Pre-Service training/ Homestay so far...

Homestay

 4/10/11

  My homestay started out rough. I was puking right before the matching ceremony during which we met our homestay  families. I spent my entire first night with my  family vomiting. They were really nice and understanding about it. My homestay sisters brought dinner into my room for me. I tried to eat a little because I felt badly, but I immediately vomited it back up into my bathing bucket, which was the closet thing to my bed. I continued to get sick all night long. I thought I was still sick from the malaria medication, but continued to not be able to keep any food or liquid in my system Friday so I was brought into Gaborone to be seen by PC medical. I was so scared/ sad/stressed out when I got there because I had no idea what was wrong with me. PC medical staff are so nice though, and they made me feel so much better. They gave me medicine for my stomach/ hydrating power and let me rest for a while.They said that initially it was probably the malaria medication that made me sick but that something else must have then irritated my stomach as well and told me that this happens often.  If I wasn't well enough they were going to keep me in Gab's overnight, but luckily I was able to keep fluids down so they allowed me to come back to the training city with some other trainees who had been brought in for other medical related issues after me. It was nice knowing I was not alone in my health related struggles, and we stopped at a shopping mall briefly on the way back so that a couple of us could get converters so we can charge computers/phones/etc so that was nice. 

   Overall, my homestay is going alright. I live with a mother, 3 sisters, and a brother. Two of my sisters are older than me, one is a teenagers, and then my brother is an older teenager. I very rarely see my homestead brother; he is out with friends a lot. My two older sisters are nice and helpful with teaching me Setswana. Sometimes I have to ask them to slow down and explain what word they are saying means what so I can learn, but my sisters are more helpful than my mother because she speaks very little English and it is hard for her to explain things/ for me to understand her. My teenage sister started out being very quiet, but is now opening up to me. Today she was singing very loudly to some American rap music during breakfast, which I thought was funny since she has barely said two words since Thursday. I have another sister who is the oldest and lives outside of the house and has two small children, who are adorable. I have also have met various other relatives including some cousins and their children who are also adorable. 

   There are some things about homestay that are tough. It is hard feeling like a child. My family here is very conservative and very protective of me. I appreciate the fact that they care, but at the same time it can feel a little smothering. I'm learning how to take some time to my self in the evenings in my room to write/ listen to music though before bed. Also, it is just awkward staying in someone else's home in general, especially when you feel like you don't know what you are doing and have to ask for help for everything. For example, my house has a latrine for a toliete, which I had never used before. There is no running water in the house so I had to ask where to get water from. There are no trash cans so I had to ask where to dispose of trash. I had to ask how to take a bucket bath, and I had to ask how to wash my clothes. My family also attends a very conservative church that holds very long services, as in like 4 hours or more all in Setswana. That was rough. I'm glad I went so I could see what it is like, but I don't want to go every Sunday that I am here. I'm not sure that they will understand that. 

   I would like to be clear that I'm grateful to be staying with nice people and that people care about my safety here; I'm just saying that this is also tough. I'm missing my own family, and getting used to a lot at once. It is both exciting and stressful.

The  Wonderful / Funny Things

4/10/11

   Botswana is a beautiful country. When you walk down any street you see various animals just roaming free; donkeys, cows, goats, chickens, dogs, cats. The people here are also amazing. The children are absolutely beautiful. One of the fun things about being a PC trainee and standing out like a sore thumb is that the children follow you everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. Some of us trainees were going on a  walk and ended up being followed by several adorable children. Everywhere I walk here people stop to say hello or "Dumela" in Setswana. It is like that with everyone. People take the time to talk and get to know each other. 

Setswana. My homestay sister translated ,and then I tried not to laugh out loud and she said "Go Siame" , which means "That's ok" for me to laugh about it.  I also got told my skin "glows in the sun" which anyone of my family and friends will appreciate reading since I'm known as the pastey one to pretty much everyone I know. 

   I got to talk on the phone to my mom, dad, and youngest brother today, which was lovely. It helped me feel re-energized and like I can do this. Thanks and love you all!