I Should Do A Caption Contest With This

From L to R: Me, Ebony (Bots 7, Palapye), Brian (Bots 6, Gantsi)
Taken at GLOW (Guys/Gals Leading Our World) Camp last week. All of us in our official GLOW Camp T-shirts.

The look on Ebony's face is priceless. I don't know what Pearl of my wisdom I am saying, but her expression pretty much sums up the response of all the women I've ever known.

The Rainy Season Is Upon Us

We've been getting some rain here in Chuck Hill lately. The pictures don't do justice to the scene of massive storm clouds rising over the Kalahari. The past couple days have seen downpours create a river in my front yard. But of course it's desert, so the water sucks into the sands almost as fast as it falls. The lightning show is spectacular! After almost six months without a cloud in the sky it's a treat.

So...mom...how's the leg?

World AIDS Day

One year ago today I opened my mail and learned I might as well give up my Arabic lessons as I was headed to Botswana. Hard to believe a year has gone by already. Commemorations will be held all over the world this day. We remember those who have died, those who live with HIV/AIDS and those yet to succumb to this terrible disease.

Are we making a difference here? Hard to tell. We may never know. Still we must try.

It's what makes us human.

Sompin' About This Just Ain't Right

I'm not criticizing, but this just struck me as odd.. Christmas doesn't seem the big deal here that it does in America. Of course I doubt it's that big of a deal ANYWHERE else than America. But, this grocery store is owned by Boers. They are white-German-Dutch-Euro-something-or-other (Hey, I STILL can't keep Afrikaners and Boers and various assorted pale faces sorted out here!). Seems like they would have put up a red S. Claus. It IS for sale, something like P1600, which at current rates is around USD$200.

Bet he would look good on my front porch. Here.

Only One Regret

Sure wish Jan Gill-Wigal was around to see Obama's win. She may once have passed as Hillary's double, but she would have LOVED this!

Comes The Dawn!

After eight long dark years I am proud to be an American. Congratulations Barack Obama. Congratulations you and me. I've been up all night cranking my shortwave radio and going back and forth between BBC and Voice of America. WE just made the World a little bit better place.

More Pix From My Maun Trip

OK, Mom said she couldn't see my face on yesterday's photo. So here is one where you can see my beautiful face. When I first saw it I thought "Pete Wigal went to Africa." If you know him I think you'll agree.

Wild Life in Botswana

Had a workshop over the weekend up in Maun. Had the chance to take an evening boat ride. The ostrich was running along the vehicle on the way up. Thought he (she?) looked pretty cool. The hippos aren't included in Africa's Big Five. Still waiting to see one of those. As for me, I MIGHT need another haircut.

More Chez Mothusi

So now that I've had four months to settle in I thought some might like to see what some of my day-to-day stuff looks like. So this first one is my automatic dishwasher. It has a soak, wash and rinse cycle. Oddly so does my clothes washer. In fact they are one and the same. Multi-tasking. The second picture is my "Home Office." Not much different from the one I had in Columbiana. Except there is no wireless internet to steal from the neighbors (Oops! Did I say that?)

Itsoseng Pre-School by my House

Finally I'm getting around to posting about the pre-school. The teachers now love me and the kids think I'm Uncle Mothusi (Too early for Santa Claus. Yes, they celebrate Christmas. Don't know if SC is big here.)

Also Mick tells me a peace organization in Columbia, South Carolina is helping put together another box to send for the kids. Here is their website if you're interested: carolinapeace.org.

This thing is growing so big it I am working to make the materials available to all kids in chuck Hill. The other Peace corps Volunteer and I are trying to find a place like a library (Wait til you see the pictures of it.)or the local medical clinic to have a children's corner. Things take lots of time here to materialize. I'll keep you posted.

Speaking of time, today marks six months since I left Columbiana. Only twenty short months to go!

A Parting of Ways

Some time back I posted about seeing a certain lady who happens to be a Republican (Not that there's anything wrong with that). Well, we have agreed to a mutual parting of ways. Africa, it turns out, is rough on relationships.

But this is a part of my life and therefore I feel the need to post it here, even though it might not rank as "The Best of What's Left."

Fact is it is unfair to ask someone to invest "Emotional Capital" in a guy who is going to disappear for two years. I've made this statement several times to members of the female gender and have uniformly been met with nods of agreement.

I wish her the best and only good things. I'm certain life will be good under the new Obama presidency.

Remember

This must be like what amputees go through. Scratching an itch on a part of me that is no longer there.

Fours years. I still have dreams you’ve come back to me. How many times have I looked up and said “What the Hell happened?”

They say “you never forget, but it gets better.” It doesn’t. You just deal with it. Some days I can actually not think about it. Not in September. But some days.

Attended a Peace Corps workshop the other day. They had a Clinical Psychologist make a presentation. Motswana lady. US educated. It was like she was channelling Jan up there. Afterwards I told her that.

I have no higher praise.

I've Been Terrible at Posting Lately

I just haven't had the access or time. as it is I have four minutes left to post this. Here are a couple pix from a couple weeks ago when Bots 7 was in Kanye for Early Term Reconnect.

One day we took a hike in this pretty little gorge. The other was of running with the local kids.

Woolies?

I just wonder if this is the same pre-Wal-Mart business that used to exist in Main Street America. I've seen them in Abu Dhabi. They are all over Botswana. Not a bad place to pick up some decent clothes. The bigger cities have Woolworth's grocery stores. Expensive by Bot's standards, but sometimes you can find stuff the other groceries don't have. Of course getting to one ONLY involves 12 hours by bus.

Hardly worth the effort. But if by chance you happen to be there...

Ahh Spring! I mean, Fall! No Spring! Whatever.

This is an odd feeling. Winter in Botswana is ending. Only because winter here is a sight warmer than anywhere else I've ever been do I feel like it should be cooling down soon.

It ain't. Sure we had some mornings when I'm pretty sure it was below the freezing temperature of fresh water (32 degrees Fahrenheit, 0 Degrees Celsius). But always by 10 AM it was at least pleasant shirt-sleeve weather. The Motswana don't buy that. I'm always amazed when in what is surely 80 degree F. weather people are wearing sweaters, hoods, thick jackets (I saw the same thing in Puerto Rico).

But I tremble to think what lies ahead. Apparently 40s C aren't uncommon. Yikes! At least I'll save electricity by not heating the water.

Still I feel like I should be getting a new coat...

Hey! Primanti Brothers!

I’m not making a political statement. I just can’t see why they would ruin a perfectly good picture of Primanti Brothers (in Pittsburgh) with Cindy McCain’s mug. This was in a recent edition of Newsweek the Peace Corps sends us.

Man, what I would give for a Primanti’s roast beef piled with fries and cole slaw! And a stroll down the Strip to Mon Aimee Chocolate to drop about $70 on dark chocolate, then across the street to pick up some flavoured pasta and up to Mt. Washington for a look see at the city, then a Pirates game, then throw the kayak in the Mon for a paddle, then stop at Starbucks afterward for a Venti caramel Frappuccino, and then, and then, and then…

Oh well, maybe the Engen station has meat pies today.

Amazing what one picture can do?

What They Need

Following my picture of the Pre-School I was asked by a loyal reader (one of six) if the kids needed supplies of any kind.

Sigh! Where to start? The government provides the VERY basics, paper, pencils, etc. but these kids (and even or ESPECIALLY older ones) need EVERYTHING! Those who know me well know I'm not the most sensitive SOB in the world. I tell you when I visited that little school and saw what they DIDN'T have it about broke my heart. By that I mean things you wouldn't ordinarily think about: games, puzzles, coloring books, crayons... Americans would blow a gasket if their kids were supplied as poorly. They mean well. It's just there isn't enough money to get the things little kids, EVERY little kid, should have.

Things that make you have to think to solve, to work together with others.

See, the educational system here is about where the US was a century ago. Rote learning. The teacher drills them and they respond accordingly. When you ask a kid for his/her opinion you get a blank stare. You get that even from the adults. After all, they are products of the same system.

You talk to kids and they are stunned that you consider them as thinking people. If you can send anything along those lines you will be doing a world of good.

We talk about building capacity among the people in Africa. Get them to the point where they can develop without outside help. So, how does a coloring book build capacity? If one child realizes he or she CAN think and DECIDE for themselves you have built capacity.

The other Peace Corps Volunteer in my village recently met the former Botswana Minister of Health, a physician. Female even. She told her she was inspired by a Peace Corps volunteer teacher she had in Science class Standard Nine (9th grade). That volunteer will never know she gave a push to a future Minister of Health for a country. that's like a Cabinet post.

So you never know.

Also, if anyone with IT expertise could give some advise or help. One of the schools actually has some IMacs, circa 1997. They are all of course basically paperweights. The operating systems are so corrupted as to be about useless. The kids are taught typing skills on turned off computers. Does anyone have an old Windows OS Disc to try to re-format these things? I don't even know if that is possible. Even if you let me know it can't be done would be helpful information.

My address again is:

Mike Wigal
PO Box 170
Charles Hill, Botswana

That's in Africa

My First Picture of Wild Game That Was NOT Donkeys!

OK, so donkeys aren't actually wild game. I've seen a jackal, a hyena, a fox and a Springbok (look it up). But those were at night while speeding along the highway. This was taken also speeding along the Trans-Kgadihadi Highway (150 Km/Hr), so it isn't the clearest. I've been spotting them from time to time between Ghanzi and Chuck Hill, but could never get my camera ready fast enough. This was the best I could do.

Africa is famous for the Big 5, Zebra, Hippo, Lion, Rhino and Elephant. No one talks about these guys. The big game is located farther north. Maybe in a few weeks or months when I get sprung from lock-down (Peace Corps requirement for the first three months at site) I'll run into some of the big boys.

More Pictures from the Petroglyphs

Some of these weren't carved in stone. See if you can tell which.

The Mamuno Rock Carvings

Went out into the bush last weekend. The head of the Village Development Committee (George), took an archaeologist from Gaborone (Judge), the other Peace Corps volunteer in Chuck Hill (Lesedi) and her mom and me to view the rock carvings done by whomever it was who lived in this area 35,000 years ago.

It was pretty remarkable. Too bad I'll NEVER have enough internet time to upload all or even the best photos of the petroglyphs. But I'll throw up what I can here.

I've spent a half hour trying to get one more picture up. Forget it. This one was about the best. Pretty self-explanatory