A letter to my niece

My 10 year-old niece, Isobel, sent me a letter with some questions about how and what I am doing in Africa.  My whole family sent letters to me, in response to a request from the organizers of a recent staff retreat.  Isobel, in particular, asked some very good questions -- some that others have asked me before, and a couple that no one has ever asked me before.  I thought I would share my answers:

Dear Isobel,

Thank you for your letter.  It was a nice surprise to get letters from all of you – you, your sister, your Dad, Kari, and your Grandpa Bill.  My colleagues who organized our staff retreat planned that surprise for us.  When you are living far from family, it is so nice to get letters from home.

Thank you for telling me a bit about your life.  It is good to know that you have so many favorite colours.  That will make it easy to shop for you!  Orange and brown are very popular colours here now. 

I am looking forward to hearing you play the guitar when I see you again.  By then, I am sure you will know more than 4 songs.  I would also like to hear your sister play the Charlie Brown Christmas song on the piano.  Please let her know I am happy to hear that she is still involved with music.

I would like to see you riding horses again.  You wrote that you are “starting to jump horses a couple of feet high”.  Although I knew what you meant, I had to laugh, because I had a picture in my mind of you leaping over miniature horses.  I watched you at riding lessons when you were just 5, and even then, I was impressed with your skills.  You were doing acrobatics, flipping from one side of the horse to another.  I thought you were very brave!

Isobel, you asked some very good questions about what and how I am doing here in Africa, and I will answer them.

Is it everything you expected?

Although I had been to other countries in Africa before (Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Morocco), I had never been to southern Africa.  I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect to find in Botswana, so I did some research before I came. 

I learned that Botswana is a peaceful, stable country. Botswana had been spared the wounds of deep seated colonialism and Apartheid that were experienced by its neighbours. 

I have found that the people I meet here are very kind, gentle, and tolerant.  Maybe this is a reflection of their history as a nation -- or, maybe their history as a nation is a result of who they are, as people.

I also learned that Botswana is the number one diamond producer in the world, and because of this, it has been granted middle income status. The government has wisely invested its revenues in infrastructure and services, so it has good roads and schools.  However, once I came here, I learned that the wealth is concentrated in the city, and there are still many people living in poverty.  

I am working with a national organization that provides support and services to people living with an illness called HIV that can progress to AIDS. Although HIV and AIDS impact people from all segments of society, those most vulnerable are those who live in poverty.  Before I came here, I expected to see more people who look sick, but there are medications now that allow people with HIV to live relatively normal lives. The reality is that 1 in 5 people live with HIV, but you wouldn’t be able to pick them out in a crowd. 

If you want to learn more about things like colonialism, Apartheid, and HIV and AIDS, I can tell you more in another letter or when we see each other again. 

Is it too hot in Africa?

Right now, it is very hot here in Botswana.  While it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer here in the southern hemisphere.  The sun is at its most intense right now at the Tropic of Capricorn, which happens to pass through Botswana.  Days here usually reach above 30 degrees Celsius, and sometimes temperatures get close to 40 degrees.  I am fortunate to have a pool to cool off in and air conditioning at home.  However, I don’t have air conditioning at my place of work, so it can be a little hard to handle.

Our winter (your summer) was quite cool.  It got to close to freezing at times.  Most homes and buildings are not heated, so people have to bundle up. 

Will it change the way you think?

This is a very good question, Isobel. 

One of the reasons I enjoy living in and traveling to different countries is that it does challenge the way you think about the world, and about yourself. 

When you go to a new county, it’s a bit like being a small child again.  You have to relearn how to do many things: how to count change; how to get places; how to cross the street safely; how to greet people; and how to eat new foods.  Sometimes, you have to learn a new language.  You have to think again about how to do very basic things.

You may come with a set of expectations about how people should act, and then learn that they have a whole different way of doing things.  Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that there is not only one right way to do things.  There are always reasons for the way we and others do things, and it's good to think about what those reasons are.

Sometimes, people may react to you based on how you look, where you are from, and what you may represent to them.  That gives you an opportunity to learn about how their history and experiences have shaped the way they think -- and also to think about what has shaped the way you think about the world.  

I wish many things for you and your sister, and one of them is that you, too, will have the opportunity to experience life in other countries.  Living in other places not only changes the way you think -- it also broadens and expands the way you think.

Do you even like it there?

I am enjoying it here, very much, Isobel.  

My favorite part of the day is my morning walk to work.  I pass many friendly people, who always say “Dumela” or hello with a warm smile.  I also see beautiful trees and blossoms.  I especially like the purple jacaranda blossoms and the red flame tree blossoms, both of which are blooming right now. 

I like the people I work with.  They are very passionate about what they do, and they know they are making a difference in peoples’ lives.  It is a pleasure to work with them.   My other wish for you and your sister is that you will find something to do in life that you are passionate about and is meaningful to you and those you touch.

When I come home in the evening, I take a few moments to watch the weaver birds building their nests in the tree in the courtyard.  I tried to count them, and there are more than 100 nests in one tree.  Then, if it is still hot, I take a dip in the pool and make myself dinner. 

Sometimes on weekends, I will go to a concert or out for dinner with friends.  I see different parts of the city when I go on weekly walks with a hiking / running club. 

My all time favorite thing to do when I have is enough time is to go on safari.  I never get tired of looking at animals.  They are always doing something different.

Is it safe?

Botswana is a relatively safe country, and has been fortunate to avoid the political and social turmoil that has touched many of its neighbouring countries.  I am not worried about things like political coups or wars breaking out.

I walk a lot in Gaborone, and I feel safe when I pass by friendly faces on the streets. I am careful to take taxis when I go out at night, though.

Like most places in the world, crime is a problem here, and people take precautions.  Many people live in gated houses with guard dogs.  I have six keys I need to use to get into my house: a remote control for the front gate; one key for the main house; another for the entry into my unit; another for my bedroom; one for the door to the courtyard patio; and one for the side gate.  So, I feel safe at home when all the doors and gates are locked.  We don’t have any guard dogs, but our neighbours’ dogs would kick up a fuss if anything strange were to happen. 

Although -- I do confess that I am not convinced that walled and gated houses are really the safest places to live.  It is very easy to come and go without seeing your neighbours, which is not good if you do not know if this or that person going into a house is the person who lives there.  I have a friend who lives in a neighbourhood without the big walls.  She knows all her neighbours, and they look out for one another.

You may also be wondering if I have encountered any safety issues with wildlife.  So far, I have managed to avoid dangerous encounters with poisonous insects and snakes.  I have been on several safaris, and although I have never felt threatened by the wildlife, I woke up to the sound of a lion growling next to my tent one night when I was camping!  Needless to say, I didn’t get back to sleep that night.

Isobel, I will be thinking about you and everyone at Christmas, and I am looking forward to seeing you in the New Year!  Please write again to tell me more about how you are doing and to ask more questions.

Much Love,

Aunt Stephanie