Where in the world is Connor MacEachern?

Final Thoughts

2007-01-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

Since I'm leaving Botswana on Sunday, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my time here. The more I reflect on these memories, the more sense they seem to make as one long story. The catch is that this story is told in emotions, which makes it hard to pin down the right words. I'm going to give it a shot, and hopefully nothing gets lost in translation.

There are many people that think internships such as mine exist so that the volunteers can feel like they're saving the world. I can't speak for all interns, but I can say that in my case, this experience was about saving myself. The past six months have enabled me to grow in ways I didn't expect. I've exchanged my analytical tendencies for embracing ones, after realizing that by comparing cultures, one will be seen as superior to the other. It is only through experiencing a culture as its own separate entity that it can truly be appreciated.

I've never really been a person that prioritized money or material goods, but living here has shown me that they're even less important than I thought. I've seen so many people get by, and be happy, on so little that living in our two-storey house in Gaborone can be embarrassing. As always, there are people that are possessed by the allure of ownership, which can lead to negligence of actual needs, and crime. I've had three phones stolen since I've been here, but I've only gained friends.

The biggest lesson I've learned has led to my greatest regret. This internship has opened the door to do more development work, but the thing that bothers me is that I needed this internship to become interested. There are so many other problems, so much that can be done, that I've ignored. It's not like this is my only first-hand experience working in development. In 2004, I participated in St. FX's Service Learning program in Guatemala. It was only during Spring Break, but it was an introduction to what's being done around the world. In the months following my group's experience, we'd receive e-mails telling us what's going on and what can be done. We did our best to stay informed and to respond, but as time went on, these emails went unread. I originally thought I was the only inconsiderate one, but I later found out that the other 10 group members did the same thing.

What is it going to take for us to rid ourselves of this "out of sight, out of mind" mentality? I'd like to think that six months is enough time to firmly ingrain it in my mind, but who knows what will happen in the next few years? All I can do is devote myself more fully to this cause than I have in the past. I have a feeling I'll do better this time.

If anyone who reads this is thinking about pursuing a future in development work, I would advise him/her to remember that firsthand experience is only one way of achieving that goal, and that there are as many problems at home as there are abroad. Volunteer, teach, give, just do what you can to help. One person isn't going to change the world, and that's exactly why there are so many of us.

A Confession

2006-12-13T17:36:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, I'm beginning my Christmas vacation. I'll be spending a week in Cape Town, South Africa, followed by Christmas in my friend's village of Mahalapye, then about a week in Mozambique. My roommates and I have decided that for our Christmas break, we're going to be "tourists," but I keep having the feeling that we've essentially been tourists all along.

Sure, I've been working at an AIDS organization, and I've been to rural villages and seen things that not many North Americans see. At the same time, my vision of Botswana has been skewed. Not every person living with HIV/AIDS becomes a motivational speaker, not every rural community has programs designed to raise education and alleviate poverty, and not everyone you meet is only interested in you as a person. I know that Botswana isn't a nation of disease-ridden people gasping for their last breath, but that doesn't make the way I saw things any less wrong.

I can write about the thousands of people who are living in poverty, but the fact is that up until recently, I haven't really seen them. The villages I had seen earlier were mainly agrarian. While the community members didn't have much, they survived from the crops and livestock they kept. On Sunday, I made a trip to Old Neledi, a small village within Gaborone, to attend a concert. I had been there once before for an album launch, but I wasn't as affected by the place as I was on Sunday.

The transition from Gaborone to Old Neledi is like driving into a wall. One minute, we're riding through an industrial zone, with car repair and other shops lining the highway. The next minute, we're on a twisting, sand-covered road, driving past 8'x10' houses with half-buried tires used as fences. Freedom Square, the venue for the concert, also acts as a soccer field and playground. The playground consists of a couple of broken swing sets, a merry-go-round, and a seesaw. The ground is littered in broken glass from the patrons of local bars, but it doesn't deter the kids from playing barefoot and shirtless. While this would almost constitute abuse at home, there is seemingly nothing wrong with this scene. The children are happy, and the downtrodden feeling that you would expect is thoroughly lacking. Old Neledi isn't a World Vision commercial, it's a group of very impoverished people living their lives as well as they can.

I've written before that I've felt like I fit in very well here. I've realized that while I may do a better job than some Canadians, I still fit in as a Canadian. By "virtue" of that, I will never understand what it's like to live in an area like Old Neledi, where poverty, HIV/AIDS, and crime are rampant. Old Neledi isn't an exception to any rule; it is one of many similar communities found throughout the country. I can sympathize with, but I cannot empathize with a child who has had both parents die from AIDS, is living with an aging grandmother, and does not go to school. The situation is just too dire for me to have any clue how I would deal with it, nor how the many people in Botswana deal with it every day.

I haven't written this piece to make anyone feel guilty, it's more an admission of my own mistakes. I've tried too hard to see Botswana as a nation flourishing in the face of HIV/AIDS that I've ignored the reality. When I finally began to see things as they truly are, as a complex web of wealth and poverty, sickness and health, and joy and grief, I hid behind the faceless statistics of places I had never seen. I'm just relieved that I'm starting to see the big picture before it's too late.

HDR vs. BMW

2006-12-04T07:54:00.000-04:00

Recently, the UN released its 2006 Human Development Report (HDR). Of the 177 countries surveyed, Botswana ranked 131st overall, by factoring its respective ranks in life expectancy, literacy rate, school enrolment, and gross domestic product per capita. For Botswana, the life expectancy is 34.9 years (176th), the literacy rate is 81.2% (79th), school enrolment is 70.7 (96th), and the GDP per capita is US$9,945 (58th). It was also announced that 50.1% of Batswana (people from Botswana) live on about US$2.00 per day.

It is clear that HIV/AIDS is one of the main contributing factors to Botswana's low ranking. Its affect on life expectancy leaves Botswana at the bottom of the list, just barely beating out Swaziland, another country that is being decimated by HIV. The two numbers that stick out in my mind, though, are the GDP and the amount of people living in poverty. Botswana's GDP per capita beats out both the Russian Federation and Mexico, but over half of the people here live on about $730 per year. In a country of only 1.7 million people, that equals staggering disparity.

The fight against AIDS is so multi-faceted that it's sometimes easy to ignore something as prevalent as poverty, especially in a country like Botswana. With free testing and ARVs available, and cross-country awareness and prevention programs in place, it seems as if everything is being tackled. These initiatives are necessary, but poverty is an issue that cannot be swept under the rug. There is no straight-line strategy for beating HIV; one must look at the situation from all angles.

Botswana is a nation obsessed with status. Last week, President Festus Mogae bought an ad in one of the local papers, urging Batswana to stop spending their money on expensive cars. While this is true, with many Batswana neglecting their own nutrition and safety to pay for high-end vehicles, Mogae failed to see the big picture. Government officials demand to be treated with so much reverence that they promote themselves to god-like status. When these people expect lavish meals and special treatment to attend a poverty awareness even, like October's Stand Up campaign, it is inevitable that they will be emulated.

To the untrained eye, the parking lot of the Ministry of Health building can be mistaken for a Mercedes-Benz parking lot, with the occasional BMW thrown in. Ironically, the Ministry building can be found across the street from the Immigration Office, where every day, hundreds of immigrants from Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other surrounding countries attempt to extend their stay in hopes of finding a job in Botswana.

HIV may not stem from poverty, but it would be foolish to ignore poverty's effect on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana. With poverty comes a lack of education, poor nutrition, and an increase in the desperation with which people try to make ends meet. Botswana is not a superpower, but it is one of the wealthier countries in Africa. It has the resources to mitigate poverty and, hopefully, drastically decrease the rate of HIV infection. First, we'll just have to convince the president that maybe it's time for a round of government pay cuts, and that Toyota makes a pretty decent car.

Good news

2006-11-23T07:14:00.000-04:00

On Monday, I went for my first ever HIV test. It wasn't because I had done anything that put me at risk, but I've been working in the field of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention since August, and I've felt like a hypocrit because I didn't know my HIV status.

The voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) centre is about a minute's walk away from where I work. My roommate Graham and I arrived around 7:30am to beat the rush. There were a couple of people ahead of us, but it only took about half an hour before it was our turn to get tested. In Botswana, they use rapid-result testing (it has only recently been approved in Canada), which detects a certain antibody associated with HIV, and results are found within 15 minutes. Although I knew that I had to be HIV negative, I was still a little bit nervous.

I couldn't help thinking about all the times I've cut myself here, or played with all the kids in my neighbourhood who seem to always have scrapes and scratches. I have, and promote, all the information that says transmission is virtually impossible through those means, but for some reason I couldn't help wondering if maybe I was going to be the exception to the rule. After the wait, I looked at the results and found that, as expected, I'm HIV negative. Although I knew what the results would be, I was still relieved to actually see them.

Then I started to think. If I had actually been worried that I might be HIV positive, would I have had the strength to go and get tested? I'd like to say that I would, but it would definitely be difficult. I looked around the lobby at the people waiting to be tested. How many of them were getting a routine check, and how many had come to see the repercussions of a one night stand or broken condom? I'm not trying to justify people that don't get tested, but imagine how hard it would be to have your whole life turned upside down, and in most cases drastically shortened, because of an accident or mistake?

I have tremendous respect for those people who have made mistakes and are still brave enough to be tested. I've already written that most of the work now being done is on prevention and behavioural change. What has been lacking, and I'll be the first to admit it, is a way to recognize the people who have been tested, found out that they're positive, and ensured that they would not infect anyone else. These people help work towards prevention, by indirectly stopping countless other infections. Of course, with confidentiality being paramount with regards to HIV testing, their names couldn't be posted in the paper or anything. At the same time, it is important to think of these anonymous people and realize that they are working as hard as anyone to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Ups and Downs

2006-11-10T10:46:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Graham and I flew up to Maun, in the Northern part of Botswana, to see the Okavango Delta. The delta is much more lush than most of Botswana, and is home to crocodiles, hippos, lions, elephants, giraffes, and pretty much any other animal you can think of, except tigers. Maun is the closest town to the delta, so it was where we stayed for the weekend. We woke up too late on Friday to catch a safari; we didn't know, but they leave around 7am. As a result, Friday was spent lounging around the hotel's pool and exploring Maun.

We had a safari booked on Saturday, for 7:30am. We drove in an open-topped truck for about two hours to the delta. On the way we saw a herd of zebras, some wildebeest, and a buffalo, along with all kinds of birds. Compared to the other safari we'd been on, in Mokolodi, this was already better. You kind of have the feeling in Mokolodi that the animals are on display. In the delta, you're definitely in the wild.

The truck finally stopped at the beginning of the delta, and there we saw what are called "mokoros," which are hollowed-out tree canoes. Graham and I got in, and our guide, Prince, pushed off. The water at this part of the delta isn't very deep, so the mokoro is driven like a gondola, where one person stands and pushes off the bottom with a large stick. We had only been in the boat for about 10 minutes before we saw about 5 hippos. We couldn't get too close because they're pretty aggressive, but we were still only about 100 feet away. We couldn't see them that well because they spend most of the day in the water, but it was still hilarious to see their heads pop up and spray water out of their nostrils. After going through the delta for about another hour, we finally reached land.

There, Prince took us on a bush walk. At first it looked like we weren't going to see much, besides all the different animal dung that Prince pointed out. Eventually we saw some elephant tracks, so we started to follow them. We walked up over a little hill, and we almost walked right into an elephant. Well, not really; it was probably about 70-80 feet away, but it was still pretty close. We watched it eat a little bit, then it turned and looked at us. It gave us a little fright, especially since we were just standing there, out in the open. The elephant then just turned back and continued on his way. On the walk back to the mokoros, we saw a couple of other elephants in the distance, and a few baboons.

When we left on Sunday, it was looking like this was our best weekend yet. That changed when we landed back in Gaborone. When I got my bag back from the luggage area, I opened it up to find that my phone had been stolen. In case anyone is keeping track, this is the third phone I've had stolen since I've been here. It's been pick-pocketed twice, and now once out of my bag. I don't even know why I had it in my bag, I think probably because I didn't want it stolen out of my pocket at the airport. Anyway, I told the guy at the main desk about it and apparently Air Botswana's policy is that they're not responsible, even though only about 3 people touched my luggage between Maun and Gaborone.

That got me thinking: we spent the weekend in Maun, and met a ton of people, none of whom came close to being a threat, even though some of them didn't even have jobs and were visibly living in poverty. Then, my phone (which is the cheapest one you can get, so I don't even know why someone would want it) gets stolen by some guy that works with Air Botswana. I don't want to sound like I'm from St. Olaf or anyting (do Golden Girls references still fly?), but I would assume that by checking my luggage, that would ensure that it will by safe. I can understand lost luggage; things can get mislabeled. But for someone to open my bag, fish through it, and get my phone is inexcusable.

And another thing; this it the third time it's happened to me. I don't know if I have a big target on me that says, "Steal from me," or if I just have bad luck, but three times in three months is almost unbelievable. Some people might say that I have to learn to not trust anybody, but that's a lesson I will refuse to be taught. Maybe I'm an idealist, or maybe I'm just stuck with my small-town sensibilities, but I will always give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I'll have to replace a few things every once in a while, but I will not consider it a fault to be trusting of other people. I'm not talking about picking up hitch-hikers on a deserted road with eerie music playing in the background, but I am talking about being able to have faith that people I deal with on a daily basis will treat me with the respect I give them. It's disheartening when things like this happen, but not so much that I will lose my trust in people

Ups and Downs

2006-11-10T10:42:00.000-04:00

Halfway there?

2006-10-31T06:18:00.000-04:00

I've officially been in Botswana for three months today. I've touched on this in one of my earlier posts, but sometimes I get so wrapped up in my routine that I forget the real reason I'm here. I'm living in Gaborone to volunteer with the Botswana Network of AIDS Organizations (BONASO). While my work isn't going to change the state of AIDS in Botswana, it will, at the very least, help me gain insight into simultaneously the most hope-filled and heartbreaking situation of which I've ever been a part.

Botswana is a country of less than 1.7 million people, 350,000 of whom are HIV positive. Life expectancy here is 34 years; it would be 72 if AIDS was not a factor. These are not just faceless numbers, they are my neighbours, my co-workers, and my friends. AIDS has infiltrated every facet of Botswana's society, so much so that one of my colleagues at BONASO fell victim to it in August. Some might say that if someone at BONASO, who has all the information, can still become infected, how can we expect to help? The answer, in this case, is in the question. Information can only go so far. A box of pamphlets can't prevent a woman's husband from cheating on her, all the workshops in the world won't stop a rape, and a week of classes can easily be forgotten after a few drinks.

Information without action is just trivia.

Luckily, there has been a genuine movement in Botswana to shift focus from awareness to behavioural change. Programs are beginning to incorporate more than just ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, and use Condoms), they are becoming full-scale curricula designed to equip Batswana, people from Botswana, with the skills necessary to make life(style)-altering decisions. By understanding the ramifications of their actions, the hope is that people will change their ways to save themselves, if not others. There's no guarantee that this will work all the time, but I'm willing to bet it'll be more effective than telling people to never have sex.

In a country where cheating is a way of life, and AIDS is viewed by some as an inevitability, there is still a long way to go. Much longer than, say, nine years. The UN-created Millennium Development Goals, one of which is to eliminate HIV transmission by 2015, may ease hearts of the West, but they are a slap in the face to the people working in countries like Botswana. Putting a deadline on one the most valiant fights of our time is, at best, irrelevant. Watching the clock tick down is nothing but a reminder that this "goal" will not be accomplished. What's needed is a generous programming budget, readily available ARVs and testing sites, and the dedication required to beat this disease, regardless of how long it takes.

A person could read this article and think that working in this situation has made me jaded. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have seen so much hope in these three short months that I know an end is in sight. It will take a massive co-ordinated effort, but if the rest of the world could harness a fraction of the perseverance found here, AIDS will be beaten. I'm excited to see the progress that can be made even in my remaining three months.

Correction

2006-10-18T04:59:00.000-03:00

I spelled Pharaoh wrong in the last post, but for some reason, I can't edit it.

I didn't forget about my blog

2006-10-18T04:53:00.000-03:00

It's been 2 weeks since my last post, and a lot has happened. The wedding in Mochudi was a no-go: my roommates and I were all really busy with work, so we couldn't devote the whole weekend to a wedding. We've all been assured that there'll be another one somewhere before we leave. We did manage, however, to make it to a Botswana Zebras versus the Egypt Pharoahs soccer game. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but everyone at the game was pretty excited, because the Pharoahs are the current African champs. Botswana isn't really known for its soccer, so a tie game was just as good as a win.

Last weekend, my roommates and I went to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a Jay-Z/Rihanna concert. We had to get up at 5am to catch the bus at 6:30. The bus ride took about 7 hours, including an hour and a half wait at the border. The concert was a lot of fun, but there were a couple of casualties. About 10 after we got into the Coca-Cola Dome, Graham's camera was stolen. I didn't even really know that pick-pockets even exist, but apparently they do, and they're very good at what they do. Not long after that, my phone was stolen, and I didn't feel a thing. After being temporarily blinded by rage, we decided we might as well enjoy the concert.

The ride home was also not without a hiccup. We woke up at 6:30am to catch the 8 o'clock bus. This one was from a different company than the one we took to Johannesburg, and at the onset, it appeared to be much better. The seats were really comfortable, the hostess provided chips and juice, and we got to watch a couple of movies from the Martin Lawrence Collection (no joke). About 40km from the border, things changed.

The bus was leaking transmission fluid, so we had to pull over to the side of the road. The driver wasn't sure whether it was fixable, so he called a mechanic from Gaborone (about an hour away, excluding crossing the border). We had to wait in the bus, with the AC off, until the mechanic got there, which took about 3 hours. Keep in mind that we had been up most of the night at a concert, and it was our second day in a row of waking up before the sun rose. Plus, there was no time for showers in the morning.

When the mechanic finally got there, he worked for about an hour before deciding that he couldn't fix the problem. We were given a partial refund and were told that we had to hitch-hike back to Gaborone. There was a police blockade set up to help with the hitch-hiking. We eventually got a ride from a South African guy who was going straight to Gaborone, so he was able to drop us off at our house.

The silver lining (for me, anyway) was that our co-ordinator from Canada, Tammy, was in Botswana for the weekend. She had HER phone stolen somewhere along her travels, so she had to buy one here. Phones bought here don't work in Canada though, so she just gave it to me to use for the rest of the trip. It's a nicer phone than the one I had, so I kind of ended up on top.

The "ferocious rooster" I mentioned in my last post is really getting on our nerves. He's grown so bold as to come into our backyard to crow his heart out. He usually flies away when we go outside, but there are only so many times a man can run out into his backyard, pantsless, in the middle of the night. If anyone has any ideas on how to get rid of this guy, or any suggestions on a proper sidedish for Horrible Rooster a la King, it would be much appreciated.

A long-overdue update

2006-10-04T04:43:00.000-03:00

I've noticed that lately my updates have gone from awestruck to anecdotal. I'm sure that a lot of the people that read this are probably more interested in all the different things I've been seeing, and not just hot dog pizzas. It's kind of hard for me to keep thinking up striking differences between here and Canada, for a couple of reasons. I've been here for two months now, following pretty much the same routine every day. Life here has become the status quo, it's difficult to pick out differences because this has become "normal" to me. I'm not going to be mistaken for a Motswana (someone from Botswana) anytime soon, but at the same time, my roommates and I are able to do anything and go anywhere in Gaborone.

I remember a conversation I had with Jim Delaney, one of the Coady International Institute's staff. I told him that I was excited to see all the differences between life here and in Canada. He told me that isn't really the way to go. By focusing on the differences, I'd still be separating myself from their culture. Even a word like "accept" isn't quite right, because that kind of has the connotation that I'd be originally against it. I guess the strategy that is most effective is to just live it. People here have their own way of going about things, and to fully experience it, one has to adopt that way of life. This isn't the same as the assimilation seen in the States (and even the "cultural mosaic" that is Canada), because I'm not being forced to change my beliefs, language, etc. I want to learn as much as I can while I'm here: about Botswana, about Canada, and about myself. To do this, I have to put aside any preconceived notions I have as a Canadian, and just experience Botswana for what it is: a beautiful, yet tragic country of which I knew nothing before coming, but one that I can, for now, call home.

At the same time, for those of you who aren't living in Botswana, one of the best ways to visualize what it's like here is to hear about what makes it different. With that in mind, I've thought up a few more aspects of life here that are different from in Canada.

-Roosters are everywhere, even in our complex. They don't just crow at dawn, either. They start around 4:30am and go pretty steady until probably around 10pm. We're getting used to them now, but we all get woken up at least once a night by a particularly ferocious rooster.

-Pedestrians have no right of way here. Drivers keep a steady pace and it's up to pedestrians to walk accordingly. I'm getting good at timing my street crossings so that I don't have to stop between lanes. I'll bet I'd be a really good Frogger player now.

-Although there are a lot of erroneous ideas about Africa at home, women do carry things on their heads. I don't know how they do it. I've seen women carry bags of potatoes, boxes of Ice Pops (giant freezies), crates of pop, etc. It's got to be the most efficient way of carrying things because it doesn't put any strain on your arms or shoulders.

My roommates and I have been invited to a wedding this weekend. It's in Mochudi, a village about 30km from Gaborone. Weddings here go on all weekend, and this one will begin on Friday with the slaughtering of a cow. I'm pretty excited for the wedding, I've heard that they're a lot of fun. I'll write about it next week. That's it for now.

Snakes on a plane, hotdogs in a pizza

2006-09-25T06:06:00.000-03:00

On Saturday, Graham had organized a CD Launch concert for an album being released by the group he works for, YOHO. The concert was free, and took place almost all day in Old Neledi, a suburb of Gaborone. It's one of the poorer areas in the city, as we could tell by the number of shoeless children and pantsless babies. Everyone had a good time at the concert though, and there were boothes set up to hand out information on HIV, as well as provide rapid result HIV testing. The kids at the concert were great, and were pretty fascinated by Graham and me. There were 3 girls in particular, probably about 8, 10, and 12 years old, that followed us around most of the day. They were always lined up according to height, and were pretty content to just stare at us. We talked to them a little bit, but they didn't know a lot of English, and we barely know any Setswana.

Speaking of Setswana, on Friday, we received our African names. Graham is now known as Bagwasi. I'm not really sure what it means, but it's the name of a very unpopular former member of parliament here. Apparently the guy is really huge, which is ironically why Graham has that name. He tips the scales at about a buck-fifty. My name, it's been agreed, is much better: Rra Pula. It means "Mr. Rain," or "Rainman." I don't know why it was picked for my name, but it sounds a lot better than Bagwasi. Amy, our other roommate, got a new name too, but I can't remember what it was.

Last night, Graham and I went to the theatre to watch Snakes on a Plane. There were only about 20 people in the theatre, but it was probably the most fun I've ever had watching a movie. People were cheering and clapping the whole time, and letting out screams pretty much any time a snake did anything. It was definitely worth the wait.

Before the movie, Graham and I got pizza at a restaurant called Debonairs. It's a franchise in Southern Africa. We ordered the "Crammed Crust pizza." It was a regular chicken pizza, but the crust of each piece had a hot dog inside it. Plus, each hot dog was stuffed with cheese. As a man that devoted an entire day to hot dogs (Hot Dog Day, 2004), I appreciate when someone takes it to the next level. I can only hope that this innovation makes it to North America, so we can all experience the best thing to happen to pizza since pepperoni.

The next post will be a serious one, I promise.

Lost in Translation

2006-09-22T06:58:00.000-03:00

We've noticed that there are some North Americans here that over-enunciate everything in English, so that "the people here will understand." This not only makes the North American sound ridiculous, it's insulting to the people from Botswana when someone is talking down to them like that. As a result, my roommates and I have made an effort not to fall into that trap. For the most part, it's been working, and we've found that it doesn't create the divide between Africans and Canadians that can so often happen when the "baby talk" is used. We don't sound ridiculous, and the people we work with or see during the day appreciate the fact that we treat them like everybody else.

There are, however, some times when it seems like we're playing a game of Telephone. For example, earlier this week, Graham and I went to Pie City, a restaurant that exclusively serves pies. For the record, "pies" here aren't like the pies at home. They're flakey pastries filled with different meat and vegetables; kind of like what Toaster Strudels would be if I was running Pillsbury.

Graham got himself the chicken peri-peri pie, one of our favourites. It was 9 in the morning, so I wasn't really in the mood for a pie. I decided to just get juice.

"I'll have an orange juice," I said.

The girl behind the counter replied, "One Russian Chili*."

I tried again, "No, I'll just have an orange juice."

"Oh, juice. What kind?"

"I think I'll go with orange."

That was that. I got my orange juice and continued on my way. It may have taken a little longer than usual, but at least I didn't sound like Emo Phillips.

*Russian Chilis are the equivalent of a chili dog. Giant hotdogs and sausages are called "Russians" here.

Trip to the Kalahari

2006-09-12T04:01:00.000-03:00

There's been a slight change in plans. It looks like I won't be going back out into the desert until next week, if at all. Funding has become a bit of an issue because there would be a lot of travelling involved.

Regardless, I still got a chance to go out to a couple of villages on the weekend for part of the HIV/AIDS awareness shows.

Our first stop was on Friday, in a village called Phuduhudu. It's a tiny village of about 500 people. On our first drive through, there appeared to be more goats than villagers. The roads within the village were made of sand, and the people lived in either round, thatch-roofed huts, or rectangular, 8 x 10 cement houses. Unfortunately, the performers couldn't make it to Phuduhudu on time because they blew four tires(!) on the four-hour trip. They had a pretty old truck, and it was weighed down with a lot of gear, so we kept travelling on to Kang.

Kang is a bigger village, deeper in the Kalahari than Phuduhudu. There were two events planned for the day; one in the morning for the general public, and one in the afternoon at the local boarding school. The morning event began with a prayer, and an introduction of the six performers, Ms. Elizabeth Ramalkile, District AIDS Co-ordinator Ms. Olebent Dikgabe, and us (people from BONASO). Approximately 44 people were in attendance at the Kang community hall.

The first performance by the dancers was well received by the audience, especially the children. People were dancing along with the dancers. After the dance, there was a question and answer period in which the performers quizzed the audience on their knowledge of HIV/AIDS terminology. Participants who correctly answered the questions were given t-shirts and HIV/AIDS information packets.

Following the question and answer period, Ms. Ramalkile spoke. She is the current runner-up to the Miss HIV Stigma Free 2006. She encouraged the audience to get tested for HIV, and take advantage of the services that are available to them. She also promoted the importance of fighting stigma and discrimination, and spoke of the benefits of support groups for HIV+ members. She then took questions from the audience. She was asked questions from children as well as adults, and used her personal experience as a person living with HIV/AIDS to promote HIV counselling and safe sex.

The dancers once again took the stage to perform a musical number about "The Modern Man." Dressed in miner's uniforms and aprons, the dancers addressed the topics of abuse against women and PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission). This concluded the morning event, as the venue did not have the facilities to support showing a video.

The second showing in the afternoon was to a group of boarding school students, aged 13-17. There were approximately 360 students, with equal representation of males and females. The event followed much the same format as the morning showing, with the addition of a dance contest for the students after Ms. Ramalkile spoke. There were five boys, probably around 14, who competed. All the girls in the audience were screaming and fanning themselves, like when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan (that's for all my aunts and uncles reading this). We didn't get a chance to stay to watch the HIV videos, because we had to get back to Gaborone, and it was about a long drive.

Pictures should be up on the website later on today. Http://connorinbotswana.spaces.live.com

Big News

2006-09-07T06:52:00.000-03:00

I just found out yesterday that tomorrow I'm going on a field trip. A Botswanan company has started a project that aims at promoting HIV awareness and prevention in very remote villages through videos. The videos will be in the villagers' language, as English is barely spoken in the isolated areas. I'm going with the project to get data to write a report on its effectiveness. Tomorrow I'll be in a village called Phuduhudu, then on Saturday I'll be in another village, Kang. Both villages are in the Kgalagadi region of Botswana, in the southwest corner.

From Monday to Friday, I'll be going with the project again, this time to the Kalahari Desert, in central Botswana. These villages are home to the San people, or "Bushmen." They've essentially rejected changes in technology and live as they have always lived. Their language includes sounds that aren't in English. For example, one of the villages I'll be seeing is called New Xade, pronounced "New (click)-ahday." Most of the villages in this area have just a few hundred people, and I've heard that there's a good chance I'll be the first white person a lot of the villagers will have seen.

Accommodations haven't been worked out yet, but it looks like from Monday to Friday I'll be camping in the villages. They don't have electricity or running water, so a hotel is out of the question. I already expect this to be the chance of a lifetime, so I hope it lives up to what I anticipate.

After I write the report on the project, I heard that I might be presenting the findings to international journalists. It was mentioned kind of off-hand, so I'll worry about writing the report and experiencing these villages first, then find out what's going to be done about it. I thought I'd write this little update before I go, then when I get back I'll be able to go into detail about what the experience was like and if it lived up to my expectations.

Here's a long one

2006-09-04T10:39:00.000-03:00

A lot has happened in the past week or so, so this is going to be a pretty long update.

There are about 15 kids that live in our neighbourhood. For the first few weeks, they were pretty shy, but that's changed. After explaining that Graham and I aren't brothers, and that nobody is married to Amy, we became friends. The kids range in ages from about 3 to probably 13, and they play outside until dark every night. Last Thursday, Graham and I joined them in a game of Touchball, which I think they just made up. Anyway, it was just tag, but whoever was It had to hit someone with a soccer ball. I was pretty good at it. The younger kids were pretty fascinated with us; we had to show them our X-rings about a hundred times, and I've officially become kind of an amusement ride. There's one kid, Tonto, who's about three, who won't let me in my house unless I pick him up over my head.

On Friday, Graham and I were part of a parade that went through the city. September 30 is the 40th Botswana Day, Botswana's Independence Day, so to open up the month, there was a torch lighting ceremony and parade on September 1. Graham and I went down to watch, but then we saw that a lot of random people were joining in the parade, so we followed along. We probably walked about five miles, in between a marching band and a group from the military. The parade was followed by a short concert, from some traditional dancers, a group kind of like Stomp, and a choir. Then, after the torch lighting, we walked back downtown. I was about an hour and a half late for work, but the 40th Botswana Day only comes around once.

On Saturday, I travelled to Orapa (about a 5 hour drive) with some other BONASO employees to attend the 2006 Miss HIV Stigma Free Beauty Pageant. There were 16 contestants, all of whom are HIV positive. It wasn't really a traditional pageant, on the basis that whoever was crowned winner had to personify "living positively." Between 100 and 200 people were in attendance, and the ceremony lasted from about 8pm to 2am. The contestants varied in appearance from tall and slender to short and squat. They all, however, were seen as role models for any of the thousands of Batswana that have not gone public with being HIV positive. The pageant was a celebration of the contestants' bravery as well as a reminder that not everyone with HIV/AIDS looks "like they have HIV/AIDS."

After the winner was crowned, there was some entertainment. A singer called Maxy, who's very famous in Botswana, sang a few songs, and then a popular gospel singer performed, followed by a DJ. If there's one thing Batswana love to do, it's dance. People wouldn't even go to the dance floor, they'd just stand at their tables and dance up a storm.. Unfortunately, I dance like Janet Reno, so I saved myself some embarrassment and sat out most of the songs.

Speaking of songs, I don't really know who the musical director was, but he or she knew what he/she liked. As each contestant walked onto the stage (about a minute per person), and then after interviews and when the five finalists were announced and again brought on stage, the songs "I will be you Hero," (or maybe just "Hero," I'm not sure) by Enrique Iglesias would play. I'd say that, without a hint of exaggeration, it played for about an hour and half. I guess it wasn't that bad, we got through it anyway, but now I have to explain to people why I know all the words to an Enrique Iglesias song.

During the night, I ran into a man from Botswana named Brian. He couldn't quite figure out why I was there after I explained that I wasn't with the TV crew, which was why any other white men were there. After he responded with, "Then why the hell are you here?" I told him I was "the other white guy, sitting with people from Botswana." He got pretty excited and wanted to introduce me to his aunt, Lillian, from Zimbabwe. They were asking all kinds of questions about why I was there and what kind of work I was doing, and Lillian was pretty interested in getting involved in it. Brian was more interested in asking me to buy him another drink.

I don't really have a good segue for this, so I'll just say it. The cleaning lady at BONASO thinks I'm from Botswana. She hasn't really said anything to me about it, but apparently when talking to other BONASO employees, she calls me, "The little one from Molepolole."

They've tried to tell her that I'm from Canada, but she won't hear it. She just says, "No, I know his family, Khana, from Molepolole."

Random...

2006-08-29T08:53:00.000-03:00

It's been a while since I wrote in this blog, so I figured I'd do a little update. I haven't really been up to anything exciting in the last little while. Actually, I didn't venture too far from my house this weekend, due to some suspicious meat. It gave me a chance to take everything in, and it was kind of a little vacation for me. After reading three books and watching countless movies, I was kind of shocked when I finally left my house on Saturday night to realize that yes, I'm still in Botswana.

Since I don't have anything that exciting to write about, I think I'll just write down little things I've noticed here that I haven't mentioned yet.

-I've been here almost a month and I hardly know any Setswana. I can say "Hi, how are you?" "I'm fine," and "Goodbye." Oh, and "No Smoking," but I just read that off a sign.

-When you meet someone on the sidewalk, and you have to get out of the way, you have to veer left here, not right as most of us do at home. It probably has to do with the fact that people drive on the left-hand side of the road. Needless to say, I bumped into a lot of people in the first week.

- Coke (the pop) has taken Botswana by storm. Everybody drinks it, all the time. In fact, sugar itself is really popular here. Once, someone asked me if I wanted tea, and before he handed it to me, he dumped a heaping tablespoon of sugar into it. I usually don't put any sugar in tea, but I didn't want to be rude, so I said that was fine and drank it. He was surprised that I only took one giant scoop, as he continued to put about 4 in his.

- Every day, I learn that AIDS is more prevalent than I imagined. I just finished editing an article about a youth orchestra in Lobatse (a village outside Gaborone). Recently, the orchestra has taken on an income-generating initiative. They play at funerals. Weddings and other events requiring music aren't as frequent, so funerals was decided as their most viable option.

- Even in a city as metropolitan as Gaborone, certain rural aspects are not out of the ordinary. For example, today, as soon as I left the gate of my subdivision, I saw two donkeys on the side of the road, eating some grass. There wasn't a farm or farmer around, so I don't really know where they came from, but they didn't seem too concerned, and neither did anyone else on the street.

- Some things here are relatively cheap, like P10 ($2) for a full meal, but other things have about the same price they have at home. Gas is over 5 pula per litre, so a little over one Canadian dollar per litre. Also, most appliances cost about the same here as they do at home. It's the same companies that distribute them (Black & Decker, etc), so they probably don't change their retail price much from country to country.

- Even the most mundane animals look "exotic" here. There are little birds, that are everywhere here, that look like sparrows. They're grey-ish brown on top and pretty bland. When they fly, however, you see that their bellies are a bright, shimmery blue. Even the pigeons here have dark red spots on their heads.

- I think people are starting to realize that my roommates and I are going to be around for a while. We aren't being asked for taxis as much, and people don't think we're lost when we go to the bus rank. I guess we're starting to fit in around here.

- Every day after work, I have to pass by a hairdresser's place. Every day after work, the hairdresser yells, "Haircut!" at me (a few of Youth Associates, including me, are trying to see how long we can grow our hair). Every day after work, I say to the hairdresser, "Not today." If I do break down and decide to get it cut, that hairdresser is the man for the job.

Pictures

2006-08-21T07:21:00.000-03:00

I finally got my Botswana pictures uploaded. You can see them at http://connorinbotswana.spaces.live.com

Moving on...

2006-08-19T08:50:00.000-03:00

I spent most of last week traveling to Kanye, the village where my co-worker was from. It's the largest village in Botswana, about an hour from Gaborone. The drive there was beautiful. Gaborone is built essentially on a flat desert. The way to Kanye, however, is highlighted by rolling hills speckled with trees.
In Botswana, a "wake" lasts about a week, with prayers starting every evening. The deceased's family comes to his/her house from all over the country, staying in the house or camping outside. I attended the wake on Monday and Thursday. Friends and family gathered inside a small stone chapel. A reverend (the family belongs to the International Pentecostal Church, a southern Africa denomination of Christianity) led the prayers, but the part that stands out was the music. After each prayer, a choir made up of community members would sing, acapella, the most moving songs I've heard. I couldn't understand the language, but the passion, grief, and hope expressed was universal.
The same goes for the funeral. As a member of BONASO, I was asked to be a pallbearer. It was a little odd, because I had never done it before and I hardly knew this woman, but I was honoured to be a part of the service. The burial lasted about an hour and a half. It consisted of more singing and a few prayers. The entire process, from funeral to burial, went from 6 - 11am on Friday morning.
On a lighter note, last Sunday my roommates and I traveled to Mokolodi Game Reserve for the afternoon. We were on a guided safari for about 2 hours. We saw warthogs, different types of antelope (impala, hudu, etc), two young cheetahs, a giraffe, and four elephants. The elephants were bathing in a lake, mostly splashing each other and slapping their trunks on the water. It was fun to see such huge creatures act, pretty much, like babies.
I'm working on getting a website just for my Botswana pictures. I'll post it here when I get it set up.

The Honeymoon's Over

2006-08-11T07:53:00.000-03:00

I came into work this morning and found out that someone at BONASO died last night. I didn’t really get a chance to meet her; she had been out sick most of the time I’ve been here. She did come in on Monday for most of the day, but was hospitalized soon after. Apparently she had been in and out of hospitals a lot lately, and last night she finally succumbed to what people in the office are calling complications due to AIDS.
The cloud I’ve been riding has finally dropped me off back on Earth. I’ve been so caught up in everything that’s positive about living here that I had created a separate Botswana in my mind, one in which everyone isn’t affected by AIDS. I’ve realized today that we still have so much to learn. There are aspects of life here, such as the death-grip AIDS has on the country, that we thought we knew about, but even now have only scratched the surface. I doubt I’ll ever truly understand how commonplace it is to have family, friends, or co-workers become just another statistic.
I’ve been coming into this little office every day, thinking that it keeps me isolated from the "real" Botswana; that I’d have to get out in the rural areas to see the culture. Today I’ve realized that this is as real as it gets. AIDS has permeated through the society, becoming a part of the culture unto itself. A big part. People wake up every day facing the disease. These people can be farmers, lawyers, doctors, or members of an AIDS service organization. The one thing uniting them is their incredible resolve to fight back.

Storytime

2006-08-07T10:53:00.000-03:00

Here’s just a little story about the hospitality of people in Botswana.
On Saturday, Amy, Graham, and I went to a soccer game at the National Stadium. It was between two local Premier League teams, Gaborone United and the Kaiser Chiefs. Of the approximately 1,000 people in attendance, we were the only three white people. Throughout the game, a few Batswana (that’s the word for more than one person from Botswana) came and asked how we were enjoying the game, told us about Botswana, taught us a few words, etc. They were so welcoming to us, we couldn’t believe it. I have a hard time believing that if there was a stadium of 1,000 white people and three Africans, the white people would be as accommodating.
Anyway, after the game was over, we took a chombi ride about fifteen minutes back to the bus rank. From there, we walked about another ten until a truck pulled over in front of us. The driver leaned out of his window and asked us how we liked the game. He told us he recognized us from the stadium and wanted to make sure we had a good time. We assured him that we did, then chirped him a little bit because the team we were cheering for had won.
It was crazy: all the way across the city, this guy just pulled over to make sure that we, complete strangers, had a good time at the game. Granted, we were pretty recognizable as the only white people there, but we could tell that he wasn’t concerned about any racial issues, he just wanted to know that we were enjoying his country. So far, so good.

We made it

2006-08-05T10:04:00.000-03:00

I’ve been in Botswana for six days now, and I already love it. The atmosphere is so laid back, but also chaotic. For example, to get to work, Graham, Amy, and I have to walk to the bus rank, where chombis (15-seat van-taxis) can take you all over the city. Everyone walks to the rank at a pretty leisurely pace, but once you get there, it’s pandemonium. We took about 10 minutes to find the right route to get to work, then we ended up missing our stop, running across a highway to catch another chombi, then finally getting to work. When I strolled into work at BONASO, ready with dozens of excuses, nobody was the least bit worked up because I was late. As long as I get there in the morning, it doesn’t really matter.
I haven’t had much of a chance to see the "real Botswana." Living in Gaborone is essentially the same as living in Halifax. There are malls, movie theatres, etc, that are basically the same as what we have in Canada. I have an office on the third floor of a building, overlooking downtown Gaborone; it isn’t at all what I expected when I found out 4 months ago that I’d be going to Africa. That isn’t to say that I’m disappointed here, I’m just surprised at how ignorant I was. Sometime in the next couple of weeks, once we get settled in, a trip is in the works to see one of Botswana’s many animal preserves.
Our house in Gaborone is phenomenal. It’s a two-storey townhouse with two bathrooms, three bedrooms, and a large dining room. It’s pretty bare right now, but within a month or so, it should look just like home, except at this home we have a lemon tree in the backyard. I hope to upload a picture in the near future.
Another thing I didn’t expect about living in Botswana was how cold it gets overnight. It’s the tail end of their winter now, and yesterday morning I could see my breath outside. I thought the winters just got Africa-cold, not cold-cold.
My first assignment at BONASO was to make a powerpoint presentation for my boss to give at the international AIDS conference in Toronto next week. She said it was good, but I was a little nervous doing my first real job. Before that, I just spent the days proofreading people’s work. It seems like after this, a lot of my job will entail writing proposals for different community groups to get funding for AIDS awareness programs.
I apologize for having such a disjointed entry, but things just pop into my head randomly, then I write them down. I’m still getting the hang of this online journaling, so maybe it’ll get a little more smooth as time goes on. I still don’t know how to end each entry.

It begins...

2006-06-21T21:06:00.000-03:00

"I'm going to Africa in August." I've been saying these words for over a month now, but they haven't really meant anything. I could just as easily have been saying, "I think I'm going to visit Shangri-La," or "Wow, I can't believe I'm going to Atlantis." The fact that I'm going to spend six months in Botswana has been something so intangible that when I arrive, it will actually be a dream come true.
Today was the first day of orientation. I found out that two other Associates, not "interns," are going to Botswana with me: Graham North and Amy MacDonald. We'll all be living in a townhouse in Gabarone (pronounced Hab-a-rone-ee; I was way off originally), that is apparently across the street from a KFC. If there's a parking lot with a bunch of guys revving the enginges of 1989 Thunderbirds, it'll be like I never left St. FX. I'll be working with the Botswana Network of AIDS Service Organizations (BONASO), mainly organizing awareness events and publishing a newsletter. Amy and Graham have different placements in the area.
Now that things are starting to fall into place, the gravity (pun intended) of what I'm about to do is starting to hit me. For the past two years, this has been what I've wanted to do after my degree. Now that I'm about to do it, I've realized that I could have been much more prepared. While I do have some experience traveling, there's so much more I could have learned about international development, sustainability, or the AIDS pandemic. I'm going to be bombarded with so much information in the next month that to take in only half of it will be overwhelming. I hardly know anything about Africa itself as a continent. Most of my impression of it comes from clips of The Gods must be Crazy! that I caught between naps, and an episode of America's Next Top Model that had the vixens competing on the serenghetti. Neither of these paints an ideal picture of the region, to say the least.
On the other hand, maybe that's the reason we have five weeks of training. It should be enough time to at least get a foundation of knowledge upon which I can build once I get to Botswana. The staff at the Coady Institute seem more than willing to assist us, and I'll be taking full advantage of their hospitality. Hopefully in my next post I'll be a little more sure of what's going on and a little more well-versed in international matters. That's it until then.