African Days . . . Stories from the Bush

Just Another Day in Paradise

So as you know by now, Botswana isn’t exactly the “Africa” that most people picture and far from the one I was expecting. But then there are some moments when “Africa” just seems to pour down on me and these days always leave me smiling and most content.

Since school is out of session, I am able to 1. Breathe and 2. Break the routine and get involved in “odd jobs” around the clinic and village. One of my favorite “odd jobs” is the monthly Mobile Health Stops at the cattle posts that fall under the responsibility of Semolale Clinic.

We pack up the truck with huge sacks of rations: tsabana (baby porridge), maize meal and sugar beans; and 2 large trunks filled with everything needed for a makeshift clinic: immunizations, medications, consultation equipment, test kits, weighing scale, condoms . . . and then I pile in on top of the food rations and settle in for the ride (they first tried telling me that I couldn’t go because the nurse and family health educator along with the driver, filled the cab leaving no room for me- luckily enough, I find huge sacks of corn meal to make a nice seat and be rather comfy!)

And now the trek begins . . . and you learn the reason why we only visit these places once a month. Basically you go to the outskirts of the village and turn off the main road onto a dusty, dirt path and then hold on and say some prayers. The path is so narrow that the thorn bush branches are smacking the side of the car the whole way which means windows must be closed- a real treat in the African heat AND in the back, there is a reserve fuel tank that kinda leaks . . .this is where I ride. The road is rocky and bumpy, the path seems to end but then there is some secret passage that only someone who is well versed on the path would know even existed- this is 4x4 off roading at its best. Then there are the river beds that we have to cross and every time I think to myself that this is nothing short of a miracle that this old truck can climb these banks without so much as a slip or hesitation. Other random obstacles like the approaching donkey cart, herds of cattle and goats, the fallen branches . . . and then, we arrive!

I spend the first 15 or 20 minutes overcoming my nausea, dizziness and motion sickness while being stared at intensely by the country folk—see a white person is a novelty anywhere here, but in these far reaches of the bush it’s like the ambulance is a UFO landing and I’m the alien species. Just as I begin wondering “Why do I put myself through this horrid journey? Didn’t I learn the last time?” . . . that’s when I remember the simplistic joy that comes only on these rare adventures to mobile health stops.

The mosadi mogolo (old ladies) start unloading the truck. They really know how to run the show, efficiently and with an iron fist- which I’m always grateful for. The mothers line up with their babies strapped to the back and the older ones in toe as we tie the scale to the tree branch and prepare to weigh the babies (all children under 5). Mothers make these slings for the kids like a giant over-all diaper that the kid is put inside and hung from the hook on the scale. These ladies are extremely creative and inventive using anything from lace trimmed material to old flour sacks to fasten these slings. The health cards are decorated in a similar manner with magazine cut outs of celebrities, foods, models—its like an art collage contest each one trying to make their child’s card better than the others. One by one we assess who’s due for immunizations, who is under weight or a growth failure, who’s been sick recently, etc.

Then the mothers line up with their sacks to get the food rations that the government provides to all children under 5 years- those who are underweight or malnourished get additional supplement. This can, and has, turned into mass chaos, but once again those mosadi mogolo lay down the law and people get their act together and act civilized so that we don’t get mauled. The ironic thing is that Botswana as a whole is rather prosperous and the government has used that money to develop NUMEROUS social welfare programs, so those who are actually hunger-stricken is very few yet they scrounge and hoard like they are planning for the next Great Flood.


Everyone load their acquired sacks into the donkey carts to return to their cattle posts. The nurse consults patients and gives immunizations. This is when I get to wait, relax, reflect and take it all in . . . ahh . . . the country . . . ahh . . . Africa

Usually this is the climax of the day and the return trip is only filled with happy exhaustion, but today wasn’t like all the other days . . .

Today as I’m hunched in the back cab, bumping along, dazing out to the tunes of my ipod and taking in the scenery, the car come to an abrupt halt. I look through the window into the truck cab and see my driver with a shot gun pointed across our family health educator and nurse in the front seat and out the opposite window. Just as I was processing the sight that my eyes were beholding (and wondering if I wasn’t a bit too dehydrated and seeing things) BANG! The shot goes off! What the %^&* are we doing with a loaded firearm in an ambulance with a leaky petrol tank on a bouncing, jarring bush path?!?!?!?!

The driver hands off the gun to the health educator and hops out of the car and goes running off into the bush. He comes back to the car with a wide grin and prize in hand: a guinea fowl. The bird gets stashed behind the seat and we are off again, my bottom jaw still in my lap and thinking to myself, just another day in paradise!

To put the finishing touch on my perfectly, purely African day, we stopped by my family’s cattle post on the way home and picked about 20 watermelons from the fields and loaded them into the truck, less the one we cracked open right then and there and devoured--- scooping the delicious, sweet flesh of the melon into our mouths with our hands and juice running down our chins, all under the glistening, Botswana sun. Pure bliss.



Ohhh-Ohhh, We’re Half Way There . . . Ohhh-Ohhh, We’ll Make It I Swear

In the past two months, I have experienced a range of extremes and it isn’t too surprising since Peace Corps predicts several rises and falls in mood/ attitude during the two year service, and the deepest low on the graph is right about the one-years mark. However, I’ve been riding a pretty uphill rollercoaster for the first year so now it’s just mixing it up with some occasional flips, unexpected turns and sudden drops.

Since I am indeed at the 1st year anniversary of my Peace Corps service, I’ve taken to opportunity to step back and reflect on the whole experience. Overall, I must say that it’s been a truly great and rewarding experience. I have met a lot of new people—colleagues, friends, family; learned a lot about a new place and culture, as well as, myself; been challenged to take on new endeavors and gain new skills, or recognize and develop ones that I didn’t realize I had.

So right now, I see myself faced with the mixed feelings of “It can’t be over yet, there’s too much I still want to do!” and “Are we there yet? I’ve done all that I can”. There’s still a lot of possibility and projects that I want to see take off, but at the same time I’m reminded on how slow and difficult things can be here and whether it’s realistic to invest the time and energy and hope into such endeavors. It’s even more disheartening when I notice that despite all of the work (and money) people are pouring in to this effort, the statistics continue climbing and the situation worsens. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the day-to-day work and personal interactions and if I don’t think about “my [Peace Corps] purpose” here, I realize that I am doing exactly the kind of work that I have always loved, so I’m just going to enjoy my current place and environment while I can because like all good things, it won’t last forever.

News Clips

So in an attempt to brief you on my different projects and how I’ve been spending my days here lately (aside from guinea fowl hunting/ rural health service expeditions), I’ll touch on a few updates here:

The Run for Life Event (the source of most of the abovementioned stress and busyness) was worth every bit of it because not only was it greatly successful, it was a lot of fun and a true community-building experience! The Run for Life was the 10K race that I organized along with the help and collaboration of many different groups and departments within Semolale and the surrounding villages. They really stepped up, allowing me to participate in the race, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I also got the opportunity to host some of my fellow PCVs in Semolale which was a real treat- nothing beats playing washers in the yard with a glass of sangria in hand and spending the evening with friends around the campfire!

Newsletter Summary of the Event:
On Saturday, March 14, 2009 the Run for Life 10Km Race and Health Event was held in Semolale. The event was hosted by the health team within the catchment area of Mabolwe, Gobojango and Semolale along with the help of many other members of the community including Semolale Police, Kgotla, Youth Group, Men’s Sector and Gobojango C.J.S.S. GLOW Club. The objectives of the event was to encourage healthy lifestyles through exercise, good nutrition and safe behaviors including responsible drug and alcohol use and safe sex practices to prevent the spread of HIV infection and maintain a strong, healthy body.
The day began early with race participants gathering from Mabolwe, Gobojango and Semolale villages at 5 AM. Over 50 participants representing all age groups showed up full of energy and enthusiasm! Excitement was abounding as the group was transported to the starting line and set off on their endeavor with their eyes on the distant finish line: Semolale Kgotla. All racers put forth great effort and were rewarded with a great sense of pride in their accomplishment along with refreshments, prizes for top finshers and a fun-filled day including inspiring words from Zebras National Team player, Kagiso Tshelametsi, promotion of nutrition and healthy lifestyle by Health Team members, an engaging and educational drama by Gobojango C.J.S.S. GLOW students, traditional entertainment by Tebelopele YAA (Youth Against AIDS) performance group and interactive HIV/AIDS education activities facilitated by Semolale Youth Group and Men’s Sector members. As March is the celebration of Month of Youth Against AIDS, young people were especially encouraged actively pursue healthy lifestyles by adapting positive behavior habits early in life and serve as positive role models for their peers. All were given the opportunity by Tebelopele for HIV testing and were encouraged to know their status. The day was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all who were involved in the day’s activities. It would not have been possible without the hard work, long hours and continuous efforts of those from the planning committee and affiliated organizations!

*Also check out a fellow PCV’s account of the day’s events:
www.botswanajess.blogspot.com


The 1st school term came to a close in early April. Working and teaching in the schools was one of my greatest satisfactions this year. I was deeply involved down to the last days putting in extra hours in the evenings helping the kids to review all of the material for their exams. By the last week I was even able to address some of my own material in the classroom and worked with a friend from the clinic to teach about nutrition and help the kids create a fun, artsy food pyramid to display in their classrooms.

At the Junior Secondary School, we were finally able to send off our Pen Pal letters to Vanuatu and I have heard from several of you that book donation and collection has begun—so next term should prove very exciting and fruitful. Here in Semolale, we ended the term with 2 very positive notes: Our Library book donation application was accepted and several hundred books were scheduled to ship out sometime last week to begin their voyage to Semolale AND our first batch of Pen Pal responses arrived from America! The kids will be thrilled—I can’t wait to see their faces!

The GLOW group created an original drama which they performed at the Run for Life post-race event to engage the community in issues related to leading healthy lives and adopting positive behavior changes. We have begun planning for a regional Life Skills camp that we hope to hold in August, during the next school break. We are modeling the camp off of the national GLOW camp we attended in December, hoping to share that experience with more students and encourage the development of new GLOW chapters in other schools within our region. It’s a BIG task, but hopefully we’ll be able to pull it off because it was be a really great opportunity and experience for these kids . . . fingers crossed—I’ll keep you posted.

The Youth Group was albeit quite for the first months of the year since the plowing and planting season was upon us, requiring most people in the country to head to the lands and cattle posts unless they are tied to the village or town due to school or government jobs. However, as of last week, they have been reviving themselves and preparing to perform at a national competition in Jwaneng (on the other side of the country) in the beginning of May. Senior Secondary Students and Youth groups across the country will be gathering to compete in drama and dance- including, hip hop, break dance, ballroom dance, and 2 popular Botswana styles of dancing. Some new leaders have emerged among the youth so my optimism and enthusiasm have been rejuvenated, and I am excited to see what the rest of the year brings.

Our village is in the process of creating a VMSAC (Village Multi-Sector AIDS Committee) to compile representatives from all government departments and areas within the community to address and combat the issues involved in the continuous problem at hand: the uncontrollable spread of HIV. We are electing our committee on May 6th- so hopefully this will provide me with a new outlet and partnership to carry out different aspects of my mission here. It’s kinda cool that there will be a whole committee whose role and goal is essentially the same as mine- it will definitely add a bit of concreteness to my tasks, and hopefully sustainability also!

As a sector of the VMSAC, the newly formed Men’s Sector is trying to get grounded and form a strong foundation in order to plan and implement activities within Semolale aimed especially at men. I think I will try to get them on board for my idea of a Father- Child Football Tournament. It seems like it would be a good match of interests and something to get them motivated and involved. I really like this group as it adds an additional dimension and develops a broader perspective for me of the issues surrounding the behaviors and attitudes behind the HIV epidemic.

I am trying to coordinate a group of 6 ladies in Semolale for an income-generating opportunity. There is an NGO called Mothers for All (www.mothersforall.org) whose objective is to train women who are HIV positive or caring for AIDS orphans with the skills to create jewelry with recycled magazine papers. The NGO then purchases finished products from the mothers and markets them to lodges, international craft shops & fairs and other viable outlets. The intention is to provide financial independence and practical skills in business and economics. As an addition the women are provided with recreation in a fun and supportive environment, while producing beautiful, quality crafts that are environmentally friendly. Win! Win!

It’s a happening time of year in the Peace Corps Botswana world. Our predecessors, Bots 6, who arrived in 2007 to begin their service, are now winding down and preparing for their departures and to what awaits them in life after Peace Corps. It will be sad to see our friends, mentors and colleagues leave and it’s a stark reminder of just how quickly this whole experience will escape us. Along with their departure will be the welcoming of the next group, Bots 8. They arrived in country last week and are busy studying Setswana, learning the tricks of the trade and coming to grips with what exactly they have signed up for! I can’t help but look back to my first impressions of those early days of my Peace Corps service and think “that wasn’t so long ago!” But indeed it was, and we are now fully adapted, integrated, confident upperclassmen about to pass along our knowledge, encouragement and words of wisdom to the new group. I will even be having my own hand in this whole process as I have volunteered to host 2 volunteers in Semolale to “shadow” me and learn the ins-and-outs of making this a successful and enjoyable experience. I will even be going back to my old training village, Molepolole, at the end of May to lead a session of Pre-Service Training and meet our new friends.

All of these introductions/ farewells have of course translated into an extremely packed social calendar. Most of May I will spend traveling to and from Gabarone/ Moleps meeting new volunteers, catching up with fellows Bots 7 PCVs and bidding good-bye to friends who will be leaving. Mixed in with this is the excited anticipation and preparation for my visit from America! My Mom, Mike, Valerie and Michelle will be arriving June 10th! We have BIG plans, including an overland safari and game-viewing in the Tuli Block, a traditional goat-and- sheep- slaughtering festival with my family and friends in Semolale and hopefully a ride in a Makoro, a traditional dug-out canoe, through the beautiful Okavango Delta, and maybe some other side trips and surprise excursions! I couldn’t be more excited!

Before launching into all of this craziness, I restored my calm and enjoyed one of the most pleasant Easters while camping with friends at a Dam in a nearby village, Mmadinare. The views were amazing and sunsets breathtaking, the meals were gourmet-grill styled and the drinks hit the spot, the environment was invigorating yet tranquil and the company was unmatched! I enjoyed hiking, climbing and exploring rock formations filled with monkeys, trail runs and even canoeing and swimming! Needless to say, it wasn’t easy to say goodbye to this pseudo-paradise and return once again to the dry and dusty Semolale.

Take Care! Until next time . . . .
Peace and Love