Home Sweet Semolale

My life has been very eventful since I last wrote. . .
My last week in Molepolole was very hectic! We had a lot of loose ends to tie up before we finished training and headed out to our villages. We were all excitedly planning for our new homes and anxious to get there and get settled. We had a day in Gabs to take care of Peace Corps business at the office before they turn us loose. We also got the opportunity to go shopping for a few things that we will need at our homes. This adventure turned into a Botswana-style “Supermarket Sweep”! Some of us, myself included, will not have access to many places, shops, groceries, etc. once we get to site, so it was a mad rush to get all the essentials (pots, pans, mop/ broom, utensils, dishes, sheets, groceries, etc.) that we would need to get by for the first 3 months- during this time we are encouraged to spend as much time as possible in our village and can only travel during the day to surrounding villages in the immediate area for necessities. Amongst all of this bustle, I was trying to enjoy the company of my host family for the last few days. We had quite an adventure making banana bread (we had to trek to the neighbors to borrow an oven late at night and then started a small kitchen fire!) but they enjoyed it nonetheless. Before departing, I created an American cookbook for them including some of the recipes I had cooked for them during my stay.
Wednesday, June 18th was the big day! We gathered at the local secondary school to be sworn in as official Peace Corps Volunteers. This was quite an event! It was reminiscent of a graduation with all of our host families in attendance, our language and culture teachers, Peace Corps staff, the U.S. Ambassador and Botswana’s former president Mugare. Many of the volunteers were dressed by their families in traditional wear for the occasion. We of course celebrated with one last gathering at the Lodge before we all departed for our sites the following morning.
It took a bit of effort for me to finally arrive in Semolale. Transport will definitely be an issue throughout the next 2 years- luckily, I can pay for public transport if I choose and am therefore not totally dependent on others if I need to get somewhere. During this journey, I was able to stay a night in Gabarone and was able to indulge myself at the westernized Riverwalk where there are several restaurants- including an Italian café where I was able to enjoy a brownie sundae and Bailey’s coffee! I figured, I might as well enjoy it because I will not be having that luxury for quite some time!
Week 1 (June 22nd -29th)
My first week in Semolale was consumed with trying to get myself settled both in my home and at the clinic and the community. I feel like a toddler, clumsily exploring my environment--the world seems so big and full of discoveries. I have found that routine tasks take up much more of my time here because I have to think about how to do even the simplest of things like laundry, washing, bathing etc.- all things I take for granted back home. But here, due to my limited resources and the inevitable water outage I must get more creative. Every day I figure out a better way of doing something so it will soon be second nature.
My place is already beginning to feel more like home! I was finally able to get my other bag from storage; it felt like Christmas! So I am now surrounded by great books that I am eager to read, my art supplies & guitar, my own music . . .
At the clinic, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the end of the week. I was introduced to so many new people that I know will play a key role in my next 2 years here. I explored the village—despite its small size, I still find new people and places each time and I have begun traveling on different footpaths each time I go out to see what I find. I was brought up to date about some of the projects the last volunteer was involved in, as well as, brainstormed a slew of my own . . . but now, where to begin???? That’s the best way to sum up my first week—excitement about so many opportunities but this overwhelming HOW? So I figured that it’s early in the game and I have 2 years here, so no hurry; I’ll move with the African time or else I’ll probably get quite discouraged. I keep telling everyone that being with Tim for so long has basically adapted me to the Botswanan sense of time so it doesn’t bother me much. Apparently, the last volunteer got quite frustrated with the slow-paced lifestyle. So patience is a virtue I must possess! I’ve just spent my time talking to all kinds of people within the village and the neighboring ones to make myself known to them. That and basically trying to be a sponge and an active observer to soak up different facts, opinions, issues of importance, how things work here, areas others mention as opportunities for improvement, etc. so I can get the whole picture.
Some of the things I will be trying to get involved with include: planning a workshop for PMTCT mothers to teach proper formula mixing, bottle cleaning, infant feeding & nutrition. This will hopefully lead to the creation of a Peer Mother Support Group so that a group of women can be educated on additional topics such as exclusive breastfeeding, proper nutrition, safe food preparation and storage, immunizations, the importance of 6 week and 18 month HIV testing for babies, child development indicators, common childhood illnesses, & family planning and contraception. These women would then be partnered with new moms during the prenatal period to educate and support the new mom during and after her pregnancy. Also, hopefully increasing male involvement in the PMTCT program and encourage positive male role models within the community. I was thinking possibly a Father/ Child Sports Day or Tournament of some kind to get Dads involved with their children. Here especially, Fathers are often absent in a child’s life or have a very impersonal relationship with them. This means that the young boys of this next generation will probably grow up to do the same. There is the Youth Group who I am working with and trying to start activities with them- we are starting this weekend with an Ultimate Frisbee game- this should be interesting. I’ll try to make you proud ReRy! If we ever get to the point where we have a tournament I expect all of Flash and Buzz to be there- I supported you all of those years! The group is hoping to start some kind of drama or traditional dance group. They have lots of ideas but need some motivation to make things come together so I’ll keep you posted. There is the GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Club at the Secondary School in the neighboring village Gobojango. It encourages leadership and creates a safe and comfortable environment for these adolescents to ask questions, express fears, and set goals for the future. We hope to plan events for the students (it’s a boarding school) including an HIV/AIDS Carnival—we are meeting this weekend to discuss and plan for this. In Semolale, there is a Primary School where a Reading Room (like a library) has been created by the last volunteer, and I am hoping to use it to encourage development of reading, composition, and speaking skills, as well as, interactive teaching methods. The hope is for improved written and spoken English. I am also hoping to start a cultural exchange program with Sara’s school where the classes will learn about aspects of each other’s culture through a pen-pal program. I have a chuck load of other ideas but this is just a sampling of a few things I’m currently getting involved in.
My first weekend was great! I enjoyed having my own kitchen again and cooked and baked all kinds of goodies—I’ve included a link to some recipes that I’ve tried and I will hopefully continue to add to it as I keep experimenting in the kitchen so you all can try some Setswana cuisine and some Jaclyn-creations. I met up with 2 volunteers is the neighboring village (one is from last year’s group and had her brother and boyfriend visiting) and we had a braai, which is basically a cookout. We went out to the bush to a dried river bed and cooked out over the open fire. We had freshly slaughtered beef from one of the volunteer’s family- it was very “meaty” but edible. It was quite peaceful- just us and some goats, donkeys, and monkeys. It was actually quite pretty with green trees, sand (no water), and wildlife. I was able to gain valuable insight into life in Botswana, Peace Corps, and what to expect in this coming year from the perspective of another volunteer who is living in essentially the same shoes.
Week 2 (June 30th- July 6th)
This week went by extremely fast—thanks partially to a national holiday (No, not 4th of July!) but July 1st. So I had a nice relaxing day off to catch up around the house after the weekend. I composed some e-mail responses (now that the laptop has arrived), read some books (I am planning all kinds of African adventures so come join me!), and picked up the guitar for a bit. I’m experimenting and learning more and more about my guitar each time I pick it up—including the fact that it’s very out of tune and I have no idea how to tune it! Haha Maybe someday soon I will actually be able to play a song- don’t hold your breath though!
I starting to investigate the PMTCT infant testing situation and found that many children have not been tested, especially at the 18 month point. After the introduction on the DBS (Dried Blood Spot) test that can be done on infants at 6 weeks, many mothers do not bring them back for the 18 month test but due to the window period and the possibility that a mom will breastfeed the infant, means this second test is essential. So I have compiled lists of all the babies that need testing and hope to work alongside the health teams from each village to get the testing up to date and get any positive children access to the appropriate resources to increase their health and quality of life.
I attended a meeting at the kgotla (the place of the village chief) where the Minister of Parliament addressed the villagers. It was all in Setswana, so I didn’t understand much of it, but it did introduce me to some of the customs and formalities of the traditional culture. This also allows an opportunity for the villages to express their concerns to the government officials in hopes of improvement. Of much concern was the situation in Zimbabwe. Also, the shortage of water in the village, poor cell phone reception, road conditions, and education.
The 4th of July was rather uneventful here. I did sport my red, white and blue all day and told everyone that it was American Independence Day. Maybe next year, once I’m a little more settled (and maybe my sisters will be here!), I will have a braai at my house with traditional American food and games—maybe even some sparklers! Although I’m not sure that the postal service would let a shipment of them through; I’ll have to look into it.
After spending the entire weekend in Semolale, I have learned that a social life does not really exist, outside of the one bar across the street from my house. Alcoholism is a HUGE problem here. There is no concept of social drinking so you either swear off all alcohol or you’re know as a village drunk. The end of the month is especially bad because this is when everyone gets their checks- and many times will spend the thing in its entirety. You will see children without shoes and proper clothes that cannot afford school fees and families going hungry towards the end of the month, but the parents always manage to find the money to get drunk. And of course this only exponentially increases the spread of HIV/AIDS and other risky behaviors- like drunk driving. I wouldn’t want to be quoted on this, but I do believe that after HIV/AIDS, motor vehicles crashes is the second leading killer of Batswana. The risk increases greatly after dark due to drunk driving, animals in the road, and poor road conditions. Well, that’s just a brief glimpse at the issue.
I spent my weekend . . . running to the neighboring village, Mabolwe. There are Run for Life events hosted annually in different villages to promote healthy lifestyles, behavior change, and zero-transmission lifestyles. They include a 10K race, health education speakers, and voluntary HIV testing. I am hoping to host one in my village. I decided to start training so that I, myself, can actually run 10K. I also found a great path to go walking on. It heads to the outskirts of the village and soon you find yourself surrounded by expansive views of savannah and small rocky hills against the horizon. It kind of gives you the same feeling as hiking back home, but only it’s on flat ground. I also played with the kids that live on my compound since they seemed to be the only people interested in doing anything entertaining. Then I chilled with my family outside around the fire for a while in the evening.
Week 3 (July 7th- July 13th)
On Monday I went to Francistown, the second largest city in Botswana. It’s about 3-4 hours North West of my village. We had to refer a patient to the hospital there. The child is experiencing seizures, but must also suffer from some developmental issues seems how she is 4 years old and cannot feed herself, walk or talk and has a totally flat affect. The way that the doctor talked to the patient’s mother and the clinic worker was so belittling. I found myself trying to advocate for this patient even though I barely knew the circumstances of the situation, but for some reason the doctor seemed to listen better when I spoke to him. I must admit, this made me actually miss “real” nursing. I think I’m going to help another volunteer study for the MCATs just so that I don’t forget everything I learned in nursing school.
Francistown is a rather bustling city in comparison to everywhere else in Botswana. Even Gabarone (the capitol) does not seem busy because it is spread out. Francistown has a more concentrated city center so all of the major establishments are within walking distance. There is also a livelier street scene with venders along the sidewalks giving it an air comparable to the open air markets that are typical here in Africa and other parts of the world. Of course with this also comes increased crime like muggings and petty theft in the malls and marketplaces- so you must be more cautious of your surroundings than in little ‘ol Semolale.
This week was very productive as far as meetings actually taking place with different groups to discuss previously mentioned proposed community activities. I am beginning to feel more comfortable and confident in my role here and being able to act more independently on projects.
Winter is setting in here! The past few days have been quite chilly. The weather is similar to our Fall. It is quite cold in the mornings and night requiring varying degrees of winter apparel- including scarf and gloves at times! Most afternoons, it will warm up and sometimes even be “hot” by midday. The wind is picking up and whipping through the village and my house. But unlike home, I do not hear the rustling of the trees, instead we have little dusty wind tunnels that will start up and kick dirt everywhere- including the house which means that sweeping has become my new favorite pastime! But the weather is nice to curl up with a cup of hot tea and one of the many books that I now have, so I am enjoying it while I can because before I know it, the 10 months of summer and its excruciating heat will be upon me.
None of the activities I thought I would be doing this weekend wound up happening, but that’s okay. Instead, I had several impromptu gatherings that were rather nice. I guess by hanging around the house even on uneventful weekends, you get nice surprises like these! I wish that I had some board games or something for entertaining the small ones that visit, or even the older ones! All I have is a deck of cards, so I taught them to play “Go Fish”. Then the little kids that stay next door came over and we had a little tea party- it started with 2 and soon the whole family was here! It was great to have a lot of commotion in the house and little guys running around. Plus you know how I love to entertain so I thoroughly enjoyed having guests. I had mom and her 5 kids aging from 3 to 20 all enjoying their tea and scones (another baking experiment) and biscuits. This also gave me a good opportunity to practice my Setswana given that only the eldest son could really understand English. My Setswana is basically on the same level as the 3 year old’s, haha! I was just re-cleaning the house after everyone left when the mother’s sister came knocking on my door. So with good Batswana manners, I invited her in for some lunch and of course, tea. Once again this put my Setswana to the test, but I learned that she wants to become active with the youth group and she told me all of the sports she plays and how she likes to do drama and singing and dancing- so hopefully her enthusiasm is genuine and can get the youth group motivated. She has also promised to teach me how to do the traditional dances here—complete with the traditional outfits (as you all will see in the pictures) haha At least the girls’ costumes are a little more modest than the guys’!
Tomorrow I will wake up early and try to get an early start so that I can travel into town and hopefully use the internet and buy some groceries. So with any luck, you will all be reading this by tomorrow evening! And I will be back in Semolale ready for the upcoming week . . .