks their horns; all combi’s, taxi’s, and random cars asking if anyone needs a ride. I was walking in to work the other day and had some guy pull over to pick me up but I gave him the Botswanian hand gesture for “no thanks” and he left me alone.

This past weekend was pretty busy. On Saturday morning I helped out with a Cancer fundraiser that 4 ladies put on at their homes. The garden party was in the middle of their backyards that were joined by a giant garden and pond, I felt like I was in the middle of the OC as it was very posh. Anyway, it was a really successful event, for only being 2 hours long, we raised over P3,000. Then I was off to a house warming party in one of the villages about an hour away from Gabs city. We combi’d to and from and probably saw over 200 goats on the ride there on the side of the roads. At the party, they have something like a bbq, but it’s called a braii, where they bbq beef. The food was delicious and the people were wonderful. I also got a chance to walk through the village to see what it’s like outside of the city. It was really neat to watch the kids having tire races in the streets and see the excitement that such a simple object brought to them. Comparing this to back home, these kids probably were happier than a kid with his/her new Guitar Hero. Finally, on Sunday we went on a game reserve (safari) and saw so many animals; elephants, giraffe, cheetahs, zebras, and so much more. It was such a gorgeous day and wicked opportunity to see the animals like that outside of a cage.

I just finished my 3rd stay at a place called "Budget Lodge". If those words don't say enough about the accomodation, all I have to say is that it was an EXPERIENCE! After 3 nights sharing a double bed with my roomate, showering without a curtain, and sleeping without any blankets, I learned a lot. I won't get it to that now, perhaps later on down the road. I am back at the 2nd house I was staying at previously with 2 dogs, Molly and Bijou. Bijou is a Newfoundland dog and almost bigger than me. It’s a gorgeous house and feels like our own little getaway from the ciaos in the city. We’ll be back there for 2 weeks and then I will be off to a 4th house, perhaps living with a family in the city, but those details are to be determined. My weeks consist of work and weekends of sun and fun. The weather was really hot averaging around 38˚C, but lately it has been cool at 25˚C. It’s supposed to get up to 45˚C in about a month’s time. It's tough to get much done after work because it gets dark so early and it's not good to be out after dark here, but we're managing.

I haven’t really had much time to think about home or miss it really. The girls I’m here with are so much fun. My work is going to be a huge learning opportunity, the country is fantastic, and the trips we have planned in the coming weeks are definitely going to top off this adventure. We have a long weekend coming up next week so we’re going to be heading to Zimbabwe and then to the North of Botswana to Victoria Falls, Chobe for white water rafting, on a safari, and probably a lot more to discover while we’re there. I do have an address you can send mail to, but keep in mind it will take 3 weeks time (express mail) to get here. I’m probably going to use email for the most part but if you do want my address it’s World University Service of Canada, P O Box 1856, Gaborone, Botswana. I also have a cell phone so if you feel an urge to call/text me half way around the world, you can reach me at country code 011 and then 267-7180-4217. Otherwise, feel free to email me as I do have email at work and would be ecstatic to hear from you. Hope all is well on your end, enjoy the cold weather! Ciao for now until next time.

Kate aka Lorato xo
(a name given to me by a Botswanian) – guess what it means??