What I do at work

A lot of people have been asking me about my job, so I thought I'd write a post to the blog to talk about what a day at work looks like for me.

In the morning I usually meet a neighbour of mine and we walk together to the kombi stop. A kombi looks like a Volkswagen van and is a type of "bus/taxi" system to get around in. Sometimes we catch a ride to work with someone who drives by in a car and recognizes that we work in the same office building, but mostly we catch a kombi. I actually like riding on the kombi despite the fact that it's usually crammed full of people and that the entire car erupts with laughter every time I try to speak Setswana…it's all good fun. A fun (and by fun, I mean completely embarrassing) experience for me the other day happened when an elderly man on the kombi decided to tell everyone else in the kombi that the best way for anyone to learn a foreign language is under the blanket ( i.e. get a Motswana boyfriend)…this comment, alone, I could have handled…but when he was still talking about it ten minutes down the road I found that I was no longer a white person…but a red one!

When I get to work (sharply at 7:30am!) we usually start with a prayer…which is all singing in Setswana, so I usually just talk to myself inside my head and then randomly say "amen" when everyone else does. I have my own office so I usually try to retreat right there and finish up whatever activity I was doing the day before. I have nice co-workers, but unfortunately, no starbucks nearby to do some real bonding!

My activities during the day vary…sometimes I go with my driver to a neighboring village to check on a clinic, sometimes I remain at work and organize meetings for the week ( i.e. find venues, contact people, type invitation letters, come up with agenda's), sometimes I duck out to an office near mine that has internet in order to keep in contact…it all varies! My office is also responsible for reporting to the entire district about all of the AIDS/HIV programs that are currently going on in our district. It's a pretty big task because there's a lot of people and numbers to track down, but I really enjoy it because it gives me a chance to meet and see people from all different areas. Another important part of my job is giving presentations and orientation workshops…sometimes I have to laugh at giving a presentation when I am still trying to become orientated myself!

Just the other day I was visiting a clinic in a nearby village…I usually go to a clinic to support a function that they're having or to introduce myself. I went to the clinic with an service we have here in Mochudi that does free HIV testing and counselling. When we got to the clinic there was a beautiful garden there with the words BOTSWANA and the name of the village cut into the hedge…I was pretty amazed to find this in such a small village. The gardener there cut off a piece of a shrub for me at that time (I think it's some kind of succulent) and gave it to me to plant in my yard! I am excited to start getting a garden in order (or at least something resembling green)!

Okay, so I haven't quite gotten used to the Lizards

There are many things that have kept me from changing a light bulb in the back of my house.
1. I had no spare light bulbs.
2. I can't reach it, so I had to find a chair to assist me.
3. When I finally got around to buying a light bulb, I failed to buy the right light bulb...and now have a box of light bulbs that don't work anywhere in my house...and the list goes on.

So, when I finally bought the right light bulb I decided to go change the bulb once and for all and be done with it, at least until it burnt out again. I noticed that quite a few of my neighbors were out and about on Sunday, and realized that changing a light bulb would be a spectator sport, but I thought it would be nice to give my neighbors something to watch other than the world cup (which, until this week, is all that Africa can talk about).

My screwdriver was a necessity in this endeavor, so I busted out my trusty toolkit (something I continually congratulate myself on buying for only 50 pula at a grocery store). When I went to go stand on the chair to change my light bulb I was greeted by a huge lizard staring me in the face. I resisted the urge to scream (I would rather save my screams for things that are really life threatening) and quickly got off the chair to think about what to do. The lizard, staring at me the entire time (mocking me) moved a little bit, but seemed perfectly content where he was.

I went to go get my broom to shoo him away, but quickly decided not to use the broom because I felt as though it would be cruel to knock this lizard off of its perch onto the hard ground ( i.e. I was afraid he would jump into my hair, or that I would knock him down and he would crawl towards my foot). It was at that time that one of my neighbors called out to me. She could see that I had now been staring at the lamp for about 10 minutes and wanted to know if she should call a friend of hers who is taller who would be able to change the light for me. I thought this was a very nice offer, but quickly assured her that height wasn't the problem...the problem was that I had a lizard who was mocking me...judging me...and, frankly, intimidating me (well, I didn't say all that, but I'm sure it was implied by my tone).

I decided, after careful deliberation, that the only thing to do was to leave this chore for another day when the lizard had maybe found a nicer, less intrusive home. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure this lizard was much more scared of me than I of him...but it's nice to know that even in Botswana things that are perfectly harmless still manage to inhibit me from changing a light bulb...it gives me peace of mind to know that when lots of things change...this will remain the same! Now if only I could manage to go visit the hospital in Mochudi again (it's been off of my list ever since I heard that pythons like to hang out on the rocks)....

My home in Mochudi

This is where I live! I'm sure a lot of you were expecting something a bit more "african"! I love my house, it's standard governement housing (2 bedroom house)

This is my driver, Ntseane. He is a life saver! I really don't know what I would do without him.
Two new friends! Thuli and Tsholo

Life is good

It has taken me a while to find a little bit of internet access (one that doesn't freeze every other minute or make me promise my first born child in order for it to work). In Mochudi, life is good. I have really nice neighbors that have made me feel very much at home, and I have nice people at work too! Even this past weekend one of my neighbors drove me to Thamaga to say hello to my family! It was so nice to see them...I didn't get to stay long, just long enough for them to slaughter a chicken (which I named dijo...it means food in Setswana), cook the chicken, and eat the chicken! It was great.
Botswana is right now having a bit of trouble getting gas here (that's what we mostly cook with)...so a lot more families are using traditional fires and other things to cook their food. It's pretty much just same 'ol same 'ol for my family!
My house is coming along...I have pretty much everything I need, and then some more. I like the neighborhood...it's nice and quiet with only a few chickens and roosters to break the silence. One of my neighbors has a maid that lives with her, so she comes over to my house once a week to do the wash and cleaning (only in Africa could I remotely afford this). The other day when she was over I was outside making a fire (to burn my trash: no comments...I have no trash bin as of yet, I am working on it). I couldn't quite get the fire lit, so I had to use some mail that my mother had sent me. I had to laugh when I picked up the Washington State Bar News...I quickly flipped to the back to read who had been disbarred or sanctioned (honestly, the only part that I read) and then promptly used it to light my fire (actually really good burning material)!
The other day I went to a beautiful candlelight ceremony for an AIDS support group. Most of it was in Setswana, but I got the gist. It was scheduled to last one hour...but four hours later we were still singing...I didn't' mind though, it was nice to have something to do on a Sunday!
Thanks to everyone who has sent me mail or e-mails! It's so nice hearing from everyone. If you still have envelopes from me with postage just change the address on them. My new address is
Private Bag 001, Mochudi Botswana!