Our first two weeks of In Service Training (IST) were mandatory and dealt with language, safety and security, health, HIV, and sector specific sessions. We spent a lot of time debriefing our first few months at site and the different challenges we had faced. Many people talked about difficulties adjusting to new living situations, new jobs, or new languages. We had been without Americans nearly every day for three months so we had a lot to share. Nationality gives a context that is nearly effortless to communicate across because you don't have to explain customs, word choice, or reactions. People actually understand your jokes, and you can talk as fast as you'd like without hesitation. As much as I love meeting new people and learning their cultures, it is a surprisingly exhausting experience.
We also de-stressed at training by swimming, doing mumba, and setting up trivia and movie nights. I went to see Sisters in theaters with a group of girls one night and it was so much fun to have a full fledged American experience. Especially since we were the only ones in the theater! One of the volunteers set up two trivia nights that were a massive hit, including a round of Millennial questions. I even went out dancing one night on a roof top bar. All in all, training was fun. I can't complain about air con or three meals a day either.
The third week of training was a gender training. This was unfortunately a disappointing experience seeing as most of the training was extremely basic and facilitated poorly. Thankfully we were able to all commiserate together and the food was even better. We also had a great day where we had Kings Foundation training on the Kings Pack. The pack is full of games and sports equipment meant to help increase kids play. Another great tool we were taught was In Her Shoes. This walks people through different scenarios as they choose the next step in their characters life. Each character is based on real stories of African Women. It shows how systems and people tend to fail women who have experienced violence and oppression. The activity was very moving and I hope I can use it during my service.
After the third week I was back to Otse for a week. I then attended a training by the Steps Foundation on art and theater therapy techniques to use in counseling. There was also a large emphasis on self care. Through the workshop we created many pieces of art to feel comfortable working with art and also to use as an outlet. The people at the workshop were social workers and teachers. These professionals work with the most disadvantaged populations who are dealing with horrible circumstances. Burn out is a major concern and we spent a lot of time building peer support groups to help counter that.
The Guidance and Counseling team at my school is about 20 teachers. We are going to start meeting as a form of peer support and self care so we can do art and discuss difficulties together. We are also working to use many of the art techniques with students. However, we are in need of art supplies. If anyone is looking to send a package I ask that you include art supplies. I know many people have old craft boxes or drawers in their basements and I'm only asking that you pull from what you have so you can help us build a collection to use. Every little bit helps us.
The trainings were all educational experiences and helpful for my time here. However, now that I'm back I definitely feel the pressure to start projects and get rolling in the community. You can only give a person so many tools before you need to push them out to fly. Slowly but surely I hope to have more updates about work that I'm doing soon. In the meantime, my host brothers bough chickens! I'm going to pretend they aren't going to raise them to kill them and instead admire their fluffiness!
Don't forget to register to vote.
Best,
Bethany
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