Typing Extraordinaire!

 The past few weeks I have started teaching various clinic staff members how to type using the program Mavis Beacon. It's long and tedious teaching typing, but at least Mavis makes it a little more fun. Because I am teaching them one at time I get to have some one-on-one time with them, which is a great way to learn more about them as individuals. Sometimes I ask myself why I didn't try to do this earlier in my service, guess that's the procrastinator in me. Better now then never, right? As I sit and watch over my "students" making sure they are hitting the keys with the right fingers, I am reminded of elementary school when I used Mavis Beacon's program to learn how to type. Something as little as that reminds me of how fortunate I was to grow up in a country and at a time where computers were easily accessible and all around me. The clinic staff envy how fast I can type and I constantly have to remind them that I have been typing for years and that in time and with practice they too will be fast like me (although I am not really all that fast, maybe 60-70wpm, and that might be generous). 

Another staff member came into the caravan while I was working with someone yesterday and became super interested in what we were doing. After setting up a time to work with me later this week she then said "Refilwe, this is a really great initiative you are starting here".  Teaching people to learn how to type and use a computer isn't something I thought I would be doing here. Actually my knowledge of computers is not very high. The extent being a typing class in high school and a Microsoft Office class in college. To say I was an expert by any means would be lying. Actually when I told my brothers (one has a degree in computer networking and the other is just starting his college degree in a computer related field) one of the things I do here is show people how to use the computer they laughed!  When I first told the idea to my counterpart, it was mostly just so I would have something to do. I came here as an HIV/AIDs Health Volunteer, so I guess I thought that I would be doing more stuff that directly had to do with HIV/AIDS education and prevention. Don't get me wrong I have done some of that, but it seems I have found other needs in my community.

Botswana is a rapidly developing country. If you go to the bigger villages you can buy I-phones and other fancy electronics. Cell coverage is just about everywhere and with that internet comes. Even in my smaller village of less than 3,000 people we have two internet cafes. Pretty much all the government offices have computers, but the problem is no one really knows how to use them correctly. They were never taught how, let alone even taught how to type correctly like I was growing up. Through my typing lessons some of the staff realized that the way they learned how to type, if they had learned anything at all, was wrong (most of them do what I like to call "chicken-pecking" with their index fingers). They are surprised to find out that when you type the correct way you use ALL your fingers! Who would have thought? Even though technology is on the rise in Botswana, there is a lack of education in the technology field. Hence why even our Data Entry Clerk at the clinic (she is trained on the computer) doesn't even know how to type correctly or use Microsoft Word or Excel.

After the nurse said what a great initiative this typing/computer lessons project was, I realized that I was actually doing something meaningful in the clinic and it isn't something to just pass the time I have left here. If it weren't for me the individuals that make up Machaneng Clinic Staff might never learn how to type or use the different computer programs correctly. The computers in the clinic would then go to waste, even though they are a great resource. Once the staff is more knowledgeable in the technology at their hands it would benefit them in so many ways. Organizational skills would increase, they could go computer based with forms and records, no longer having to tediously write out charts and tables by hand. This would save time allowing them to tend to the long lines of patients. It might even allow them to make more time in their busy day to start up different support groups or classes within the clinic for community members to attend. The benefits and opportunities are endless. I just hope they will continue to use the skills I teach them when I am gone next year. 

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." Percicles

She Was

It's been awhile and once again I am very sorry. I guess I am just not good at keeping this thing updated. I had internet issues, once again, got them fixed and planned on updating last week but my landlady died so I was pretty busy last week. Funerals in Botswana are a huge deal. If you haven't read my post Saturday's are for Funerals you can check it out to get the details on all that goes down when a person dies.

 Since it was my landlady who died, the compound I lived on was extremely busy last week and all weekend with people coming to pay their respects for the family and to help the family prepare for the burial on Saturday. I had been to a couple funerals before but this time I got the first hand experience of what goes on, because it was right outside my door. Let's just say this past weekend I didn't get much sleep. They make a lot of bread all week so the people from the community who help out with the cooking, setting up tents, bringing chairs, slaughtering goats and cows, and digging the grave can have some tea and bread while they help out. I helped make a lot of the bread, which was fun to learn. They make the rolls over hot coals. On Friday night they had a bunch of bread to make so they formed a type of oven using hot coals, sheet metal and cement bricks to cook the bread. It was really interesting. I also learned how to make megwinya (pronouced me-gween-ya), also known as fat cakes, which is this fried dough ate often here. That was fun but you have to be careful not to splash oil when putting the dough in the pot of boiling hot oil (I found out the hard way, being splashed with hot oil is not fun). 

Borotho (bread) ready to be baked

The whole week and weekend I was asked by various people about how Americans do funerals. They were surprised when I told them we don't normally slaughter goats and cows and the family members aren't making bread and cooking massive amounts of food for the people of the community who come to pay their respects. I also had to explain to them that because the US has people in it of many different cultures, traditions and backgrounds, funerals often very from person to person. Even within my own family my Grandma Warner and my Grandpa Skillings had very different funerals.

I ended up not staying up all night Friday night due to the fact that I am still fighting off some sort of cough so I went to bed around midnight to get back up at 5am to bath and head to the main house for the morning service before the burial. As I was falling asleep people were outside signing hymns into the night. It was actually kind of soothing.

Saturday morning the compound was packed with people. Botho's late husband was a kgosi (chief) of the village, so I think this had something to do with how many people were in attendance. After the burial we all headed back to the compound for lunch. I ended up having to use my own plate from house because there weren't any of the provided plates left there were soo many people. In the afternoon the family members met to discuss what will happen to the house and other matters that needed to be discussed. Sunday was the day of washing. All of Botho's things needed to be washed, including all of the already clean stuff, and soaked in this special herb. The Batswana believe that after someone dies all their things need to be cleaned to remove any essence of the person that is in the items. They soak these things in this special herb that helps to remove this person's essence.

I am sad to see Botho go but death is a part of life and I know she is in a better place now. She was old and suffering from pneumonia and bronchial spasms. I know she was in pain and now she is not. Botho was a very sweet lady and very welcoming of me. She would often sit out on the compound and bask in the sun (this is a common occurrence in Botswana, especially during the winter months when the insides of the houses are freezing). I would make a point to say Dumela to her as I came and went from my house. Most times I would sit and chat with her. Her English wasn't great but we somehow figured out a way to communicate with each other. I will miss these times. Please keep the Tshelane family in your thoughts and prays as they go through this process of mourning their loss.

R.I.P. Botho Tshelane. You will surely be missed.

"Say not in grief '(s)he is no more' but live in thankfulness that (s)he was'"

Hebrew proverb 

Trainings, Mma Obama, and Desert Races

So Mid-June was time for me to head to Gaborone for my Mid-service Training (MST). About half-way through service Peace Corps has all the volunteers come back together for some regrouping and medical checkups. I was actually really looking forward to this time because I had hit low in my service again and was excited to meet back up with my other volunteer friends and some volunteers I hadn't seen since my IST (In-Service Training) back in August. Also the hot shower and good food is always a plus! A few days before  MST, Peace Corps was having a second STEPS training for volunteers and their counterparts who qualified. Unfortunately my counterpart couldn't go but I was able to get in last minute. The STEPS training was only a day, but I felt it was a good training and gave me some new ideas on how to implement and use the videos in my community. I hope to bring forth these ideas to various community members and hopefully get some more screenings done in the next year. Since the STEPS training was a much much smaller group it was a good transition before the rest of the volunteers showed up. MST was..well MST. Some of the sessions were good and others not so good. I had a really hard time concentrating through many of our sessions. It made me wonder how I got through IST or even PST! Especially since MST was only 2 and half days. It was great to catch up with other volunteers and hear about how they were doing at their sites. Usually these trainings do come at good times, so I have to hand it to PC for that. Like I said I was in a low before the training but after talking with other volunteers I found out many of them were struggling with the same things I was, which makes me not feel so alone or bad about different projects not working out. I found out many of the other volunteers projects were affected by the strike just like some of mine. It also was a chance for me to reflect on the past year and refocus my goals on what I want to accomplish this next year. I think this was much needed for me, because sometimes I get bogged down by the day to day mundane things and often feel like I am not accomplishing anything, but when I step back and actually look back I have accomplished a lot in this past year.

Right before MST PC had told us that Michelle Obama would be visiting the weekend after our MST. At first they told us there would be no way any of us would be able to meet her. Our first day at MST, our Acting Country Director told us that PC had talked to the American Embassy and had got them to allow 50 PCVs and selected staff to come to the gathering that Saturday. She emphasized that this wasn't set in stone and that we could very well be uninvited at last minute. At first I didn't think I cared to go, but on the last day of MST when Heather told us they still needed a few more volunteers to sign up I went ahead and said that I would go. I mean it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and luckily I had accommodation for the weekend so that wouldn't have been an issue for me (the stipulations on us being allowed to go was that PC would not be able to reimburse us for accommodation or transport). So all of us eagerly were waiting for Saturday to approach. Many people had to go out and buy new clothes because this was an occasion where we would have to look our best. Saturday came and we were still allowed to go. A group of us were staying down in Kumkwane for the Desert Races (more on that later). We got up at the crack of down and headed back into GABS. Once at the Embassy we had to wait outside in the cold for a little bit until they started letting people in. Once they let us in the gates we had to got through security like at the airport. This was the real deal. All of us who said we wanted to go had to turn our social security numbers in a few days before so they could do some background checks. They checked our purses, camera, bags and coats. No fooling around here.

Secret Service and the Security Checks

Once through security we all walked back to the back yard of the Ambassador's house. The back courtyard area was gorgeous ! It was a very chilly morning luckily they had some hot tea and coffee and some heaters strategically placed so people could try to stay warm while we waited. Many of the volunteers staked out spots right at the front of the audience. I had a decent spot behind a few people with a good camera angle for pictures. When it was about time for Michelle to come out a lady came out to regroup the crowed. All PCVs were moved to our own roped off section on the other side of the podium. After resituating ourselves the US Ambassador came out to welcome everyone in attendance and introduce Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama gave a speech that talked about how important America's relationship is with Botswana. She talked about how thankful she is for all the work the people in attendance do to keep that relationship good and strong. She said many of the sacrifices the foreign aid workers make are not recognized enough. She also gave a shout out to the Peace Corps Volunteers, which was loudly received. 

After her speech Mrs. Obama when around the workers and personally thanked them and shook their hands for the work they do. Then it was our turn! We only go a few minutes with her but she when around our group and shook many hands and again personally thanked us Peace Corps Volunteers for all we do. Then we got to get a group picture with her. It was a really cool experience and I am glad I was able to take part in it. I think it was also a much needed boost of encouragement for all the volunteers.

After meeting Michelle Obama, I went back to Kumkwane for the Desert Races. The Toyota 100 Desert Race is the premier off-road racing event held in Southern Africa. The race takes place in Botswana and a different course is laid out each year. It's a huge event for Botswana Tourism. People come from all over to watch the off-road trucks, bikes, motorcycles and other vehicles compete in this event. For more information click the link above. This year the race happened to fall on the 24-26th of June and the start and finish line was being held in Kumkwane (another Bots 9 volunteers village). With MST, Mma Obama and my family coming in on the 26th it was perfect timing for me to attend.

 There were a good number of volunteers from my group there and it was fun to cut lose and hangout with them. Sunday morning we got up to watch a few of the racers take off. It was cool to see and I kept thinking how much my father would love to come see this. We were standing near a turn, so every time a vehicle would go by dirt would fly everywhere. It was fun to watch. Some of the vehicles looked like they would be really fun to go four-wheeling in.  After we watched a few cars we headed back to the house to clean up and pack up. I had to get to the airport to meet my family! I was super excited!

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

- Mother Theresa

The Past Month

Sorry I have been a little MIA with the postings. I had a pretty busy month involving STEPS Training (STEPS for Life is a program I have been trained in to facilitate screens of videos covering various issues with HIV/AIDS and then getting the audience to have  a discussion about the issues, all the videos are filmed in Africa), Mid-Service Training, Mid-Service Medical Checkups, Desert Races, meeting Michelle Obama, and traveling around Botswana with the family. All have many fun and entertaining stories which means I have some great blog post ideas! Yea!!!!  Just got back this past weekend and have been recuperating (I must have picked up a bug/cold somewhere) but will try to update with some of my post ideas soon!

Until then thanks for reading and thank you so much for all the love and support!

Oh and I will leave you with this pretty picture to look at :) Africa has the best sunsets!

One Year Left

As of today I have less than a year until I close my service here in Botswana and get to return home to the United States. The Bots 8 volunteers are packing up their things and saying their goodbyes as they prepare to leave this next week. The Bots 10 volunteers swore in earlier this week and have now moved to their sites. To think only a year ago I was doing that and just embarking on this experience and now I am down to the last year. Before I know it, it will be time for me to go. I just hope I will have made some sort of a difference in my village. The past few weeks things have been very slow. All the public workers have been on strike since the beginning of April. This is the first time in Botswana's history something like this has happened, so it is very exciting for the citizens, but makes it hard to get anything done project wise. I should relish in all the free time I have to sit and chat and form relationships with my community members or just reflect on the past 14 months, but the American in me still wants to be a busy bee and get as much accomplished as she can. The next year still feels like forever away but I know it will go by quicker than I realize, so I worry it will pass by and I will have done nothing substantial these two years I have been here. Once again I see why Peace Corps is a 27 month (26 months in my case) commitment. It really does take the first year or so to get integrated and acclimated to your community. I have heard from previous volunteers that after Mid-Service Training things start to pick up and you will have lots of projects to work on.

Speaking of Mid Service Training, mine is in a little over a week. It will be nice to see some of the other volunteers from my group I haven't seen since our In-Service Training back in August. This will be a time for all of us to reflect on the past year, recharge and dig in with new hopes for the next year. After the training my family will be arriving!!!  I am super excited for them to come and visit! It will be great to spend some time with them. I miss them soo much! We have a pretty awesome trip lined up. They will get to see my village (some of my friends here are eager to meet them), see some wildlife, and experience one of the 7th wonders of the world among other things. I will post updates about our trip when I get back.

"Finish everyday and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities crept in- forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it well and serenely"

I also wanted to make a shout out of congratulations to my two brothers! Congrats on both of your graduations! I am so proud of both of you and I am terribly sorry I couldn’t be there to celebrate your accomplishments. See you soon :)

Saturdays are for Funerals

A few weeks ago I got a call from my counterpart at the clinic that one of our clinic staff had passed away. I wasn't very close to Edwin, but I did see him on a daily basis and it is sad that he is no longer there. I am not sure why he died. He was a little bit older and I know he had been hospitalized for a few days back in January. I think he was prone to seizures or something, so maybe that had something to do with his death. Still it is always sad dealing with someone dying.

Botswana has a high rate of HIV/AIDS so there are many people who die. It has become such a norm for the people of this culture that every weekend there is a funeral going on. Sometimes even multiple funerals in the same village. Funerals here are a little different here than in America. With the death of Edwin at the clinic I got to experience first hand what a funeral is like here in Botswana.

When a person dies the whole village becomes involved in the death preparations, and here in Botswana there are a lot of preparations for the deceased. The body can only be buried on a Saturday. Sometimes they will bury someone on a Sunday but this is not as common. From the day the person dies until the Saturday they are buried the family and community goes into mourning. There are services held every morning and evening at the family's compound until the burial. These services are for prayer and remembrance of the person and so people can come and console the family members. Anytime one is to come to the service there are certain things you have to wear out of respect for the deceased. Women are to wear skirts or dresses and no pants. They have to cover their heads and wear a shawl or a jacket to cover their shoulders. Men are to wear nicer clothes and maker sure to wear some sort of jacket.  I attended the Wednesday evening service for Edwin. It was all in Setswana but there were some prayers said and songs sang and a few words said about Edwin by the priest.

Throughout the week before the burial many community members will come to help out the family. They will come to cook and clean for the elderly family members and just be there as support for the family who has lost a loved one.

The day before the burial, Friday, is a big day. Men in the community will go to the graveyard to help the family dig a grave for the burial. While this is going on other community members, mostly women, will come and help assist with cooking for the day. They have to prepare food to feed the men who helped with the digging and prepare bread and tea for anyone who has come to visit with the family. At some point during the day one Oxen and anywhere from 2-6 goats will be slaughtered. Friday evening there is one last memorial/mourning service. This is when the funeral parlor brings the prepared body to the family's home. Bodies are always buried and never cremated. Most people are buried in caskets. Around 10pm there will be a prayer service and it will last all night long. During the service people pray and mourn for the deceased. This goes on until the morning. During the service some women and men are off preparing food for the next day. The men will be cooking the slaughtered oxen and goats and the women will be making tea, bread, papa, samp, porridge, and vegetables.  Around 1 or 2 am people stop mourning to have some tea and bread. Then around 3am more prayers, words of encouragement and consolation are said and then the community continues with their mourning. At 5am the coffin is opened and people are allowed to go in to see the body and say any last words to the deceased. 6:30am Saturday morning there is one last service before heading to the burial grounds. Here relatives, friends and co-workers talk about the decreased and explain how he died. Although with the stigma that goes along with having HIV/AIDS most of the time the family will not say their loved one died of HIV/AIDS, they will often say they died of flu or a headache or something like that. After some speeches are made about the deceased some family members will read any messages people wrote to be buried with the casket. Then the casket is decorated with the messages and flower arrangements. Some songs are sang and more prayers are said. In most cases church members of the decreased will come dressed in robes to help run the service and the burial proceedings. Once this is done the casket will be carried to the hearse. For Edwin's funeral people from the clinic were chosen to carry the casket, which I though was interesting, because in America mostly male family members carry the casket.

Once the casket is in the hearse everyone drives very slowly, with their hazard lights on out to the burial grounds. The car transporting the priests will be first, then the hearse with the body and most direct family member (eg. Wife, mother, etc.) and then everyone else. Once at the burial grounds no one is allowed to talk. Everyone then gathers around the grave and the family members sit under a tent that has been set up. The casket is brought to the grave. Everyone first prays for the grave and then everyone begins to sing as the casket is lowered into the grave. For Edwin's funeral, there was another community members funeral going on at the same time. Their graves are dug right next to each other so there was a massive amount of people around and when the singing began is was very loud. This  was interesting to see and hear.

Most of the decorations are left on top of the coffin, but they will leave a few flower arrangements to decorate the grave at the end. Once the coffin is in the ground the priest will throw the first handful or soil followed by relatives. Then a few selected community members will shovel the rest of the soil into the ground. While all this is happening the rest of the community members will be signing songs. When the grave starts to be filled they put what is called a shade on top of the grave. This has the name of the deceased, date of birth, date of death and rest in peace on it. It is much like a tombstone, but they use this shade because they believe that they need to provide some shade for the deceased's body to keep them out of the sun. Once all the dirt is piled on top of the grave and a nice mound is made some women will but some flowers and or other things that represent something about the person who died. For example if someone was a farmer they might but a plow in the dirt mound.

After this is done everyone heads back to the family's house. The family then thanks the community for all their assistance during this time of loss. Then everyone eats the food that was prepared the day before. When it's time to eat men are served separately from the women, because they are served seswaa (pounded goat or cow meat) with tripe (goat intestines). Also the younger girls and boys are supposed to serve the elderly and men before they are allowed to get a plate for themselves.

After the funeral the family is supposed to maintain the grave by pulling and weeds and watering any plants that were planted around the grave. If a child dies their mother has to put on a black, green or blue wrap on their head for 3-6 months. If a man dies their spouse has to wear blue, black or green from head to toe for 6 months to a year. If a woman dies her spouse has to wear a jacket and a blue, black or green bandana on their upper arm for 6 months to a year.

As you can see funerals here in Botswana are a big social event where the community comes together to help out the family of the deceased. Anyone is allowed to attend a funeral. They often because a huge event because it is common for people to attend who never even knew the person or their family. I find this to be a little strange because in the US I would never go to a funeral for a person I didn't know or wasn't close to their family. On the other hand it shows how much people look out for each other here and lend a helping hand to those who truly need it.

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."  Helen Keller

Trip Up North

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Have been having internet issues at my site, but it is working again so I wanted to update about my Easter Trip.

Over Easter Sunday we had a long weekend so I went with a few volunteers up to Maun. We stayed at the Old Bridge Backpackers, which is owned by the same people who own Jungle Junction. It was a cool place and I am excited to stay there again when my family comes and visits. 

On Saturday there was an International Derby going on, so a group of us went to watch the races. It was a good time. There were tons of people. It was funny to see all the people piled into and on top of trucks and other vehicles along the fences to see the horses. We watched a few races, I couldn't really tell you who won, because all the riders had on the same yellow "Mascom" t-shirts (the derby was sponsored by Mascom). In-between races there were some entertainers. They had a stage where people were singing and dancing and then on the track there were people riding horses and doing tricks, which was fun to watch. All in all it was a good time.

On Sunday Morning a group of us went to the  farmers market to see what all was there. They had baby ducks for sale. They were soo cute!  The market is held in this place that kind of reminds me of a castle. It was a cool building and I guess the upstairs had a dance studio. We had brunch there, so I got to indulge myself in some good coffee and food! Yum yum!

The next place I went before heading back to my village was Planet Baobab. This is a really cool place to stay in Gweta, which is about halfway to Nata from Maun, right above the Salt Pans. The place is really neat looking as you can see by the pictures. We didn't stay in any of the huts, due to the expense, but we did go on one of their drives. On the drive we got to see some meerkats and even spend time with them. One jumped up on my head! After we played with the meerkats when then were taken to see the Salt Pans. This time of the year there is water on the pans, so it looks a little different than when I went back in September. It was pretty to see. After we saw the pans the driver took us to see the biggest Baobob tree in Botswana! It was huge! The guide told us it might even be the biggest one in Southern Africa. We had a picnic underneath the tree and then headed back to camp.

The Aardvark at the Entrance to Plant Baobab

Our campsite

The Pool

The huge Baobab Tree

The bar area

The next weekend was once again a long weekend due to public holiday's here. Monday was labor day here in Botswana so we got the day off. I took the opportunity to go pick up my new kitten. The volunteer couple who stays in Otse (a village near Gabs) had a cat who had kittens. They are volunteers from the group who came before me, so they will be leaving in June. This means they needed to find good homes for their cat and two kittens. I said I would take one. So meet my new kitten. His name is Dijo which means food! Haha! I hope no one will think because his name is Dijo that it is ok to eat him. 

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” –Jawaharial Nehru