We’ve been in Botswana for a little over two weeks now and
it’s great! We’ve had a ton of language training and I honestly think it’s some
of the best language training in the world. In just a few days we are able to
greet people, ask simple questions, talk about what we are doing in Botswana,
talk about friends, and of course talk about food. Other than language
training, we’ve had cross-cultural training, learned about PC’s approach to
development and a little bit about HIV/AIDS in Botswana.
On Saturdays, we spend half the day in training then we head
to the mall in Kanye. The mall is more like a collection of shops in strip-mall
fashion. There are 3 grocery stores where you can get anything you want or need
except real coffee, real cheese or butter. There are several internet cafes, a
hardware store, PEP (a home store), furniture store, etc. We go out for lunch
and have a cold soda or beer, which is nice.
Sundays are a bit more relaxed. We do our laundry by hand,
learn to make different Batswana foods and relax around the house. Sundays are
much needed because we have so much information given to us every single day,
we need time to decompress.
Botswana is a great country. It is safe, the people are
friendly, the food is delicious, the water is safe to drink and the government
invests in its people. Really, we have no complaints. I know that some people
are having a hard time, but we have just had a blast! Matt had his interview
with PC staff and we are definitely going to be doing gardening/agricultural
work. This week, food security came up
and PC said that they have worked hard to bring the few of us who have
agriculture experience to Botswana. That was nice to hear!
