What better way to reflect on my experience then to share
some of my favorite moments and experiences from the past 2 years! After
thinking long and hard about ALL my experiences (there were so many!) I
narrowed it down to 10 favorite ones… Here they are in no particular order
(ranking them was too hard).
-Paragliding
over Cape Town:
So I’ve now been to Cape Town twice and I STILL feel like I want to go
back for more!! There is SO much to see in do in that city…not to mention the
views from every angle are just stunning! While I was there I was able to see the V+A waterfront, hiked
lions head, went to the Cape of Good Hope, wine tasting in Stellenbosch, seeing
the penguins at Boulders beach, and much more.
During my 1
st trip to Cape Town in October 2010;
I saw an ad about paragliding and realized it was something I really wanted to
do!! So the first three days that I was
there it was too cloudy and the weather was not good enough to go. But with
some luck…the sun came out on my last day!! So I ran right off signal hill with
another man and a parachute tied to the back of me. We were up in the air for
about 15 minutes and flew right over the city! It was AWESOME!! For those that
know me—Im not normally one to like adrenaline type activities but for some reason
I wasn’t nervous a single bit!
When we all
got to Botswana, we found out that our host families had given us Setswana
names. Some volunteers choose to continue using their Setswana name; or some
use their American names. Lesedi means “light” and I really loved it; so I
decided to continue going by it. Sometimes it’s just “Lesedi”; sometimes it’s
“Lesh”; sometimes it’s “sedi girl”; and sometimes its
“LEEEESSSSSEEEEDDDDIIIII.” My name, Lesedi has been one of the most meaningful
things for me in Botswana. I love the way people say it.
When I first got to Botswana and even up to about the year
mark; everyone would always be shouting and calling me “Lekgoa!” or “China!”
People would stop me ask me about my China shop or if I sold certain things.
And yes—to some extent it’s kind of funny. But when this is happening to you
5-10 times a day; it gets old. The “China” thing was really starting to wear
down on me; to the point where I didn’t even want to step out of my house. I
had to mentally prepare myself every day before I left; deciding if I was going
to ignore everyone, or stop and explain that I was American.
But I tried my best to ignore people and not let it bother
me. A few months later, I was walking home from work and usually I pass lots of
students getting out of school. Usually they would shout across the road
“Lekgoa or China.” But this time…every single one of them was saying “Lesedi!
Dumela Lesh!” It was an amazing feeling. I had been working with the schools
more and more students were getting to know me. So here they were…calling me by
my Setswana name. I felt like I was no longer the foreigner. Funny how
something as small as a name can make such a big difference.
-Devils pool at Victoria Falls:
My dad came
to visit me in November and during his trip we went to Kasane, Zimbabwe and
Zambia. The entire trip was awesome and we got to go on a private game
drive/safari; boat cruise; ziplining; walked with the lions; elephant back
safari; and enjoyed the scenery and each other’s company.
While we were in Zambia, we went to Livingstone Island for
high tea. Along with this; we were able to jump into the Devil’s pool if we
wanted to. The Devil’s pool is a natural “pool” formed by rocks at the very
edge of Victoria Falls. It’s a 234 foot drop straight down. Dad was pretty
hesitant to do it; but got convinced to jump in! I jumped in and leaned right
over the edge!! ! I wish I could have hung out there more but we were kind of
rushed because of all the people. Again, not usually one for adrenaline type
activities but this was AWESOME! Probably one the coolest things I’ve ever done
-Marys Wedding:
As most of you know, I was asked to be the “best lady” or
Maid of Honor in my friend, Marys wedding this past weekend. Although it was
pretty long day (and I was running on an hour of sleep); it was also a pretty
amazing day.
Mary and Fila first met in her village and later started
dating in September 2010. The two of them had been together since; and in
November 2011 they got engaged. Mary actually tried to call me but I was in
Zimbabwe that day with my dad. I found out later once I crossed back into
Botswana and pretty much freaked out!! My dad thought I was crazy! Anyways,
they got married on May 5
th. They had a church ceremony in the
morning, followed by pictures of the bridal party, and a reception at Fila’s
parent’s house. I’ll admit I even teared up when they were giving their vows!
The two of them were so happy and very much in love. If you haven’t already read it, check out the
blog post below this for more details about the wedding.
-Life Skills camps in Tlokweng:
Throughout my service, I had facilitated at lots of
workshops in other villages. But I wanted to have a workshop in my village! So
I proposed two life skills workshops-one for primary schools and one for JSS to
the TAC (Technical AIDS Committee). They approved my workshops so I was given
funding! Yay! So at the end of the February I had a workshop for about 20
primary schools students from 3 different schools in my village. We talked
about team building, leadership, anatomy/physiology, relationships, STIs,
HIV/AIDS, avoiding teenage pregnancy, and public speaking. And at the beginning
of March I had the 2
nd workshop for about 35 junior secondary school
students from 2 schools. We talked about the same topics but added some
different activities and condom demonstrations.
A lot of the students who came had seen me before (when I
came to their schools for STEPs screenings) or they were some of my students
from various clubs. It was so great to see the students so open and willing to
talk. They asked so many questions and we were able to provide correct answers
for them! It was also great to have several volunteers come facilitate and
benchmark my workshop for future workshops in their villages.
-Quadbiking in Namibia:
In April 2011, I went on vacation to Namibia with 3 other
volunteers. We went to Windhoek and Swakopmund. While we were in Namibia, we
were celebrating 2 birthdays and our 1 year mark. I think we ate just about everything
in sight. When we were eating lunch…all we were thinking about was where we
were going to eat dinner. We got to go to the beach, went on a “dolphin cruise”
(even though we didn’t see a single dolphin), had a huge wild seal sit on my
lap, went on a brewery tour and had a beer tasting (SOOOOO good!), didn’t get
to go sky diving (probably for the best), and we went quad biking and sand
boarding!
When we were out in Swakopmund (which by the way is where
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a house), we went quad biking and sand
boarding out on the huge sand dunes! We had a guide take us out but we could go
as fast or slow and as high up on the dunes that we wanted. After about an
hour, we stopped to go sand boarding. Our “sleds” were these large pieces of thick
cardboard that were waxed on one side. We all took a turn looking straight down
the side of a dune! But we were all huffing and puffing after one turn…and we
all laughed because we had had enough! Haha There was no chair lift…so walking
up the dunes was NOT easy! Every time you took a step, you went about 3 steps
backward. We ended up asking our guide if we could just do more quad biking
instead; and he gladly obliged. It was so cool; at one point we saw the ocean
on one side and just nothing but dunes of sand on the other. I tried to take
pictures of the dunes; but no picture did it justice.
-World Map project:
Another volunteer and I were working at Baobab school and
both of us decided to give the World Map Project a try with our 2
nd
term students. Neither one of us really knew how much work would go into this
project. We had a manual to go by and to start we had to divide the map up into
about 30-40 different sections for each student. Students then practiced the
grid method with general drawings; and then later with their section of the
map. The other volunteer and Iwould paint the entire background blue and drew
the grid lines (most daunting task ever!). Once students looked like they were
ready to draw on the wall; they sketched their section of the map with pencil
on the wall. And finally they got to paint their respective sections. We had
help from several other volunteers who helped touch up countries that
well…didn’t look much like countries; and with other sections that were never
finished.
While students practiced; we also included lessons about
geography, cultures, environmentalism, etc. It took several months but in the
end the mural was a huge success! It was pretty cool to see how far the map had
come. And at one point, I was worried it would even look like a map in the end!
But it’s pretty cool to think I quite physically put a mark on Botswana with
this map!
-Completing all 30 STEPs screenings
at the two JSS:
During my IST, I was trained in STEPs. A program that
originated in South Africa and uses media/videos to help start discussions on
topics related to HIV and AIDS. At first I was super pumped about it; and Mary
and I decided to facilitate some STEPs screenings at both of our schools. But
it kind of fell apart. I didn’t really think about STEPs for a couple of months
but then in Aug/Sept 2011 I came up with a plan. I would screen every class at
two junior secondary schools. And that’s exactly what I did!!
For about 4 weeks; I would go to the schools and show a
STEPs film to each class. Some of the classes would only be 45 min; and some
would last for 2 hours. I usually set up in the guidance room, library or
computer room. In the beginning I tried out various films; but found the film-
“Thinking About It”- to be the best! We would talk about things like: teenage
pregnancy, abortion, suicide, transactional sex, peer pressure, decision
making, condom use, abstinence, talking about sex with parents, OVCs, HIV/AIDS,
STIs, contraceptives, and much more. Some days I would have 1 screening and I
think the most I ever had on one day was 5.
In the end, I
completed a total of 30 screenings (15 classes from each school). I screened
the films and had discussions with over 1024 students. Each class of students
were different and each screening brought up new questions. I used to hate
public speaking (and Ill admit—I still kind of do) but because of all the
sessions I have facilitated in Botswana…I’ve become a much more confident
speaker! I loved having open discussions with the students and hearing about
the challenges they faced; and helping them work through them! But some of my
favorite moments from the screenings didn’t come from the “during” part of the
session; but the “after” part. I would have students lined up outside waiting
to ask me questions. Some of them were too shy to ask me in front of everyone;
and some had even asked for my phone number so they could call and ask me more
questions. So of all the things I’ve done in Botswana—I can only hope that this
is where I had the most impact. I talked to a lot of students and I can only
hope at least one of them got something out of our discussions!
Later, I would also screen films to about 12 more classes
(370+ students) at two primary schools. I had hoped to screen all standard 6
and 7 students at all 5 primary schools; but unfortunately time was not on my
side!
-Billabong Pro Surfing Competition:
Before I even came to Botswana, I had heard about a pro
surfing competition that was held in South Africa every year. I was not able to
go the 1st July that I was here because I was on lockdown but I was
able to go the 2nd year!
My friend Hannah and I took a trip to Jeffrey’s Bay and Cape
Town in July 2011. Even though we only got to see one full day of competition
(we were there for 3-4 days but the waves weren’t good enough…and of course
they picked up again the day we were leaving); it was still so cool! I just
loved the atmosphere of the whole town and of the whole competition! Everyone
was there to hang out, surf and have a good time! Unfortunately the ONE person
I had hoped to see at the competition (Kelly Slater) was of course…not there!
But overall, I still had a fantastic time!
For some reason, Ive always had a love for surfing and I’ve
been fortunate to go surfing on several occasions. I have been surfing in
Hawaii, Delaware, Florida, and now South Africa. If anything, me being able to
attend this competition, helped solidify my love for surfing and my hope to one
day learn how to ride a short board! Believe me people…It will happen! I think the
idea of moving to Hawaii for a few years after I get my masters sounds like a
fantastic plan…yes? I think so.
-Keyara:
So a Bots8 couple’s cat had kittens back in July 2010 and
they were looking for 2 nice homes for these little ones. I had debated getting
a cat and decided it would be nice to have some company! So in September,
Keyara became a new resident of my house!
I still remember when the volunteers brought her and she was
so tiny! She was so curious and just walked around the house all day exploring!
She is so sweet and loved being right next to me. She would always lie right on
top of my chest or stomach (and still does...). She has her crazy moments—when
she runs around making funky noises or when company is over and she plays with
the curtain behind the couch. I’ll never forget another volunteer who was as
easily entertained by it, as she was. To this day, I swear it was Keyara who
sensed that someone was trying to get into my house and began making lots of
noise because of it. She loves shiny and pieces of paper that make noise. I
think her favorite toy hands down is the cellophane Endearmint wrappers. So
small…yet so much fun! Her newest thing is to climb all the way up to the top
of the fridge and sits there while I cook dinner. She’s managed to scratch up
the sides of my couch; despite the fact that I made her, her very own
scratching pole—which she doesn’t even look at. She helped me catch a mouse;
but she’s also brought in 3 dead birds. I remember being outside doing my
laundry and when I went back inside I found a trail of tiny feathers leading
right to my bedroom. Keyara was apparently giving me a gift.
She’s been a great companion and Im going to miss her lots!
She was my first real pet (sorry…but the several fish I had growing up never really
counted). I wish I could bring her home but it’s way too expensive and I don’t
think my mom would appreciate me carrying cargo off the plane that she’s
allergic to! The details are still fuzzy but it looks like she’ll be going to a
new home with a new volunteer. I have no doubt that she will be taken care of
and loved by the next volunteer!
So there you have it. Some of my favorite things and moments
about my time here in Botswana! 29 days…
*Again sorry for the lack of pictures and probably too much text. Blogger wont let me upload photos right now
