Holy Avocado!

Today I got to meet our gardeners. Apparently they come every Friday. I was eager for them to come because I was very curious as to what exactly they would do. The two girls (forgive me, I couldn't make out there names even though I asked them to repeat themselves several times) started by sweeping the leaves out of the landscaped areas. Then Opi, a very nice gentleman, begn the long process of watering all of the plants and trees. The girls decided they wanted to play with Finn (fine by me!). I decided I could actually get some housework done.

Suddenly, Opi came knocking on the window and asked me to come outside. He was holding what I thought was a small coconut. He wanted a knife to cut it open. We do have trees that look like palm trees - but I sure haven't seen any coconuts. When I brought him the knife I got a much closer look and realized that it definitely wasn't a coconut. It looked like a HUGE avocado. Indeed it was. I ran inside to get our camera - I wanted to take a picture for our godson, Will, who LOVES avocado. Of course I couldn't find the camera - it was in Ian's bag at work. When I came out they had cut it and each person was eating a slice (like the size of canelope slices). Will would have been in his element! Anyhow, I was trying to explain that we have avocadoes in America, but they are much smaller. Before I could finish, one of the girls went to their truck and returned with another one for me. While it was super sweet, I kindly declined. We all know Ian isn't a fan of veggies, and Finn doesn't eat table food yet, there's no way I could eat it all for myself and I couldn't stand the thought of wasting their food. I did, however, ask them to bring one next week so I could take a picture!

Mocholodi Game Reserve

After spending our first full week in Gaborone we decided it was time to check out some animals. We made our first trip to one of Gaborone's Game Reserves. I'm embarrassed to say that we saw more animals (monkeys and cows) on the way there than we did at the actual park. Unfortunately, we came at the wrong time for viewing any animals. We just missed the game drive for the afternoon by about 15 minutes. However, we did get to see the finish of the "Kalahari Challenge," a two day mountain bike race. We immediately thought of my brother, Skiles. How about it Skiles - Botswana next year this time? I think you could win the race!

Anyhow, we did enjoy a nice picnic lunch and picked up all the brochures so we come at the right time in the future.

Getting Settled

We've now been here for one full week. I wouldn't say that I feel "settled" but I can say we finally are in a routine with Findley. Considering the time difference and the several weeks of living in different places prior to our departure, there was no schedule or routine. The first four nights were a nightmare. But we survived and we are thrilled with the results. Candy - if you are reading this, you would be pleased! Bed-time is 7:00 and he takes a nap in the morning and one in the afternoon. As much as I hate being tied to a schedule, it sure makes a nice difference for Finn. He is now one happy little booger!!!

We love our house but we can't seem to get the electrical stuff all figured out. For example, we were watching a dvd the other night. Suddenly, smoke started pouring out of the dvd player. The next morning we heard a strange noise coming from the guest bedroom. The lightbulb in the light fixture hanging from the ceiling exploded. A few hours later, Ian plugged in the microwave and we lost all our power. The electricians came out and said it was just a short circuit. I asked if we were using too much power and they laughed at me. But then, as soon as they left, I plugged in something else, and we lost power again. I know how to use the fuse box, but it shouldn't happen every time. When they came out again, they found a problem with one of the converters we were using. Let me tell you....we have to use converters for everything! Even the stuff we purchase here....because it is all imported. I wish there was just a standard converter that would work for everything. Guess I just need to be patient until we get it all sorted out.

The other challenge I am currently facing is understanding the language here. As I wrote before, English is spoken here, but it might as well be a different language. I really cannot make out what people are saying. I feel so rude asking people to repeat themselves 20 times. But if I don't I seem to put myself in awkward situations. For example, the security people called and said they were testing our system. (I only had to ask them to repeat that one time:) Then they asked me to press the pound key (so I thought). She asked again so I pressed it again. She then said nothing was happening so I should find the other pound keys in the house and press them. Other pound keys? What? How can there be other pound keys? At this point I realized I probably wasn't making out what she was saying. I told her we had only one pound key. After sending out the technical crew, I quickly realized she was saying "the panic key." I felt so stupid - but in the long run it wasn't a problem because some of them weren't actually working.

The last issue, which is minor, is that we haven't hired a maid. Apparently everyone here has a maid, a gardener, etc. Most houses, including ours, even come with a separate maid's quarters. And trust me, I do understand that we should hire one so that we are providing someone with a job, etc. But it just hasn't been a priority. Ian and I have often talked about what would a maid do all day? We certainly don't have enough to keep her busy all of the time. You all know what a neat freak Ian is and our house isn't that big. It's almost like we would have to make messes to provide work. Anyhow, back to my issue. EVERYONE that we meet, either on the street or at Ian's office, or people who come by the house ask us why we don't have a maid yet. Then they ask for a pen and paper so they can write down the name of their sister or cousin or friend who is a "good, dependable maid looking for work." Even the women at the supermarket come up to Findley and go goo-goo-ga-ga and then proceed to tell us we need to hire them to be his baby sitter.

I guess I need to get on the ball. Finn and I did go to our first play group this morning. It was the Sanitas Tea Garden (described in previous entry). We met several nice women and lots of cute kids. All of them are from the UK or South Africa. They were quick to tell me that Gaborone is a wonderful place to have young children. Anyhow, Finn had a great time watching the little ones play on the playground and I enjoyed meeting these women. Hopefully we will continue going to this play group. There is another one on Friday that we hope to check out as well (kids that are closer to Finn's age).

Our First Weekend

It finally feels like we are in Africa! I was preparing myself for another Central Asia-type of experience where everything was so difficult and different at first. However, I have been amazed by our rather smooth transition. While we haven't had time to really get to know or experience the culture yet, on the surface Gaborone seems similar to many American cities. For example, the supermarkets are just like ours. We can even buy pampers....for less!! There are lots of restaruants including fast food and pizza places that deliver! There are shopping malls, movie theaters, car dealerships, exercise facilities, etc. English is spoken, however, it will take some time adjusting to the accents.

We took a long walk around our neighborhood this afternoon. We discovered that our street is called "President's Drive" because we actually live on the street of Botswana's President!! There are several emabassies on our street as well. Needless to say, there is LOTS of security in our neighborhood. We also came upon an International Primary School on our walk as well as the headquarters for the Red Cross. (For those of you who don't know, before teaching, I worked for the Red Cross - both in DC and Central Asia). I will probably explore job opportunities at both places. Sure would be nice to walk work!!

Anyhow, back to feeling like we are actually in Africa! Yesterday we had breakfast at the Sanitas Tea Garden. It's a huge nursery with a little restaurant and incredible playground. As we were leaving our table, I was suddenly distracted by the most incredible music. We didn't know where exactly it was coming from, so we decided to follow it. As we followed the path that winds through the fruit-tree section of the nursery, the music was getting louder. We turned the corner to find a wedding ceremony taking place. There were other eavesdroppers, so we decided to stay for a few minutes. The congregation was small - but they were all singing and it was something incredible. Finally, I feel like we are in Africa!

Our LONG Journey to Gaborone

It's Wednesday evening in Gaborone, early afternoon in the US. After 26+ hours in planes and airports, we finally made it. Our home in Cheverly is finally packed up, everything is in storage, renters have moved into our house. Now we are at the beginning of this new and exciting chapter in our lives.

While we much rather be sleeping now, Finn decided that he would like to keep us awake...go figure. I won't complain, however. Finn was an absolute rock star on our 19&1/2 hr. flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg. Thank goodness we were able to use Ian's extra miles to get into business class. There was so much space in front of us (being short is always a bonus in these situations) that Finn was able to have a little play area on the floor. We sure did get a lot of attention from the flight attentands as well, thanks to the little one. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

We are spending our first night in the Gaborone Sun Hotel. Ebrahim, Ian's colleague, picked us up from the airport. It was at this moment that I experienced my first bit of culture shock. Finn's carseat did not make it with our other luggage. When we asked the people at the airport if they had one to loan us, they looked at us like we were kidding. Carseats are optional here. I put Finn in the baby bjorn, buckled us in and said a desparate prayer. One little voice was telling me that I was an irresponsible parent while another little voice was laughing at me explaining that I would quickly learn to put paranoia aside and just go with the flow.

Ian warned me that Botswana (plural for peolpe of Botswana) drive on the other side of the road. I don't recommend putting yourself in that situation at night, after not sleeping for 2 days.
Let's just say, we made it. I cannot wait to get some sleep!

First Impressions (Ian)

Dumalang (hello in Tswana). Sorry for not writing before now.

I made it to Botswana safely and have settled into that now familiar stage of trying to orient myself in a new place and country. If first impressions are at all reliable, I think this is going to be a great place for Chase, Finn and me (and hopefully friends and family who are able to visit us). It’s impossible not to compare new places to places where you have been before, so here are a few general and admittedly still uninformed observations:

The people here are incredibly cheerful and nice. It is uncommon not to be greeted with a smile and friendly greeting. Think “Don’t worry, be happy.”

It is laid back. Things just seem less hectic and less urgent (work aside). We Americans could learn a thing or two.

Gaborone, the capital city where we are staying, has about 250,000 people. (The country’s population is about 1.6 million and is roughly the size of Texas.) The city is fairly spread out, with a defined city center but no concentration of shops and housing in any one area. You can take taxis to get around, but you really need a car. Most people with means have one, out of necessity. So I’ll be shopping for a nice second hand vehicle and will need to get used to driving on the left side of the road and learning the streets. (Yes, my lack of a sense of direction will not help.) But the plus side is that having a vehicle will give us the freedom and independence to go where we want when we want.

It is more developed than I expected. Gaborone is not Darfur. There are shopping malls, all kinds of restaurants, and the normal expat amenities that you would expect in the more comfortable overseas postings. Gyms, a cinema, two 4 star hotels, etc.

It is safe. More than most of the places I’ve traveled to, crime is apparently less of a concern. You have to use common sense, of course, but I feel no apprehension about walking around in the city, going for a jog, or hopping in a taxi and trusting that the driver will take me where I want to go. One driver explained to me that it was safe because they hang people who commit major crimes. Alright then. (This may serve as an accurate deterrent in Botswana, but not so much in the US where we have the death penalty in some states and still lots of crime. Go figure.)

Most of my first week was spent trying to get my head screwed on straight with work and figure out my housing options. One nice thing is that, unlike other places I’ve been to, I haven’t had to worry about the language. English is widely spoken, thanks to the British colonial influence, and it just makes things easier for those of us who don’t speak Tswana. I’ve seen lots of houses and have been pleasantly surprised by how far my housing allowance will go. Many of the houses that the agent has shown me are gated for security and have swimming pools. Some even have separate guest cottages. It is a far cry from the place Chase and I lived in during our stint in Kazakhstan on a volunteer stipend. Several of the expats I know live out in the bush, with more space than they know what to do with and the occasional unwelcome visit from various wild animals. But they seem to love it. (Don’t worry-we’ll be opting for something closer in town.)

In terms of nature and travel opportunities, we hit the jackpot. There are so many game reserves in Botswana and neighboring countries that I don’t even know where to start. None of them are cheap, but I think it will be worth selling an organ or two that maybe I don’t need in order to take advantage of the opportunities. Finn is going to love all the animals.

A bit of history: Botswana became independent in 1966 and has experienced political stability remarkable for any African country since then. It is landlocked, but has benefited from the discovery of diamonds in 1967. There are a few major mines operating now that have fueled development here and made Botswana a major player in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) whose function is to coordinate the disparate economies of the region. The Republic of South Africa is still the giant of the region and wields most of the influence, but Botswana holds it own. All is not roses though. The diamond mines have a limited lifespan and the country will have to find alternative revenue streams if it is to continue to prosper in the future. Botswana also has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. Consider this depressing statistic: life expectancy is 33 years of age and expected to decrease further.

A big source of pride here, and I gather all over Africa, is the World Cup coming to South Africa in 2010. Football is big. Botswana’s national team is known as the Zebras, and local leagues are also a big deal. The National Stadium is not too far from my temporary apartment.

People here are also following the US presidential election closely, wanting to know if Obama is going to win. No strong opinions about the others, but they all know Obama.

In terms of weather, you can’t get much better than Botswana during the winter (which is now). During the day, it gets maybe up to around 80 degrees. At night and in the morning, it is around 50-60 degrees. Summers are a different story and are very hot, but I can say that I have not experienced one cloudy day since I’ve been here.

My job will be very busy for awhile, mainly because I’m still trying to figure everything out. I had one week of overlap with someone else who was handling my responsibilities, but she left on Friday. Time to take the training wheels off. Rather than try to explain the project I’m working on, I’m direct you to the website in case your interested: www.satradehub.org. This will give you a flavor of what your tax dollars are going toward. My specific position is Operations Manager, which basically means having financial and administration oversight for the project. I’m also going to be doing some communications/report writing and monitoring and evaluation activities.