Pictures!

Hello everyone! I will try and post more later but I realized it is faster to load pictures here than on facebook. More to come!

My new haircut!!!

Me finding out that I am going to be shadowing in Dutlwe

Some primary students from Dutlwe

Me showing you my fabulous new buff (thanks Mom and Dad :) )

Ryan and Boo making our submission to the cooking competition

We made "peanut sauce" with veggies :)

My placement in Kanye, Botswana

Our volunteer map

A lady pounding millet, she was much better at is than the volunteers that tried (no offense Mignon)

A slightly more dramatic way to pound millet, there is a song that goes with this

Spreading cow dung on the floor of the meeting place in order to deter snakes

The traditional dancers that we saw at the cultural village

My host home!

The training center

Walking home from the training center and down to the "mall"

More walking home

New haircut! (again)

The lodge we stayed at during our first night in country

My host bedroom

Jobs

I finally got to meet up with my counterparts! Another pro to being in Kanye is that since they are so close I was actually able to meet both of my counterparts whereas all the other NGO volunteers who are working with two organizations only got to meet up with one. Both of them seem pretty chill and though there wasn’t a whole lot of time to talk to either one of them (there was an issue with accommodations on the part of the Peace Corps and putting up the counterparts, so there was this very dramatic negotiation secession in the middle of the day that took up a lot of time) it was still nice to put in my mind two faces that I am going to be working with for the next two years.

So let me lay things out for you a bit; BOFWA (Botswana Family Welfare Association) is going to be my “primary” assignment. I don’t exactly know what this means since by the sounds of things I am going to be splitting my time equally, and BORNUS (Botswana Retired Nurses Association) is actually the organization that found my house. BOFWA does a million different projects within the community, including: going to schools to give presentations on sexual reproductive health, running clubs for teenagers on a myriad of different health topics, and they also do the occasional home visit for HIV positive clients. They have six major offices around the country and there are actually three of us working for them (Trevor is working in Maun, and Emily is working in Francis Town.)

BORNUS does a lot of home based care which is going to be really amazing for me since I am going to get personal experience one on one with individuals living with HIV/AIDS. They have also been trying to get some educational talks at local schools off the ground but have been having issues getting schools to respond to them, so I am hoping I can help out with that.

My counterparts (the Motswana that are my partners while on the job) both seem very relaxed and I was happy that they were willing to take my suggestions when it comes to scheduling. Mon & Tue I will be working with BORNUS and Wed & Thurs I will be working with BOFWA. I will have Fridays as a “flex day” meaning that I could either go into whatever office I need to get some extra work done in, or I could use that time to focus on my secondary project. I think it is going to work out really well, and I am excited to hit the ground running. 

Much love, 

Claire/ Tlotlo 

BIRTHDAY UPDATE!

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I have made it to Botswana! Sorry it has been such a long time since I was able to update but the internet here is a bit shaky and up to this point I have only had access through an internet café, in half hour slots, on Saturdays. I am crossing my fingers that now that we are entering week 4, I will be able to have some access at the Education Center on a regular basis.

So let me fill you in on all things Botswana. We arrived in Gaborone after a cumulative 20 some hours on the plane to be ushered into the wonderful and fabulous Big 5 Lodge. We only got to stay for one night but it was so wonderful to sleep in a bed instead of having to adjust myself into the upright position while attempting sleep. I have to say though, with my first walk around money from Peace Corps I bought one of those funky little neck pillows and it 100% made all the difference in my ability to be able to sleep on the plane. For those of you looking to travel long distances who don’t have one yet, just do it, it’s totally worth whatever you end up spending.

Anyhoo, we pretty much hit the ground running. At the Lodge we received our phones, mosquito nets and around 5 hours of debriefing. The next day we loaded the bus for Kanye and went straight to our “Matching Ceremony” in order to meet our new families for the next two months. I know this may be slightly baised but I got the best family ;) My host mother, Bonolo and my host brother, Tebo, live in the house and then I have two host sisters, Lame and Tshiamo, who don’t live in Kanye. Bonolo was unable to be at the matching ceremony but upon coming home that night exclaimed “where is my new daughter?!?” and I knew things were going to be just fine. I have been completely welcomed into the family and my mother introduces me as her daughter at any events we go to, and I think the vast majority of people we meet find this hilarious. Our house is equipped with running water, electricity and a toilet and is only a 10min walk from the training center. This is both awesome and a little unnerving, since my site placement could still be out in the middle of nowhere in which case many of the things I need to know how to do will be new to me. I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it. 

As you can image getting used to Botswana has been a lot of ups and downs; not only Botswana herself but also life as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I have learned a few things:

·         White vinegar will take soap out of your hair and clothing and also works wonders as a meat tenderizer.

·         “You’re fat” and “you’re beautiful” can be said on the same breath in Botswana without any offense and are often followed by “marry me.”

·         The Batswana are generous and kind people on the whole and seem to find no greater delight than for a slow talking Lekoga (English/ white person) to attempt Setswana. Even if you totally botch it they are just happy you tried in the first place.

·         Personal space is a remarkably fluid concept in Botswana, and if the lady standing behind you in line at the electricity post wants to continuously hit you with her umbrella because she is standing close enough for her boobs to be on your back, so be it

·         When a Motswana says they want sugar in their tea or coffee, it means 6-8 spoon fulls, not 2

·         Possible road hazards: goats, chicken, dogs, cows and donkies…lots and lots of donkies

·         A Peace Corps staff member would rather have bamboo shoots hammered under their fingernails than divulge any scrap of information about your site placement before the site ceremony

·         It is not a Botswana ceremony unless there is singing and prayer

·         Africa, and the pace of life here, can be addicting

As it may be apparent by now, I am having a pretty smooth time adjusting. I do miss home, I do miss friends and family, and I do miss that certain level of comfort you can only really achieve within your own territory. That being said though, I am happy to be slowly stripping myself of the need to be on my turf and I think that will serve me well as a citizen of the world.

We are almost at our 1 month mark for training, and in two weeks I will find out where my site placement is going to be. After that it will be another 4-5 weeks of training before I am sent off for community integration period, more commonly referred to among volunteers as “lockdown.” This period will last for 2 months after which I will have IST (in service training) and then settle into life as a working volunteer. For those of you with the means, that will also be the time when I am allowed to have visitors, and if you have any desire to come to Africa, Botswana should be on your list of places to go.

With all the language, cross cultural and safety and security training as well as the occasional out of class room experiences (we did a whole lesson on perma-gardening on Saturday) I have been very busy. I’m enjoying my life as a volunteer thus far and at this point am just anxious to start the real work. My fellow trainees are wonderful and I am learning a lot.

More to come soon (hopefully)

Much love,

Claire/ Tlotlo ß My new Setswana name, it means “Respect”

Quickie

Hey everyone!

I only have 5 mins left on my internet cafe time. Just wanted to let everyone know that after the first 3 weeks of PST I am having a wonderful time and I hope I will have internet sometime soon in order to post a more detailed blog post about life here in Botswana. At some point I am also going to post a list of things I might be craving in your standard care package. For those of you that may be writing letters now, if you wanted to sneak a pack of taco seasoning in with your standard letter, I would appreciate the heck out of it.

I love and miss you all bunches, and hope this post finds you happy and healthy (I sure as heck am!)

~Claire/ Tlotlo (new Setswana name, means Respect)

I'M IN AFRICA!! Tehehehe :)

Hello Wonderful People of the Blog, 

I just wanted to send everyone a quick hello and let people know that I arrived in Gaborone safely a few hours ago. Staging went really well and the group I am traveling with are just an excellent collection of individuals. We are all so passionate about what we are doing and everyone comes from such a wide variety of backgrounds and experience. I could not be happier with the situation I am in currently.

We went from Philly to JFK at 3am, only to get to the airport to realize that the gate we needed to check in at wasn't open until 7:30am. Apparently this is a relatively common practice for Peace Corps, since every volunteer we have met in country has told us to get used to a lot of waiting. After getting 45 people checked in, and bags tagged, we hung around the airport until our 10:30am boarding time. I lucked out majorly on the flight since I was, not only on an aisle seat, but also had two empty seats between me and the next person. I bought one of those little neck pillows and had as decent as flight as one can have for 15 hours in an enclosed space. 

We hung out at the Johannesburg airport for about 6 hours after landing and all played games, walked around, got to know each other and napped on the floor. After a quick 50min flight across the boarder I landed safely in Gaborone (pronounced: Ha-bore-onie) and checked into the lodge. We met with our country director, had dinner, and hung out with some currently serving volunteers who came to meet us at the airport. We also found out we will be taking in 3 volunteers from Mali this weekend, since the country has officially been evacuated and they are looking to reassign the volunteers. Heading to bed under a mosquito net tonight (though the bugs have not been bad at all, I want to get used to the feeling) and then waking up tomorrow nice and early to travel to Kanye where I will be training for the next 2 months. I will also be meeting my host family! 

So that is pretty much how my first two days in Africa have been. I am still a bit jumpy from nerves but so far the experience has been excellent and I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Since we will be starting training this may be my last post for at least two weeks, but I will try and work something out to stay in touch.

Smooches, 

Claire

Night Before

Finally the night has come, the one that I have known since the start of all this was going to be the hardest. The mix of emotions is hard to put into words but it something like the urge to cry, scream, throw up, jump around, run laps, kick, punch, dance all at the same time. It is almost too much for my system to handle but I know it will all be better once I can just get on the plane and focus on the task ahead. It is not the "going to" that is creating this mixed bag of emotions, it's the "leaving from." My family, my friends, my comfort zone, my favorite foods, my music, my ability to transport myself freely around where ever I damn well want at any given time...my toilet...all these things that I have grown to take for granted in my life and now I have to go and see what life is like without them.

I'm scared, and I think that anyone that is at the point that I am at right now and isn't feeling the same hasn't thought about how much of a game changer this all is. My family and friends have been so amazingly supportive and wonderful and kind and caring and fabulous and I can't even begin to say how much I love them and how blessed I feel to have them in my life. They are amazing beyond words and I am going to miss them more than would be possible to describe.

I'm going to try and pass out now, get a few winks before waking up and heading off to philly. Will try and update when I can.

See you on the other side ;)

Love,
Claire 

My Timeline

We had an open house for some friends and neighbors yesterday night, and as a mini-project beforehand I decided I would type up a timeline of important dates, thought it may be helpful for people looking at applying to see my whole process rolled into one. 

Claire’s Peace Corps Timeline
    -November 15^th, 2010: I start my primary online application
    -December 2010: I submit my application
    -January 19^th, 2011: I submit fingerprints and primary skill documentation
    -January 31^st, 2011: Peace Corps (PC) Interview
    -February 1st, 2011: Nominated for a Sub-Saharan Africa placement with the Health Extension program  to be leaving in the fall
    -February 2011: Receive medical packet
    -April 12^th, 2011: Get all clear from the doctor’s office
    -May 23^rd, 2011: Send all needed paperwork, shots, x-rays and history files into the PC office in DC
    -June 6^th, 2011: PC grants me dental clearance
    -June 7^th, 2011: PC informs me that my original training group for the fall is full and that because of federal budget cuts they are putting all new nominations on hold.
    -June 21^st, 2011: PC begins a medical review of my file
    -June 27^th, 2011: Asked to submit additional paperwork for a secondary medical review
    -July 5^th, 2011: Discover I have a blood clot in my right leg after family vacation
    -July 9^th, 2011: I am told by PC that because of budget cuts I will not be leaving until somewhere around January of 2012.
    -August 1st, 2011: I submit the second round of medical paperwork
    -August 4^th, 2011: I’m medically cleared to serve
    -August 11^th, 2011: My file is moved to the placement office
    -August 21st, 2011: My undergraduate degree in Comparative Cultures and Politics is conferred from Michigan State University. 
    -September 22^nd, 2011: I have my placement interview
    -October 6^th, 2011: I am told that I have an invitation and my kit is in the mail!
    -October 11^th, 2011: I receive my invitation to serve in South Africa as HIV/AIDS Prevention and Mitigation volunteer departing January 23^rd, 2012
    -November 29^th, 2011: I am put on medical hold for a blood clot
    -December 19^th, 2011: I am officially removed from the South African training group
    -January 27^th, 2011: I see a specialist and he clears me to go off meds
    -February 8^th, 2011: I receive word that a second invitation is in the mail!!
    -February 13^th, 2011: I receive my second invitation to serve as an NGO Capacity Building volunteer in Botswana J
    -February-April: Preparation to leave, throw fabulous party!
    -April 10^th, 2012: Leave for Philly

April 11^th, 2012: Leave for Kanye, Botswana to serve as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer until June 10^th, 2014

So there it all is, lined up and pretty. This has been quite the journey and I haven't even gotten on a plane yet!

~Claire

Also, if you would like to have you day brightened, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBrmaE82uY4&feature=related

It's super cute, and I am really hoping at some point during my service I get to see/ interact with elephants :)

A Million Little Things

I believe I was having a bit of an issue with peacecorpsjournals up until now because this blog was posting under South Africa still. In order to check and see if this problem has been fixed I am going to write a quickly post on all the tiny stuff I am attempting to wrap up before go time.

I have laid out the first round of clothing that I plan on bringing, and I also bought a kitchen knife a few days ago, so here is where the list stands:

-Get the meds that I need to go on the plane without having a blood clot
-Photo copy all of my important documents
-Actually pack the clothing I have laid out and make sure it meets the weight/ size restrictions
-Print out fun activities/ crocheting patterns to do during down time (this is more for once at site and less for during training)
-Sign durable power of attorney to my parents
-Call debit card company and let them know where I am going
-LEARN MORE SETSWANA!
-Buy anything I might need that I don't already have (not thinking there is going to be a lot to do with this one)
-Hugs, hugs and more hugs to damn near anyone and everyone
-Get on the plane

Goodness gracious, and I am sure there are going to be a billion other little things that come up to add to this list, but we will see :)

Much Love,
Claire

Setswana

I realized after I looked back at my last post that I was getting a bit on the depressing side. I apologize, I am doing a lot better and there is nothing like a little time to heal a somewhat bruised heart. Which brings me to the topic of this blog post, language. After hearing about some of the staging of language learning that a couple of my fellow trainees are in I thought it would be a good idea to dive head first into learning Setswana. My goal is to try and get down 20 words/ phrases a day until we leave.

This is going to be my first foray into the weird and wonderful world of learning a language without a teacher or professor there to guide me. I am kind of excited because it means I can learn what I need and not have to worry about going over vocabulary that I don't deem necessary. Then again, as I so recently pointed out to myself, I don't know any native Setswana speakers which means that I may be teaching myself incorrect pronunciation only to show up to site and be corrected. Better to be corrected than to not have anything to correct on though I guess.

Alright, I'm off to hang out with a work friend. Hope this finds everyone in good shape. Much love!

~Claire