Hard to believe that the ten weeks is coming to an end. We spent the last day at the library going to Anne Stine, the center for mentally disabled children. It was nice. The kids are always so excited to see us! We played with the learning toys for a bit and then watched a video of traditional Botswana dancing and music, a lot of the kids really like dancing. Unfortunately, Max wasn't around during the morning, and there was no special event to mark our leave. There wasn't even electricity today so we couldn't enjoy tea time with the staff. Yesterday we bought some plastic chairs as a gift to the staff for the break trailer. They are always sitting on little wooden chairs from the children's room, so we thought it would be a nice gift that everyone could use.
Also yesterday Professor Mnjama came to give us our final evaluation. We had a nice opportunity to review what we had accomplished during our time here, and also our thoughts and suggestions for future internship programs.
Tomorrow BNLS is having a party for us and our host families. We've finally received confirmation of our travel plans up north, so we've also got to stop by the travel agent and pay for our trip. I am so happy that after two weeks of uncertainty the trip is going to work out.
Tonight I'll just spend packing up my stuff and saying my goodbyes to Molepolole.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
wrapping up in Molepolole
Just one week left of the internship! Times flies. Today at work we were visited by the head of Public Libraries at BNLS who offered an apology to us for now being in touch with us over the course of our time here. It seems that management at BNLS is undergoing a lot of changes, but she made sure to say that there was no excuse for their negligence. That was nice to hear; although I think we ended up managing okay in the end, support and guidance from BNLS would have greatly improved our work. We always went with her to meet with Kgosi and Mma Kgosi where she continued to offer apologies to them. BNLS is supposedly having a good-bye party for us next week, so then we'll be able to make our final rounds there and finish the internship on a positive note.
Our northern travels are still not secure! We still have to hear confirmation of our plans and pay for the trip. This is slightly stressful, as we're supposed to be leaving a week from today. In the end I decided to drop out of the Okavango Delta trip due to lack of funds. I'll still be heading to Kasane and Victoria Falls though, so hopefully I'll get a good dose of wild animals and luxury lodges there. Then I'll be back to Gaborone for a couple of days before starting my adventure in South Africa!
Our northern travels are still not secure! We still have to hear confirmation of our plans and pay for the trip. This is slightly stressful, as we're supposed to be leaving a week from today. In the end I decided to drop out of the Okavango Delta trip due to lack of funds. I'll still be heading to Kasane and Victoria Falls though, so hopefully I'll get a good dose of wild animals and luxury lodges there. Then I'll be back to Gaborone for a couple of days before starting my adventure in South Africa!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
It's been a couple of days since I last updated, so I'll try and remember what happended over the weekend.
Last Friday turned out to be a very enjoyable day spent with Ethelene at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve right outside of Gaborone. We went on a little mini safari, and were lucky enough to see some kudu, impala, wildebeasts, warthogs, ostriches, giraffes and cheetahs! We were sad to see Ethelene go, but we had a wonderful time with her and it was nice that it provided a much needed break from our routine, just in time to refresh us for our last two weeks here!
It's hard to believe that we're getting ready to leave Moleps next week already. Just as I was really getting used to things. The library staff was chatting today about what they were going to do for us before we leave, and I tried to discourage any gifts. Still, the taller cleaning lady (still never got her name, I'm so bad) gave us each a wooden statue today, which was very, very sweet and unnecessary. Rachel and I are thinking that getting the staff some chairs for the break trailer and some tea and sugar might be a good farwell present.
We still haven't solidified our travel plans for the north. We've gone full circle after trying to find affordable alternatives (which don't really exist, it being the high season) and are now back to forking over our money for the whole tour of Vic Falls, Chobe and the Okavango.
At work we are finishing up our projects, like writing the analysis and report for our user survey. I've also started making some notes/outlines for my final reflection.
Last Friday turned out to be a very enjoyable day spent with Ethelene at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve right outside of Gaborone. We went on a little mini safari, and were lucky enough to see some kudu, impala, wildebeasts, warthogs, ostriches, giraffes and cheetahs! We were sad to see Ethelene go, but we had a wonderful time with her and it was nice that it provided a much needed break from our routine, just in time to refresh us for our last two weeks here!
It's hard to believe that we're getting ready to leave Moleps next week already. Just as I was really getting used to things. The library staff was chatting today about what they were going to do for us before we leave, and I tried to discourage any gifts. Still, the taller cleaning lady (still never got her name, I'm so bad) gave us each a wooden statue today, which was very, very sweet and unnecessary. Rachel and I are thinking that getting the staff some chairs for the break trailer and some tea and sugar might be a good farwell present.
We still haven't solidified our travel plans for the north. We've gone full circle after trying to find affordable alternatives (which don't really exist, it being the high season) and are now back to forking over our money for the whole tour of Vic Falls, Chobe and the Okavango.
At work we are finishing up our projects, like writing the analysis and report for our user survey. I've also started making some notes/outlines for my final reflection.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
busy as a bumble bee
This week has been very busy with Ethelene's presence, full of meetings and outings and discussions concerning the internship and the libraries here.
Yesterday we headed into Gaborone to try to plan our trip up north at the end of our stay. Angelina had recommended a travel agent that we went to see, and it looks as if we've got most of the important details ironed out. Now we're just waiting for some confirmation emails and then we can go purchase our flight tickets and pay for our accommodations, yay! On account of our financial situations we've decided to skip the Okavango Delta and instead just visit the Chobe district and do a day trip to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. I think it will make for a much more affordable and relaxing trip. Going to the Okavango would have been very expensive and would have required a lot of additional travel.
Then we met up with Ethelene, Angelina and her husband at Botswana Craft for lunch and souvenir shopping. Always very pleasant at the outdoor courtyard at Botswana Craft, and I had a delicious chicken and vegetable wrap. Cara is the adventurous eater and tried an Impala stew that I had a bite of, very good! (although I think it gave her an upset stomach that was not pleasant, so I'm glad I only had a bite) Also dining at Botswana Craft was the former President of Botswana! That's what happens in a small country, I guess.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in hot, crowded combis getting from Botswana Craft over to Riverwalk Mall in order to meet Ethelene and Angelina after a meeting they thought they had, but was canceled. (Funny because we actually saw the man they were supposed to be meeting with at lunch and his wife came over and said hello to us...but then there was supposedly a "family emergency"). Teehee!
We picked up some ingredients at the grocery store for a stir-fry and made that for dinner. Another successful meal. We spent the night at Angelina's because we had an early morning meeting this morning with the director of BNLS.
We didn't know exactly what was expected to happen at this meeting, but I think we did a decent job overall of explaining what we have been up to the past 9 weeks and also presenting some of the challenges we've encountered at home and at the libraries. I made sure to mention that it's really important they keep on pushing for the new building to be finished, and also that Internet and computer training will be available in the new building. We found from our user survey that something like 93% of patrons wanted free Internet and training, so it's crucial if the library is retain their users. We also mentioned the lack of relevant materials in the collection and the adverse affect of the current lack of periodical subscriptions.
Tomorrow is our last day with Ethelene and we're going to a small game reserve right outside of Gaborone. I'm hoping that we'll get to see some wild animals.
Yesterday we headed into Gaborone to try to plan our trip up north at the end of our stay. Angelina had recommended a travel agent that we went to see, and it looks as if we've got most of the important details ironed out. Now we're just waiting for some confirmation emails and then we can go purchase our flight tickets and pay for our accommodations, yay! On account of our financial situations we've decided to skip the Okavango Delta and instead just visit the Chobe district and do a day trip to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. I think it will make for a much more affordable and relaxing trip. Going to the Okavango would have been very expensive and would have required a lot of additional travel.
Then we met up with Ethelene, Angelina and her husband at Botswana Craft for lunch and souvenir shopping. Always very pleasant at the outdoor courtyard at Botswana Craft, and I had a delicious chicken and vegetable wrap. Cara is the adventurous eater and tried an Impala stew that I had a bite of, very good! (although I think it gave her an upset stomach that was not pleasant, so I'm glad I only had a bite) Also dining at Botswana Craft was the former President of Botswana! That's what happens in a small country, I guess.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in hot, crowded combis getting from Botswana Craft over to Riverwalk Mall in order to meet Ethelene and Angelina after a meeting they thought they had, but was canceled. (Funny because we actually saw the man they were supposed to be meeting with at lunch and his wife came over and said hello to us...but then there was supposedly a "family emergency"). Teehee!
We picked up some ingredients at the grocery store for a stir-fry and made that for dinner. Another successful meal. We spent the night at Angelina's because we had an early morning meeting this morning with the director of BNLS.
We didn't know exactly what was expected to happen at this meeting, but I think we did a decent job overall of explaining what we have been up to the past 9 weeks and also presenting some of the challenges we've encountered at home and at the libraries. I made sure to mention that it's really important they keep on pushing for the new building to be finished, and also that Internet and computer training will be available in the new building. We found from our user survey that something like 93% of patrons wanted free Internet and training, so it's crucial if the library is retain their users. We also mentioned the lack of relevant materials in the collection and the adverse affect of the current lack of periodical subscriptions.
Tomorrow is our last day with Ethelene and we're going to a small game reserve right outside of Gaborone. I'm hoping that we'll get to see some wild animals.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Day with Ethelene
Today our professor from the UW came - Ethelene! She and Angelina first came to our house to meet and visit with the Kgosi and MmaKgosi. The Kgosi got to air some grievances regarding the expectations of the host families in regards to food and housing and the monetary support (or lack of) that they receive from the program, and the general lack of explanation and understanding that they had concerning us. Fair enough, everyone is learning.
Then we took them to the library, where they got to meet Max, some of the other staff members, and a quick overview of what we've been working on the past 8 weeks. Then we went to the new library, which is always quite impressive - if only they could speed the process of moving in!
We went back to Gaborone with them and had lunch with Ethelene. It was great to hear some of the news going on around Madison and SLIS. Unfortunately, it seems like Ethelene is going to be tied up during the middle of the week with other responsibilities, so we will only see her one more time on Friday.
Over the weekend I caught a bit of a head cold, so that hasn't been fun. But, we did finally go grocery shopping with Malebogo and stocked up the groceries for the family. Rachel and Cara had bought me some airtime for my birthday, so I was able to call my parents and speak with them for about 10 minutes, which was very nice. It's so comforting to hear their voices! Also, today I was at the library when the mail came and I received a card from my parents and a package from one of my aunts and cousins. It's so exciting to get mail here! It's miraculous every time.
Then we took them to the library, where they got to meet Max, some of the other staff members, and a quick overview of what we've been working on the past 8 weeks. Then we went to the new library, which is always quite impressive - if only they could speed the process of moving in!
We went back to Gaborone with them and had lunch with Ethelene. It was great to hear some of the news going on around Madison and SLIS. Unfortunately, it seems like Ethelene is going to be tied up during the middle of the week with other responsibilities, so we will only see her one more time on Friday.
Over the weekend I caught a bit of a head cold, so that hasn't been fun. But, we did finally go grocery shopping with Malebogo and stocked up the groceries for the family. Rachel and Cara had bought me some airtime for my birthday, so I was able to call my parents and speak with them for about 10 minutes, which was very nice. It's so comforting to hear their voices! Also, today I was at the library when the mail came and I received a card from my parents and a package from one of my aunts and cousins. It's so exciting to get mail here! It's miraculous every time.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Grandma Love in Botswana
Today at tea time I got two birthday cards from my grandmothers! So sweet. It was such a pleasant surprise. My grandma Bieber included a nice letter detailing the usual goings-on in Omro, and I was happy to hear that the crops are growing nicely. My grandma Hubing sent a nice picture of all of my aunts and uncles and it was wonderful to see a current photo of their smiling faces.
Professor Mnjama came to visit us, finally, after not seeing or hearing from him after the first week we were here! He went home to Kenya for a couple of weeks, and then I guess he went to Zimbabwe and South Africa, too. We told him what we had been working on, but the whole meeting was pretty short. He was pretty matter-of-fact and straight to the point about things. He asked a question about children taking out materials, which they don't really. Children need to have a parent come in a sign for them which I think deters a lot of kids from getting library cards. Mnjama thought that parents really need to be encouraged to promote reading with their child, which is true. So I sort of half started putting together an idea for a pamphlet on the benefits of reading to and encouraging your child to read. I didn't get very far, though, because it got me to thinking about way too big of ideas surrounding how different cultures think about childhood and how they relate to their children. I was reading this book we have at the library "Culture Shock: USA," and it had a section on how we treat our children, how we give them a lot of say about what they do and how they think. It gave a scenario of a parent sitting in a park with a tired and crabby child, and asking them "Should we go home now?" and the child replying "No," so they just continue to sit there. The book was saying that some parents from different culture just don't understand an exchange like that...they think that children so young can't possibly know what's good for them, and can't be trusted with all decisions. Anyways, that's too big a thought to tackle in the remainder of the time I have left here, but I think I might go ahead with the pamphlet just in case it might be useful. We'll see, I might get wrapped up in something else.
Last night while Ray and I were fixing dinner for the family, I heard the Kgosi say "Ashley!" so I went into the living room to find that the coverage from the Sesigo launch 2 weeks ago finally made it onto the nightly news! There I was in a shot of the audience! This morning when I got to the library Lebogang immediately said "I saw you on the news!" So, I actually made it onto Btv, oh yeah.
This weekend we don't have any major plans. Next week Ethelene from the UW is coming for her site visit, so we're meeting with her on Monday morning at our house. We're going to spend time with the Kgosi and Mma first, then onto the library to meet with Max. I'm looking forward to seeing a friendly Madisonian face and getting to share our experiences so far with her in person!
Professor Mnjama came to visit us, finally, after not seeing or hearing from him after the first week we were here! He went home to Kenya for a couple of weeks, and then I guess he went to Zimbabwe and South Africa, too. We told him what we had been working on, but the whole meeting was pretty short. He was pretty matter-of-fact and straight to the point about things. He asked a question about children taking out materials, which they don't really. Children need to have a parent come in a sign for them which I think deters a lot of kids from getting library cards. Mnjama thought that parents really need to be encouraged to promote reading with their child, which is true. So I sort of half started putting together an idea for a pamphlet on the benefits of reading to and encouraging your child to read. I didn't get very far, though, because it got me to thinking about way too big of ideas surrounding how different cultures think about childhood and how they relate to their children. I was reading this book we have at the library "Culture Shock: USA," and it had a section on how we treat our children, how we give them a lot of say about what they do and how they think. It gave a scenario of a parent sitting in a park with a tired and crabby child, and asking them "Should we go home now?" and the child replying "No," so they just continue to sit there. The book was saying that some parents from different culture just don't understand an exchange like that...they think that children so young can't possibly know what's good for them, and can't be trusted with all decisions. Anyways, that's too big a thought to tackle in the remainder of the time I have left here, but I think I might go ahead with the pamphlet just in case it might be useful. We'll see, I might get wrapped up in something else.
Last night while Ray and I were fixing dinner for the family, I heard the Kgosi say "Ashley!" so I went into the living room to find that the coverage from the Sesigo launch 2 weeks ago finally made it onto the nightly news! There I was in a shot of the audience! This morning when I got to the library Lebogang immediately said "I saw you on the news!" So, I actually made it onto Btv, oh yeah.
This weekend we don't have any major plans. Next week Ethelene from the UW is coming for her site visit, so we're meeting with her on Monday morning at our house. We're going to spend time with the Kgosi and Mma first, then onto the library to meet with Max. I'm looking forward to seeing a friendly Madisonian face and getting to share our experiences so far with her in person!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
ahh...that was a nice weekend to turn 26.
I am very well rested and mostly content after our weekend getaway. After lunch at Linga Longa, I finally succeeded in finding a decent pair jeans, yay!
Then we picked up some fancy snacks at Woolworth's, including my beloved dried mango rolls, Brie cheese, and some chocolate-caramel-peppermints cupcakes. Mmmmm...
We snuck Cara into the hotel no-prob, and we got a discount on our room because they made a mistake with our reservation. We watched The Incredibles and Finding Nemo on TV, and then I took at hot shower! Rachel and Cara treated me to an international buffet, at which I had four plates of food and then desert! It was amazing.
Sunday Ray and I hung out a Riverwalk again and I picked up a few souvenirs while Cara attended church. Angelina came to pick us up during the afternoon and we went to her house for a relaxing afternoon. I did my laundry in a washing machine which was extremely nice, my clothes never felt so clean. I'm afraid my patience for hand-washing clothes is little, so they never feel completely unsoiled.
Monday we made it back to Molepolole easily on the bus and even got real seats. How luxurious life has been. Yesterday was very relaxed, we didn't go grocery shopping again, so now we've made tentative plans to go with Malebogo on Friday. Hopefully that works out-it's stressful doing so much worrying about the family situation. But, we bought some cake at the store and I got a phone call from by best friend, so I'm considering my birthday a huge success!
Back to the library today. The kids are on vacation so we don't have WordWorks this week, but the place was hopping with students! Ray and I compiled the data from our user surveys which was interesting, and I put up a poster about the stars from a new book we got. I think I'm officially done decorating the children's section, and I think it looks a lot better. That's all for now.
Then we picked up some fancy snacks at Woolworth's, including my beloved dried mango rolls, Brie cheese, and some chocolate-caramel-peppermints cupcakes. Mmmmm...
We snuck Cara into the hotel no-prob, and we got a discount on our room because they made a mistake with our reservation. We watched The Incredibles and Finding Nemo on TV, and then I took at hot shower! Rachel and Cara treated me to an international buffet, at which I had four plates of food and then desert! It was amazing.
Sunday Ray and I hung out a Riverwalk again and I picked up a few souvenirs while Cara attended church. Angelina came to pick us up during the afternoon and we went to her house for a relaxing afternoon. I did my laundry in a washing machine which was extremely nice, my clothes never felt so clean. I'm afraid my patience for hand-washing clothes is little, so they never feel completely unsoiled.
Monday we made it back to Molepolole easily on the bus and even got real seats. How luxurious life has been. Yesterday was very relaxed, we didn't go grocery shopping again, so now we've made tentative plans to go with Malebogo on Friday. Hopefully that works out-it's stressful doing so much worrying about the family situation. But, we bought some cake at the store and I got a phone call from by best friend, so I'm considering my birthday a huge success!
Back to the library today. The kids are on vacation so we don't have WordWorks this week, but the place was hopping with students! Ray and I compiled the data from our user surveys which was interesting, and I put up a poster about the stars from a new book we got. I think I'm officially done decorating the children's section, and I think it looks a lot better. That's all for now.
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