Early Lessons - Part 2

Things you are never too old to learn, or relearn:

1. How to rent out your house: This was too big a task to take on by myself, so I decided to hire a property management company to help find a responsible tenant and manage my place in my absence. I interviewed 3 property management companies, and, contrary to normal contracting procedures, went with the highest bidder (because they offered the most comprehensive level of service). They found me a reliable tenant, and are available to help him with anything he might need while living in my house.

2. How to sell your car: Believe it or not, I had never sold a car before. My first car, The Green Hornet, was with me for 17 years before he was sent to pasture (sad story). In the days before I left Edmonton, I sold my second car, Louise, to my dad, and then helped him with the sale of his car.

3. How to set up a wire transfer to a foreign account: I was originally supposed to pay my rent in cash, in the local currency. However, I quickly learned that ATM machines here can be a little fickle with foreign accounts (or, at least, with my accounts). To avoid relying on their mercy for timely withdrawals of large sums of money, I arranged for direct deposit of my rent to my landlord`s UK account.

4. How to text: As described in Early Lessons - Part 1, cell phones are an essential part of daily living here (and elsewhere, too, I understand). When I bought a phone on my second day here, I chose one with a built in keyboard to accommodate my clumsy fingers.

5. How to get around without a car: This includes a) how to cross the street like a local, i.e., anywhere at a safe break in traffic, while adjusting to looking out for traffic on the opposite side of the road, and b) how to use local transport. On Friday, Mmepaseka, one of WUSC's wonderful field staff, gave me a lesson on how to use the local transport system, which consists of mini-vans (combis) and shared taxis on fixed routes, and special taxis, that take you anywhere you want to go. I now know my routes to and from work, and have the phone number of a reliable special taxi driver. In the morning, I share a special taxi with two of my housemates as far as the Princess Marina Hospital, and then walk for 15 minutes to my new office. Coming home, I catch a shared taxi from an unmarked stop at a tree behind the Methodist Church to the central bus/taxi depot. I then pass through Rail Park Mall, where I can pick up any small quantities of groceries I might need, before carrying on for another 15 minute walk home.

6. How to count change: The national currency is the pula, which is the same word for rain. Both are valuable commodities here. The pula is divided into 100 thebes (like our cents). Coins are marked by animals. To get to work this morning, I paid 1 mophane worm, 1 rhino, and 2 zebras (9 pula). To get home, I paid 2 rhinos, and got 1 oryx/gemsbok back (3.9 pula). If you are wondering, the exchange rate at this point in time is roughly 7 pula to 1 Canadian dollar. If you have a few moments to spare, you can figure out the value of a mophane worm, a rhino, a zebra, and an oryx.

7. That it's okay to have domestic help: Many Canadians, like me, might grapple with the ethics of expoiting someone to do our menial chores. However, supporting domestic help is very much a part of the local economy here. My new friend and colleague, Anouk, explained that even her housekeeper and gardener hire someone else to tend to their house. And, as referred to in Early Lessons - Part 1, having one person staying on top of the chores keeps a sense of peace and order in large, busy households, like ours.

8. That greetings are important: The simple act of acknowledging the people you pass on the street, or are about to conduct business with, goes a long way in establishing respectful relations.

9. That it is important to be kind and patient: On our third visit to the Immigration Office to arrange for my visa exemption, Mmapaseka and I waited in line at an unmanned wicket for more than two hours before the lady responsible for customer service assumed her post. Rather than berating her for keeping us waiting, like others in front of us, we expressed our sympathy with her for her heavy workload (she explained she is doing the work of several people, and is often required to tend to tasks away from the wicket). Perhaps that helped her decide to reduce the fee ? Who knows ?

10. That morning prayers are not such a bad idea, after all: Faith and prayer are integrated into many facets of the workplace here. Although I am not too comfortable with public displays of faith, I chose to join my new colleagues in morning prayer today, my first day at work. The morning prayer session allowed them (I was a silent observer) to share a little bit about what is going on in their lives, and how they can use support and understanding. If that is not team-building, then I don't know what is. Sometimes I think we veer on the side of being a little too professional, at the expense of the personal. Just a thought.

Unwinding with new friends at end of week one

I spent the day visiting with new friends and fellow WUSC volunteers back at Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Anouk and her family live right next to the reserve. What a wonderful childhood Anouk and her husband are providing for their kids -- you couldn't ask for a more beautiful backyard ! Here they are, on the lookout for hippos.

Lunch time for baby warthogs.

An implausibility of wildebeest. (Apparently, that is the collective noun for wildebeest.)

You can never have too many giraffe pictures.

Cooling of in the pool after a morning game drive. Does it get any better than this ?

Safari, Sagoodi !

Afternoon game drive at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, 10 minutes from town.

That's Gaborone Dam in the distance.

Mmapaseka, taking a break, while our guide scans the horizon for giraffes.

There's one !

We also saw impalas, zebras, warthogs, kudus, wildebeest, ostriches, and a cheetah. I will go back some weekend morning to see the rhinos when they are active.

Housemates

Some of you have asked about my housemates and accommodations. I have 6 housemates:
Ian. Late-40's. From South Africa. Represents Fedex in Botswana. Likes photography and birds.
Paul. Early-30's. Also from South Africa. Works for a mining exploration firm. Likes pubs.
Melissa. Early-30's. From Ireland. Doctor. Volunteering for the Botswana / Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, treating pediatric HIV/AIDS patients.
Pallavi. Early-20's. From U.S.A. Fullbright Scholar. Also volunteering for the Botswana / Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, as a lab researcher, studying HIV drug resistance.
Eva-Maria. Mid-20's. From ?? (Most recently lived in U.K., grew up in Far East and Middle East, and has a German mother and Swedish/American father who run a private game farm in South Africa.) Lawyer. Worked in insurance field, and now transitioning to International Human Rights Law. Volunteering with a national Human Rights NGO.
Roast. Early-0's. From Gaborone. Resident Chicken. Likes eating ants, seeds, and pooping on pool deck.

Can you see Roast, skulking around the kitchen door ?

Roast, the chicken. (Not: Roast the chicken.)

Pool - Took dip this afternoon after a game drive. Yup - life is tough ! Can you see Melissa relaxing on the patio ?

Early Lessons - Part 1

1. Airport lounges rock ! Definitely worth the splurge for long layovers.
2. Always carry a change of clothes in your carry on, and never check through anything that is irreplaceable. Also, what may seem non-essential to you, may be valuable to someone else.
3. Yes, chickens can be pets.
4. Stewed greens may not look very appetizing, but taste yummy, especially in peanut sauce.
5. Local police driving tip #1: To thwart a "smash and grab", leave your car window slightly ajar. (A completely rolled up window will break when hit.)
6. Local police driving tip #2: Never fill your car up to more than 1/2 a tank. (So the thieves don't get very far; they won't want to fill up at a gas station for risk of being identified by the security camera, and will likely abandon your vehicle, increasing odds it will be found.)
7. Cell phones are essential. (Yes, I am just learning this now. Sorry to those who have been asking me to text for years !)
8. Air conditioning is essential, especially when it is 34 degrees outside.
9. Sharing a house with 5 other people (and 1 chicken) can be a good idea. (It makes a difference to have 1 person in charge of cleaning, to avoid disputes over dirty dishes, who cleans up after the chicken, etc. Thank you, Thabo !)
10. Canadians really do say "Thank You" and "I'm sorry" a lot.

Settling In

Traditional lunch with WUSC staff and fellow newly arrived volunteer. Yummy selection of oxtail stew or seswaa (pounded beef), served with morogo (stewed greens, tomatoes and onions) with peanut sauce and papa (cornmeal or sorghum mash).

The WUSC Field staff have been a wonderful support throughout my orientation process.

What I can expect for my first week in Botswana

Saturday 18th Feb: Arrival,1510 hrs; Airport pick-up; Drop off at residence; Welcome dinner

Sunday 19th Feb: Shopping

Monday 20th Feb: Introduction to WUSC staff; Completion of forms and photocopying of important documents (insurance card, passport, contract e.t.c, Review orientation program, Out to police (certifying copies) and immigration for visa application; Safety and security (Places to avoid; Suspicious behavior; Going out at night; What to do in case of accident or theft, violence, etc); Overall WUSC Botswana programs; Organisational structure/roles and responsibilities; Presentation of emergency plan; Administrative procedures; Brief visit to BOCAIP

Tuesday 21st Feb: Discussion on context of the country; Values of the country: family, eating and religious etiquette, work, etc.; Customs and traditions: greetings, respect for authority, role of women, relationship with time, communications, physical contact, etc.; Daily life: poverty, clothing, travel, relationships with partners and domestic staff, photos, negotiating purchases, etc.; HIV and AIDS talk and adaptation in Botswana; Botswana craft; Contract review, understanding; Code of ethics (reading and signing); Uniterra norms and policies review; Visit to the museum

Wednesday 22nd Feb: Support/ Resources from WUSC; Sector funds; SPO /ODM; Sector meetings; Gender equality in Botswana; City tour – visit key places and learn public transport use (e.g. post office, movie theatre, restaurants, banks etc); Visit to Mokolodi (game drive)

Thursday 23rd Feb: Maatla program overview - Intro. to program & partners; Role of advisors; How advisor assign fits into CP; Monitoring and reporting (Mid-mandate reports, End of mandate reports, tripartite meetings, monthly team meetings); Introduction to BOCAIP; Briefing on BOCAIP, its mission, structure (roles and responsibilities), its programs; Administrative practices, working hours, etc.; Review mandate: expected results, activities; Roles and responsibilities of the 3 parties (BOCAIP, OCDM, SPO/ODM)

Friday 24th Feb: Visit health clinic for briefing on country specific health problems; Language lessons

Farewell Party, February 4

Flowers from my dear friends.

Thanks, all ! -- Roxanne, Eddie, Diane, Greg, Nancy, Ian, Yvonne, Huw, Emma, Andrea, Everly, Komali, Rob, A&T, Denise, Lisa, Bin, Lorraine, Connie, Rachel, Mihiri, and Dad, for the wonderful dinner at Hoang Long. And, many thanks also to Pam and Eric, for hosting brunch earlier in the day with R, E, D, Rispah, Serge, and Simon. And to Karen, for bringing Markus downtown for lunch on Feb. 2. And to Shauna and the neighbourhood book club ladies for the gathering on Jan. 31. And to M-J, Silvana, and Rox for making time for an enjoyable EC lunch. And to HC friends and colleagues, for weekday lunches. I am also thankful for recent serendipitous get-togethers with out-of-town friends, Kami, Sarah, and Mona-Lynn, and long-distance phone calls from Pam, Aniela, Susan, and Mark...I will miss you all, and hope to entice at least a few of you to join me for a safari in coming months !

My new digs !

My new room, ready for my arrival. I will be renting a room in a shared house in Gaborone. I am looking foward to meeting my 5 (yes, 5!) housemates, and cooling off in the pool ! Photos of the house are posted on the link called "My Gabs House".