tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40653301777212456162024-03-13T05:30:28.972-07:0027 Months in Botswana With The ScharmersServing in the Peace Corps as HIV/Aids advisers. All entries and stories are of our experience from our village in our part of Botswana. For no reason should this be taken as a generalization for the continent of Africa. Our stories and experiences are hand selected for their interest and humor to show the highlights of our service. In no way shape or form are the opinions or ideas presented here shared by the Peace Corps. This is just a married couple talking their walk.Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-76378288779728720772018-04-12T14:44:00.004-07:002018-04-12T14:44:45.903-07:00Trilliant Logo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-22530939880879057642018-04-12T14:24:00.000-07:002018-04-12T14:24:04.215-07:00POD Logo White<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-35499976935668208632018-04-12T13:55:00.000-07:002018-04-12T13:55:53.762-07:00A Daycare Playground was Born<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This building with wonderful paintings and letters scrawled on its sides stood empty for our first year of service. It was sad to see a daycare facility empty with the amount of little village kids running around. To our desires, the daycare was soon opened and filled to capacity. 30 kids running around, singing to Katie, chasing each other, playing with rocks, learning and taking naps were a handful for the staff of 2. I could see that climbing trees wasn’t going to last forever so I asked the teacher how I could help. She told me that the kids didn’t have much to play with and that’s when the idea of a playground was conceived. I went home drew up plans, built a scale model and started getting professional opinions from an architect in our group (Ryan Mannion). It took some generous funds, donations, and helping hands to get the materials and start the project. Finely, something I can do with my hands, see with my eyes, and strengthen my muscles. It was hard work but just seeing it come together, an idea of my own, was a magical and rewarding thing.<br />
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With the raised funds I bought the wood (gum) poles and collected all the tiers. The tires were easy as pie to get; I guess almost everyone has an old tire lying around. The slide I cut from a rain water storage tank that has ruptured and fallen down. The Lempu junior secondary school had the jig-saw, drill and drill-bit that I needed to do the technical parts of the construction. <br />
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The key to child proof success was to first build it loosely in my yard. Our house has electricity for one, but by doing it at home none of the anxious kids would be playing on it early. With Kaite, a PCV John, and my dad’s help we got the model formed. With out the ratchet my dad brought, we would have had a heck of time finishing. The slide and monkey bars can even hold my weight so we must have done something right. I made sure to sink all dangerous bolts, curve all plastic and cover all nails before I took it apart to move.<br />
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In one day with the help of a local friend named Taylor, we took apart and transported the entire structure over to the daycare. The re-assembly was a little bit trickier, seeing as everything in a re-build never quite lines up. Piece of advice, having the right tools for the job makes that job that much easier –Scott Scharmer. It’s so true, using a screw driver as a chisel and a hatchet back as a hammer just don’t work as well.<br />
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With it finely assembled and up, we blocked it straight. We pushed into level and upright position in each of the gaping post holes before we poured in the concrete. The concrete was mixed and poured, no moving it after that little trick. It looked great, even with out kids climbing all over it.<br />
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While we waited a few days for the concrete to dry, Katie painted the most wonderful patterns on the 4, 2X4 planks that would soon become the swings. They look great. I think they’re the best part about the pay ground. With the teachers help, we kept the kids off the jungle gym until it was dry. <br />
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Once released for pay, they were obsessed. Up the tires down the slide, like 100 times each. (the little ones are still nervous about the slide) They didn’t quite figure out the monkey bars until we put the swings up and we showed them how the monkey bars worked. They loved it and the teachers loved it too. She must have said thank you 8 times.<br />
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This Blog is dedicated to all those generous donors at Rejoice Lutheran and to those individuals who assisted in its building or gave goods to make sure this playground was born. Thank you!</div>
Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-18089873387743098592011-05-10T00:58:00.001-07:002011-05-10T01:06:38.733-07:00Easter in Salajwe<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->Our little friend Kgosi turned eight years old on April 21, the week before Easter. Lucas and I offered to throw a birthday party for him and his friends. Kgosi lives with his grandmother who is a teacher at the primary school. <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lucas and I decided to share a little bit of America by hosting an Easter eggs hunt and piñata. Lucas hard-boiled 11 eggs. Since we didn’t have food dye, we decorated the eggs with markers. I soaked strips of newspaper in a water/flour mixture and wrapped around a balloon to make a piñata. We filled the piñata with candy and toys, and sewed a string threw the sides so that it could hang from a clothes line.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0F2ipY44tnVUu75zAtsHtQNGW3spvub1k4ijsy-uDDPjB3zdIW8l0CdV5VIwhFVwAYXwDoeyQY7RTaOUCiYdwGoZhDDHDM7y1LDoF1PL0Onf1wVC9xm7RW3Zr6rbG9QF5TuKWew8Vo1s/s1600/P4190002.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0F2ipY44tnVUu75zAtsHtQNGW3spvub1k4ijsy-uDDPjB3zdIW8l0CdV5VIwhFVwAYXwDoeyQY7RTaOUCiYdwGoZhDDHDM7y1LDoF1PL0Onf1wVC9xm7RW3Zr6rbG9QF5TuKWew8Vo1s/s400/P4190002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604994642367253090" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We met with Kgosi’s grandmother so that she could explain the rules of the egg hunt while we hid the eggs. Kgosi’s grandmother lives in a small, square compound on the primary school grounds. There are no bushes, no grass. We struggled to find hiding places. We slid some in random bricks laying in the yard, in window sills, and holes in the ground. It seemed pretty obvious where eggs where hiding but for kids who have never played, it was a bit difficult. The kids would move as a group rather than spreading out. When one egg was found, the rest would dig in the ground like dogs looking for the rest. When an egg was found, the child would peel the egg and gobble it down. There were enough eggs that every child got at least one. It was a big hit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlE0nNKHJ4d5gE1uCREJqASMtZ1oAtqFSoCKYhdar1vntNQjua38s0s0NQeIjxg5DvfX8HHpb9O7XHZXNZzQ-47lIaBvzchfjuEy2r-a7zf87Fq8fQ_UKKjOo-4qojLLfFyvp7B5jwqQ/s1600/P4200009.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlE0nNKHJ4d5gE1uCREJqASMtZ1oAtqFSoCKYhdar1vntNQjua38s0s0NQeIjxg5DvfX8HHpb9O7XHZXNZzQ-47lIaBvzchfjuEy2r-a7zf87Fq8fQ_UKKjOo-4qojLLfFyvp7B5jwqQ/s400/P4200009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604994649125257954" border="0" /></a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Lucas and I passed out cake and watermelon and gave Kgosi a gift. He is a huge fan of match box cars. So we wrapped up five cars that had never been used and gave them to him as a birthday gift.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8bW7lvsg4j8HWwK6y9lWyWzhj6VexQ5IC-jLDSGs9XdV7EYUoOQi33LyUL_kIKt7vCYNzIF3ZTe8cf3pMxAgRACOiHJbVQZSMT8P3sag2blGBnzsZhABHYrVxVngdupW7gTO__NiwOA/s1600/P4200011.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8bW7lvsg4j8HWwK6y9lWyWzhj6VexQ5IC-jLDSGs9XdV7EYUoOQi33LyUL_kIKt7vCYNzIF3ZTe8cf3pMxAgRACOiHJbVQZSMT8P3sag2blGBnzsZhABHYrVxVngdupW7gTO__NiwOA/s400/P4200011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604994649085942018" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">For the final game, we taught kids how a piñata works. Lucas would tie a bandana around a kid’s eyes, spin him around a few times, hand him a broken broom handle and give him three swings. I was surprised most of the children were reluctant to try. In fact one kid waited until he was finished being spun around and just pulled off his bandana without taking any swings.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55JunkA_5FeuH7RyX2l0JtbM1nBPVXX1J31yw0TKSCbl2bZ4zxIoHLAHhhguOoo_1bU3xERYD8pGYWnIWpfEV3v6B5_Wyqy0Kmo6bQpVCQbZkIPgz1StvwbKI0dLbRjoWFI3Q2JKrdKY/s1600/P4200024.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55JunkA_5FeuH7RyX2l0JtbM1nBPVXX1J31yw0TKSCbl2bZ4zxIoHLAHhhguOoo_1bU3xERYD8pGYWnIWpfEV3v6B5_Wyqy0Kmo6bQpVCQbZkIPgz1StvwbKI0dLbRjoWFI3Q2JKrdKY/s400/P4200024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604994658356482274" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">When the piñata was finally knocked down, there was a stunned silence instead of the normal chaos of American children rushing to collect candy. I picked up the piñata and poured all the goodies on the ground. Then they got the idea. Even the grandmother was collecting some candy.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oXwPohZX71OWLi6IhYYnbbQb9B0MoiJlEZBjzQkgDx0_EUHIXUUsN12xnJB5_eonoa_IDivF3p9-29Hsr7I54cN7j3_976Dg22JfWbdgiDkRGOakv1xZNQedbsTKc5aBAz53DBkTSRo/s1600/P4200025.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oXwPohZX71OWLi6IhYYnbbQb9B0MoiJlEZBjzQkgDx0_EUHIXUUsN12xnJB5_eonoa_IDivF3p9-29Hsr7I54cN7j3_976Dg22JfWbdgiDkRGOakv1xZNQedbsTKc5aBAz53DBkTSRo/s400/P4200025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604994659056715346" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The next day Lucas and I left to meet up with some Peace Corps volunteers who had friends visiting from Spain. Their friends offered to cook an authentic Spanish meal for everyone. The next morning those who were interested ran a 6-mile “Easter Bunny Fun Run.” I hadn’t run since the 4-mile “Turkey Day Fun Run” at Thanksgiving. But I still gave it a go. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I had been suffering from a head cold for almost a week so Lucas and I called it an early weekend and traveled back to Salajwe. Before heading back, we gave each other a P100 budget (~$14) to give each other an Easter basket. We exchanged the Easter baskets in our family’s traditional way. Lucas’ basket was waiting for him in the morning prepared in a mixing bowl with a scarf as “grass.” Lucas hid my basket. Very fun but I am horrible at hiding games. I was never really good at Easter egg hunts…</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfg82Iud0iUprIGX6u6uUA3wVAYyaEyO8V2YSCEEmKz6RV67_yyKvRkoWEM_akOVPWhcPwZLX9-yg-fVI__LWcsSgBpMdt3HayXE08e-nu-VMM6XCsdIVbjyUdKHH-ew1msTw6K7Ug6TQ/s1600/P4240030.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfg82Iud0iUprIGX6u6uUA3wVAYyaEyO8V2YSCEEmKz6RV67_yyKvRkoWEM_akOVPWhcPwZLX9-yg-fVI__LWcsSgBpMdt3HayXE08e-nu-VMM6XCsdIVbjyUdKHH-ew1msTw6K7Ug6TQ/s400/P4240030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604995577984357746" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bLsWoylbwhqtJvld7fobqy2S6aawAaD8HImreCIDjcdKCkrerGyCX_3c-UYe1GrIxd5r97xhKLvEQ5A5anbRJYPXHxvh81GwFEgx7QnXbb38KeHUW2D_wJIf9oKvtint1KY17D8ArEc/s1600/P4240031.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bLsWoylbwhqtJvld7fobqy2S6aawAaD8HImreCIDjcdKCkrerGyCX_3c-UYe1GrIxd5r97xhKLvEQ5A5anbRJYPXHxvh81GwFEgx7QnXbb38KeHUW2D_wJIf9oKvtint1KY17D8ArEc/s400/P4240031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604995580170721586" border="0" /></a>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-75568381481314331932011-05-04T11:41:00.000-07:002011-05-06T09:11:17.990-07:00A Daycare Playground was BornThis building with wonderful paintings and letters scrawled on its sides stood empty for our first year of service.<span style=""> </span>It was sad to see a daycare facility empty with the amount of little village kids running around.<span style=""> </span>To our desires, the daycare was soon opened and filled to capacity.<span style=""> </span>30 kids running around, singing to Katie, chasing each other, playing with rocks, learning and taking naps were a handful for the staff of 2.<span style=""> </span>I could see that climbing trees wasn’t going to last forever so I asked the teacher how I could help.<span style=""> </span>She told me that the kids didn’t have much to play with and that’s when the idea of a playground was conceived.<span style=""> </span>I went home drew up plans, built a scale model and started getting professional opinions from an architect in our group (Ryan Mannion).<span style=""> </span>It took some generous funds, donations, and helping hands to get the materials and start the project.<span style=""> </span>Finely, something I can do with my hands, see with my eyes, and strengthen my muscles.<span style=""> </span>It was hard work but just seeing it come together, an idea of my own, was a magical and rewarding thing. <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">With the raised funds I bought the wood (gum) poles and collected all the tiers.<span style=""> </span>The tires were easy as pie to get; I guess almost everyone has an old tire lying around. <span style=""> </span>The slide I cut from a rain water storage tank that has ruptured and fallen down.<span style=""> </span>The Lempu junior secondary school had the jig-saw, drill and drill-bit that I needed to do the technical parts of the construction.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The key to child proof success was to first build it loosely in my yard.<span style=""> </span>Our house has electricity for one, but by doing it at home none of the anxious kids would be playing on it early.<span style=""> </span>With Kaite, a PCV John, and my dad’s help we got the model formed.<span style=""> </span>With out the ratchet my dad brought, we would have had a heck of time finishing.<span style=""> </span>The slide and monkey bars can even hold my weight so we must have done something right.<span style=""> </span>I made sure to sink all dangerous bolts, curve all plastic and cover all nails before I took it apart to move.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44WkiZ8Vebz16madGEK1XDbNdiGsS2ewPG7jPp32zyn-eMQB-w9yfkAC0iW27w75oHqtBtB-9sSSOByFq3hcxFmrkuVILVm6O5QR-LImpHCl_fR5ZmRrklPkSq7N1WoGmnJD_Cfr0SbA/s1600/P3190177.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44WkiZ8Vebz16madGEK1XDbNdiGsS2ewPG7jPp32zyn-eMQB-w9yfkAC0iW27w75oHqtBtB-9sSSOByFq3hcxFmrkuVILVm6O5QR-LImpHCl_fR5ZmRrklPkSq7N1WoGmnJD_Cfr0SbA/s400/P3190177.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634516205401010" border="0" /></a></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GEwEKFIzkTooJHyTPLYfYhf-_6soc5CZpXHALg9wLj2QqRoaUFtY4YJe-K4jsRtoLoEGWaqvylSnfiLi1-it4OwGrMyqgZi4WGHOsWyHbC7Aak2FEfxNVI-19pOYz2nv1XevaFCVUD8/s1600/P3270180.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GEwEKFIzkTooJHyTPLYfYhf-_6soc5CZpXHALg9wLj2QqRoaUFtY4YJe-K4jsRtoLoEGWaqvylSnfiLi1-it4OwGrMyqgZi4WGHOsWyHbC7Aak2FEfxNVI-19pOYz2nv1XevaFCVUD8/s400/P3270180.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634521043512418" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In one day with the help of a local friend named <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Taylor</st1:place></st1:city>, we took apart and transported the entire structure over to the daycare.<span style=""> </span>The re-assembly was a little bit trickier, seeing as everything in a re-build never quite lines up.<span style=""> </span>Piece of advice, having the right tools for the job makes that job that much easier –<i style="">Scott Scharmer.</i> It’s so true, using a screw driver as a chisel and a hatchet back as a hammer just don’t work as well.</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9d9R7rxq3is0JfoFhKYdsMnyZHghqhFTkr36qHdpieVkVoFUelET4-3jJGRejmTKR3l2ef1GbViU5-a8X0lb2ATqtyj3EGYAy-5_BCctSDO_lvWvosJwGB2e6hSO3Q6-qx3iTrea5Hv0/s1600/P4120021.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9d9R7rxq3is0JfoFhKYdsMnyZHghqhFTkr36qHdpieVkVoFUelET4-3jJGRejmTKR3l2ef1GbViU5-a8X0lb2ATqtyj3EGYAy-5_BCctSDO_lvWvosJwGB2e6hSO3Q6-qx3iTrea5Hv0/s400/P4120021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634959333535026" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">With it finely assembled and up, we blocked it straight.<span style=""> </span>We pushed into level and upright position in each of the gaping post holes before we poured in the concrete.<span style=""> </span>The concrete was mixed and poured, no moving it after that little trick.<span style=""> </span>It looked great, even with out kids climbing all over it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsYhk1cM7ApN4oZ2J_u-NVO4rEmCxJ1Ne2YqASGSKBpWaeSlrb1rD1J_qlrcCYTfPmFjWBoCPEa_8H74PFLpW7HZtDEzaawniEDljH1BzfZ0EWtl_hzZX8xqkoAPr6L5PhoAopjbOm-Y/s1600/P4120028.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsYhk1cM7ApN4oZ2J_u-NVO4rEmCxJ1Ne2YqASGSKBpWaeSlrb1rD1J_qlrcCYTfPmFjWBoCPEa_8H74PFLpW7HZtDEzaawniEDljH1BzfZ0EWtl_hzZX8xqkoAPr6L5PhoAopjbOm-Y/s400/P4120028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634962537055170" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">While we waited a few days for the concrete to dry, Katie painted the most wonderful patterns on the 4, 2X4 planks that would soon become the swings.<span style=""> </span>They look great.<span style=""> </span>I think they’re the best part about the pay ground.<span style=""> </span>With the teachers help, we kept the kids off the jungle gym until it was dry.</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuTSZhLmsDBEp63ZKw25Xyt_ELWNWtq2va0vCGvcuU4NQuGBXmn5knjceZzRsnRxQ0qxuPJpdmm2YhTAl2sFfIcizKuIVV_Hj07023Rw3j1b9_vc7smA-G5BimUdaiyBsQOo-ZkrcKjA/s1600/P4090018.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuTSZhLmsDBEp63ZKw25Xyt_ELWNWtq2va0vCGvcuU4NQuGBXmn5knjceZzRsnRxQ0qxuPJpdmm2YhTAl2sFfIcizKuIVV_Hj07023Rw3j1b9_vc7smA-G5BimUdaiyBsQOo-ZkrcKjA/s400/P4090018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634958611857842" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Once released for pay, they were obsessed.<span style=""> </span>Up the tires down the slide, like 100 times each.<span style=""> </span>(the little ones are still nervous about the slide)<span style=""> </span>They didn’t quite figure out the monkey bars until we put the swings up and we showed them how the monkey bars worked.<span style=""> </span>They loved it and the teachers loved it too.<span style=""> </span>She must have said thank you 8 times.</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7RELPSBeVZXkD6Ey8S94HZvaYrcR1QS3PMxpXMZIH9jaGHE435109uNVNkgOr-GuXWiAwdG5UgbfvD5rdpnNQsnWktiKv5ek4zJ54qbg5UmAbxg6Psn83KmqQ5a76aIGgN7rk3Gi1tk/s1600/P4150096.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7RELPSBeVZXkD6Ey8S94HZvaYrcR1QS3PMxpXMZIH9jaGHE435109uNVNkgOr-GuXWiAwdG5UgbfvD5rdpnNQsnWktiKv5ek4zJ54qbg5UmAbxg6Psn83KmqQ5a76aIGgN7rk3Gi1tk/s400/P4150096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634976827969362" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEdEL2pTX2vjJSJMAdRMwHW_u1c9Vn6BZ8frdJH0VgiGnEYR5RK84mVT8z4nvPh1hBxMY77YFuV2KY00xfxZZNz0-hTgXhT28bm1_waPejNpth1wwa8sxILqQyNrwLMFGIb4pCKNeMPE/s1600/DSCN0174.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEdEL2pTX2vjJSJMAdRMwHW_u1c9Vn6BZ8frdJH0VgiGnEYR5RK84mVT8z4nvPh1hBxMY77YFuV2KY00xfxZZNz0-hTgXhT28bm1_waPejNpth1wwa8sxILqQyNrwLMFGIb4pCKNeMPE/s400/DSCN0174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634513427585394" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11yhoaZXmlc0_-PM6dn0PxFOTmtG3FwU9GoEkTct3w997wUt5oh78hOdcefA-FF-D82o50HhCJcm10YHe9VsXP9PAFSriif0zNerx7lKejLgnbrUtCXxDmMrtI7xIbeGvQ92XhnwCCwM/s1600/DSCN0171.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11yhoaZXmlc0_-PM6dn0PxFOTmtG3FwU9GoEkTct3w997wUt5oh78hOdcefA-FF-D82o50HhCJcm10YHe9VsXP9PAFSriif0zNerx7lKejLgnbrUtCXxDmMrtI7xIbeGvQ92XhnwCCwM/s400/DSCN0171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634509399124018" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAbY_ByHcGQiw-auuMavFaAwI6BYPZz04RpUyeYe2UMbz0jJ2JHg-XJN1xp3SuMXIH11doUaeAWP1mofGBLAWLMW9jQrejjfPQSTUQ2k5niUbwE5SjI92yGrO_3M4PmiIF5tBpei7XIE/s1600/DSCN0170.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAbY_ByHcGQiw-auuMavFaAwI6BYPZz04RpUyeYe2UMbz0jJ2JHg-XJN1xp3SuMXIH11doUaeAWP1mofGBLAWLMW9jQrejjfPQSTUQ2k5niUbwE5SjI92yGrO_3M4PmiIF5tBpei7XIE/s400/DSCN0170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634506935376050" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia95qleDinQybSNW4gI-8V9RD1Sl_cSiM94Z8GR854JRfgvEEkmM5MB0Yseo3RVMRf6zBhO5bHq3KoIbqqGJmragEJ2zh5iZMVLWD84LrW46wjaN6L8vRseBEJmwkf3NupuueeX1yJqxo/s1600/DSCN0167.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia95qleDinQybSNW4gI-8V9RD1Sl_cSiM94Z8GR854JRfgvEEkmM5MB0Yseo3RVMRf6zBhO5bHq3KoIbqqGJmragEJ2zh5iZMVLWD84LrW46wjaN6L8vRseBEJmwkf3NupuueeX1yJqxo/s400/DSCN0167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634095365279170" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This Blog is dedicated to all those generous donors at Rejoice Lutheran and to those individuals who assisted in its building or gave goods to make sure this playground was born.<span style=""> </span>Thank you!</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9yB5_T4-szkRt4NAjH-5dk77mRcU7Imk9DZ-ZSsNnCJ2xehKJseRpe0RoFaWu7a5sncevnz5ozcoYMbzW12cTXEFL3wx0RnyKWhcZL4u_A_llApVRj-ryS90y53OgQJaTP5NjthN2fE/s1600/P4190006.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9yB5_T4-szkRt4NAjH-5dk77mRcU7Imk9DZ-ZSsNnCJ2xehKJseRpe0RoFaWu7a5sncevnz5ozcoYMbzW12cTXEFL3wx0RnyKWhcZL4u_A_llApVRj-ryS90y53OgQJaTP5NjthN2fE/s400/P4190006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603634973584864322" border="0" /></a>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-59878294176773009282011-04-22T00:53:00.000-07:002011-04-22T03:27:55.881-07:00The Scharmers Come to VisitI’m going to tell this story a little bit different.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am going to tell a little story about each picture in succession from the beginning of our trip to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This trip was by far one of our favourites.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Scharmers got to experience fully what Botswana has to offer.<br /><p class="MsoNormal">I drove down to Johannesburg South Africa to pick up the Scharmers from their 16 hour flight over the big blue pond.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We spent the night at a backpackers before we drove north the following day.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a quiet evening with good food and better conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was so excited to see them I lost my cell phone and left a calling card in the pay phone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I lost my head in a sense.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the morning we drove into Botswana and picked up Katie in our rental car at the bus station.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our first true cultural stop was at the Bahurutse Cultural Village.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is a place where people can go and stay in traditional Setswana houses, eat traditional Setswana food and watch traditional dancing and culture.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHcdTl8FB594SSJVblOVqCLT9QIpu6PcAQCX0QmT32CGuL0zepDwn0xGASnPBWe8TDq5znonOrlpRrmWpEx_2u8rE3SXdGhQKDU0jC46H6v0SA5_85scWdu85hBHI8_dn8jVqb7UBsfo/s1600/P001.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHcdTl8FB594SSJVblOVqCLT9QIpu6PcAQCX0QmT32CGuL0zepDwn0xGASnPBWe8TDq5znonOrlpRrmWpEx_2u8rE3SXdGhQKDU0jC46H6v0SA5_85scWdu85hBHI8_dn8jVqb7UBsfo/s400/P001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598350875675950162" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Doris and Scott are looking onto a basket full of sorghum, which is one of the staple foods in Botswana.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The old woman is wearing traditional cloths and jewellery and in the background you can see the Kgosi (chief) of the village.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaL-RokkGKEd9PFoSgI0ASoPKZmLj8fK_CV5hyphenhyphenwMWLioTpsJOC0ixYm0E8thF59Vxzk8kPUfvmraAu8Jl2NGNa53TXbu5zUkh4FUg-AJoKyRXw_Ce_n81dagO-kIwFOLCu6EyBNB4DzA/s1600/P002.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaL-RokkGKEd9PFoSgI0ASoPKZmLj8fK_CV5hyphenhyphenwMWLioTpsJOC0ixYm0E8thF59Vxzk8kPUfvmraAu8Jl2NGNa53TXbu5zUkh4FUg-AJoKyRXw_Ce_n81dagO-kIwFOLCu6EyBNB4DzA/s400/P002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598350872203890514" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Doris looks in on the morder and pestle stomping process of how they turn sorghum into a flower like meal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She soon after joined in on the stomping process.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHKVvVjxBv2m_XZ2s3tw8ouNkDiSW-dWxQjO8O5ziBuImHarCW_4EsPrgForp3sX6PGObvxPVOQMDIsTWKecpASAAvkrSq8WAb86uT6z1xO4cXBUHswgiiDR9eatWJcfjsG3aZHUH1_E/s1600/P003.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHKVvVjxBv2m_XZ2s3tw8ouNkDiSW-dWxQjO8O5ziBuImHarCW_4EsPrgForp3sX6PGObvxPVOQMDIsTWKecpASAAvkrSq8WAb86uT6z1xO4cXBUHswgiiDR9eatWJcfjsG3aZHUH1_E/s400/P003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598347895939613458" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After we were shown our room and the festivities had ended, we were shown to the dining area for our first truly traditional meal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>From the far end where Doris is there was an English muffin like bread, followed by a maze meal mashed potato like dish, then a sorghum pourage followed by the vegetable of cooked bean leaves that Katie is dishing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The last on the table is a dish of cooked caterpillars. Yum!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We washed it all down with a swig of traditional sorghum beer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2323trXD_49Hz2JzsjDjTFPWboCjzENtkHnFHvtsiTKyKI2prbOOckL1Ztb3JJTQp0SpqyUAtvPy0kfbKHrBKhAwSHGIvyCGe2VSve4R6_ORXG5Ggb_Ztkb5C6xW62F_cRnIIwdSdkA/s1600/P004.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2323trXD_49Hz2JzsjDjTFPWboCjzENtkHnFHvtsiTKyKI2prbOOckL1Ztb3JJTQp0SpqyUAtvPy0kfbKHrBKhAwSHGIvyCGe2VSve4R6_ORXG5Ggb_Ztkb5C6xW62F_cRnIIwdSdkA/s400/P004.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598347892596169426" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We slept in the traditional roundival hut and experienced a few leaks during a ravishing thunderstorm.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No harm done and a good breakfast and a tour of the grounds gave us a nice start to a great day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkp5r-UUR3WxK5ti9UoSdSswwt-lSGdXxHkWQbAfPYIYOL7juVDj5oXyM6bBn4kByboS4nc-cpaxVsdktvxtqyUiLAQvTBrKzwAHCSXnwF8dIGFpEvO4wI565p4fw6Tw-eMUdRQanWs0/s1600/P005.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkp5r-UUR3WxK5ti9UoSdSswwt-lSGdXxHkWQbAfPYIYOL7juVDj5oXyM6bBn4kByboS4nc-cpaxVsdktvxtqyUiLAQvTBrKzwAHCSXnwF8dIGFpEvO4wI565p4fw6Tw-eMUdRQanWs0/s400/P005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598347885241607010" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SJU4ysu-j2QUDczajlTYN5iGsHdDt715lA10BqrpR3itgiMf31y0quIOdj55nwoZSIDdoHNShgrHOejbYVooSWf23pSBiuD6PU6rrqPSOaOVyEo_zeSu_coBqQeLElSILUApPXUs4g4/s1600/P006.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SJU4ysu-j2QUDczajlTYN5iGsHdDt715lA10BqrpR3itgiMf31y0quIOdj55nwoZSIDdoHNShgrHOejbYVooSWf23pSBiuD6PU6rrqPSOaOVyEo_zeSu_coBqQeLElSILUApPXUs4g4/s400/P006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598347878791440898" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On our way to Salajwe we ran into a little road water but the rental car pushed on through with out once having to be pushed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDr8Gcfwn8r72yRqEWGIQetf-zpiLTrWhYy1_Dwei_l9OZyc5iS9-FRVzGa0p7YiQNkHEZLP3JBi35Bvwu6klzsLu-qItbBbh1PwRIJghyphenhypheneu7jgCjIqJGe9JFlnUF_qd84lKJb2ycAsE/s1600/P007.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDr8Gcfwn8r72yRqEWGIQetf-zpiLTrWhYy1_Dwei_l9OZyc5iS9-FRVzGa0p7YiQNkHEZLP3JBi35Bvwu6klzsLu-qItbBbh1PwRIJghyphenhypheneu7jgCjIqJGe9JFlnUF_qd84lKJb2ycAsE/s400/P007.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598347875775035730" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Scharmers came bearing gifts and a lot of them at that.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We couldn’t have been happier!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thank you thank you to all those involved in getting us Oreos, Cheez-its, cereal, beef jerky and much more!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sPOPjMIZa_Sqzi7wPIyW3aY9w_ckuiGA13yY7kp2CuTr-AEqqpPoq2lhov-ODw3w9hpF1AgI15srGmnReqAEpoxCGub0F-IyojkaiZDUqOK5eRj85MGoTHlx-xreN8OpAsYqTzjeP3M/s1600/P008.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sPOPjMIZa_Sqzi7wPIyW3aY9w_ckuiGA13yY7kp2CuTr-AEqqpPoq2lhov-ODw3w9hpF1AgI15srGmnReqAEpoxCGub0F-IyojkaiZDUqOK5eRj85MGoTHlx-xreN8OpAsYqTzjeP3M/s400/P008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598337943771135698" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Katie and I took the Scott and Doris on a tour of Salajwe.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We stopped at the Primary school where the school head gave a tour and some children sang for my parents.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaA3n91EmYiSefrq4l7sMW6g817lJh91Hwsgn-NlxZscPknewbR-XOf-E9ovJl8tL4hNgpMCd1UDMMENvV7FW8nskShFwof73z2qIxXO_Odw2BrjPNQLTrQEppfh5gwuDG0LDby1Ew02g/s1600/P009.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaA3n91EmYiSefrq4l7sMW6g817lJh91Hwsgn-NlxZscPknewbR-XOf-E9ovJl8tL4hNgpMCd1UDMMENvV7FW8nskShFwof73z2qIxXO_Odw2BrjPNQLTrQEppfh5gwuDG0LDby1Ew02g/s400/P009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598337937423337426" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">From the Primary school we went to the clinic where Katie showed what she does as a Peace Corps volunteer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We even got to see a 4 hour old new born baby.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Very exciting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Here is Scott checking out all the medications in the back room of the clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After the clinic, we toured the Junior Secondary school, the day care and saw some of what the rest of Salajwe village looks like.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtTSNc93gKDM2jBMWDIAwvHjHDSQqa_WHZB6aWnbuVZARvOIVV4Fv6B27Te19uhLXKojlvcqQhkG7heFukjZm9D_ejjuU7rml1bkGMX2xTa7qexPkCjV9I-59EvKETEw5X1TBSk9BuWI/s1600/P010.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtTSNc93gKDM2jBMWDIAwvHjHDSQqa_WHZB6aWnbuVZARvOIVV4Fv6B27Te19uhLXKojlvcqQhkG7heFukjZm9D_ejjuU7rml1bkGMX2xTa7qexPkCjV9I-59EvKETEw5X1TBSk9BuWI/s400/P010.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598337933162330098" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_EJJ2Cef_DDh3mgasDbqTARmeA9QNn22ZYvhRw6d54vG_Ss1kc4IcwaKYFnjs1mfB6wGB3nxcTpkpZPFwkE1xhyphenhyphen0eGVJyckyd7-QyKfMcrbyDxtNMrGEg1vvXRubQrctPH68eW_zHN0/s1600/P011.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_EJJ2Cef_DDh3mgasDbqTARmeA9QNn22ZYvhRw6d54vG_Ss1kc4IcwaKYFnjs1mfB6wGB3nxcTpkpZPFwkE1xhyphenhyphen0eGVJyckyd7-QyKfMcrbyDxtNMrGEg1vvXRubQrctPH68eW_zHN0/s400/P011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598337929516524962" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Here the Scharmers are with the Chief of Salajwe and his wife, who is Katie’s best friend at the clinic where she works as a cleaning lady.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Dad with some kids in front of a cooking house. That night in Salajwe we had some other volunteers over, John and Sadie, to share a meal of pizza.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZO0RlavUqjzrnqQkty6MgfS23yOhX2DI6d3cl_732Si241pL7_9dupaamvUCmGrTXGYLUujVIfaH9m_JCrifDgNNm5picjb-iC-AXFHcp8MWYAIZtc17hD0DtS8xzjAC5oSbkWG8RGE/s1600/P012.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZO0RlavUqjzrnqQkty6MgfS23yOhX2DI6d3cl_732Si241pL7_9dupaamvUCmGrTXGYLUujVIfaH9m_JCrifDgNNm5picjb-iC-AXFHcp8MWYAIZtc17hD0DtS8xzjAC5oSbkWG8RGE/s400/P012.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598333491006066482" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__KutXxsMheiOyjIPSQNbrIpjFv0Te8mP4VAskU4IsUPFu0ysnIkRgKX0hE2xDjuCi2Bzgkc6JfR2pqg0ye1MTVZDikT-x0RrKn1jTH50mRTdDs3UP1Syf4kqRGGDwUKvwonMgXzHM_Q/s1600/P012a.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__KutXxsMheiOyjIPSQNbrIpjFv0Te8mP4VAskU4IsUPFu0ysnIkRgKX0hE2xDjuCi2Bzgkc6JfR2pqg0ye1MTVZDikT-x0RrKn1jTH50mRTdDs3UP1Syf4kqRGGDwUKvwonMgXzHM_Q/s400/P012a.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598333488698290354" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">The next morning, we went on our first game drive through Khutse Game Reserve and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is a unique desert landscape of low trees and open grasslands.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyb_ZS8KimdUOwJvB1q-GY28yFSu_U7bMTtCJ0KNE9KOLQ95LlkWqG-gk6vuCSJbnKV8RJWXF-ojWMuhnPxRQiZpjImRj7wbaP4i_-7JcMwnPboohGrBueBAkOwZknsZJoaNrVIs7Yoc8/s1600/P013.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyb_ZS8KimdUOwJvB1q-GY28yFSu_U7bMTtCJ0KNE9KOLQ95LlkWqG-gk6vuCSJbnKV8RJWXF-ojWMuhnPxRQiZpjImRj7wbaP4i_-7JcMwnPboohGrBueBAkOwZknsZJoaNrVIs7Yoc8/s400/P013.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598333483902384850" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV71LvJtqwtXYRwJJEov0lcSt7D-8VL1O3o_ZrldJRVKyGpq977ydWnzhryVjh7rrrFc6EQL9fSkSmyyuwV5WFxiQy-bbpbdic1tlhgIGyZKUprA1DVBJVFHKrrNE51pKv2bZlquuifWg/s400/P014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598333485152949506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">One of my favorite parts of our trip was when we took a ride in a donkey cart.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think I pushed for it more than anyone but when else will we have the reason to ride around Salajwe village with a troop of 25 kids following us? Never, it was perfect. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7f4TBNUHyin7JL2WvXe3VeQbLOvgWz_l9NDuYOaT9vh8ublw2TEfeI_wkxaI-VlvHDX-e5fsAydDA6a-teHEIi_rRlKQkg8bOVicqX5hJz5Le20IO1xkaSw95U7kCV6W4Dxno27cbmvQ/s1600/P015a.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7f4TBNUHyin7JL2WvXe3VeQbLOvgWz_l9NDuYOaT9vh8ublw2TEfeI_wkxaI-VlvHDX-e5fsAydDA6a-teHEIi_rRlKQkg8bOVicqX5hJz5Le20IO1xkaSw95U7kCV6W4Dxno27cbmvQ/s400/P015a.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598337925064263714" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Following a lovely visit to Salajwe, our home away from home, we drove further north to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s a game park where we stayed overnight and went on a game drive. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We toured the town nearby and went to their markets to see how an African Market is.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVzgEKfsbvR5ADeA4QbPBVkzb9HuN32IyvvsoS68smweudS6DaSh1gMW7sqQe4WrFQIiQ_Wp2mKanUMpk-9dlMKXL6JHMtImDDXbjULap-k8Wiz05jhB6beAP5D_ICahKuxWiU8bzOMk/s1600/P015.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVzgEKfsbvR5ADeA4QbPBVkzb9HuN32IyvvsoS68smweudS6DaSh1gMW7sqQe4WrFQIiQ_Wp2mKanUMpk-9dlMKXL6JHMtImDDXbjULap-k8Wiz05jhB6beAP5D_ICahKuxWiU8bzOMk/s400/P015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598333474722859090" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDpQu2mUbuFSGofRPSscamFhwu-BDhTmN5cMyUfLmbiE1sgeMTZbuIE1-xPRfha4PRsWeLTmC2iR_apGT3TJBhhO4VBBUsSZwLSeyp0FCZHNpMInPW404lU0D6tejnJMceG35HvuAobg/s400/P016.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598326421602707298" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">The first game we spotted were a group of Giraffe that were grazing the tree tops.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But the Rhinos where what were so fantastic for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An amazing endangered beast that we got to see with our bear eyes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiHNCQeNbnhdcIdGZTIIKzyXwLxH-HMvrCurU_eeXN_4i0gNDmIxYAW01Hsl7fQ670CfL148Q_-xJDj4J11DaToWZkwLoXTkkyKyyBCoh_JKBTCseZMeskmzsBh5Yx4E9E8_uX3V5gK8/s1600/P017.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiHNCQeNbnhdcIdGZTIIKzyXwLxH-HMvrCurU_eeXN_4i0gNDmIxYAW01Hsl7fQ670CfL148Q_-xJDj4J11DaToWZkwLoXTkkyKyyBCoh_JKBTCseZMeskmzsBh5Yx4E9E8_uX3V5gK8/s400/P017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598326417554072162" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">After another night at the Rhino Sanctuary, we drove further north to the border town of Kasane.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is the road that is long, rough, but occasionally full of wildlife.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRihKISReFE84CsvPax5aiHHAbMPTcXh4TUpnTPORnD38BswKzn0uz_fw6w14U5-ka1GEeQwGeFtMZwUs28Wyfr3mTW8Ig2OmxXEP1Zzhkyu3_ULP8aC70iTpNKNCGF1Sp39FK3XiaYCU/s1600/P018.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRihKISReFE84CsvPax5aiHHAbMPTcXh4TUpnTPORnD38BswKzn0uz_fw6w14U5-ka1GEeQwGeFtMZwUs28Wyfr3mTW8Ig2OmxXEP1Zzhkyu3_ULP8aC70iTpNKNCGF1Sp39FK3XiaYCU/s400/P018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598326415526217778" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7tIBnci-zNpSCwNdJBuZX8elvO7CyRLewE7JIE-bWjnyK7X0QTbaB1OKbzVQv9Z3ZynQEGEwLtCryMFyqJwnqboYc3uXqHSmOrIB3N9kF9Y2JmTdam3qEtLWIhwG_QUKW8-CimBgt4c/s1600/P019.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7tIBnci-zNpSCwNdJBuZX8elvO7CyRLewE7JIE-bWjnyK7X0QTbaB1OKbzVQv9Z3ZynQEGEwLtCryMFyqJwnqboYc3uXqHSmOrIB3N9kF9Y2JmTdam3qEtLWIhwG_QUKW8-CimBgt4c/s400/P019.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598326410958617058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">We spent 3 nights at Chobe Safari Lodge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is built right on the banks of the Chobe River and designed to impress ambassadors and national delegates from around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our first night we ate at the buffet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just to name the meat I ate, not to mention the sides and desserts I had; Kudu, Guinea Fowl, Impala, Crocodile, and warthog.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Scrum-dilly-umptious!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was late so we settled into our fully equipped, permanent standing camp tents.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPn2fPOOEGs3TEj3dqY3wl31aEE5QMPjdFBQXafztLixmwwF9UYu7BeFOVXa9N3z9cYrCMRMaib_YZU8NZYJN2NQICPPKqtlY1cGojS0Xa2z-UMa0C-0UE6VYaDS-_7ghvTgIfQZ321A/s1600/P020.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPn2fPOOEGs3TEj3dqY3wl31aEE5QMPjdFBQXafztLixmwwF9UYu7BeFOVXa9N3z9cYrCMRMaib_YZU8NZYJN2NQICPPKqtlY1cGojS0Xa2z-UMa0C-0UE6VYaDS-_7ghvTgIfQZ321A/s400/P020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598326411475286530" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">The following day had a trip to Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, scheduled for the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We meet with our guide, Lucky, who took us to the Botswana border and then through the Zimbabwe border.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All without interruptions or incidents. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdyrbM9U_UrsGr4TEfhgWfguL8Mp47gy4f0VZxIJspHDuB1ty3jaP8_zf6hEO-lCXmO4sgxGQjJ2hY9lBBFpggVVFY73oqPMWrkn-JtCclwaZ8MkpTUtXbXXqdbEixpGJ2nBqljcVDpc/s1600/P021.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdyrbM9U_UrsGr4TEfhgWfguL8Mp47gy4f0VZxIJspHDuB1ty3jaP8_zf6hEO-lCXmO4sgxGQjJ2hY9lBBFpggVVFY73oqPMWrkn-JtCclwaZ8MkpTUtXbXXqdbEixpGJ2nBqljcVDpc/s400/P021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598322466127891394" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWYp6IuhmolSi7Ebbs88w1roC5uABpA_Ljy3tmoqgPqFN2YCg_J2grGqyV5kRWUcqGBoKvTAvl0nbvUTnKBzJB6atBBbfZnuL5gcHbilmPB76A0xHmBW98TLwY7UUxZ9Vm3wU-Ivpl4k/s1600/P022.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWYp6IuhmolSi7Ebbs88w1roC5uABpA_Ljy3tmoqgPqFN2YCg_J2grGqyV5kRWUcqGBoKvTAvl0nbvUTnKBzJB6atBBbfZnuL5gcHbilmPB76A0xHmBW98TLwY7UUxZ9Vm3wU-Ivpl4k/s400/P022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598322463382968674" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JdPTnyEJg_aZCv2UnYiW9q1opQO6eVm2AF1i8JB2AtyfdhJBjuRHMe3h_qBUtPshHNVGEzeGYVn0CFkzXPWr0eXNl1zH1l0LJYhASKPrXioCBU5iAZpBtXm3hsNAzrkK9CQyeEkm2QA/s1600/P023.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JdPTnyEJg_aZCv2UnYiW9q1opQO6eVm2AF1i8JB2AtyfdhJBjuRHMe3h_qBUtPshHNVGEzeGYVn0CFkzXPWr0eXNl1zH1l0LJYhASKPrXioCBU5iAZpBtXm3hsNAzrkK9CQyeEkm2QA/s400/P023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598322456467460530" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Once inside the park we got to see the huge volumes of water pouring over the 200 meter falls.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At one spot, danger point, on the trail the mist is so bad that it is constantly raining.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were a bit damp but the hot Zimbabwe weather quickly dried our happy selves.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3Uq9O0_bB9fZfDdaylfYmwRonMMpGqmAJ8fVuK2xGJAMRpYhSKuf2LgWj3P58zL9nkOEnBpj4b4-lUMIILPObhDk9NcEwukSKx3d3SuZsL3au1g3CVdmTE71xtG8C9qwdO2HHWVZisY/s1600/P024.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3Uq9O0_bB9fZfDdaylfYmwRonMMpGqmAJ8fVuK2xGJAMRpYhSKuf2LgWj3P58zL9nkOEnBpj4b4-lUMIILPObhDk9NcEwukSKx3d3SuZsL3au1g3CVdmTE71xtG8C9qwdO2HHWVZisY/s400/P024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598322451731766050" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Lucky took us to a 2,500 year old Baobab tree.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The oldest in the area with a huge trunk, short branches and long thick sausage like seed pods.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everywhere we stopped, vendors would pop out of the bushes with crafts for us to buy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everyone’s trying to make a buck, who can blame them. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhti781pgch0TlCNPzcadihAbc8gHYgI2L9jXS_Bx6xTZdg5qgnrXzRiVlwq0lm9z_PhndLlai_h_H1DjXz1lomnv9k5Cvh21KgLVD_TMX4k5lEs-2F44xVNaPmIKVeWhNnyhRsDNUFdYU/s1600/P025.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhti781pgch0TlCNPzcadihAbc8gHYgI2L9jXS_Bx6xTZdg5qgnrXzRiVlwq0lm9z_PhndLlai_h_H1DjXz1lomnv9k5Cvh21KgLVD_TMX4k5lEs-2F44xVNaPmIKVeWhNnyhRsDNUFdYU/s400/P025.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598322445018534162" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmf1neqSc-bQSrefzRqDXe0ujXW9kWr3cp2ZTuavGVBUOolehPjkYWIW8vBuC6qpG99gryUPNao5vrnBiCEFBVIp1nuPR8rcrhCYLGQS78yodvxgRd-WHsGEqngeP5_iWo1Eitd-T-Do/s1600/P026.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmf1neqSc-bQSrefzRqDXe0ujXW9kWr3cp2ZTuavGVBUOolehPjkYWIW8vBuC6qpG99gryUPNao5vrnBiCEFBVIp1nuPR8rcrhCYLGQS78yodvxgRd-WHsGEqngeP5_iWo1Eitd-T-Do/s400/P026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598317799271523506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Katie, mom and Lucky pose for a picture at Mama Africa, a restaurant that served traditional Zimbabwe food.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I got dried beef in peanut butter sauce with peanut butter rice.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everything has peanut butter in it it seams.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When everyone had eaten their fill, we went to the big craft market.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>30 some stalls with handmade crafts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Each stall contained a sales man that could sell a box of sand to Bill Gates. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With our arms full of crafts and gifts we took our van back to Chobe Safari Lodge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our night was spent river side with cocktails, cards and a heavenly sunset.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPZwKguUTPKIJyqZRAmjx-mECqtgFbC5SnnuZUzTHgYQfYnyyWGJ60uq3jyDKPPgJ-cUwNnVRLKVt3uNgWpNhyphenhyphenagq-EWYiAUqK7kKMsYD4Zk1FEN9jcGkbeKJlYsx_llPRuZ_Dppuxc0/s1600/P027.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPZwKguUTPKIJyqZRAmjx-mECqtgFbC5SnnuZUzTHgYQfYnyyWGJ60uq3jyDKPPgJ-cUwNnVRLKVt3uNgWpNhyphenhyphenagq-EWYiAUqK7kKMsYD4Zk1FEN9jcGkbeKJlYsx_llPRuZ_Dppuxc0/s400/P027.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598317793744191122" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Our last day in Kasane was spent leisurely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We had coffee overlooking the river, walked the shops around town, saw the local markets, visited a hollowed out tree that was used for an old jail, swam in the lodge pool, played cards, watched baboons steal food from the buffet, and waited for Lucky to arrive for the evening boat cruise.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wfmF0LBYU1NK5FiAAMi21fYLoOL98Pljmxpaa5hmKNYtyH0Cu7v5lnz2Ql8f8ZGu-2TI_Ofber-RQHgee_UneUTUn9CRgsIKjkEIm8AQL-dstZ9BS1fFaOyUUHAfcaSOW5q_b4LrZII/s1600/P028.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wfmF0LBYU1NK5FiAAMi21fYLoOL98Pljmxpaa5hmKNYtyH0Cu7v5lnz2Ql8f8ZGu-2TI_Ofber-RQHgee_UneUTUn9CRgsIKjkEIm8AQL-dstZ9BS1fFaOyUUHAfcaSOW5q_b4LrZII/s400/P028.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598317789193878082" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9C3dwCJxJyWrYBogsjYeNhYWgSwvt4La56SAjx3EvDUtlUFUq4Dp7jmCB8gdlaTKlwGpfcU64oPJtJNH0luDPJ-nyE5o_aY51LD9SSPLGdIRf_O0u53nUBhAuskyCbhl1pBLZKgz_7W4/s1600/P029.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9C3dwCJxJyWrYBogsjYeNhYWgSwvt4La56SAjx3EvDUtlUFUq4Dp7jmCB8gdlaTKlwGpfcU64oPJtJNH0luDPJ-nyE5o_aY51LD9SSPLGdIRf_O0u53nUBhAuskyCbhl1pBLZKgz_7W4/s400/P029.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598317786519339986" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px; " /></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQKnXTL6UcnCBqUuqCtr3mC0XoyFOzPGbjEuwfUuE9Jj4td_QFsDi4tD0ngXw9J3j2ouK5kBJlMoyLm9OhClRHNFmZstnpMIrt3sAFG5xH7DVfSD043GBOcT968ixvs7wpKSks62VUz4/s400/P030.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598317782374220530" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">Again we were blessed with another wonderful game viewing experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The boat cruise unique in the fact that you can get so close to the animals in their natural habitat because they are habitualized to seeing boats day in and day out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s like you’re not even there because you are not seen as a treat. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt">That was the culmination of our trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>From Kasane, the following day, we drove 10 hours south to the capitol Gaborone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We slept deeply and continued our journey south the following day to Johannesburg South Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a sad time seeing them walk through to their gate to go back to America but Katie and I both knew that we would be seeing them soon.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What a great trip!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:64.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-69435064197625580262011-04-13T01:44:00.000-07:002011-04-13T02:04:53.504-07:00World Map Project<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->In her first year as a Peace Corps volunteer (1988-1990), Barbara Jo White recalls a fellow volunteer requesting wall maps from <i style="">National Geographic</i> to post in classrooms for her students. White replied, “The only way you’re going to get a map to stay on a wall is to paint it there.” <p class="MsoNormal">Applying the grid method to make her first world map, White says she utilized the Mercator projection method that makes countries further from the equator appear larger. Later she traced <i style="">National Geographic</i>’s new projection map and World Map Project was born. Pretty soon letters poured in from Peace Corps volunteers around the world asking for gridded map pages. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFvrvz03G-bZKvCghQW-xnkEYPklfq5UsvAB3PtaSTRnDbyXBRIJ4lwq-8xekWwws2iPHOsiC3BjWNoBYva-bQ35dwAfRjSnNaZwdkBdsxl70YZtLBvhvGf1GI39_RtujoDvz1ZPAG3k/s1600/P8051750.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFvrvz03G-bZKvCghQW-xnkEYPklfq5UsvAB3PtaSTRnDbyXBRIJ4lwq-8xekWwws2iPHOsiC3BjWNoBYva-bQ35dwAfRjSnNaZwdkBdsxl70YZtLBvhvGf1GI39_RtujoDvz1ZPAG3k/s400/P8051750.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594989591167002562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfkRtZOAEJvo1bZxxiwbUppDjaFwf0uDzBP0WtYKleYyMKBOJDLrQbKIZvoqt7kAuAJ_UQuhtrqP-c4oTEEVnY7NVdh3RBMytB1lkzIlkXTncqJ-RqoUk0rz1opHq556vNSrN-Hyi_yw/s1600/100_2478.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfkRtZOAEJvo1bZxxiwbUppDjaFwf0uDzBP0WtYKleYyMKBOJDLrQbKIZvoqt7kAuAJ_UQuhtrqP-c4oTEEVnY7NVdh3RBMytB1lkzIlkXTncqJ-RqoUk0rz1opHq556vNSrN-Hyi_yw/s400/100_2478.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594989574495252082" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Enthusiasm for the project continues today due to the project’s simplicity and durability. White explains, “Because few rural schools have maps and many students leave school in their teens, some children never see a world map or have a concept of the world. The only way many schools can get and keep a map is to have it painted on a wall.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today World Map Projects can be seen on five of the world’s seven continents. “It’s such a good way to get integrated into the community. So many volunteers work with children and youth and this is a great way to literally draw the connection between you as a foreigner, and the community for the young people,” says Inter-America and Pacific Country Desk Officer Ella Ewart (RPCV/Peru, 2006-2008). She adds,”It was really rewarding to me, as a volunteer, to have a map—something tangible that I could point to and that I created hand in hand with the kids.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjHuTQBgaI6k5-Nq_dSXrFX_AbkH2oCZKAp4fmpVdLYEbvleFS1yRdoU62zvn_nswoCc3eVELpcyLCmdjKBIXiCVZZ1VgMyJ0r1VPuM5vNN268JDfl8cUMk1k3IxKEc2-1m_VFPNGIbI/s1600/100_2448.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjHuTQBgaI6k5-Nq_dSXrFX_AbkH2oCZKAp4fmpVdLYEbvleFS1yRdoU62zvn_nswoCc3eVELpcyLCmdjKBIXiCVZZ1VgMyJ0r1VPuM5vNN268JDfl8cUMk1k3IxKEc2-1m_VFPNGIbI/s400/100_2448.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594989569136564930" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Inspired by this method of mobilizing a community through painting project, Lucas commissioned his PACT Club to create a World Map Project on a wall on the Lempu CJSS campus. Graciously the art teacher at Lempu, Mr. Mosele, supported the project by donating paint brushes and offering to help pay for some of the paint. Along with some of our own contributions and donations from a local hardware store, we managed to collect all materials for almost no cost at all <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> . <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3z81X6p6UOmdaIiTLI5ssEKOcXedBSWM_mz0uL1LZ0FDGszOD1S7TgBenFPl19NIj0jbtWSMh19gXgNVq1Kb7CgNYLdov0KEwKlp0YCVEwVaqlp4A-9cKJgq47LuZCmPaNZtwf0jt5o/s1600/PB221907+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3z81X6p6UOmdaIiTLI5ssEKOcXedBSWM_mz0uL1LZ0FDGszOD1S7TgBenFPl19NIj0jbtWSMh19gXgNVq1Kb7CgNYLdov0KEwKlp0YCVEwVaqlp4A-9cKJgq47LuZCmPaNZtwf0jt5o/s400/PB221907+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594989595390042578" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Following White’s instructions on how to trace, label, and grid a world map, we had to be extremely particular when drawing the grid lines, which on a curved wall is not easy. Once the lines were drawn, PACT Club students painted the foundation of the map ocean blue. Lucas had every student practice on separate sheets of paper recreating a gridded square by copying it onto a larger square. Then they began drawing out all the countries of the world. Although the project is supposed to be more about a community coming together for a common goal, many geography lessons were learned by students and staff. Several times people asked which of Botswana’s neighboring countries is America. Then we got to show them just how far our home country really is from Africa. Even many staff could not say where South Africa is (just south of Botswana). Many students assumed Russia was America because it was the largest. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8rHmdrKpX1FpvV87D3kMx2EX00UvRuvwP2Zzr27v5JYW7GHJcA1eQNJsPHorPqRtrbRBvHxQ8nvWsGBy-c8CfEyvucBUz6_Tq8rGPh2S-AScKehugznN0dd-h0vU25kXVKx7YrGg9tA/s1600/PB221909+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8rHmdrKpX1FpvV87D3kMx2EX00UvRuvwP2Zzr27v5JYW7GHJcA1eQNJsPHorPqRtrbRBvHxQ8nvWsGBy-c8CfEyvucBUz6_Tq8rGPh2S-AScKehugznN0dd-h0vU25kXVKx7YrGg9tA/s400/PB221909+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594990373796173442" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After all countries were painted and labeled, we completed the project by painting Botswana flag and Peace Corps emblem in the corners. Lucas is making up lesson plans to share with teachers on best practices for utilizing the World Map. After all the ups and downs of our service having to address a topic as sensitive as HIV, this project was a breath of fresh air. And we will have managed to leave a physical mark in Salajwe. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx-DZ3fPrsRTI3r4GxDDvyee_5XNtAbC3hbmWyGk4556E93CHwpIarZetJKllfpU7RscuTb7hu04IhzYLDUR-culp6jARk2VBFtYFHz7kUaDzTQyq6J30rHzFeaQi9DCbNoA2-sdQNWY/s1600/P4130034.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx-DZ3fPrsRTI3r4GxDDvyee_5XNtAbC3hbmWyGk4556E93CHwpIarZetJKllfpU7RscuTb7hu04IhzYLDUR-culp6jARk2VBFtYFHz7kUaDzTQyq6J30rHzFeaQi9DCbNoA2-sdQNWY/s400/P4130034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594989584431073554" border="0" /></a></p>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-62948068329532613872011-04-01T02:19:00.001-07:002011-04-01T02:24:10.688-07:00Thank you Brandt, Michelle, and Adam.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTKGpMRuXoeVluqG5rjy2Hzq19uyVr5-uS2pgkcHVcrOsr2iJhzaRrkzvKp8Lm4B7gUy71kv67O9pGKO_2-tm_Hba-YSzP0MzTpySk5NhkBHlKS_FVKuakjHtQKxjmtzKV8bGkF6Rn50/s1600/P2270010.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTKGpMRuXoeVluqG5rjy2Hzq19uyVr5-uS2pgkcHVcrOsr2iJhzaRrkzvKp8Lm4B7gUy71kv67O9pGKO_2-tm_Hba-YSzP0MzTpySk5NhkBHlKS_FVKuakjHtQKxjmtzKV8bGkF6Rn50/s400/P2270010.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590543365560660690" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We got your box and were blown away by all the goodies you included.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The beef jerky didn’t last long because we love it and the stuff they have here does not compare.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Try hanging a thin slab of meat out in the sun to dry, throw some pepper on in and eat it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That is Botswana beef jerky ‘Biltong’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My favourites were the A-shirts, drink mixes, citronella candles, and the roasted peanuts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Katie loved the candy, the sweat bands, the wet wipes and the fruit shacks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You guys are awesome and we can’t thank you enough for all that you send.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Brandt and Michelle, we got your wedding picture up on our fridge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You two look great.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thanks Adam for catching us up on what you have been doing for a past few years.</p>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-82513085140136983642011-04-01T01:47:00.000-07:002011-04-22T04:13:28.041-07:00HIV/AIDS Awareness Dance<div style="text-align: center;">One of the best ways to get Lempu Senior Secondary School excited about being at a boarding school is to provide some type of entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It gets old just sitting around on the weekend with nothing to do and no place to go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This in when Katie and I had a great idea.</div> <p class="MsoNormal">The month of youth against AIDS (MYAA) was coming up in March and we though an American style school dance would be an ideal event.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We wanted to make it an HIV/AIDS awareness dance to go along with the MYAA part of it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So we made up posters for the dace to be on Friday the 11<sup>th</sup>, right at the end of the term after all the testing was done as a way for the students to cut loose a little.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We can never tell how out events are received until the night of because no one talks about it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On the day of the dance we cleaned up the hall and set up 3 tables that would represent the ABC’s of HIV awareness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A: being Abstinence, B: for Be Faithful and C: means Condomise.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Each table had pamphlets and posters that represented the different ABC’s.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We also made 200 small red ribbons that had safety pins on them so they could be attached to each person who entered.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnb5mWrYfhBUAfr7U5Ku2uSik9XXkrZcvlxyo7I7tz30CjYYCr_7W2yTo1ThcIH8cfXNen-hBsv5Mu1DLq1eQ6q425_TdyAXb0sO8MpUiEYHF0ZyYfzz-aml5kLJTUjFAox8GFd7zDeE/s400/P3110092.JPG" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu37TT12nyy9zCpnuR-e4rXipr0rpzhNaDuaPj7e6SKq-M8Cz5x3Nje4wJmI5Gh1g5znyJhBUUZPW5Otqoi3ylr1aF0pGLdRhRy5ORYQMH-mIF0siFmYvMQrLbC843P-Fa39yUoadUgM/s400/P3110128.JPG" /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We were set up and ready by 7 with all things in order except for kids.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The students do something a little different than I’m used to in terms of privacy when setting up the hall.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They turned it into an exclusive club by covering each window with either a bench tipped on end or a random poster made in some other class.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We had volcano posters and the layers of the human skin posters and much more covering all the windows so that if you were on the outside you couldn’t watch the dancing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a fund raising event for both the guidance and counselling committee and the HIV/AIDS club.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We charged 1 pula which equates to .12 USD.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So when all was set up and music was playing inside by our self proclaimed teacher DJ, a line formed out the door and wrapped around the building.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At that price, almost every student could be part of this dance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think the fact that it was an American “Free style” dance that made it so appealing for the students.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Every Batswana kid knows how to dance to some degree so it was perfect.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwszjOswqX5n9RftlzrbcHmJOme0Tu3StZlWmrpz3oCWym2xSZf1C9D4rwlxAdmXTxkvSsDfmsoWVo8wfxsBKcIdQb7bps-sTx7YSmnEldJqQ4s9O-HVhexvyvPhx7tQoz3bLEH2flUs/s400/P3110096.JPG" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Kids started pouring in through our assembly line.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>1 pula at the door, a stamp on the wrist, and a AIDS ribbon on the shirt was the complete package.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When the line ended we had made some 450 pula and the school isn’t much over 500 kids.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It got hot in there but the kids were loving just being themselves and dancing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Many were just in their own little worlds, feeling the beating and letting it move their bodies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The teachers kept asking Katie and I what was next on the agenda, as if every event had to be so finely planned that they were surprised and a little worried when I told them there is no schedule...”This is how an American dance is, kid’s just dance and they love it.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This might have been too unstructured for the staff so we did have 3 groups of presenters on the ABC’s, who all did wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During the Condomise piece, I opened a box of condoms on the condomise table but it was quickly taken up by the guidance teacher under the assumption that we were encouraging sex.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was also a planned debate.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was sceptical of a debate at a dance but the 2 teams of debaters had everyone sit down and they debated the topic of weather Anti-retro virus (ARV’s) medications should be free provided by the government.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is currently how Botswana is doing things.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was great and very informative to me and the student body.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5g0OLBtF14azs9q-LZKI2orDl-FWBlftI2xanQE0PqnZ0Ey9mz_mFKml6NTjRRwYNDsn2twnDWZywG3Q3T8c-pXImCiNIsOqovgFXekc5uJTW7co1S_olYX3CxoKuxqzWsHhY8LKY4k/s400/P3110103.JPG" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj6Q3uTOaajNx8Nkwk_mju_iE1bHVCFi7KKPi4L9ITmBLIpFo1muJJDZwy-hTzKUPSn-LxbZhE_CddW4IjgB2sugVVEQIlC01_7cjf5375ofmtpPkxsYnaAeGigmTAxDCOhtWxmoGhcg/s400/P3110100.JPG" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I had to wrap it up and do some more dancing before the night came to an end.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So I had the DJ form an old school dance circle from middle school dances we all know so well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some students had practiced for this and gave their dance, followed by Katie and I who showed off our now rusty swing dancing skills, and then individuals jumped in and broke it down until time was up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a great success and I could see smiling faces on all the kids who participated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Dances are so much fun when few people hold back or are too cool to just let go and dance.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOqvfg9z_D6_MMGbpW_b_uZTF0ZSsH6MYkGzzu4DrWtyEWQwpoAk0knI1RdCoCihIANFeVckmnegFwlPeXQ-93oIuSn4kaDy2rUyWFLQg2kt1RfxQF5GEZ6d0oCJoxAJrBhPgZv9Uf1U/s400/P3110112.JPG" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJV18E7wLGUIGq-xWA0xqjJwvy3TlHR0WBGicT9idzvUEShw-mtfGRXBFEDcGXsvr9Umz0zQMkuMtaf1YFxZiX-1r94OWcKYCFsluTZq03ei-DYN8p6tgaa3R8yaETDDbxizFGry7VaTY/s400/P3110119.JPG" /></p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw74RW_drFAVnv34Oi5huDhPKziRFWzsQCaXQaARsRb3el35LoHC2YX9PAUoQK8Z4umYJmlcxIDbmPVVtdOTQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-17496699935214140452011-02-11T01:24:00.000-08:002011-02-26T01:40:08.655-08:00New Years in Lesotho<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnOAxReduYIVjv8qoqAssbLxjiNGwkZuEU-q6yzpTpeGq6kgHYAFeqRpN8Y4NtVFuCk_y8YZKFDwwt1sFwHVeonm2mYuznfOTY8N2cn1EmCjq99OldAFjafkAzDn2q8kKn2KZCQ3ay-Q/s1600/IMG_0029.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" 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onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVQQyOGTsmtFVzRZDThyphenhyphenKza7B0yG2pgcLuZ8TJT-BkieyIdUo_RTgv_hUrJZQoXNhitKqSSEovOnmuVXCwu2QCUduP5DRKU8u57v1exPkbGCOlccYtwN5kYWDD5GHLURml1HUqqwCz44/s1600/100_2614.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVQQyOGTsmtFVzRZDThyphenhyphenKza7B0yG2pgcLuZ8TJT-BkieyIdUo_RTgv_hUrJZQoXNhitKqSSEovOnmuVXCwu2QCUduP5DRKU8u57v1exPkbGCOlccYtwN5kYWDD5GHLURml1HUqqwCz44/s400/100_2614.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577910373573465106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1djpzAKjdVPO8RuRz4aMxl2zs8Hpv6osXMbCGfRnn09EPcqivxG0gzDSbGH1tk1hAgGCYWjXxH1Gkh5bulAjgtWWJheNueire9tM60wRnPEYU7Dm4GAT4NTKPtfGHFQoQ130kmj_F_eM/s1600/100_2647.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1djpzAKjdVPO8RuRz4aMxl2zs8Hpv6osXMbCGfRnn09EPcqivxG0gzDSbGH1tk1hAgGCYWjXxH1Gkh5bulAjgtWWJheNueire9tM60wRnPEYU7Dm4GAT4NTKPtfGHFQoQ130kmj_F_eM/s400/100_2647.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577910368544057730" /></a><br />Following Christmas, a group of 9 of us drove down to Lesotho for a four-day hike through the Lesotho mountains over the New Year holiday. We started the trip early from Gaborone headed south to South Africa. Once getting across the boarder, our first order of business was stopping at the first McDonald’s we came across. Once it was spotted, we literally swerved through two lanes of traffic to slide into the parking lot, just missing a fender bender. Can you tell we miss America?<br />After recovering from the gut bomb that is fast food, we continued on into Lesotho. Lesotho is a beautiful, mountainous country literally floating in the middle of South Africa. The citizens have never been under European or South African rule and live quiet lives in the mountains as farmers and herders. We pulled into Malealea Lodge in southwest Lesotho just after sunset. After filling up on dinner cooked over the fire, we settled into our 2-man huts for the evening.<br />One of the first things Lucas and I noticed about Lesotho was how much colder it was compared to Botswana. Currently the Southern Hemisphere is in the dead of summer. Despite what the packing list suggested, all Lucas and I could think about was HOT as we were packing our bags in Salajwe. We were without sleeping bags, or warm clothes. The warmest thing in my bag was 2 pair wool hiking socks and a raincoat. We felt like such rookies. But we managed to make it through.<br />A little bit about Malealea Lodge: the guides are selected from the village and trained to take groups of hikers out on trail from day hikes to up to 10 days camping. Most all the groups opt to ride horseback. The guides get paid a certain rate and all other fees are given directly to the community. Every night on trail we stay in a remote village hut. The community provides us with sleeping pads and a hot plate to use for cooking meals.<br />We hired three pack horses and three guides to accompany us during the hike. This is my first experience hiking without a pack. Although some hard-core outdoorsmen may accuse us of “cheating the experience” I cannot tell you what a relief it is to be able to travel without 30 extra lbs hanging on my back. I was able to look around me at the magnificent views instead on constantly starring at my feet. The hike started off casual and mild. The first challenge of the day it seemed was getting horses to cross a bridge. They put up so much of a fight that eventually one of the guides had to ride them across the river.<br />It’s hard to not compare the hike to Malawi. I would say Malawi was more lush and jungle than Lesotho but the trails were more steep and muddy. Lesotho had more creeping trails and lots of rocks for footholds. And I enjoyed interacting with the villages. In Malawi we hiked through a national park so we saw no people once inside the park boundaries. In Lesotho we hiked in and out of at least three villages a day. The children, as usual, were very friendly and curious. The national language Sesotho was terribly similar to Setswana and we used it often. The people of Lesotho reminded me a lot of Batswana although their locations were far more remote due to the mountains. Most villages we stayed at were a good two days from the nearest town. Roads were scarce so most people traveled by foot. A unique characteristic of the Basotho were their wardrobes. Most all the villagers wore blankets over their shoulders, rainboots on their feet, and carried a walking stick. I don’t think Lesotho has a dry season. Houses are built warm and sturdy for snow in the winter and rain in the summer.<br />Every morning we woke to breathtaking mountain views. Meals were simple but satisfying. Days were long but rewarding. The company was perfect and we got a chance to hang out with friends for more than just pleasantries. Our second day of hiking took us past several waterfalls. At one stop we were able to swim in the top of the falls. The water was so cold; it took your breath away. After lunch we were caught in a huge thunderstorm complete with hail. It was tough-going there for an hour or so. The cold really sunk in. I couldn’t even feel my blisters anymore. Although we did not hire the horses to ride, the guides would give up their horse if they thought a hiker was struggling. I should have explained beforehand that I am just a slow hiker, regardless of my conditioning. Although I would have been fine for the remainder of the day, I was happy to climb aboard a horse. It can be a little scary to peer down a steep, rocky mountain ledge on the back of a horse, but I trusted it to make the best choice in which path to take and we made it down just fine. This gave me even more time to look around at the landscape.<br />At our destination we were greeted by a kind family and a big pig. The pig must have been pregnant because her belly was just enormous. She was walking by Lucas when he reached out to pet her. She immediately froze, and then lay down. He continued to pet her and she just fell over on her side. I though she fainted of fright. But she just loved to be petted. It was very entertaining. The nine of us were split into three groups; each night we were assigned either to filter water, cook dinner, or make lunch for the next day. It worked out nicely. A fellow hiker generously offered me her under armor for warmth. I didn’t take them off for three days. Although all of us were crammed into a hut, I still slept cold. We fell asleep early and anticipated recapping 2010 the next day New Years Eve.<br />The panoramic view was beautiful as the early morning dew evaporated off the mountains. It was a cold start to the hike but we moved fluidly. We started off recapping not only the year, but the past decade. There was a 9-year gap between our youngest hiker and oldest hiker which made for humorous comparisons. Again, lots of rain. As beautiful as Lesotho is, I think it would be hard to serve Peace Corps. When there is a hard rain in Salajwe, almost nothing gets done. There is very little shelter. And even shelters offer little in the way of security. It’s very hard to escape the weather in Africa.<br />The last stop before heading back to Malealea was in a small village with loads of kids, in drenched blankets. We kept them warm by teaching them to play Duck, Duck, Goose. The night before, we had been to bed by 8:30. Realistically, we knew there was no chance we could stay up til 12 midnight for the New Year. We agreed we would celebrate at 9 pm and call it good. As soon as the sun went down, we broke out the fireworks. The villagers just loved them. Ladies wrapped in blankets would jump up and down yelling “happy!” in celebration. I’m pretty sure none of them had ever seen fireworks before. We learned to say Happy New Year in Sesotho: Se le mo se secha. We could hear villagers from the next mountain shouting the greeting to us as we handed sparklers to kids. It was a very memorable New Years Eve.<br />Our last day, the group had mixed feelings. Some had finally gotten over the hump and were ready to rock. For the rest, the last 3 days had finally caught up to them. Surprisingly, I was one of the lucky ones. It was mostly downhill into a village. From there we took the main road all the way back to the lodge. Before we got there, we past a New Years Day celebration with Sesotho traditional dancing. It was quite a treat. Compete with an accordion accompaniment. I really enjoyed watching them.<br />We were delighted to arrive at the lodge. Unfortunately, with all the rain, the running water ran mud red: showers, sinks, and toilets. The water was treated but not filtered. So it was hard to feel clean after showering. I couldn’t even see my feet in the shower and my hair felt more dirty afterwards but the water was warm which was good enough for me. Dinner was t-bone steak and traditional sides almost identical to Botswana. The beds were clean and with blankets. I had the warmest sleep in four days. This was one of my favorite trips in Africa. Not to mention on of the last while serving Peace Corps. Wow, only 6 months left.Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-56359455085654830582011-02-11T01:22:00.000-08:002011-02-25T23:57:24.499-08:00Second Annual Girls MMA CampAs you know Lucas and I have had great success with girls MMA club at the junior secondary school. The group of girls we are working with are at a vulnerable age, subject to low self esteem and starting to experiment with sex, much like most girls around the world at that age (14-16 yrs old). Unfortunately I wasn’t able to open up the club to primary school students because of location and equipment. We had such a great turn out at the Girls MMA Camp last December that we agreed to do another one.<br /><br />In December 2010 Lucas and I held the second annual Girls MMA Camp. We opened the camp to all girls of all ages. Last year the intention of the camp was to teach girls the basics of mixed martial arts and to promote the club we were starting at Lempu CJSS. Since we had a solid turnout for the club, we focused our attention on strengthening the girls’ MMA skills and encouraging their participation in physical activity. <br /><br />Once again we had a huge turnout. The girls eagerly helped sweep, set out and mop the gymnastics mats, and even run warm-ups. Over the week we had 34 participants, seven returning from last year. The girls picked up on boxing punches/kicks well. Their favorite activity was probably using the boxing pads we borrowed from Lempu. They got to actually make contact with their fists and feet vs. shadow boxing. It was very empowering for them. <br /><br />We went more in depth with Brazilian jiu jitsu, teaching an americana and rear-naked choke. Of course we taught the girls how to safely submit an opponent and how to tap before it caused pain. My favorite is watching the girls perform takedowns. Two girls of similar build are matched up and try to take each other down to the mat. Any wrestler would be impressed with these girls’ determination and form. <br /><br />One day we had a special guest, the karate instructor from Lempu CJSS. He assisted us in language barriers as well as promoted the girls to join his karate class after our Peace Corps service is finished and we are unable to continue the MMA club. After class he commented on how well the girls responded to us as instructors and also how well they worked to help each other if one of the girls did not understand instructions. <br /><br />I never intended to teach mixed martial arts to girls when I joined Peace Corps. In fact it was the encouragement of fellow Peace Corps volunteers who saw the positive effects this type of instruction could offer girls in this culture. I’m sad that there is to no chance for the club to continue after the end of our service. My hope is that the girls I was able to reach these past two years will go on to become good role models for others as strong, confident women who demand more for themselves than what was expected in generations past.<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwMEhDSeqC82zUrFOzg113Zuq8NJ8UPAfjqcCQhHoPcUhQaEt4Yv7EB2Quj9VAKbfzQnnLUXdNwvY0sxWMiKQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw3nOPh7zcNJZHmpcZMH2r-3KPGkToPLuS2PFnUlxIsgjOR0u9vd-yrcbe2TUjhCbzQK7fc1vK7tOSrA-iLsw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy8aFPw_Nc0p-FO80nwkmB72FiihmretfQdirXuyRmUsGxyBiTs82EpxnSVaJbxeD65vAiWtv6xs2lseQT-4Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-28353556501043544082010-12-23T23:17:00.000-08:002010-12-26T05:44:50.984-08:00Drotsky’s Cave
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wKUvOP9QWK-K7INBk-KqAUgs8IvRWJ5tJB5bISEl4U6-ssVhGsnoNQ6V-TS-1-5UmuVLyLvTFc7esSo7quAInv0X6U5PFht8WTqf_BHjz0LoePzOQU8Rjjx6JO_66elOnR7nGCSPJA8/s1600/100_2427.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wKUvOP9QWK-K7INBk-KqAUgs8IvRWJ5tJB5bISEl4U6-ssVhGsnoNQ6V-TS-1-5UmuVLyLvTFc7esSo7quAInv0X6U5PFht8WTqf_BHjz0LoePzOQU8Rjjx6JO_66elOnR7nGCSPJA8/s200/100_2427.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554980953853941554" /></a>
<br /><p class="MsoNormal">I’ll start with a little history of this</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">amazing place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the !Kung San language, bushmen named the cave ‘Gcwihaba’ which means ‘hyena’s hole’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">a San secret until 1932 when</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">Martinus Drotsky, a nearby farmer was shown the cave.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Of course, he na</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">med it after himself and 2 ye</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">ars later it became a nation</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">al monument.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It has legends of treasure as well as witchcraft which is why it is such a mysterious yet intriguing place.</p> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">Katie, John and I were the brains behind a caving trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To our surprise, we found 4 other interested volunteers, so the trip was made final.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We took public transport to the north western corner of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Botswana</st1:place></st1:country-region> and met with some people who offered us a reasonable price for transport out to the caves.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The cave is a good 120K from the nearest paved road and even further from medical help.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the guide book, it recommended a fully equipped 4WD, preferably one with high clearance, long-range petrol tanks, water reserves and a GPS system.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We headed out with all the water we could carry in a regular SUV.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were prepared but knowing that only 1-2 cars visit the cave a week made us a little more careful.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The drive alone was an adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We nearly got stuck several times and saw bat-eared fox, gemsbok as well as experienced the occasional engine overheating.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During these times we g</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">ot out, we stretched our legs and let the thermostat reset itself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The road was so ruff, at times the backseat passenger wor</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">e his bike helmet to keep his had from smacking the ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">fter what seemed an endless sand snake of a road, we pulled into the designated monument area.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our headlights picked up some well marked signs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The next step was to find some tent pads to make camp on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not a soul was around for hundreds of kilometers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a little uneasy but that just added to the experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our hungry bunch settled down for some walking tacos for dinner. (All the regular taco fixings mixed into a bag of choice flavor chips and eaten with a spoon…Yum)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After some time we found one of the cave entrances and decided to get our tents pitched.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The boys, being boys, decided to enter the cave as soon as camp was s</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">et.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I figured, daylight or nighttime, the cave is dark inside so we might as well get familiar with it before tomorrow<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.8333px; ">.</span></p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10SHJVqV1K6-SPcWd2PS5US0wk3VtDNq158d4XE4VEE3DLATnAaC-t8jBjGByXnhnLupzjKVtjvX7X2h-6iZom-pRDRkusLkS_-448yrDqJqoM9KT1Zp4Neg_WwFodOY6WaY7RVBK41I/s200/IMG_1026.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554980969751232162" /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tS_332mv7qP_CQ31pw2HtVB_GLd2uXZPeFhP7SQugU6jQsJwnP-s8NST5IpEd2o4-xhV51b5Y9pRhqS13V_EGjTzfVQG1KJkGv29DfnQ6QHxL6P_7qGJN817x68XR6-UuwKvuIhz7uM/s200/IMG_1010.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554980956809334178" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOp-2lV_M-Z6I4l0J6xUUFb2zuiwbLnuVTLIKbsqgt1qDymt4Gwdtby5vJR6swwJE2w8rX3zrOcXrN0I60aeM9gcbLZjNu0X-2TiItRj5MrJ-9Ngtti9yadSJLeuNKBaVp6bD_fRcTV4/s200/IMG_1017.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554980960711926322" /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">My plan was to spend 30 min to 1hr max exploring and then I’d come out and get some sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The entrance was one of the most difficult, tactical parts of our whole exploration.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As we approached the entrance I could hear things whooshing by my head.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The closer we got, the better I understood the noise to be the thousands of Commerson’s leaf-nosed bats (with a wingspan of up to 60cm/23in.) that exit the caves every night to feed on insects. If you are clam and slow they never even get close to you.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Having poor vision but exquisite eco-location, they have no trouble avoiding objects and maneuvering in the pitch black of the c</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><p class="MsoNormal">aves interior.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Once inside, the bat traffic was low and the cave opened up into some huge caverns and chambers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We explored for an hour, trying most of the time to find our bearings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We found our later that the 2 ½ hours we spent in the first ¼ of the cave was actually the other end of the map we were looking at.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m glad we found that out the night before our team of 7 went in.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As we exited the warmth of the cave into the coolness of the night, I spotted a coiled Puff Adder snake.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Botswana</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s most poisonous snakes, the Puff Adder was fat and coiled for attack just outside the entrance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We steered clear and took some photos. Close one!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With this short preliminary visit, I felt more comfortable and had a better understanding of the vastness of this cave.<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQJjwowRwW6MP0z9xH4woiZ4odqhDpdelInbuz1i_GTiEtbrUJaCxtOkDPegQXN0WtMr-hq7vE3N1uZB8m7cro9rdr9Iqm5GEP5auYVScuXIGkdMUI07MuSF4KOAdBdiDX2to9AQbd6g/s200/100_2427.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554146513830202178" /></p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6isqtiB-UGTSjOFlABaWpkJBq-O2rfV6B0riPeSbiGetTE4oe_vTg05vQDhp0VaB65oSytpsDBxNkB_3d43SqkyNT9J1xndmNg4wduh0z3xwb0zriFvc3KIm_mm-DO96agEC_HPb4LVU/s200/IMG_1022.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554980965339305762" /> <p class="MsoNormal">Katie and I have been caving many times before, but Gcwihaba cave was by far the biggest, longest and least used cave we had been in. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Explorers of this cave were so rare that there weren’t even foot prints.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We slept soundly that night but anticipated the dawn.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Shortly after breakfast our team was ready to enter the depths of the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Botswana</st1:place></st1:country-region> earth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Half the group had never been caving before so I was excited to see how they liked the experience.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now that we knew where we were on the inadequate map, it made the adventure more enjoyable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our plan was to stick to the right side always and eventually we would come to the other end.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The stalagmites and stalactites were amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They were so pure and unadulterated by vandalism and over-exploration.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was even some glorious ‘flowstones’ which look like waterfalls of rock.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some of the caverns were 10m high and over a hundred meters long.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some passages were so narrow that we had to squeeze through them and on the other side they would open up to giant chambers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll just mention a few of the unique cave features in this particular cave.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I love how each caving experience is different. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was actually amazed how dry this cave was compared to those I’ve explored in the states.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The floor was covered in the finest dust and in some areas the bat droppings must have been several meters thick.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLZkhtfRh-sVvgZHjYY9s5CdCwlkSQWt9bFGX01ljrdkQHjzYE0Qln-pvPnJvJNAiB_7rlGjcV_ocSj7TVaCaj07o56H5im4XX2IBZXReuWOgoVpIZeRn1gQ7GCqeUhcXmhrbZAOGkC8/s200/100_2559.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554146527265240306" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The map we had was labeled with chambers and passages like: <st1:placename st="on">Ice</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Castle</st1:placetype>, Graceland, <st1:city st="on">Gas Chamber</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">MOAB</st1:country-region> (mother of all bat) Chamber, Rope Pit, Sonar, and the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Enchanted</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Forest</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our first true challenge came when we stood at the entrance of the Gas Chamber.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Bats were poring out like pepper from its shaker. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We couldn’t muster the courage to crawl through the exiting bats and squeeze through the small entrance to see what the chamber held.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was early in our trip and we needed to build our confidence.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The next obstacle/potential hazard was a hole that went straight down 12’ into an unknown passage.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I went in first and all but one of us followed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were entering the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">MOAB</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but first we had to crawl hands and knees down past numerous bats hanging inches from our backs and helmets, not to mention crawling over dead bat bodies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Adrenalin rush for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On the other side of the crawl, it opened up into an enormous spiraling ceiling that held bats on every imaginable surface.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our group stood in aw as we watched the bats flying around us, the heat was almost unbearable with all those tinny bodies putting off heat.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We all turned off our lights and listened to the acrobatics around us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was absolute blackness. We flipped our lights back on and climbed our way out.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigC-URGvuAesH5VQdjJ4mZ0abE6LBuNwICt4ni31igS0I8qLW5JB6mjtagOoQgDyvPxlr-BgCjuZQFzkNfiwomQjFF0ENITJjh6Kgd2-zEhijqM2uZho5In7uIOcBFhB2m65zrJmBjIr8/s200/100_2573.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554146528443150290" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">At one point Katie lead the charge into a potential passage that would decide which way the group went.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her portrayal:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>I’m a fan of adventure but this was a little much for me. Like Lucas said, the cave was very dry. Since there were two entrances, loads of sand gets blown in and settles on the cave floor. The hole I crawled down was so slim, at least two sides of the cave were touching me at once. It was so narrow and dark; there was no way to see where I was going. I literally fell into the next chamber twice. So much sand came falling on me; I had a hard time breathing. The passage just kept getting narrower. It was quite terrifying. I’m ashamed to say I punked out and crawled back out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>When it was deemed impassable, we went up and over.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This passage was the Rope Pit.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For good reason too, because it would have been much easier with ropes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This was the first time we had to do actual rock climbing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everyone made it down the 15 foot drop and up the other side with no problems.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We felt like the fist explorers of this cave our entire time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most state side caves are so used that if you look close you can tell which way to go by how smooth the rocks are from people traversing them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">On our way out we entered the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Enchanted</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Forest</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This place was magical.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s the only way to explain it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was no less than 30 rock towers where stalactites had reached their opposing force, the stalagmite. It was truly like a stone forest; so beautiful and forever in our memories.<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfu0n3OYUzT63y6inLfzzYtWAzZqLFrI6vwoo8gMLrCp02dfKKDgV4q-tH8oo3XB79QzVYWNGm0OBjoAORR0GbNeCQMkLqnbJzUw6CO2960znjTagNmxjf2jbcAcrcZgH4wSCHDXS7y20/s200/100_2432.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554146514933842818" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ph0vmpAl2Bu267i7R61LzUV6RYlonpxMSe6l5a_nFAY3rhfvTnljZidfMrCVfXmP4YC07IQQZsF50DLikBSpxzUmzX8ASSwejQrwVs4ZZyaXa8Vs7XjWGvlLYVIKyydOxFfwgd3LCec/s200/100_2437.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554146521373156114" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We spent over 3 hours down in the cave and once we exited, it only took us 20 min to walk around to our car.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Caves are so interesting.</p>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-45855709235478522042010-12-23T23:06:00.000-08:002010-12-23T23:17:04.538-08:00The Storm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9ht1-QSsHtKhp6HO3wvgBOEctwr0bzg3KDpYSxKxBufoGGpH_BpCf9ErSR7HCfYSR_8FdDiIMQ8X5lIVKdfYhcoG78dKZ73MFvL5sAajoM4Ppv1GuVAqpiBrR6cQZX5hPUjrDf4-8ek/s1600/PC022055.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9ht1-QSsHtKhp6HO3wvgBOEctwr0bzg3KDpYSxKxBufoGGpH_BpCf9ErSR7HCfYSR_8FdDiIMQ8X5lIVKdfYhcoG78dKZ73MFvL5sAajoM4Ppv1GuVAqpiBrR6cQZX5hPUjrDf4-8ek/s200/PC022055.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554143437430859506" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">After a lovely Thanksgiving weekend/ GRE testing/ Katie’s birthday celebration, we returned to a broken Salajwe. There had been a disastrous thunderstorm while we were gone. Roofs were blown off of homes, glass windows were blown in, trees up-rooted, and paths flooded. The incredible power of blown sand destroyed our gardens. We even found a 50 gallon metal drum barrel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">inside</i> our fenced-in yard. The Botswana Defense Force (BDF) arrived to provide tents for those whose houses were damaged. A building team from Letlhakeng arrived the next week to repair damage to the clinic and primary school. I spoke with a man who has a farm. He said the hail was piled up on the side of his hut and the storm had managed to kill some goats.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5vHpFvjUjmEyKtL0kBkI-uBEvi1NOejOZBhYtbnr1-NFl6U76ns6QXauRiqpFORFRWNKrbuvIB9dvnNaxsW4_MQgkJ-_IxUUEHdzHiQk-Q0I8suJ40tBWQiyiTcS892qeW_CJqQXx7I/s200/PC022045.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 155px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554143428308197986" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeGHyYczOzFnTKfmy4ySFJ6DL2pms4bNrVb9mOksG8skb7S1J8iP9KCKcJAMMd84ixkbsrJ7tejVt2uf5FMvS0bVNqNbhEPyLFuG89Rrf8FFnmnvBJoP_3E7Dl3_XWJl0yb_wb2The1k/s200/PC022051.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554143434273017650" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thankfully, there were no reports at the clinic of serious injuries. We’re kinda disappointed we missed such an event.</p>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-1844700026272816902010-12-23T22:46:00.000-08:002010-12-23T23:06:06.241-08:00Thanks Again!!Brysons and Rosses<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5wUei2qSwTCDzldusyi_HcczRQg7BgA6YzRcfzALpmmyBDbv-Ta40qUjyXtcru-uRLd-WWYBPcpBgM4RDaAIb0i3TrPBOzpg3CvGA9sXpHaf1EQSfA08km_ffqtuLDuHyIg8BF4-DOQ/s200/PC072068.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554139225102587154" /><br />We were bombarded with six (6) boxes at the post office. These boxes covered Thanksgiving, Katie’s birthday, and Christmas from parents and sister/brother-in-law. Mom, you paid more attention than I thought when I told you we don’t get to have much meat in our diet. We have like 12 Hormel amazing dishes, meat included. We cant microwave but there is a boiling option! Thanks to all of you for the instant mash potatoes, cheesecakes, and candy. Amy, smores is always a safe bet. Mom, even though we are in a constant state of perspiration, we are getting into the Christmas spirit with all the decorations. We broke out our baby tree and stockings from last year. We have all the Christmas cookie goodies in a box ready to party in a few weeks. Amy, your pickles and candles are amazing. We have no sense of self control. If the candles make it to Valentine’s Day I’ll be surprised. They smell great! And we very much appreciate the Operation Christmas Child donation. I’m loving the CD and Lucas appreciates his flashdrive. It was the same size as the one stolen out of his bag. We have so many great camping food (trail mix, just-add-water meals, dried fruit, bagged tuna/salmon) that we’re set for Lesotho hiking trip. <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEA-FhrsqLHNIrNkDEFoHHoF1TctJxc-E88akDSM2AGYIXRpIlClNl0pFSpbaa1Nh9Qt8uxr5Vgp6k6QRXXfnw0AD9UdatqkgCfGkMHwy6p91GCTc2oIBRaYpL-onlLNfEpFBI4OjNm3g/s200/PC072074.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554139238670751202" /><br />I hope you guys get as much enjoyment putting the care packages together as we do receiving them. You guys are the best, we couldn’t ask for a more generous family. We love you and cant wait to be back home next year.Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-89804039978741054972010-11-29T00:13:00.000-08:002010-11-29T00:19:20.758-08:00Halloween and a Haircut<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGl69H8Ej1hCC8tPCW1tvDgB_PUmfNOcimnFnO1aDRwwXajW4tJsc37d1za9FE6fIiq9mfIBXYW8EjU1WiKszKJpAXaj6P9WE1jQ_NtXzLYXY-sVaK7DiUCXOxlY3PpAHqRYdXFoJHtIE/s1600/DSC01604.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGl69H8Ej1hCC8tPCW1tvDgB_PUmfNOcimnFnO1aDRwwXajW4tJsc37d1za9FE6fIiq9mfIBXYW8EjU1WiKszKJpAXaj6P9WE1jQ_NtXzLYXY-sVaK7DiUCXOxlY3PpAHqRYdXFoJHtIE/s200/DSC01604.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544883190868173906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgdx__gXvBzlMyG_W0uIgW8g_6uqFQJJEwSI78N91Ybf9QuOuPRQ3oxtEVi-pRmHrdoO5ArS5fkPFJSOvlL12AamvtXmdO2HdyskU-ikBzmzuiv0P3wBEz-5t5WpiiDU0S9unq6IX8pg/s1600/100_2495.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgdx__gXvBzlMyG_W0uIgW8g_6uqFQJJEwSI78N91Ybf9QuOuPRQ3oxtEVi-pRmHrdoO5ArS5fkPFJSOvlL12AamvtXmdO2HdyskU-ikBzmzuiv0P3wBEz-5t5WpiiDU0S9unq6IX8pg/s200/100_2495.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544883181370336866" /></a><br />I held off as long as I could. In 2005, an acquaintance told me he had been growing out his hair and donating to Locks of Love for several years. I thought it was brilliant. I decided then that I would donate my hair, cut it off, and donate again. That way I would never have to bother with the latest trends or decided how long/short to keep my hair. The last time I donated was in 2006. I was hoping to hold off until my close of service to donate again. But the start of the summer was wearing me down. I thought maybe I could wait until my birthday. As it turned out I could only make it to Halloween. <br /><br />Costumes are hard to come by in Botswana. I decided to borrow some of Lucas’ clothes and go as boy. Cutting off my hair would be the perfect touch. Nothing fancy. Lucas basically took a pair of cutting scissors (brought from home) and hacked off a braided ponytail. I stuffed the braid in an envelope and am mailing it to Locks of Love. <br /><br />The haircut didn’t really turn out. But the evening did. Lucas took second place in the costume competition (as a baby). Cheers!Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-26741361836496526692010-10-27T02:35:00.000-07:002010-10-27T02:36:36.851-07:00Girls MMA Club<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5COwner%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m using this blog to update people about what became of the Girls MMA Camp last December. It took a good six months of meetings and proposals to convince <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Lempu</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Jr</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Sec</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place> to allow us to hold a Girls MMA Club on campus. We posted signs advertising for the club, made announcements in our Guidance Counseling classes, and claimed an unused classroom. We managed to obtain use of only half the mats. It didn’t matter much because for two weeks, no one showed up. I would try and recruit girls passing by the room, make announcements at the morning meeting, I even brought candy. Finally Lucas brought in a few girls from his PACT Club so interested girls wouldn’t be reluctant to enter if she was the only one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For a while the PACT Club girls were the only ones coming (all 4 of them). But at least I was teaching someone. One week we went from 4 to 14. The deciding factor? Dodgeball. Lucas hand-stitched 2 balls from cloth found around the village and stuffed them with bubble wrap. We split the group into two teams and had them back up against separate walls. We drew a line in the middle of the room and placed the two balls on the line. Girls would race to the ball and attempt to hit each other with it. Girls were ducking, jumping, and having a great time. Pretty soon there were 50 sets of eyes looking in. We invited girls to join, and thus became the start of our club.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The following weeks we taught basic punches, defense, kicking (they love kicking the pad), and started showing wrestling takedowns. Boys constantly try to sneak into the room. I think the girls get a cheap thrill out of telling them it’s for girls only. I’m hoping the club encourages the girls to feel better about themselves and build some self confidence. Most of our girls are boarder students who are more at risk because they have no adult figure to look up and confide in. And they are trapped on campus 24/7, with other boys. Girls that age (14-16) across the globe struggle with self esteem issues. In a country where teenage pregnancy and HIV rates are high, it can be a threatening situation. The club offers them a chance to be physically active and provides an environment where they can be encouraged and excel at something. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We just started the club for Term Three of the school year. Classes end in late November. We plan on hosting another Girls MMA Camp this year in December and picking the club back up the start of Term One next year. It’s unlikely the club will continue on after we leave in June, which I took into consideration before we started this project. But my hope is that the few girls I do reach in the two years I’m here will make some sort of an impact in their lives and somehow improve their chances of living an HIV free life. <span style=""> </span></p> Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-18941131446995497472010-10-26T07:02:00.000-07:002010-10-27T02:51:30.786-07:00Entertainment Show<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5COwner%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; mso-font-alt:"Century Gothic"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span lang="EN-ZA">When you read entertainment show </span><span lang="EN-ZA">you think, well ,that could be anything.<span style=""> </span>That was exactly what it was.<span style=""> </span>So it all started with an idea my PACT (Peer Approach to Counselling Teens) club came up with for a fund raiser.<span style=""> </span>They said, ‘Hey lets have an entertainment show. We could have singing, dancing, a fashion show and an eating</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> competition.”<span style=""> </span>These are some ambitious kids.<span style=""> </span>So I put together some program plan ideas and </span><span lang="EN-ZA">then put pairs of PACT members together to be in charge of the different aspects of each act in the en</span><span lang="EN-ZA">tertainment show.<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure if I was unclear, the language or the kids j</span><span lang="EN-ZA">ust thought I was going to do everything, but nothing happened.<span style=""> </span>So the next meeting, I brought contr</span><span lang="EN-ZA">acts</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> that </span><span lang="EN-ZA">each member pair had to fill, stating that everything was in order for their part </span><span lang="EN-ZA">of t</span><span lang="EN-ZA">he event and then sign it.<span style=""> </span>I handed them out and that was the last time I saw them. Hmm.</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">At this point the show date was a week away and the general feeling was </span><span lang="EN-ZA">that I was the one who was going to make this happen or it would never happen.<span style=""> </span>These kids are still young and had probably never been put in charge of an event.<span style=""> </span>So in one hand I had, just let it fail and teach them the lesson of preparati</span><span lang="EN-ZA">on and follow through, or, to just swallow my pride and tie up the loose ends and get this show on the produ</span><span lang="EN-ZA">ction lin</span><span lang="EN-ZA">e.<span style=""> </span>I chose the latter and got things in order for the benefit of the kids.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">I had the kids spread the word about the show, make posters and tell the participants t</span><span lang="EN-ZA">hat w</span><span lang="EN-ZA">e would hold practice the two days prior to the event.<span style=""> </span>Things started coming together at the first </span><span lang="EN-ZA">practice.<span style=""> </span>We had a hand full of kids for each event that needed practicing like the fashion show, dancing and singing.<span style=""> </span>The PACT pairs took charge of their groups and organized the routines, times, and the judging.<span style=""> </span>My imitation of a fashion show gave them great ideas of how the runway walk would go.</span><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span><span lang="EN-ZA"><span style=""> </span>We made a stage, hired a teacher for our DJ and scra</span><span lang="EN-ZA">mbled to get everything in order before the doors opened at 6pm.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">It was like a real event.<span style=""> </span>Everything came together in the main hall.<span style=""> </span>The stage was built, tables were propped against windows to prevent free onlookers, and the DJ was hooked up. <span style=""> </span>We had extra PACT members stationed at the single entrance door and the broken windows to prev</span><span lang="EN-ZA">ent</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> sneak ins.<span style=""> </span>Doors o</span><span lang="EN-ZA">pened at 6:30pm</span><span lang="EN-ZA">, the most on time program start I have been a part of.<span style=""> </span>All participants got in for free and were given a school stamp on their arm.<span style=""> </span>(I swiped it off a teaches desk and promptly returned it after)<span style=""> </span>It </span><span lang="EN-ZA">cost 1P per person to enter ($0.15).<span style=""> </span>We organized an assembly line; one guy letting people in, a money taker, and a capturer who raised the st</span><span lang="EN-ZA">udents sleeve and I stamped them. <span style=""> </span>By the time the line had run dry we had made over 300P.<span style=""> </span>The place was packed when it started. <span style=""> </span>I made a schedule for the event and I was amazed by how the PACT members truly stepped up at the show. They started by introducing themselves, the PACT club and others that were in c</span><span lang="EN-ZA">harge.</span><span lang="EN-ZA"><span style=""> </span></span><span lang="EN-ZA">Because it’s a boarding school the students spend their time wondering the grounds doing a lot of nothing s</span><span lang="EN-ZA">o the energy at the entertainment show was electric.<span style=""> </span>You could hardly hear at the start.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3u08lWK1UIVtKm21ct5vtn0c7YA4fpuPD8Z1MyOlqwZ_kUlaVqVmqqeZbnYAiAOBwQ762M5KZPUe95FUdGEUkMO-HcriiZIEeT34pTdAfByIIBr7yPPmixjPBJcQMVCD6Rjd-LHbcXmI/s1600/P8121814.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3u08lWK1UIVtKm21ct5vtn0c7YA4fpuPD8Z1MyOlqwZ_kUlaVqVmqqeZbnYAiAOBwQ762M5KZPUe95FUdGEUkMO-HcriiZIEeT34pTdAfByIIBr7yPPmixjPBJcQMVCD6Rjd-LHbcXmI/s200/P8121814.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532357891676304386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYMs1tWXNgM-HYC3QRHw0y2leXSz-bRJyHfVZfqsFihsCG0YunVHEeLFAkB6BUo-AT44mrSsZ-3ZWNHHp8uDSTJB0ZzybyKIg1_O3QSZ-gPmq96eUwvDfuw5n12Wger3iUo1sB9XBq_0/s1600/P8121846.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYMs1tWXNgM-HYC3QRHw0y2leXSz-bRJyHfVZfqsFihsCG0YunVHEeLFAkB6BUo-AT44mrSsZ-3ZWNHHp8uDSTJB0ZzybyKIg1_O3QSZ-gPmq96eUwvDfuw5n12Wger3iUo1sB9XBq_0/s200/P8121846.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532659993724990914" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">Music played and the fashion show began. <span style=""> </span>The participants walk out together in their fanciest outfits, turned around and strutted their stuff.<span style=""> </span>They changed and came out individually doin</span><span lang="EN-ZA">g their special walk in less formal cloths.<span style=""> </span>Then they changed again (all changing was done in a corner behind two tables standing on end) and all come out together for a final walk about.<span style=""> </span>The music died down and it was time for judging.<span style=""> </span>I did it in a way that the crowd was the judge.<span style=""> </span>Each one stepped forward and was judged b</span><span lang="EN-ZA">y the cheering volume of the c</span><span lang="EN-ZA">rowd.<span style=""> </span>We narrowed it down to 3 and choose a winner.<span style=""> </span>We had prizes for 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> only.<span style=""> </span>For each event we</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> gave so</span><span lang="EN-ZA">me type of dish, ceramic mug, or mirror for first and candy for second.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3sLdA3Q5bLPyK7PrNBmGdtJzbni2N2nTxb1R4YPEDVKYxWGKB8XTgYFhWGlFTuTktkFi-jtagbSshhlhaV0NgcgcG6vIN4NbuissU6m0ZRquBCDYI6V5umaPtYbiOS2gYPxSHBYUNxA/s1600/P8121815.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3sLdA3Q5bLPyK7PrNBmGdtJzbni2N2nTxb1R4YPEDVKYxWGKB8XTgYFhWGlFTuTktkFi-jtagbSshhlhaV0NgcgcG6vIN4NbuissU6m0ZRquBCDYI6V5umaPtYbiOS2gYPxSHBYUNxA/s200/P8121815.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532357899450247170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM86MdShdh8OxCLLKjVZHXuMdQaECXGdrtgonm00Hin4psdhmhyphenhyphens5l1tNxyfq_LsAp0Ts2aeW7VFUs1KyC6vjsbBZ3Ldj4ynYKP60VzDqr0GSdlkAImleQFvQJf9ssX1QjtAv7bEuYg68/s1600/P8121823.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM86MdShdh8OxCLLKjVZHXuMdQaECXGdrtgonm00Hin4psdhmhyphenhyphens5l1tNxyfq_LsAp0Ts2aeW7VFUs1KyC6vjsbBZ3Ldj4ynYKP60VzDqr0GSdlkAImleQFvQJf9ssX1QjtAv7bEuYg68/s200/P8121823.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532357903380032482" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">Next was a bold individual girl who sang her lungs out to a song she knew by heart with</span><span lang="EN-ZA">out any music.<span style=""> </span>It was all in Setswana so I’m not clear on the content but I think I understood it to be a gospel hymn.<span style=""> </span>She obviously won first place and everyone cheered.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60MQXgQWym2PXsV8f6QLgEBd0HggvNp1gWlBeIyCv0c423HdvLlMyniQK93zQgGuOYnmKE542HQJzkC_toMjYtYqh15fvYj53HWLpN7vYwnRu_1gSOlNA4dfwmjO6dWuotWgXy2nEfrA/s1600/P8121827.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60MQXgQWym2PXsV8f6QLgEBd0HggvNp1gWlBeIyCv0c423HdvLlMyniQK93zQgGuOYnmKE542HQJzkC_toMjYtYqh15fvYj53HWLpN7vYwnRu_1gSOlNA4dfwmjO6dWuotWgXy2nEfrA/s200/P8121827.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532357913798363154" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">My favourite, dancing, was next and it had a lot of participants.<span style=""> </span>More than 8 different groups danced some alone and some with 2 and 3 members.<span style=""> </span>Some even dressed alike.<span style=""> </span>They favoured the song Waka Waka by Shakira, great tune.<span style=""> </span>These kids can boogie for sure.<span style=""> </span>I captured some great video.<span style=""> </span>Katie and I were both blown away by the skill of these participants.<span style=""> </span>The dancing here is 90% below the waste with quick feet and bowing of the knees.<span style=""> </span>The guy who won did the robot and a perfect moon walk.<span style=""> </span>It was actually hard to pick the top 3 bec</span><span lang="EN-ZA">ause everyone was so good.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxc2YC1Aoj86ZGgwRtG8cJ5cLuM6rr95zoRNHY7x5fdnEJuYf_Crsb7KfQg7dgdnCGn4SCP_818Msr2QRi9fBBEh9BqCBwylUJJY10RPsJgT-ddS0INCnQOTEtIM4P9gVM4me1vtqePo/s1600/P8121834.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxc2YC1Aoj86ZGgwRtG8cJ5cLuM6rr95zoRNHY7x5fdnEJuYf_Crsb7KfQg7dgdnCGn4SCP_818Msr2QRi9fBBEh9BqCBwylUJJY10RPsJgT-ddS0INCnQOTEtIM4P9gVM4me1vtqePo/s200/P8121834.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532357919199950930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXY8qXEqpvv7wRGB6YuzI1sSeLJNh0aWJAquHZbmh1kuMHhomR7Y3J_Tf5XM-TcPwM_otw7zNcf_54O3gHT-OFxI9ANnYPV1HWDVZ2knZ06dCFEZQ3BQq4N_zpfo57El-h5_vWdi935g/s1600/P8121841.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXY8qXEqpvv7wRGB6YuzI1sSeLJNh0aWJAquHZbmh1kuMHhomR7Y3J_Tf5XM-TcPwM_otw7zNcf_54O3gHT-OFxI9ANnYPV1HWDVZ2knZ06dCFEZQ3BQq4N_zpfo57El-h5_vWdi935g/s200/P8121841.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532659983983474194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcmUfIu9zmxKQ5T8Jj-KeTF0EslbNTdsE21cGPJ9bn7Lc2ltdMEEyyjcqbYel_d1zQZ_OqEScFI5CngOWdcTxTIOxRreoTB9mmq68IpEFcYze7YM-7eDIbZJN8YAxBfKEHRfzOMG77_I/s1600/P8121842.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcmUfIu9zmxKQ5T8Jj-KeTF0EslbNTdsE21cGPJ9bn7Lc2ltdMEEyyjcqbYel_d1zQZ_OqEScFI5CngOWdcTxTIOxRreoTB9mmq68IpEFcYze7YM-7eDIbZJN8YAxBfKEHRfzOMG77_I/s200/P8121842.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532659990726714978" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">Then another bold individual boy read a poem he had written.<span style=""> </span>I was sad because the microphone went out part way through his poem and he had to shout over people to finish.<span style=""> </span>None the less a job well done.<span style=""> </span>I wish I knew the language better, I might have had more to say on the poem. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">Last but not least was the food eating competition.<span style=""> </span>I limited the participants to 5 so that we had enough food for everyone.<span style=""> </span>We had the kitchen staff cook a jumbo package of spaghetti and I had bought a bag of apples.<span style=""> </span>We dished each plate with a towering pile of spaghetti, cold but cooked, and topp</span><span lang="EN-ZA">ed it with two green apples.<span style=""> </span>The rules were simple; the first one done was the winner.<span style=""> </span>The crowd swarmed the stage to get a better view when we blew the start whistle.<span style=""> </span>It was deafening in there with</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> everyone cheering.<span style=""> </span>The boys tried so hard but some of them, I could tell, just knew that they couldn’t win and decided to just enjoy the food.<span style=""> </span>The boy who won however ate like an animal from beginning to end.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZsd3mUCCxD6f0O9-oQ-JATNUS9YE8GoB6RYI1iLoQwAgU6Oo8tqhgE8BUcovQeJ-aphNSvLG0QvfAvmNdCpjLpeQiKmdAcluqMOO5yF6Oply0BnqL1W2k4AbpfFtrrRrKiHeB3o0I3k/s1600/P8121867.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZsd3mUCCxD6f0O9-oQ-JATNUS9YE8GoB6RYI1iLoQwAgU6Oo8tqhgE8BUcovQeJ-aphNSvLG0QvfAvmNdCpjLpeQiKmdAcluqMOO5yF6Oply0BnqL1W2k4AbpfFtrrRrKiHeB3o0I3k/s200/P8121867.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532659999501100002" border="0" /></a><span lang="EN-ZA"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFqIGwkxreaDLIHy3YFUWNcpVTVbPtJn9d2YwXCRSZGOJjECKCNmM2t2WjC7dcnRzTB0cpkIXRHzttMpJ099UFEEXypB-nIfiMkh_sAuo_0NfsZQhvAtwOhw2T6gJGMryM4mmnv86BGk/s1600/P8121874.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFqIGwkxreaDLIHy3YFUWNcpVTVbPtJn9d2YwXCRSZGOJjECKCNmM2t2WjC7dcnRzTB0cpkIXRHzttMpJ099UFEEXypB-nIfiMkh_sAuo_0NfsZQhvAtwOhw2T6gJGMryM4mmnv86BGk/s200/P8121874.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532660001700995602" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA">By the time we declared the winner it was late and the deputy school head had shown up and relayed to me that it was time to wrap it up.<span style=""> </span>I saw it as a total success and so did those of my PACT club.<span style=""> </span>Now they can see what it takes to pull off a successful event.<span style=""> </span>I’m proud of those kids.</span></p> Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-74458904110142616902010-09-25T11:06:00.000-07:002010-09-25T12:28:28.775-07:00Mozambique-Trapped in Paradise<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iulP0ZRipFazqSojYxr2hNiCD8D5v141hf5NmonEGapuk4nCLTr3_ZWEVWlitu1vTF-lEOl7ixHDsoDIr1Ho1fG5GjCpRn3Bxe6nXolyk1ZNvIGTwjWqKMgWlnmF3HzQM_D9_5NI1IE/s1600/P9011813.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520928228181628850" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iulP0ZRipFazqSojYxr2hNiCD8D5v141hf5NmonEGapuk4nCLTr3_ZWEVWlitu1vTF-lEOl7ixHDsoDIr1Ho1fG5GjCpRn3Bxe6nXolyk1ZNvIGTwjWqKMgWlnmF3HzQM_D9_5NI1IE/s200/P9011813.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div>This trip was fantastic and amazing but it was also splattered with disasters and misfortunes. All things worked out and it’s the good things that stick in our memory.<br />Rise and shine, 4:30 am taxi took us to the bus stop for our 6:30 am bus. We were a little early...but better safe than sorry. 6:30 sharp found us sitting in spacious seats on a clean two story ‘Intercape’ bus. At the South Africa boarder things were still going smooth until we were two people away from the immigration desk and Katie realized we had forgotten our exemption certificate. This is very important paperwork that either keeps us in Botswana or keeps us from re-entering Botswana. An honest brain fart kept us from putting them back in our passports after we got our visas at the Mozambique embassy. So needless to say, the bus continued on to Johannesburg without us on it. Our first speed bump led us to contact a network of wonderful people that pulled strings, called in important favours and got us across the border. Plan B was to delay, loose our bus fares, drive back to Salajwe and possibly have to abandon the trip all together. After 3 hours of running around, begging and pleading, and spending extra money we walked across the border onto South African soil. We caught up to our lay over bus in Johannesburg thanks to a racecar driver turned Kombi driver who made quick time of the drive. Our original layover of 9 hours was pleasantly shaved down to 2. The overnight bus ride was excellent in the way buses go.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVFCO8mkiJbjM8UbEUCKEjdaZZgjmUmd4y2Gy0Ab-Ku6abUDHTi5vTs7VPcSv_b-jAG-jnjKTU0rLH3U6ETmYo73mdtpa3DB7jvd02USOyne7ZhMFv5fKLR4WmxtWwoY3FU87YrAzPSM/s1600/P8291758.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520919424611378258" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVFCO8mkiJbjM8UbEUCKEjdaZZgjmUmd4y2Gy0Ab-Ku6abUDHTi5vTs7VPcSv_b-jAG-jnjKTU0rLH3U6ETmYo73mdtpa3DB7jvd02USOyne7ZhMFv5fKLR4WmxtWwoY3FU87YrAzPSM/s200/P8291758.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The morning sun warmed us as we stood in a belligerent line to get our passports stamped to enter Mozambique. At one point, everyone was pushing so hard, Katie said she could have lifted her legs up and been held in place. Our bus driver got all our passports and got them stamped for us so the adventure was just another experience to remember. In Maputo, the Mozambique capitol, we dropped our bags at a backpackers and explored the capitol. We were warned about the 17 hour unreliable bus ride over horribly maintained roads so we decided to seek cheap plane tickets at the local airport. In no time we were holding 2 one-way tickets to Vilanculos. Back in our co-ed dorm room we relaxed and met some world travellers. Paul is an American married to a Mozambique woman who he hadn’t seen in a year of working in the states. He joined us for pizza and we were glad he did because all the menus were in Portuguese. The next morning, the 29th, we taxied over to the airport by 10am to catch our 12:00 flight. The Mozambique airlines, LAM, hooked us up. We had a small sandwich and guava with a beverage while we waited in the lobby. Then on the plane we had another meal, and it was only a 2 hour flight. At the airport in Vilanculos we waited with the other passengers for our luggage. A luggage cart rolled in and everyone started picking up their bags, then everyone left. Where were our bags? We waited, and waited until I finally grabbed the only English-speaking guy on staff who ran after our plane but came back empty handed. There we were, two Americans in a foreign airport with the clothes on our backs, our passports, some cash and some odds and ends.<br />“This Is Africa” one man explained as we arrived at our backpacker bungalow for two. We finished a dinner of 3 crabs each with salad and chips for just over $3. A lot of labour goes into eating a crab! After a dreamless night of sleep we woke to the crashing of waves not 50 yards from your front door. The entire day was spent in the village, through the market and past all the craft stands. Haggling is a game that everyone plays with the white customer. Caucasian = Money. We stopped at the airport just after lunch but our bags were still not there. We were given ~$50 to compensate for our missing luggage until the bags could be located. We were coming to terms that we may never see our luggage again. But we agreed that that would not stop us from enjoying paradise. We booked our deep sea SCUBA dive for the next day and our 5 am fishing/snorkelling/ island lunch trip for the following day. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIcu5WbEoLDRf9CbsN3xIt0-r9f0UP_Wmi1euUBgqBPb0nQYzG_eGDT-lxezTkVK_txUrm7mtUum-9arnyXUxbIMoTCic_AnFXRGpg-aB4YuYwTd_vFutyrZ4Bg1OwfHfKULEVp43L-8/s1600/P8291760.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520919432502049026" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIcu5WbEoLDRf9CbsN3xIt0-r9f0UP_Wmi1euUBgqBPb0nQYzG_eGDT-lxezTkVK_txUrm7mtUum-9arnyXUxbIMoTCic_AnFXRGpg-aB4YuYwTd_vFutyrZ4Bg1OwfHfKULEVp43L-8/s200/P8291760.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbtLvKwq6jKGujVsRcTZ9f0mAcJg1xWzSiQ26eAZBqTH4kJDKG_y8nbROGvWeK9lsMwn9R9SXvmcLW9ZDZKbuH53IH2h_XlwO5FuTMBJMuXkQMNkGb3Bw51QnLdrnuajCvnGeMBM1Lfg/s1600/P8301770.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520919443500246418" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbtLvKwq6jKGujVsRcTZ9f0mAcJg1xWzSiQ26eAZBqTH4kJDKG_y8nbROGvWeK9lsMwn9R9SXvmcLW9ZDZKbuH53IH2h_XlwO5FuTMBJMuXkQMNkGb3Bw51QnLdrnuajCvnGeMBM1Lfg/s200/P8301770.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLz1xvQFGP3LlyFWlzikXNS60dl4SwqslRUGC74b1TmO6Evt0Rl42ByXyVA3F5AEoYxI0RIv4UrhEK-4ssB3b382q0YqCyiVx2swWWOk56ulFFmZryZGAbvr0Clk3mW_2nNlFUjHgMDU/s1600/P9031867.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520932569735191570" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLz1xvQFGP3LlyFWlzikXNS60dl4SwqslRUGC74b1TmO6Evt0Rl42ByXyVA3F5AEoYxI0RIv4UrhEK-4ssB3b382q0YqCyiVx2swWWOk56ulFFmZryZGAbvr0Clk3mW_2nNlFUjHgMDU/s200/P9031867.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The following morning, our SCUBA instructor picked us up and gave us refresher course before we went on Big Blue. SCUBA is like riding a bike; it all comes back once the gear is on. Katie has been certified since she was 12 so she had no problems. I acted like I had done it a million times and it worked out great. We had two dives on Sao Sebastian Reef, both extremely beautiful, full of colour and countless exotic, vibrant fish. The Arches were an amazing collection of coral that was shaped in arch way that allowed the diver to swim through them, gaze into caves, and explore hidden beauty. We love being underwater, especially when a 300lb logger head turtle swims from it hiding place 10 feet from you. We also saw: radial fire fish, crocodile fish, unicorn fish, surgeon fish, honeycomb moray eel, green turtles, and trumpet fish just to name a few. The dives were breathtaking and the simple lunch on an uninhabited tropical island made a great ending to a memorable experience.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRq4WAoxyJoSeZPWc9crG2PqYovRWXtY4Sg-zSsOl75lFG9Bg3xixCh3gntclvNR9gGL1iq1jb_3o5i4tTEYoZF6gfkKA0dHlirQakKPiP3Rsq7AWDATdhUhYB0TgLzEL3taYH2fa-p-k/s1600/P8311781.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520919448962333330" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRq4WAoxyJoSeZPWc9crG2PqYovRWXtY4Sg-zSsOl75lFG9Bg3xixCh3gntclvNR9gGL1iq1jb_3o5i4tTEYoZF6gfkKA0dHlirQakKPiP3Rsq7AWDATdhUhYB0TgLzEL3taYH2fa-p-k/s200/P8311781.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lwlymFAE2aiAztc3SaCHyg-raB47PzGHU8ekhFELv5eeSq9v0LR9wOmpVvg3gdGu88TtZ2nRyMv6kIrWxk1OfaNNSG1CFIA9JVv7nYvXT_V5TgW06a9FZ3n9yPXgMkwE6AX6TDNS4lA/s1600/P8311787.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520924083619599442" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lwlymFAE2aiAztc3SaCHyg-raB47PzGHU8ekhFELv5eeSq9v0LR9wOmpVvg3gdGu88TtZ2nRyMv6kIrWxk1OfaNNSG1CFIA9JVv7nYvXT_V5TgW06a9FZ3n9yPXgMkwE6AX6TDNS4lA/s200/P8311787.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We still had no word on our lost luggage. The day wound down with an amazing sea food pizza, and locally brewed coconut beer. The beer showed up late in the evening in a dirty water jug looking like grey skim milk, smelling a little like meat and tasting similar to egg whites but nothing I’ve ever tasted. We suffered through a few glasses, sharing the majority with other backpackers and locals, not once tasting alcohol or feeling the legendary effects. Once was enough for that little beverage. Before curling up on our mosquito net-covered bed, I concocted a sea water/bottled water saline substitute for my contacts. It worked fantastic!<br />The prospect of huge fish, screaming reels, and a seafood lunch motivated me out of bed at 4:30am. The dawn was trying it’s best to burn off the dense fog that had settled on the bay. Katie backed out of the fishing trip when she saw another guy along to accompany me; a very nice German with a bag full of fishing equipment. Let me summarise our 7-hour fishing trip: got lost and disoriented in the fog; started trolling late; controlled fire on the boat for making tea and fried eggs; guides forgot bait; more trolling; snagged 3 fish not much bigger than the lures; saw whales up close swimming and blowing; and the German tried spear gun fishing to get us bait...no luck. By 1:00p we met up with Katie and the snorkelling crew on Bazaruto Island. We hungry fisherman helped themselves to what was left of an amazing seafood lunch of calamari stew, barracuda fillets, rice, orange and salad. I relaxed for a second before Katie had me breaking the ‘don’t swim after eating’ rule. The snorkelling was absolutely gorgeous. All along the shore was a reef ledge teaming with fish. We saw an active octopus that could change its skin colour and texture to match its surroundings. Katie spotted it and I didn’t see it until it moved out of my clumsy way before I almost stepped right on it...oops. We speared two fish for dinner and headed back to Vilanculos. Our boat erected its huge, traditional African single sale and we rode the wind all the way in; a lovely way to travel. Back at our lodge we paid the kitchen staff to cook us up the fish we had speared plus potatoes. It fed 6 of us with no problem and tasted wonderful. It was only hours old and done to perfection. Yum. Our multi cultural table consisted of Katie and I with English and Setswana, the German guy who spoke German, English, and a lot of Spanish, his Columbian wife show spoke Spanish and German, an Iranian guy who spoke English and Hebrew, a German girl who spoke German and English and a SCUBA instructor who spoke any number of languages with confidence. The news had been playing in the background and we noticed some riots had broken out in Maputo, the capitol city of Mozambique. They were saying it was due to the rise in the price of bread. The footage was fairly violent but the locals around the camp said it should cool down by tomorrow. As expected, we received a call from Peace Corps Mozambique Country Director. She said all volunteers were on ‘Stand Fast’ until further notice. Standfast refers to our Emergency Action Plan which means no volunteers are allowed to travel and must stay put wherever they are until further notice. Well, there are worse places to be stuck. Bags still lost.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKpAfQY_xADXJFKT7i5rceQoRJ5Ld8b4MNlTI2YZBGp03IbNVwFdZ5IP59JQ669pFkiLKV8Z37LfylFnx-U5ZaeuZsIPrm64op7A3CrUoMjk2k5Sart89sSfS8OqfmwTeCuaAi5CYt44/s1600/P9011796.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520924095401540658" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKpAfQY_xADXJFKT7i5rceQoRJ5Ld8b4MNlTI2YZBGp03IbNVwFdZ5IP59JQ669pFkiLKV8Z37LfylFnx-U5ZaeuZsIPrm64op7A3CrUoMjk2k5Sart89sSfS8OqfmwTeCuaAi5CYt44/s200/P9011796.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWyZslZ2TKrN_tQ6FRnypIUDZM9iai74tf6xBwYvKgMW-O0tQg6SQgMb8KRmLTaNgau14oN_uJ3eJz20lCq4zWrSkAsr1c0Nva9s7MHqJsZltO66xdMOUh1dascTmYkqKU25gPYRQ6E8/s1600/P8311786.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520924078145127458" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWyZslZ2TKrN_tQ6FRnypIUDZM9iai74tf6xBwYvKgMW-O0tQg6SQgMb8KRmLTaNgau14oN_uJ3eJz20lCq4zWrSkAsr1c0Nva9s7MHqJsZltO66xdMOUh1dascTmYkqKU25gPYRQ6E8/s200/P8311786.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOVCsBEjgfRJ_Nqv2yJPO4Rtpta85AvO6h8FD6W7KqiuISgU4xh5QyHWIU-h8AAhM5TFmaC_z3lKkHpWEoNulOkYWjqrEqLZ7SwnlNXZbZcPr7xjoSnWOVs9cMJ1XUNi-OGCZ50BBsOI/s1600/P9011810.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520924108876290194" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOVCsBEjgfRJ_Nqv2yJPO4Rtpta85AvO6h8FD6W7KqiuISgU4xh5QyHWIU-h8AAhM5TFmaC_z3lKkHpWEoNulOkYWjqrEqLZ7SwnlNXZbZcPr7xjoSnWOVs9cMJ1XUNi-OGCZ50BBsOI/s200/P9011810.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmoCNj1e_eeAVnInME-NEJI6fvORaLb0FzDmb1f9Jj7C0ew4jS2qDHuG16IbKox5nnYuxvRy9LRPcBPEBqcQ_3RthHa51h4ORZULaq8KXp1ScAFpfvDJi4fjMwg05zbiok__HLrP_4cY/s1600/P9011829.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520928253319188946" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmoCNj1e_eeAVnInME-NEJI6fvORaLb0FzDmb1f9Jj7C0ew4jS2qDHuG16IbKox5nnYuxvRy9LRPcBPEBqcQ_3RthHa51h4ORZULaq8KXp1ScAFpfvDJi4fjMwg05zbiok__HLrP_4cY/s200/P9011829.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbgegS4YDgXQKjKcShq-gDb6ZYPisQmqrBC6Kvpi8Q9cpuF2Jn_3RJwcUARkC72Xss0s0PqgorBGsoepCQbFhJ0LL2FTKWZKNqHdjk-RTPc0bQNbxuTeCZ6OzoeaQRCmEXCnfXj70NuI/s1600/P9011840.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520928287042623602" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbgegS4YDgXQKjKcShq-gDb6ZYPisQmqrBC6Kvpi8Q9cpuF2Jn_3RJwcUARkC72Xss0s0PqgorBGsoepCQbFhJ0LL2FTKWZKNqHdjk-RTPc0bQNbxuTeCZ6OzoeaQRCmEXCnfXj70NuI/s200/P9011840.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT8BI2nPckCRkxoeJvQdyrIE7s632V-iBp9OOCa_7ore_YfZPx9pMJRjATAvoazOSSFBMDYscqLH3RP6KFDGQgXv_0mSmZaQFRyf6NfyX0-PYJsKjQh_pqiGpQ-QddTCH99Sb3D0KIDA/s1600/P9011819.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520928229244202258" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT8BI2nPckCRkxoeJvQdyrIE7s632V-iBp9OOCa_7ore_YfZPx9pMJRjATAvoazOSSFBMDYscqLH3RP6KFDGQgXv_0mSmZaQFRyf6NfyX0-PYJsKjQh_pqiGpQ-QddTCH99Sb3D0KIDA/s200/P9011819.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQPjhBIv4CoXc5kHOdlLsKYefpa22cS97pfGfFOWuU7CIyyk7NP9NbDr_SdZB6vYX0SIb28J2ozF8lfUab5u1CrB4Lq5kYklKlC8AOQs2NoVyHtbqZrPc2tQoA_D6Ft-bPW5XqZLcKME/s1600/P9011825.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520928236321052466" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQPjhBIv4CoXc5kHOdlLsKYefpa22cS97pfGfFOWuU7CIyyk7NP9NbDr_SdZB6vYX0SIb28J2ozF8lfUab5u1CrB4Lq5kYklKlC8AOQs2NoVyHtbqZrPc2tQoA_D6Ft-bPW5XqZLcKME/s200/P9011825.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholK7c2IfXg1Nhab63XEGcrPuS1lhlxEq019pa8PFkNLD0E78KjvsBsysAruz0DkENUs0_wpwALBoKw60JBeFdzib5Q1MQfqkNZq40RPDX2YqbNVyDb5nImDGKiwR1I0kJL9swsoUomKU/s1600/P8311792.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520924088885231394" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholK7c2IfXg1Nhab63XEGcrPuS1lhlxEq019pa8PFkNLD0E78KjvsBsysAruz0DkENUs0_wpwALBoKw60JBeFdzib5Q1MQfqkNZq40RPDX2YqbNVyDb5nImDGKiwR1I0kJL9swsoUomKU/s200/P8311792.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecjbVHWe812ZVH7LQOQQVzlFSNDPxoVgZAh1ArdoOcEsSVsgEupXq_ZeKtNx6sp0wd-ESI673v7qEV3wCeRNSC6zE4b83POtKnxLSBSBoAj2D-pgKcd7SIYr9nXXhBgBaSIr55ARDeEk/s1600/P9011843.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520932554973608482" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecjbVHWe812ZVH7LQOQQVzlFSNDPxoVgZAh1ArdoOcEsSVsgEupXq_ZeKtNx6sp0wd-ESI673v7qEV3wCeRNSC6zE4b83POtKnxLSBSBoAj2D-pgKcd7SIYr9nXXhBgBaSIr55ARDeEk/s200/P9011843.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Our last day in Vilanculos was meant for relaxing and any last minute things we wanted to do. We made a list of all the gear and the replacement cost of everything in our luggage. The value was in the thousands. The plan was to go to the airport and start the paper work for lost luggage. We went into the village market, bought two cheap replacement backpacks, razors, lotion and some more clothes. The lesson we think God was teaching us was to not be attached to worldly things. We survived very simply on 2 sets of clothes and few belongings. Peace Corps Mozambique contacted us to let us know that the situation in Maputo had escalated to Critical. We were instructed to cancel our flight out of Maputo and were given contacts for the Peace Corps volunteers staying in Vilanculos. I contacted our friend at the airport to tell him we were coming in to fill out the missing luggage paperwork. Much to our surprise, he told us our luggage had arrived! Wholly smokes, better late than never I guess. The bags were just fine, only a few missing items but the bulk was there. Katie lost her Chaco sandals, and I lost a few random electronic charger cords, for reasons I still don’t understand. The paperwork for those losses is still pending. Just when we had accepted our things were gone forever, the universe gave them back. God just wanted us to know what nothing is ours, everything we have has been given to us and when we realized that, He gave us our toys back. This called for a night out in our best attire! That is exactly what we did.</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2HpxJhNTrge5-zG7oyJ53KJ022f9oOtNN236ZigYtj0jHbrReqxuvQqwYiefwD-tEpOaibcw-_Cyk_T_y2GQ9PXfIKD3nati0IH3RPAhwl_OscjqBVcX7QX0bWu9Ld2DJTexWjZTXl8/s1600/P9041878.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520932574882301426" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2HpxJhNTrge5-zG7oyJ53KJ022f9oOtNN236ZigYtj0jHbrReqxuvQqwYiefwD-tEpOaibcw-_Cyk_T_y2GQ9PXfIKD3nati0IH3RPAhwl_OscjqBVcX7QX0bWu9Ld2DJTexWjZTXl8/s200/P9041878.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3YugJCnfd-LS_l-sSoBMq6cgpwY5xK5_8pCoq0-XUoY7_iFoNDOfLg8zksQKd92VDCxzl8-7ezLnAoCyi1mpskHPLQqBpSrrUEPeGtKXi_ulp8yi6hui2YBRHNf16mXpmT-Td7AjMzM/s1600/P9081884.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520934034155449698" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3YugJCnfd-LS_l-sSoBMq6cgpwY5xK5_8pCoq0-XUoY7_iFoNDOfLg8zksQKd92VDCxzl8-7ezLnAoCyi1mpskHPLQqBpSrrUEPeGtKXi_ulp8yi6hui2YBRHNf16mXpmT-Td7AjMzM/s200/P9081884.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I accompanied my beautiful wife to one of the fanciest restaurants in the village. I had a grouper fillet with rice and Katie had prawns and a salad and we split a piece of key lime pie. We settled the bill somewhere around $25US and had a lovely evening walk home. Before we got to our room I received a text message: “Dear PCVs, hope u r well, plz review yr Emergency Action Plan. In the event the cell network goes completely down, plz listen to Radio Mozambique, 92.3FM for PC-MZ official communications. Plz make sure u have extra phone credit, food & water and money on hand. Stand fast continues indefinitely and we want everyone to continue to remain at site or where u r and be prepared. We r taking all precautions possible in advance and we want u to do the same. Thnx” We knew we would be staying in Vilanculos for a while.<br />Bless those Peace Corps volunteers for taking us in! The next 5 days were spent in a sloth/slug state. We relaxed in hammocks, read books, we watched season 5 of The Office, walked the beach, swam, toured the village endlessly, napped, we hug with the local volunteers, partied one night, ate raw coconut, ate traditional food, we cooked fish tacos and generally felt like we got out of Vilanculos what it had to offer us. We were in limbo. It was nice in a way but also equally uncomfortable because we were missing our own place. Meanwhile the standfast continued to be extended. After getting permission from Peace Corps Mozambique, we booked plane tickets from Vilanculos to Johannesburg, South Africa, bypassing Maputo completely. The operator assured me we could purchase the tickets at the airport the day of departure. It looked as if we were getting home after all. We just had to wait for the flight date. When it arrived we were more than anxious to leave paradise, for no reason other than we were done with our vacation a long time ago. All was going as planned until we got to the air port. And why would we be surprised, the credit card machine was not accepting any of our cards! One more road bump. What was happening? It was like everything was against this trip. I quickly remembered I had stashed some American cash for emergencies and now it was to the rescue. We pooled together US cash, South Africa Rand and Mozambique Metacais to total the price of the tickets. We couldn’t believe the attendant accepted it. The next thing we knew we were on a large plane leaving Mozambique. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkUGwOhgtbHkLtgOK_i2qMyQlxTSzlVSWw0ErKS9ZO_87WRutu5hdidMzFQFYdktgxBGCJZ6FIz3HtJDAtkdfgFUdyZK4ECnCXSJa4KrVEzlE5Mh7Qj-BWldJcRUojR4XzOBkXmMO21s/s1600/P9021848.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520932558949914018" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkUGwOhgtbHkLtgOK_i2qMyQlxTSzlVSWw0ErKS9ZO_87WRutu5hdidMzFQFYdktgxBGCJZ6FIz3HtJDAtkdfgFUdyZK4ECnCXSJa4KrVEzlE5Mh7Qj-BWldJcRUojR4XzOBkXmMO21s/s200/P9021848.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhVD1oLntT4zg1lUr86tZF4gImep55pcsqbVwD9Kw8dmJ4eJxaLvs8pM5FkgNJKgp2RLRfDcW_nueMYnfHomXE6l1mkEW0qprAOYQcT6L-2nOqfi5RAtdkAs0c7fu-Pb542fVi6yz-fM/s1600/P9021852.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520932562626812498" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhVD1oLntT4zg1lUr86tZF4gImep55pcsqbVwD9Kw8dmJ4eJxaLvs8pM5FkgNJKgp2RLRfDcW_nueMYnfHomXE6l1mkEW0qprAOYQcT6L-2nOqfi5RAtdkAs0c7fu-Pb542fVi6yz-fM/s200/P9021852.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We were landing in South Africa with about $30US between us and a long way to go but luckily our credit cards worked at the ATM. To wrap up this saga, we made it home to Salajwe safe and sound. The only hickup was getting back into Botswana with our certified copies of our Exemption Certificates. It all ended up working out and we almost kissed Botswana soil but were glad to be home in our own village with our own home and bed. We had been living out of the same backpacks for 3 weeks and had only planned for 9 days. Lessons were learned: Always have all your travel papers, Always plastic wrap your luggage for international travel, always keep emergency cash somewhere, and always...always be flexible to what life throws you. We always have this story now.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE18TYPnMhixC8Ysjrgw9v-xJ3l5-p8TEDHujaJdXneAnSVDJLePpotcoENey26idmzIngXN_57rkUuZbDvC_5QZtcZIpIppYV_Y3HrCFzYla6vibWzPBxjjOBubGVGc4mIJbE3y8Ph8/s1600/P8301768.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520919437121148866" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE18TYPnMhixC8Ysjrgw9v-xJ3l5-p8TEDHujaJdXneAnSVDJLePpotcoENey26idmzIngXN_57rkUuZbDvC_5QZtcZIpIppYV_Y3HrCFzYla6vibWzPBxjjOBubGVGc4mIJbE3y8Ph8/s200/P8301768.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-7680624021372076802010-08-27T01:29:00.000-07:002010-08-27T01:30:10.192-07:00Guidance and CounselingWhen Peace Corps is assigning volunteers a site, they will also assign us a counterpart, that is, a local leader who will work as a partner for us at our organization (DAC office, NGO, school, or clinic). Counterparts can prove to be one of the most rewarding parts of service, or the hardest. And sometimes, they are transferred. Such was the case for Lucas’ counterpart Mma Ramakgati. Mma Rammoi was assigned as acting guidance counselor until Mma Ramakgati’s position could be filled. Unfortunately Mma Rammoi had scheduling conflicts with her current classes and the guidance classes. Lucas and I offered to teach her Form 3 classes.<br />We chose Form 3 hoping that they would know the most English (they are the oldest class at Lempu Jr Sec. School ~ 10th graders). I had been wanting to promote sexual health and education in the schools and was eager to take advantage of the opportunity. I’m glad that Lucas and I were both teaching. One, we could help to control the classroom. And two, we thought it would make both sexes more comfortable that there was a man and a woman to talk about sex. We planned to avoid lecture-based lessons (only a small percentage of students could keep up with our English) and do more activities in which students could participate. We had 6 40-minute classes, four days a week.<br />Together we wrote up lesson plans that covered gender identity, sexual biology, teen pregnancy, relationships, communication skills, before sex, and introduction to careers. We got creative with some of our activities, including; having a group of students describe a sexual body part or behavior written on the board to a student whose back was facing the board (without saying the word), having students put posters in order that describes how a woman falls pregnant, and teaching communication skills by pairing up students, having one describe a drawing on the board and the other student recreate the drawing without looking. We taught how to complete a formal letter of application (even if they had no previous work experience). I invited a member of the clinic staff to come and talk with students about what services the clinic offers as far as protection and what to do if you think you might be pregnant. We tried to create a comfortable environment where the students felt they could talk openly about sex and not be judged. <br />I was surprised how mature the students were talking about puberty and sexual behaviors. One activity we had the students determine what was considered abstaining from sex and what wasn’t, for example open mouth kissing, masturbating, fondling a partner’s sexual body parts, or having sex with a condom. Once they decided, they had to argue the other side why they considered the behavior abstinence or not. It forced the students to decide before hand what activities they were willing to partake in. A separate activity, the class wrote up two lists: reasons why to have sex, and reasons to wait. Our intentions are for the students to decide on their own to wait, not for us to decide for them.<br />Since we didn’t have exams to give them the last week of Term 2, we brought a game. I gave them a short survey to determine what, if anything, they learned during our class. I wrote the questions in English and Setswana so that everyone in the class could participate. Unfortunately, the students answered in Setswana as well so I’ll be busy translating those… The big surprise was BINGO. No English required, no skill required. It was perfect. The students loved it!Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-19322240725638965702010-08-27T00:18:00.000-07:002010-08-27T00:27:10.079-07:00ThanksPeterson Families<br /><br />Thanks once again for the box of goodies. It’s so great to be caught up on how things are going state-side. The beef sticks were delicious. The fruit snacks didn’t last very long either! Lucas looks great in the t shirts. And they couldn’t be more appropriate =) Q-tips are addicting; I didn’t bring nearly enough to Botswana. You guys are so thoughtful. Thanks so much for thinking of us.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO9jFEPfY7GnDoII2PIuPLYQnex54Bi-qxNIEY5WN0GWDy_Fy3OHm1boegvyOmjpRLTBNl02ieuhQBeO186xfPjPjfXBspsoxoJGUwB4sbNtNPkaWvchNyL7CavtO6okKy5k-6rTeTSo/s1600/P8171736.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509987085186107714" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO9jFEPfY7GnDoII2PIuPLYQnex54Bi-qxNIEY5WN0GWDy_Fy3OHm1boegvyOmjpRLTBNl02ieuhQBeO186xfPjPjfXBspsoxoJGUwB4sbNtNPkaWvchNyL7CavtO6okKy5k-6rTeTSo/s200/P8171736.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Cassada Family<br /><br />Hey guys, long time…. It was such a treat to get your package in the mail. It took a second to figure out who it was from. The KY return address threw me off. Did you guys move? I was excited to find out all about it but couldn’t find a card. But man, the goodies were great. It’s hard to beat Beef jerky, ever. It came at a perfect time. We’re taking a trip where we’ll be on a bus for a long time. The trail mix, cliff bars, and magazines are perfect! Our hearts still race for UFC; great choice! That was very considerate of you. Hope we get to catch up soon. Love you guys. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoLv_UOKY94SdP0PnLVi8CJj-GyUy2Xtw24fzd8ixNCfCIXF6hA3Ef7hPqIoZpXcYFl1ZBP_VRIyD2I2hPynBhp7u85cS-wLz9p_DAvCV5pSL-pCV8lbwiQa_MlyQlqS8YxZ2Z-IzOr4/s1600/P8241738.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509987093019555346" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoLv_UOKY94SdP0PnLVi8CJj-GyUy2Xtw24fzd8ixNCfCIXF6hA3Ef7hPqIoZpXcYFl1ZBP_VRIyD2I2hPynBhp7u85cS-wLz9p_DAvCV5pSL-pCV8lbwiQa_MlyQlqS8YxZ2Z-IzOr4/s200/P8241738.JPG" border="0" /></a>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-39193508563307534562010-08-25T05:59:00.000-07:002010-08-25T06:48:52.639-07:00Random Pics<div><div><div>Here are some random Pictures I thought we could share!!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWsC3QQuczttarYqvijwlirco9eDGuvmTxZWxkfKjDGYNscgc_LOUrjBM9WsDXORnfaoGiCrjZ795boVYn8RwBgiVm1fLSibn49KxVXKIvD-cfDHMv7ToK3P0zqNGyrYdlal2l5BYEQQ/s1600/P9260082.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509338482846924226" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWsC3QQuczttarYqvijwlirco9eDGuvmTxZWxkfKjDGYNscgc_LOUrjBM9WsDXORnfaoGiCrjZ795boVYn8RwBgiVm1fLSibn49KxVXKIvD-cfDHMv7ToK3P0zqNGyrYdlal2l5BYEQQ/s200/P9260082.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilu8ESVOSoeiTAPmNLnT3ZFzTecqh5xjuqrLko2Kp688ONZ8D3bd8WLjTdr2mPM41RSbDRHwYenJ5VCU0gXI7WfDtP9CjUXnNt9G1nrOeRsbFTWQ55j1OWbBBw_aCT1UrTFwholzGx5pc/s1600/P9260071.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509338494663154690" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilu8ESVOSoeiTAPmNLnT3ZFzTecqh5xjuqrLko2Kp688ONZ8D3bd8WLjTdr2mPM41RSbDRHwYenJ5VCU0gXI7WfDtP9CjUXnNt9G1nrOeRsbFTWQ55j1OWbBBw_aCT1UrTFwholzGx5pc/s200/P9260071.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We went to the village of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Thamaga</span> to visit some friends. Huge <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">boulders</span>. Look at <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Katie</span> jumping!!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRCp4eOqRQOLKaD7vMhwkGA1J1Hm4HjdO3ESg1WXOy_CD5SgLebwGvqeNrjUssNwM5I6O0T4Gsbrm3ywTMlpIN7fy_7kkyW4foAu5YtL54Hg8sKuXpaUe2npr7EP__vUbwOdB1pNJPDI/s1600/PC120283.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509338474700651282" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRCp4eOqRQOLKaD7vMhwkGA1J1Hm4HjdO3ESg1WXOy_CD5SgLebwGvqeNrjUssNwM5I6O0T4Gsbrm3ywTMlpIN7fy_7kkyW4foAu5YtL54Hg8sKuXpaUe2npr7EP__vUbwOdB1pNJPDI/s200/PC120283.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkfJ0tMpb6cOpKC9PL8m4pbwa9xB_TOih8fEhKXVeMNUqfiOTHa0s0AS2nMzod3ZJk-dvDO_EC5XeVFDQG3pKPSCC7IvnNzgz9ofSqYXJrd8ZDRMjYbuPYE11olPY9Qt7ZSStbkQXqT0/s1600/PC120280.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509338465792447490" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkfJ0tMpb6cOpKC9PL8m4pbwa9xB_TOih8fEhKXVeMNUqfiOTHa0s0AS2nMzod3ZJk-dvDO_EC5XeVFDQG3pKPSCC7IvnNzgz9ofSqYXJrd8ZDRMjYbuPYE11olPY9Qt7ZSStbkQXqT0/s200/PC120280.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />A PC get together at one of the few lakes in Botswana. There I am holding a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Barley</span> Pop, a Roman <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Candle</span> and a T-bone Steak...It was an eventful evening:-)<br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNmCZO1H3_eUEmtM_O_hFXTCab1ii939v5m5UxFZqwQCaF6SmNY2Sg2En0Weygdxodk6occaa66q19yky3OGrrexUbU_vjp7ouAbeY0Tf9q5qkJJ7ARf-kxnXleKGR3NPoocEnnczxBI/s1600/P2180876.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509333056415135586" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNmCZO1H3_eUEmtM_O_hFXTCab1ii939v5m5UxFZqwQCaF6SmNY2Sg2En0Weygdxodk6occaa66q19yky3OGrrexUbU_vjp7ouAbeY0Tf9q5qkJJ7ARf-kxnXleKGR3NPoocEnnczxBI/s200/P2180876.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GcOqMdy67_ouU6LDFVCPeXrqZD0qBqUoa2voRKgZXqZ_39huFgwN_K68huicVfjmUYufJGkWAAS3KJL-RAmDDF-Pm2OcKoH1bmNvH-rbyBYSRI9hyphenhyphenJdSZTJaGxDgWlIL3phAkLhPPwY/s1600/P2180877.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509342910336611282" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GcOqMdy67_ouU6LDFVCPeXrqZD0qBqUoa2voRKgZXqZ_39huFgwN_K68huicVfjmUYufJGkWAAS3KJL-RAmDDF-Pm2OcKoH1bmNvH-rbyBYSRI9hyphenhyphenJdSZTJaGxDgWlIL3phAkLhPPwY/s200/P2180877.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>This is the daycare kids. This place just opened and we love to go there and play when ever we have free time. They are up to 32 kids and only 2 adults on staff.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddMXz79RWA0Gegcy0GhOQXuQ3IFEtfObO52HhT8MyeNtyapiyMhRQAQYfg2Q1bhydBZFQ2eRaCy9QkxpDRLkHvV9wjSCxtkuKWQ0KTWcMZIUxyaZeJy7FVycoOurte3zvrhyObJBS6Uw/s1600/P2170871.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509333052957771826" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddMXz79RWA0Gegcy0GhOQXuQ3IFEtfObO52HhT8MyeNtyapiyMhRQAQYfg2Q1bhydBZFQ2eRaCy9QkxpDRLkHvV9wjSCxtkuKWQ0KTWcMZIUxyaZeJy7FVycoOurte3zvrhyObJBS6Uw/s200/P2170871.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbgSuWWHTj5aqKEwnvS5p7AIu4V-mwS0XctvSWShRNML3FmKMdvn36a7pwna8SSdDYpY2kVFAliNuNb54xUJqcnUDiJ8MueSKuqKhy6KJ2AuPBCPSAf44fEi-UcqPryqQrLvFybZhM70/s1600/P3271129.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509342905103299378" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbgSuWWHTj5aqKEwnvS5p7AIu4V-mwS0XctvSWShRNML3FmKMdvn36a7pwna8SSdDYpY2kVFAliNuNb54xUJqcnUDiJ8MueSKuqKhy6KJ2AuPBCPSAf44fEi-UcqPryqQrLvFybZhM70/s200/P3271129.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbowCgdkQCYsBbMBnkUiyj146SxugrGbOGIXPp_9tXzaCvZ0caxs2ycb3hhyzVXKc3wGWpoQJwlm71jIzArezySmVKEzz-ZVNpgTwGJ8dSS9liCoucRJfEi6g8_6wjqhRzXvCyq9hXQQ/s1600/P2250936.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509342895565251218" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbowCgdkQCYsBbMBnkUiyj146SxugrGbOGIXPp_9tXzaCvZ0caxs2ycb3hhyzVXKc3wGWpoQJwlm71jIzArezySmVKEzz-ZVNpgTwGJ8dSS9liCoucRJfEi6g8_6wjqhRzXvCyq9hXQQ/s200/P2250936.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This is the infamous PACT <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">club</span> (Peer <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Approach</span> to Counseling Teens). I am in charge of the club. We do <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">guidance</span> and counseling talks, take leadership training trips, and lately we pulled of an Entertainment show fund raiser.</div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOAnW91mlDR68KO9YLRv8WQ7I6PWXjrRY69uL_gJtE5YS2laoad2CFvO_D7-2GBYyYBw_B9vhSDPKxo2tkAJyrn3VBmPXybkd_M3Jh7TDBM2F_v4QqR6BYY7H7j5zmkbl8fZuJgbg9qE/s1600/P2130834.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509333041648701522" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOAnW91mlDR68KO9YLRv8WQ7I6PWXjrRY69uL_gJtE5YS2laoad2CFvO_D7-2GBYyYBw_B9vhSDPKxo2tkAJyrn3VBmPXybkd_M3Jh7TDBM2F_v4QqR6BYY7H7j5zmkbl8fZuJgbg9qE/s200/P2130834.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOVVK5hKbg9zHqsS-eDNtmObxGgorm9OVE1rKuq-SjQgCeDDu8dZRatagopSeOFQfNOqNJ9LMSVmJrprcm4VNOfzYkJaiqWpbuQcJ1Y_P5KkM2-SXq19PrNJ58qYgQ7tGk-5x6UIzTk8/s1600/P2130832.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509333036729017666" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOVVK5hKbg9zHqsS-eDNtmObxGgorm9OVE1rKuq-SjQgCeDDu8dZRatagopSeOFQfNOqNJ9LMSVmJrprcm4VNOfzYkJaiqWpbuQcJ1Y_P5KkM2-SXq19PrNJ58qYgQ7tGk-5x6UIzTk8/s200/P2130832.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We were invited over to share a meal with an Indian family. They teach at a school in a near by village. Both Katie and I ate until we couldn't move...the food was so good.<br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTz1D74jA1Wd_oE3HpuDUTCaEaE6FyRQ50xvvD7RcpnbUA2nunI8MJMa2absA_poMFqWUl6InnbTUGfpYCpNobh0Cb6EHJnw0KKud5i_QXBLbOeAWfqZJ82bfkpfHs_94gl-fCIMbM7s/s1600/004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509333035092631954" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTz1D74jA1Wd_oE3HpuDUTCaEaE6FyRQ50xvvD7RcpnbUA2nunI8MJMa2absA_poMFqWUl6InnbTUGfpYCpNobh0Cb6EHJnw0KKud5i_QXBLbOeAWfqZJ82bfkpfHs_94gl-fCIMbM7s/s200/004.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>One of my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">favorite</span> pictures. A moth I found at a boxing training I attended. Katie thinks It's a great photo but all I did was point and shoot!!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-38790648399168142672010-08-25T05:55:00.000-07:002010-08-25T06:40:58.878-07:00Botswana Safari<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A5VdxMRBwNemZoh9Y8PraMr6ekgoP9Ad8NijuYlgIQc8bOIjjEhSfiMEitRNJausDgda2AxiNykNgzBrSe83s3VRgZtQqjnDJyONC406-HhVA2n6KaXX6_xylMUQONiixBZ9eB1f_q4/s1600/P7161419.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509340853176967346" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A5VdxMRBwNemZoh9Y8PraMr6ekgoP9Ad8NijuYlgIQc8bOIjjEhSfiMEitRNJausDgda2AxiNykNgzBrSe83s3VRgZtQqjnDJyONC406-HhVA2n6KaXX6_xylMUQONiixBZ9eB1f_q4/s200/P7161419.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYtFIPzO2piuM0WupwMlaGREs3T21WVFOu6AiItRLVgfs-vJJcaXTlS8Gt2eWHX5wWjmpCfP7VZCNZ6zLFVYJalrikjXwKPyUASwf_oej5C0TyGgzCA_qBa6ScUx75LlNm-65xC4eaYo/s1600/IMG_0956.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509340848443684370" style="WIDTH: 200px; 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CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQjpv9_0FhZE6tI73BceyDUyUvfLegFtnE49wVni-6Ephyxso7yEhS0oFYP4svAUfQ0KEzB62ckjx1_cS9TaB3G0tmp_VEyC7rNw6h9IIlYIT6Is4Xrg-9nNmAPqFC2tUtI15_H5Y2uI/s200/100_2273.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWE2jI6fqaIsCCcIUVfTs-lXaFwIOXThKTqPlyAMJHlql8EBYmfv6zqo2NteL6DrEi78RvNmf7LPJD6WTFz-nz5cfEsnGlBub_a-G5N-eYCe0BylQHxeUq_1MZ-cYtMztc4ayhd_-rCgI/s1600/100_2165.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509332452138829986" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWE2jI6fqaIsCCcIUVfTs-lXaFwIOXThKTqPlyAMJHlql8EBYmfv6zqo2NteL6DrEi78RvNmf7LPJD6WTFz-nz5cfEsnGlBub_a-G5N-eYCe0BylQHxeUq_1MZ-cYtMztc4ayhd_-rCgI/s200/100_2165.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bZW5TcpPs4QziOPZpEKD0u61psMPTxw1NmnjHjwtdWYmTtDM0zZ8C6cM6XSf6Q5s4cIFL_mNCvM3NL2eQSxEVW3kXYI2zqgI6p5bv0gPN6_pBkXjE4HDem1VSw3ZrqpZcN6DnYuSbZE/s1600/100_2108.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509332438993922658" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bZW5TcpPs4QziOPZpEKD0u61psMPTxw1NmnjHjwtdWYmTtDM0zZ8C6cM6XSf6Q5s4cIFL_mNCvM3NL2eQSxEVW3kXYI2zqgI6p5bv0gPN6_pBkXjE4HDem1VSw3ZrqpZcN6DnYuSbZE/s200/100_2108.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow96vf-BaYOqibpiru7ZlfxuBJmWyA_H5kj-fIOts9lluuq79ryo_E7JUJVjILdhAYzACdNcQwGtfTXMlYXQ1as4wv7ZuLXj6RbOkSGzNyWh2pqMB5Bf74wPZQkgN4orsByWNI_HQiTc/s1600/100_2076.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509332431849654162" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow96vf-BaYOqibpiru7ZlfxuBJmWyA_H5kj-fIOts9lluuq79ryo_E7JUJVjILdhAYzACdNcQwGtfTXMlYXQ1as4wv7ZuLXj6RbOkSGzNyWh2pqMB5Bf74wPZQkgN4orsByWNI_HQiTc/s200/100_2076.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><div>We arrived in Maun a day early for the safari. So I signed me and Lucas up for a 3 hour basket weaving class. I was so happy! The instructor, Mma Kushonya, has won the national basket competition every year since 1996. Some of her baskets have been shown as far as England. She is an amazing woman who will teach local women (and men) to weave baskets and jewelry and even sell the items in her shop so that they may make some sort of a livelihood. During the session, we learned the names of several different weave patterns. I chose the ribs of the giraffe and Lucas did the shield. Good baskets take weeks to finish, so needless to say our baskets were small and sloppy. Because we stay in Botswana, Mma Kushonya gave us enough reeds so that we would be able to continue working on our baskets after we left.<br />That night, we met up with our tour guide Lucky and the rest of the group. Our group included three other Peace Corps volunteers, Ric, Pheobe, and Talya. Also included were two friends of another PCV, Tori, who were visiting from the US, Kris and Jessica. Tori’s family will be visiting in August to do a similar safari so she declined to join us. But we were happy to have Kris and Jess! Lucky checked us into the Island Safari Lodge, which is located right on the river. We sat down for an amazing dinner (complete with dinner wine) to discuss what our safari days would look like. He explained that he enjoys tenting safaris far more than lodging safaris because tourists are reluctant to rise early for the game drives; they want to lounge around, drink their tea and eat breakfast before going anywhere. By that time, all of the animals have retired until the evening. His plans had all our hearts racing with excitement. Little did we know that our itinerary would be changing quite a bit.<br />The next day, we got to sleep in a bit and headed into Moremi National Park. It was freezing in the back of our open safari vehicle. Thankfully Lucky offered blankets for us to wrap up in. Our first safari animal was a beautiful giraffe standing perfectly in the middle of the road. I’ve found that giraffes will walk away a little, turn, and pose for limitless amount of photos. We learned that male giraffes are the only ones with balls on top of their heads. Females just have caps. The darker the animal, the older it is. And a baby giraffe will fall 2 meters when being born; they are some very tall animals! A herd of elephants crossed the road behind us. The baby elephants are always in the middle of the herd so that they are always protected. We learned elephants flap their ears to stay cool; the veins in the ears are enormous. We caught site of several groups of impala known as McDonald’s antelope because the markings on their butts that make an M. There are always two groups in a herd. The first group is made up of all females and one mating male. He is the “winner” and will lose up to 30% his body weight mating with all the females (OMG!). The second group of impala is known as “the losers.” It is made up of all males, waiting for their chance to challenge the dominant male and claim the females (you will learn that, in nature, it is always about the females). We spotted several males with a missing antler from a previous attempt. But they will never give up.<br />After settling into camp, we returned to the vehicle for an evening game drive and caught sight of our first zebra herd. Jess calls them “disco donkeys,” which is a very accurate description. They are beautiful animals. We asked Lucky how a black and white stripped animal could possibly blend into the safari. He explained that they will run in a group which will make it difficult for a predator to focus on just one zebra.<br />We arrived back to camp to an amazing meal of fish, rice, and vegetables. Our cook, Amantle has an amazing talent for cooking in the bush. Our tents were about 2 meters high and included cots and mattresses so we didn’t have to sleep on the ground. We settled into bed and anticipated hearing lion roars all night.<br />Unfortunately, we didn’t hear any lions. But we had some hyena visitors during the night. The hyenas must have spooked the monkeys sitting in the trees in our camp. We woke up to monkey poop slung all over our camp! During our game drive, we spotted a hippopotamus in a water hole not quite deep enough for him. Hippos will be in the water most of the day to stay cool and only emerge at night. They don’t know how to swim so only stay in water where they can touch although they can stay underwater for up to 7 minutes. More elephants and giraffes. We ended the morning by taking a mokoro ride on the river (mokoros are traditional dugout canoes typically made from wood, but ours were made from fiberglass to last longer and are more environmentally friendly). From our view it was hard to see any wildlife. But we did see several species of bird (Lucas was happy). Much to my horror, there were several species of large spiders. Beautiful, but terrifying. I just about tipped our mokoro when our guide pushed the mokoro closer than I was comfortable. He made it up to me by making me a necklace from a water lily. Not exactly leave-no-trace policy. But it was beautiful nonetheless.<br />After lunch and a shower, Lucky informed us there were sightings of lions by Third Bridge. So we piled into the safari vehicle to try and catch site of them. Moremi is more likely to have lions and gets less frequent the farther north we go. We drove through a group of trees known as a nursery. Adult elephants will eat off the tops of trees so that they grow short and fat. This way the baby elephants are able to reach the leaves. We followed a black-backed jackal for a bit. No sightings of lions but we did spot a serval, a medium size, spotted cat with long legs and large ears. That night we had an amazing, traditional Setswana meal. We taught the guides how to roast marshmallows over the fire; they loved it!<br />We left camp early and headed to Kwaii Game Reserve. On the way we saw Kudu, hippos, and big birds. The Okavango Delta is currently flooded due to abundant rains in Angola. With several flooded roads, we had to take alternate paths. Once we got to camp, we helped set up tents and took some down time. The landscape was very different than our previous camp. Because of the abundant numbers of elephants escaping from Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the trees are being over-harvested. Elephants eat 300 kg of food a day. In fact, during the colder months, elephants sleep less than 4 hours a night because they have to eat constantly.<br />Kwaii is the only park that allows for night drives. So we piled into the safari vehicle once again (with cocktails) and headed out to hopefully see some lions (there were lion tracks in our camp). We saw elephants fighting in the water. They will attack with their tusks or swing their trunk to show dominance. You can identify the sex of elephants by the shape of their heads: females have a flat head while males have a more dome-shaped head. The only elephant in Botswana is the African elephant, which gets its name because its ears are shaped like the continent of Africa. At about 25 years old (onset of adolescence), male elephants will be kicked out of the herd. This will make for a very angry, sexually frustrated bull. You can tell an angry bull because of their foul smell. That smell is the semen being released, as Lucky says “like Victoria Falls.” But an angry bull is nothing compared to the more dangerous menstruating female. Apparently PMS runs among species.<br />Once the sun went down, we broke out the flood light. We spotted a hippo outside of the water with a baby. We must have overstayed our welcome; she instructed her baby to go back into the water and set about charging our vehicle. I wasn’t too concerned until Lucky started backing up the vehicle and instructed us to not scream. That night we had a starter of chicken livers and a delicious entrée of pork chops. My pork chop had the bullet still in it!<br />The next day we got up decently early and headed out for a morning game drive. We found some hippos playing the water. Lucky spotted lion tracks and we followed them all the way to a pride of lions!!! There were three lionesses and one dominant male. They seemed to be relaxing but every so often one would get up and move a little closer to a herd of water buffalo. The buffalo were huddled together in a large group; they will travel that way because the males are much faster and they don’t want to leave behind the females and babies when they are being stalked. Being in an open vehicle can be very intimidating when lions are maneuvering around you. We were very blessed to get both the view and the time. Unfortunately lions have more patience than us for the kill, and we left the pride to visit the wild dogs’ den. Lucky miss-judged the depth of a flooded road and pretty soon we were waist-deep in a flooded vehicle. Most of the important things were rescued from water. Lucky went to try and flag down a vehicle to help. I jumped in and started hauling items back to the beach (thankfully no hippos or crocs were around). Eventually everyone in the vehicle got down to their underwear (less me and Kris) and waded to the beach. At first it was quite an adventure, but four hours later, it was just annoying. We found out the vehicle was totaled and had our camp guides July and Amantle come and pick us up. We piled into the back of the truck, wet and sunburned, and bounced the 13 kilometers back to camp.<br />Poor Lucky drove all night to Maun to pick up another vehicle. We had to stay an extra night in Kwaii and wouldn’t be able to stay in Savuti. While Lucky was on his adventure, another safari company offered to take us on a game drive before they’re group arrived. Our guide Spokes was great. He picked us up early in the morning and took us to see the wild dogs, complete with a littler of pups. They act exactly like puppies; playing, biting, and barking. From there we headed to tea and stumbled onto a cheetah. It is rare to see a cheetah that late in the day. We were very lucky. Spokes made an announcement over the CB radio of where we spotted the cheetah. I think all the safari companies were on a wild goose chase looking for him. We may have been the only vehicle to see him.<br />After lunch and an afternoon nap, we headed back out for an evening/night drive. We saw a breathtaking sunset. We spooked a bull elephant that jumped in front of our vehicle and challenged us for a few minutes. Spokes was cool as a cucumber. Meanwhile a large number of us were sweating. Finally the elephant left. Spokes explained that in those situations, we just stand our ground. If we had backed up, it would have charged us. When the trunk gets pulled behind the front legs, then you know trouble is coming. Spokes said he once had an elephant lift his vehicle up and down with the tusks about three times. On our way back to camp, a leopard crossed in front of our vehicle. His belly was very full, he must have just eaten. Apparently the flooded vehicle was a blessing in disguise!<br />The next day was a long one. We left before the sun came up and had to drive two days worth through Savuti and into Chobe National Park. We scared a few elephants crossing the road and got trumpeted at. It’s an amazing sound; like a really loud car horn. Savuti has lots of sand and dead trees, again from the over-populated elephants. But there are quite a few more animals. We drove past the Savuti Channel which is running for the first time in 28 years! We got to camp just before sunset, our last night in the bush.<br />The next morning two of our group moved ahead of us to visit Victoria Falls which was not included in our Safari. The rest of us headed out for a morning game drive. We saw lots of herds moving from the river; elephant, water buffalo, and baboon. I got to take pictures of the Botswana national bird, the lilac-breasted roller. It’s called a roller because it will roll while flying. Gorgeous bird! After lunch we broke camp and headed to Kasane. On the way we got to watch the elephants playing in the mud. They fling mud on themselves to cool off. As I said, baby elephants are always in the middle of herds for protection. He got wailed with flying mud; it was hilarious. We saw more kudu, hippos, warthogs, and even another leopard. Leopards are extremely rare, we were very blessed. They are amazingly beautiful animals.<br />Once we got to Kasane, we checked into the Water Lily Lodge, showered, and headed back out for a sunset boat cruise. On the boat, the animals will let us get much closer than if we were in a vehicle. We got great shots of enormous crocodiles. The big mama was between 60 and 70 years old. The sunset was gorgeous, once again. That night we had dinner on the river and reflected on how AMAZING our trip was!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-17061389863173457792010-08-15T00:30:00.000-07:002010-08-15T00:46:39.988-07:00Wire Car<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct2WIhRnd-E4g2KPC6qOipOFiqu-dbfAAdrsJg77CtQOjeb1Z-9fvundrmOqnCGp-7fHkxkYgIaZqKEHiYlRxkYEfcAwcrju6VYTZfF5D94N3XP6g5ymiiOgvCSD_jGOJ6nPpnnNQQoc/s1600/PB180058.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505537928284658018" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct2WIhRnd-E4g2KPC6qOipOFiqu-dbfAAdrsJg77CtQOjeb1Z-9fvundrmOqnCGp-7fHkxkYgIaZqKEHiYlRxkYEfcAwcrju6VYTZfF5D94N3XP6g5ymiiOgvCSD_jGOJ6nPpnnNQQoc/s200/PB180058.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>I had seen kids playing with very detailed and well constructed toys made from wire all around my village and Sub Sahara Africa for that matter. What these genius kids do if they don’t purchase the wire is to cut or bend it until it breaks from some ones fence. My host familie’s fence was missing many parts that were taken by kids to make toys or wire cars. Once they have the wire, they cut then bend it into a part like a bumper or head light for instance. Then they fit the parts together like a puzzle and attach each part by thin copper electrical wire that is wrapped around and around each joint. The wheels are everything from soda can bottoms cut and fitted together, to shoe polish tins, to jelly jar lids. I have seen all models and makes of these wire vehicles. I saw a tractor, a semi with a trailer, cars, monster trucks, but the most extensive was a bus complete with seats and people in them.<br />I took a liking to the craftsmanship of these cars and mentioned my fascination to Katie one day. She, the lovely wife that she is, found me a kid, Edward, who was a son to one of the ambulances drivers at the Clinic. This kid was a master of making wire cars. I stopped by one day and I asked him if she could teach me how to make wire cars. I provided most of the materials, he provided the craftsmanship. He would bend each piece and I would attach it to the whole with the copper wire. We were a great tag team and I was absolutely happy making this thing and learning the skills it takes. <div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5eztPNvkXrxVRjgtaYr-KUrA90fl8tHqpz0o3QRtD7LnwjfPoG-GNY_kNP8G3Uj3K06PCBTDnyo8d-eq65-721L7SnHHwFhmf31q5Dj0amqXjwGxnwEWXe7fYbkD2EPvl5aE35kLa-k/s1600/PB170016.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505537913945508690" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5eztPNvkXrxVRjgtaYr-KUrA90fl8tHqpz0o3QRtD7LnwjfPoG-GNY_kNP8G3Uj3K06PCBTDnyo8d-eq65-721L7SnHHwFhmf31q5Dj0amqXjwGxnwEWXe7fYbkD2EPvl5aE35kLa-k/s200/PB170016.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3EZ6cx32dUC96kKIdcYsXmruPrEPmYF5BG1tawGOOexiSkMR3S18FVMXExLPU2aTS8jW16Px9K6Hb2dq9GVCjNGGD1AV9-DI-OE7J1ApVtaq75MlCo480juwjJzWfYC_XI04SvQ9RL4/s1600/PB180017.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505537920479376882" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3EZ6cx32dUC96kKIdcYsXmruPrEPmYF5BG1tawGOOexiSkMR3S18FVMXExLPU2aTS8jW16Px9K6Hb2dq9GVCjNGGD1AV9-DI-OE7J1ApVtaq75MlCo480juwjJzWfYC_XI04SvQ9RL4/s200/PB180017.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We worked 2 days before we could call it complete. When it was finished I gave him some candy wrapped with a P10 bill for his hard work. You should have seen his smile. He recently asked me if he could make me a semi with a trailer. I wish I could take one home.<br />When it was all said and done I had a Toyota Land Cruzer pick-up truck. It was an actual model complete with opening doors with handles and hood, a bed, a box, antenna, complete interior with seats, dash board and a Toyota emblem for the grill in front. Proof of its originality is the steering wheel on the left with a blinker switch on the column and all. The truck can be steered through a simple yet clever steering system. A thick wire bent into the shape of a steering wheel with a long stem reaching into the top of the truck, attaches to the front axle, and allows the kids to walk behind the truck and steer it as they push it along.<br />Check it out. I love how these kids work with what they have and use what they know to keep themselves busy. Most toys in my village are empty bottles, cans, bags, caps, lids,boxes, rocks, sticks...etc. They get as much joy playing with my set of matchbox cars and their imagination as American kids get when playing the Wii. By the way, thanks Miranda for the matchbox cars. They are slowly finding their way into the mechanics shop or junk yard but the kids still love them even without wheels, lol. If all you know is simplicity, having more just makes you want even more next time.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhZMfgJZraDANGC8e5aF6XcyPqVa0u-4sUVwC2Ww4Sa4IoSxekYw178Bi0yaD4FgvmG6frig5xs8EuWVKRpBkm85LX_sjBuUUUnas4b_T4dE1BzGFyU1YkCKSX3W46X_XKCMrfuBPvWA/s1600/PB180073.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505537932207234642" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhZMfgJZraDANGC8e5aF6XcyPqVa0u-4sUVwC2Ww4Sa4IoSxekYw178Bi0yaD4FgvmG6frig5xs8EuWVKRpBkm85LX_sjBuUUUnas4b_T4dE1BzGFyU1YkCKSX3W46X_XKCMrfuBPvWA/s200/PB180073.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-40902700938913896932010-08-14T07:39:00.000-07:002010-08-15T00:48:45.743-07:00STEPS Screenings<div><div><div>Another project that I am involved with is something called STEPS. This organization developed over 50 movies both short and long coving topics all relating to HIV/AIDS. We use these videos as conversation starters and to approach sensitive topics. To give you an idea of a video, one is called ‘The Moment’. In this 8 min long short film they interview 20 or so individuals on the different stages of a sexual relationship. So it starts with meeting then the kiss, arousal, then undressing and penetration etc and I’ve skipped a few. Between each stage the individuals make comments about feelings, emotions, actions or their own perceptions. The last words that flash on the screen say, ‘In what do you decide to use a condom?’ This move is flashy, raw and in several languages covering all demographics. It is a great conversation starter. We then facilitate a discussion when the audience dose most of the talking. This specific film is saved for an older crowd like teachers or out of school youth. We use films on losing a parent, orphan hood or finding out you have HIV for the younger kids.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27rlzlrn7oe88c9n7NCJpF9VIWrjrTd9ojR2PWeuAOcSb8ZxcWnFWuLZ3gnhY9BwzGQKJWrV1inFmi8vWBgX8vXpZavP8KHk-O9F_k_3jGCLKISQD3E8Bd2Km0zFvhEKfHfHnflSJZRs/s1600/PA123076.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505286834811998466" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27rlzlrn7oe88c9n7NCJpF9VIWrjrTd9ojR2PWeuAOcSb8ZxcWnFWuLZ3gnhY9BwzGQKJWrV1inFmi8vWBgX8vXpZavP8KHk-O9F_k_3jGCLKISQD3E8Bd2Km0zFvhEKfHfHnflSJZRs/s200/PA123076.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL1gJYi0KxvtiC4Cx32GVCLG8KD1F_DgMSBfcsWAjGcrRS3n1szdPmndejvWetxjpr_zh-DnDVst4VjSPRdlUBL5E86e99nizk1Aq0S3LwKjqHHAw12yfZp8WXPeQ7xQCX2rTbZfdXuY/s1600/PA123072.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505286850179364274" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL1gJYi0KxvtiC4Cx32GVCLG8KD1F_DgMSBfcsWAjGcrRS3n1szdPmndejvWetxjpr_zh-DnDVst4VjSPRdlUBL5E86e99nizk1Aq0S3LwKjqHHAw12yfZp8WXPeQ7xQCX2rTbZfdXuY/s200/PA123072.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />John and I lead the facilitation with Katie there as our HIV/AIDS expert. We start with explaining what STEPS is and how it is a conversation starter and not instructions. Then we show a film, ask about general feeling or focus of the film then go deeper into their values and cultural norms. It can get very exciting when debates and passionate monologs come into play. Before we start another film we give out little slips of paper to all in attendance and they write any anonymous question relating to HIV/AIDS on it. Katie goes through them, removes repeats and combines similar questions then she answers them one by one. Many questions are surprisingly simple but the level of understanding of the virus is still new to the general public here. A lot of good is done through Katie’s professional understanding of the topic. She took a course while still in the states on it too. So questions are answered, discussions are initiated and by the end there is a better understanding of this pandemic that holds Botswana as the second most infected country in the world closely behind Swaziland.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4TxCceyHAXgaj7LBu7Dc2RKeeDti1m-ZVuLPII1-bSKq7X2cBdyU5pMiWqs3tNPy8UeC2Tszke1CpoK87Ex-4z4ZqLiRRuHsSzZu_JrxDyPv71RIv74hTKC-iCcs5LyZ6GQUNBHFCm4/s1600/PA123082.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505283612037631026" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 126px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4TxCceyHAXgaj7LBu7Dc2RKeeDti1m-ZVuLPII1-bSKq7X2cBdyU5pMiWqs3tNPy8UeC2Tszke1CpoK87Ex-4z4ZqLiRRuHsSzZu_JrxDyPv71RIv74hTKC-iCcs5LyZ6GQUNBHFCm4/s200/PA123082.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqgYX35SC3C2kAJl7HemjlaQhbDrMTn_lPNPowv2DbDyNT8FNseAZUa0luD7VAA_UL3qpuPKLXQaThzCvvyIcCK03j31Kdd_NLlwApaLZy9zhPmysmeHFt0Scq1Wv3a8sfcSsbKfnWzQ/s1600/PA123076.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505286855145245698" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqgYX35SC3C2kAJl7HemjlaQhbDrMTn_lPNPowv2DbDyNT8FNseAZUa0luD7VAA_UL3qpuPKLXQaThzCvvyIcCK03j31Kdd_NLlwApaLZy9zhPmysmeHFt0Scq1Wv3a8sfcSsbKfnWzQ/s200/PA123076.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />STEPS videos have been a great way to talk about sensitive issues. We have used them on students, teachers and out of school youth. John is currently training to become a trainer of trainers.</div></div></div>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4065330177721245616.post-23552479256051070312010-08-14T07:35:00.000-07:002010-08-14T08:59:28.788-07:00Life Skills Workshop Facilitators<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYWRQnnJ-1K1UD1d4gRbf4q_vd4erufkNTUUVCAD52iHhNTrChtjehKLwJAF4Wkt_JoKFb3owPz_JfjkmG-w2xe5-fIge4vEDsVsFDjVGpPTQdBYDa0noHZxHJJJLMO6ivz6jNwPMnN4/s1600/DSCN1902.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505295420308247282" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYWRQnnJ-1K1UD1d4gRbf4q_vd4erufkNTUUVCAD52iHhNTrChtjehKLwJAF4Wkt_JoKFb3owPz_JfjkmG-w2xe5-fIge4vEDsVsFDjVGpPTQdBYDa0noHZxHJJJLMO6ivz6jNwPMnN4/s200/DSCN1902.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div>As far as my title goes as a Life Skills Volunteer, I have finely found a project when I feel I am actually fulfilling the objective set forth by the Peace Corps for me. John Rusiecki and I were asked to tour our district and find out how well the other school were implementing this Life Skills curriculum that we were so attached to. What we found was that, like our own school s, no one was doing much at all with the Life Skills books or teaching any of the lessons. So, as we meet with school head after school head we offered our expertise to come back to their school and facilitate a workshop for their staff on what the Life Skills curriculum is and how to use the books that were sitting unused in their store rooms. By the way, both of us are a little silly with each other but very professional in meetings but we couldn’t resist making inside jokes and poking fun at each other in front of those we met with. There were a few times I almost laughed out loud or had to turn away. Lol.</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5frnAkAFt2GPcW9M0nZFW7BD1oaWvNxNZ4d4NKtQZouz4pBKdZIVEpV6G6RRCSUs8MgVQd7uVYFFrntyjbDn7dFVEoFbGSHRQKQRsYgTXdErD0fTx1V8DAFGM88uY-WcoPvhtzLiMZz8/s1600/DSCN1894.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505295411077263666" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5frnAkAFt2GPcW9M0nZFW7BD1oaWvNxNZ4d4NKtQZouz4pBKdZIVEpV6G6RRCSUs8MgVQd7uVYFFrntyjbDn7dFVEoFbGSHRQKQRsYgTXdErD0fTx1V8DAFGM88uY-WcoPvhtzLiMZz8/s200/DSCN1894.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Anyway, through our self promotion we established a net work of schools that look to us as the staff developers when it comes to Life Skills based operations. We facilitated or fist work shop at John’s school which I can tell you went as well as trying to feed a lion vegetables pie. We work shopped an area school next that seemed to go better but it’s hard to know if the information seed grew any after we left that village. We took a little adventure on this overnight trip and decided to climb a cell phone tower which was awesome but also scary. Once was enough for that little stunt. Our next workshop was my school, by now we thought we had some solid chemistry in our presentation and we got 3 days instead of 2 like usual so the last day we reviewed and also covered Test Taking Skills and Strategies as well as Classroom Management Skills. We’re not sure what sunk in but I’m doing a follow up on the progress starting next term so we’ll see what worked and what still needs to be nurtured.</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A_cY-xUxUD81y0Hmndy9DUETkHBk6GbcGDNWY_ZyixyUKhVNELXdBDqipC3_lVFPQQlS68WBQaWMngwrb5spy07BULKtUpHm5-TIGCGuqc_Q0CYIpOz83wCjpXSnE8o2IUT6K5cRBEY/s1600/DSCN1901.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505295407664494818" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A_cY-xUxUD81y0Hmndy9DUETkHBk6GbcGDNWY_ZyixyUKhVNELXdBDqipC3_lVFPQQlS68WBQaWMngwrb5spy07BULKtUpHm5-TIGCGuqc_Q0CYIpOz83wCjpXSnE8o2IUT6K5cRBEY/s200/DSCN1901.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />My favourite workshop we did so far had to have been the one in Middle Pits, 800K south of Salajwe, well outside of our district. Another volunteer Mary Goldamer lives there and invited us to do a Life Skills Staff development workshop for her school staff of 45. We again got three days but this time we put most of our focus on infusion. Infusion is taking a life skill, such as decision making and infusing it into a subject, such as math. So that might be a lesson where you are teaching budgeting and what to buy and what not to buy on your budget to save and to buy needs not wants. This can be done with Risk Reduction and Science or Social Responsibility and Cultural studies. As we had done in other workshops we had the teachers make mock lesson plans and present them. Everything went wonderful but the best part was that I was getting a sense that the teachers were realizing how important Life Skills are and were starting to buy into it and persuade their colleagues how valuable these skills are. At this point John and I were working together like a well oiled machine and we ran the room like it was a class of kids. The loved us and offered to take up a donation for us because we travelled on our own dime but we refused. Then they wanted to get money from the Ministry of Education for us so we applied and are still waiting for that but we didn’t expect any type of reimbursement.<br />These workshops can be very frustrating when you see the apathy or unwillingness to do even the smallest amount of extra work but it’s those few teachers that grasp is that makes it all worthwhile. It’s when we finish the last day that I feel the best. We know we told them straight. “It is a little more work, not all of you will use the books, but the ‘Life Skills’ are what matters, include them in you classes, it will make better students and better citizens of Botswana in the end.” When I’m in front of teachers talking about what I’m passionate about and flowing and doing what the Peace Corps has asked me here to do I just get a great feeling of purpose and like I’m making a difference.</div></div></div>Lucas & Katie Scharmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304896895705704788noreply@blogger.com1