A Visit from the Travel Bug

About a month ago, a Peace Corps Volunteer who lives near me sent me a text message asking me if I'd be willing to give a man a place to stay for the night when he passed through Kang. He was also a guest staying at her place, as they had arranged his accommodation in Motokwe through Couch Surfing. If you're unfamiliar with Couch Surfing, check out the website here. It's a great idea & of course, I'm a registered Couch Surfer too.

I agreed to allow him to stay at my house as he went about his journey in Botswana and upon his arrival, I could tell he had seen a lot in life. His name is Scott and he came to Botswana with the idea of biking across the entire country. When I asked him why he decided to bike across Botswana, his response was, "Because all of the guidebooks say you shouldn't do it."

Talk about adventurous! Scott was a very pleasant guest and I was happy to have him stay in Kang. I took him around to see the local clinic where I work, the few shops we have to purchase food and other items, and discussed a few cultural beliefs. It's amazing to see how much I actually know about Botswana and the culture when I'm talking to someone new to the area…

We made a delicious meal, watched "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" with my sisters, and stayed up the whole evening looking at pictures from his adventures and swapping stories about life.

I was amazed at all the things he has done and seen throughout his life. Each picture was more beautiful than the next and of course, each was accompanied by a delightful story. My heart was so content listening to this man - hearing how much of the world he had experienced with of his own five senses. What an amazing joy!

He asked plenty of questions about what I'm doing in the Peace Corps as well - and part of me began itching to travel around the world without any restrictions. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of all the countries he had traveled to…

Scott and I enjoyed breakfast together in the morning, packed his bags with food, and said our final goodbyes. He was off to his next destination and enjoying the journey along the way.  I truly love how a stranger can become a friend in such a short time!

After I watched him bike away from Kang, my head started spinning with different thoughts about traveling the world and making an impact. As he biked away toward the unknown, I found myself walking into the clinic where I will be every day for the next year and a half. My life seemed a little mundane from that perspective. However, after some time, I realized how fortunate I am to have the best of both worlds.

I am still young. I can still travel, explore, and play in other countries. I'm able bodied, fortunate to come from a good background, and full of energy and enthusiasm. The world will continue to be my playground for many years to come and there's no reason to be jealous of Scott's adventures. It's his time to play and explore… my time is yet to come.

Now is my time to really participate in something incredibly unique. The Peace Corps allows me to become integrated into a community, love a host family like they are my own, and learn about all the cultural norms. There are events I am welcome to attend that a tourist would never have the chance to see. People confide in me with their issues on a level I could never establish as an outsider. My time now is to fully appreciate the opportunity I have been given because not many people are given this kind of chance. 

Upon my original application to the Peace Corps, I always knew that was what I was looking for. A chance to really get to know people, to become a part of their lives, and to help them with whatever they need. I knew that then and I know that now.

Scott & I before his departure from Kang

It's just that sometimes, when your mind begins to wander, it's easy to become jealous of all the play and travel that others get to do. I couldn't be happier for Scott - and wow, does he have great stories to tell. I'd really like to encourage you to check out his blog. Some of his entries are very long, but this one is particularly about biking across Botswana. Check it out!

Adventures come in many shapes and sizes. My adventure for today is to fully absorb all the Peace Corps is offering me - and whenever possible, I plan to fill more of my life finding adventure across the globe.

Love & Light,

TMV 

The Smell of Death

Skeletons are easy to find in the desert!

Living in the desert has been quite a different experience from living next to the Rocky mountains. The land is arid and flat. I've grown accustomed to seeing the sky around me in every direction. There are no more mountains to use as a landmark, hence the reason why I don't have a great sense of direction anymore. North, south, east, and west all seem to blend together unless I take the time to realllllyyyyyy stop and think about it. 

My village is smack dab in the middle of the Kalahari Desert which creates a whole variety of issues for any living creature out here. Sand covers the land in Kang, sharp thorns bury themselves in the sand awaiting the next victim, and during the summer months the sand feels similar to lava. I'm yet to discover much to love about the sand. 

Water shortages occur on a weekly basis and the water will be out completely anywhere from a few hours to almost a week. People store water while the precious resource is around to utilize during the dry periods. But what about the animals? 

Dead donkey found in my village 

Livestock dies on a daily basis. There isn't nearly enough water to supply livestock with water during times of drought, so animals will start to wither away and die in the desert. Encountering entire carcasses, limbs of an animal, or the picked apart skeleton seems like a normal part of my every day life. One day, I found five dead donkeys, a dead cow, and a few dead chickens around my village as I was going about my normal routine. I hope that I never see more than that in a single day... 

My least favorite part about all of this is the stench. Birds flock from all around to peck out the eyeballs, pick apart the bodies, and feed on the dead animals. Carcasses lay around for days and weeks at a time, rotting in the harsh African sun. It's easy to tell when a dead animal is around; I always smell it before I see it. The sun here is so brutal and the breeze is a foreign friend. However, when the breeze does come around, it brings the smell of death with it. It's an unbelievably horrendous smell that I hope no one else has to experience; the smell lingers in your nose and reminds you of how precious life really is. No water? No life. 

Thank goodness I'm able to find and store water for myself during these dreadfully hot summer months, but the poor animals aren't quite as fortunate. 

The Countdown is Over

As I prepared to leave the United States, each tear I shed was a painful reminder of the reality I was facing: I was going to devote the next 26 months on my life to service in the Peace Corps. 26 months away from friends and family, 26 months away from everything I've ever known.

I remember laying in my room at my mom's house in the weeks before my departure and staring at the walls around me. There was a large world atlas hanging above my desk and regardless of my mood, just one glance at the map was enough to make me weep. My eyes flashed from Colorado, my precious home, over an entire ocean to an unknown country, Botswana. The sheer distance on the map created an extreme amount of anxiety and fear.

I was leaving my whole life I created in the States to venture out into the unknown.  Sounds romantic, I know, but once you actually take the steps to move forward, it can be overwhelming to digest. Life as a Peace Corps Volunteer has been an incredible challenge, to say the least, but somehow I've gotten past most of the pity parties and sleepless nights and I find myself today at remarkable check point:

I've been in Botswana for six months!

I find myself wondering how I've been here for a half a year already - but when I take a moment to reflect about just how far I've come, the six months seem to make sense.

Upon arrival, the new culture overwhelmed me and I never knew the right things to say or the proper way to act. I had no sense of the cultural norms, I could barely utter hello in Setswana, and I didn't understand much at all about the political system. To put it bluntly, I didn't know much of anything when I stepped foot into this country. I was just a bright-eyed, over-achieving American woman.

Oh, how things have changed.

Thanks to the Peace Corps staff and my fellow peers, we were drilled with information for the first several  months about language, cultural integration, and skills development. My mind was overloaded with new ideas, opinions, and tactics to approach any situation. With all my new information, I settled into site, found a way to apply my recently acquired knowledge, and developed relationships with people that will last a lifetime. A timid and apprehensive young woman stepped onto the plane in the States, but I'm confident that a new woman will be returning home in 2014.

I'm not the same woman I was six months ago, which most people would expect to hear. But what amazes me to this day is that I will never be able to fully express my transformation to anyone, regardless of how many words and phrases I use.

Living in Botswana has opened my eyes to a whole new world of understanding and appreciation. I have the ability to teach people that humanity has more similarities than differences. People unveil their hearts to me about problems they are facing and situations where they could use my assistance. Rural environments force me to look at my personal behavior and lifestyles. Medical cases in the clinic help me see what's absolutely essential and how much money we waste on western medicine. Parenting styles make me question my morals and beliefs about how to raise children to be respectful, caring individuals. Educational systems create questions in my mind about inequality and access to a better life.  Unique opportunities are presented to me on a daily basis and everything I once knew has been questioned. I am pushed each day to evaluate who I am and how to become a stronger woman to serve the people in my village.

Someone once told me, "the days will be slow, but the years… they will fly." I believe that this will be the case for the entirety of my service and I've already found that my countdown is over. I'm no longer counting down the months until I'm going home. Now, I find myself counting up from the day I arrived. "I can't believe I have been here for six months, I only have 20 months left."  I'm well aware that 20 months is a decent chunk of time, but with the way that things have been going on this side, I am certain that the time is going to be slipping away quickly.

I'm afraid to blink and miss any of the beauty I am surrounded by, so at my six month mark, I'm making a point to become fully aware of the importance of each new day. Life is patiently waiting for us to open our eyes and embrace the beauty hidden amongst the chaos. Each day is a gift and an opportunity to look back and reflect upon just how far you've come… Stop counting down to the next "big event." Immerse yourself in the present moment and find joy in life  as it is now.

Six months has come and gone in a hurry. The next twenty are going to do the same. Now is my time to stop counting down to my homecoming in 2014 and use the present moment to focus on all that I want to accomplish as an individual. I want to do as much as I can, while I still can. Nothing in life is guaranteed and I owe it to myself and those around me to live in the present.

I've come so far in six months - I can't wait to see what the rest of my service has in store for me!

Love & Light,

TMV 

A Family Affair

I'm back-tracking now to relive my aunties wedding on August 18, 2012. My auntie is named Kolobetso, but people tend to call her Kolo (sounds like  co-low). She was getting married to Moremi, the father of her youngest daughter.

Since my arrival in June, the family had been preparing for the wedding and I got to take part in all of the wedding planning festivities. Trust me when I tell you that weddings in Botswana are a much bigger ordeal than in the United States! It's an entire family affair.

Extended family and friends began arriving in Kang on Thursday and everyone's hands were busy working on one task or another to prepare for the big event on Saturday. Our yard was overflowing new faces, but despite the unfamiliarity, almost everyone was sporting a giant smile and cheerful spirit. I could feel the energy, love, and anticipation building around the ceremony to unite two people in holy matrimony. And can you imagine? People will sleep in the same houses, all in a row, just to stay together as family. I offered my house for people to stay - and still, the idea of cramming people like sardines into sleeping spaces on the floor sounds a bit more ideal. I couldn't argue with the sentimental value behind that…

On Friday morning, two of my Peace Corps volunteer friends arrived to soak in the cultural experience. Along with the rising sun, all the elders met at 6:00 am to have the lebola negotiations. Lebola is known as the bride price and it is usually set around 8 cows, depending on the families. Only married people are allowed to attend the negotiations, and both families will discuss the lebola and who will be receiving cows. I loved seeing the cows outside my yard - and of course, I love them as a vegetarian- and it made me sad they made the long journey to come to my village just for the elders to decide who eats them. Poor things… they had no idea!

Around 9:00, we all headed over to the kgotla (think town hall, but this is where the chief holds meetings) where we were to witness the exchange of rings and signing the marriage contract. Most of this meeting was in Setswana, but I managed to have people translate bits and pieces for me. They also take a vow in front of the kgosi (the village chief) and the remainder of the day is dedicated to preparing all of the last minute things for the ceremony on Saturday.

Everyone woke up bright and early on Saturday to begin cooking and decorating the wedding tent. It is customary for weddings to be held at the place of residence for the bride, and on a separate weekend, it will be held at the place of residence for the groom. These ceremonies occur in their home villages (or home towns) so that loved ones can participate in the ceremony. Wherever the ceremony occurs, a tent is used to hold guests and they can make any tent look quite fancy! Take a look…

As mentioned in a previous post (see Tying the Knot), the wedding party changes their attire several times throughout the ceremony. I still don't understand the importance behind this - because it is very costly- but nonetheless, my home ended up being the dressing room for the wedding party. I had men and women flooding in and out of my house changing, applying make-up, and looking in the mirror. Yes! You look great :o) Everyone is very proud of how well they are dressed on the day of the wedding.

My family had me fitted for a traditional Tswana dress, and oh my goodness gracious, I can't even tell you how excited people in the community were when they saw the lekgoa (foreigner) wearing their typical attire! The tailor didn't finish my dress until the evening of the wedding, but people were still very happy to see the dress make an appearance the day of the wedding. I really love my dress … and the best part? Built in shoulder pads. The 80's live on in Botswana!

The day was a complete success - the bride & groom were captivating, my friends were thoroughly entertained, and I was reminded, yet again, of the beautiful village I am living in. The hearts of the people in this family are overflowing with kindness.

As I'm writing this post, my two sisters are looking over my shoulder to read about our stories. Our lives are becoming so beautifully intertwined - and just as Kolobetso & Moremi had a wedding to celebrate their love - I find myself celebrating my love for the people in my community each and every day.  

Love & Light, 

TMV 

Home is Where the Heart is

After spending eleven days in Gaborone (the capitol) for In-Service Training (IST), I couldn't have been any happier to get off the bus and step foot in familiar territory. Gabs seems like a BIG CITY to me now in comparison to where I have been living. It isn't even a large city by American standards, but it's funny how much my perspective has changed after living out in the middle of nowhere. The bustling khombis, shopping malls, and unfriendly people overwhelmed me and left me missing home.

Of course, it was incredible to catch up and spend time with my fellow Peace Corps volunteers  at IST, but I was so delighted to see my village at the end of it all. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully describe my "roller-coaster" ride with the Peace Corps (and really, a roller-coaster sounds too fun and light-hearted to truly capture everything). IST brought light to many different issues in Botswana - ones that I won't go into detail about now - and it left me with a whirl wind of emotions.

Am I here at the right time in my life? Can I truly make a meaningful impact in my service? Am I working as hard as I could be to implement community projects? Does anyone appreciate what I'm giving up in order to be here? And on and on and on and on….

 

You get the idea.

With all the thoughts floating around in my head on my six hour journey back home, I was positive that I was going to start losing my mind. Or my patience.

As I got off the bus and hauled all my bags along the sandy path, I was greeted by laughing children running to me with open arms. And my smiling grandmother. And my purring kitty-cat. And mail from loved ones back in the states.  And a beautiful African sunset.

It's an incredibly relieving feeling to be sleeping in my own bed again, greeting people in the streets by their first names, and walking everywhere I need to go. I missed my peaceful life without electricity and somehow I wasn't angered by yet another water shortage upon my arrival. I'm happy to be boiling my water again for my baths & I enjoy hearing people speak Sekgalagadi all throughout the village.

Although Kang is  rural, in the middle of the Kgalagadi desert, and isolated from many resources… I can't think of anywhere else in Botswana I'd rather be. Of course, other Peace Corps volunteers see exotic wildlife in their backyards - but I wouldn't trade my donkeys and chickens for any other village. The people in my community make all the difference in the world and their friendship and hospitality have created a large support network for me here.

And as they say, home is where the heart is… and my heart is truly in Kang, Botswana.

 

It's so good to be home <3

Love & Light, 

TMV

New Definitions of Normal

My new definitions of normal… just to name a few. I'm sure I'll continue adding to the list as time goes by, but I want you to hear all about these now now.

• Holding hands while talking

Gender doesn't matter. Neither does age. Just hold hands! Men hold hands, women hold hands, men & women hold hands…. It's just what you do. Don't lace your fingers though, that's just weird. And uncomfortable for everyone involved. But don't be rude! Hold hands when you are having important conversations with people or you want to show them your support. I've grown to love this!

• Interrogative words at the END of a sentence

It's truly a strange phenomenon here in Kang. I'm not sure I completely understand it, but I do know that I catch myself phrasing questions in my head the same way now. And just to clarify, these statements are said in English… I'm not translating from Setswana or Sekgalagadi.

"You are going where?"

"You were at the post office to send what?"

"Your siblings are how many?"

"The report was given to who?"

"Our meeting will begin when?"

• Sand = Dr. Scholl's

Kang is in the middle of the Kgalagadi Desert, so of course, sand has become a familiar friend of mine. I used to take the time to dump the sand piles out of my shoes as I was walking, but I've quickly discovered that if I DON'T dump the sand out, the sand will begin to accumulate beneath the arches of my feet. No thanks Dr. Scholl's, I'm doing just fine here in the desert AND I'm saving money.

• Saving water to flush

Water outages are becoming more and more common here in Kang, so I have learned to take advantage of water while it is flowing. I save water to drink when the water goes out & more importantly, I save enough water to fill the toilet to flush. Trust me, this is an critical lesson to learn as a Peace Corps Volunteer!

• The Spider Stomp/Smack

As many of you know from a recent blog post, I have encountered some pretty gross looking spiders (p.s. NO ONE in this community claims to know what kind of spider I killed after they saw the picture… but it sure did make me feel better when they said they would have killed it too!).  There are some spiders here that Peace Corps Volunteers like to call "flatsies" because, well, they are really flat. They're BIG, but they're flat. And they kill bugs. Ok, fine, they can stay. But I still don't enjoy seeing them.

SO, I've learned that whenever I open cupboard drawers or move something from where it used to be sitting, I do the spider stomp/smack. It's really quite  self explainable, but it's become like second nature to me.

• Overemphasizing statements

After a while, I've learned about how much the Batswana like to emphasize things they say. "It's cold cold" or "that's far far". Silly, perhaps, but I've learned to do the same. The most common one I've heard is "now now", but really, chose any word to repeat & people will be pleased. 

• Knocking off

When I am leaving work, I'm knocking off. It's what everyone says. Strange and yet, so normal.

And just to bring everything full circle…

"You knock off at what time?"

• Name games

Imagine someone calling your name whenever they see you; when they walk past your desk, when they see you across the street, when you're running, etc. Sometimes people want to have a full conversation, other times they might look at you like you're crazy for coming to talk to them. Often they are just acknowledging your presence... It's a game. They call your name at all times throughout the day - and it's a up to you to try to figure out whether or not to try to engage in conversation. Great fun!

• Nice is the only adjective in the world

There is simply no other adjective in the world that compares to the word "nice." It's just the nicest word there is.

"How's the day?" You have two options here… 1)"it's nice" 2) "it's just ok"

--> p.s. they both mean your day is going well, it's not like what you would say to your boyfriend/husband when they screw up

"The food is nice."

"Oh it's very very nice!"

"The movie was nice."

You get the idea.

It's nice not to waste space in my brain with all these big, fancy words I learned at university. ---> Ha. I just made myself laugh. I didn't even do that on purpose.

• Pens are powerful

If I have a pen, people want to be my friend. Because they lost theirs. Or don't care to find it. Either way, I gain a lot of new "friends", but after a short time, I've figured out that those friendships are one sided. The pens often don't return… they end up in the Botswana Black Hole for pens. And soon enough, I have to go make new friends of my own because when I'm pen-less, I have no power in making friends. 

That's all for now now! I'm procrastinating writing my report that's due next week :o) Love to each & every one of you!

Love & Light,

TMV 

Truly Absurd & Tender Moments

Life in Botswana seems like an  insanely crazy roller coaster ride for my emotions.  I thought it might be fun to share some of the life changing events I have experienced, along with some of the moments I never expected. Some are touching, inspiring, and moving, while others seem mundane, ridiculous, and silly. Life as a Peace Corps Volunteer is a combination of everything you could possibly imagine and I would love for you to have a taste of the difference between each day (or moment) of my life here.

Absurd Moment: During my time in Kang, I have to put together a community map outlining where things are in my community. I was out in the community one day to observe where things are in relationship to my home & work when a man drives up next to me on the street and starts telling me I'm beautiful. I ignore him & keep walking down the street as he continues to yell back at me with his head out of the window. Not even five seconds later I hear a huge collision & look back to see that this man got in a head on collision with another car. I think to myself, that couldn't have possibly been your fault, tate. Stay calm. Well, everyone involved in the accident is fine & the police come to fill out a report, so I head back to the clinic. As I pass through the patient waiting area, a man grabs my arm and says, "don't you remember me?" And I say no... He proceeds to say, "I am the one who was in the car accident. I was captivated by you. Won't you be my wife? I almost died for you!"

Tender Moment: During a sermon at church in Kanye, the Bishop was preaching about how the Lord says to love one another. He asked the congregation to give an example of love in our presence and he pointed out that Claire (another Peace Corps Volunteer present at the time) & I were examples of love. He told them that we flew at night over an ocean to Africa to serve the Batswana. He told us he admired us for our large act of love. I was amazed at how highly he thought of us - it truly touched my heart and brought tears of joy to my eyes.

Absurd Moment: During my shadowing week in Shoshong, I was staying with Amelia and learning from her about what life would be like one I moved out to site on my own. I followed Amelia around for the week and one memorable activity was sitting in on her Life Skills class. Amelia began to teach a small group of students about how to make better personal decisions in order to accomplish their life goals. At the end of the class, Amelia asked everyone to write down a question, comment, or something they wanted to share anonymously with her & leave it in a box before they left class.  Little did we know, one of the students was writing a love note. To me. It reads:

Boitshepo, I lov u 4 more than everything in the world. U have a special place in my heart, so live like a candle which burns it self but gives light to others so then this world will be bright and beautiful for your life, any tears for u I will cry for u.

Please keep in mind this boy is 14 years old.  Silly.

Tender Moment: Romeo, my little nephew who lives next door to me in Kang, is two years old and has the disposition of an eighty year old man. He rarely smiles, barely talks, and sits quietly in the sand playing with cats the majority of his day. He is about as cute as they come and for the first week I arrived in Kang, he wouldn't make direct eye contact with me. After warming up to him, he decided it would be ok for me to sit with him in the sand. We slowly got to know each other and then one day, I was holding him while I sat on the couch talking to my sisters and he curled up in my arms and fell asleep. My family declared, "Romeo loves you!" Absolutely precious. We are good friends now and I know exactly how to bring a smile to his sweet little face.

Absurd Moment: Since it is winter here in Botswana, I have developed various coping mechanisms against the cold. There have been nights when it gets down into the thirties, which is truly no fun without insulated walls or indoor heating. How have I learned to cope?

• I drink tea immediately before bed & as soon as I wake up to try to stay warm.

• Long underwear, sweat pants, long sleeve shirts, hoodies, north face jackets, gloves, wool socks, headbands to cover my ears, sleeping bag liner, sleeping bag, flannel sheets, large blankets = my new best friends

• Since I don't have hot water, I must boil the water to bathe with. Even with boiled water, I've learned to NEVER wash my hair and my body at the same time (and often, I avoid both in the same day)! When I wash my hair, I stay fully clothed and hold my head over the bathtub. I always make sure to boil enough hot water to rinse my hair and warm my hands after I am done.

• Since my hands go numb when I wash the dishes, all dirty dishes must sit in my sink until around 2 PM when the water in the pipes isn't quite ice cold & I'll boil water to help convince myself that I really can't leave them sitting in the sink the rest of the week.
• Placing the clothes I want to wear the next day underneath my blankets works wonders! It's difficult to convince myself to get out of bed if the clothes I am changing into are as cold as it is outside.

Tender Moment:  singing songs like "If you're happy and you know it" with my  host mom, dad & niece in kanye always brought a smile to my face. They know songs that we all grew up singing, but the words always seem to be a little bit off. :o) I love that they say "if you're happy & you know it, clap your feet" (not stomp your feet), "if you're happy and you know it, nod your head" (which sounds like noodle head) and they always conclude with "if you're happy & you know it ...say amen". They are so kind & happy, regardless of what is going on in their life.

Absurd Moment: At a loss of what to do with my afternoon, I found myself watching a fly for at least twenty minutes. The fly was overjoyed with the left over crumbs on my plate and I found an equal amount of satisfaction with watching him consume tiny morsels of food. When would I have ever made the time (or even consider) staring at a fly? There is so much going on in the world around us that we never stop to observe! The absurdity about this story is that I would consider this a productive lunch time activity.

Tender Moment: While I lived in Kanye, I met many of the neighbors who lived by my family. One of the families nearby had two small children, ages 2 and 4. The parents were very friendly, but the children seemed to be a bit more timid. After some time went by & the children were accustomed to seeing me in the streets, they would come running down the street yelling "BOITSHEPO!" when I came home from classes. It sounds so very simple, but the sight of these two cute small children calling my name after a long day of training really did make my day. It still warms my heart to think of those two..

Absurd Moment: While taking a taxi back to my house in Kanye, a man in the taxi decides to tell me that he loves me. This is typical behavior... but I responded by saying," You can't possibly love me. You don't even know my name!"  And his response? " I know your name. Your name is my wife. " I don't think I will ever quite understand how the men here think that is charming...  Crazy.

Tender Moment: There is a woman in Kang who is as sweet as they come. She is a volunteer with the Police Department and she was so sweet to show me around when I first arrived .One Saturday, I invited her over to have tea & we began discussing her family, hobbies, etc. She is very religious so she was sharing all about the values she strives to live by & she told me that she was so happy to have me here in Botswana. In her words..."We all have so much to learn from each other. We are all just people, regardless of color. You are white, and I am black. But that doesn't mean we aren't the same... We just look different." <3

Absurd Moment: Trying to learn two new languages is crazy as it is, but I really love when I discover things that they say in English don't mean the same thing at all to me in English. Examples?

• He/she is late… really means they died.
• I'm coming…. really means I'm going (or maybe I'll come back much later on).

• I love your skirt… really means I want your skirt & you should give it to me.
• Borrow me your pen… really means I want your pen & have no intention of returning it.
• We will be married… really means are you interested? (more of a pick up line)
• You are fat … really means you are well off, well fed, and rich. (it is intended to be a compliment... But only sometimes. You can see why this one is tricky)
• Rubber … really means an eraser.
• Now … really means sometime in the future.
• Now now… really means right now.

Tender Moment: I have asked the staff in my clinic to tell me their birthdays so I can try to keep up with them & a few weeks after my arrival in Kang, I had a few staff birthdays coming up. I simply made a few homemade happy birthday cards & decorated the envelopes. I gave the cards to the two women in the clinic & they each responded by giving me a great big hug & expressing their gratitude for my thoughtfulness. So sweet.... Then a few hours later, one of the women came knocking at my office door. She asked to borrow my pen because she wanted to remember something important & she proceeded to ask me when my birthday was. :o) She said she was so happy about her card that she didn't want to forget my birthday either.

Absurd Moment: People don't seem to be bothered by small children running around with sharp objects in their hands, but as a former nanny/babysitter, it really irks me. While I was doing homework one evening in Kanye, my host niece was playing with a steak knife. She was just poking things on the table when she told me she wanted the paper I was working on (my homework). I told her calmly, that no, she can't have my paper to poke with a knife, and as you can imagine, a temper tantrum followed. Remember the knife that was in her hand? Yup, she started swinging it towards me & screaming. Children throwing a fit and throwing their legos at you might be one thing, but I must admit that I was actually afraid of this little one injuring me with a knife during her fit of rage.

Although it doesn't paint a full picture of my life here as a PCV, you can definitely see that with every moment that passes, I am experiencing many ups and downs. Some days bring tears of joy, others bring tears of frustration. As we all do, I'm taking in the good with the bad, learning from everything I'm going through & finding a way to (hopefully) make a meaningful impact on the lives of the people I encounter.

Love & Light,

TMV