Rue Sansregret: Full Circle

I attended a debriefing session for recently returned Uniterra volunteers in Montreal. It was an opportunity to discuss and share experiences and give program related feedback to the Uniterra team.

I was in the company of those who recently returned from placements in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bolivia, Peru, Senegal, Ghana, and Malawi.  I was the only one there who had been placed in Botswana. 

While we had a range of experiences, we agreed on one thing:  when you experience life in another country or culture, you do so on the tips of your toes -- making everything you see, do, hear, feel, and yes, even smell, that much more vivid and intense. 

I stayed, once again, at the gîte (bed and breakfast) down the street from Rue Sansregret -- the street (alley) I happened upon one mild November evening when I was in Montreal for my pre-orientation.  If you recall from my very first post, I noticed the sign when I was startled by a clown.  To me, it was more than a street sign. It was a sign that beckoned me to take a detour from my regular life to explore an unfamiliar territory.  Sometimes, when you reach life's crossroads, there is no parking allowed. Sometimes, you just have to choose one direction over another...

...without any regrets. 

I am so glad I took the path down  Rue Sansregret. 

Like the graffiti painted on the alley walls, it was a fun and colourful journey !

Motho Ke Motho Ka Botho

I will be presenting tomorrow to my colleagues in Health Canada on some of my learnings from my year volunteering in Botswana.  I did a trial run with my small work team last week, and am excited to share my experiences with a broader audience. 

There is a saying in Setswana, "Motho Ke Motho Ka Botho" that roughly means "you are what you are because of other people", and I want to acknowledge that I was able to experience all that I did in Botswana because of the people here who allowed me to do so, by granting me a leave and covering my workload.  This is my way of saying, "Look what I was able to learn and achieve because of your support"...and to demonstrate that I did more on my year away than have pool parties and go on safari -- haha !

I will be presenting again next week to the Edmonton Branch of the United Nations Association in Canada, and again in May, to the Health Canada Human Resources Team.  Each presentation gives me a chance to focus on a different angle of my work in Botswana.

I am curious to know what kinds of questions people will have !



You Say Good-Bye...

Some of the friendly faces I will remember from my good-bye pool party.

Nothing quite like outdoor living !  Sigh !

Philip demonstrates adaptability.  I had no bbq tongs, so he used wooden spoons.

Scenes from my last days in Gaborone

36 friends and their families came to my house for a

Sala Sentle / Tsamaya Sentle Farewell Party.   

I hosted it at my house, as I couldn't pass up another opportunity to make use of the

awesome entertaining space (and pool and braai / bbq).  

When will I have this kind of space again ?

I was very touched by the kind words and turn-out.

Also, my house-mate prepared a farewell dinner for me,

and my colleagues at BOCAIP hosted a good-bye office party.

I am so fortunate to have worked, stayed, and played with so many wonderful people. 

We will stay in touch, and hopefully meet again !

My house-mate Anaisa prepares a yummy Portuguese cod and potato dish.

I will miss your sweet smile !

Some of the team at BOCAIP.

The ever gracious Mma Kwape.

Julia prepares drinks for the party.

Thank you for the kind words and gifts.

Marula Season

It is marula season.  They are ripening and falling off the trees in droves.  I was almost hit on the head on my morning walk to work today.  I have to step gingerly around then, to avoid slipping.  Occasionally, I will pick one up, break the skin, and suck the sweet/tart juicy pulp.  I don't see many people doing this, and am surprised that they are not scooped up and harvested.  The marula fruit is a great source of Vitamin C.  Each tiny fruit contains five times the amount of Vitamin C of a single orange!  They are also high in fibre, and can be dried, fermented, or cooked for jams or jellies.

One of our WUSC/Uniterra volunteers is working with a women's cooperative in Palapye to produce and market marula products  The folks in Gaborone, however, seem content to let them rot on the ground.  Maybe if I was here longer, I would learn from my friend in Palapye how to dry them or turn them into jam.

When I arrived here over a year ago, it was at the tail end of marula season -- and mango season.  I didn't know much about marula fruit then, but I knew I loved mangos, and I had the bright idea of making and canning mango chutney and salsa. However, by the time the idea occured to me, mangos were no longer in season. 

Again, if I were to stay longer, I would jump on the mango wagon and make some products to enjoy for future times.  I would also eat more watermelons when they are in season in April.  I love watermelons. Did you know that watermelons originate in the Kalahari Desert ? -- Botswana's sweet, juicy gift to the world !

I have learned that these wonderful treats come and go, and, like most of life's opportunities, you have to make the best use of them when they present themselves to you.  How many of life's opportunities do we let pass us by because we do not recognize how precious and fleeting they are or are not prepared to reap them when they are ripe ?

 

It takes a good year or more of living in a place to get a feel for the rhythm of the seasons. I feel I am just getting into the groove, so to say --- but now I have to get ready to adjust to an old, familiar beat, back in Edmonton.

I leave in just over a week....can you believe it ?  

Let's hope I remember to take the best advantage of Edmonton's seasonal offerings and any opportunites that come my way. 

 

The Power of Soccer

There was 5 minutes left in the movie I was watching when the power went out at Riverwalk Mall.  The power went out just before 7:30 pm -- which is not so coincidentally when the latest Africa Cup of Nations game was about to start.

You see, Botswana has been hit by a series of power outages, following faults in the system and a delay in completing the country’s new 600 megawatt power station.  Until the new power station is complete, Botswana will continue to rely on power from it's neighbor, South Africa.

I have been learning to adapt to these power outages.  The other night, I hosted a dinner party entirely without power. Instead of calling it off, I used candles for light, my friend's i-pod for music, and the gas oven to bake our "build-your-own" pizzas.  It worked !  We had a fun power-free evening.

Last Friday, when temperatures soared close to 40 degrees Celsius, my office-mates plugged away in the heat, without air-conditioning, and long after the batteries on their laptops had died, until quitting time.  My colleagues are very ethical (I love them for that!) and no one wanted to set a bad example by leaving early.

Our power outages are happening more frequently these days.  This is because South Africa is also experiencing its own power shortages and has to ration the available amount.

It so happens that South Africa is also at this time hosting the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament.  When it is time for games to broadcast, the South African powers-that-be make sure they will air in their key markets.  Botswana is not a contender in the Cup this year, so they must suppose that no one here wants to watch the games and can do without power for a while.  So, just before a game was set to broadcast at 7:30 pm this evening, Gaborone experienced a blackout in the area around Riverwalk Mall.

On the dimly lit taxi drive home, I started thinking....if a soccer game can be the cause for a power outage, could it not also be the solution ?

When I was in Kenya last August, I learned about an ingenious invention called Soccket that harnesses kinetic energy generated from a soccer ball to power electrical appliances. Surely, the African Cup of Nations game balls could be so equipped to keep a movie projector running.  

I will have to see if the powers-that-be can agree to that proposal....in the meantime, is there anyone out there who can tell me what happens in the final 5 minutes of the movie Argo ?

I Left My Mark on Maun

Last week, I flew to Maun to assist the Ngamiland Council of NGOs (NCONGO) with their Organizational Development Plan.   As an Organizational Development Advisor placed with BOCAIP, I had already been through this exercise once, so was happy to be able to help another organization with theirs.   I knew a couple of the dynamic, young NCONGO staff from Maatla project meetings, and was looking forward to working with them and learning more about their organization.

When it came time to board the plane, the dozen of us waiting in the departure lounge walked towards the Air Botswana plane, only to be redirected to a tiny, 20-seater charter plane run by Kalahari Air.  There was no standing room in the plane, so we had to duck to get to our seats.  I should mention that of the dozen of us, about half were unaccompanied minors.  The pilot crouched down through the aisle to buckle in the kids.  About 10 minutes into the flight, the passenger sitting in the front row reached into a cooler box behind the pilot and passed out cans of Coke and Fanta.  We dipped and turned to skirt past a couple of isolated rain showers, and the kids made the appropriate shrieks and yelps and airplane noises.   That was the most fun I’ve had on a flight in a long time!

I was greeted at the airport by a handsome young man holding a framed sign with the NCONGO logo and my name.  We chatted a little bit as he drove me the few metres to the airport hotel.  He seemed slightly disappointed to learn that I had been in the country for almost a year.  He had been told to pick up an Organizational Development Advisor from Canada. 

I settled into the hotel, which had only been open a few months. The staff was helpful and eager to please, which made it easy to overlook some of the kinks (unfinished fixtures, lamps with no light bulbs, a restaurant with missing menu items).  The bed was comfortable, the air conditioning and wireless internet worked, and I got my cable tv fix.  I was happy.

The next morning I met with the Director, and we agreed on a participatory approach for getting the plan done.  He assembled the staff and we went over the template format.  We then started to populate it by turning priorities previously identified through an organizational capacity assessment into activities with realistic targets, timelines, staff leads, and sources of outside support.  I noted their comments, and then worked for the rest of the day and evening on incorporating their input.  I also added items from their Maatla project workplan and their Strategic Plan for their consideration. 

I was getting a feel for what work must be like for consultants, who have short windows of time to become familiar enough with an organization to make a contribution.  The Director was quite keen to have a finished product at the end of my visit with them, and so was I.

On Day Two, we repeated the cycle of review, discussion, and incorporation of their input.  At the end of the day, I felt I had done as much as I could, so found a taxi driver to take me to one of the riverside lodges. 

We went to a couple of lodges before finding one with space on a sunset cruise.  It was a lovely, peaceful trip down the river, where we stopped to watch and learn about birds, spider webs, termite mounds, trees, and talk to local fishermen and women gathering lily roots.  The guide was full of information.  I would have loved to have asked him more questions, but I was coming down with a splitting headache, muscle aches, and a fever.  The most I could do was smile and nod and utter the odd “Aah” or “Is that so?”.

As I was setting up the meeting room the next morning, I was overcome by a wave of nausea and left a not so pleasant gift in NCONGO's kitchen sink.  I managed to hold it together long enough to review the final changes with the staff and get their consensus on who would do what by when.  At the end of the morning, we had a realistic plan the Director felt he could present to their board for approval.  My work was done!

I still had several hours to kill before my return flight to Gaborone, the only one going that day. After cleaning up the kitchen sink, I had the NCONGO driver drop me off at the lodge where I took my boat ride.  It seemed a pleasant enough place to spend the afternoon.   I ordered a ginger beer to help settle my stomache, but that was just enough to set me off again.  I left the lodge a memento of my visit in their courtyard bathroom, and again in the bushes by the pool.  I just couldn’t get comfortable, and time marched slowly by.  Finally, I decided it was time for a change of scenery.  I called a taxi to take me to the café by the airport.  At the café, I ordered an iced coffee, and promptly left most of it in the washroom.  Not long after, I left the rest in the airport washroom.

I think it is safe to say I left my mark on Maun.  Not only did I leave an organizational development plan for their council of NGOs, but I also left a little piece of myself everywhere I went!

(Post-Script:  I did see a doctor once I returned to Gaborone, and we were able to rule out more exotic illnesses to come up with the medical diagnosis of "tummy bug" and too much heat. I fully recovered after a couple of days of rest and rehydration.)

I am WOMAN

On November 30th, I represented BOCAIP at the 50th Anniversary of a well-known international women's organization in Botswana.  The anniversary date happened to fall within the 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence.  The event organizers and keynote speakers were careful to note the links between gender-based violence, women's development, and the spread of HIV -- topics I could expand on, but will reserve for discussions with those willing to so engage. 

So, I was a little surprised, in this enlightened environment, to see some text in the inside of the event folder that seemed a little...shall I say...out of step with the times.

The word WOMAN was written out as an acronym.

W - Wise
O - Ornament
M - Multiskilled
A - Advisor
N - Noble

"Ornament" ?  Really ?  Need I say more ??

I am not even sure how the word "Advisor" is meant, in this context. 
Advisors to whom ? -- Decision-makers who are not women ?

I've struggled with blogging about this sooner, as I don't want to come across as judgemental or culturally insensitive -- afterall, women continue to be objectified as 'ornaments' in our Western society -- but I like to think that my Batswana friends are pretty progressive, and I welcome insights from those who wish to comment.

And, I welcome suggestions for an alternative "O".

Happy New Year !

I had picked up the ingredients for a pizza party for one, selected a dvd to watch on my laptop, and was prepared for a quiet night at home.  I had just returned from a Christmas trip to Kruger, Swaziland and Durban, and was ready for an early night to catch up on a bit of holiday sleep deprivation.  My landlord wouldn't hear of that, and insisted I join him at a house party.  I didn't think I could handle a long, loud, boisterous night, so I told him I would think about it.  As I was mentally convincing myself of the benefits of staying in, my body was hopping into the shower, picking out an outfit, getting dressed, and putting my keys and emergency cab fare in my purse.  Before I knew it, I was in Mike's passenger seat and on my way to the New Year's Eve house party.

We were hosted by a couple who run a Portuguese cafe.  It seems they are in the right line of work, because they had prepared a sophisticated, gourmet seafood feast of appetizers by the pool followed by a fish stew cooked in a South African potjie, a three-legged cast iron pot placed over an open fire. We lingered over dinner, as one should for a home-cooked, gourmet meal, and finished just in time to mark the stroke of twelve with a champagne toast.

After the toast, we jumped into the pool !  Apparently, it is Portuguese tradition to take a midnight swim in the sea to wash away the sins of the past year.  I didn't have a swimsuit, so jumped in fully (well, partially) clothed.  It didn't take long to dry off in the hot desert air.  A buffet of fresh fruit and Portuguese baking was then presented on the outdoor dining table. I was given a peck on the lips by the flirtatious resident parrot, who must have been after the crumbs.  At 2 am, when the host started dancing on his head to Shakira, we decided it was time to return home.

Who knows where I will find myself next New Year's Eve ?  Most likely, back in wintery Edmonton with my friends. I am sure I will enjoy the company and whatever repast is served, but it is not too likely that I will be jumping into any bodies of water or kissing exotic birds. However, I will issue a challenge to my friends to learn to dance on their heads -- we've got to have some fun, afterall !

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas !

 

On Sunday, I hosted "WUSCY COOKIE Madness" at my house.  Melissa, Haley, David, Alison, Thandi, Becca and I baked up a storm of brownies, cupcakes, fudge, shortbread, and peanut butter balls.

While the baking was cooling, so were we -- in the pool !  Christmas in Africa -- what can I say ?

Russ, Kari, Rachel and Isobel sent a box full of Christmas that arrived just in time for the festivities.  I decorated the mantle with goodies they sent and played the Christmas cd they included in the package.



Christmas decorations, courtesy of my family !



Becca and Thandi mixing cupcake batter.
 

The prep station.

The girls decorated paper plates.

Never stop to bake that Christmas cake !

Reindeer cupcakes.



A well earned dip in the pool !









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

International AIDS Day, December 1, 2012

I attended the International AIDS Day event in Mogiditshane, outside Gaborone, yesterday. It was a rainy, blustery day, but the crowds, exhibitors, and entertainers showed up in full force.  With a national prevalence rate of 17.6%, it is estimated that 301,807 people are currently living with HIV in Botswana.  Events like this to share information and resources are part of a national awareness and prevention campaign.



Building an HIV Free Generation

Young girl, showing her support

Display at the WUSC booth



Even "Ex Toughmen" want to learn about the benefits of safe male circumcision

The HIV testing caravan behind the BOCAIP tent had a steady line of people wanting to know their status

BOCAIP banner

Pearl, the face of BOCAIP

The links between gender based violence and the spread of HIV are undeniable

Traditional dancers entertain the crowd



The President and other dignitaries show their support