The Bus Rank

The Gaborone bus rank is often a migraine-inducing experience with its competing screechy house music, the diesel/bathrooms-have-been-closed-for-too-long stench, piercing whistles, and pushy "Kooltime le metsi" salesmen. It is also a central part of any trip to the big city, and it is home to a few of my favorite things. Here, it was quite pleasant and empty on a Tuesday morning.

Book Club Party

The children in our library's literacy program have successfully finished their first goal of 2015: completing a paper chain stretching from floor to ceiling, representing all the books they have read as a group. One of those books was the Jungle Book. To celebrate their accomplishment, we reserved the library conference room, where community stakeholders, VIPs, and government officials hold their workshops (a space that is off limits to children). We filled it with beanbags, popped popcorn, and made our own movie theatre.

The Kgotla

There is a kgotla is at the heart of every people group, the villages within each group, and the wards within each village. It is a public gathering space and the site of the traditional court of justice, which settles many civil cases, and certain criminal cases when the defendant chooses it. It is presided over by the paramount chief (Kgosikgolo) at the people group level, the chief (kgosi) at the village level, and a headman at the ward level. Because of these levels, we have several dikgotla in Ramotswa, but it is also home to the main kgotla of the Bamelete people. This past week, our main kgotla hosted an event for the disabled community, benefiting SESAD (the Southeast Sports Association for the Disabled), the School for the Deaf, and a rehabilitation centre. Here are a few photos.

The tallest people in all of the land stood in the back.

Ellen (our DHMT head and adoptive mother) gave the opening remarks.

The Dikgosi (chiefs) of Ramotswa, Otse, Taung, and Mogobane.

Students from the School of the Deaf.

Kgosikgolo (paramount chief) rocking the blue.

Rehabilitation Centre arts and crafts for sale.

 

SESAD farm

Botswana Rises

Oops! I just realized that its almost the end of February, and we haven't posted all month. One of the more notable events this month coincided with Valentine's Day, and involved the One Billion Rising Campaign- a worldwide social media campaign against Gender-based violence. Despite the unusually high rate of GBV in Botswana, and its close ties to HIV, this is actually the first year Botswana has been involved, with a big event held in Kasane #ChobeRises. 

Here in Ramotswa, we decided to join in. You can find the photos of over 40 participants at the Ramotswa Public Library Facebook page, at Chobe Rises, or at https://choberises.wordpress.com. You can learn more about the worldwide campaign at onebillionrising.org

The idea behind the campaign addresses the fact that 1 in 3 women worldwide (or about one billion people) experience gender-based violence (about twice that rate in Botswana). One first step is to get people to think about why they might not support such a thing, and what they can do to rise up against it. So, youth in Ramotswa finished this sentence: "I am rising because…" and connected with others with the same message around the world. We were disheartened by the number of people who were not supportive of this message: people who said "but, it is the fault of women- they need to be disciplined" or "but, women are the ones who start it- we men are keeping them in line".We were encouraged, however, by the messages of those who spoke out, including our chief of police and our Kgosikgolo Mosadi Seboko.

Seboko is the first female Kgosi in Botswana. A kgosikgolo is a paramount chief, presiding, not just over a village, but the entire tribe (in this case, the Bamalete people). Although she is very busy in the tribal judicial system, presiding over our local kgotla, and as a member of the government legislative branch in the House of Chiefs, she advocates well for her people, and even occasionally makes time for her two local Peace Corps (that's us!) While she's not a fan of the internet, and will only see these photos in person, you can find her on Wikipedia. We were honored by her involvement.

I am rising because..."All people need to be loved and respected. Let us consider women as mothers. Let us care for all.  Women are the [blankets tied around the torso to carry a baby on the back] for the country (a Setswana proverb meaning that women are those who carry, protect, sacrifice, and care for us)."

*Please feel free to correct my translation

Cordylobia anthropophaga

Today, we learn about Cordylobia anthropophaga, also known as the Putzi fly. What a great way to follow a post about food! So, our new and beloved dog, Dipsy, was kind enough to discover the treacherous and evil Putzi fly parasitic larvae yesterday. She had a boil that was growing and growing. Nigel recognized it as a Putzi bite and Heidi recommended vaseline to cover the excrement hole, suffocating the larvae inside. Sure enough, after just a few seconds covered in Chapstick (fresh out of vaseline), this little guy wriggled out far enough to be pulled out with tweezers. Makes me a little itchy just thinking about it. Mad props to those of you who have endured these in your own skin (you know who you are). You have our greatest respect.

Traditional Food for the Not-so-traditional: Black-eyed Bean Salad with Cardamom Rooibos Sun Tea

Our good friend, Peggy, says you should eat black-eyed peas on New Years Day (a southern tradition). Luckily, these are cheap and plentiful here in Bots. This is one of my favorite lunches with ingredients that are available in America and Botswana. I've made it with other types of beans, but black-eyed peas are pretty perfect. The spices are all optional and everything is flexible. Plus, if you make a mother-load of beans at one time, you can eat for a while without having to use a heat source.

Black-eyed Bean Salad with Cardamom Rooibos Sun Tea

Black-eyed Bean Salad

1 can of black eyed peas (or follow the directions below)*

3 diced tomatoes

1 diced onion

1/2 cup peas

½ cup corn

4 jalapenos (take out some of the seeds for less heat)

3 cups shredded rape (kale, swiss chard, or spinach works too)

1/8 c. lemon juice

1/2 t. coriander

1 t. cumin

salt/pepper to taste

cilantro

Toss all the raw ingredients and chill for at least an hour. If you are lucky enough to have some, sprinkle some cilantro on top (Thanks Andrew and Jen!)

*Black-eyed Beans 

500 g dried black-eyed peas

Water to cover +1 inch

2 cubes chicken bullion

A lot of garlic (I use about 4 T. powder or 5-6 cloves)

Salt/pepper to taste

1/8 c. apple cider vinegar

Sort, rinse, and soak the beans overnight in water with bullion and spices. In the morning, add more water if necessary, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for almost an hour (I do this really early in the morning with the doors and windows open. Bonus: I feel like all the garlic makes mosquitos run away. This could just be in my headJ). Test the beans to see if they are fully cooked, add vinegar, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the tasty bits. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit with the lid still on the pot until cool-ish. Reserve 2 cups for the salad. The rest can be frozen for later.

Cardamom Rooibos Sun Tea

Cardamom Rooibos Sun Tea

1 rooibos tea bag

Ginger root

Lemon

A few cardamom pods

Water

I cut several thin slivers of ginger and lemon and crack the cardamom pods before combining with water and rooibos tea in an old glass peanut butter jar (Any glass jar with a lid will work). Place in the sun for 4-5 hours (If you’re in Bots, it will be brewed in only an hour or two. Use a potholder!)

Solid at Room Temperature

Hide your eyes! Owen models proper cooking attire.

It’s hot.  According to physicists, a lot of matter is supposed to be solid at room temperature. What happens when this matter has been liquid for so long, that you start to wonder “whose room is this they were speaking of and how did they get such amazing climate control?” I know this doesn’t apply to you all who are suffering in subzero wind chills, but perhaps you will enjoy just a few tips we have learned from locals…

1. Lean out. You know how Americans are supposed to “lean in” and “git ‘er done?” Just don’t. Lean out. Lean waaaay back. The further back you lean, the slower you naturally walk, and the less you have to “git done.” I learned this one from my former counterpart, Kabelo. He got to work every day at 7:30 and tried to sit really still until 4:30. That, he said, is the trick to living in Botswana.

2. Don’t touch. No hugging. There is a season for that. This is not it. Don’t even let your own skin touch itself. Crossing your legs? Do you really want that puddle of sweat in your shoe from the stream of sweat running down your leg? I didn’t think so.

3. Lay on the floor, in a doorway, with as few clothes as possible. In the desert, the shade makes a huge difference. Even if the temperature is only in the upper 90s or 100s, the sun will DESTROY you! Tile or cement floors are cool, even if corrugated metal rooftops are not. A little breeze is a gift from God. Be thankful!

4. Letsatsi le letsatsi, go letsatsi (every day, its sunny).  In Setswana, the sun is so inescapable that it just means day. If you absolutely HAVE to move, at least stay out of the sun. Everyone carries an umbrella.

5. Have a Mayo (or a Cooltime). Yes, it sounds gross. We don’t mean mayonnaise. It’s kind of like a frozen Goghurt. Better yet, freeze a peeled kiwi, papaya, or mango. Yum! Have a salted tomato or cucumber- electrolytes.

6. Dunk your sheets or pajamas. When I first heard that people did this, I swore I would never be comfortable sleeping wet. It turns out, I was wrong. Evaporative cooling is a wonderful thing.

7. Remember to recharge. We don’t mean at the spa. Do NOT forget to plug in your solar panel and keep the battery charged thoroughly enough to deliver an artificial wind tunnel when you need it most.

8. Morning water is better. Morning everything is better (sometimes the busiest times in the neighborhood are 4am-7am). Water coming from the tap in the afternoon is hot hot. Run water in the morning for a cool bucket bath after work.

9. Move to Kansas. I hear it’s beautiful this time of year…all that sleet J