Hello everybody! (Or like they would say in Botswana: ‘Dumela’!)
Posted by Josianne on September 28th, 2009
I am now in Botswana! I have been here for almost 3 weeks now. The first week I stayed in Gaborone. Gaborone is the capital of Botswana. It is the largest city here. We are 9 volunteers from Canada in Botswana for this semester. During the first week, we had our in-country orientation. We learned a lot about the culture and the country in general. We also had the opportunity to visit Gaborone. Gaborone is a nice town but very different from Canada. But not in a bad way just in a different way. No country is the same. In our orientation, we learned to take the Kombi. The Kombi is like our buses in Canada. Except that is it a van that can fit maybe 9 person in it but they make it fit 15. It was a pretty nice experience to live! I would recommend it to everybody. We also had the chance to visit Mokolodi. It is about 30 minutes from Gaborone. Mokolodi is a nature reserve. We had the chance to do a game drive. We saw some wild animals that I`ve never seen before except in books or in zoos. It was nice to see them in a comfortable environment. They were just walking around and having fun. It was different to see a free elephant eating from a tree as seeing them in Canada performing in a circus or being in a cage in zoos. After the week of orientation in Gaborone, I left for Francistown. Francistown is about 500km north of Gaborone and is the second largest city in Botswana. The drive there was really beautiful.
Seeing all the small villages near the highway and seeing how the real people from Botswana live.
When I got to SOS Children`s Village it was like I`ve had imagined: A small village within the city. I am living in the village in the volunteer house. I like living in the village because it gives me the chance to be around the kids all the time. I can really do what I came here to do: Get to know the kids and enjoy every moment with them as possible. What I like about the kids here is that every single one has a story behind them but they don’t let it get in the way. They are always happy and smiling. They have nothing but never will you hear them complain. These kids have respect for authority and never will they raise their voice or yell about something. It is very different from Canada where a kid will yell and tell their parents off when it doesn’t go the way he planned.
I am now planning all sorts of activities and programs for the kids. I`ve continued the Girls Guide Club that was brought by an old volunteer years back. There are 23 girls and one mother attending to the meetings. We meet twice a week and do all sorts of activities like cooking, art, traditional dance, marching, volunteer work and they also learn the Girls Guide promise and the laws. I am also giving everyday computer classes to the kids. Some of the kids never had a chance to use a computer so I am teaching them the basic. I am also tutoring from Monday to Thursday students after school, which have difficulties with mathematic and English.
From Monday to Thursday mornings, I am helping the teachers in the kindergarten. I help students who have difficulties, I read stories to them and I help to bring food to classes. On Friday I help the nurse. I help her with different tasks like replacing old files, prepare her forms for her meetings and helping her with the children`s and the mother`s monthly physical exam.
I would say that so far my experience at SOS Children`s Village is going good. Like we would say: So far, so good! I am now realising that even if I am 24 years old, there is still a kid in me that what`s to have fun. And here there is plenty of kids wanting to play!
