I am supposed to say that and can't figure out where to put it blatantly on my blog, so you will get it each time. It will also keep me honest to remind myself each time. And THIS time, it is a good thing because my opinion is that my Setswana sucks and I hope they don't share that opinion, but they might after today. Lucky for me, I may have other skills worthy of service in the Peace Corps besides my ability/inability to speak Setswana and they have never kicked anyone out for failing to do really well after 2 months. Yet. I swear I really do try and I study harder than others, but it isn't sticking yet. I feel it is on the verge of being there, sticking somewhere, probably right in there with some as yet undiscovered sticky plaques and tangles, and compared to some of our Twenty-somethings, i feel pretty pathetic. Yet we have only been on the ground for less than 60 days so i need to keep it in perpective. So, now to more important things...
Dragged my butt out of my very warm bed yesterday morning at 6:15, as per usual, to be ready to leave the house at 7 for either a 45 minute walk to school or, with luck a 15 minute walk and a 10 minute taxi ride. Only to remember at 7 a.m. that I only have to get myself “around the corner” to Brittany’s house for our language cluster. So now I can sit with freezing cold fingers and try to type whilst not spilling my finger warming coffee on my lap top. Been there, had that done to me once. Not fun.
Yes, it does get cold in Africa, especially this far south where if you turned the globe on its head, we would be somewhere like north of Alaska or something or at least that is what it feels like. We arent really as far south as that is north. Of course, if you turned the globe on its head, we would all fall off anyway, so it wouldn’t really matter. As it is, and as I was forewarned, homes have no central heating, no woodburning stoves, and nice cement block walls. Space heaters do exisit if you dare and can afford the electrical costs, but unless you carry them around with you in your house…. I shoulda brought a snuggie, since I don’t think trying to walk around in my mummy sleeping back will end well. Now, my “airy” non-ceiling situation is letting all the cold air in from all corners, which is all focusing in on my blue fingers, so typing is challenging.
The good news is that my house in Otse has a fireplace and the garden that surrounds my house will provide lots of woody things to burn. My landlord cut a bunch of branches off a tree recently, and when her neighbor asked her what she was doing by leaving all the branches just piled up there, she said “composting.” Well, yeah, given 100 years those branches would compost right up, or spontaneously combust in the summer sun. Luckily, I have a better plan and it has to do with my fireplace!!! Ah, can’t wait. Wish I had brought my garden gloves and some nice shears….will see what I can find on shopping day which is Friday.
We will go to Gaborone, with settling in money in our new bank accounts to shop like fiends. They assured us they would ask us later for an inventory of what we bought, so the clothes hounds best go easy on fashion on this trip. How they are going to then transport our stuff to the far reaches of Botswana is a mystery to me, but some things Peace Corps has done a few times before, so they will figure it out. I live so close to Gabs that I will go easy on this trip, seeing what I can survive with and without during our two months lock down. I can shop for food locally and as long as I have matches and those trees….
Lock down ends August 7 and then we all gather in Gabs for a 2 or 3 week training. After that, I can start having visitors. Sadly, most of you out there probably don’t want to spend the $1,500 to 2,000 or so just to get a flight. But if you do!! I have a second bedroom and will show you around, have you meet my great host family and generally be very happy to see you!
During lockdown, I should be able to go to the Lobatse Rotary club meetings, because it is only 15 km away and if I can hook up to the diamond cutter who lives in Otse and is also a member, I have a ride back and forth. I am curious to see what they are doing, though I have been told by my vet here that they aren’t as active as they used to be. We’ll see if I can light a spark under them – I have all those branches you know. Otherwise it will be the noon club that meets in Gaborone, a bit more complicated to get to and from, but probably worth it. I have already received an open invitation to visit the club up in Francistown – a 5 hour bus ride from Gabs – but on my way to Kasane, which is on my way to Zambia and Victoria Falls, so eventually when I have a few days vacation, I will be able to take the trek.
Til then, I have enough to do just getting to know my small village of Otse (now estimated at having 12,000 inhabitants – the last census in 2001 was about 6500 but the chief (kgosi) thinks it is now closer to 12k and they do the census again this year.) I don’t think I will get to know all of them in 2 years. Help me with the math, but that is how many people a day?!
Meanwhile, every waking moment (except these, which I am only accidentally awake for) needs to be spent trying to figure out this language. More than that, I need to figure out how to understand enough sentences correctly that are being SAID at me. I am waiting for my extemporaneous speaking ability to kick in here, but it hasn’t switched into the Setswana yet. Boy will they be sorry when it does.
So they asked us yesterday if we missed being home for Memorial Day. Well, jeez, we said, not if we don’t get the day off, like duh! Lol No one will show up tomorrow in white shoes and slacks though – too cold and dirty for that kind of nonsense here. And I have to say, even with the freezing cold nights and mornings, the sun shines all day long and it feels more like a very warm sunny fall day in Eureka than anything else. And the skies are not cloudy all day.
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