tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71785696684105700682024-02-20T04:15:03.485-05:00The Adventures of KShepKShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-32945949470695057942013-05-20T18:25:00.001-04:002013-05-20T18:28:50.809-04:00Goodbye Botswana...Hello New Adventures On April 17th I officially closed my Peace Corps service and left Botswana. Many people who read this blog know that I was originally supposed to COS (Close my service) in May, but due to some circumstances with my family and the fact that I was so close to the end of my service I was allowed to COS a bit earlier. This meant I had to leave my village a bit sooner than planned. Although it was hard to say goodbye to my community in Werda, I feel lucky because I was at least able to say goodbye and my last days in my village were filled with some precious moments.<br />
I had to warn my community before I left my village that I was possibly going home early and through that process I was able to spend time with people and say goodbyes. I wrote letters and gave them to people I knew and worked with, and I put letters up at the clinic to the community as a whole and to students I worked with because school was out still for Easter Break and many of the students who were boarders at the Junior school were not around. I spoke with the children who were still around when I saw them around the village, gave my last bunch of high fives to my neighborhood children, and spent time hanging around the clinic so I could be around the nurses who were so kind to me throughout my service. During my last day in my village before going to the capital to figure things out with Peace Corps staff, I spent time with my friend Elia who told me that a child who couldn't walk and had never been able to go to school was accepted into a school program outside of the village that would enable him to move around more easily because he would have a wheelchair and to learn. This is something that the two of us had been working on. I also got to spend the evening walking around the village with Elia visiting OVC families we knew and then visiting Elia's grandmother who is in her 90s. Her grandmother was wise with a beautiful smile and told me in setswana translated by Elia that "It doesn't matter that we are from different places, different backgrounds, or speak different languages because we are a part of the same universe and same God and that everything would be ok with my family". I will never forget that.<br />
As I said, I had to spend my last days in Botswana nearer to the Peace Corps office because I was working with staff to figure out how I could get home to my family. I stayed with friends who were very supportive during a time that was very difficult for me, and I'm very grateful for that. I'm also grateful for how supportive Peace Corps staff were. My last night in Botswana I went out to dinner in the capital with some other PCVs who were around for other meetings/appointments. I was even able to lodge in the capital with a close PCV friend during my last night and help her out a bit with an event she was having at the PC office the morning of the day I COSd. It was a good send off.<br />
People here in America and back in Botswana keep asking me how it feels to have completed my service and to be back home. I've been home for just over a month now, and the truth is that I've experienced a mixture of emotions. It feels great to have completed my service because I'm proud of what I did in Botswana, I feel lucky that I got to meet the people I met and experience the things I experienced, and I know having served as a PCV has changed me forever. Sometimes I feel sad because I miss people and things about being in Botswana or because I wish my goodbye was a bit different/feel badly about having to COS early. In moments like that I remind myself of the kind words some friends, teachers, and nurses I worked with in my village said to me before I left Werda or messaged me before I flew out of Botswana , and remembering that people were understanding and supportive helps. I also know that leaving a bit early was necessary and have had many moments where I've been very grateful that I was allowed to COS a month ago. Overall I'm very happy to be with my family and to be able to spend time with friends I hadn't seen in so long, but I also do have moments of feeling overwhelmed. At times I feel guilty about things like having so much food or when I see everything that is available in stores here or get angry when I see people being wasteful with things like water or paper products when I truly understand more than ever how precious these things are. I like my alone time more than I used to, but so far people have been understanding of that. I've been on the go quite a bit, but today I'm taking a "lazy" day to be on my own for a while. Readjustment is going to take time I think. Oh, and I'm also very excited about graduate school in July!<br />
I'm not really sure how to sum up this blog post or this blog. I feel like being an RPCV ( returned Peace Corps Volunteer) is always going to be a a part of my identity and that as I continue on with my life this experience is something that will stay with me. This isn't really an end but a continuation...<br />
<br />KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-4786176799855382702013-03-14T06:31:00.003-04:002013-03-14T06:31:54.433-04:00Hope and Strength in Sad Circumstances <br />
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I'm finding that as I near the end of my service, I have an even greater appreciation for the experiences I've been fortunate enough to have here and the people I've been blessed to have met. I'd like to share some stories that highlight this. </div>
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My friend Elia is one of the most hardworking and caring people I have ever met. She is from Werda and returned here after school and working outside of the village for sometime to help orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their families. She has been working very hard to start an NGO to serve this population, and in the meantime she visits families in need in the village to see how she can help them. She doesn't get paid at all and is doing all of this out of kindness and love for her community. She also has a young son she is raising herself. I have had the privilege recently of visiting OVC families with Elia and of helping her to document that there is a need in Werda for an NGO serving OVC families through interviews with families and photographs. There are 95 documented orphans and vulnerable children in Werda right now, and this doesn't include the OVC at the junior school who are from other villages but board in Werda. Though many of these families are getting some type of governmental assistance, usually in the form of some food each month, it often is not enough to sustain an entire family.</div>
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Since visiting more of these families with Elia, I've been reminded of what true poverty can look like: Children taking care of children and living in a one room house without any bed or even a mattress/ sleeping on concrete floor, a child who is unable to walk and has no way of moving around so he can't go to school, and grandparents struggling to raise their late daughter's three young boys even though they themselves aren't well. Yet, these families are still trying so hard. Some of my PACT students are in OVC families and despite some difficult situations at home, they do well in school and are among some of the most polite, intelligent, and creative students I have ever met. </div>
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I also found out, through this experience of visiting these families,that some of my former junior school PACT students who have graduated had been cooking and cleaning for some orphaned children during their school break because they saw that there were hungry and alone. They told Elia they wanted to give back to their community. The fact that there are times when people do step up and help each other renews my faith in humanity and warms my heart. Although there is a lot of sadness that exists here, there is also a lot of strength and hope. If people who have so little can remain so hopeful, then I certainly can. </div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-75095976579477500842013-03-14T05:36:00.001-04:002013-03-14T05:36:33.408-04:00GLOW Camp #3<br />
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Last weekend I participated in the third GLOW camp that I've been a part of during my Peace Corps service. This time the camp was in a small village right outside of my village. I've written a lot about GLOW camps and the purpose of GLOW in the past so this time I just want to write about a few highlights/ key parts of my experience at this particular camp.</div>
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1) I facilitated a session about basic mental health and coping skills and lead an activity during which the girls made mailboxes as a craft activity coping skill. The girls then wrote kind notes to each other throughout the rest of the weekend to help build each other's self-esteems. </div>
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2) We had a question box- girls could write questions they were too embarrassed to ask out loud with out writing their name and put them in the box. Then we addressed the questions at the end of the camp. Some of the ones that came up were about very sensitive topics such as abuse and HIV, and fortunately we were able to address their questions because of the box existing. </div>
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3) We slept in classrooms at a primary school on mattresses on the floor. I slept in a room with two other PCVs and about 20 girls between the ages of 13-16. Also, there were giant beetles that kept flying into us all so once one was starting to sleep either a giant beetle would fly into one's face or one would hear a giant "WACK" sound as someone else was killing a beetle with her shoe. I did not sleep haha. </div>
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4) The water was out for a lot of camp. This is not unusual in Botswana. Us PCVs didn't really care and just didn't bath for a few days, but our counterparts cared much more, which was kind of funny.Also, I sprayed myself with really gross bug spray that my PCV friend brought to the camp. It smelled kind of like cat urine. I ended up smelling like that for three days.</div>
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5) Kids, no matter where you are in the world, say ( or write) the funniest things sometimes…The rest of the PCVs who were there know what I mean haha.</div>
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6) We drank a lot of Oros ( a juice mix that is mixed with water)</div>
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7) Transportation problems always exist here. Always.</div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-32770486926786224542013-03-03T05:01:00.003-05:002013-03-03T05:01:19.663-05:0079 Days. Bittersweet Times <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">79. That is the number of days I have left in Botswana. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I recently attended my Close of Service Conference with the rest of my group, Bots10. We went to a lodge in Nata, up in the North Eastern part of the country. We stayed at a lodge near the bird sanctuary and salt pans. A lot of the conference was about the paper work and practical things that we need to do before we close our service in May. Another major component of the conference was reflecting on our time here and planning for the emotional and psychological aspects of returning to the U.S. I really appreciated that we were given time to reflect and prepare.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> The highlight of COS conference for me was our group dinner on the pans. We spent time telling funny and sentimental stories from the course of our time here together and spoke about each of the 17 Bots10 members who early terminated their service over the course of the past couple of years. There are 23 of us left!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> What will the next 79 days look like for me? Well, at the end of this week I will be part of my third GLOW camp to empower young girls in my district that will take place in a village right next to mine and include 10 girls from the junior school in my village and 20 other girls from around the district. Then at the end of this month I will be traveling up north to an event that two of my PCV friends have been planning, a Half Martathon/5k and Health Expo. I will be run/walking the 5k and painting children's faces at the Health Expo following the run. Other than this, I will be focusing on wrapping up projects in my village, saying good byes, medical appointments,and finishing reporting and paper work that I need to do before I finish my service. I have a feeling this is all going to pass by quickly.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> People keep asking me what I'm most excited about. Really, I'm proud of myself for making it to this point and I'm looking forward to having completed my service and being able to say "YES, I DID IT!". Being a PCV was a dream of mine since I was 14, and it is pretty cool that I've been able to follow my dream and see it through. There have been some tough moments, I had many opportunities to leave. I'm glad I didn't. I'm also of course looking forward to seeing my family and friends very much. When I picture myself seeing my family for the first time I get tearful. I haven't seen them at all during my service so it has been a very long time. I'm also looking forward to things like the mountains and lakes of Maine, food I miss, and graduate school. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> At the same time, there are things I will miss about being here, and I think it may be hard for people at home to understand that at times, which worries me. I will miss the quiet. Life here is slow and quiet, and sometimes that can be difficult, but overall, I have come to appreciate that. I worry that I will feel overwhelmed at times in America by things like busy streets, large stores, and the general fast pace of life. I will also miss people here. I will miss friends I work with and the children in my village. It will be strange to leave them because I will most likely never see them again. When I left America, I at least could be pretty certain that I would see people again when I got back home, but that is not the case for people I've met here ( with the exception of volunteer friends). I've also become more accustomed to being alone. Before I came here I was on the go always and had a really hard time being by myself. My experience here has changed me because I've had to get so used to being alone. I worry that people won't understand when I want alone time sometimes when I get home. I will also missing being around my volunteer friends here who get what it is like. Going back to the U.S. will certainly be an adjustment. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a bittersweet time! </span></div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-30085299535075893782013-02-11T08:50:00.002-05:002013-02-11T08:50:53.653-05:00“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ―Albert Einstein<br />
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<span style="color: black; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </span>The last time I wrote was just after the holidays, and so much has happened since then. After spending more than a month in my village without leaving other than to go get groceries a couple of times, I went to the capital for a meeting with the other members of the Peer Support and Diversity Network. (PSDN). It was a time for us to train the newest members from the Bots12 group and to discuss future planning for the group. For me, this meeting was quite bittersweet because it was the time for myself and the other Bots10s in the group to hand over the majority of our responsibilities to the newer members and to step back. It was also a really fun time because it isn't often that we all get to spend time together. I was even able to have an early birthday celebration with my PSDN friends and other close friends who live near the capital. </div>
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Following my meetings, I used some of the many leave days I had left over to travel around Botswana a bit and to go to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. I spent two days in a PCV friend's village, Kalamare, which is in the North Eastern portion of Botswana. Her home was very welcoming and relaxing, and it was a lot of fun just getting to catch up on life, walk around her village, see her garden and a village garden, and meeting some of her friends there. We spent my first night there teaching a young neighbor friend of hers how to make tacos! It was so much fun ,and my friend Susan makes amazing salsa! </div>
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After visiting Kalamare, I then headed further north to Francistown where I celebrated my actual birthday by using fast internet at a cafe and having a blueberry milkshake ( Mainer style) and met up with a PCV there for some Indian food as well. The next day I arrived in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe where I spent one night at a backpackers lodge called Shoe Strings, which I highly recommend. It was only $11 dollars to stay there, and the food was very good! I spent my day there going to see the falls, which were incredible and going to the open craft market. I traded a Boston Celtics T-shirt and a Patriot's hoodie for some beautiful craft items! I can't wait to show and give some of the awesome art I found to family and friends when I get home! I also found this food place that had pizza and real ice cream in one location, which was a bonus. Something really cool about staying at backpackers is getting to meet interesting people from all over the world. I spent my time seeing the falls with a young woman around my age who was from the Netherlands and was traveling after her medical school internship in South Africa. I ate pizza for lunch with a guy from Japan who was a wonderful photographer. I spent time hanging out at the backpacker's bar in the evening with three friends from Australia who were traveling around Africa together. It makes the world feel smaller. </div>
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I ended my birthday week travels by making one of my dreams come true: I saw elephants! On my way back down from Vic. Falls, I met up with a friend in Kasane for lunch with she and a friend from her village, and it was really great to catch up. Then I went on a game drive in Chobe! The main reason why I wanted to go on this game drive was to see elephants because I had never seen one before. I was so happy when the very first animals we saw upon entering the park were elephants in the distance! The guide then drove us closer to them so we could get a better look. It was amazing how close to them we were able to get! I saw a couple hundred elephants that day!I wish I could do a better job of describing how incredible of an experience that was. That night I spent time hanging out with my friend who lives in Kasane and cooking dinner with him, which was also fun. </div>
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Something also pretty major that has happened in my life recently is that I was accepted to some of my top choice graduate programs, and I made a decision about which one I will be attending! I was lucky to receive a really great merit scholarship to the University of Denver, and it has a very strong M.S.W. program , so I will be going there starting in July of this year! I will be going home to Maine to live with my family before beginning my program. I'm of course a little nervous because I've never even been to Denver before, but I've only heard great things about Denver and about DU. I'm also looking forward to living near mountains again!There will be snow!!!</div>
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For now, I'm very focused on finishing up my projects and making sure my students and the teachers I work with feel confident in taking them over. I've seen that they are capable because when I've handed responsibility over to them, they have done an amazing job. I think now I just need to help them believe in themselves a bit more and to see just how awesome they are. </div>
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Well,that's it for now!</div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-7199041097068544142013-01-13T04:47:00.002-05:002013-01-13T04:47:52.031-05:0050 Peace Corps Books<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT;">I posted the first 25 books I read in another post a while back, but <span style="font-size: small;">people have been asking me what I'<span style="font-size: small;">ve read here so I decided to<b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">just post</span></span> all 50 books that I've read so far now so t<span style="font-size: small;">hat they do not have t<span style="font-size: small;">o look back. Here they are!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">1. The Girl with the Dragon <span style="font-size: small;">Tattoo</span>- Stieg Larsson </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">2. The Princess Diaries Book
1-Cabot </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">3. The Book Thief</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">4. Light a Penny Candle-Maeve
Binchy </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">5. Water for Elephants-Sara
Gruen </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">6. The Wish Maker-Ali Sethi </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">7. Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone-J.K. Rowling </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">8. Happy Potter and the Chamber
of Secrets</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">9. Ape House-Sara Gruen </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">10. Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">11. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County- Tifany
Baker </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">12. The Help</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">13. Cutting for Stone-Abraham
Verghese </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">14. The Cross Gardner-Jason
Wright </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">15. Millie's Fling-Jill Mansell
</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">16. Harry Potter and the Goblet
of Fire</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">17. Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">18. Harry Potter and the Half
Blood Prince</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">19. Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">20. Dork Whore</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">21. The Road</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">22. The Number 1 Ladies'
Detective Agency-Alexandar McCall Smith </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">23. Middlesex-Jeffrey Eugenides
</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">24. Fugitive Pieces-Anne
Michaels </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">25. Jurassic Park -Michael
Crichton</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">26.The Giver</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">27.Charlotte's
Web-E.B. White </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">28.Things Fall Apart-Chinua Achebe </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">29.Sisterhood Everlasting-Ann Brashares</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">30.Bossy Pants-Tina Fey</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">31.Lord of the Flies-William Golding </span></span><b><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>
</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262626;">32.Slaughterhouse-Five-Kurt Vonnegut</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
</b></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="color: #262626;">33. The Catcher in the Rye-J.D. Salinger </span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>
</b></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20pt;">
<span style="color: #262626;">34. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</span><span style="color: #262626;"></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>
</b></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">35. The Color of Water</span></span><b><u style="text-underline: #0057A5;"><span style="color: #0057a5; font-size: 13pt;"></span></u></b></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">36. Tuck Everlasting</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">37. Vernon God Little</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">38. The Hunger Games-Suzanne
Collins </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">39. She's Come Undone </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">40. Catching Fire-2nd Hunger Games</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">42. The PACT- Jodi Picoult </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">43. The Tenth Circle-Jodi Picoult </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-size: 13pt;">44. Roots-Alex Haley </span><b><u style="text-underline: #0057A5;"><span style="color: #0057a5; font-size: 13pt;"></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 13pt;">45.The Poisonwood Bible -Barbara
Kingsolver </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 13pt;">46. Northern Lights-Norah Roberts </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 13pt;">47. The Great Penguin Rescue- Dyan
DeNapoli </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 13pt;">48. Sh*t My Dad Says-Justin Halpern
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 13pt;">49. Life of Pi-Yann Martel</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 13pt;">50. Little Women-Louisa May Alcott </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-27344483806022651542013-01-13T04:40:00.001-05:002013-01-13T04:40:13.435-05:0020 Months at Site Pays Off!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Peace Corps volunteers it can often
feel like our impact is very minimal, and it can be rare to actually see one's
impact. I was lucky enough recently to be able to see 20 months of work at site
(22 months in Botswana) pay off .Two days ago I went to the Junior school to
introduce myself to new students at an assembly because the new school year just
began here. At the end of assembly I ended up being left with over 130 Form
I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>students ( about the equivalent of 8th
graders in the U.S.) because the teachers who were supposed to be running a new
student orientation for them ended up having to go to a workshop instead. I was
legitimately told "Just talk to them about HIV or something for 4
hours" on the spot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> No way was I going to just lecture to these students
for four hours straight. First of all, I was not prepared, and second of all, I
would have gotten sick of listening to myself talk for that long ,and I knew they would have
too! Instead, I talked to the guidance teacher and asked him to gather the PACT
students to help me. I then watched in awe as my PACT students essentially put
on a workshop about HIV, Gender Issues, Dating Relationships, and Substance
Abuse for over 130 of their peers without time to prepare and with very little
help from me. I literally only had to help them a bit with time reminders and
speaking with a few students who were being disrespectful to them. Overall,
they kept their peers engaged and happy for four hours and even though I know
they were tired and it was not easy for them, they pushed through and were
amazing. I was so proud of them that I was almost to the point of tears. Not
only were the Junior school PACT students amazing, but I also got to see many
of my former primary school PACT students who are now in Form I in action. They
were answering questions and among the most engaged students there. I really got to
see them put what they had learned through primary PACT club in action as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> Lately I had been feeling anxious about leaving so soon and wondering what my
impact has been here and if it has been enough. I've been afraid of leaving and
feeling like my service was incomplete. However, because of these PACT students
I now see that I have done something here and will be able to leave feeling
like I've left something behind. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful of
a feeling this is. </span></div>
KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-50237480441147674992013-01-03T10:07:00.001-05:002013-01-03T10:07:29.263-05:00Open Minds in a Small Place <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Overall, Botswana is a politically conservative country when it comes to many subjects, including sexuality and sexual orientation. It isn't illegal to be gay here per say,but it is illegal to engage in any sexual activity that can not lead to procreation. There is a LGBT organization based in the capital city and there certainly are members of the LGBT community living in Botswana, but most who are out about their sexual orientation live in the capital or in larger villages, not in the small, rural areas. I can't comment on whether or not it is physically unsafe for someone to be out in a village here or not because that would totally depend on the individual's situation. I've heard of teenagers who have come out here being beaten by parents or other family members as a form of discipline/punishment for being gay or using substances or harming themselves because they are afraid to be out or are being rejected for being out. Overall, Botswana is a peaceful country, but family dynamics and religious views have an influence, just as they have an influence in other parts of the world, including the U.S. Even if there isn't a physical threat, I can see how it could be intimidating for someone to be out in a small village here because it could feel very isolating and have some potential social implications for them. There isn't very much support or education regarding sexuality/sexual orientation in the smaller villages so many people just do not understand and lack of understanding often leads to discrimination and prejudice.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Now keeping all of this in mind, I want to tell you about how I've had the privilege of getting to know a pretty incredible person in my small village who is openly gay and even dresses in drag frequently. This person is a respected member of the community, and from what I have been told and witnessed feels safe in the village and doesn't experience harassment within the village. I do not know what this person's experience has been growing up here entirely, but I know I am certainly admire the bravery it can take be fully oneself in a place where so many would not feel comfortable or safe enough to do so. I also am impressed by and was taken a little bit by surprise by the general open-mindedness of my small village community. It makes me feel lucky to live here in this village and to get the chance to meet such wonderful people who are able to say things like "We may not agree with it, but someone's life is his or her own life". I wish more people in this world were able to adopt that attitude, even in the United States. </span></div>
KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-86548038952210474082012-12-21T11:47:00.000-05:002012-12-21T11:47:05.175-05:00When it Rains it Pours The past week has been hard. Really hard.There have been moments during this week that I've wished I were at home and that I've wanted to leave. I won't leave, and things are now better, but it was definitely one of those weeks that all PCVs could understand; one of the ones where nothing felt like it was working out. Then a few days ago there was a HUGE rain storm in my village. I've been through a rainy season in Botswana already, but let me tell you, none of the storms I had seen before were anything compared to the one that hit my village a few days ago. The sky poured buckets of rain, and it even hailed! The rain was leaking in through the seams of my house, near the roof and even coming up through the floor in some places. It even made a hole in the ceiling of my bedroom and poured through, soaking my bed. I ran around my house with a mop and bucket at the low point of a low week feeling like "OMG WHAT AM I STILL DOING HERE?!!!". Then a funny thing happened. That night when the storm had finally stopped, I had cleaned up all of the water in my house and strategically placed buckets around and chased a few bugs out of my house, I saw the humor in all of it. I laughed my head off. I also felt proud of myself for facing another tough week, and I know I handled some of the things that happened, including this crazy storm, better than I would have a year ago. So thank you Peace Corps for making me stronger.KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-7784282737214846482012-12-21T11:28:00.002-05:002012-12-21T11:28:47.005-05:00Holiday Greetings and Island Adventures Happy Holidays everyone! I can't believe I'm about to celebrate a second Christmas in Botswana! In some ways it feels like it hasn't been that long since last Christmas! This year I've decided to stay in my village to celebrate. I've decided this partly because it is my last chance to celebrate Christmas here in my village, and I traveled during the holidays last year, and also because I'm trying to save money. I recently traveled up to northern Botswana to the Okavango Delta, and I am planning a trip to see Victoria Falls sometime toward the end of January, around the time of my birthday. Some of my nurse friends will be around Werda because they have to work over Christmas, as well as some of my neighbors. There are also some football tournaments that supposedly are going to be happening somewhere around my village that I may attend. At the very least, I will be making some cake to bring to the clinic and share with my nurse friends, who must stay close by in case of an emergency. I even got frosting mix to make this time! A big splurge for me! So fear not, I will not be all alone on Christmas, and I'm actually looking forward to a quieter Christmas this year.<br />
I said that I recently traveled up to northern Botswana to the Okavango Delta, so let me elaborate some more on that. There is a place called The Swamp Stop in Sepopa, a village on the Delta. A PCV friend is friends with the owners of this place. I traveled for several hours (about 16 total) to meet friends in that area, and then we were taken on a boat by the people who run The Swam Stop to an island right in the middle of the Okavango Delta to camp. We saw crocodiles, hippos, and eagles when we were out on the boat ( We literally spent hours a day out on the boat riding around with these awesome tour guys looking for animals..It was great!). It rained some when we were there, but it didn't even matter. We just had a sing along in the rain on the boat! On the island itself, we saw elephant dung and tracks, but they were not fresh. Elephants change their paths, and we were told they travel between the islands so unfortunately we did not see any. We did ,however, see a warthog, and we could hear the hippos in the evenings and early mornings! They sort of make a barking type sound. Since I've spent the last 21 months living in the desert part of Botswana, it was fun and interesting to see such a different part of this country that is so green and has so much water!<br />
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-18323401659972911552012-11-13T05:35:00.000-05:002012-11-13T05:35:17.332-05:00Meat Pies, Simba Chips, Cool Time, and Fake Ice Cream…Yes, Please<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm trying to write more about my<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>experiences outside of work because most of
the time when people ask me about my life here they ask about work so I don't
get to talk about the other things. This time I'm going to write about food
(aka dijo in Setswana)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meat Pies are a big deal here. I'm guessing
because of the British influence? Anyway, they are almost everywhere. You can
get a meat pie in one of the tiny shops in my village, at grocery stores in
larger villages, and at some bus stops. There are even stores like Mr. Pie Man
and Pie Time that sell only meat pies. Basically, they are little breaded
pockets of meaty deliciousness. They come in the form of plain chicken,
chicken<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>perri-perri(spicy chicken),
Russian (sausage), or steak and kidney. I'd recommend the chicken perri-perri.
My PCV friends here laugh at me because when we were in training in Kanye I was
meat pie obsessed. I didn't eat a lot at my host family sometimes and was
hungry so I'd look forward to some meat pie. I probably gained a few meat pie
pounds during training. Luckily, I only eat them now and then when I travel
these days and have lost my meat pie weight haha. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simba chips are a brand of potato chips that
are popular here in Botswana.
You can find them in almost any little shop, and they are pretty cheap. Many of
them are meat flavored. I like the salt and vinegar ones. Whenever I plan an
event in my village for the students I usually end up with sandwiches and Simba
chips to give them for lunch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cool Time is a delicious and refreshing ice
pop/slushy type of snack that is sold at every bus stop area in Botswana during
the summer. People will walk around the bus and come onto the bus trying to
sell Cool Time. Sometimes there is nothing better than slurping on some Cool
Time when it is 110 degrees and you're traveling on a crowded bus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the ice cream (or maybe all) in Botswana
is not "real" ice cream made with dairy. Instead, it is made with oil
substitutes and sugar. When I first got to Botswana I thought it tasted weird,
but now if I am somewhere that actually has ice cream during the summer I'm all
over that. I've actually kind of come to appreciate some fake ice cream in my
life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote back when I first got here about
some of the Setswana foods. I've really come to love a couple of Setswana foods
like seswaa and morogo. Seswaa is pounded meat. I've helped make it twice
before. You cook the meat and then you pound it until all of the meat is broken
off of the bones and is shredded until small pieces. It takes a while to make,
but it is yummy. You can make it with beef or chicken. Morogo is a bit like
spinach, and is delicious. I like to put some vinegar on mine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are reading this you're probably
thinking "Damn, most of that (minus the meat and morogo) doesn't sound
very healthy", and you would be right. Luckily, these are not things that
I eat all of the time. My every day diet usually consists of things like rice,
pasta, a lot of spinach, tomatoes, beans, apples, carrots, and sometimes
potatoes. I also eat a lot of eggs for protein as well as granola and peanut
butter. I've become a better cook here, and I've learned how to make some
creative meals with few ingredients. </span></div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-32608687381003435802012-11-12T13:47:00.001-05:002012-11-12T13:47:28.238-05:00"What is Fainting?"<br />
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I haven't been writing as much as I once wrote because for me life here is normal and it has been more difficult for me to think of things to blog about. My life here just sort of is what it is at this point. However, something I realized I have not written about is my fainting stories. I will preface this by saying that PCMO ( Peace Corps medical) knows about this and has helped me out so no worries there.</div>
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The first time I fainted was last summer. I was coming back to my village after getting groceries on a mini-bus. This mini bus was very crowded so I was standing in the aisle for about 45 minutes when I started to feel sick. I had been standing near a woman who worked at the junior secondary school in my village and her friend and had been chatting with them when I first got on the bus. When I started to feel light headed I asked this woman from my village if she could shout to the bus driver and ask him to pull over so I could get off the bus and sit on the ground because there was literally no space for sitting anywhere on the bus. There was not even floor space because it was so crowded, and I was surrounded by several children standing in the aisle alongside me. Before the bus driver could stop I fainted right across the laps of this woman from my village and her friend. When I became conscious again both women were yelling at everyone on the bus to open every window and at a couple of people across the aisle who had been laughing at me. They wouldn't let me stand or move at all. I sat on their laps for a good thirty minutes until someone else offered me his seat and helped me move over to it. </div>
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The second time I fainted was a few weeks later on a different bus on the way to my friend's village to celebrate the holidays. I was luckily traveling with another PCV friend. Unfortunately, this bus was also very crowded, and we both had been standing for a while when I started to feel sick. My friend saw that I didn't look so great and tried to ask if someone we were standing near would give up their seat for me, but nobody wanted to. I don't think they really understand what was about to happen or maybe they thought I was just being lazy. Sure enough, I ended up fainting on one of them because they wouldn't move. Then someone gave me a seat. It was awkward. </div>
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After a series of medical tests nothing was found so it was determined it was most likely environmental-the heat, the closed in space, the lack of people opening windows etc. I did have some problems with dizziness a handful of other times afterward, but I had not actually passed out again until recently. This time I had walked to one of the primary schools in my village and was watching some students practice dancing for an upcoming prize giving event. I started to feel a little sick and went into the school to get some more water from the sink. I sat down with my water in case I fainted, and I did end up fainting for a few minutes on the floor right in front of the sink. When I became conscious again it had only been a few two tiny 6 year old, standard one students were standing next to me giggling. "Ke a lwala" …I am sick, I told them and then rested for a while before letting the teachers I had been working with know what happened ( and the PCMO again of course). </div>
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Bots summer is a beast! I'm totally fine otherwise and have had updated tests that show so. I'm going to up my water intake even more, eat small things throughout the day to keep my blood sugar up, and pay attention to how I'm feeling. </div>
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Go siame! </div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-52697150818809269962012-10-24T15:31:00.001-04:002012-10-24T15:31:27.588-04:00Time is FLYING...Here is my life at the moment : )<br />
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<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;"><b> </b></span><b>Right now I am sitting in my little house in the desert comfortably for the first time in a couple of weeks because there is an intense thunder storm taking place that has cooled the air in my house. (This storm is seriously one of the most intense storms I've experienced here. I can feel the wind blowing through my closed windows and the lightening is awesome!) Anyway, I figure this is a good time to write a blog post, since I've been slacking a bit with my blogging recently.</b> </div>
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So what have I been upto lately? Well, shortly after my Teddy Bear event in my village I brought five junior secondary school students to a "Girls Leading Our World" camp in Moshupa. I know I wrote a bit about this camp previously, but it was a project that another PCV friend had worked very hard to put on through her DAC office, and the rest of us other PCVs involved had spent months meeting, planning, and working with our schools to make this happen. Also, a HUGE thanks to my friends and family at home who made either monetary or craft item donations to the camp. Your kindness is very much appreciated by me, by the other PCVs, and by the 50 girls who attended this camp. I know I've also said this before, but the GLOW camp I worked on last February, and this GLOW camp in Moshupa are two of the projects that I've felt most passionate about during my now almost year and a half in Botswana. The girls seemed to get a lot out of the camp in terms of building self confidence and learning strong communication skills, how to protect themselves from HIV/STIs/teen pregnancy, avoiding abusing substances, and how to have healthy dating and peer relationships. They also got the opportunity to meet some very inspiring Batswana women, learn how to make paper beads and be self-sufficient business women, and participate in many fun camp craft activities and games. The first night of camp, us PCVs even taught the campers how to make 'smores for the first time, and we played games and spent time together around a camp fire. It was all such a fun, worthwhile experience!</div>
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On a recent weekend I also got the opportunity to do a bit of traveling within Botswana. I went with a few friends up to a place called "Planet Baobab" near the salt pans in the north eastern (sort of) portion of Botswana. Planet Baobab is a camp ground/lodge where you can hang out, relax, and see the amazing, 2,000 year old baobab trees. These trees are enormous! I wish my internet was working well enough for me to post pictures of these trees on my blog, but unfortunately I can't. Just imagine me with my arms wrapped around the trunk of a massive tree and looking like an ant next to it because that is pretty much what you would see! My favorite one of the trees at PB had a hammock hanging from it, and it was so much fun and so relaxing just being in that hammock for a short while. There was also a nice salt water pool there! Since we were also close to the pans, one of my friends who is NOT a PCV and is allowed to drive here, drove us out into the bush to look for the pans. Now the pans are literally the size of the state of Connecticut, so one would think that they'd be difficult to miss, but believe it or not that was not the case! We road around for quite a while before reaching them! Getting a bit lost wasn't so bad though because we saw some cool animals ( like a jackal and an ostrich running at full speed!) and met some nice people out at their cattle posts who tried to help give us some direction. When we made it to the actual pans we took some funny jumping photos etc. I'd been to another part of the pans back when I was in training and was shadowing a volunteer so that pans weren't so new to me but it was still fun. My favorite part of the trip was sitting in a tree for three hours watching animals come to a watering hole to drink. I initially was really hoping we'd see elephants, and we did not, but it was cool watching the different groups of animals just come to the watering hole at different times by instinct (first birds, then donkeys, cows, and horses). It was also just very peaceful sitting there in the tree waiting. </div>
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It always feels good to get back to my village after being away, even if just for a weekend, so since getting back to Werda, I've just been enjoying my village life. It has recently really sunk in that I only have about 7 more months left in this little village that I now call home. I'm very focused right now on making the most of the rest of my time here, and I feel grateful for the time that I've had here so far. Some of the experiences that I've had over the past year and a half have not been easy( Heck, some of the experiences I've had in the past month have not been easy for that matter!) I can honestly say that I wouldn't trade anything that I've experienced here for the world though. People have started to ask me "When are you coming home, again?" and saying things like "You finish your service so soon! What are you going to do when you finish there?". Interestingly enough, I am actually thinking of extending my service for a third year. My family and closest friends at home are aware of this because it is something I've discussed with them off and on at different points for the better part of the last 10 months or so. However, the difference is that the fact that I want to do this is now becoming more of a reality, which I understand isn't easy for everyone to accept. The truth is that I do not know what will happen. Extending means having a volunteer position for a third year, and that requires applying and waiting so who knows how that will work out? I'm still applying to graduate school. I could go home at the end of May or I could extend a third year and defer graduate school for a year. For the the first time in my life really, the not knowing isn't causing me very much stress or worry. THAT I can definitely credit Peace Corps with!</div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-41072313405320991842012-09-19T05:16:00.000-04:002012-09-19T05:16:35.975-04:00Teddy Bear Day Recently my village received 100 teddy bears from the Mother Bear Project, an organization in the U.S. If you are interested in learning more about this wonderful organization here is the link <a href="http://www.motherbearproject.org/">http://www.motherbearproject.org/</a>. I heard about this organization from another PCV who received bears for her village, and I simply contacted the Mother Bear Project and asked for teddy bears for Werda. The challenging part of planning this event was not getting the bears, but it was making sure the social work office, schools, and those "higher-ups" in my village knew about the event and mobilizing my community to be involved. Just making sure these children could come to the kgotla to receive their bears took two months of planning. I worked closely with the guidance teachers at two different primary schools to come up with a list of the most vulnerable children in my village. I also worked closely with a couple of Junior school teachers to get the scout troupe at the JSS involved in playing their instruments and marching with the younger children on Teddy Bear Day. <br />
Teddy Bear Day itself began with my two PCV friends and one of their friends from home and I bringing all of the popcorn and juice that we had made for the children to the kgotla ( village meeting place) in the morning. A PC staff also attended the event and helped us transport some of these things as well as picked up the JSS scout troupe and transported them to the kgotla. At the kgotla the kgosi ( village cheif) gave welcoming remarks and an older woman in my village who works cleaning the social work office said a prayer. Then each child was given a teddy bear and had his or her picture taken. We then had a mini parade, led by the scout troupe, from the kgotla to my social work office. My PCV friends and I taught the children a couple of games like "I pick the ball" and "The hokey poky", which both involve some dancing and shaking. We then served them their snack of popcorn and juice. <br />
I experienced a lot of frustration while planning this event, ( like a lack of support and assistance from some of the adults who were supposed to be involved in planning it). However, it was definitely worth it in the end. On our walk back to my house my PCV friends and I saw two little girls walking down the street with their teddy bears and dancing and singing to "I pick the ball", the game that we taught them. It is the little moments that make it all worth it. KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-69701897056576895862012-08-26T05:50:00.001-04:002012-08-26T05:50:59.886-04:00GLOW Day in Werda Some of you know that I wrote before about how I am working on a full GLOW camp for girls with some other PCVs, but I recently just had a GLOW Day event in my village as well. The original plan was for it to be an event just for the boys at the JSS ( Guys Leading Our World) because the girls have had their own events to go to, and the boys were feeling left out. The JSS guidance teachers and I thought it would also be a nice opportunity for the boys to discuss issues that impact them specifically, such as Safe Male Circumcision (SMC), which decreases a boy's or man's chance of getting HIV. Also, issues of dating violence have been coming up at school, and a few of the PACT club boys had spoken with me about how it bothered them that some of their peers felt like it was ok to hit their girlfriends, so we also thought it would be a good way to address those sort of issues. The boys in PACT were enthusiastic about signing up for the event, but the problem is that PACT club doesn't have very many boys in it, and they tried really hard to encourage more of their male peers to sign up, but were only able to get a handful to. I was able to receive supplies for up to 30 students so this left many slots open. To remedy this problem and make it so that the event still took place, we decided to allow some girls to sign up as well, making it a "Guys and Girls Leading Our World" Day instead. I actually think that having the boys and girls there together made the event even better.<br />
The event was on Saturday and went from 9am until about 3:30pm. There were plenty of snacks, drinks, and food for the students thanks to the DAC (District AIDS Coordinator) Office, which was great. Seventeen students out of those who signed up showed up on Saturday morning, and even though it was not the 30 we had hoped for, it was still a good sized group. The group was made up of 7 boys and 10 girls ranging from Form 1 to Form 3, and some of the students were involved in PACT club and some were not. Topics discussed on GLOW Day were Gender Norms, SMC for the boys and Self-Esteem for the girls ( We split them for that session so that the boys would still feel comfortable asking questions about SMC), Dating Relationships, Teen Pregnancy and Sexual Rights and Responsibilities, and Abuse and Violence. The students were very engaged and got into some great debates during the day.<br />
The very first session was about Gender Norms, and right away the boys and the girls brought up some difficult topics and debated with each other very well. One topic that came up was that it is unfair that girls can wear pants in most cases here, but that a boy would be bullied if he wanted to wear a dress. They even talked about how if a boy wants to do things girls like to do or hangs out with too many girls, people may say he is gay. This lead to a discussion and debate about whether or not gay people are stigmatized in the village or not. Some students said yes people say "harsh words" to someone who is gay here, and others said that gay people would be more likely to be stigmatized or treated poorly in larger villages or cities because there are more "gangs" or "mobs". They also talked about how they think that today it is more likely for girls and boys to change roles rather than to follow the "traditional" way of doing things here, though they still discussed how there are challenges and situations of judgment and discrimination.<br />
During part of the Dating Relationships section the girls got to write down questions they always wanted to ask boys as a group, and the boys got to write down questions they always wished they could ask girls as a group. This activity also lead to some great discussions. Some things that came up were girls viewing love in a different way than boys viewing love sometimes and how that can cause confusion and problems in relationships between girls and boys. Also, some of the boys were upset that the girls said that physical appearance is something that attracts them to a boy initially, even though they had said that something that attracted them to girls initially was also physical appearance. The boys also talked about how unfair it is that they are always expected to be the ones to pay on dates, and some of the girls agreed with this, while others still thought the boys should pay. We were able to bring a lot of the dating relationship discussion back to gender norms.<br />
A lot of debate and discussion came out of the Teen Pregnancy session as well. We asked the students to list what the consequences of teen pregnancy were for girls and what they were for boys, and the majority of the consequences that were listed ended up being under the girl list. One of the consequences that the students spent a lot of time talking about was that a girl would likely drop out of school,while the boy would be able to stay in school. Something else that the students spent a lot of time talking about was the idea that a girl who has had a baby may not be desirable to boys in the future because it is known now that she is not a virgin, since she had a baby. The girls were upset by this comment and the unfairness of the girl being judged about this when the boy was obviously no longer a virgin either. Some of the boys had a difficult time understanding how that was unfair, but I think it was good for the girls and boys to be able to have the discussion and share each other's view points, and hopefully they gained some new perspectives and could see some of the inequality.<br />
The Abuse and Violence session was focused mostly on dating violence because that is something that has been coming up at the school and was something that came up during various discussions throughout the day. The students all agreed that different types of violence occur in Werda, and some of the violence even occurs at school. They said that there are physical fights outside almost every day that are broken up by teachers, students say cruel things to each other and abuse each other emotionally because of gossip, and that there is even sexual and emotional abuse that happens between people who are dating. They also talked about random acts of violence at school when male students hide together in the bathrooms and attack female students when they go in (The teacher who was present at this event was made aware of the situation). The nonchalance of the students as they talked about some of this was upsetting, but we spent a lot of time talking afterward about why abuse happens, how it is wrong, the consequences of abuse, who they can report it to, and some possible solutions, such as them watching out for each other and supporting each other ( the boys watching out for the girls and girls watching out for the boys). We also emphasized that men and boys are not the only ones who can be abusive because there were a couple points when the girls talked about boys in general as being abusive and violent, and we wanted to be clear that not all boys and men are and that girls and women can be abusive too.<br />
We ended the day on a positive note by assessing what they learned during the day with a game. Student had to listen to statements and then decide whether or not to go to the Agree or Disagree side of the room. All of the statements were factual and based on the sessions from the day. Based on this activity and the discussions throughout the day, it seems like they learned something and had fun. Each student was given a certificate for having participated, and we took a group picture before saying our goodbyes.<br />
I really love events like this! Thank you to my three PCV friends who helped facilitate this day! You know who you are!KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-9553327204480235012012-08-23T04:33:00.000-04:002012-08-23T04:33:52.438-04:00A Family in Need....at Home in America <h4>
I know the view of many people I have met in Botswana has been that life in America is always easy, everyone is wealthy, and life is always fair there. I've spent a lot of time here talking to people about how that is not the case, and I have been able to have some great conversations with people I've met here about that. Currently a friend and sorority sister of mine at home in America is going through something that is very unfair and not at all easy. The letter below is from my friend Mandi's mother. Mandi and her family are in need of support during this difficult time. Please read this letter below and see the link at the bottom of the page to make a donation to help this family. I know many people from different parts of the world read this blog and that no matter where in the world you live, you understand the importance of helping a family in need. </h4>
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<tr><td class="vTop" style="font-size: 11px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;">Mandi is a spirited young woman who is mother of two beautiful children, a supportive wife, loving daughter, and the best friend anyone could ask for. Mandi is the definition of survivor. When Mandi was 9 years old, she was diagnosed with a disease called Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissue. This results in symptoms such as inflammation, swelling, and damage to joints, skin, kidneys, blood, the heart, and lungs. Mandi'<br />
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s daily treatments in her battle against Lupus involve 17 medications daily, daily steroids injections, weekly chemotherapy treatments, dialysis treatments are just to name a few. Over the past 2 years, Mandi has been in for the fight of her life, or at least we thought, until we had hit the bottom 22 days. 22 days ago, Mandi was admitted into the critical care unit of a local hospital here in Maine with a 106.7 fever, quickly became unconscious, and life saving measures were taken to stabilize her. Upon further testing, it was found that she has four blood infections going throughout her body causing chaos that lead to the heart & heart valves becoming infected and damaged. Treating these infections that caused the incredibly high fever along with the organ shut down would require some of the most caustic medications available over a long period of time. These medications are not compatible with her Lupus medications (the chemotherapy, methetrexate cancels out the effects of the antibiotics in treating the infection) thus having to result in the inability to treat her potentially deadly disease (Lupus) while treating a most certainly deadly infections (the 4 she currently has). The doctors made the decision to pull her off all Lupus medications and take it hour by hour treating the infection. All the mean time, Mandi's Husband Rob, who is her rock & endless source of support, is left with the responsibility of running a household, taking care of their two beautiful children, and working a full time job that requires him to be there Monday-Saturday, 10 hours a day in order to support his families of four very financially demanding needs. During these horrific times, Rob & Mandi should be focused on this fight for Mandi's life, not if they are able to keep a roof over their children's heads, food in their bellies, gas in the car to go to doctors appointments/treatments, and money for the 17 medications Mandi takes daily. Mandi has not only dedicated her life professionally to helping others (being apart of the field of social work, ranging with working with youth in foster care to the elderly in rural communities) but also personally. Even though Mandi would have to spend 6 hours a day in dialysis or would have just spent the morning at the infusion center for chemotherapy, nothing would stop her from stopping to help a friend in need or spending time at one of the many non for profit organizations she volunteered for. Mandi has always been the one there for everyone else, lets now show her how much we care & be there for her in her families great time of need. Help the Thew family focus on what is really important...fighting for this young woman's life! No family should be expected to worry about finances during such a hard time. Show your love, support, and appreciate for such a wonderful woman & wonderful family...Help Mandi recover, show your support and donate now!! Thank you very much, every little bit helps!</div>
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PayPal Email Donations Can be Sent to: Maddietrentonsmom@yahoo.co<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>m<br />
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If you do not have PayPal or would prefer to use the site for Mandi's PayPal account you can visit <a href="http://supportmandi.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>supportmandi.wordpress.com/</a><br />
Credit cards will be accepted on this page. If you have any issues with payments or questions please contact macleod@uchicago.edu.</div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-3863106616124660392012-08-19T14:26:00.001-04:002012-08-19T14:42:00.388-04:00We have a Responsibility...Everywhere <br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">A good friend of mine from home sent me this poem. I like it because to me it is a great reminder for any adult that there are children everywhere in the world who need our help and support. I know many people have this view of Africa being full of children who are starving and neglected, but the truth is that is not always the case and that there are many children right in the U.S. who are abused, neglected, and hungry every day. Friends and family who often tell me that I'm "saving the world" or "making such a difference", I want you to know that those of you who work with children right at home in the U.S. are making a difference as well. We as adults have a responsibility to help support children in whatever part of the world we are in. </span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">We Have A Responsibility</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">We have responsibility for children who put chocolate fingers everywhere,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who like to be tickled,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who sneak popsicles before supper,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who erase holes in math workbooks,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who can never find their shoes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">And we have responsibility for those children</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who stare at photographers from behind hungry eyes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who can’t bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who never “counted potatoes,”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who are born in places we wouldn’t be caught dead,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who never go to the circus</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who live in an x-rated world.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">We have responsibility for children</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who sleep with the dog and bury the goldfish,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who hug in a hurry and forget their lunch money,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who cover themselves with band-aids and sing off-key,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who slurp their soup.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">And we have responsibility for children</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who never get dessert,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who watch their parents watch them die,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who can’t find any bread to steal,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who don’t have any rooms to clean up,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Whose pictures aren’t on anybody’s dresser,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Whose monsters are real.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">We have responsibility for children</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who like ghost stories,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who shove dirty clothes under their bed, and never rinse out the tub,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who get visits from the tooth fairy,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who don’t like to be kissed in front of the carpools,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who squirm in church and scream on the phone,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">And we have responsibility for children</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Whose nightmares come in daytime,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who will eat anything,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who have never seen a dentist,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who aren’t spoiled by anybody,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who live and move, but have no being.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">We have responsibility for children</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Who want to be carried and for those who must,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">For those we never give up on and</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">For those who don’t get a second chance,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">For those we smother, and</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">For those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">By Ina Hughes</span></div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-84492155211523617712012-08-15T08:25:00.000-04:002012-08-15T08:25:38.220-04:00Dear Students of BotswanaHere are some of the letters that some students from my hometown in Maine in my brother's Social Studies class wrote back to the students I work with here. I've blanked out names here, but each student from America wrote a letter to a specific student here. The plan is for this pen pal program to continue for as long as all of the kids are interested. I will be helping my students here reply soon!<br />
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Dear ________,<br />
Hi. I am a 6th grader at Sedomocha Middle School. I live in Dover-Foxcroft. We get out of school June 13th. In my free time I like to listen to music and hang out with some of my friends. The class that I like the best is science, but I really like English and Language Arts too. My science teacher makes a lot of weird faces. I would really like to come to Africa and see you and your friends. It would be lots of fun.<br />
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Dear______,<br />
I am going into the 7th grade. I live in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. We here in Maine have some pretty brutal winters, and sometimes we have some good days in the summer. I can only speak English. One of my favorite things to do is ride my dirt bike. A couple more things that I like to do are play baseball, basketball, and football.<br />
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Dear_____,<br />
I am a twelve yea old girl, and I am going into the 7th grade. I live with my parents and my two annoying, little sisters. I go to Sedomocha Middle School. My favorite class is science, but my most favorite thing to do is band because I play the flute, and it is really fun. I am happy to hear that the workshop brought kindness to your school. Ever time I hear something good it makes me really happy. Also, good luck in school, and I hope you enjoy learning English.<br />
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Dear____,<br />
I am writing this letter from my school, SeDoMoCha, in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. SeDoMoCha stands for four towns in Maine close to Dover-Foxcroft or its abbreviated form, Dover. The towns are Sebec, Dover, Monson, and Charleston. The state of Maine is always beautiful, spring, summer, fall, and winter. When I'm writing this letter it is summer here so I'm guessing it is winter there. My sister is Kristen or Neo, as you call her. I wish I could see your country because I have seen pictures of it, and it is beautiful. I am 12 and going into the 7th grade. I like to read, write, draw, and dance. I hope I will be able to visit someday! P.S. Please write back!<br />
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Dear____,<br />
You have a wonderful description of your country. I would love to visit someday. I am in the 6th grade and go to SeDoMoCha Middle School. In Maine we love to swim, take hikes, and in the winter we get lots of snow so we almost always play outside during that time or anytime. Maine has museums, forts, water parks, and a lot more! Our capital is Augusta. I would love for you to be my pen pal! You sound like you have lots of fun in your beautiful country of Botswana!<br />
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<br />KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-61295861507309665342012-08-13T16:20:00.002-04:002012-08-13T16:20:54.186-04:00Dear American Students<br />
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Before the last school break, and before American students went on their summer break, some of my Standard 7 PACT club students wrote some great letters to my 12 year old brother's Social Studies classroom in America (small town Maine). Here are a handful of the letters that my students here wrote. I didn't include their names because I want to respect their privacy. I'm not posting every letter because there were so many! I'm VERY proud of these kids for writing these letters in English because it was very difficult for some of them, and they worked very hard to get to this point. Soon I will be sharing the letters that the American students wrote back with these students, and I will then post some of them. I'm so excited for the students here in Botswana to receive their replies this week!</h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dear American Students,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am writing this letter for students of America because I want to tell you about the reason that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Neo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> has helped the Standard 7 students. She is very responsible and good so that is the reason we learn so much. I think </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Neo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> came to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Werda</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to help the children and people who have problems. We can tell </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Neo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> our problems.I want to go to America to see you because your person came to Botswana to help us in peace and tolerance. I am happy that PACT club is a very good idea and is making a good village for Botswana. I hope I can come to America someday.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I would like to write a letter to tell you about my country, Botswana. The capital city of Botswana is Gaborone. Botswana is a large country, but it has a small population. It has very many wild animals and diamonds. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Werda</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is in the southern part of the country , and it has a lot of sandy soil, which is very infertile for plants. The soil is loose and easily blown away by wind. In some places there are heaps of sand called sand dunes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dear American Student,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am writing this letter for American students because I want to tell you about my country, Botswana. It is very rich in wild animals. I live in the village of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Werda</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, which is situated in the southern part of the country. It has a lot of sandy soil, which isn't good for plants. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am looking forward to hearing a bit about your country and town. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dear American Students,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hello. As a Standard 7 student I would like to write a letter to you in America to tell you about our country and what it looks like. Botswana is a beautiful country that is liked by tourists because they come to see the wild animals of Botswana and the national parks, such as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chobe</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> National Park and mining such as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jwaneng</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tati</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> mines. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our Botswana team named the Zebras took a trip to your country and played with one of your teams and won. How was your team's experience? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Botswana is a country that was ruled by the British and in 1944 it had a name called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bechuanaland</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. It took independence in 1966 to be called Botswana.Now Botswana is a peaceful country with no wars or conflicts. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Botswana are many American people, but there is a person who I love because she is a honest, respectful and cooperative person. Her name is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Neo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I want you to write a letter to me to tell me about your country. I am looking forward to it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dear American Students,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I would like to write a letter to tell you about our country, Botswana. Botswana's capital city is Gaborone, We have received an American person whose name is Kristen Sheppard, and her </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Setswana</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> name is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Neo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, meaning gift. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our country Botswana is located in the southern part of Africa. Gaborone is a big capital city of Botswana, and Botswana is rich in wild animals that attract tourists from all over the world and generate the income of this country. Botswana has parks and game reserves. There are few rivers in Botswana. Kristen Sheppard has formed a club that is called PACT. This stands for Peer Approach to Counseling Teens. She teaches us about things that will happen when we become adults. This is an interesting program. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I hope you will reply to tell me a bit about your country.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dear Students,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am writing this letter to tell you about my village and the country and learn more about rural areas in your country. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am a grade 7 student in a primary school This is the highest level in our school education system. At the end of the year we sit for a trail National Examination called Primary School Leaving Examination . If we pass we than proceed to Junior Secondary School for three years and finally to Senior Secondary school for two years. Then we can go to territory education (University). </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I live in a poor, rural area where our parents are not employed but rely on pastoral farming. The problem is that the only source of water is underground water through boreholes and is very scarce and salty. It is difficult for growing plants and for drinking. Mind you, the village is found in the Kgalagadi Desert. Trees are scattered and short. They have very small leaves and thick barks. I am looking forward to learning about the rural areas in America. </span></div>
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KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-83669207707970045802012-08-03T09:40:00.000-04:002012-08-03T09:40:19.616-04:00Please Help Support an Event to Empower Teenage Girls in Botswana I wrote in the past about the GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Camp that I was a part of facilitating in my district last February being a very rewarding experience. I'm currently working on another GLOW camp to take place in a fellow PCV's village from Sep. 29th-Oct 3rd of this year. Forty Five teenage girls form nine different villages, including my village, will attend the camp. In Botswana, teenage girls are a very high risk population for getting HIV, and Botswana has the second highest prevalence rate of HIV in the world. Girls who attend the camp will learn how to protect themselves from getting HIV and be empowered to make healthy life decisions. This camp is something that myself and the eight other volunteers who have been working to plan it are very passionate about. The grant that is funding the camp also requires that we raise some donations from home. We still need more donations to make this camp happen. If you are interested in donating here is the link <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2221cc; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.peacecorps.gov%2Findex.cfm%3Fshell%3Ddonate.contribute.projDetail%26projdesc%3D637-105&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEFzv-VWKWfiKg-VWwNCLKci_Cp7Q">637-105</a></span>. Any little bit that you are able to donate makes a difference. Thank you!KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-63240330947000115232012-08-01T14:01:00.002-04:002012-08-01T14:01:29.376-04:00My Second PCV Vacation: Durban I recently went on a vacation to Durban, South Africa with a group of six other PCVs. There is so much about the trip that I could write about, but I'll choose a few highlights to focus on. Since we went during the off season we were able to get an awesome deal at a hotel right on the Indian Ocean, which meant we were able to spend time in the water all four days that we were there. The water was so warm even though it is winter time in this part of the world, and the weather was great the entire time that we were there. It was absolutely wonderful. Our first afternoon in Durban we found, through some transport mishaps, an amazing Indian restaurant that had an all you can eat buffet! We spent a couple of hours chowing down on every bit of Indian food that we could possibly fit in our stomachs. We spent a day at an aquarium where some of us went shark cage diving, which was a fun experience. It was also really cool just being at an aquarium since I have so many great memories of growing up going to the New England Aquarium in Boston, and I miss it. The walk to the aquarium was also wonderful because we could walk along the boardwalk the entire way so we just took our time walking and site-seeing. We followed our aquarium day with dinner at a great sushi restaurant, washed down with very yummy Long Island Iced Teas. During our trip, we also found this fun street called Florida St. that had a lot of great restaurants and bars. A few of us found a bar nearby that happened to be having a karaoke night, which was fun. The person running karaoke pressured us into singing three ABBA songs with some other people, and then wanted to hear some of our "Yankee songs". (Our reaction was "Huh, Yankee songs? hmmm) .We decided to sing "Baby Got Back" and "I Want Dance with Somebody". Some of my other favorite parts of the trip were that we could watch the sunrise because we had balconies off of our rooms and the views were amazing, hot showers, and just being able to blend in. It was a nice break, and I had a lot of fun with my friends I traveled with. It was drama-free and relaxing, and I'm very grateful for that.KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-61160181166351848782012-07-10T06:27:00.001-04:002012-07-10T06:27:32.738-04:00Not so Perfect Endings<br />
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“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.</div>
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Delicious Ambiguity.” </div>
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I think the most valuable lesson Peace Corps has taught me so far is that sometimes the things you plan out so well and think will work out do not, and other things that you never would have expected to work out or happen do, and that is ok. I think this is an important lesson that applies not only to this experience but to life in general. I remember when I decided to leave my MSW program at NYU after one semester because I felt I needed more work and life experience first I felt so guilty. I had spent so much time wanting to live in NYC and my plan all through college had been to move there for grad school right away. My dream had come true, but I was unsure and unhappy. At the time it didn't make any sense, and I was so angry with myself. It took a long time for me to except it for what it was and move on. My Peace Corps experience has not been what I previously expected. I pictured myself living in a hut, using a pit latrine my whole service, and having infrequent communication with my family and friends. Even when I first got to my site, I had these big plans for this sponsored camel ride and my idea of what I'd be doing in my social work office was more like social work in the United States. I was so very wrong and so many of the projects I originally planned when I first got here failed miserably. Things here have not been so "stereotypical Peace Corps". Not everyone has been so friendly or welcoming. Not everything I've experienced here or every project I've tried to work on has had a happy ending. However, I feel so differently about that than I did about my "failed" NYC experience. This time instead of feeling guilty or angry that things haven't worked out the way they were "supposed to", I've learned to embrace that and appreciate things for what they are. I've had experiences here that I never thought I would have had, some good, others not so great, but all of them have taught me something. I'm more grateful for those moments when things do work out and for the positive experiences that take me by surprise. </div>
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Currently I find myself "taken by surprise" by a couple of events that I never really would have anticipated getting to plan. One of these is a "Guys Leading Our World Day" for the teenage boys in my village to be able to talk about issues that impact them in an open environment with guidance teachers and PCV volunteers present. Some of my guy PCV friends will be there to help facilitate discussions. In the U.S, I worked mostly with teenage girls so I never really would have expected to be planning an event for just boys in my village, but it is a need here, and I think it will be a rewarding experience. The other event is "Teddy Bear Day". An organization in the U.S. is donating 100 teddy bears that will be given to orphans and vulnerable children in the care of my S&CD office. There will be a teddy bear ceremony at the kgotla , followed by a parade to the S&CD office, where I work. The plan is for the event to also create some awareness that these children need the support and kindness of the community. I'm really excited about both of these events. </div>
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I'm trying to remember all of this as I start to think about what my life after Peace Corps will be like. Part of me is terrified to think about that at this point. The other part of me knows it will be ok because of this lesson I've learned here. </div>
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<br /></div>KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-89547966052159679872012-07-02T05:01:00.003-04:002012-07-02T05:02:55.622-04:00Mid-Service Training...and Life here at this Point Recently I had Mid-Service Training with the rest of Bots10. It was really nice to see everyone because there are members of my group who live very far away who I had not seen since IST last August. This training felt different to me than other trainings, and I think that is mostly because we are all different. There was a general feeling of "We know what we are doing and are at peace with how life is here" opposed to our previous trainings where as a group we were still new and freaking out. It was kind of cool to see how far each of us has come. MST is also about starting to think about life after service, which honestly caused me to have a slight mental break down at the end of MST because I was not prepared to start thinking about that yet. I've really been enjoying just living in the present here. I've known for a while that I want to go to grad school after this, but now I actually have to start planning and getting ready to apply. This is both exciting and scary because I'm not sure at this point where I want to go. My plan is to apply to several schools and see what happens. I definitely will spend a couple of months at home in Maine with my family and friends there before I go anywhere else though since the programs I'm applying to start in August or September. It feels so crazy to be even thinking about this right now.<br />
My life here has felt very normal lately. My schedule of going to the schools has been pretty consistent for a while now, and I have a weekly routine. I was actually pretty glad to get back to my site after MST and back into my routine so that I could be around for the last week of school before break. The schools here go on break for the month of July, which means I have less going on now. However, I do have some projects planned for pre-school age kids and am working on getting funding and planning another event for my village that will hopefully take place toward the end of August. I remember being sooooo bored and sad this time last year. Things are so different now.KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-65002394835645344922012-07-01T05:35:00.001-04:002012-07-01T05:35:32.583-04:00Thank YOU<br />
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I've now been in Botswana for 15 months, and although I have many more good days than bad days at this point of my service, I'd like to take some time to write a post to thank those from home who have stayed in touch and been so supportive through the bad times and good times. </div>
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Mom- My mother is a worrier, and I know my being so far from home has been difficult for her. Despite the fact that she much rather have me back on U.S. soil where she can see that I'm ok, she has been very supportive of me throughout this adventure. She is a busy woman who has dealt with enough on her own this past year or so and been running around like crazy to school event after school event and dance show after dance show with my little brother, but she still takes the time to send me thoughtful emails, letters, and care packages. She does way more than I would ever expect, and she still worries that it isn't enough. It is more than enough, Mom! </div>
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Dad-My dad wishes all of his kids would stay in Maine forever and never leave. I know this because even when I was in Boston and NY he would ask me all of the time when I was coming home. Nonetheless, he has been very supportive of my being here as well. He emails me and keeps me posted on life at home, and I keep him posted on life here. It is nice to feel that connection to family still, and I really appreciate it. </div>
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Zim-Zim has been my best friend since we were 15, and she knew about my PC dream long before it became a reality. She is an incredibly busy mother to a wonderful almost 5 year old, who is like a nephew to me since she is like a sister to me. We don't get to chat very often because of the time difference and her busy life at home, but when we do it feels like I never left. Zim is nothing but encouraging and supportive. </div>
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Lindsay- Lindsay has also been one of my best friends for as long as I've known Zim. We are NLS members together and will always be. ('No Life Society' because in high school we used to joke that we had no lives even though we were actually quite busy kids..and have all been pretty busy adults). Lindsay has been a good pen pal since I've been here and sent me some pictures that remind me of home and make me smile. I have them hanging up in my house. </div>
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Mariah-Mariah has been one of my best friends since my sophomore year in college when she was a freshman and joined Delta Zeta. I have a memory book from college that Mariah once wrote in "I have a feeling we are going to be friends for a long time". Well, Mariah, you were right! Mariah is busy with work and school, but we have been able to stay in touch and talk fairly often, which I'm grateful for. </div>
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Ashley-Ash and I have known each other since she joined Delta Zeta her freshman year of college and my sophomore year, and she became my DZ little sister. Ash has written more letters to me since I've been here than anyone, and I realllllllly appreciate that. It is nice having a constant pen pal. Getting letters gives me something to look forward to during the tough times. </div>
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Morgan-Morgan and I met at Umaine, and even though it has been a long time since we have lived in the same state, we have stayed in touch, and I'm grateful for that. Morgan has sent me some awesome mail, and we have also has stayed in touch through internet. She also is in charge of a Girl Scout Troupe and has been so helpful in helping to facilitate letter writing between her Girl Scouts and some kids here. Thanks so much for helping to support a project that is important to me! </div>
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Steph: Steph and I joined Delta Zeta together in spring of '04. Since then we have both had busy lives and not lived near each other. However, we have stayed in touch and visited each other some over the years. Steph has been very busy with work and planning her wedding/getting married during the time that I've been here, but she still took the time to send me a wedding invite even though she knew I wouldn't be able to come home for it, which really did mean a lot to me. She also sent me some wonderful craft items for a camp that I've been planning with other volunteers. </div>
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Ebeth- Ebeth and I have been Delta Zeta sisters since we were freshman in college. I can't believe it has been so long! Ebeth has been great about frequently sending me witty comments on facebook since I've been here that make me smile and remind me that I have great people at home like her who support me. </div>
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This is not everyone who has given me words of encouragement since I've been here, but if I wrote about everyone I would be writing all day long! Thanks and lots of love to everyone who has given me support since I've been here!</div>
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<br /></div>KShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7178569668410570068.post-55682207209745546572012-06-10T05:49:00.000-04:002012-06-10T05:49:02.240-04:00Shout Out to Steph and Alex! Next weekend my friends Steph and Alex are getting married so I'm writing this post to congratulate them. Steph and I have been DZ sisters since April of '04. Steph is one of the kindest, smartest, and most hardworking people I have ever met. She's been a great friend over the years and has continued to be supportive and encouraging during the time that I've been here, despite her very busy life. Alex is a great guy as well, and the two of them definitely deserve each other. I got to meet Alex when Steph brought him to Boston to visit a few years ago when I lived in Somerville. The three of us walked the entire Freedom Trail together. Not only was it a fun day, but I could see right away how great Steph and Alex are together.<br />
Steph and Alex, I'm sad that I will not be there to celebrate your special day with you, but I'll be thinking of you here and raising a glass in your honor. I know you will have a wonderful wedding day and future together. <3 -ShepKShephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532498011928563227noreply@blogger.com2