08/11/10

I end up getting picked up by Petros this morning and I drive the truck into work. I am getting the hang of it a bit more and it certainly help to wear proper footwear rather than flip flops that keep getting stuck in between the pedals!

The morning was spent cutting out cardboard shapes and afternoon with the children coluring. I sat the really sweet boy on my lap for a while as he was wandering round on his own, and he jibber jabbered away at me again. Tapiwa noticed that he was copying the tone of my voice and some of my hand actions. He really was lovely. There were only 38 children this afternoon and we made sure that they cleared away after themselves - some were really good at this….. although most thought that clearing away was throwing objects (including books, pool balls and coluring paper) at a distance to get them in the boxes. But it was a good start! It certainly made things easier for the staff at the end of the day!

The photocopier was mended today -I tell you that its quicker to get it mended over here than in Tesco head office! ;-)

Thande had mentioned previously that her trainers had been falling apart and I had been umming and ahhing about whether or not I could afford to give them to her. They are proper Nike running trainers which I got because of my bad back and set me back about 90 pounds, more than I have ever paid for a pair of shoes, let alone trainers. I cant really afford to buy a new pair when I get back, but that all pales into insignificance out here so I told Thande this morning to try them on. Luckily she was the same size as me so I told her that she could have them once I left. She looked pleased and I kno that she will make good use of them as she walks a long way to work and back.

I drove home without Petros this time (scary), also having Dineo and Tapiwa with me. The track is so bumpy and at one point I got a little too close to a bush. Oops! As I write this I am reminded of the buses to Zimbabwe. They drive past the house all the time and are normally heavily laden with items brought in Francis Town by the Zimbabweans to be sold off at a profit once over the border. There are also lorries that have a dome shape (Michael may know the proper term) which are used to smuggle Zimbabweans over the border into Botswana. This is a fairly common occurrence and police checks on the road to Francis Town are carried out often. At the wedding I met a lady police officer and she told us that the majority of break-ins are from Zimbabweans (again, not sure how true this is as a lot gets blamed on the Zimbabweans!). She told us that the reason for a lot of people getting shot, or stabbed is that they are often more scared of getting caught than we are of getting burgled as the penalty is so great and they are desperate to get away with it…. However again, not sure of this fact as the penalty for killing someone is death, so Cecil says that people would obviously want to avoid that!

When I got home I baked bread (failing on kneading the dough till it had a satin appearance though) and took Sal for a walk. I also made butternut squash soup which I must say tasted lovely! The bread, although not quite as risen as I would have liked, still tasted yummy…. We had a few spider mishaps again - this time the shrimp spider came in an orangey form, but that just made me more determined to kill it! But then there was another MASSIVE one in the kitchen (which I killed) and another that Khelina almost trod on (that got away). We watched 'Groundhog Day' which caused amusement to both Khelina and me and reminded me somewhat of working at TOP Banana! After which, we hit the sack. I have not been sleeping that well at all and have been waking up at 2 hour intervals (or even 1 hour at times). Not sure if this is causing my tiredness, but I am lacking in energy at the moment!

09/11/10

As I got into the truck this morning to set off for work, Sally jumped into the passenger seat! Apparently Rick used to take her to TOP Banana so I think she thought she was coming with me. I called her out and then began to coax Tapiwas little daughter into the front as I was taking them in…. as I did, by the tone of my voice Sally must have thought that I was talking to her, so she jumped in again! Oh this went on for quite some time until eventually I got the human being in the truck and the canine out of the truck!

This morning I washed the football bibs and the young man who has started hanging around at TOP Banana, who Lovemore says is 'mentally disturbed (although I have seen little evidence of this in his behaviour, it seems that this indication comes from conversations that have taken place), wanted to talk. He is the one that said I was old to not be married…. I think he was quite bored! He was asking about life in England, faith, religion, marriage and also gay/lesbians. He said that his faith believed that gays and lesbians were possessed by the devil and he was surprised when I told him that this is the minority view in England and that people are much more open to these relationships and was much more accepted.

It was a slow slow day and we ended up with only 42 children, who came in dribs and drabs. And it made it even harder to get any energy from anywhere! I ended up having an early night, and when mum called I was half asleep and must have sounded awful! No wonder she was worried about me! It was lovely to hear her voice and she told me if things weren't working out then I should not feel like I had to stay there, I could come home.

10/11/10

I stayed later at work last night to write up blog and then got up at 5.00 his morning to walk Sal before coming into work early to continue doing blog. I must remember not to write so much! It ended up with me having to wait (again) for Lovemore anyway, so was a bit of a pointless task, but hey, its Botswana! Maybe this was another lesson for me? Not to be so uptight about punctuality and go with the flow a little more. This totally put me out of a comfortable state as is the total opposite of what my 'preference' is. So early on today I am being tested already…. I wonder what else will be thrown my way?.....

We had 72 children in the afternoon, which was spent colouring. It was hot, hectic, but good fun.

11/11/10

This morning we went into Francistown to get the stuff for Saturday with some of the money that had been donated. I was worried that we weren't going to be able to as we had been having some trouble with the truck - yesterday on the way home from work we got stuck in the big dip, with loads of people in the back. It was rather embarrassing as I'm sure they thought it was my driving and not the faulty truck! Again, this morning it wouldn't start so I had to get Petros to come to the house - and typical, as soon as he arrived I tried to start it again, and it started perfectly….

Anyway we got to Francistown eventually and I was able to buy some semp from the market. I saw a bit more of Francis town today as Petros and Lovemore took me through the market where they have all different stalls selling food, mending mobile phones and televisions. We also passed all the cheap Chinese shops, which I have been told sell everything and anything very cheaply - but it just wont last! We bought oranges, biscuits and sweets with Lindas money to give out tomorrow. After this, we went to Pick and Pay so I could pick up a few supplies which I was very grateful for. I have now realized that the cost for groceries over here isn't actually as cheap as I thought. I have had to buy toiletries which are quite expensive - no 241 deals here or 10% Tesco discount card! This is the one time I actually WOULD like Tesco to be 'taking over the world'!!

It took longer to get back because of trouble with the truck so I text Tapiwa. I shouldn't have worried, she had everything under control and there were only 14 children when I arrived. I just can't get the punctuality thing out of my head!! We ended up with 84 children.

12/11/10

I cant remember much about today as it is now Friday when I am writing this and it is all blurring into one….. but I do remember being successful in going to the Post Office and uploading the blog and getting some lovely emails. Thank you J

13/11/10

I walked Sally early this morning as would not be here later and hen took everything down to TOP Banana. The first to hours were spent chopping oranges and wrapping sweets and biscuits into little packages using magazine pages. I was really looking forward to giving them these! While Tapiwa and I were doing this Petros organized football and Thande was with the young ones.

Then came the gift giving!! All the children were sent to the youth centre and we began giving the oranges and packages out. I gave some but then handed over to Tapiwa and Thande. I was surprised to find that the children were not saying thank you at all. So I asked Thande if that is something that they should be saying and she said yes. I had also heard people saying 'dankie' (probably not the correct spelling!) before so know that it is a word that is used. Thande then got the children to say this, although it was a struggle!

Once the children had received their gifts, Petros organized a Beauty pageant which I had only seen photos of before. It was really funny and entertaining watching the children, some of whom were in their element in front of an audience. I had the little cute boy on my lap again, he is adorable. After the pageant we played musical statues. It was great watching all of the children dancing like crazy when a well known popular song came on. They were a delight to watch.

After we were finished I rushed home to get ready to go into Francistown. I was planning on having a shower, but we had no water, so threw stuff in a bag, fed Sal and the cats and went off to catch the bus. I had no idea what time it was supposed to arrive so I just; yep you guessed it, waited! It was now thundering and lightening in the distance, and so I was lucky that I only had to wait about 15 minutes for a bus to arrive. I flagged it down, and clambered aboard. I had the biggest grin on my face as I sat down… I was actually on a bus, in Botswana, on my own and it was all going to plan! Brilliant! I must have looked a complete loon!

I arrived in Francistown about an hour later (after admiring the conductors beautiful braided hair) and thought, 'first things first, lets get me some wine!' oh and mosquito stuff, who were driving me crazy! I called Charmaine after and she came to pick me up. It was nice to see her again and I enjoyed sitting chatting with them both when we got back to theirs. We decided that we would eat out that night and go to the Indian restaurant (one of only about three restaurants in Francistown). The food was wonderful and there were so many vegetarian dishes to choose from! Most of which had paneer in them! Heaven! I gave Charmaine a very quick lesson in curries (from the limited knowledge that I have!).

When we got back to the house we had ice cream and watched 'The Saint', Sarah's favourite film. It had felt like midnight when we had got back, but it was only 8.30! So after the film we all promptly went to bed. It had been a nice evening.

14/11/10

No lie in this morning as I wanted to add photos to the blog and send some emails! So while Charmaine and Sarah went to church (Dave was away this weekend) I sat and did this. Quite a relief as the photos had been building and building….

When they got back we had a lovely fruit salad and then got ready to go to Ann's and the Paradise garden! By now though the weather had turned and it was dark, thundery and there was no air at all. On our way we saw lightening, which would make for a very exciting swim! It was lovely to see Ann and her animals again - I am very fond of her, especially her love of animals. We managed a quick swim before having to retire to the lounge for coffee as the rain and wind had started. AT about 4pm we left so that I could be dropped off at the buss station.

When we arrived there, what a different picture it looked from when I had been there a few weeks ago! The place was pretty much deserted. There were a couple of buses and people huddled under the shelter. I asked a number of people where the bus to Tshesebe was and I was told that it had just left so I would be waiting for some time before the next one arrived. Charmaine was reluctant to leave me, so we decided that I might have better luck on the main road by the bus shelter. When we arrived, would you believe it? , the bus shelter had been knocked down! But I jumped out and was told to call Charmaine if a bus didn't come in the next 40 minutes. Luckily I had an umbrella with me so I put that up and trying to shelter from the now forceful wind and rain. I had a shirt on and ¾ length trousers and I was getting cold! The bus didn't look too hopeful and as I stood there, people came and went as ithis was not only the place that you could get a bus, but also a taxi or hitch. Many people travel by hitching in Botswana as it is a regular and cheap form of travelling. Those with vehicles that have room will do it as it earns them some money, paying for the petrol that had been used in to town. I was reluctant to jump in any car as I was on my own, but as I waited and the bus continued not to turn up I decided that I might just have to risk it. But with my sensible head on, I started looking for cars with woman in and also children. Luckily I overheard a couple with a young child that they wanted to go to Tshesebe, so I walked up top them and told them that I was also needing to go in that direction. I hoped that if they managed to flag down a car, that they would take pity on me and make room - which is exactly what they did! I was so relieved to get into the back of the car and felt safe being with a couple and child. As we travelled I chatted with the man (he spoke English very well) about different topics, including the Chinese business man that has come to Botswana and taken over a lot of the industries in Botswana. While we were chatting the man in the front put on some music and the man next to me asked if I had ever heard this type before. He said that I must like listening to country music (playing air guitar and miming putting on a hat while he said this!), to which I told him he had the English confused with the American!

So we got to where I needed to be getting out and the man in the back helped me to stop the driver. I asked how much and the men in front debated the price with each other. Thank fully the man in the back said '10 pula' in a firm and knowing way (apparently all journeys are 10 pula) and I thanked him for letting me know, laughing with the men in front that they would have charged me much more!

As I walked up to the house, Sally came bounding up, overjoyed to see me. As the weather had brightened up a bit, I took her out for a walk, noticing when I got back that the village had had another power cut. I got the candles ready for later, but luckily it soon came back on.

15/11/10

This morning I spent three hours clearing out the spare room to see exactly what toys and arts and crafts we had. After I sat on the porch and had coffee - but unfortunately at that point I witnessed a dog being beaten by its owner (as I assume it had been chasing the chickens). It made a horrible noise and I felt physically sick, and quite tearful. I promptly decided to take Sally for a walk to get away and try to clear my mind. I text Ann as knew that she would understand how I was feeling being a big animal lover herself, and she came back to me quickly, making me feel a little better.

Walking away from the shop I was called by a man sitting with a group of others, and as they had been shouting Sally I thought they must know of her and TOP Banana. However the man asked me for 25 Thebes! To which I replied 'No'.He then said 'well give me your phone number and I will call you later'!!! I just laughed and said 'no thanks'. By this point Sally had come running over (as this was an unidentified black male I was talking to!) and he looked taken aback. It was very amusing.

In the afternoon I managed to do three pastel drawings to be made into cards for the arts and crafts fair. I was so pleased because I have wanted to get back into art for years and years and no matter how much gentle encouragement from my sister, I just haven't produced anything I've been proud of. Until now! Three African drawings. Phew! It felt really good.

16/11/10

This morning Petros found a Namibian Cobra at the Post Office! Apparently they are one of the most poisonous snakes in Africa - and he had managed to kill it! I ran to have a look as Petros had it in a bag…. It was longer than Petros was tall and black. I asked if I could feel it and it was smooth and slightly warm. As Petros put the snake back in the bag, its tongue moved! When I told Petros he calmly replied, 'Ah yes. It might not be dead'! The snake was going to be cooked later for Petros to eat. I asked him the next day how it was and he said 'very good'. Yuk!

In the afternoon I was pleased when Tapiwa told me that three of the older boys wanted to play badminton. I thought that we could play doubles - especially as Mike from work tells me that I have to brush up on my skills as we have had new people join since me not being there. Now, let you not be misguided in any way. I need to set the scene… The rackets were probably from around the 1960's (thick wooden heavy things), the net was the one used for volleyball and about 1 ½ the height of me. So practice I got, but at this stage I am not sure whether this will help, or hinder my game playing in the UK! For once I had to pay more attention to keeping score! The sun was beating down and it was so hot, but I had waited so long to play that I didn't care. It was great fun an two of the boys were actually very good. The other hadn't played before so I did a bit of coaching (normally that's Mike and Ben coaching me!) as he was struggling serving. Thankfully this seemed to help as he was able to serve every time afterwards! I had a big smile on my now, red face.

On the way home I saw a cow being skinned. I was driving the others and Lovemore directed my attention to it. Thank you Lovemore! What a pleasant experience that was. It was quite a sight. There were about three men around this dead cow, out on the open land. The cow was upright (thinking about it now, I have no idea how they managed that, unless rigamortis had set in?) and half of its skin had been almost folded off. You could see the muscle on the neck and shoulder and it reminded me of my art A level project where I went to a butchers to take photos of meat to use in one of my pieces. It was quite a spectacle.

I walked Sally when I got back and all was going well until she spied some goats grazing. We had already walked around the lake, but I wanted her to have a longer one so I added another bit on. I knew as soon as her head lowered and looked as if going into hunting mode, that there might be trouble! I called her and she came slowly, but soon was walking off in the same direction (trying to do so subtly), next moment she went into full pelt and charged at the goats. There was no stopping her. Her ears had closed off to my hollering voice, her eyes pinned to the herd. And she disappeared, along with the goats, into the trees. All manner of thoughts went through my head; 'Do they shoot dogs that bite cattle in Botswana?' 'Will she have to be put down?' 'What will Rick say?' Oh no!!! Then there was silence. I could feel my heart beating hard and fast against my chest, my breathing short and shallow….. And then a crescendo of music entered my head as Sally burst through the tree. Still at full pelt, but with a big grin on her face; tongue hanging out and a sparkle in her eyes. I was SOOOO pleased to see her, but furious at the same time (she is normally so obedient!). I checked her mouth for any obvious signs of goat - there were none thankfully. I kept her close to my side every step of the way back to the house.

This evening I cooked Semp and Beans (yum), and was dismayed to find that the break of two nights from the bugs and mosquitoes was over… It was horrid. There were hundreds of flying ants and bugs on the outside of all the windows, crawling up and flying at them. It wasn't long before they got in. Luckily I had bought some 'DOOM' bug spray at the weekend so set about using that. ¾'s of a can later, things were a little calmer. But the mosquitoes, as I thought, have taken a liking to my skin so I have around 8 on me at this point in time. I have also noticed that there are about 4 different kinds - ranging from the standard small ones to big black ones.

NEWSFLASH!!! Khelina tells me that they do have the Christmas Coca-Cola advert over here! HOW VERY EXCITING INDEED! J

17/11/10

I slept badly last night and had to keep on turning on the light as had things keep on flying at me. I got up early so took Sal for a nice long walk.