Why I Like Peace Corps in Botswana

Blog Reasons why I like Peace Corps
When I thought of volunteering abroad, I thought Peace Corps would be the best alternative. One was for the language training and the other for the healthcare. As a retired person, these benefits have served me well.
I just returned from a ten day in-service Peace Corps training in a beautiful, Botswana village called Kanye. It has hills around it that remind me of the Smokey Mountains. Another friend said it reminded him of West Virginia. In any case, we had excellent language training. Not sure how I did on my latest test, but I really appreciated the professional languane tutors. I had a great time with two other volunteers and a good, clear teacher. At one point he read in a Setswana newspaper to us and we had to transcribe what we heard and then translate it. Fun with lots of guessing. Although we all try had, we generally have trouble being understood or understand what is being said. We hope this will improve with time.
In terms of medical care, I have been very healthy, but it helps to have a trained medical service that will give you the vitamins and other preventive pills one needs in addition to showing interest in you. Peace Corps also provides us with a useful supply of medications that you hope you will never have to use, such as some pills in case we actually get malaria or something to take in case the the bird flu comes around, heaven forbid! (There are so many chickens where I live, it would spread like wildfire. ) Since I am fasting for Ramadan again this year, I have now been told exactly what kinds of foods I should eat and drink in the mornings and evenings to help my fast from sun up to sun down. Botswana is basically Christian, but Molelpolole has a mosque which I recently attended that was very welcoming. Although I have no intention of converting, I enjoyed the service from a separate hall for women only.
One benefit that I did not anticipate, are the other volunteers. There are 53 of us now and they are a great support group. We rely on each other for books, recipes, coping strategies, support, etc. We have a lawyer, nurses, public health students, HIV experts, social workers, counselors and lots of hard working people. They work with health clinics, NGO’s, and District HIV coordinating committees, in addition to the schools. Many are also talented on the computer. With their help I hope to post some pictures soon.
At this past training, we were well fed, heard some great talks on HIV in Botswana, and played soccer after the long day of sitting and listening. I played goalie with a very protect team of PC volunteers and our Batswanan language trainers. As the masodi mogolo(old lady), I get lots of support. Even with that we lost, but we had fun doing it.
As volunteers we all face different challenges. Our housing is in general better than the locals and we also get a decent living allowance. When we travel, we usually visit each other and get free room and board. These are real benefits that make living and travelling here easier for us.
In addition to all we are learning about Botswana, we also having to know lots a acronyms. Many start with B for Botswana such as the BDF( Botswana Defense Force), BOTUSA (Botswana US Aids Program), UN this and that, Ministry of this and that, Village committee for this and that, PC (Peace Corps ) this and that, and lots of unpronounceable Botswana names, words and places.
So there it is. Life here is a challenge. We all have lots of frustrations. And et me remind you that the views expressed here are my own and in no way represent the US government or Peace Corps. If you have questions or comments, just jot me a line. Others may want to know the answers as well. Tsamaya sentle. (Go well)