September 13th, 2015

What a exciting week! We started the week with Labor Day celebrations of our own by coming together for a cook out, and then a few of us got together on Monday afternoon to cook the closest we could to taco salad. It was marvelous. To hang out with friends without the stress of training and to eat familiar food full of vegetables and spice. Truly the life. Nerves built as the week moved on and Wednesday Site Announcements came closer and closer. On Wednesday morning we were led into the auditorium and told to take a seat and then to reach under our left armrest for a slip of paper. They had numbers on them (1-76) which told us what order we were going to find out our placements. I was number five! When my number was called, I walked up to the front of the room and found the envelope with my name on it. I reached in to grab a small slip of paper which included a proverb “Don’t pursue happiness, make it, in…” and then the name of my village. Everyone cheered while I walked to the next table and they handed me the folder with my site and school on it. I was going to a senior secondary school!!! I nearly lost it with excitement. I had asked over and over to be placed with older students, either a junior secondary (grades 8-10, or form 1-3) or a senior secondary (grades 11-12, or form 4-5), but I knew there were only three senior secondary schools that volunteers could be placed with, and I was afraid I wouldn’t get my request. I couldn’t be happier that I’ll be able to work with older students in a boarding school setting. I realized this summer, working with youth in metro detroit, that I truly thrive with this age group. Although they can be challenging, the challenge fills me with motivation and energy. Their energy is vibrant, and it propels me to work my hardest to be there for them. Students at my school are sent from all over the country and many are OVC’s (Orphans and Vulnerable Children). There is a very high rate of teen pregnancy, as well as problems with drugs, alcohol, and suicide. Some issues are truly universal. With my background and interests I already see so many opportunities for me at the school, and I can’t wait to get started. Thursday and Friday were both full day Supervisor Workshops. Friday was 9/11. This was my first time out of the country on the date, and it was surreal to see that no one seemed to know of it’s importance in our hearts, and it was just another day in Botswana. We had a short tribute at the start of our day with a moment of silence followed by a volunteer playing a beautiful saxophone solo of the national anthem. I was glad to still be at training and to be surrounded by other Americans for the day. Saturday I departed for my village! Unfortunately there was a bit of a trip up, so I didn’t have a host family to stay with. Luckily, I am one of the few who is fortunate enough to have a fellow volunteer staying in my village. She’s already been there a year, so she was gracious enough to let me stay with her for a few days while they sorted things out. We were supposed to shadow our last weekend, so I ended up doing it my first weekend instead! Some of her friends were in and I helped them with a clean up project at her work. I also had the luxury of free unlimited wifi while I stayed there. It was so nice to relax, recharge, and just hang out with peers for a few days. A perfect end to a busy week.