Dikwalo (Letters)

Do YOU like writing letters? Do you like ME?

If you answered YES to either of the questions above, you should send me a letter! Really, just a letter! I have everything I need in Botswana, but I love to hear from people back home.

Here is my address:

Diana Arper, PCV
District Health Management Team, RAC
Private Bag 003
Letlhakeng, Botswana

This is where it all comes ... it's the happiest place in town.

I love getting a parcel notification. See how happy it makes me!

By the way, my sister sent treats for my dog Bert in her last package. I needed to post some pictures for her to see how much he enjoyed them.

Here's what happened...

Sniff sniff...

Still sniffing...

Got it.

So happy. Thanks Alicia!

Tokolosi

Despite the wide practice of Christianity in Botswana, traditional practices are common throughout the country. In more rural areas of the country, like my sub-district, you don’t have to look too far or listen too long before seeing or hearing something about traditional healers. People will often consult a traditional healer regarding illness before attending the health facility, or consult both a doctor and a traditional healer at the same time. There is hardly anything secretive about this either – health promotion teams in my sub-district sometimes host workshops for traditional healers to enhance their understanding of health issues and encourage them to send people to clinics for medical help.

Aside from seeking help for health purposes, people of Botswana will go to traditional doctors to improve life circumstances… basically, they want “good luck”. But not everyone is looking to better their own life; some will see witch doctors to place a curse on someone they have a grievance with. Although I don’t know the full extent of all that can result from being cursed, one consequence I’ve come to know A LOT about is… the Tokolosi. I've become fascinated with this creature and bring it up at random. I've been told that if I keep asking about Tokolosi and writing its’ name it will bring me bad luck... I think I’ll take my chances.

So here's the deal - people have different ideas of what a Tokolosi looks like. Some have told me it is elf-like (think Dobbie from Harry Potter). Some have said it is part animal, part human. In any case, they agree it is a small creature that brings bad luck to a person until they consult a traditional healer or witch doctor to make it go away.

Here's what I believe to be an incredibly accurate sketch of a Tokolosi taking into account all things I've heard. I've been criticized because my creature is wearing pants, but I don't see why it can't have a bit of common decency in photos.

I’ve heard a variety of stories from people in my office about these little guys. Here are some examples:

• One man in a local town was thought to have been possessed by a Tokolosi. He had frequent outbursts in public and spoke in many languages.

•  After one local man’s father passed away, a Tokolosi appeared to him saying she belonged to his late father. The father had seen a witch doctor to become wealthy, and received a lifetime Tokolosi who made him have sex with it in return for financial gain.

• A local woman's sister was being troubled during sleep, right before she woke. She felt as if someone or something was strangling her while she slept and believed it could be a Tokolosi.

The tales go on and on and I giggle at all of them. People ask, since I don't believe, what my logical explanation is. I reply that there may be medical explanations… and also, that Africans just really love stories.

And actually, it would be great if the Tokolosi were real. This would explain all the problems I've been having in Botswana with breaking my headphones...

The Compound

My parents encouraged me to post more pictures of my compound .. so here they are. 

You can thank my parents for them!

This is the walk up to my gated compound. This is the left half where the main, large gateway is.

This is a photo of my main walkway. The main house is on the left, second house on the right, and my house is in the back (the edge of my house is just to the left of the car in the background).

A view of the front of the main house.

The front of the second house.

View from that car right next to my house.

Here's my house again!

Garage attached to the main house (left), my house (center), traditional round-house (right).

This is what's behind the houses - there's a shed and near the large tree (left) is a chicken coop with no chickens at the moment... actually there's geese there.

Here's the geese (ha). I have no idea why the family on my compound keeps them!

From the back of the compound, by the random geese.

 

Setswana house -- this is the traditional round house. It's used for storage, and it's where the housekeepers sleep.

The family has a lot of trucks... how American of them.

 Behind my house, another storage shed...may have been a garage at some point?

The sun sets right behind my compound.

Lwapeng (Home)

This is dedicated to all my oh-so-patient friends and family who have been waiting for me to post these photos (especially Traci!). And a shout out to my mom's class at Klahowya High School... if you've been reading I hope you enjoy!

Here's a little background:

I live on a family compound, meaning there are a few other homes on the plot owned and occupied by the same family. The "compound" style of living is common in Botswana and many volunteers end up being placed in this situation. In the beginning, it's a bit bizarre to imagine living 2 years in such close proximity to others, but there are benefits to having people closeby - it provides respite from loneliness we feel from time to time; it's extremely safe; and it's an easy opportunity to have cross-culture experiences (what we're all here for!).

Here is my little pink house! You can see how close I live to the family on my compound -- the building to the right is the main house. It's just 10 ft away!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living room, view from the entrance to my home. The sink in the back corner is essentially my kitchen sink since there isn't one in my actual kitchen (very strange setup).

Living room, view from the entrance to my kitchen. The doorway in the background opens to my bedroom. Main entrance to the house is to the right.

Living room, view from the back by the "kitchen sink".

Living room, view from the entrance to my bedroom. The door in the background opens to the kitchen.

 

 

 

Kitchen. Cabinets and fridge.

 

 

Kitchen. Gas stove and gas tank.

Bathroom. I even have a shower! -- it's just to the right, the blue colored object is my shower curtain. The bathroom is connected to the kitchen.... again, very strange setup.

 

 

 

Entrance to my bedroom. Closet straight ahead....

My opened closet. I fit everything I brought with me here into this - I just shove it in there or on top!

My house has way too much furniture for its' size...this chair hardly fits in my bedroom. I feel like yelling the line from Knocked Up... "There are 5 different kinds of chairs in this hotel room!"

My mock aerial view, standing on the unnecessary chair in my bedroom. Admittedly, I can't blame just the chair - the mosquito netting over my bed also takes up quite a bit of space.

If you pull away the mosquito netting, you'll find a very big bed for a small girl. Yay!

R.I.P. El Mestizo

Dear Mestizos,

I just heard the news today all the way across the world and in a different time zone, months out from living in Seattle. But the news of your closing still shook me to my core. How did this happen? Where do the people of First Hill go to find reprieve during their work days and to enjoy delicious Mexican dishes?

I remember the first time I noticed you -- you replaced that sketchy pizza place whose name I never remember. You were like a beacon of light and we thought, for a while, that First Hill might be "up and coming". It wasn't. But nonetheless, you remained for a long time and I enjoyed so many memories in the restaurant. I remember May 5, 2010 camping out for hours after work and listening to the deafening sounds of the mariachi band playing whilst I ate my carne asada burrito laden with guacomole. Many times I've dreamed of that food here in Botswana, dreamed of having it again one day when I come home to visit. And now with this news my dream dies.

¡Descanse en paz, El Mestizo!

Holidays

Being away from home during the holidays can be difficult so it's a huge blessing to be able to gather with fellow volunteers to celebrate in familiar ways. Now having more time and knowledge of Botswana, friends and I adeptly traveled all over the country, sometimes enduring long, hot bus rides to visit each other. I've gained so many great memories in just the past 6 weeks or so celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah, and New Years. Here's where I spent the occasions...

Thanksgiving in Shakawe, on the Okovango Delta

We were accommodated by a person with a farm in Shakawe. This is the cabin we stayed in.

This was the view from that farm, right on the water!

We were also right next to a Crocodile Farm with a catchy name.

Our group of Americans and 1 Canadian hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner for locals at the Croc Farm.

Everyone waiting patiently to eat the food we'd cooked all day.

Happily dining together!

Thanksgiving plate before...

And AFTER.

We had to get a funny photo right before we left...

Christmas in Mochudi
 

We got photos with Santa in Gaborone on our way to Mochudi

We spent several days just playing games, watching movies, and visiting.

Our hosts were very sweet and hung up "stockings" for everyone coming.

We even had a little Charlie Brown tree! We forgot about the voltage difference and accidentally plugged this in -- it didn't light up after that :0(

My volunteer friend Britt near the table where dinner settings were being prepared

Here's our Christmas feast!

The group shot (and a great group I must say!)

Later we enjoyed lighting sparklers and a few enjoyed cigars. 
And one managed to enjoy both at the same time.

Some sort of 'Saved by the Bell' moment I captured after sparklers all went out - 
"Gooooo CHRISTMAS!"

Stay tuned for my New Year's photos!