First Congregational UCC - Platteville

Dumelang,

Hey! Unto you a child is born!

I couldn’t believe it was Christmas time leading up to today, but last night, I was missing all the traditions of my family: the tree, the eggnog and eight gazillion kinds of cookies, the Christmas Eve meal, church and music and candles, the reading of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”, and singing of carols around the piano, etc, etc. However, I am in one of the most beautiful places in Botswana and fortunate enough to be with very good people who care about me: Monica, Liz, Cassie, and Nadine. Nadine is 62. She is from Colorado. It has been her life long dream to be in the Peace Corps and she loves it here. She lives in Kasane and works for a child day care/orphanage that was started by a single Motswana woman who took care of orphans in her back yard when people really started dying in number about 10 years ago. She (Nadine) is so far the best hostess I can imagine, so attentive and relaxed at once.

I have had an extremely busy month, starting with GGLOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World), then a quick trip to Kole, a funeral of a friend’s younger brother who was killed in a car crash (my friend was driving, it was night, there was a cow AND a donkey, the lights on the truck were not working properly, and they were drinking), a Setswana language workshop in Maun with four other volunteers where my Setswana skill and confidence improved, a wedding in Gantsi where I saw half of Kole and chopped green, red, and yellow bell peppers till my fingernails were embedded with those colors, and then this trip, starting off from Maun yesterday.

The 650 km ride to Kasane went surprisingly smoothly. I was staying with a pcv in Maun to save the money of staying at the backpackers place where the other girls were. I got to the bus rank at 5:15am and called them to make sure they were on their way. I was their wake up call, but somehow they miraculously made it on the bus (and I miraculously warded off a crowd from a couple of extra seats) and we pulled out by 6am, towards Francistown. We dropped off in Nata, where I shadowed Melody Jenkins during training. I became the unofficial transportation officer from there because I still had some connections from the time when I shadowed. Around holiday time, travel via public transport is a challenge, to put things mildly. Buses are FULL. For example, a 6am bus from Francistown left for Kasane on the 23rd at 4am, already full with no more sitting or standing room. The extra bus that was sent was full by 4:15am. So, even though there are combi’s and buses that pass through Nata to Kasane from Francistown, taking those was not an option. We hitch hiked and managed to get two 18 wheeler trucks which were traveling together from Johannesburg to Zambia. We went two in each and were safe and comfortable for the 300 km remaining of the trip. We arrived in Kasane at 4pm. Last night Nadine made us the treat of a seven layer dip with crackers and we enjoyed wine and a movie (Take the Lead – a dance movie with Antonio Banderas about an after school ballroom dance program in NYC based on a true story . . . I was in heaven). ;)

I need to back up. GGLOW was an amazing experience. It was a bit like the elated, free, totally happy feelings I associate with my time spent at Pilgrim Center. The plethora of goofy and religious camp songs I learned there came in handy. (They LOVE the beaver song, for those of you who are familiar with PC). Thirty girls, mostly aged 13-15, from all over Botswana, along with 20 Peace Corps volunteers and local leaders (teachers, clinic staff, drama group members, etc) comprised our camp. There was the same number of boys, holding camp across town from us. I call Gabs a town because it doesn’t feel remotely like a capitol city. It is quite common to wait for goats, donkeys, or cows to cross through the traffic. But for most of these young people, it was the first time they had traveled to Gaborone. I had the baby of the group with my delegation from Kole. She is only 11 but so smart and mature and proficient at English that the camp leaders gave me permission to take her. We were sitting together on the bus when we got to Gabs. She tapped my leg, “Where are we?” “Gaborone. Re gorogile (we have arrived).” pause “There are a lot of cars.” She is moherrero (a person of the Herrero tribe). She knows Setswana, but it’s more like her third language, English being her second. So, she speaks to me in English. With the other girls, though, I had the opportunity to practice my setswana a lot. They are natural teachers who don’t automatically switch to English in impatience if I don’t understand something the first time. By the end of the week, almost all thirty girls would address me only in Setswana. It was flattering. There is such an intimacy in sharing a language.

There was a theme for each day. 1. Goals and Values 2. Communication 3. Family and Marriage 4. My future 5. HIV/AIDS 6. Our Bodies 7. Gender Awareness

Most of the sessions were led by the Peace Corps Volunteers and local leaders. We tried to incorporate games and art and drama into almost everything, but there was some classroom-type learning (like the in depth anatomy and health lesson that Monica taught very well and the girls were very attentive even without creative teaching techniques because it is such new, fascinating, and important information that they are not taught in school). We did go on some field trips, as well. They had a tour of the University of Botswana (their one and only option if they want a University education in country, although the gov’t will pay for someone’s study abroad if the University doesn’t offer his/her program of interest). We spent Saturday at Chief Justice Unity Dow’s house in Lobatse, 45 km south of Gaborone. She is an amazing woman, mother, person, judge, and hostess who invited both camps to spend the morning at her house, fed everyone a delicious lunch, and then arranged for the kids to conduct a mock trial in the courthouse, down the road from her house. I am fairly certain that every child there will remember that day for the rest of their lives.

There were two guest speakers who came to share their experiences with our young ladies as Motswana women who had overcome gender obstacles to become who they are: respected leaders, one of them a member of parliament, the other a member of Emang Basadi (stand up, ladies!), a women’s rights organization that recently changed the law that used to change a woman’s status to that of a minor as soon as she was married (meaning she had to have her husband’s permission to take out a loan, buy a car, or do anything else a minor can’t do without their “overseer’s” permission). They had a tough message. Botswana is a progressive place, far ahead of most of the African continent in many ways, including gender equality. They warned against using gender inequity as an excuse for failing or choosing not to follow one’s dreams. They also warned against the attitude of “men vs. women”, and instead to realize that equality involves communication, understanding, and patience, rather than dominance . . . they were awesome additions to the camp.

At the end of the camp, we stood in a circle outside with lighted candles and each said what we learned that week. A common message from the girls was, “My mind was an empty vessel, but now I am filled with knowledge about how to follow my values and fulfill my dreams. Thank you to all the Peace Corps Volunteers who taught us and made this possible.” The girls were crying and clinging to us and each other that night, saying goodbye.

I could go on and on, but internet is expensive here in Kasane, being a touristy place. I will end here for now and try to catch up on the rest of the month soon. More details about the wedding and language workshop to come. :)

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Much love and many blessings!

love, leah