Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency
There should be a statue of Author Alexander McCall Smith in the center of Gaborone. Or he should get a key to the city. Or perhaps an action figure in his likeness could be placed in the kiddie meals at Wimpy's (the local answer to McDonalds). His book series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency has arguably done more than anything else to figuratively put Botswana on the map and literally into the minds of millions. The books are an entertaining read and full of insight about the city we now live in and the culture of the people here. I've only read the first one, Chase is on #3. While not on par with Harry Potter mania, the books are popular enough to have generated enough buzz that there is currently a movie being made here based on the series and there are tours of the places mentioned in the books.
There is also a No. 1 Ladies' Opera house which recently opened. Chase, Finn and I went to it recently for brunch and we had a chance to meet the proprietor. The story goes that the idea for the place came about when he and Alexander McCall Smith, a friend, met over coffee last year and came up with the idea of Botswana's first Opera House. The site is beautiful, and they intend to stage full operas there twice a year. (Botswana has a rich history of traditional music.) The menu includes gems such as "Mma Makutsi's sweet pancakes" and "Malawian Mbatata Sim-sim balls."
For every frustration that we encounter here, there are opportunities like visiting The No. 1 Ladies Opera House that make us smile.
Meet Pwchisango
I am happy to finally introduce you to Pwschisango (English translation = Patience), our housekeeper/Nanny who I now consider my friend. Patience is 25 years old and immigrated from Zimbabwe almost four years ago. She and her husband Joseph and their three-year-old daughter, Faith, live in Mocholodi with Brett and Zoe.
Since the day I met Patience, I've been very fond of her. Although very soft spoken, she is wonderful with children. She is extremely kind and her English is crystal clear:-) Thursday afternoon as Patience and I baked some carrot muffins, we engaged in wonderful conversation. I learned so much more about her and gained a lot of respect and admiration for her.
Patience went through all of the training in Zimbabwe to be a Safari guide. However, with the turmoil in her country, life suddenly became very difficult. When Ian asked her what brought her to Botswana, she looked at the ground and quietly responded, "poverty." She explained that she thought she would have better luck getting a job in Gaborone at one of the national parks. Unfortunately, working as a Safari guide here requires different qualifications, etc. With only 10 pula (6.2 pula to the dollar) when she arrived in Botswana, she wasn't sure what to do. Turns out she found a church to sponsor her. She said they raised enough money for her to buy some food, etc. Then they sent her back to Zimbabwe to get her husband, Joseph. When they returned here, she found work as a maid (which means she also found living accomodations).
While Patience has dreams of being a Safari guide, or even going to law school some day, she said that she feels extremely blessed with her current situation. She says, "it's a miracle and I am so very blessed." Patience is the oldest of six (three sisters and two brothers). While her parents are also in Gaborone, the rest of her family lives in Zimbabwe. She explained to me that one of her sister's failed school and was left with two options: sell herself to prostitution or find a husband. Fortunately, she found a husband. Patience would like to return to her country, but isn't sure if it will ever be safe again. In the meantime, she wants to continue working as a maid so that she can save money to buy her own home. We are lucky to have Patience come to our house every Tuesday, half of Weds, and Thursdays. Finn absolutely LOVES Patience - he lights up every time he sees her. And I am truly grateful that she has come into our lives.
Since the day I met Patience, I've been very fond of her. Although very soft spoken, she is wonderful with children. She is extremely kind and her English is crystal clear:-) Thursday afternoon as Patience and I baked some carrot muffins, we engaged in wonderful conversation. I learned so much more about her and gained a lot of respect and admiration for her.
Patience went through all of the training in Zimbabwe to be a Safari guide. However, with the turmoil in her country, life suddenly became very difficult. When Ian asked her what brought her to Botswana, she looked at the ground and quietly responded, "poverty." She explained that she thought she would have better luck getting a job in Gaborone at one of the national parks. Unfortunately, working as a Safari guide here requires different qualifications, etc. With only 10 pula (6.2 pula to the dollar) when she arrived in Botswana, she wasn't sure what to do. Turns out she found a church to sponsor her. She said they raised enough money for her to buy some food, etc. Then they sent her back to Zimbabwe to get her husband, Joseph. When they returned here, she found work as a maid (which means she also found living accomodations).
While Patience has dreams of being a Safari guide, or even going to law school some day, she said that she feels extremely blessed with her current situation. She says, "it's a miracle and I am so very blessed." Patience is the oldest of six (three sisters and two brothers). While her parents are also in Gaborone, the rest of her family lives in Zimbabwe. She explained to me that one of her sister's failed school and was left with two options: sell herself to prostitution or find a husband. Fortunately, she found a husband. Patience would like to return to her country, but isn't sure if it will ever be safe again. In the meantime, she wants to continue working as a maid so that she can save money to buy her own home. We are lucky to have Patience come to our house every Tuesday, half of Weds, and Thursdays. Finn absolutely LOVES Patience - he lights up every time he sees her. And I am truly grateful that she has come into our lives.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Book Club
I attended my very fist book club last night. I was invited by a friend who is now out of town. I must say it took a lot for me to muster up the courage to show up not knowing the hostess or the other members. I felt like I was in Middle School all over again. What would I wear? Did my friend who invited me, remember to tell them I was coming? Even though she said I didn't need to bring anything, what should I bring? the list goes on... And finally, to add to these other silly fears, I would have to attempt driving at night. Of course Ian offered to take me, but I just felt like this was a fear I needed to face or I would never overcome it.
I think it will take me a while to not be scared of driving in Gaborone at night. It is extremely dark! As my mom would say, I was driving "white-knuckle-gripped" the entire way. There was so much to focus on - I'm not even sure I took a breath. First, I was constantly telling myself "stay-to-the-left." (It's harder to remember when there aren't other cars on the road to follow). Second, people are still walking along the streets in the dark, so I was being super vigilant about that while remembering other advise given to me by several women; #1 Never drive with your purse in the seat (make sure it is hidden) otherwise it is quite possible for someone to bash in your window and steal your bag. #2 If driving at night, and there is a red light (with no other cars) don't stop - to avoid #1 from happeing. Third, those darn pot holes. As I've mentioned before - not only are they everywhere, they are serious holes! They are really difficult to avoid when you can't see. Needless to say, I was praying for NO FLAT TIRES! Finally, the baboons. The house happened to be out in the bush and I knew I would be taking the road where the baboons are always playing. I really didn't want to kill any monkeys! Oh, and to make things just a little bit more frightening...there is no radio in our car. The positive side of this driving experience is that I forgot about being nervous for my first book club.
Book club was GREAT and well worth the scary drive. This group of expat women meet once a month. Not that I've ever been to one, but I am sure this is a bit different than your traditional book club. The hostess prepares dinner, wine, and the books. But here's the cool part. You read any book of your choice. There is a large crate that travels to each meeting. When you are hosting, it's your turn to add to the collection. You can either buy new books, or if you don't mind giving up books from your personal collection, you can do that as well. So after some wine drinking and eating, the hostess shares the books that she is adding to the collection. Our hostess last night, Marianna, is from Denmark. She added a book written by her favorite Danish author (that was translated to English) and about 6 other books. Then everyone has the opportunity to recommend a book. If you are returning a book to the collection that you've just finished - you can share your thoughts to the group etc.
Although it was my first meeting of most of the women (there were a few from playgroup), conversation was rich and meaningful. I could probably write a different blog for each conversation. There were nine of us - two from South Africa, one from Denmark, one from Sweden, one from Australia, two from the UK, one other American and me.
I brought two books home with me (to share with Ian, of course); The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad and House of Stone by Christina Lamb. I can't wait to get started - let's hope Finn takes some long naps!
I think it will take me a while to not be scared of driving in Gaborone at night. It is extremely dark! As my mom would say, I was driving "white-knuckle-gripped" the entire way. There was so much to focus on - I'm not even sure I took a breath. First, I was constantly telling myself "stay-to-the-left." (It's harder to remember when there aren't other cars on the road to follow). Second, people are still walking along the streets in the dark, so I was being super vigilant about that while remembering other advise given to me by several women; #1 Never drive with your purse in the seat (make sure it is hidden) otherwise it is quite possible for someone to bash in your window and steal your bag. #2 If driving at night, and there is a red light (with no other cars) don't stop - to avoid #1 from happeing. Third, those darn pot holes. As I've mentioned before - not only are they everywhere, they are serious holes! They are really difficult to avoid when you can't see. Needless to say, I was praying for NO FLAT TIRES! Finally, the baboons. The house happened to be out in the bush and I knew I would be taking the road where the baboons are always playing. I really didn't want to kill any monkeys! Oh, and to make things just a little bit more frightening...there is no radio in our car. The positive side of this driving experience is that I forgot about being nervous for my first book club.
Book club was GREAT and well worth the scary drive. This group of expat women meet once a month. Not that I've ever been to one, but I am sure this is a bit different than your traditional book club. The hostess prepares dinner, wine, and the books. But here's the cool part. You read any book of your choice. There is a large crate that travels to each meeting. When you are hosting, it's your turn to add to the collection. You can either buy new books, or if you don't mind giving up books from your personal collection, you can do that as well. So after some wine drinking and eating, the hostess shares the books that she is adding to the collection. Our hostess last night, Marianna, is from Denmark. She added a book written by her favorite Danish author (that was translated to English) and about 6 other books. Then everyone has the opportunity to recommend a book. If you are returning a book to the collection that you've just finished - you can share your thoughts to the group etc.
Although it was my first meeting of most of the women (there were a few from playgroup), conversation was rich and meaningful. I could probably write a different blog for each conversation. There were nine of us - two from South Africa, one from Denmark, one from Sweden, one from Australia, two from the UK, one other American and me.
I brought two books home with me (to share with Ian, of course); The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad and House of Stone by Christina Lamb. I can't wait to get started - let's hope Finn takes some long naps!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Our First Hash
Last weekend we did the hash. The Hash House Harriers is a running club that has chapters all over the world, even in some of the most remote places. I remember the group in Almaty , Kazakhstan was quite popular. They meet once a week (Sunday mornings here) at a different place each week. A different person hosts it each time and they are responsible for setting the trail. I’ll throw out a description from the group’s official web site so you can get an idea of how the runs are structured:
The template for a hash run is loosely based on hare hunting. One or more hashers (the "hares") lay out a running trail, that the rest of the club (pack or 'hounds') follows. The trail may include false trails (check-backs or CB), short cuts (or splits), breaks, and checks (a marking on the trail that requires the pack to search the area to discover the correct direction of the trail. These features are designed to keep the pack together regardless of fitness levels or running speed.
The unofficial motto of hashing groups is “a drinking club with a running problem.” With some groups, there are copious amounts of drinking involved before, during, and after the run. Other hash groups are more focused on the running aspect and less on the social. There are also lots of silly rituals involved--singing, chanting--that always kind of dissuaded me from participating. (I’m not really a “silly ritual” kind of guy.) So I stayed clear from the hashing, until last week.
New country, new continent, clean slate. Eager to meet new people. Haven’t exercised in, well, a very long time. All of these reasons compelled us to try it out and I’m glad we did. In the first place, the group here is mostly comprised of mommies and daddies and little kids, so it is the extreme opposite of hard core. Second, the run we went on was through the bush of the Mocholodi game reserve—very cool. Third, we did get to meet some new people and they struck me as far less dorky than many of the other hashers I have met. (Any hashers reading this are probably reserving a special place for me in hasher hell right about now.) We met at the house of a colleague who lives in Mocholodi and headed out from there. Some people walked, some people ran. Findley seemed to enjoy it. There was one beer stop during the run, and the post-run rituals were thankfully kept to a minimum. We topped it off with a brai (barbeque) and some play time with the kiddies. I’m not sure if we’ll make hashing a regular part of our weekly routine, but I can see us maybe doing it again at some point. I know I could use the exercise.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
One Happy Baby!
Many of you have asked how Finn is doing. He is one happy little guy! He is not only smiling all the time, but also making all sorts of new sounds (bah-bah-bah and dah-dah-dah are the current favorites). Our days of leaving him in one spot are over. He loves his little car (in video) and travels all over the house in it. Last week he starting sitting up without any support. Five days later, and he is just about crawling! He's gone from rolling to scooting. I give him two more weeks before he's doing the real thing.Finn has met many new friends - as we have become regulars at play group. We go Weds. mornings and Friday afternoons. Finn is also very happy with his newest friend, Patience. Patience is our new nanny/housekeeper. Rather than hiring someone full-time, we've decided to do a "nanny share." For many reasons, this is GREAT! First and foremost, Patience is wonderful with children. I first met her at our very first play-group. She is the nanny for Zoe - the one who organizes all the playgroups. Zoe is WONDERFUL and has really gone out of her way to reach out to us. Anyhow, Patience and her husband and their 3-yr.old live with Zoe and family in Mocholodi. I remember thinking 'I hope we find someone as great as this woman!' Fortunately, like us, Zoe doesn't really need someone full-time. So....here we are!!! Findley LOVES her. When he's in his little car, he will go wherever she goes. If he's on the floor, as soon as he sees her, he smiles, squeals or just starts laughing. Ian loves her too - they are of the same mold - NEAT FREAKS! I didn't think our house needed much cleaning. Well, let me tell you - it looks like a different place when Patience comes. I've decided that rather than feeling guilty about having someone clean my house for me, I am just going to appreciate every minute of it. Sure will be a rude awakening when we go back to the states![Photo]Finn's favorite part of the day is bath-time. He goes wild in the tub - we couldn't resist sharing this with you!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Driving in Gaborone
All I have to say is, "Watch out Gaborone!" Ian and I are now driving. I will begin by telling you why it is so great that we now have a car. First of all, no more taxis! You never know what kind of driver you will get when you call for a cab. I will give two examples. For a while we were using Strongman (English translation to his African name which I will not even try to type). He wasn't the friendliest most outgoing guy, but he was fairly reliable.....until last week. I called and asked if he could take me to the Sanitas Tea Garden (for play group) at 10:15. He said, "no problem." At 10:30 he still wasn't here so I called him. "Hi Strongman, just wanted to make sure that you are coming!"
"Yes Mme. I am coming now."
"Okay, great - see you in a minute." 25 minutes later he still hasn't arrived. I don't want to seem rude, but what the heck? I wait 10 more minutes. I call again at 11:00. "Strongman, are you okay? I thought you were coming!"
"I am on the other side of town with another customer. I will be there in 20 minutes."
Why didn't he just tell me this in the first place. I was so frustrated and angry so I told him to forget it. It wasn't even worth going at this point since playgroup ended at noon.
My second example: last weekend we went to the grocery store to buy food for the week. Ian has Finn in the bjorn and I have the cart full of groceries. Ian walks around to the other side of the mall to get a taxi. The taxi driver parks in an illegal spot (we weren't really paying attention to that) so that we can quickly load the bags into his trunk. Suddenly, the parking patrol guys come and tell him that he needs to move. He says this will only take a minute. After this....I have no idea what was said (but I can certainly imagine) because they start speaking in Setswana. One of the patrol guy begins to put a boot on his wheel. They start exchanging words. To make a long story short - this exchange turns into a fist fight. Why didn't we get the heck outta there, you ask? Because half of our bags were already in his trunk. I look around and notice that everyone has come out of the stores to watch this fight. (I'm talking rolling on the ground kind of fighting!) At one point, a woman approaches me, "why don't you take your baby and leave - you don't need to watch."
"Yes, but our bags are in that guy's car!"
"Oh - well then you stay here and I will go tell these guys." She walks toward them and then walks back to me. "Maybe you will have to wait. They are very aggressive right now."
Ian decides we need to get out. So he walks right up to our taxi driver who is handcuffed at this point but still arguing. Ian interrupts, "Excuse me, can I please get my bags?"
It was like a movie scene. Everyone sort of paused - the arguing stopped, taxi driver reaches for his pockets, gives Ian the keys. Ian opens the trunk, grabbs our bags and walks away. Then the fighting resumes. Glad we can laugh about it now!
Anyhow, now we don't have to worry about cab drivers and other nuisances of not having a car in the city.
We bought a used car from an American couple who work in the Foreign Services. Their posting here just ended and they needed to sell their car. It's Ian's dream car....one of those little people cars (fitting for us I suppose). It's a Japanese car (they aren't sold in the US).
They dropped off the car Thursday evening. Ian got it registered Friday and Saturday we had our first driving lesson (we have to learn how to drive on the other side of the road). Ian went first and of course, did great. Then it was my turn. Ughhhhhh. I don't even really like driving in general. It wasn't that bad (driving on the other side). But I was so focused on staying on the left, that I managed to ignore other important things....such as....pot holes. Yep! Managed to run right over a massive pot hole. It not only flattened one tire, but two! I am just really sorry that I didn't have my camera! Thank goodness Ibrahim was with us (driving instructor/Ian's colleague). He knew of a nearby gas station. We put the spare on the front tire and filled the other with air so we could get to a tire shop (they don't change tires at gas stations here). This is when I really wanted to take a picture (maybe I will go back and take one). Ibrahim found just a couple of guys on the side of the road with a heap of tires. 20 minutes later and only 15 pula (6.5 pula to the dollar) our tire was fixed. Ibrahim drove us home, and that was the end of me driving for the weekend!
This morning, I had no choice. Ian had to get to work, and so once again I had to put all my fears aside and drive the car. This time I tried to pay attention to everything. At one point I almost gave Ian a heart attack. Let me put you in this situation. The sides of the road are full of pot holes (basically if you go too far to the left, you risk hurting your tires). In the middle of the road, there are lots of pedestrians (cross walks are completely ignored). So if you were driving (lots of cars in front of and behind you) with pot holes to the left and people start walking into you from the right....what would you do? Keep driving and hit the people or veer to the left and risk a flat tire? These are the new challenges that I get to tackle:) Anyhow, we made it to his office - I didn't hit anyone and the tires aren't flat. But just as I was headed home, Ian called to tell me that he had the house keys. I just took a deep breath (told myself no problem) and tried to find a place to turn around. I saw an entry to a bank and decided it would be the perfect place to make the turn. As soon as I make it into the bank parking lot, the gate closed me in....just my luck! Well, a group of guys certainly got a good chuckle early in the morning. After a few minutes of staring, pointing and laughing, they opened the gate for me to leave.
All I have to say is....please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try and get used to driving here!
"Yes Mme. I am coming now."
"Okay, great - see you in a minute." 25 minutes later he still hasn't arrived. I don't want to seem rude, but what the heck? I wait 10 more minutes. I call again at 11:00. "Strongman, are you okay? I thought you were coming!"
"I am on the other side of town with another customer. I will be there in 20 minutes."
Why didn't he just tell me this in the first place. I was so frustrated and angry so I told him to forget it. It wasn't even worth going at this point since playgroup ended at noon.
My second example: last weekend we went to the grocery store to buy food for the week. Ian has Finn in the bjorn and I have the cart full of groceries. Ian walks around to the other side of the mall to get a taxi. The taxi driver parks in an illegal spot (we weren't really paying attention to that) so that we can quickly load the bags into his trunk. Suddenly, the parking patrol guys come and tell him that he needs to move. He says this will only take a minute. After this....I have no idea what was said (but I can certainly imagine) because they start speaking in Setswana. One of the patrol guy begins to put a boot on his wheel. They start exchanging words. To make a long story short - this exchange turns into a fist fight. Why didn't we get the heck outta there, you ask? Because half of our bags were already in his trunk. I look around and notice that everyone has come out of the stores to watch this fight. (I'm talking rolling on the ground kind of fighting!) At one point, a woman approaches me, "why don't you take your baby and leave - you don't need to watch."
"Yes, but our bags are in that guy's car!"
"Oh - well then you stay here and I will go tell these guys." She walks toward them and then walks back to me. "Maybe you will have to wait. They are very aggressive right now."
Ian decides we need to get out. So he walks right up to our taxi driver who is handcuffed at this point but still arguing. Ian interrupts, "Excuse me, can I please get my bags?"
It was like a movie scene. Everyone sort of paused - the arguing stopped, taxi driver reaches for his pockets, gives Ian the keys. Ian opens the trunk, grabbs our bags and walks away. Then the fighting resumes. Glad we can laugh about it now!
Anyhow, now we don't have to worry about cab drivers and other nuisances of not having a car in the city.
We bought a used car from an American couple who work in the Foreign Services. Their posting here just ended and they needed to sell their car. It's Ian's dream car....one of those little people cars (fitting for us I suppose). It's a Japanese car (they aren't sold in the US).
They dropped off the car Thursday evening. Ian got it registered Friday and Saturday we had our first driving lesson (we have to learn how to drive on the other side of the road). Ian went first and of course, did great. Then it was my turn. Ughhhhhh. I don't even really like driving in general. It wasn't that bad (driving on the other side). But I was so focused on staying on the left, that I managed to ignore other important things....such as....pot holes. Yep! Managed to run right over a massive pot hole. It not only flattened one tire, but two! I am just really sorry that I didn't have my camera! Thank goodness Ibrahim was with us (driving instructor/Ian's colleague). He knew of a nearby gas station. We put the spare on the front tire and filled the other with air so we could get to a tire shop (they don't change tires at gas stations here). This is when I really wanted to take a picture (maybe I will go back and take one). Ibrahim found just a couple of guys on the side of the road with a heap of tires. 20 minutes later and only 15 pula (6.5 pula to the dollar) our tire was fixed. Ibrahim drove us home, and that was the end of me driving for the weekend!
This morning, I had no choice. Ian had to get to work, and so once again I had to put all my fears aside and drive the car. This time I tried to pay attention to everything. At one point I almost gave Ian a heart attack. Let me put you in this situation. The sides of the road are full of pot holes (basically if you go too far to the left, you risk hurting your tires). In the middle of the road, there are lots of pedestrians (cross walks are completely ignored). So if you were driving (lots of cars in front of and behind you) with pot holes to the left and people start walking into you from the right....what would you do? Keep driving and hit the people or veer to the left and risk a flat tire? These are the new challenges that I get to tackle:) Anyhow, we made it to his office - I didn't hit anyone and the tires aren't flat. But just as I was headed home, Ian called to tell me that he had the house keys. I just took a deep breath (told myself no problem) and tried to find a place to turn around. I saw an entry to a bank and decided it would be the perfect place to make the turn. As soon as I make it into the bank parking lot, the gate closed me in....just my luck! Well, a group of guys certainly got a good chuckle early in the morning. After a few minutes of staring, pointing and laughing, they opened the gate for me to leave.
All I have to say is....please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try and get used to driving here!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Mocholodi
Agust 2, Mokolodi:On our way to Mokolodi Nature Reserve, just outside Gaborone. Good name for a game reserve--it just rolls off the tongue. We spot baboons on the side of the road playing frogger with the passing traffic. Findley guffaws, and then yawns. He is only mildly impressed. We arrive, buy our tickets, chit chat with a World Bank consultant from Canada who is waiting with us for our ranger and vehicle that will take us through the park for our first game reserve experience. We settle in the open air truck, having no idea what animals we'll see, but hope for high numbers. Findley rides bjorned to his papa, facing forward and beside Chase and in front of five other equally excited tourists. The truck bounces along and for the next two hours we are treated to sightings of (in order):kuduswarts hogs,elephants,impalas,gazelles,antelopes,baboons (again)ostriches, spotted hyenas, water bucks. Findley stays awake until the antelopes, then succombs to sleep. As the drive winds down, the sun settles under and the skyline amazes. The temperature drops rapidly and dramatically. (Desert my arse.) Our driver is waiting for us when the ranger drops us off, and we leave with lots of photos, a few of them actually in focus, a hungry baby, and a taste of Africa that leaves us wanting more. Chase and I agree, we've had worse days.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Thank goodness for Theresa!
It's been a while since I've posted. Finn got a cold/flu and then I got it. Normally not such a big deal, but it seemed like one. It sure made me realize how far we are from family and friends. We haven't really had time yet to get to know anyone really well. So I wasn't sure what to do once I got sick. It's not like I can just pick up the phone and call someone to take care of Finn for me. Fortunately he is such a good baby that I survived. And just when I started feeling really bad, Theresa saved the day! She called to invite me for tea. I told her I wasn't feeling well. She not only provided me with the phone number for a doctor, she also came and got me the next day to take me to this doctor. And when she brought me home, she assured me I would be feeling better the next day and most certainly needed to get out of the house. "I'll be by at 10:00 tomorrow to pick up you and Findley."
Theresa is the woman who takes care of the pool. I have only seen her twice before this. But right away, I knew she was going to be an incredible resource! She's originally from South Africa. She moved here 12 years ago with her husband and two children. He is a diplomat and was hired for a 3 year posting. At the end of the three years they realized they had fallen in love with Botswana and decided to make this their home. She knows everything and everyone! The first day she came to clean the pool, happened to be the first day of play group. She was kind enough to give us a ride. On the way there, she suddenly became "Theresa the Tour Guide." I don't think she stopped to take a breath while giving a tid-bit about every building, shop, neighborhood, etc.
Anyhow, sure enough, yesterday morning at 10:00 she was here to pick us up. And she was right, after taking the antibiotics, I was feeling a lot better. I had no idea where we were going or what we were doing but I was so happy to get out of the house. It turned out to be a great morning. She took me to a nursery school that she thinks we would be a great place for Finn. I will say, I was very impressed. It is the end of the school term so the school was having a concert / craft fair. I would say the school was about 70% locals and 30% expats. Finn particularly likes the fact that the school has its own petting zoo and swimming pool!
After that, she drove us around to see more of Gaborone. Then we stopped at a nice little cafe for tea. Everywhere we went, Theresa knew atleast two people. I loved our tea, because I finally got a chance to ask her questions (sometimes she talks so much and fast that it is hard to get a word in edge wise). She is fascinating. In addition to taking care of pools, she makes and sells crafts, and she runs a dog parlor out of her maid's quarters. (Her children attend a boarding school in South Africa). I'm beginning to think that I am her little project. She has all sorts of ideas for me. Right now, I am just so grateful that she has reached out to us. I'm not sure how this past week would have played out had she not stepped in!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)