Creepy Crawly Things: Part 2

Cockroaches are now falling from my ceiling now. I kid you not. I wake up to them lying on their backs because they have fallen and cannot turn over. It would be hilarious, if it was not so terrifying at the same time. But I am getting used to it. I've gotten used to most of the bugs by now, but there are still some creepy crawlies that manage to surprise me. Please see below, for what I am referring to:

Beetles: These beetles are scary. While they don't actually do anything, I have woken up several times during the night because they have been trying to scratch their way under my door. They sounds like mice. There are also flying versions of these that crash against my windows at night.

Tarantula: This one was in my sitting room. It is all mangled because I killed it by stomping on it a few times. I have no regrets.

 Centipedes: This one is as long as my foot!

Sotojane: These creepy crawlies look like blue lobsters. In English, they are called "Corn Crickets." They are, in fact, pests that eat sorghum, maize and almost anything else at the fields. I took a picture of this one on my house.

Camel Spider: These are fast, and very juicy when you kill them. So oftentimes, they are as gross alive as they are dead.

Water Is Life

Water is life. A coworker said that to me recently. And I never really understood it until recently. As a PCV, we often ask ourselves the question, “what would we rather have: electricity or water?” Until recently, I would have said electricity. Now, my answer would be water. 

A neighbor came to our compound to fill up water at my landlady's jojo.

 It has been 8 weeks since I have had running water. At first, it was difficult because the large jojo that my landlady has that stores water was empty. Thankfully, the Red Cross was wonderful and helped me fill up buckets with water and drive them to my house when I need it. 

The jojo that my landlady uses to fill up with water.

After my landlady was able to fill up her jojo, it was a lot better, and I could access water in my front yard. However, the jojo water is not drinkable. There are far too many worms and other bacteria in there for me to drink it safely without boiling it. It is OK to bathe in and flush my toilette. To drink, I either have to boil the water and then filter it (which takes a long time), or I go to the Red Cross with water bottles and carry the water back to my house. I opt for the second choice, as it is much more convenient. Unfortunately, Red Cross sometimes runs out of water too. 

The containers that I store water in.

I have become very good at conserving water. I can now bathe with half a bucket of water. Three weeks ago, the water came on for a few days, and when I was bathing, I had about half a bucket of water left each time after my bath that I didn’t know what to do with. 

 Thankfully, my water situation isn't as bad as it could be. Having access to water in my front yard is wonderful, and I don't mind carrying water to and from work to drink. There are a lot of PVCs who have worse water situations that me. 

And, when all else fails, I do this: 

Trying to collect enough water to bathe in.

Thankfully, it's the rainy season. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I spent most of January in in Gabarone, Botswana (the capital city), attending In-Service Training (or IST). IST is an intensive training after volunteers complete our Community Assessment period. The Community Assessment period (in colloquial terms for us PCVs, it is referred to as “lockdown”) is the first two-and-a-half months when volunteers are at sites, and they compete a report about the community, and what needs the PCV finds in the community. During IST we were trained on various tools to implement in our communities, such as Grassroots Soccer, STEPS films, and more. I will dedicate future blog posts to explaining these types of tools and how they benefit the community I am working in.

IST, just like Shadowing during PST, was a wonderful break from site.  It was the first time I had seen all 56 of my fellow PCVs since our swearing-in ceremony in October. It was so great to talk to my friends about their sites, the hardships they had faced, and the friends they had made. In addition to seeing my friends, a wonderful bonus was the amenities: our room had air conditioning, a shower (no bucket baths! No having to heat up water to bathe!), a pool, and catered food. It was a great break.

One of the best parts was exploring Gabarone. And by exploring, I mean going to the malls! Walking through the malls felt very weird. And normal. I went into a bookstore, a store called Hi-Fi (akin to a Best Buy), and found Nutella and gluten free pasta. There was even a movie theater! 

However, even at the hotel we were staying in, I couldn’t forget I was in Botswana. On night two, the AC broke in our hotel room and we had to open the windows to let cool air in. While my roommate was opening the curtains to get to the windows, a cockroach fell from the curtains. We then spent a few minutes trying to catch the roach as it scurried about our room. Once we opened the window, mosquitoes flew in, and kept us up the rest of the night. The next night, I killed a cockroach in our tub. Because it was late, I didn’t move it out of the tub. The next morning, our bathroom was swarmed with ants carrying off pieces of the cockroach. It was gross.

For the most part, IST was a welcome relief from village life. Here are a few things I didn’t miss about village life:

·     Chasing chickens out of my house.

·   The rain falling on my tin roof as I try to fall asleep (it sounds like the sky is falling when it rains, it is so loud!).

·     There were about 5 dead cockroaches on my floor when I came home.

·      Sand – it gets everywhere!

·   Lack of running water. Last night, after making a dinner of canned chicken and gluten free crackers (courtesy of my aunt – thanks!) I put the dishes in my sink to do in the morning. Well, the next morning the water went off. Having to boil water before doing dishes is really tedious.

·      The birds on my roof.

·      How hot it is!

While I enjoyed IST, I am very glad to be back in my Sefhare. I have many ideas of projects I want to implement in my village, and now, I finally can!