An Artist

Working with Peace Corps volunteers, teachers, and artists around the country, we have been putting together a creative arts camp to be held in August at Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Mokolodi often hosts camps for school children who are chosen by their teachers as stars in their classes. This one will target kids who are struggling in school academically, behaviorally, or developmentally. It will infuse a life skills curriculum into different types of art: storytelling, dance, music, painting, and ceramics. One of the artists helping to put on the camp is Wilson Ngoni. Wilson is currently renting a small room in Ramotswa where he said he is "hiding out" to paint. He invited us over to take a look last week.

This one is a work in progress. He uses a lot of symbolism for wisdom, cultural heritage, matriarchy, desire, and HIV/AIDS.

This man uses a lot of paint. This was just from the last couple of weeks.

You can check out a short article about Wilson and his work here.

http://www.loraarts.com/wilson-ngoni/

A Tour through Unexpected Territory

What better way to explore this part of Botswana than running it? In training for the 2014 Victoria Falls Marathon, we started running northeast along an abandoned highway in the general direction of Gaborone. 3 hours later, we arrived! The terrain that we saw was so varied, so unlike what we normally see, and so inaccessible by car, that we had to share with you a bit of a tour…This may take a couple of posts.

Starting through "the lands" north of our house in Ramotswa. We pass plenty of little huts , where the basadi bagolo (old ladies) have gotten used to our presence and greet us along the way. We know they would always be good for a water break if we needed one.

We pass several "lands" gates that are easily opened and meant to be for communal use. This was the first padlocked gate.

Oh, a piggery. Sure.

Wow. I bet they have cheese in the fridge. They might not be as eager to offer a water break...

Picturesque football.

Maybe the old Lutheran seminary?

Sweet! We have reached a resort.

They don't appear to be open for business. But, the gate is open so...

At least the first gate was open. This one doesn't really mean business.

Um, the road? Are we in "The Walking Dead" now?

There is always another way.

Trying to imagine that this was once a resort/game park. It seems pretty deserted now.

Another gate whose bark was bigger than its bite. We think we are now exiting what was once the resort.

It seems like a lot of security, but why the fence in the road?

Still pretty sure we were not in a game park, but still saw a bunch of impala and some warthogs.

Sweaty selfie

Yet another bridge was out, but we are heartened by the fact that we can see Kgale hill in the background. 

I had just started to get a good feeling about this road. I mean, check out the pavement. It looks like its going somewhere. False. This is the end.

Ah, but this is Botswana where there is no such thing as a dead end. We found a path through the bushes.

And a nice hole in the fence.

After a while, the road became legit again and then there was this.

Our thoughts exactly.

Then the road turned to this.

...And eventually ended. But, you're catching a pattern, right? There's a hole in the fence.

Just as we came out behind the Gaborone dam, we found this great mountain biking trail that looked like it was headed toward town.

We use the word "running" loosely.

Just below Kgale hill.

…And we emerged by the sports fields and an industrial complex behind Game. This one's for you, Melissa, "King Corn, man, King Corn."

Rewarding ourselves with Indian food. The waitress had no idea  our shoes and socks were off airing out under the bench. For her sake, we chose the outdoor seating.