The Chicken Incident

This is a disgusting, but funny story. If you are grossed out by dead animals do not read this.

Mma gwe T's chicken farm.

This is the long story of how Bridge got salmonella. It is a bit late but it’s worth sharing. From April to June 2012, we were Peace Corps Trainees. As trainees, we stayed with a host family who taught us Batswana culture, language, livelihoods, etc. For the majority of training our host mother was the only person in the house. Our host father is police officer who works and lives at a border post, so we only met him twice. Our host brother, Tebogo, was our age but he lived in Gaborone, so we didn’t see him often either. Our host mom, Mma gwe T (meaning Mom of Tebogo) or Mama Podiso was very funny and friendly. We got along great and enjoyed each others’ company. Mma gwe T was a stay at home wife and part-time chicken farmer. We once visited her farm. The farm was fine, but a little too stinky for Bridge.

After a very long day of training, we came home to a house full of dead chickens. Mma gwe T had slaughtered 100 of her chickens and they were bagged up and ready to sell. However, she overloaded her chest freezers and they all were at room temperature for a full 24 hours. Her son, Tebogo, was supposed come help her re-bag the chickens and clean the freezers. Tebogo didn’t come, Bridge was about to vomit (it’s important to note that Bridgette has become very sensitive to smells since arriving in Botswana), so Matt volunteered (or was coerced) to do it. The chicken process was as follows:

·         Clean out the blood in the freezer with dirty old rag

·         Take room-temperature chicken out of bag

·         Wash chicken in two basins (1^st and 2^nd rinse)

·         Drain out blood in plastic bag

·         Place chicken back in bag

·         Put the bagged chickens back in the freezer or in the back of a pickup truck

Bridge was busy preparing dinner when Mma gwe T came in with her dirty rag (the one mentioned above) and cleaned up around her. I (Bridge) looked at the counters in disgust and said, oh my goodness I am going to get salmonella from this whole operation.  Our biggest concern though was Matt getting sick. He was the one on the floor with dead chickens and bowls full of chicken blood. 

When Matt and Mma gwe T were done with the chicken project, we made sure Matt got really cleaned up, we washed his clothes, he took a bath, he scrubbed his hands, etc. Unfortunately we did not take the same precautions for me. I got sick, really sick for like ten days. Even though salmonella sucks big time, we still look back at the chicken incident and crack up.

Days for Girls

One of the best ways to fight poverty is to ensure that girls stay in school. I am organizing a project with volunteers across the country to help girls stay in school. We are working with the organization Days for Girls International to distribute reusable cloth menstrual pads to girls around the country. Girls miss up to 20% of their education because they have no way to deal with their periods. We hope to help the girls we work with by providing them a sustainable solution. Not only will each volunteer incorporate a lesson about reproductive health, domestic violence, rape or gender roles when distributing the kits, many volunteers will teach girls and women how to make their own reusable pads. Our goal is to distribute 1,000 kits to girls across the country. 

Already, we have distributed 100 kits to girls in Kasane and Kang. Here’s a story about the girls who received menstrual kits this month:

"The girls were absolutely thrilled and I think the kits really helped them to become excited about the transition from child to woman. We had a half hour discussion on puberty, including what kinds of changes to expect from your body and a bit of practical information about periods (you can still run, jump, play sports, etc. and it's a time to be excited and not frightened or embarrassed). Then we had a question and answer session and I did a demonstration on how to use the kits with each girl following along using her own kit. They all wanted me to send along their enthusiastic gratitude for them! All in all it was a great success and we are so grateful to you and Days for Girls!"

Days for Girls International provides the kits and ships them to people coming to Botswana. We are requesting donations from our loved ones back home to help offset the costs of getting these kits to Botswana. A donation of any amount will help the girls we work with. Your donation is 100% tax deductible and will mean the world to girls in Botswana. There are two ways to donate to this project.

1. Donate using PayPal: http://www.daysforgirls.org/#!pay-pal/c1s8v 
2.   Send a check to:
   Days for Girls International
   810 H Street Road
   Lynden, WA 98264

*To ensure your donation will go directly to our project, please type “Botswana Project” in PayPal’s “add special instructions to recipient” box.*

Thank you for considering donating to this important project. If you have questions about Days for Girls International, you can visit their website at www.daysforgirls.org.

Vacation in Cape Town

At the end of April, we joined Matt’s parents in Cape Town, South Africa. This was a much needed vacation for us and a great place for Marty and Mark to start their time in Africa. We spent a week in the “Mother City” and had a lot of fun. We stayed in the V&A Waterfront area, which was ideal because it is centrally located. The place we stayed at was beautiful and we are very thankful to Mark and Marty for treating us! Some of the highlights from our trip include hiking Table Mountain, seeing African penguins, touring Robben Island, learning some history at the District 6 Museum and shopping at the Old Biscuit Mill market.

The V & A Waterfront

We love to hike, but don’t have many opportunities to do so in Botswana. Our area is flat and there is always the risk of running into wildlife. We were very excited about climbing Table Mountain and took others’ advice about which trail to do. Matt and I started our hike at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The gardens were spectacular and we just loved being around so many beautiful plants. From there, we hiked up. To get to the top, you have to walk up stairs for about 45 minutes, then up ladders and over boulders. It was a challenge, especially since we haven’t hiked up any hills, let alone a mountain that is 3,588 ft high! It was a beautiful hike and the views from the top were amazing. 

Ladder up the mountain and a gorgeous Protea flowers on Table Mountain.

A nice trail near the top of Table Mountain.

The view from the top! Pictures don't do it justice, you feel like you are on top of the world.

We're above the clouds!

We hiked up and walked all the way across Table Mountain.

More Proteas. 

We also visited the Cape of Good Hope. We went through some really beautiful areas between Cape Town and Cape Point. It was fun to hike as far south as you can get in the African continent. It was rainy, but beautiful. We saw ostrich and eland by the beach. 

The point is all the way over there!

Ostrich by the sea...

At the Cape of Good Hope.

The sky was just beautiful and stormy!

A flock of Sacred Ibises

South Africa is home to the African Penguin. These penguins are only found in a small area in the southernmost areas of the African continent. We visited the penguins at Boulder Beach. They were so cute! I’m not going to lie, I did a lot of penguin impersonations and was like a little kid I was so excited to see them. The drive to Boulder Beach was beautiful and the beach itself was great - white sand, blue water and gorgeous big boulders. 

The beautiful view from our scenic drive.

SO MANY PENGUINS!

I'm pretty sure I named this one Frederick.

Frederick and me!

Another special and informative day was when we took a tour of Robben Island. This is where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were imprisoned. It was sobering, but very interesting. Our tour guide was one of the prisoners at Robben Island. He provided some interesting insights to what life was like at Robben Island. The boat ride to and from the island was pretty spectacular. You could see all of Cape Town.

The view from Robben Island.

Nelson Mandela's cell.

Matt and I spent a day by ourselves in Cape Town. We went to Long Street, the District Six Museum and BoKaap. Long Street is bustling with lots of street vendors and restaurants. We ate at a Kurdish place, which was really fun. We then walked to the District Six Museum, which was a very informative museum. District Six was razed by the apartheid government in the late 1960s because it was made into a “whites only” area of Cape Town. The museum had photos, letters, videos and other items to instill a sense of what District Six was like before it was destroyed. 

The bright houses in BoKaap.

The oldest mosque in Cape Town.

Marty, Matt and I went on a full day wine tour in Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch is a beautiful part of the Cape. We went to six different vineyards on the tour. Each was unique and beautiful. It was amazing to see how different our tastes were. We did agree on one wine though, a pinotage. Pinotages are only found in the Cape. Marty bought us a bottle to share. We are planning a fancy steak dinner to eat with our wine!

Stellenbosch is gorgeous!

Us at one of the vineyards.

They made us do this :)

 Back home, Matt and I enjoy good food and good beer. We try to support local farmers and producers as much as possible. The market at the Old Biscuit Mill was just our style. Local artists, brewers, farmers and other producers sell their products at this market. It was lovely to have a great meal and a pint of really good beer. I also wanted to do some shopping while I was there. I bought an obnoxiously large sun hat and a great purse made in South Africa. We also ran into some kombucha brewers and I found out I can make my ‘booch with Rooibos (bush) tea – that’s my next experiment.

Drinking some good, local beer at the market.

Overall, it was a great trip. We enjoyed seeing a different part of Africa, eating good food, sight-seeing and relaxing. We highly recommend a visit to Cape Town if you can manage it.