23 Feb 13: Sarah Goes to More Meetings, Plans a Game Drive, and Celebrates Peace Corps Week

Sometimes Millie thinks she is a scarf. 

My beautiful little baby pterodactyl.

Note: This blog is chock full of pictures of MILLIE!! Get excited!

Hey everybody! Guess what starts tomorrow, lasts for one week, and is celebrated by thousands of dirty, smelly, hairy Americans worldwide?!? You guessed it! Peace Corps Week! Sunday, February 24th marks the first day of Peace Corps Week, a week devoted to celebrating the amazing accomplishments of Peace Corps Volunteers all over the world. In Botswana, there are currently 130 Americans serving their country as PCV's. PCV's in Botswana participate in various projects from organizing "Girls Leading Our World" camps, educating young men about Safe Male Circumcision, planting backyard gardens for poverty eradication, and teaching life skills. Volunteers come from all walks of life but we all have 3 things in common: we are all working towards the nation's goals for 2016 of zero new HIV infections, zero HIV/AIDS deaths, and zero stigma, we have all committed to sacrificing our homes, families, and careers to help other people for two years and we all miss America like crazy.

I love to kiss Millie!

I am kicking off Peace Corps Week one evening early. I just had a hot shower. I am sitting on a REAL bed with springs watching Arachnophobia (yeah, the movie from the 80's) on a flat screen tv in air conditioning. LUXURY! I am in Jwaneng for the weekend at the Peace Corps Regional Meeting that occurs once per year. Me and my fellow volunteers arrived here on Friday and we depart tomorrow. The hotel we are staying at, the Cezar Hotel, is super nice and I think we will all be a little sad to go back to 90 degree nights and scorpions.

Millie is also a ballerina.

As if fate knew that Peace Corps week was coming up, I was blessed with several good moments this week. My week started off slowly with nothing much for me to do at the school. Monday, I finished my backyard gardening information board in the library. On Tuesday, the government delivered a brand spankin new computer to my school. I set it up of course. I also received a call that afternoon from a woman who works at the meteorology station in my village. She asked me to come by the following morning to discuss organizing a wellness seminar. Wednesday, I was scheduled to have a site visit by my Peace Corps Programming Managers followed by a meeting with the new officer in charge of the prison. I rushed to the meteorology station and I was thrilled by what transpired at that meeting.

Millie keeps her feathers very clean.

Let me preface this by saying that it is incredibly discouraging to approach people wanting to help them just to be constantly turned away. So when someone approaches ME wanting help, well, it's pretty much the best feeling ever. The meteorology staff had chosen me to organize and execute a wellness seminar about anger management, stress management, budgeting, and financial management. I have until the middle of March to become an expert in those topics and I am so excited! I also agreed to teach a twice-a-week fitness class for the meteorology staff and police
officers beginning in March. I'm going to be busy!

After that small victory, I walked to my school to await the arrival of my programming managers. I was excited to meet with them as I wanted to show them my garden, introduce them to Millie, and tell them about all the exciting things I wanted to do. They arrived several hours late for my visit, causing me to have to reschedule my meeting at the prison. The visit went ok. They seemed disappointed that I wasn't working on any projects with my teachers. I informed them that the teachers are not interested in utilizing my skills in helping them implement life skills lessons. They came and visited my house after our meeting and boy were they impressed! I think my garden knocked their socks off and they told me that my house is the cleanest Peace Corps Volunteer house they have ever seen. I know my grandmothers will be proud to hear that!

I was feeling a little discouraged when they left, wondering what I could do to get the teachers at my school motivated to increase their teaching of life skills. I felt a little like a failure despite the fact that I am so active in the community. That feeling was short-lived as I had another success at the prison the following day.
Thursday morning I made the 40 minute trek to the prison. Honestly, I love going there. I don't know if it's all the smiling faces, all the "good morning, madam"'s, or the captive audience but I just love it. I had met the new officer in charge only once and my nervousness at meeting with him proved to be unfounded. He and the deputy, whom I know fairly well, were thrilled at the prospect of having me there on a regular basis. Mr. David Phele, new officer in charge, wanted me to come every week and do something with the prisoners! The deputy suggested that maybe every other week would be better. We settled on me doing a health talk every other Friday from 2-3 pm. I know it's not the yoga class I envisioned but I am satisfied! I have made out a schedule for the entire year that includes topics such as HIV/AIDS info, gender-based violence, anger management, and proper parenting. Oh yeah, and when I went to the prison my old friend Phiri was visiting! I hadn't seen him since he transferred to another prison on the other side of the country.

Go ahead and get comfy, Millie.

Friday, I got up at 3:45 a.m. so that I could get my P90X workout in before heading to the bus stop. At 6 a.m. I set out walking hoping for a hitch to catch the bus. I walked for almost an hour, finally got a hitch, and caught the bus just in time. Because everyone had just been paid, mine was the last body they could fit on the bus. I had to stand on the engine cover for the first hour until I was able to move to the back with the other volunteers who had saved me a seat. I have had meetings all weekend but it has been really nice to meet and talk to volunteers who have been here for a while. This meeting included PCV's from groups other than my own. After talking to them I have validated my own feelings about my assignment and cemented my plan for the next year and a half.

So...what did I learn this week? I learned that you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. If the teachers at my school don't want to teach life skills like they are supposed to, I can't force them. They know that I am available. They know that I am more than willing to help them. That is the best that I can do. I am (hopefully) starting my after school GrassRootSoccer program this week. Until the teachers want help from me, extracurricular activities are going to be the extent of my work at the school. I am going to begin cutting back the time I spend there, going from 5 days a week to 3 days a week or maybe 2 days a week.

awwwwwww Millie! Have you ever seen such a cute face?

This brings me to my next lesson. I spent some time this week beating myself up about being more active in the community than in the school. The school is supposed to be my first priority with the community coming in second. Having talked to other PCV's, I have decided that I am going to do what the community wants me to do and what makes me happy. If the community wants aerobics classes, I'm teaching aerobics classes. Do they need condom demonstrations more than aerobics classes? Yes. Do they want condom demonstrations more than they want aerobics classes. Not at all.

The last lesson I learned this week is how very important it is to feel needed and wanted. That is something that was lacking for me in my position at the school. I know the kids wanted me to be there but the teachers just don't want the kind of help I can give them. All they seem to want is for me to type letters for them. Unfortunately, the kids are really the ones losing out on the deal. I absolutely cannot work with the kids without a teacher acting as the translator. I couldn't do it alone. When and if the teachers want my help I will be there. If they want help 8 days a week, I will be glad to do it. But until then, I'm gonna go where I'm wanted and needed and that is at the prison and at the police station.

In other exciting news, I am going on a 3 day game drive this weekend to the Transfrontier National Park. On Friday, me, the 3 PCV's near me, a volunteer from Greece, a guide, and his assistant are going into the park to see LIONS!!!!! Not just any ol' lions. These are lions that only live in this one park. I forget what they're called of course but I will take pictures! We are going to be camping there Friday and Saturday night and returning home on Sunday. Because there are some many of us going, we are getting a good deal. The trip will likely cost me 1000 Pula, which is less than $150. How awesome is that?!?

Diane and I are also planning a trip. We have a 4 day weekend at the end of March, beginning with Good Friday and lasting until the following Monday. We are seriously discussing a 6 day trip to Cape Town, South Africa. We would stay in a backpacker's hostel and do free stuff since we are poor Peace Corps Volunteers. Everyone says that Cape Town is not-to-be-missed and with winter approaching we have to do it now or wait until late this year.

onion seedlings

lettuce seedlings

beetroot seedlings

Me! Sweaty, dirty Peace Corps Volunteer!

Between my small victories in my village, getting to see my friends, sleeping in air conditioning in a real bed, and planning mini-vacations, I can say this week was a success. In honor of Peace Corps Week, please take a moment this week to think about all of the Americans living overseas sacrificing their time/health to spread the love, kindness, and good fortune that we enjoy by birth as Americans. When you're snuggled up in your warm bed, think about the PCV's in Ukraine who live without heaters. When you're eating your delicious dinner, think about the PCV's in Africa who are taking prenatal vitamins because they can't get nutritious food. Please take a moment,
just one, to appreciate the bonds that are being forged, the FRIENDS OF AMERICA, the allies that are being made by Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide.

15 Feb 13: Sarah Goes to the Crazy Doctor and Plants Seeds

Happy Belated Singles Awareness Day! I know some of you enjoy the luxury of having a significant other and to that I say "Poo on you." Did you know that Valentine's Day is celebrated here in Botswana in the larger cities? And when I say celebrated, I mean the stores are making a killing selling all things heart-shaped and red. Not much different than America!

The garden is finished!

You might be wondering how I know what happened this week in the big city. Well, the answer to that is I know because I spent the last three days in Gaborone. But didn't I just come home from there? Yes!

Let me back up...Sunday evening Florence graciously helped me plant seeds in my garden. The idea of having a seedling nursery didn't really occur to me so I am thankful that Florence showed me the light. We blocked off a section of the garden and planted coriander, basil, tomatoes, swiss chard, spinach, cabbage, onions, lettuce and chives. We also planted beets and carrots in their respective sections of the garden. Because their "fruit" grows underground you have to plant them in their permanent spot. As of this evening, I have a garden full of tiny little baby plants!!! They germinated a week ahead of schedule I suspect because of the heat and the good cow poo I mixed into the sand.

Monday I worked hard in my school's "library" trying to make it into a place where I'd want to be if I were a kid. I made snowflakes for the windows. I decorated one of the many blank information boards with information about using the library. I made a schedule for the 8 classes to come and use the library in 30 minute blocks. After I finished I decided to walk to the small butchery in my village to buy some meat. While I was walking I received a text message from my program manager at Peace Corps saying that I would have to go to Gaborone the following day to sign a paper for the Ministry of Education. My reaction: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!? I HAVE TO MAKE A TWO DAY TRIP TO SIGN A *&%()%*$) PIECE OF PAPER?!?! The answer: Yes.

I figured that if I was going to have to go back to Gaborone, I might as well make the most of the trip. The Ministry of Education owes me a nice little chunk of change so why not fill out reimbursement forms and submit my receipts while I'm there?!? To do that I had to figure out how to stay an extra day. My program manager refused to let me stay just to turn in my receipts so I did what every other PCV does when they need a little break from their village: I made a medical appointment.

 It is not uncommon for Peace Corps Volunteers to receive mental health counseling while they are in-country. In light of all the nonsense that I've had to deal with lately, I had been considering seeing a therapist for several weeks.

On Tuesday morning at 5 a.m. I set off walking. At 5:50 a Water Company vehicle stopped, picked me up, and took me to the bus stop. I got on the bus at 6 a.m. and arrived in Gaborone at noon. I met up with my friend Diane, who was also in Gaborone to sign the paper and go to a medical appointment. We signed our papers and checked in at Kgale View Lodge. AIR CONDITIONING!!!! We had a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant and relaxed. Funny story: After dinner, I went into the bathroom in our room and saw one of the huge roaches that are so common here. I called Diane into the bathroom because she is an expert at killing roaches, usually. When she went to kill it, we were attacked by a swarm of roaches crawling out of their hiding spots. We started screaming and jumping up and down. There was a knock at the door and it was Corey, another PCV who was in town for a medical appointment and also a former marine, responding to the screams he heard coming from our room. Corey squished a roach with his flop but the others managed to escape. We spent the next two hours sneaking into the bathroom to see if another roach had come back out. Corey would smoosh it while me and Diane freaked out. Business as usual!

This is what me and Diane do when we get together.
Act a fool. FYI: she really does have all her teeth.
We still haven't figured out why the camera
removed one of her molars!

On Wednesday, me and Diane spent 10 hours running around Gaborone going to our appointments and trying to find the Ministry of Education building. Although it was very stressful trying to navigate around the city and use public transportation we did it! We treated ourselves to some Chinese takeout for not getting lost and not having a meltdown, which is what we expected.

The purpose of these emails is not to sugar coat what the Peace Corps experience is like. I am not going to pretend like Botswana is the best place in the whole world and my life is unicorns and rainbows. In an effort to stay real, I am going to admit that I am receiving therapy. Leaving your family and your life to come to a place where people don't appreciate you and don't really know what to do with you is HARD. Ever since the event with my housing I've been feeling a little depressed and homesick. The psychologist I saw is a nice lady who has lived all over Africa.  [Sorry to interrupt but I thought you'd like to know that Millie has just flown into my lap. She is sitting here like a kitty cat. Aww Millie!] After talking to her for an hour, she suggested that I a)do the bare minimum I have to do to satisfy my official duty here and then focus on backyard gardening as my real primary project, and b) find some way to get out of my village for 3-4 days every month. Peace Corps will pay for at least 4 sessions with her so she wants me to come see her once a month. She says that my appointments with her can be my "ticket to Gaborone." I love that lady already. She also suggested traveling and visiting other volunteers around the country.

Yesterday morning, my last morning in Gaborone, I had to attend to some business concerning my cell phone not working properly. Because of that I missed the morning bus back to my village. I was kind of flustered but then I realized that I could sit in Food Lovers, a specialty food store, and use their free WIFI and drink cappuccino. I ended up getting on the 1 p.m. bus and I was one of the few people on it. I got to stretch out and nap and read. Another funny story: Keep in mind that what I'm about to tell you is a normal occurrance for a white person on a bus. There was a man two rows in front of me across the aisle. Shortly after he got on the bus he began staring at me hardcore. When I'd make eye contact with him, he'd do this sexy nasty eyebrow wiggle thing. I moved to another row directly behind him so he couldn't look at me. Ha! He was smarter than me! I looked up from my book and he was peering at me between the seats. How creepy is that? Finally I screamed at him "WHAT?!?" When the bus stopped he turned around and said "I was just greeting you." I proceeded to tell him how rude he was being. His said that he had to stare at me because I am "soooo beauuuutiful." Then he changed his story to "I was praying and looking at the spirits." What the hell? I think it's worth mentioning that this guy was not wearing shoes. Only socks. Crazy? I think so. After the confrontation, he didn't look at me again. Besides that little bit of excitement, it was the most relaxing bus ride I've ever taken.

seedling nursery

I arrived home in good spirits, having spent two days in air conditioning with my friends. Millie was happy to see me of course. I watered my garden and saw that while I was away some of the seeds had sprouted! Today, I began a "Backyard Gardening" information board in the school library. [Now Millie is sitting on my shoulder. She is a parrot?] I am excited to finish it on Monday. Now all I have to do is convince my teachers to bring their classes to the library!

Inside my garden

Some other exciting things that happened this week:

- Some children came into the library during their free time and I read them several stories. I don't think they had ever been read a story. Although I can tell that they LOVED it, I think I got more out of the experience than they did.
-Along with my paleo diet, I started doing P90X today. I did it for about 5 weeks last year so it's not new to me. If you don't know about P90X look it up! It's a series of workout videos that kicks your butt.
-While I was digging in my garden I uncovered a baby scorpion. Apparently they live underground. He was a pale yellow color and looked like Satan.

Tomorrow I'm going to do my usual wash clothes in the bathtub, sweep the sand out of my house and back into the desert, etc. If I'm feeling really motivated, I might try to remove some of the thorny weeds that have overtaken my yard. We'll see.

Next week is going to be action packed. On Wednesday my program manager is coming to visit my site and see how I'm doing. On Friday I'm going to Jwaneng for the weekend for Peace Corp Regional Meetings. I'm excited to see my friends again and spend some more time in air conditioning. I've really been spoiled the last month or so with all the time I've gotten to spend in air conditioning. It is so hot here that I drink about 4 liters of water per day. That's hot!

I'm sad to say that another 3 volunteers were medically evacuated this week. Peace Corps service is hard physically as well as mentally. In the last month alone, at least 6 volunteers here have been medically separated. It makes me wonder if any one us will make it out alive after two years!

Good news: My Peace Corps issued phone broke so I paid a little extra for a fancier phone. For those of you with smart phones, if you download "whatsapp" for 99 cents, we can text each other! It uses internet (data) instead of airtime so it is probably free for you and really really cheap for me. All you have to do is put my phone number in the contacts on your phone (or email me your phone number and I'll put yours in), download whatsapp, and my name will show up when you open the app! My phone number is (and don't forget the + sign) +267 733 289 04. Let's chat!

Look how big and beautiful this lady is!

Well, I think it's time for me to take Millie to her house for bedtime. She will sit here on my shoulder all night if I let her. I know I don't say it every time but please know that I am grateful to everyone of you who still reads my blog. Thank you!

[Millie is chewing on my hair.]

10 Feb 13: Sarah Finished In-Service Training, Builds Millie a Castle, and Almost Gets Kicked Out of Her House

Dumelang bagaetsho! Hello, my countrymen! I am so excited to write this email today. The last two weeks of my life have been jam-packed with authentic Peace Corps Volunteer achievements and challenges. When I last wrote I was at In-Service Training in the capital city of Gaborone at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA). I was wrapping up my first week of training and getting excited for the second week which would take place at Oasis Motel in the city.

Dirty Dancing. Diane said that she "had the time of her life"
that night.

On Saturday, January 26th, we packed up shop and moved to Oasis. Unlike ILEA, which is located right outside of Gabs in the middle of the bush, Oasis is a hop, skip, and  a jump away from a shopping center and movie theater. Me and Diane arrived to the hotel early, checked in, and went shopping. I was able to purchase a yoga mat, a sleeping bag for winter time, and some clothes. Best of all our hotel room had air conditioning, hot water, a shower, and a mini fridge!!! For the remainder of the week we enjoyed the cool room, swam in the hotel pool, and ate three square meals a day at the hotel's restaurant. My friend, Patrick, came to Gabs and we had lunch and saw a movie. Patrick and I went to the same high school so I
really like hanging out with him. I saw ANOTHER movie later in the week.

I organized a Game of Thrones Book Club. We had our first meeting at IST. Some of  us rocked
our best Game of Thrones hair do's. I call this one "The Blood of the Dragon."

Indian night at Oasis!

The most memorable night of training occurred after the PCV's requested that the manager of Oasis, an Indian man, prepare an Indian dinner for us. When we all went to eat that evening, the staff had set up tables in a beautiful, grassy courtyard complete with American-themed table linens, a speaker playing music, and a delicious spread of Indian cuisine. It was absolutely beautiful. I feel so grateful to have had the chance to spend two weeks with my fellow Peace Corps volunteers talking about home, eating good food, and laughing.

But training wasn't all fun and games. During working hours I attended some great sessions about potential projects for PCV's. I learned how to teach teachers how to teach life skills. I spent two days learning about facilitating screenings of films dedicated to HIV/AIDS and social change. When I left training on Saturday, February 2nd, my bags were stuffed with materials, a soccer ball, about 30 DVD's, manuals, papers, and tons of soap and shampoo that I stole from the hotel. :)

Pool partaaayyy!

One of my friends had an underwater camera, so of course we had to have an underwater fancy time
tea party!!!! The person on the right is Diane (making a heart near her crotch!) Classy!

While I was sad to be leaving my friends and air conditioning, I was happy to get home and see my Millie Moo. She had almost doubled in size while I was gone! Tsene, one the cleaners from my school, took good care of her in my absence. When I walked up to my fence, bags in tow, Millie came running up to me. I missed my little feather ball!

Tsene and her son

I was eager to get to school on Monday and tell the teachers about all the things I had learned. The first thing my school head said to me was "Hi Maduo! The brigade wants their bed back." As a refresher, let me say that the agreement between the government of Botswana and the Peace Corps is that PCV's will be placed in this country so long as the ministries provide housing and furniture. I have lived in this house for three months and have only received a refrigerator (which I love, but still...) The brigade in the next village loaned me a two-inch thick foam pad to sleep on until the Ministry of Education delivered my bed, which they should have done back in November. The Ministry swears that they are delivering furniture, they are ordering tables, blah blah blah. But anyway, so the first thing I find out when I come back from training is that I am going to be sleeping on the floor until my bed arrives, if ever.

You can imagine my reaction to that bit of news. I was quite frustrated but I just went on about my day. I was sitting in my office organizing my new papers when Tsene came in and said "You have a visitor, Maduo!" I went to the school head's office and there was a woman from the Ministry of Education with a bed for me! OH YEAHHHH! So now I have a thicker foam pad (not a real mattress but it's fine) and a wooden bed frame. The best thing is that it is double bed! I rehung my mosquito net and I have lots of room to sprawl. It's wonderful.

Later that day, I had a meeting with the school head to discuss the things that I had learned at training. She asked me to present this to the teachers at the staff meeting the following day. So Tuesday morning, armed with all my new project ideas, I presented to the teachers all the different ways I could help them, from lesson planning to facilitating clubs. None of them seemed to want help but at least they know that I am available! As a side note, I have found a man in my community who is going to facilitate a club with me! No teacher needed!

After the meeting, the school head and my counterpart pulled me aside. What happened at this point defined and set the tone for my week. The school head said to me "Maduo. The council has decided that Peace Corps Volunteers are not supposed to live in council housing. We have to find you somewhere else to live." I couldn't even respond. I was confused because I know that many of the PCV's here live in council housing. As much as I didn't want to, I started crying. All I could say was "I'm sorry. But I have left my family and my job and my life to come here only for the government of Botswana to continually not fulfill their obligations. I have no furniture. One of my friends has become seriously ill because she has no way to cook and she is malnourished. And now I am being kicked out of my house? I have invested thousands of pula building a garden and putting curtains on the windows." And that was the end of the meeting. She acted very sympathetic to my situation and assured me that she would try to find me suitable housing.

I'm not going to lie. I went home after that meeting and spent the next two hours crying in my bed. What's worse is that the internet has been out so I couldn't reach out to my family for the support that I needed. I called Peace Corps and later that day they called the school head. As is turns out, there is an education officer in the next village who wants to live in my house. Rather than kick out the veterinary officer, the wildlife officer, or the police officer who are living in teacher's housing, they are trying to remove the person of least resistance, which they think is me. Peace Corps has been very supportive of me. My program manager thinks that they what they are trying to do is ridiculous and he described the situation as them "trying to discard me like a piece of trash." He told the school head that if she attempts to move me there will be "problems" for her.

Over the past 5 days or so, I have done a lot of thinking about what is happening. At first I was really discouraged because I feel like I'm not a valued member of this community. Most of the volunteers feel that they are not totally wanted by their communities because we can't hand out money and that is what these people want from us. I am blatantly refusing at this point to move. If it comes down to it, they can drag me out of this house kicking and screaming and then I will be reassigned to a new village. It is Peace Corps's opinion as well as mine, that if I am forced to move, it is in my best interest to move to another village. It would be hard to work with people who value me so little.

So as of today, I haven't heard another word about this whole moving idea. On Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from a police officer who was trying to organize a health and wellness workshop for the other officers. He invited me to come and present something related to parenting. This invitation gave me the boost I needed to get over the terrible feelings I was having. I spent the day reading a book called "Power Parents" and on Wednesday I gave a wonderful (if I may say so!) presentation about how to talk to your children about sex. Talking about sex is something that parents and children don't do here. Kids learn about sex from their peers, which is not helpful. The police station requested a written copy of my presentation, which I gladly gave them.

Thursday, I went to Jwaneng and stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables, which has also perked me up. Friday, I helped a teacher create a health corner in her classroom. These small, daily accomplishments keep me motivated. Livin day to day.

Millie's Chicken Castle

Not only was I busy with work this week, but I am proud to announce that Millie has a new house beside the garden in my backyard. I was reluctant to start building it because of the threat of moving but after I decided that I point blank AM NOT moving, it was good therapy for me. I worked on it for over 10 hours over 3 days using left over shade netting and some gum poles. I went out and found branches, which I criss crossed to make roosting spots. She seems to really love her house and I am expecting her to start laying eggs in about a month or so! Oh yeah, and Millie likes to sit on my shoulder these days. I guess I'm becoming a pirate and she is my parrot.

Ironically enough, the day I was told that I'm being kicked out, a man showed up at my house with a truck load of cow manure for my garden. On Friday afternoon, I mixed manure into the soil, watered it, and sprinkled it with some love. Later today I am going to make a door for the garden and then tomorrow I will start planting!!!

Millie likes to have dinner in her castle

Yesterday, Saturday, my friend Ashley, the PCV from the next village over, and I had a Southern-themed evening. She spent most of her life in Louisiana so she can appreciate the finer things in life like pecan pie, bourbon whiskey, crawfish creole, etc. We drank Southern Comfort, baked an apple coffee cake, and had a nice chicken/mashed potatoes/green bean dinner. This morning, we got up and I walked her along the road until she got a hitch.

As you can imagine, my diet went to hell during training. But I'm back on the wagon! Eating clean is something that I have to do for my own mental health. I have a brief, 3 day meeting at the end of this month in Jwaneng, at which time I will probably have to eat crap again. After that though, I don't have another meeting until December.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to go to the prison since before training. Phiri has transferred to a boys prison on the other side of the country. I have met the new officer in charge, David Phele, once but I am nervous about how he will react to all the things I want to do at the prison. I plan to go chat with him one day this week.

So this week has been stressful but I think that I have learned a lot from it. First thing, as Peace Corps Volunteers we always try to be diplomatic. To these people, I am representative of every American. If I am mean, they will think that all Americans are mean. If I am lazy, they will think that all Americans are lazy. There is a time and place for diplomacy and the situation with my housing may force me to be a little bit more than diplomatic. I will stand up for myself and set a precedent for how PCV's should and should not be treated. And Peace Corps is backing me up. I also learned that my mental and physical health is the most important thing. If I spend two years here, do great things, and come home a nervous wreck then what was the point? Working in my yard has proven to be something that I find very therapeutic. I am sore, sun burnt, and full of tiny thorn wounds but I am happy as a clam.

At least one person tells me everyday "Ah Maduo! You are very hardworking!" They see me in my yard, they see me walking around the village, they see me following through with my promises. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I have the best family in the world. When they say these things I respond "That's how I was raised." Sometimes I say "Thank you, mma. It is best to do things for yourself. Do you know what will happen if you wait for someone else to do things for you that you could do for yourself? You will be waiting a long time." So maybe when I leave here people will think that Americans are assertive, hard working people who are kind to animals, fair to everyone, and stand up for what they believe in. I think I can live with that.

Last thing: I saw the elusive and legendary Tshane camel yesterday! He was hanging out right beside the road! He is the last of a group of camels that used to inhabit the salt pan. I had never seen him up close and it was ammmmazing!

27 Jan 13: Sarah Goes to the International Law Enforcement Academy

Good morning from Gaborone, Botswana! I just had a large breakfast that included a cheese and veggie omelet, cereal, toast, fruit, and yogurt. Since arriving yesterday at Oasis Motel in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, I have been spoiled with air conditioning and a pool! But more about that later...

I apologize for not posting a blog for last week. Besides finishing my community assessment, my week was so uneventful that I felt it a waste of your eyeballs to make you read a boring ol blog. So yeah, I spent that week writing my assessment and packing for my two week trip to in-service training. On Sunday, January 20th, all 32 of the volunteers in my group made the journey to Gaborone. I boarded the bus at 6 a.m. and was immediately wary because it looked a little rickety. I was right. On the way to Gabs the bus broke down twice. The driver had to crawl under the bus and reattach some hose that had come loose. I finally made it to Gaborone at 1 pm and I was super excited to see all of my fellow volunteers.

Me and my friend, Diane at ILEA

We spent the first week of our training at the International Law Enforcement Academy, a US funded and run academy that provides specialized training for high position law enforcement agents from around the world. I even got to meet some Americans! I was sooooo excited when I arrived because 1. the grounds were amazingly beautiful, 2. we got private rooms in hostels, 3. the rooms had air conditioning, 4. HOT WATER in the baths, and 5. free internet! Within the first day both the internet and air conditioning broke. They eventually got the internet working but we spent the week sweating. No worries, I'm used to that!

So far training has been a lot of technical information about project design and management. I got many useful tools for teaching HIV/AIDS prevention including a really awesome curriculum called GrassRootSoccer. GrassRootSoccer is a program for teaching life skills that uses soccer and games to educate. I got several coach's books and an indestructable ball. I can't wait to get back to my village and start the 12 week program with some of the children at my school.

Yesterday (Saturday) we all packed up and moved to Oasis Motel here in the city. Diane and I are sharing a room- slumber party all day!!! We have air conditioning, a mini fridge in the room, and a spa rain type of shower head. Super exciting. We spent last night swimming in the pool and having fun with other volunteers. When we arrived yesterday afternoon we were able to go to a mall for some shopping. I got a sleeping bag and a yoga mat, which I'm really pumped about. Come winter time, it gets below freezing in the Kalahari at night and since there is now heat, I have to have a sleeping bag.

Training continues all this week. I will be returning to my village on Saturday. I am being well fed here, a little too well, and its gonna be weird to go back to Tshane. Exciting news: my friend/volunteer, Patrick, is coming to Gaborone today and we are having lunch and...drum roll please...GOING TO SEE A MOVIE!!!!!! Hot dog! I haven't seen anything on a television or movie screen for over 4 months. SO EXCITED!! Icing on the cake: not only is Patrick from Lexington, KY but we went to the same high school. How weird is that? Oh yeah, and we are having lunch at an Indian restaurant!

I guess if I learned a lesson this week it would be to appreciate what you have and enjoy it while you can. Not only is this a lesson for me (especially when I come back to America) but it can be a lesson for all Americans. I never imagined I would get so excited about mini packets of jelly at a buffet, a shower, a flush toilet, cool drinking water, and climate control. But the truth is, these small luxuries become the most exciting things in the whole world when you are used to do without. I am going to enjoy not waking up at night sweating. I am going to enjoy getting my whole body wet in a shower. I am going to enjoy gaining 5 pounds because I'm getting plenty to eat. And on Saturday, I'm going to suck it up, go back to my village, and keep on truckin.

13 Jan 13: Sarah Gets an Office, Sarah Meets Tiro and Has a Knife Throwing Contest

Howdy everybody! I hope this second week of January has found you warm and dry! I heard that there was a day of nice weather in Kentucky- it was all the news on Facebook.

Millie loves to watch movies

So yeah, school started this week! On Tuesday morning, I was greeted by two hundred tiny smiling faces. My first order of business at the school was setting myself up an office. I am technically under guidance and counseling, so I need a semi-private space where children can come and talk to me if they like. The teachers are convinced that the children will be flocking to me en masse to discuss their problems. My school has a classroom that has been designated as the library. For some reason, the library has been locked up and out of use for the past two years. TWO YEARS! I discussed the possibility of using the library as my office with my supervisor and she thought it was a great idea.

All that was left to do was unlock the door and set up shop. I enlisted the help of the two cleaning ladies and boy was I glad that I did! When we opened the library door, we were greeted with two years of dust, sand, mice poo, and dead insects. We really had our work cut out for us. We spent the whole morning dusting, sweeping, and mopping. We had some kids move a teacher's desk into the room. I was really shocked that the library had been so long out of use because there were TONS of books. After having lunch at home, I went back to school and organized all of the books into fiction, nonfiction, nature, etc. I even made myself a little sign for my desk that says "Mme Maduo," which means "Ms. Maduo." On Thursday I made labels for the books shelves. After two days of hard work and lots of dust, I am proud to say that the Tshane Primary School Library is ready to go!

She really got into "Man on Fire." She loves Denzel
Washington.

I mentioned last week that sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm in Africa. That happened again this week. Everyday the teachers left between 12:30 and 1 o'clock. Some of the kids hung around the school but most of them went home. I thought 'no wonder these kids are failing. The teachers only teach for half the day!' I felt like a real a-hole when I found out that the reason the teachers dismissed the students early is because the school doesn't have any food to feed them right now. They would have had to sit all day without eating. It is not unusual for the school to go for weeks without having food for the kids. This is Africa.

I spent the rest of the week interviewing people and passing out surveys to finish my community assessment. I surveyed 25 police officers, the teachers at my school, the health educator, as well as some of the employees at the meteorology office. I found out that my community wants correct and relevant HIV/AIDS information, computer classes, income generating projects, and even aerobics classes for women! I am compiling all of this information into a report that I will submit on January 21st. Speaking of next week, on Sunday I am traveling to the capital of Gaborone for two weeks for In-Service Training. I am excited to see my friends and discuss everyone's ideas for future projects.

So I worked hard this week. I put in a lot of miles walking around the village. I talked to a lot of people about what they would like to see happen. To top it off, I even made a trip to Jwaneng, my shopping village. It was definitely the most pleasant trip to Jwaneng I have had so far. Phiri told me that he was going to Moshupa to check out his new job at the Moshupa Boys Prison. He gladly agreed to drop me off in Jwaneng on his way. So instead of spending 4.5 hour in a stinky, hot bus I got to ride in a brand new, air conditioned prison vehicle! We listened to Phiri's favorite bands, Boston and The Beegees, and I worked on a needle point project. Very pleasant!

I was able to do my grocery shopping and get to the bus rank in time to catch the noon bus back to Tshane. Unlike every other time I've ridden the bus, it wasn't full. I took a seat and waited for the bus to leave. A young man, smelling of cologne and heaven, sat down next to me. An old lady got on the bus and proceeded to try to sell her magic cure-all powder, yelling over the noise of the engine about all the great things the powder will do for you. The young man and I struck up a conversation as he translated what the woman was saying. As it turns out, the man was coming from Gabs to Hukuntsi to visit his mother. We talked the entire way home, which made the bus ride much more enjoyable than it usually is. His name is Tiro, he is a hospitality management student, he works as a bartender at a 5 star business hotel in Gabs, and he lives alone. Also, HIS HOUSE HAS AIR CONDITIONING. He had never been to this side of the country before and he didn't realize how little there is to do in this place. Compared to where he lives in Gabs, this place is a real drag. We decided that we would get together on Saturday and hang out.

Tiro takes a throw

I was really excited to have a friend to hang out with and come Saturday morning I anxiously awaited his arrival. Because there is no transport into my village, he had to hitch hike, which took him about an hour and half. I met him on the road where he was dropped off and we walked back to my house. We made a picnic lunch of guacamole, tuna, and fruit. We packed it up and set to walking the mile and a half to our picnic spot. We found a shady spot in the bush, spread out a blanket, and ate our food. We layed around relaxing and talking until we decided that we were ready for the main event: a knife throwing contest. Of course, Tiro had never thrown a
knife in his life. His first throw was perfect. He hit the tree square on the point of the blade. My next few throws, I took the lead. He caught up and we were tied. Then I scored, then we tied, and eventually we decided that whomever hit the tree next would be the winner. Tiro hit the tree and was declared the victor. We packed up our picnic and walked back to my house.

My turn!

Perfect throw! One point for me!

When we were on the bus, I told Tiro that I was into yoga. He was so excited when he heard that because he had always wanted to learn to do yoga. Let me tell you something about Tiro: he is a weight lifter. He has biceps that could choke a bear. To say he is muscular is an understatement. But if he wanted to do yoga with me, I wasn't going to turn him down!





When we came home from our picnic and changed our clothes, I put on the music I had prepared. The night before, I designed an hour long routine and set it to music. I started us off with some stretching, then we did sun salutations, standing balance poses, floor exercises, and finally meditation. Several times we had to stop to drink water and wipe off the sweat that was dripping off of us. He was really impressed by how difficult yoga is, despite the fact that it looks easy. After meditating, we had a little snack and relaxed. Because he would have to hitch hike to get home, we had to leave the house around 4:30 to ensure that he would get home before dark. I felt guilty making him walk alone while he waited for a car to come, so I went with him. We walked for about an hour and a half before a car came and picked him up. Exhausted doesn't describe how tired I was when I finally got home. Luckily, a car picked me and brought me home shortly after I started walking. I had a light dinner, a bath, and went to bed.

Tiro, knife throwing champion!

I invited Tiro to hang out with me and my friends one night while we are at IST. Tiro is funny, willing to try anything, not to mention good looking. I am excited to have a friend that lives in the capital that I can stay with when I have to go there for Peace Corps business. I am also excited that said friend works at a nice hotel with a pool and a gym.

I can't write an update without mentioning Millie, my sweet little lady bug. I am typing this laying on my stomach on the floor of my living room. Millie is snuggled up to my right side taking a nap. How precious is that? She is growing like a weed. She even has the beginnings of a little feathery tail. She's been eating lots of butterflies, moths, and mosquitoes! I have plans to build her a nice house when I come back from my two weeks of training.

I don't really have a lesson to share with you this week. I guess maybe I found out that it's nice to be busy after the downtime from the holidays. It felt really good to get the school library up and running and to get a desk. I now have somewhere I can put all my work-related papers and things like that. I made myself a rule that after I walk in my front door, I will not do anything related to my work. If I want to think about a project or look at notes from my community assessment, I have to do it at my desk at school. This really motivates me to work hard during the day so I can relax in the evenings.

One more thing: a special thanks to my family, specifically my dad (Frank), stepmom (Denise), aunt (Amy), and uncle (Carl) for sending a large box of books for the Tshane Library. The librarian was sooooo excited to receive the books. She is reorganizing the shelves to have a "new books" section, something that the library has never needed before. She went around the village to all the offices telling people that the library has novels now. While I was visiting the library, I saw a lady come in and peruse the new romance novels. Thank you so much!!!

Sarah and Millie-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9

PS- those random dashes and "9" are Millie's contribution. She stepped on my computer when I wasn't look and added that.

6 Jan 13: NYE in Botswana, Sarah and Dimpho Build a Garden

Happy 2013 y'all! I have to admit that I facebook stalked some of you and I'm very jealous of the exciting New Years Eve parties you guys went to! For my first NYE in Botswana, Ashley, Emma, and I hung out at the house of a volunteer in Hukuntsi for whom Emma was house sitting. We enjoyed cider, mashed potatoes, cheese, crackers, cookie dough, and best of all : SITTING ON A COUCH!!! Neither me, nor Ashley, nor Emma have furniture so it was a real treat to get off the floor. All three of us got to sleep in beds too. Woot woot!

Millie on bug patrol

The government of Botswana got it right when they scheduled the national holidays. Not only is New Years Day a holiday, but also the next day. So, in effect, you get two days to recover from your Happy New Year hangover! Genius! Being that most of this week was a holiday, I really didn't do much by way of community assessment until Thursday. But what I did do was equally as important: I took some time to take care of myself and I released myself from any guilt that I might've felt for slacking on my assessment.

Saturday, a week ago, I made a drastic lifestyle change in the hopes that I would feel energetic, clear-headed, and just generally healthy. After shopping in Jwaneng on Friday, I adopted a paleo diet. Paleo? What's that? Basically, you eat like a cave woman. The idea is that humans evolved as hunter gatherers and it wasn't until relatively recently in our history that agriculture was invented. In "going primal," as some call it, you don't eat any grains, pasta, legumes, refined sugar, or anything processed. But you can eat as much meat, vegetables, eggs, and fruit as you like! I knew that this type of diet would be difficult for me to maintain because the main components of the Botswana diet are pasta, white rice, and various thick, tasteless side dishes made from maize meal. The first two days, as my body was getting used to having fewer carbs, I felt like crap. I was dizzy, light-headed, and I had a headache. But after a week of "going primal" I feel great! I made a commitment to improving my life through a healthy diet and it is paying off already.

Can you spot Millie? I spy a chicken...

I also started incorporating more exercise into my daily routine. I've always loved to strap on my camel back and head out into the bush. This week I found the original road to the next village, Lehututu, that was used before we had a paved road. It is sandy, totally secluded and very peaceful. I also got to practice with my new throwing knives (thanks Mom!) Guess what? It's REALLY hard to throw a knife at something and have it land with the pointy end stuck in whatever your were throwing it at. Most of the time I just threw my knife at a tree and it bounced off with a loud "bong!" Yeah, I'd say about 99% of the time. But that 1% when I threw it just right and the tip stuck in the tree was so sweet! When I wasn't walking around the bush, I was doing zumba or yoga videos that I've downloaded onto my computer from other volunteers. That got me thinkin. I've been to about a bajillion yoga classes in my life. Yoga has soooo many physical and psychological benefits. Why can't I share yoga with the people in my community?

On Thursday (back to work!) I marched to the prison, found my best friend Phiri, and proposed that I start a yoga class for prisoners. He said "YES MADUO! That's where you stand for like two hours and be quiet?!? YES!" I don't know if he really liked the idea of meditation or of the prisoners standing for two hours being quiet. I described to him what yoga really was and he loved the idea! As long as the new officer in charge is ok with it- Phiri is transferring in about a week- I will be teaching a weekly yoga class beginning in February at Tshane Prison. I am planning to have classes of about 10 prisoners lasting 6 weeks. When the 6 weeks are up, a new group of men can start the class. I think that this project will be just as beneficial for me as it will be for the prisoners and I'm really really excited about it!

I Spy #2: Can you spot Millie?

There is a lot of stuff going on in my village right now. School starts on Tuesday so some of the kids are leaving for their boarding schools and some are coming back from spending the holidays with family. All of the teachers have returned from leave. I have neighbors again! The rainy season is still hitting us hard and heavy. Wednesday night we had a scary storm and I ended up having to let Millie in the house. She is scared of lightning bless her little maize-eatin heart! We sat on the floor in my living room and watched a movie on my computer. Speaking of Millie, she lets me pet her now. She also thinks that she lives in my house. Whenever I open the door, she sneaks in. I'll come out of my kitchen and Millie will just be chillin in my living room, relaxing. I'm pretty sure that I'm the only person in all of Botswana that has a pet chicken who has a name, eats three square meals a day, and gets to lounge in her human's house.

After I got home from the prison on Thursday, it rained some more. By Friday morning, the weather had improved and I went to meet my friend/health educator, Dimpho, at the clinic to go to town to get shade netting for my garden. Dimpho told me that, as a result of the rain, the groundwater had been contaminated and an outbreak of bloody diarrhea had occurred. As of that morning one child from my village had already died. Everyone was advised to boil their water (I filter my water) until further notice. Sometimes I forget that I'm in Africa, where people still die from diarrhea. The whole area, including the villages the other volunteers are in, has been affected by the outbreak. I'm sure about the status of the outbreak now but I do know that several villagers were bitten by scorpions over the weekend.

I left Dimpho at the clinic as he was trying to prepare for an emergency kgotla meeting and went to get the shade netting by myself. I hitch hiked to Hukuntsi, spent a quarter of my living allowance on 15 meters of shade netting, and dragged it the 12 km back home. Dimpho promised that he would come on Saturday after the kgotla meeting and we would get to work on my garden.

Posts and wire in place!

Yesterday morning, I was sitting on my porch drinking tea with Millie and Dimpho walked up, huge smile on his face. The kgotla meeting had been cancelled because he wasn't able to get a speaker system to announce to the village that there was a meeting. We walked around gathering materials that we needed and set to sinking poles to support the shade netting. We sunk 5 poles in the ground, ate a nice lunch that I made, and I spent the afternoon sewing pieces of shade netting together. By 5:30, I had finished with the netting and I was spent! I scraped together an easy dinner, bathed, and went to bed.

Dimpho measuring!

This morning, Dimpho came back over and we continued with the garden. We put up the netting and sewed it all together using expired bandages. I now have a nice shady garden structure, ready to go except for the gate which Dimpho will finish this week. As soon as I return from my 2 weeks of training at the end of this month I'm gonna plant beets, onions, tomatoes, herbs, carrots, and spinach! Hopefully, I will be posting pictures this week!

Me sewing shade netting together

Shade netting draped over garden structure

The garden is finished!

Because I'm living on mostly vegetables and eggs, I am almost out of food despite having just gone to my shopping village a week and a half ago. Phiri is going to check out his new job for a few days this week and he has agreed to drop me off in Jwaneng on his way. That means I will only have to ride the bus one way! Score!

I have two weeks left to finish my community assessment. I plan to survey the teachers at my school and interview some of the police officers and meteorology employees this week. I am excited to wrap up my assessment so I can really get started on my projects.

So this was a good week. I explored the bush outside of my village, discovered a cool road, built a garden, adopted a paleo lifestyle, hung out with Millie, ate clean, shook my booty to some Zumba, read Game of Thrones, and worked my body and mind with yoga. Moral of the story? If you're gonna devote two years of your life to helping people, for God's sake, help yourself first. You know those yellow oxygen masks that fall out of the ceiling in the airplane when the pressure changes? There's a reason that you're supposed to put yours on before you help the person next to you with theirs. You can't help somebody else if you're struggling for air. This week, I put on my oxygen mask and now I'm ready to help my neighbor with hers.

Namaste!

Sarah and Millie Moo Stewart

30 Dec 12: Sarah's First Christmas in Botswana, Millie the Chicken Moves In

Tiny Little Lady!

Happy early New Years! It sounds like everyone had a truly blessed Christmas: lots of food, lots of gifts, and most importantly, lots of family. I won't lie and say that this week wasn't hard for me. While most of the other volunteers got together to spend the holiday together, I decided that I didn't want to travel and that I was fine by myself.  I'm a strong lady, I should be ok alone on Christmas, right? I would just go hang out with my Zambian friend, Florence, and everything would be peachy. I was wrong but I didn't realize it until it was too late to go anywhere.

I had this great idea that on Christmas eve, I would drink some wine and watch romantic comedies. Yeeahhhh things didn't go exactly as planned. I started the evening with an impromptu solo dance party in my house, which was fun. But then some sad song came on and I ended up sitting on my bedroom floor having a little boo hoo. I crawled into bed feeling sad and missing my people. Being a million miles away from your family on the holidays + getting drunk by yourself = a one way ticket on the Hot Mess Express. "ALL ABOARD! The Hot Mess Express is leaving the station at 9 o'clock from Sarah's Bedroom! ALL ABOARD!"

My front yard: nature's lawn mower

On Christmas day, I woke up at 4:15 a.m., slightly hungover, to shouts of "AMEN! AMEN!" The church near my house was having one of their all night worship services. And believe me, these folks know how to worship!! Usually I can sleep through the singing but the "Amen!"s were just too much. So I got up and set to cooking for the holiday feast Florence and I had planned. I made mashed potatoes, home-baked bread, and a carrot cake with peanut butter frosting. Florence had invited about 4 people from one of the neighboring villages. We were to be 6, so I made enough food for 10 since these people love their starches! At noon, Florence called to tell me that our guests had decided to go to church all day. That's ok, more food for us right? At 12:30, I went to Florence's house and we had a nice little picnic in her living room. With the delicious roasted chicken she made, we stuffed ourselves and watched a Christmas program from South Africa.  Needless to say, Florence got to eat the whole carrot cake and I ate mashed potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the rest of the week!

After our lunch, Phiri, officer in the charge of the prison, sent a car to pick me up and take me to his house on the prison compound. Because he is the boss, he gets the most luxurious accommodations. He has a whole 3 bedroom house to himself. Most exciting is that he has AIR CONDITIONING. Yes, air con. We relaxed in his living room enjoying cold air, drinking ginger beer and watching world news (for the first time since I arrived in Botswana.) It's the little things, folks!

That evening I got to talk to my whole family, which was really nice. I went to sleep and woke up Wednesday morning in a funk. I couldn't convince myself to get dressed and leave the house. I spent the whole day sitting around feeling a little sorry for myself and a lot discouraged. By midafternoon, I decided that the only way to pull myself out of the emotional swamp I was in was to go to Jwaneng for some curtain shopping on Thursday.

Living room with new curtains!!

So this is how I traveled to my shopping village for the first time: In the US, I took for granted how easy it was to go grocery shopping. Drive to Meijer, wade through the millions of choices, U Scan, BAM! Out the door. Not here. Thursday, I left my house at 5 a.m. so that I could hitch a ride into Hukuntsi to catch the 6 a.m. bus. I had two chances to get to my shopping village. If I missed the 6 o'clock bus, I could get on the 7 o'clock bus but that's it. If I missed both buses, I'd be done for the day. Go home and try again tomorrow. Well, I made it on the 6 o'clock! I rode that bus until 10:30, when it pulled into the bus rank in Jwaneng. I got off, stretched my legs, took a pee, and caught a taxi to the shops. I was in Pep pondering some curtains when my friends, Lisett and Jessica, arrived. I picked out curtains for my living room, kitchen, and bedroom, and we went next door to a grocery store called Choppies for some lunch. We had a mini-picnic of meat pies and ginger beer and hiked (I say that because PC volunteers are notorious for our heavy, overstuffed backpacks) over to a higher end grocery store called Pick n' Pay.

After a lot of research spurred by the fact that I feel fatigued and bloated most of the time, I had decided to try adopting a Paleo lifestyle for the next 30 days. Basically, you don't eat any grains or legumes. Fortunately at Pick n' Pay, I found a bunch of frozen vegetables and some exciting Indian spices. Lisett, Jessica, and I took our time going up and down each aisle, some more than once, as we knew that we would not be seeing another grocery store for a month. We loaded up our bags, got a taxi to the bus rank, and saw Jessica off on the bus to her village down south. Lisett convinced me that we should try to hitch hike home, in lieu of the bus, because it would be much faster. We stood by the side of the road for about half an hour, until a lady pulled over and picked us up. Her name was Margaret and she was a nurse at Hukuntsi Primary Hospital. Jackpot! She was going almost all the way to my village! She could drop me at the junction in the road and I could easily hitch into Tshane.

We dropped Lisett at her village of Sekoma and continued on. After driving for about 3 hours, Margaret pulled the car over. It had overheated. She popped the hood and we got out of the car. When I saw that the engine was smoking, I decided that I should probably try to get another hitch. I felt bad leaving my new friend to deal with the car on her own in the middle of nowhere, but it was imperative that I make it to the junction by sundown, lest I have to walk the 3 miles to my village after dark. I hitch hiked to the next village, Kang, with a South African couple on their way to Namibia. They were sooooooo kind, offering me sandwiches and water. They dropped me at a gas station and continued on their way. I found out that the same bus I would've been on if I'd decided not to hitch would be going through that village around 6 pm. I walked me and all my crap to the next gas station where the bus would be picking up. I waited there for that bus until 7:30, when it finally arrived. I saw one of my friends, Lazarus, from the prison, took a seat beside him on the bus, and we rode all the way to Tshane. I got off the bus at 8:30 and walked home. So...for a 3 hour shopping trip, I was in transit for 10 and a half hours. Yikes.

Despite the hassle, it ended up being totally worth it! When I opened my curtains, they were the wrong size (of course.) I spent all day Friday and most of Saturday sewing. I altered 8 curtains by hound and now my house really feels like a home (even though I still don't have any furniture.) Best of all: no one can see me! People like to walk by my house and look in to see what the white lady is doing. Now they can't! Two cheers for PRIVACY!!!!!

So that was Christmas week: lunch with a friend, a day of moping, a day of shopping, and a day of sewing. New Years Eve, I am going to spend with my volunteer friends from the surrounding villages. Holidays should be spent with fellow Americans!

Introducing...Millie!!

This email has been kinda blue, so I am going to tell you something that happened to me on Christmas eve that has brightened my life here. Since the rains started, my yard has grown some kind of grass weedy plant things. I know that if you let the grass grow, it will get very tall and snakes will take up residence in it. I don't know about you, but I don't love the idea of deadly black mamba snakes chillin in my front yard. So, I decided that I would open the gate and let the donkeys and the goats come in and eat it (see picture on my blog next week.) Unbeknownst to me, a little chicken- too big to go through the fence and too small the fly over it- had wandered in. When I closed the gate, I realized that I had trapped her. I opened the gate, shooed her out, and went back in my house. 5 minutes later, I looked outside and there was that little chicken sitting on my porch. She had crawled under that gate after all my effort to free her. And that is how I was adopted by Millie, the sweetest little lady in the whole world.

Millie gets very sleepy after lunch. Millie goes to
sleepytown.

There are chickens everywhere here. Though they are used to seeing people, they are still of afraid of them. Not Millie. Millie's favorite thing to do is stand at my door and chirp until I come outside and sit with her. She nestles up against my legs and takes a rest. She eats ground maize that makes her very sleepy after lunch. She enjoys being read to, watching movies, and tea time. She also likes to sneak into my house when I'm not looking. Friday night, we had a terrible storm. The electricity went out and I was left to sew curtains by lantern. I had the door open and Millie walked right in, bold as you please, and took a seat on the living room floor. I didn't shoo her out because I thought she was a little scared of the lightning. MISTAKE. When it was time for Millie to go to sleep out on the porch (she has a little box out there), she decided she would rather live inside with me. I ended up chasing her all over the house until finally she ran out the door! Can you imagine me chasing this tiny baby chicken from the living room to the kitchen to the bedroom to the living room back to the kitchen and finally through the door?! That's another reason why I wanted curtains: so people can't see what kind of crazy things I'm doing in my house.

I hate to complain about this, but I feel its worth mentioning since it really defined my week. Saying "it was hot this week" really doesn't do the temperature justice. Saying "I live in a furnace in the bowels of hell" is more accurate. When Millie the chicken sits around panting, you know its hot. When the wind blows and you feel like you just opened an oven door, you know its hot. When you get a heat rash and salt burns on your face from being constantly drenched in sweat, you know its hot. When the water coming out of your tap is hot enough to make tea (and you don't even have hot water!), you know its hot!!!!

In closing, this week was tough but I learned a lesson, got a new best friend, made an important lifestyle change (I feel better already!) and made my house into somewhere I'd want to live. I made the mistake of thinking that I was Sarah the Strong, volunteer awesome, who doesn't need no stinkin' people on the holidays. I was partially correct, I am Sarah the Strong, but I'm also Sarah the Person. One of the mottos of Botswana is a Setswana word called "botho," a concept that is very important in this culture. It means "I am because you are." The lesson of the week: Sometimes I forget that I am a regular person, a person that needs other people, and that needing people does not make me weak.  Next holiday, I'll bite the bullet, get on the stinky bus, and go be with my peeps!

Don't touch that dial! Stay tuned for next week's episode: Sarah spends her first New Years Eve in Africa, continues her commnity assessment, does things the hard way, and learns another obvious, but painful, lesson about life!

Chirpity peep peep chirp!
(That's from Millie: "Here's to waving goodbye to 2012 and welcoming 2013!")

Sarah and Millie