I'M HALFWAY!

THE HALFWAY POINT!

Guys! I'm now 1/2 way through my time in Botswana!!!

This is kind of a big deal!

I have lived and worked here for a full three months, and I have a mere three months to go before I jet through the sky for 25 hours to get back to Canada!

I don't know. It's just a lot for my mind to process lately. My life went from pretty average, I was doing my thing, and then HOLY MOTHER suddenly I live in Africa, and all of these crazy things have happened, and sometimes even my own blog seems like a strange dreamland. I still have these moments where I stop, look around, and think "oh my GOD, I am seriously in AFRICA!" It's a mixed bag emotionally. On the one hand I'm closer to some lovely reunions with people I really miss in Canada, but on the other hand I'm getting closer to some dreaded farewells.

I'd like to dedicate this entry to some of the things I've learned thus far, because trust me on this, I have already learned a TONNNNNNN of new things!

A quick recap on my week before I get into things:

- If you've been following along, you will have read about a truly dreadful encounter I had with a cockroach last week. Well, folks, I wasn't kidding when I said the creepy crawlies are out to get me. Guess what I found the other night in our hallway? A SCORPION!!!!!!!!!!!! It ran away and disappeared (which, great, gotta love a scorpion lurking in the shadows). The good news is, we've discovered that the brown ones aren't poisonous, and it's only the black ones we should worry about.

We also found more cockroaches that were SO BIG WE COULDNT VACUUM THEM UP, not kidding. Mutant, gigantic, abbbbbsolutely disgusting. Like, these aren't bugs. They're SMALL ANIMALS, basically in the same category as mice. How do people kill these things??!?!?!?!?! It's AWFUL. There was one in a cupboard and Kate and I were screaming our heads off. I'm pretty sure our neighbours thought we were getting murdered. It seems like every few days I'm practically having a heart attack because of some unwanted creature discovery. I suppose the one plus from this is that spiders aren't that scary anymore. 

- I've gotten through 8 interviews, and oh my GOD I have heard interesting things. I've struggled through thick accents and language barriers, I've heard about affairs, about how men feel about their pregnant partners, about poverty, about cultural taboos, and it has all been THE MOST interesting! My first transcription is 26 pages long and took hours…. this will be one long haul.

My absolute favourite line so far is "it's okay for a father to be a mother sometimes, and a mother to be a father." <3

- Our 90 visiting days in Bots are up, so on Friday we went to immigration in Gabs to extend our visa for another 90 days. SUUUUCH a gongshow! We hit the road at 630am to get there early and waited in the waiting room for an entire four hours, only to be told to come back after lunch. After lunch, it took another hour and a half. We were sent to another section of the building, and then up in a room, and then back to the waiting room, and then to another section of the building, and then we were questioned by three women, and then sent back down again, and after EVERYTHING we STILL didn't get sorted. On Monday we have a bunch of paperwork we need to do before we get the extension. I did get to read a lot of my book though, so it could have been worse.

- This weekend we took it easy and went to Gabs for another lovely yoga session on Sunday. On our hitch in to the capital, these two guys tried to recruit us as models for the front of their car rental posters. Hahaha, nice try, but not happening fellas!

So, after three whole months in Botswana, here are the top 10 things I've learned (so far):

10. There are some really great people out there:

It isn't that I didn't know this, but I'm increasingly appreciative of people who rock.

9. Humor can get you through almost anything:

I've noticed there are always two paths to choose from when things get tough. You can get frustrated/grumpy/mad, or you can take a step back, throw your arms in the air, and laugh at the complete ridiculousness of it all. Botswana has this great way of continually throwing me these unexpected curveballs and when I stop and think about it all, it can actually be pretty hilarious!

8. Take the time for a happy headspace:

It's easy to get caught up in things, but I'm realizing how important it is to ALWAYS set time aside to do something that makes me happy, even if it's something small. Doing yoga every single day has done wonders beyond for my mental health (and my limbs are way more flexible), and I'm realizing that I need to prioritize my life so I always put wellness at the top of the list. I'm seeing how valuable it is to take the time for myself.

7. Resilience is SO powerful:

I'm very glad that resilience exists in the world. An excellent example of resilience is with Botswana and the HIV epidemic. One in four people are HIV positive. That is crazy, crazy, crazy! But people continue with their lives! They do their thing. They endure. They are happy! People are resilient and I love it. I'm even surprised by my own ability to adapt and settle into this life. In my first month I never would have thought I'd feel as settled as I do now.

6. Patience is reeeeeeally hard, but also really important:

Being impatient is probably in my top-three worst qualities, and if there ever was a place to test it, it's here. "Botswana time" is SUCH a thing here, and it took a lot of getting used to. Here, you "schedule" things, but it will likely be anywhere from a couple hours to a couple weeks later than expected. EVERYTHING takes long, whether it's getting to work, waiting in a line, whatever. My patience is being pushed each and every day, and I do feel like I'm getting better at taking a deep breath and accepting things. And although I do love efficiency, there is something to be said for this laid back lifestyle.

5. Scrap how things "should be":

There are hard things that happen here. Some of it really weighs on my heart. Some of it drives me completely bonkers. But I'm using my very own and very specific lens to see the world, and it's really important to always remember this. In Canada, we keep horses in fenced areas. Here, horses (and all livestock for that matter) are free to roam as they wish. Is there a right way to own horses? I dont know. I'm not a cowgirl after all. But in Canada and in Botswana, horses are getting along just fine!

4. Silver linings make the world a zillion times better:

It's ALL about finding silver linings! My bus ride may have been the most sweaty and uncomfortable thing ever, but that one lady gave me the friendliest smile, and another guy helped a senior citizen carry her bags. Yeah, we may have cockroaches, but at least we don't have… snakes? hahaha It could always be worse, and there are a LOT of things to be grateful for! In a lot of ways I'm the LUCKIEST to be doing all of this!

3. I want to learn foreverrrrrrrrrrrr:

I'm learning how important it is to be really open to learning new things. Sometimes I notice a small piece of me that's resistant to things that test my own world view, but I'm finding it so useful to be receptive to things, even if it initially doesn't gel with what I think. In both happy moments and uncomfortable/hard moments, there are things to be learned. I'm doing so much learning these days! I turn 23 in exactly a week and I'm excited! With every birthday I get a little smarter.

2. There are layers, and more layers, and layers after that:

If there is one thing I've realized in Bots, what I see and what is actually going on are two very different things. Culture runs deep here just like it does anywhere else, and I'm continually reminded of how I know only a tiny, baby tip of the iceberg when it comes to what's going on. It's a great thing though. As I become less sure in what I know, I ask way more questions.

1. The only way to go is with the flow:

My number one learning is this! It's reeeeeeeeeally essential, and I've discovered that you need it in ALL aspects of life here. You need to share a bedroom for a month? Be friends. You don’t have a shower? Use a bowl to wash your hair. You don’t know where to go? Ask. You're squished on a bus and your arm sweat is mixing with someone else's? Accept the sweatiness. You don’t have power? Headlamp/candles. You don't have what you need? Get creative. Each and every day, I adjust, I adapt, I go to plab B or C or D or E. I sort it out, I get it done, I make it happen. My wise friend Maura gave this year the most fitting tagline in the world: 2013, makin it work. It's ALL about makin it work! Once you are no longer phased by the never-ending change of plans, it can be a lot of fun!

So with that, I'm wishing you all a lovely week!

One week til I'm 23,

Three weeks til my folks are here!

Sending everyone lots of peace and lots of love!

Shila

shilaleblanc@gmail.com

This one goes out to my FANTASTIC and beloved friend Justice, who asked me to post a picture of  my favorite art this week. For one of our staff wellness activities, we were asked to fold our paper, and then paint something to depict the chaos in the lives of the kids that come here on one side. Then, we were told to fold the paper. The left side represents the impact that the kids have on our own emotions. As the kids experience stress, so do we (aka countertransference). And I very much agree! It can be heavy on the heart some days.

Saying goodbye to a lovely Canadian volunteer who did art therapy with the kids

Hey pals

Nice hat!

Performing for Haley's goodbye ceremony

Groovin 

Such rhythm!

Haley gave them all a Canadian flag with "Love Each Other" written on each and every flag. Isn't that lovely!?

One of the fathers I interviewed had a sweet henna tat, so after the interview I asked to take a picture. SO COOL

KJFHS:DKHG:KSDGJKLSD GROSS

I died laughing! THIS IS CHEESE!!! It costs 1075 pula, which is roughly $130CDN.
(Denique, do u want sum cheese?)

Time freezers? YES PLEASE

Anyone who knows me knows my IMMENSE love for Birks. Mine have taken QUITE a beating since getting here. I lost a strap, and there are cracks through the soles. I'm hoping they last for the rest of this- I would die without them!