Basket Weaving and Making Friends

This is the baby that peed on Lucas

Learning the trade

Traditional Botswana home 'Roundival'

The garden

In a previous blog, Lucas posted a picture of some vegetables in a red, woven basket. My friend and co-worker Mma Boshini gave that to me. I asked her where she got it from and she told me about Mma Sarako.
My other friend and co-worker Mma Segopotso took me to go meet the basket weaving lady. Mma Sarako speaks no English; so with Mma Segoposto interpreting, we agreed she would come and see me at the clinic the next day to begin showing me how to weave baskets.
The next day she arrived with a basket in the beginning stages. Again with Mma Segopotso interpreting, Mma Sarako taught me how to weave baskets. I asked if her daughters or sisters know how to weave baskets. Turns out very few women in Salajwe know how. Her mother-in-law was the one who taught her. I asked Mma Segopotso why no one knew how to weave baskets and she told me “Batswana women, we are lazy.” Mma Sarako seemed very pleased that I was so interested to learn. We convinced Mma Segopotso to try it. She was hilarious. She almost stabbed herself in the finger with the needle several times. Mma Segopotso says Americans learn very quickly. Mma Sarako agreed; she said I was a fast learner.
The needle is made from wire that is shaped to make a sort of handle for the weaver to hold. And the needle is made sharp by rubbing it against cement. There are very few grasses to make traditional baskets. So she takes apart big produce bags (that grocery stores receive cabbage in) and twists up the threads real tight to make a string that she weaves baskets with. I kinda like the plastic baskets better because they are more colorful.
The next week I took Lucas to go visit Mma Sarako and gave her some onion bread as a thank you for teaching me. She showed Lucas and I her garden and gave us some tips for our own garden. It is customary for the host to offer gifts of food when they have visitors. Mma Serako gave us a bag full of (huge) carrots and spinach leaves from her garden. We sat down in the front yard on a sheet of plastic and she taught me how to make the thread. The strips of plastic from the cabbage bag are twisted very tightly against her leg until it becomes like a coarse thread. She had been doing this so long her legs don’t have any hair on them. They are shiny like a mirror. She says it is very painful. I tried making them to relieve her but I am terrible at it.
A young woman was with us to help translate. She had a 5 month old baby with her. Diapers are too expensive so babies typically go around without pants on. Unfortunately Lucas learned a lesson the hard way that babies will pee on you if you are holding them.
I asked the woman if Mma Sarako sells her chickens (there were quite a few strutting around). She said typically she does not but asked if I wanted one. I explained that I could go and buy one at a poultry farm and not to worry. Something was lost in translation because right after, Mma Sarako and her son were cornering chickens in the coup and trying to catch one for us. I protested that we didn’t need one yet but thank you anyway. One day we will slaughter our own chicken but we don’t really have a place to put it until we’re ready. I thought it was a sweet gesture though…
I am hoping to continue to do lessons with Mma Sarako on how to weave baskets. Baskets are extremely time-consuming so I wouldn’t anticipate receiving one any time soon. Unfortunately there is not enough of a market to sell the baskets in Salajwe. I offered to take some baskets with me to In-Service Training in Gaborone to sell to other PCVs. The baskets are amazing, I wish there was a way to make her skill income-generating. For now I am working on building a relationship with community members and maybe give something back to this woman who has been so kind to me.

Bees and Boxing

I started going to the boxing club here at Lempu junior secondary school. My 3rd practice was moved because of cleaning day at the school so I started talking to Mma Kelapile. (Ms. I’m tired…literal translation) who said she had bees in her sealing. She’d been stung 4 times from them falling down onto her bed. An agriculture class was getting the bees out right then so she invited me to check it out. When we got to here place there were people in full bee suits with smoke pouring out of the roof. People were through the attic hole collecting the hive. Soon the collectors came out with a huge Tupperware full of honey comb and bees. I didn’t know what they were saying but they started flicking off the bees and eating the honey. I heard talk talk talk Kabo talk talk talk and I was soon holding some comb. It had some dark yellow chunks in it but I just ate it any way. It was so sweet and yummy. I heard my name again and got a better piece but after a few bites I flicked out a developing larva, well 3 actually and finished eating it. Fresh honey is so good, but better with out larva.
From there I found the boxing practice and watched from the side as pairs boxed or spared each other. Some sparing some hitting the bag and others just watching. I gave some pointers, but I think they know more than me. The guy who I think is the caption asked if I wanted to hit the bag, finely did something. He must have liked what he saw because he asked again if I wanted to box another kid. All I could understand was ‘box’ and ‘soft’. The kid was little and I just wanted to do something so we spared and it was great. We drew a crowd because I was the "white guy" boxing, but I still had a blast. The coach finally showed up and watched us as we cooled down. I think I’ve got a lot to learn about boxing, Botswana and the heat that’s coming!
If you get the chance, read ‘The Power of One’. It’s one of my favorite books. It’s a great heart warming and inspiring book about southern Africa youth boxing. Check it out!

Lasagna Night

So Lucas and I have tried several times to invite people to dinner. Most times it doesn’t happen. The people here seem so curious about us I figured they would jump at the opportunity to come see our home and eat an American meal. One of the problems is that very few people in Salajwe have vehicles. So they would have to walk back home in the dark. Other than those people who frequent bars, Batswana in Salajwe keep inside after the sun goes down. Another reason is most all women I have met in Salajwe are mothers. So most times women are rushing home after work to start cooking for their own families. So we tried a different approach.
Miranda and Amy sent us lasagna noodles. We have been searching everywhere for a recipe on how to make cottage cheese (I can’t find it anywhere here). I had heard it was easy to make (the name comes from the ability to make it in your own cottage). So the night we invited two ladies over for dinner we take a stab at making lasagna. The cheese is made from scalding whole milk and cream and adding lemon juice to make it curdle. After the third try we still didn’t have cottage cheese. But after mixing in the shredded mozzarella cheese, we thought it would be ok. Turns out the ladies forgot we had invited them to dinner and never showed.
We tried again the next day and invited the cleaning ladies from the Primary School for lunch. We were so excited to share this American meal with the Batswana. That was until we saw their faces when they started eating. They were choking it down. I have never seen Batswana women eat so slowly. I felt so sorry for them. I’ve been there (chicken intestines, sour porridge). I kept telling them they didn’t have to eat it. But you could tell they were trying to be nice. Finally one of the ladies Boikgano said, "The lasagna will not let my stomach eat it any more." Thankfully some students came by to return a pen they had borrowed from Lucas. The ladies eagerly gave away their plates and said, "eat and finish." It was embarrassing and hilarious at the same time

Wish List

Some of you have been asking what we still would like sent…well that’s great because there are a few things we still need. Refer to our Virtual House Warming Party entry for shipping directions! Thanks

Contact solution opti-free
Citronella candles
Rechargeable AAA batteries (have the charger already)
Blank DVDs/CDs
3M hooks
Gardening gloves (woman’s M or men’s S)
240-120v converter plug-plenty of adaptors here
45spf sun block
1lb candy bars
A-shirsts (wife beaters) men’s M
Jolly ranchers-must have peach, my favorite!
Ball Pump Needle
Big tootsie rolls
Fruit snacks

Mokolodi Game Reserve

So one long holiday weekend, a group of about 15 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) met up at a local nature reserve near Gaborone. The holiday was to commemorate the birthday (or death day, I can’t remember) of Botswana’s first president. His son is Botswana’s current president, President Khama. Funny fact: President Khama and President Obama have the same racial makeup. Yet President Obama is considered America’s first black president and President Khama is considered Botswana’s first white president.

Anyway, a nature reserve is different than a game reserve in that the animals are not 100% free roaming; there are fences around the reserve. The group of us rented three chalets that are built on one of the reserve’s major watering holes. The current dry season forced the animals to our door stops. The first night I caught a glimpse of a herd of zebras.
The setup was top notch. You could go on day and twilight safari’s, horseback riding, and nighttime safaris. Or you could just hang out with friends at the chalets. The first morning a handful of us got up early to see if there were any animals at the watering hole. Apparently they were just as cold as us. Nothing showed up until the sun was up for a while. At about 9 am, a huge group of baboons came to bask in the sun across the lake from us.
Lucas and I weren’t gonna be there long enough to take advantage of any safari tours. However we did befriend a South African couple who was staying in a near-by chalet. They explained to us that they come to the reserve for some peace and quiet. They didn’t get that staying near 15 PCVs…Anyway, they were extremely kind. There was a P10 charge to have the lodge come and pick us up to take us anywhere (we were too far away from the center and we were not allowed to walk…lions). The South African couple offered to drive us around the reserve. So 7 of us piled into their SUV and go to see ostriches (they like to chase each other), impala, lots of warthogs (think Pumba from The Lion King), wildebeest, and some beautiful views. On returning we found a group of giraffes at the watering hole. Unfortunately our group was too excited and they did not hang around long.
Because there was so many of us, we decided early on that four volunteers would buy food for the weekend and we would make group meals. All food was kept in the central chalet and the snacks and booze in another chalet. Lucas was put in charge of the braii (basically an African version of grill). We ate around one long table like a family, sharing stories about how everyone was doing at their new sites. It was very relaxing to hear English and not have to constantly translate conversation in your head. As it sometimes happens, our group had a few cocktails and were a little toasty by the time dinner was served. Half way through dinner, we notice baboons had broken into the upper chalet where all the alcohol was. About five of us chase them off and assessed the damages: boxes of wine were ripped open, tuperware was opened, and chocolate was eaten. Later we found that the baboons had tried to break into the lower chalet, which it turned out was locked. The baboons got so frustrated trying to break in; they gave up but still left two steaming piles of poop on the porch before they left. Baboons are such bitches!
Every night all of us would hang out around a fire. There were probably some kumbaya moments but a lot of fun all the same. Some of us (including us) had to take off a day early. Later we learned that three PCVs had gone on a horseback safari. They saw elephants, rinos, and even cougars. So Mokolodi was a fun spot to hang out with friends and catch site of some African animals (I don’t think I had ever seen a giraffe before). It was a good time. Hope you enjoy the photos.

More Moments From Salajwe

These again are thought from my journal that I hope aren't too disorganized for you to understand. Cheers

1. Paco had one end of the cut inner tube in his mouth & I would blow hard on the other end. His cheeks would puff out and then we'd laugh. (I'm still giggling) This was repeated at least 10 times.
2. In my first workshop I noticed how literal each assignment was taken even for the teachers. It is very difficult to think outside the box. 5 min to pic the subject, 5 min to pick objectives, 5 min to plan, 20 min to formulate and discuss. Everything just takes longer and makes sure it es exactly right is the top priority. Maybe it's a fear of being wrong, subconscious fear of (corporal) punishment. Teachers should be encouraged to make mistakes, learn and go on.
3. Masturbation can lead to cancer. (something I was told in a workshop) The points were, when the cells are heated and reheated time and again they can cause those cells to become cancerous. Rubbing the (female part) to hard causes inflammation. What...?
4. Kgosi was fake fighting with me and to play fight back i did a, what I thought was gentle ankle pick. (just to make him stumble back a little) Well...he went down like a tone of bricks, bounced his face off the sand. Sand on his cheek and fright on his face he started to cry. It all happened so fast. I was so sorry, I picked him up and held him, telling him I was sorry and walking him around. Not long and he was done crying but still a little traumatized. I almost cried too.
5. The next day (from the previous story) I was playing with Kgosi like nothing happened. Several days after that I'm pushing him on the tire swing and it happens again. His is sitting in it holding on with his arms above his head. I was pushing it hard, getting the max swing out of the rope length. At the peak of the swing, the rope snaps, tire goes flying and slams the ground, compressing his little body. Tears and surprise soon follow. I used the same comfort method as before and he seemed to understand it was an accident. :(
6. We were digging in the garden today and pulled out a weave. Sick. A full weave of black fake hair.

And they just keep coming. Lucas

A Few More Thoughts

I am sitting in a meeting room in the capitol, Gabs at a training.  All the 'Life Skills' volunteers are together so Katie and I are apart. :-(  We are apart for 2 weeks then together for 3 days then she has training for 2 weeks and I go back to the village.  Time apart is nice but 4 weeks in too much.  Here are some more thoughts:

1. Kids and computers-wow, ground zero.  Its like the first man and fire.
2. I was going to make a cup from a cow skull-the brain cavity, I heard it could be done.  But when I checked the first skull, a mouse ran out. Then I thought, I'll save this for another day...my walk to work is like a bone yard.
3. Motswana people point with their eyes.
4. I just watched Paco piss on a toy I made him right in front of me in my front lawn then go on playing with it. (this happened twice, marking his toys?)
5. A 16 year old girl would sneak out of the school hostels to meet with her boyfriend in the village.  She said he would be waiting with a cup of hot tea (it was winter time) for her.  That was her reason for sneaking out. This is called 'transactional sex'
6. Hearing about rape of 15 year old girls and boys, its a hard pill to swallow.
7. Animals; horses and donkeys have their front legs tied together.  I guess this keeps them from wandering too far?

Until next time. We love the comments...