A Stranger's Kindness

Upon arriving in Botswana we were only given a 30 day visa as we did not have proof of our residence at UB when we crossed the border from our long journey here a short month ago. We were told that it would be no problem to extend it once we had proof that we do in fact live at UB. So on Wednesday, we ventured to the immigration office to get our visas renewed.

Being 7 of us, we caught two taxis to take us to the immigration office. Danielle, Jayne, and I were all in the first one to arrive at the immigration office. However, we were told that we needed to go to a different immigration office. That wouldn't be that devastating of news, but our taxi just left and none of us three have a cell phone here. So, we decided to wait and see if the other group in the other taxi would arrive at the same office. However, before they arrived, a man that was there doing business and was leaving offered to take us in his truck! He apologized that the bed was dirty, but it was a mode of transportation and he knew the location of the office we needed to be at, so we graciously jumped in the back!

We pulled into a dirt drive that did not look too official and we were a bit weary. But, the nice man that drove us there pointed to the building that we needed to go to. To get our visas extended, we found out that we need to pay a man to hand write a letter of application, asking the government of Botswana to extend our visas. We didn't expect to need a letter of application to be allowed to stay here, but we were granted the additional time after submitting the letter. It was an unexpected way to renew our visas---pay a man to write a letter for us, sign it, submit it, and then get your visa stamped for another 60 days---but they are extended thanks to the kindness of a complete stranger. We would have never been able to find this office on our own. This small act of kindness just proves how willing everyone here is to help. And we were (and still am!) extremely grateful for their helpfulness!

A Warm Welcome in Gamadubu

On Saturday morning, the 7 of us woke up to head to Gamadubu, a village outside of Gaborone, with Anna, Jessica, and Teacher Shirley, the preschool teacher at Naledi. About 5 years ago, Teacher Shirley started a feeding project for the children there. Teacher Shirley, Anna, and Jessica invited us to join them. Including Teacher Shirley's son and the Old Man (which is what he is referred to as), the 12 of us crammed into the small Toyota to make the hour journey to Gamadubu. Quite the tight squeeze, but we made it and it was quite memorable!

Yes, 12 people fit in that!

Once we got there, Teacher Shirley made sure that we were served tea and biscuits before we started working. What a sweet hostess! We then started chopped cabbage and peeling and grating carrots for lunch.

Anna, Jessica, and Leslie peeling and grating carrots

A social worker came, too, and told the children Bible stories and explained their rights as children. We then circled up and played some games with the children. Afterwards, we were taken on an African taxi --- a donkey-drawn cart. The village is truly out in the bush and is fairly spread out, so African taxis are their source of transportation in Gamadubu!Quite the ride!

The 7 of us were graciously given a goat, which is a very nice gift here! Being in a traditional African village, the men brought in the goat and the men then killed the goat there. Boys help at a young age and learn by watching their elders. It is a right of passage once a boy slaughters a goat for the first time. At K-State, I took an animal processing class, in which I learned hands-on how to process cattle, hogs, and sheep, and I never imagined that it would come in handy here in Africa! But, as I watched the men skin the goat and go through each step of processing it, that class gave me a very good foundation to explain to my teammates what was going on. The men that slaughtered it were very experienced and did an excellent job! While it was a little gruesome for some of my teammates to experience the slaughtering process, being given a goat was a very gracious gift!

Our goat before... I'll spare you the after shot!

We continued playing with the kids until it was time to serve lunch. Lunch included beets, rice, cabbage and carrot salad, and intestines. However, us adults were served the liver from the goat that was just slaughtered. It was a very good meal and very filling! Who knew that goat liver could be so good? This was my first true African meal experience!

My plate...very colorful and good, too!

The children eating under the shade

We then continued to play with the kids. They taught us some Setswana and played games with us. We cuddled with the little babies, too, which I must admit was one of my favorite things to do! After most of the children had gone home, Jessica and Anna taught us how to make papatas, which are similar to English muffins but better!

The papatas cooking on the fire

As it was nearing the end of our stay in Gamadubu, the chicken that was given to Anna and Jessica needed to be killed and cleaned. The knife was handed to me and I was told to kill the chicken! I was a bit hesitant, but then said, "I can kill a chicken," which has now become one of the many quotes that my team laughs about! So, with help from Teacher Shirley's son, I chopped a chicken's head off! Even though I was raised on a farm, that was a first for me! Teacher Shirley then plucked the feathers and cleaned it.

We were teased that as Americans we don't eat the feet or the head or any of the internal organs. Batswana (the people of Botswana) eat every edible part of the animal, whether the goat or the chicken. They gladly kept those parts that we don't eat, though, for their own eating enjoyment!

We then returned home. This time with 13 people in the truck and a slaughtered goat and a chicken in a bag tied to the roof of the truck! We stopped by a butcher on the way home so he could cut the goat into retail cuts of meat and soon we home after a very good day in Gamadubu! Quite a few firsts for many of us and quite a different lifestyle in Gamadubu than any of us are accustomed to, but a very memorable day!

Building Relationships

Since we have yet to hear from Mokolodi about volunteering there, I decided to volunteer in the classroom each day this week. I am trying to implement ways to help the students learn and am gaining much needed experience teaching at the same time! I am getting to know the students better each day and am learning which ones, especially one boy named Tulmelo, which ironically means 'believe,' who is quite the teaser! I never know if I can believe him! One day, he sneezed during class, and naturally, I said, "Bless you." He thought this was a comical response, because once I turned my back to start writing on the board, he obviously fake sneezed, expecting a response from me. I gave him a look and he countered back, "I have the flu...oh-so-sick!" He wasn't. I have also quickly learned which ones I can depend on for telling me the truth! I am enjoying getting to know my students and building relationships with them. The students are hard workers and I love being able to help them out when I can!

After school is out, I try to stick around and help out at the feeding project and play with the children there. We are all getting to know the children better and am building relationships with them. They are teaching us hand games and Leslie is teaching them some in return. The active ones love to play with Matt and Jack who chase them around. The girls love to play with my hair and I tend to find it tied into knots and quite frizzy at the end of the day! Little ones that don't know English quite yet just hold their arms out for you to pick them up! There's always someone to entertain, or more often than not, be entertained by! I sometimes don't know who is having more fun --- the kids or us!

This is me and Sadi, who I called Lovey for awhile, because she wouldn't tell me her name for the longest time! And she is just so cuddly!

Jayne with Charity and Danielle with Papeiro

Jack and the boys!

On Friday, the boys at the school were playing in a football (soccer) game against another school in Old Naledi. So, we followed them to the field and watched them play! They don't have a coach, but they still did a very good job! When we left at halftime to head home for the day, though, the game was 0-1. I'll be anxious to ask Monday morning about the outcome of the game! It was good to see the boys in a different element, working together outside of the classroom walls. I think they enjoyed having spectators, too!

Team Photo

The Typical Day at School

"Travel is a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from the travel's immediate rewards....the inevitable new sights, smells, and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way."
--Unknown

This quote seemed quite fitting to remember and reflect upon as I gain more responsibility at Naledi Education Centre. My day starts out leaving the hostel at 7am, hoping on a combi to the combi station, hoping on another combi to Naledi, and getting there sometimes around 7:30 or other times not until close to 8. It's hard to estimate how fast the combis will fill up or how often we stop to let people off or pick people up.

School officially starts at 7:50, but in the Standard 7 classroom, or probably any classroom for that matter, class has yet to start at that time. Mma Rugwe, the Standard 7 teacher, lives in a neighboring village and depends on public transportation so she gets to class as soon as possible, which is usually around 8:15 or 8:30. But, this is normal for Botswana. It has been referred to as 'Botswana Time' since it is a much more relaxed time schedule here. There are no set bells or rigid schedules. However, the students use their time wisely before Mma Rugwe arrives, as they usually work on homework from the day before or read from notes or quietly talk amongst themselves.

With the mock examinations finished, this week lessons resumed. On top of marking papers and assignments, Mma Rugwe handed a few of the lessons over to me! Literally! She handed me the text book they use and the book of education standards to plan the lesson and told me to go with it! Yesterday, I went over writing compositions. On top of taking the 7 different multiple-choice examinations (Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, Moral and Religious Education, Agriculture, English, and Setswana), the students also will write compositions and letters in both English and Setswana for their PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination). The students do know spoken English fluently, but written English is somewhat difficult for them.The composition topic was about weddings and it was neat to read about the cultural differences regarding weddings here! In most cases, the man gives 8 cattle to his future wife's family!

Today, I was given the lesson of science and technology to teach. I haven't quite figured out which subjects are taught on which days or if there is any schedule to follow. But, the lesson begins with me writing the text book on the chalkboard for the students to copy down in their notebooks, since students do not have their own textbooks. This is quite the lengthy process at times---both for me and for the students! I then went over the notes and discovered that I have quite a few adaptations to make...slowing down on instructions, asking direct, clear questions, giving ample wait time for responses to those questions, and defining hard vocabulary terms. Then, review questions are written on the board for the students to copy and complete. This is the way that Mma Rugwe teaches. However, Mma Rugwe has given me the freedom to teach however I see fit, so hopefully I can gradually make changes to implement some strategies to the lessons that I teach to help the students learn in a different way. It is a bit frustrating at times because it seems, from the outside looking in, that the students are simply copying the notes and filling in the blanks, without any real direct instruction.

There's not any of the technology that I have used in my teaching experience in the States. The classroom is simple and a hand bell is even rung for break times. This simplicity is a testament that learning still happens, even without fancy computers or elaborate technology. Teaching in the classroom has definitely given me ample opportunities to experience firsthand a typical day of school in Botswana! Since the school day ends around 1 or 1:30, I usually end up playing and talking with the children that ate at Tlamelo, which is on the same plot as the school, until it's time to head back to the graduate hostels for the day.

Volunteering at the school is definitely challenging me to experience how different the material is taught here. It can be a bit frustrating, as it is so different than they way I was taught or the way that I teach, but thankfully, no matter how different the lessons may be taught here, the purpose of education here, there, and everywhere still remains the same---that students learn! And that is what matters!

Sunday Afternoon Hike

Thursday at Tlamelo we met another volunteer, Luke, from Flying Mission, who volunteers on Thursdays at Tlamelo. Our conversation somehow led to the many things to do around Gaborone. Luke had mentioned that he just went hiking on Kgale Hill, which is a huge hill that overlooks the entire city and surrounding countryside. He mentioned that he would be up to tackle the hike again if we would like to tag along…and of course we accepted his invitation!

Sunday afternoon we set off to hike. After an hour or so of some intense hiking in some places we were rewarded with one of the most breathtaking views ever! Words cannot truly express the beauty of the sight, so I’ll let the pictures tell it all!

Yep, that's Kgale Hill!

The girls' faces tell it all! Quite the hiking ahead of us!

Quite the comical sign, huh?


At the top overlooking Gaborone Dam



The white speck in the middle of the picture is indeed a car!


We could see for miles! So beautiful .... the pictures don't do it justice!

All of us with Kgale Hill in the background! We did it!

I was born poor, but am rich in mind

This was written on a door in one of the homes in Old Naledi, the village where we are volunteering. Today, Champ, the coordinator of the Tlamelo Project, took us around the village to get a firsthand look. I have been here two and a half weeks, but yet this week by volunteering in the classroom and walking around the village, I feel that I have opened my eyes to see beyond just the beautiful scenery.

Old Naledi is full of beautiful and kind-hearted people, but sadly it's also full of poverty and sickness. Old Naledi is one of the most over-populated and poverty-stricken villages around Gaborone. Today, on our walk around the village, Champ introduced us to some incredible people that have faced many challenges in this village.

One very special woman welcomed us into her home to visit. She had become paralyzed about 2 years ago. On top of this very limiting disability, she is HIV positive, has 4 children and a mentally ill sister to support, and her husband left her when she became paralyzed. She is struggling to make a means for her family and her children receive much-needed nurishment from the feeding project each day. She is currently living in a government provided house, which is one room, approximately 7'x10', but will be kicked out, regardless of her circumstances, in 6 months time. She has indeed been through much suffering, but during our entire visit, she had a beautiful smile on her face. So many struggles that she has, and will continue to face, and yet she still has a strong faith about her, which struck something deep within me.

We ventured on and visited with a man who has been very sick for quite some time, but is feeling much better lately. His smile indeed captured his recovery. Champ pointed out along our walk where some of the children that we are getting to know live. Since many of the childrens' parents have died, they live with extended family or older siblings, those not nearly old enough to be the head of a household by any means.

"I was born poor, but am rich in mind." Seems to sum up the life for many in Old Naledi, but leaves me on a hopeful note after a very naive girl saw firsthand a real view of poverty and sickness.

My Schedule

I am a planner, and as much as this experience has already taught me to “go with the flow” in many situations, I still like to plan out my week. I’ll be volunteering at the school Mondays through Wednesdays, at the Mokolodi Wildlife Reserve on Thursdays, and at the Tlamelo Project on Fridays. I’m excited to get more involved in each of these projects!

I’ve already had ‘homework’, a.k.a. making keys and grading, after each day of school. The students are taking Mock Examinations to prepare for the Examinations that determine whether or not they move onto the next standard. I have been making keys for these exams, which requires me to look the answers up in textbooks, and have learned so much already about Botswana and its culture and history! I will start grading them soon and am eager to see how the students did! I’m beginning to sound like a teacher, huh?