Pancake Plate Trivia - Answers

Emmah and Rodwell, my good friends

Lyric Tapa, celebrating her Canadian roots

Dad's pancake recipe, times 8 ! (for 25 guests)

Outdoor dining, at its best !

Kids Craft Corner - face paint, crayons, bubbles

Happy Canada Day !

Erin and Violet get the first round !

We had a great time entertaining friends and colleagues at our Canada Day pancake breakfast.  Friends came to the rescue with water after our street experienced a bursting pipe, and Violet called in reinforcements to help with a power breaker problem.  Both water and power were restored, Dad's pancakes went like hotcakes, and everyone loved the maple syrup.  I love this house for entertaining, and look forward to hosting more parties in the future.

Pancake Plate Trivia, 2012 !

1.  List 3 Canadian NHL teams.Oilers; Senators; Canadiens; Canucks; Jets; Maple Leafs; Flames

2.   List 3 uniquely Canadian terms.
Nanaimo bar; double-double; two-four; Eh?; poutine; toque; chinook; timbits (and more)

3.   List the 5 Great Lakes.  Which 4 share a border straddle the Canada / U.S. border ?
Huron; Ontario; (Michigan); Erie; Superior

4.   List the 10 Canadian provinces and the 3 Canadian territories.
British Columbia; Alberta; Saskatchewan; Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; Newfoundland and Labrador; Northwest Territories; Yukon; Nunavut

5.   What was the coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada ?  Where was this recorded ?
-63 degrees Celsius; Snag, Yukon, Feb. 3, 1947

6.   List 5 famous Canadian musicians.
K'naan; Justin Bieber; Celine Dion; Shania Twain; Barenakedladies; Avril Lavigne; Nickelback; Nelly Furtado; Bryan Adams; Neil Young; kd lang; Sarah McLachlan; Leonard Cohen, Sum41 (and more)

7.   What is Canada's national sport ?
Lacrosse

8.   List 5 Canadian inventions.
Walkie-talkie; electric wheelchair; lacrosse; instant replay; telephone; zipper; blackberry smartphone; basketball; electric light bulb; five pin bowling; baseball glove; electron microscope; standard time; Superman; ice hockey; snow blower; IMAX; egg carton; duct tape; insulin; roller skates; snowmobile; canola (and more)

9.   Which Canadian coin ceased to be produced in May, 2012 ?
Penny

10.  How old will Canada be on July 1, 2012 ?
145

11.  What food do Canadians consume more than any other nationality ?
Mac'n cheese

12.  What was the last province to join confederation ?
Newfoundland

13.  What does the word Canada mean ?
Village or settlement

14.  Which territory is home to half of the world's polar bear population ?
Nunavut

15.  What is the name of the schooner (boat) depicted on the Canadian dime ?
Bluenose

16.   Approximately how many lakes are in Canada ?
3 million

17.  What percentage of the world's maple syrup is produced in Quebec, Canada ?
70

18.  What is the longest national highway in the world ?
Trans Canada Highway

19.  What is the longest street in the world ?
Yonge Street

20.   How many time zones are in Canada ?
Six

21.   How far is it across Canada from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts ?
8,850 km

22.  What is the shortest distance from Canada to Botswana ?
14,547.4 km

23   What is the approximate population of Canada ?
34 million

24.  What rodent had the greatest impact on the history and exploration of Canada ?
Beaver

25.  What is the Canadian $1 coin called ?
Loonie

26.  What is the Canadian $2 coin called ?
Twonie

Pancake Plate Trivia - Questions

Those who know me well, know I love to plan parties and events.  I will be hosting a Canada Day pancake breakfast this Sunday for about 30 people.  I will be using my dad's secret pancake recipe, and serving the pancakes with maple syrup (what else?).

I decided to write little Canadian trivia questions on the rims of the paper plates, with the answers to be concealed under the pancakes.

I would like to challenge you to answer the trivia questions.  Let me know what you come up with !  Answers to be provided July 1.

1.   List 3 Canadian NHL teams.

2.   List 3 uniquely Canadian terms.

3.   List the 5 Great Lakes.  Which 4 straddle the Canada / U.S. border ?

4.   List the 10 Canadian provinces and the 3 Canadian territories.

5.   What was the coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada ?  Where was this recorded ?

6.   List 5 famous Canadian musicians.

7.   What is Canada's national sport ?

8.   List 5 Canadian inventions.

9.   Which Canadian coin ceased to be produced in May, 2012 ?

10.  How old will Canada be on July 1, 2012 ?

11.  What food do Canadians consume more than any other nationality ?

12.  What was the last province to join confederation ?

13.  What does the word Canada mean ?

14.  Which territory is home to half of the world's polar bear population ?

15.  What is the name of the schooner (boat) depicted on the Canadian dime ?

16.  Approximately how many lakes are in Canada ?

17.  What percentage of the world's maple syrup is produced in Quebec, Canada ?

18.  What is the longest national highway in the world ?

19.  What is the longest street in the world ?

20.  How many time zones are in Canada ?

21.  How far is it from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts ?

22.  What is the shortest distance from Canada to Botswana ?

23   What is the approximate population of Canada ?

24.  What rodent had the greatest impact on the history and exploration of Canada ?

25.  What is the Canadian $1 coin called ?

26.  What is the Canadian $2 coin called ?

Merry Hashmas ! (Christmas in June - Part I)

On June 16/17, I joined the Kalahari Hash House Harriers for their annual 'Hashmas' weekend.
It is winter here, so it only seems natural to celebrate Christmas, right ?  

We were met with some strange glances as we hiked through the countryside with our Santa hats !

We returned to the Bahurutse Cultural Lodge to a turkey dinner, with all the fixings -- followed by mulled wine and Christmas carols by the campfire.

The next day, we visited some 2,000 year-old San cave paintings and the Livingstone tree, under which Livingstone taught the villagers.

I look forward to more outings with the Kalahari Hash House Harriers !

Hike through villages and valley - On, On !

The famous Hash Circle

Candlelight Christmas dinner

Turkey and ham with all the fixings

If you look closely, you can see an oryx

A cave that concealed a local princess during war time

2,000 year old San paintings at Manyana

What's new at BOCAIP ?

...So glad you asked !

BOCAIP is moving full steam ahead with implementing the Maatla Project.  I went with Mma Kwape and a team of advisors from FHI360, the American NGO coordinating the Maatla Project, on a site visit to the village of Molepolole.  We visited the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) day care centre and the HIV counselling and testing centre to see some of BOCAIP's projects in action.

FHI360 Advisors visit the OVC centre in Molepolole

Taking children home after a day of fun at the day care centre.
 I love this little guy's smile !

Health promotion posters on display at the counselling / testing centre.

Mma Kwape being interviewed at the May 10 launch

BOCAIP also launched a project funded by the South African Development Community (SADC),  through which support is provided via umbrella organization in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to develop the organizational capacity of 10 civil society organizations in each country working to address HIV and AIDS.  BOCAIP was selected as the organization to lead this project in Botswana.  I will be working with BOCAIP to ensure links are made, and lessons shared, with partners working on the Maatla Project. The umbrella organizations from Zambia and Zimbabwe, along with BOCAIP, are participating in Train the Trainer sessions this week in Gaborone.

Maun Weekend

Maun is a town that serves as the gateway to the Okavango Delta.  Some have compared Maun to a dusty Wild West frontier town.  Those who make a life there will tell you that a lot more goes on beneath the surface than it's sleepy exterior belies.  Maun is a town that is growing.  A few days before I arrived (May 18-20), the first traffic light was installed.  This photo is of the Maun International Airport -- complete with livestock grills to keep the donkeys, goats, and cattle off the runway.

It's my horse

It's now or never

I ain't gonna ride forever

I just want to ride while I'm alive...

I took a horseback safari just outside Maun.  On the back of Bon Jovi, I road alongside dancing giraffes, regal kudus, bouncing springbok, and prancing ostriches.  The zebra was the only animal that seemed to mind the presence of the horses -- too close a relative, perhaps?

My guide stopped to show me a nest of ostrich eggs.  There is a picture of me on the horse holding two strategically placed eggs, with giraffes in the background.  Sorry  -- but it is far too goofy / incriminating to post. You will just have to imagine the scene.

I am far from an experienced rider, but I did my best to steer Bon Jovi from thorn tree branches and aardvark holes.

The next day, my friend / colleague Gulner joined me from Gaborone for a mokoro camping trip into the Delta.  Each year, the finger-like channels of the Delta expand as the waters from Angola come to flood the Kalahari sands, giving life to reeds, lilies, and vegetation on which a variety of wildlife feast.  We traveled by mokoro - a dug-out canoe, poled by the local villagers. The guides bent down to scoop up handfuls of the clear, fresh water to drink.  Gulner and I were not so daring.  Other tourists swam in the deeper parts of the channels.  Again, we were not as daring -- Crocs and hippos live in these waters !

 

As our guides were setting up camp, Gulner and I went for a walk.  We found this lone bull elephant, grazing on grasses, just 100 metres or so from our campsite.  We were warned not to leave our tent at night.  While we weren't too concerned about a midnight visit from this gentle beast, the grunts of nearby hippos over-ruled the call of nature. 

We took one more mokoro ride to watch the setting sun.  As we glided along, we were serenaded by birds and bell frogs.  Later that night, our guides regaled us with local folklore tales while we listened to the call and response singing of polers from nearby camps.

The following morning, we went to a nearby island for a walking tour in the tracks of hippos and elephants.  We saw zebras, wildebeest, countless birds, and another lone elephant. 

May Mayhem

 (Okay, so not really "mayhem" per se,  in the destructive havoc-wreaking sense of the term...but May was a chaotic month, nonetheless.)

You may have noticed my entries for the month of  May and early June have been a little thin. It turned out to be a very busy time, for some of the reasons mentioned below, and I am a little behind in my blog posts.  I have already written about a couple of these events, and I am now trying to catch up on the others...so stay tuned !

In May/early June, I:

• moved into a new new house
• broke in a new housemate (just teasing, Erin)
• learned new routes, routines
• introduced a couple of newly arrived volunteers to some of my favourite places in and around Gaborone
• worked long hours (due to a couple of exciting projects)
• fought a bronchial infection (note to self:  do not self-medicate with Cipro -- ever agan)
• worked on my Serlo forms (that's the innocuous sounding acronym for the "selection for retention or lay-off" process many in the federal public service of Canada are now going through)
• long-distance managed a tree falling on my house
• ventured to the Okavango Delta for a weekend safari by horseback, mokoro (poled dug-out canoe), and on foot
• introduced some local friends to "Canadian cuisine" (I have to use the quotation marks, since I'm still not sure what that is)
• attended a funeral and a baby shower, in the same day (celebrating the end of one life, and the beginning of another)

Greetings

I have mentioned in earlier posts the importance of greetings here.  It is not at all uncommon for complete strangers to greet one another in passing -- in fact, it is expected. 

I have not once had a "Dumela" or "Good morning" go unacknowledged.

Even by teenagers.  Imagine that !  Anywhere else you would approach an unknown teenager, you would get a strange look, a stifled, awkward laugh, or be made to feel exceedingly uncool.  Here, you get a return, "Dumela Mma", a nod, a smile, and sometimes, the beginning of a conversation.  More often than not, they are the ones initiating the exchange.

The same can happen with even younger kids who may not have been taught the lessons of stranger danger.  Not everyone would agree with this method of raising children, but it seems to work here. 

Each day, I pass by a small house around the corner from my office  This house is usually unattended by people, but always has an assorted variety of sleepy dogs, and on a couple of occasions, horses and livestock (yes, in a city !).  We figure the residents spend most of their time at the cattle post.

Yesterday, I was surprised by the call of "Dumela Mma" emanating from a small boy in the yard.  He must have been about 3 or 4 years old.  He was picking up handfuls of sand and letting the grains sift through his fingers.  I answered, "Dumela Rra".  "Where are you going ?" he asked.  "I am going to work".  "Oh -- I am from the Village !", he announced proudly.  "Well, how very nice of you to come see us in the City !", I answered.  We wished each other good day, and went about our respective business.