Hello Again!

Hello All! “Africa time” has been double-time since I last wrote. I’ve been super busy in and around Semolale—and LOVING it! That makes this very difficult for me right now as I have so much to share, but have neglected my recording for the past few weeks, so I will consult my journal and try to recount my many experiences and leave you all with an up-to-date picture of Semolale and me!
Week 5 (July 19th-27th)
It was a holiday weekend here in Botswana, which meant no work until Wednesday. I enjoyed a nice relaxing weekend. Wednesday was rough after the extended break but I was able to reorganize and map out the way forward for a lot of my projects/ activities. This week really turned a new page in my relationships within the community. I feel like that “barrier” has come down (I didn’t even know it was there until now that it isn’t) and I am no longer this mysterious white girl that everyone is intimidated by. Instead now I am just another villager in Semolale- I don’t know what that would be called—a Semolalian?? My life after “work” hours is now jam packed with activities and different people in the community- it’s fantastic! Of course there is the trade off- I haven’t been able to practice guitar, study Setswana, read books, go running, practice my yoga and tai chi, write letters/ e-mails/ blogs, or those other personal goals that I would like to achieve during my Peace Corps experience. But I can do those things anywhere, and with time, I’ll find a balance between being “Gorata” and being “Jaclyn” and I will be able to obtain the full Peace Corps experience with both cultural experience and personal growth.
Last time I wrote about when the youth came to my house and how it was the perfect example of those small “success” moments that you experience doing this kind of work. Well this week was full of those! I’ve had some of my most meaningful interactions this week. I’ll briefly touch on a few. One evening I had the pleasure of reliving my childhood as I played a version of volleyball with the small kids on my compound using an old, deflated soccer ball and the fence as the “net”. It reminded me of those summer nights on Fieldgreen Road playing dodge ball- when you’re allowed to stay out and play with your friends just a little longer than normal- there’s no street lights here to make us go inside! We also threw the Frisbee around a bit and they loved it! Those kids are great—seeing their excitement and hearing them laugh makes my day!
I was also able to build closer friendships with people from the clinic. I went to one of the nurse’s house with another girl from the clinic to bake a cake together (they think cinnamon is some kind of magical spice!). It was great to just hang out and chat with friends— there was no awkwardness, it was just like I was hanging out with my friends or roommates back home which was a great feeling- and the cake was delicious too! We ever planned for a “girls’ weekend” to go to town for a shopping day and then treat ourselves to a nice dinner out at a restaurant- so that should be fun! The next night I went to another nurse’s house for her niece’s 21st birthday braai which was also a lot of fun. I have discovered that these kinds of occasions are the best was to experience the “real” culture of Botswana. Not the old traditional culture, not the conservative, beurocratic, professional culture, but the modern-day family and social life. Seeing how everyone interacts with each other when they are comfortable and relaxed- you see everyone’s true colors! The music, dancing, food, drink, joking, and conversation around the fire all paints a picture that no amount of words ever could.
Some of the youth have been coming by to learn guitar, teach me chess, and just hang out for a bit at my house which is nice because I’ve been able to get to know some of them on an individual basis and this has also changed the atmosphere of our youth meetings because we are no longer strangers trying to figure each other out, so everyone is more open and interactive, which in turns means our meetings have turned more creative and fun!
I’ve also been spending some of my free time trying to turn my house into home. I’m trying to get creative to come up with ways to decorate and bring some color and Jaclyn-ness to the house but it is very difficult with the extremely limited resources so I’ve resorted to the few pictures that I brought with me (it would be great if you all throw a few in with any letters you send), magazine clippings, and some fun creations with my watercolors. Basically my house will be decorated like a kindergarten classroom- but that’s cool!
Week 6 (July 28th- August 3rd)
This week was rather productive for meetings and such so a lot of projects are taking that next step forward. I think I mentioned in my last entry that my District AIDS Coordinator wants me to plan “Students Teach Parents: HIV/AIDS Day” at all three local primary schools! I’m not that concerned about Semolale because they had this event last year and I have already started working with them, but the other two villages, I hadn’t even been to the schools yet. But this week I was able to go to both Mabolwe and Gobojango to introduce myself to the head teachers (principals) and pitch the idea to them for this activity. Luckily they both thought it was a good idea so I then met with the guidance teacher in Mabolwe and the Health Committee in Gobojango. They are going to brief the rest of the staff and be my go-to people on the ground for this project since I don’t live in either of these villages.
Our meeting finally happened with representatives from the different villages’ health staff to plan a workshop to address male involvement in the PMTCT program. It is difficult for me to plan some of these things because I don’t know how the “system” works here yet. But since I am following another PCV they expect me to pick up where she left off. However, they forget that when she first arrived, she wasn’t doing projects and didn’t know how to do all these things. Not to mention that Peace Corps recommends not starting any projects until after IST (In Service Training- which is 3 months after going to site). Because I don’t know what the heck I’m doing and in the spirit of sustainability, I’m encouraging the clinic staff to take the leadership role in planning this event. Once I see how to go about this whole process, I will feel more comfortable proposing my ideas and suggesting alternative events. Botswana is known for having these “workshops”. Every week at least someone is gone from the clinic for a workshop, which is the same for all government offices. These events are generally ineffective but they continue to conduct them in the same way which is boring and results in absolutely nothing. So it’s a loss of manpower in all these offices that must send representatives, it’s a waste of money to put all of these government officials up in lodges and cater meals and run these functions, and they don’t think outside the box to introduce any new ways of thinking about or doing things to break down the barriers that are preventing change and forward progress. Nobody ever has a new idea so they continue to do the same things, hence the millions or billions of dollars being pumped into this country and tons of resources being mobilized, yet a steady HIV infection rate continues with no significant progress. So that’s a small soap box but it does offer a glimpse at why this “task” is so much harder than it appears to the outside eye because there are so many contributing factors to the HIV/AIDS issue and the inability to overcome it. But hopefully I will be able to help guide people to different, more creative and more effective approaches to tackle these issues.
On the flip side, the youth are showing lots of promise and I have already seen them grow and strengthen. The youth group is now meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have been working on creating an educational drama to address issues like HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, gender roles, etc. They hope to eventually perform the drama in Semolale and neighboring villages to provide education, entertainment, and raise a bit of money for the continuation of the club. They have also started to organize traditional sing and dance- this is my favorite! I have to get private lessons at my house after the meeting because I wasn’t born with this innate ability that they all seem to possess. It kind of reminds me of my cheerleading days haha. I can see how step squads in African American communities back home are directly derived from the traditional dances from their African ancestors. We also play sports on Saturday mornings- right now we are playing volleyball, netball (a combination of rugby and basketball) and Frisbee. And they come to my house on Friday nights to hang out, play games (charades was very interesting!), and watch movies. Every week more and more people show up both to the meetings and the social events and I am getting to know more of them on a personal basis so it’s like hanging out with friends- except they seem much younger (like high school) even though most of them are my age or a little older. The best part is, they are beginning to take initiative and becoming accountable. If I can’t make it to a meeting, they still meet and someone steps up as the leader, they are self-directing their drama and dance sessions and interest continues to grow—we have new people show up at every meeting! I’m ecstatic! I am going with two of them to represent Semolale Youth at the International Youth Day event in Mahalapye this week. I am helping another girl get grant money and sponsorships to start her own business selling these embroidered cloths. She hopes to teach some of the other youth and employ them also which is great—they are constantly surprising me!
I had a great night with my mom (The one that doesn’t speak English but is the sweetest lady ever!) I taught her to make oatmeal raisin cookies. She makes “biscuits” (cookies) to sell as well as the oranges from our yard to make some extra money for the family. So now she wants to start selling the oatmeal raisin ones. We also bring out my flash cards and she helps me with my Setswana and I help her with her English. It always amazes me how few words are needed to understand each other and enjoy each other’s presence. My oldest brother was in town for the first time and my dad came back from the cattle post and my other brother who stays in the neighboring village, Gobojango, was around a lot so all the Ndodoles were home (usually it’s just me and my mom). And my sister-in-law, who lives next door and works at the clinic with me, had her baby so there’s a new Ndodole!
Week 7 (August 4- 10th)
I was miserably sick last weekend, but starting to feel better and regain some energy by Monday afternoon so I was able to keep my appointment with the G.L.O.W. club in Gobojango. Another pleasant surprise! I was introduced to over 20 girls who were all extremely intelligent, motivated, positive people who were extremely open and accepting and enthusiastic about me being there and the club taking off. We are going to plan a “carnival” with different booths with games, crafts, skits to educate their peers on HIV/AIDS. There is also a weeklong camp in December that we are hoping to be able to send representatives to. So I’m very excited to start working with this group. Unfortunately all the schools are going on break until September so we will have to wait until then to pick up and move forward.
I had successful meetings with the PTA in Mabolwe and we finalized our plans for the Male PMTCT workshop in Semolale. I started to prepare some of my reports for Peace Corps that I will need to take to IST (In Service Training) in September. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone again and hear about all the other volunteers’ experiences since training. We will be together for 10 days, continuing our language learning, technical training, and sharing our experiences and discussing our challenges- and of course relaxing and enjoying the company of everyone!
I had a nice relaxing weekend: hanging out with the youth, making some progress with the guitar, planning some traveling that I hope to do, enjoying a nice walk, reading/ writing some letters, and preparing for my trip to Mahalapye for the Youth Day.
Hope all of you are well and enjoying the last of summer vacations and get-togethers. We are starting to come out of winter and move toward our hot, wet summer season so I’m trying to enjoy the “phefo” (windy) August before the brutal weather sets in. Hope to hear from you all soon!
Miss you all
With Love and Peace