Sarah Considers Buying a Donkey, One More Week of Training, Something Grows from Nothing

Greetings from Africa!

 Goodmorning everybody! Le tsogile jang? (How did you rise?) I hear that Kentucky is super duper cold right now. I never thought I would miss a Kentucky winter, but I think I do!! One of the volunteers said, "Why do they call it outside when it should be called an oven?" The past few days have been at least 100 degrees and it didn't get much cooler at night. There is no air conditioning here. We can not open the windows at night because there are no screens so the mosquitoes will get ya (I have yet to figure out how to put up my mosquito net!) I laid on my bed, butt nekid, fanning myself, sweating profusely, trying to go to sleep. A "cold" front   moved in last night so it has    cooled off a bit. For now!

Extreme Soccer field? Dodge the acacia thorns to score a goal?!?

a ditch out in the bush, full of cow bones and garbage

My favorite thing in Africa, ginger beer

The homesickness I felt last week has aleviated for the most part. I still fantasize about going to the Olive Garden, relaxing in aircon all night, drinking a beverage that is not room warm. A little piece of America snuck into my ear yesterday as I was walking home from school. I saw a young girl pushing a wheelbarrow towards me. Nothing unusual about that. When she passed me, I noticed that she was playing music on her phone. Also nothing unusual about that. When I heard the song, I had to stop and laugh. The girl was listening to "Country Roads" by John Denver. Nothing unusual about that!! Just about every time I go into the local grocery store some random American music is blasting. So far I've heard various 80's hair band songs, some Cyndi Lauper, and lots of American club music. I think "La Bamba", which I heard standing in line at Pep, takes the cake.

I have only one week of training left and only two more days of actual classes. Today, I have my final language interview and then I'm cooking for the host family thank you party tomorrow. We had some great classes this week including sessions about potential life skills projects and how to stay emotionally healthy during the first two months at site. During the first two and a half months at site, volunteers do a through community assessment. For the sake of intergrating into the community, we are forbidden from leaving our sites during this time. This phase, nicknamed "Lockdown", can be very emotionally taxing for new volunteers. The country director has granted us permission to travel for Christmas so we don't have nervous breakdowns.

Snazzy sandal tan

A week from yesterday, on November 15th, I will be swearing in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. In this ceremony, trainees take an oath and sing the Botswana anthem. Several trainees are giving speeches in Setswana. It should be quite an event.

The room in which I have
 spent the last two months of my life

Come Friday I will be on my way to my new village, Tshane! A Peace Corps staffer visited my house this week to check on it. I talked to him yesterday and he even showed me some pictures! It is a really nice house. My house represents the best accomodations a volunteer can expect to have. I have a bath tub and a sink in my kitchen! It is a stone's throw from the school where I will be spending most of my time. I also have a really adorable little porch. The Ministry of Education has yet to deliver my furniture, but other than that bit of worry I'm sooooo excited! I have heard that there are many camels and donkey carts in Tshane. Donkeys cost 400 pula, or $51. I really want a pet donkey to kiss and brush and snuggle and to carry my backpack for me. I would like to have a camel for transport, but the PC requires us to wear helmets when riding animals. Can you picture me riding a camel down the dirt road with a bicycle helmet on?

My tiny, baby chickens are growing!

The tuck shop where Legwinya
(fat cakes-fried bread from Heaven) are made

Fat Cake Lady and her fat cakes

My host mom gave me two beautiful ceramic bowls to take to my site. They are white with pink roses on them. I am very grateful to her for allowing me to stay in her house and eat her cooking for the past few months. I'm going to really miss my goofy brother, Jensen, but I hope to visit them at some point during my service.

something from nothing...

I have attached a picture of something I saw walking through the bush on my way to school. I saw a flower growing in the dirt, a single, lonely flower. It was not attached to a tree or a bush. It had no stem to speak of. Just when I needed to be reminded of why I came to Africa, I saw this little bloom and had a revelation. With the little amount of rain that has recently fallen, a lone, purple blossom was able to grow right out of the dust. With a little support, something beautiful can grow from nothing. From the positive influence and love I will provide during my short stay in Africa, the orphans and vulnerable children I work with can grow into beautiful young people who will make their OWN futures and thrive. That's why I'm here.

some kind of succulent tree, it looks like a GIANT
aloe plant with a trunk

Salang sentle! Stay well!