At last!!! I have managed to get on the internet!! Here goes.....

18/10/10

Amy's birthday!! I hope she is enjoying it. I struggle to get up (again) and wonder if I will get better at this soon.

Not much to report about my actual day at TOP Banana, I think things are going to take a little longer than anticipated! Later that day Denise and I get a lift back from Petros in the buggy and I am startled to find us not just being chased by two dogs - but chased with them in front of the buggy! Apparently they do it a lot and hate the buggy. I can't watch as every now and then a dog seems to disappear in front of the buggy and I am afraid that we have run over it - but Petros is familiar with their antics and him and Denise just laugh. So the journey home is filled with laughter and occasional shrieks by me......

The weather here seems to vary quite a bit dependant on what the wind is doing. When the wind picks up, sometimes it has been quite cool and a few mornings I have had to wear my fleece. But other times it is so hot you ca hardly move! Looking at the statistics, October is the hottest month with an average of 35 (95) degrees. Once the rain comes it will cool down, but the locals say this will not be until mid November. The heat makes it difficult to do a lot in big chunks and I am drinking more water than ever - and those of you that know me, know how much water I drink in the UK! I have been wearing Factor 50 all over yet am still catching the sun. It would be stupid to think that I could sunbathe hear as the sun is quite unforgiving and you can catch it even in the shade. I also do not intend to lower the factor I am using just to get a tan, so no doubt my legs will still be white when I come home J

Because there has been no rain for the last few months, the landscape is very dry and dusty. There are a few bits of green but I am told that this will increase once the rain comes. Denise has still been able to grow tomatoes, peppers, chillies, onions and also a green vegetable a bit like spinach in the garden - and I find this quite amazing! She has also been able to grow herbs, which has been lovely.

19/10/10

Denise and I travel into Francis Town as Cecil is busy all day. I am pretty much being guided by Denise as to what each day holds and I am pleased that we are going into Francis Town today as I have a few bits that I would like to pick up and also would like to upload some photos.

The uploading takes far longer than I would have hoped and even on its completion - I get an error telling me that I have been unsuccessful. Grrrr! Because it takes me so long, I only half finish my update and am quite irritated! I read some lovely messages from people and then Denise comes to get me and we go to the shops. She takes me to one big store called 'Game' which sells pretty much anything and guess what I find?? A Christmas tree Isle!! Brilliant! And here it sells cards and decorations - so Denise and I agree that we are going to put a tree up when the time comes! Who would have thought it?

We continue shopping for the next few hours - can you believe they have a whole freezer section dedicated to soya protein for vegetarians? I was very surprised by this also as new that the Botswana people love their meat! I had to try some and also bought fruit (don't worry mum I am trying to eat well here) and also some salted crackers (am making sure I get the salt in my diet Jo thanks!). The prices I have found so far are not that different to the UK. Some products are more expensive and some are less. I guess it all depends on whether they need to import it or not. I am disappointed to discover that the cheapest wine I have found so far is 35 pula (so around £3.50) and I am now on a mission to try to find some for 20 pula as have been told that there is some..... Somewhere anyway!!

We stop to have coffee (an iced one, yum!) and Denise's friend Charmaine comes over to join us. Charmaine has lived in Botswana for the past 14 years (I think!) and told me that any time I needed to get away from the village (as it really is quite remote) that I could go and stay at hers. I got a talking to for wearing a head scarf as she said it would not protect me from the sun at all, and she told me to buy a wide brimmed hat instead. Arrangements were made for me to go over to Francis Town next Friday and stay with Charmaine. She said she would take me to a flea market, followed by food and drink at the local she goes to - I even have a Local here Jo K!! - and here I would be able to meet more volunteers. On the Saturday morning I would be able to go and meet more people from The Kings Foundation who are involved in charity work and on this day would be entertaining some children - after which they would be providing meals for them. Other advice I get is to get plenty of rest, make sure I have some time off as it will soon get really challenging and I need to make sure I don't get burnt out. She also echoes what Cecil has told me about the need to be patient and not to worry if it feels like things are taking forever. If I have a target of one week - it will almost certainly be two weeks.

After a long day of shopping I decide to hit the sack about 9.30 (shopping + 35 degree heat = sleepy!). It takes me ages to get to sleep as it is hot and there is no air at all. Denise and Cecil tend to keep the windows closed in the evening following a burglary a couple of months ago (someone managed to get in through an open window) so am reluctant to open it. Not sure that it would do any good anyway as there is no air out there anyway!

20/10/10

We get to TOP Banana and are keen to have a look in the storerooms to see what is in there, as this will help me to understand a bit more about what activities we could start doing and what equipment might be needed. Petros manages to open one store room and we find a lot of baseball equipment which will be good to use with the kids. Unfortunately we need to wait for Lovemore and Cecil to get back from their meeting as they have the keys to the other storeroom, so as something that I am now getting well practiced at, we wait......

I am encouraged when Petros talks about the gym and that some concrete should be getting laid the following week for the floor. At the moment the gym equipment is too dangerous being used on an uneven floor so part of the equipment has been moved to the Pre School for the time being. Petros says that there will be 30 plus people wanting to use the gym next week. That's great news.

On our return from lunch as I am walking past the youth centre I see the faces of three children. There is lots of noise coming from in there so we pop in. There are about 9 children watching TV, and so Denise and I decide to play table football. It is not long before a few children appear beside us, watching. We get the children to join in so we have 4 of us on each side, plus a couple of children keeping score. Its really good fun and for the first time since I have been here I feel that I have helped by simply bringing smiles to the faces of the children, that may sound slightly contrived, but, in any case, I feel happy!

I am treated to some singing by the neighbours this evening - it sounds so lovely, and reminded me of the opening credits to wild at heart! Very relaxing.

21/10/10

I was awoken at 3.40am by one of the cats (not sure which as I didn't have my glasses on) sitting on top of me staring at me. All of a sudden I felt warmth, and wetness! Not an overly pleasant experience but I couldn't help feeling sorry for the cat......

Today is a tough one. My enthusiasm has waned and I am feeling down in the dumps.I feel a bit lost.... In the evening I sit out in the backyard with the cats, the dog, the bugs, the full moon and a glass of wine (my first since me being here). Priti calls and it is lovely to hear from a voice from back home. I have been upset today and after she rings off, I get upset again. I am feeling a mixture of emotions and am hoping a good night's sleep will help me......

22/10/10 Friday

I must have fallen asleep not long after 9pm last night so had a really good sleep. I'm feeling much more with it this morning and more positive. On arriving at TOP Banana, Denise and I set to mending the Pool table which is ripped in a number of places.Keddi and Petros join us at the table and we all get involved. Denise mends a big toy Panda ('it needs serious surgery' she says to me) and Keddi and I sew the felt on the table. By the end of the morning the Pool table is mended and Panda and two other toys have completed surgery successfully. Not a bad morning's work.

In the afternoon we drive into Francis Town and I manage to put a few pics on the blog. The internet is very very slow so not much else is achieved!

We eat at the little cafe that I was taken to when I first arrived and we enjoy coffee and a toasted sandwich in one of the shopping malls. We all discuss TOP Banana, Botswana and our home countries, and do a spot of people watching..... There is a real range of dress; from the more bright traditional, to the western style that would not look out of place in St Albans! The shops echo this, with a range of clothes and footwear to reflect modern Botswana.

We head back to Tshesebe at about 6pm. The journey seems to take forever.....

23/10/10

TOP Banana is invited to a wedding in the village and so Cecil, Denise and I get ready and go. We are told that the wedding starts at 9.30, so conscious of Botswana timescales..... we arrive at 10.15. We are the first to arrive, but we are welcomed warmly and invited to sit in the big marquee where the wedding will be situated.On walking into the marquee I am surprised to see that it is laid out similar to that of a wedding back home, with lots of tables, a head table and chairs with white seat covers and sashes. Josie would have loved the colour scheme as it was grey and bright pink! We are well looked after and every so often a member of the Grooms family comes and says hello ('Dumela'). It is about 12 before things begin to happen.

A group of people begin walking along the road that leads past the grooms' home and the women are singing, dancing and chanting. Someone is covered in a blanket and I am told that this is the bride. She is welcomed at the gate of the home and a ritual is completed before she passes through. She is then led to a building in which she enters - and is counselled by an elder. She remains in the building for some time and the women continue to dance and sing outside, others join them.

Next, with bride still in the building, we move to another part of the yard where the men are stacking wood onto the ground, between 4 upright poles. This symbolises that the groom can provide for the bride and the higher the pile of wood, the more confident the bride and her family are that the groom can provide. Interestingly, the pile of wood only falls to half the height of the poles, so negotiation begins. What should then happen is the bride will sit on top of the wood and people will give her money (but no less than 500 pula at a time). We do not see her do this, but see that the women and bride go back down the lane to her home where the negotiation continues. So far this has taken about 2 hours....

We see a staff member from TOP Banana, Tandhe, in the kitchen and she invites us in (it is an outdoor walled area) to show us what she has been cooking. On our way we have to pass the men who are pounding the beef in what can be described as a large iron pestle and mortar. They are keen to talk to us and ask me to take photos. They appear incredibly proud of their culture. Tandhe then shows us what has been cooking in all of the iron pots - and includes rice, sorghum, beans and maize. It smells wonderful. We thank her and walk to find Cecil - and as we do so one of the men that showed us the meat runs after us and asks if we would like to try some. We accept and luckily do not have to eat any in front of them, and wonder whether if we did, I would try some so as not to offend....

Having already sparked the interest of some of the children, I take their pictures and also take a video of them dancing. They are delighted, especially when I play it back. Finally we are told that the bride has arrived! It is fascinating to watch as it appears as almost a mating ritual - the men on one side, the women on the other, dancing towards one another. Eventually they begin to make their way into the Marquee and all the guests follow. The ushers and bridesmaids do a dance and I feel really honoured to have been involved in this special occasion.

A speech is made by 'the speaker' (whoever he is) in Kelanga. Others sat on our table are Setswana so also struggle to understand what is being said - which is quite nice for a change! Food then begins to be served up and by the time we get ours, an hour has passed. There must be 150 - 200 people at the wedding so this takes some time. We are very hungry by the time it arrives - it is now about 3.30pm. I have been really looking forward to trying some African food; however there is some that is missing from my plate. I manage to try Cecil's semp and beans (very nice) and also some 'chemolier' (strong spinach like mix, not as keen on). I do not get chance to try the 'sorghum' so hopefully will be able to at some point. A bottle of 'Iron Brew' is placed on the table -something that is quite common here - but it does not look like the one I have seen back home. It is dark, like coke, and tastes similar to 'Dandelion and Burdock' - sweet and actually very nice!

Once the food has been cleared another dance begins and the wedding party make there way out of the Marquee following the bride, groom and entourage. They jump into cars and drive off........ they will be back we learn, but after photos have been taken. By now we are exhausted - we have been lucky with the weather as it has been cloudy today, but it has still been hot. We arrive home shattered and reflect on the day, all feeling grateful to have been included in such an event. Botswana weddings do not come around that often as you need to be fairly wealthy to have one. It is more common for men and women to have children first (so that the man can be sure that the woman is fertile). If able to do so, they will get married, but only if financially viable.

I get a call from mum and it is lovely to speak to her and I feel a lot more positive now. All helped by Denise cooking one of her famous chocolate cakes! We put on The Full Monty - Denise falls asleep and the snoring soon begins!

24/10/10

Oh what a lovely lie in! The temperature has soared and we have no water, but this is apparently common on a Sunday as the people responsible for pumping the water, do not do so on a Sunday. We should get it back tomorrow.

I want to take Sally out, but am worried about the temperature, and by the time the temperature falls low enough, it is dark. There are a few smattering's of rain, but nothing more. The day goes quickly and I spend it writing and reading. Can't remember the last time I had a chill out like this it's nice.

I am for the second night on the trot anxious about a little kid (a goat, not a child) who has been left behind by its mum. It keeps on getting closer and closer to the road (the house is situated next to the main road that runs from Francis Town to Zimbabwe) and there are lots of Lorries that come past at a high speed. It has such a lovely little 'maahh' and sounds really lost and confused. It got lost last night but I saw it with a herd (if that's what you call it) of goats today so thought it was fine. But they just left it when it was time for them to go back home. (NB - very bizarre how all animals know exactly when to return home - they do not have a person come and round them up!). Anyway, I hope it is ok..... The wind has become quite fierce and the thunder has been sounding for over an hour now. There is the threat of rain but nothing has come of it.... yet. I will keep my fingers crossed for us (and hope that the little kid will do the sensible thing and find shelter).

We watch Mission Impossible and I have glass of wine (my second since arriving in Botswana) and I feel a bit tipsy, which isn't good as the pressure here is hard enough to deal with, let alone with a hangover the next day! I vow not to have another glass of wine for a week - not sure if that will last though as I may need wine to knock me out in the evening after Cecil an Denise go. They are leaving on Wednesday afternoon and will be back in 3.5 weeks!