Hello Botswana

February 3, 2009

Well, this will be our first blog entry since arriving in Botswana. We should have started it right away because now it will be hard to catch up on what all has happened so far. We arrived on Wednesday, January 14 after two long night flights – Philly to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Johannesburg, and then Johannesburg to Gaborone. Everything went well, except that none of our 11 (two of those were for Flying Mission) bags made it through with us. However, they did arrive later that same day, so that was pretty good.

Our house wasn’t ready for us, so we stayed at the Mennonite Guesthouse for 4 nights before moving into our house. It still wasn’t totally ready, but we moved in anyway, after giving it a thorough cleaning. It’s a very nice three bedroom, two bathroom house, nice sized kitchen with lots of storage space in closets and cupboards. The floors are all tile which is a challenge to keep clean, but we’re not complaining! Since we’re here for such a short time, Flying Mission had this house for us and had basic furniture and appliances here. Most of the folks that come have to find their own houses and buy all their appliances and stuff. So that is really nice. We brought a lot of our own things along, but we’re supposed to outfit this house while we’re here so when we leave it is furnished so other folks that come short term have a place to come to. So part of my job is trying to find bargains, sales, etc., for kitchen things, towels, sheets, etc. There is even an auction once a month for furniture and household things, which will be this coming Saturday that we want to go to. One thing we don’t really like, but is a reality here, is security is a big issue. We have a wall around our house with electric wires on top of that, and we have a pretty elaborate alarm system in the house. That is just so unlike what we were used to when we lived here before, and a bit hard to accept, but I guess those are the things that come with urbanization and “progress”.

Renae started school on Friday the same week we arrived, and then Katrina (niece living with us), arrived Sunday evening. She had quite a harrowing experience of missing her flight in Johannesburg – she had a tight connection and her flight was late getting in. After Roger made numerous phone calls, he finally found someone that was helpful and they got her on the last fight of the day on Air Botswana, instead of South African airlines. They were going to put her up in a hotel, but thankfully they didn’t need to do that. We are still not sure how it happened; as that flight was overfilled and initially he was told there was no way for her to get on it. He used the word “child” over and over and finally got them convinced to put her on the flight. Her phone wasn’t working there either so there was no way to contact her –it was quite an experience for her!

She started school then on Tuesday. I should let them write about school. They wear a very cute uniform (they wouldn’t’ t say so!) and school is very different to say the least. I think they’re getting used to it, but they like their old schools a LOT better! It’s pretty much all on computer, and no classroom discussion, or much interaction at all with the teacher. Schools here teach VERY differently – mostly rote learning, and the teacher is very strict and certainly not a friend to converse with. We thought since it’s an international school it would be different, but the teacher is a Motswana, so that’s all she knows. They’re doing it on the computer because it fits in a lot better with the American system – here it is the British system, and isn’t compatible with the American system at all.

We’ve attended the same church for three Sundays, but want to visit a couple others before we totally decide what we’re going to do. The church we’ve gone to was pastored by Jonathan Larson (he preached at our church a couple months back and we knew him when we lived here before – a Mennonite). The church is about 30% white ex-pats, and 70% Batswana or ex-pats from other African countries. It’s pretty lively, and we’ve met some really great people there. Renae played viola in the worship band last Sunday, so she’s expanding her horizons! She & Katrina also went to a youth group function at another place – a good way to meet some other kids.

We had an orientation to Flying Mission last week, and learned a lot about what they do, and how they work here. It’s very different than when we were here before. Then there was no HIV/AIDS program, only the flying side, but now HIV/AIDS is their main thing really. The AIDS situation here is a lot better than it was several years ago, but only because the government is giving free ARV medications, so people can live a full life with HIV/AIDS as long as they stay on the drugs. Lifestyle issues are still the same problem they were then – Fm works on those kinds of things. Multiple partners (at the same time) are very common, and that’s the main way it spreads here. One day we went to Old Naledi, which is sort of a squatter/slum settlement, where they have a feeding program for orphans & vulnerable children (OVC) at noon every weekday, run by the Open Baptist Church. I actually had to leave before they fed them the meal, but I want to take Renae & Katrina there to help, and there are other places too to get involved in things like that. At another location they play sports with the kids in the afternoon, or help tutor them.

I think this is way too long for a blog, but now we’re sort of caught up. Of course there are many other things I could write, but that’s good for now!

Jolene