Lehututu: Characters Welcome!

A few days have past and the sand has settled since the Great Battle of the Ceiling. Life too has settled and is slowly falling into somewhat of a routine. My days at the school continue to be slow due to testing and the term quickly coming to an end. Students are beginning to act unruly (especially the Form 3’s leaving for Senior Secondary School) as the end of the term is in sight. I have occupied myself with random tasks. One of them has been compiling information on the school’s performance on national exams the last seven years. Here in Botswana, schools are rated by two criteria – quantity and quality. The former indicates the schools overall pass rate, or students earning a grade of C or higher. The latter indicates how many students earned a grade of B or higher. Each value can earn the score a reward. In the Kgalagadi Region, Lehututu has been performing well above the curve over the years. The last seven years have seen results placing them in the top three (out of seven schools) in the region. I wanted to take this data and present in a way that could be more effectively expressed. Thus, I started making graphs – one (a line graph) tracking the trends of their scores and another one (bar graph) to track their rankings in the region. I was very excited with the final project. It may have been that I finally completed something, but it was also great to make something that the teachers to use. Sadly though, the teachers were not nearly as impressed as I was hoping. Oh well…you can’t win them all!

As I mentioned way back in “Home in the Desert,” this post will serve as the third installment for this cluster of posts. I will be highlighting some of my positive interactions in the village in hopes of creating a better image of the people I live with for those of you reading back home.

LG: When I first introduced myself to the teachers as Legofi, a history teacher (same one who went to speak with the VDC treasurer with me) said that would not do. He said I needed a nickname…thus, LG was born. I’ll take it.

Crazy Bushman: While leaving the local general dealer in town, a local bushman decided to follow men around the village. This man was a trip. He spoke gibberish – like I could not tell which language he was speaking. He had obviously never left this rural, desert community. And finally, he took a huge interest me and decided to follow me everywhere I went. When I went to visit the clinic, he was at my side. When I went to the post office, he was at my side. I could not shake him! People in the village laughed and asked “why are you with this crazy old bushman?” I replied that he would not leave. He followed me all the way home, only to motion for food or money.

Woman with Electricity: As stated before, a nice woman near my home lets me charge my things each weekend. She is wheelchair-bound and used to be a teacher. I went to her house on the day of election results. As I pre-wrote some emails, she gave me a whole lecture on the parties and how her party (the majority party) had never lost an election. The streak apparently continues as the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) retains its power in parliament.

My gorgeous neighbor: The house just behind me (probably twenty feet away) lives a young woman who also works in education. She can’t be any older than 30 and commutes to the next village over, Hukuntsi. She has been so welcoming and always checks on me or offers me food for dinner. I will definitely miss her when her contract ends in January.

Women at the bakery: Lehututu is fortunate enough to have a bakery to provide bread for the village. The nice women who work there always greet me by name and always have a smile. They only make loaves of bread, but I am trying very hard to convince them to make me specialty goods like muffins or buns. They always are very entertained when I attempt to speak Setswana with them.

The Social Worker: this week I was fortunate enough to meet with the village’s social worker. He was an incredibly nice man who desperately wants to help the village. We spoke at length about projects in the village aimed to improve poverty. One that really sparked my attention was the tannery. It was an initiative started by the country to create new economic opportunities for the village people. At the end of his conversation he even invited me to play on the village’s futbol (soccer) team. Even though I don’t play, I still accepted the offer!

Neighborhood Kids: the PCV before me dedicated a lot of her free time playing with the small children near my compound. As cute as they are, sometimes after a long day at school or in the community the last thing I want to do is entertain little ones. They are actually really nice kids and just want something to do. I usually just give them the soccer ball and they are ecstatic! Yesterday though there was a conflict in the soccer game. The girls were destroying the balls, and naturally the boys didn’t want to play with the girls anymore. They took the ball and kicked the girls out. A fight ensued. I had to be the referee and mitigate the situation. I stood in the middle…girls on one side and the boys on the other. I told them this was my compound, thus they had to share the ball and play by my rules or no one got the ball. After some disagreements, the game finally continued without any worries. Kids are exhausting!!!

The wonderful Pam and her husband Keith:

The last interaction I will share is quite a story. After the first week at site, some PCVs in Hukuntsi invited me to lunch with a local general dealer owner. I accepted without thinking! I was living off peanut butter sandwiches and dry bran flakes, so any food was greatly appreciated. I hitched to the village and met the PCVs at their house. Pam (who I had never met) picked us up in her SUV. Well, for starters, Pam was white and had a British accent. Talk about a surprise! She drove around the village until we arrived at her compound – an oasis hiding amidst this giant desert. Her home compound had various buildings, some were workshops and some were houses. Her house was incredible! I gigantic kitchen, a beautiful family room with artifacts from all over Africa, a built-in bar, and a patio with a BBQ and…wait for it…a swimming pool! Her and her husband, Keith, quickly began offering me beer or any other spirit I desired. We all sat around their table and began talking. They were originally from South Africa, but decided to move to Botswana in the 80s to start businesses. Since Botswana had not been fully established, Keith believed they could make a killing setting up business and bringing in goods for the people. This man was a genius because these two mavericks have been making a killing! Keith runs a couple of hardware stores and has ownership of a bar. Pam runs an incredible general dealer that imports goods from Gaborone and South Africa. We drank beer and laughed at their crazy stories of driving big rigs through the sand and getting lost in the desert. Back then there were no tar roads, thus only 4×4 vehicles could work. Keith saw this as a challenge. He would drive every other week to Gabs in a semi to collect supplies, then drive all the way back. After an incredible lunch, they made yet another incredible offer. Pam makes special order on Monday’s and if I wanted something special…all I had to do was give her a list. She has a guy for bacon, real cheese, even goods from America! As she drove me home she once again extended her hospitality by inviting me to a braii (bbq) out in “the bush” before the school term ends. Needless to say, Pam and Keith are the best contacts I’ve made here.

I hope you enjoyed this post, as well as the previous two. In the future I hope to submit post more regularly and not in clusters. Knock on wood I can devise a way to get better data on my phone. As always, thank you for reading!!!

– Joey

Gimme Shelter/Stronger

If you are reading this post prior to reading the previous post “Home in the Desert,” I STRONGLY encourage you to read it first before reading this one. This post should be read following the previous post; otherwise the flow of events won’t be clear. In addition, I want to once again remind readers of my disclaimer. The information I put on this blog should in NO WAY reflect the views or opinions of the Botswana people, the US Government, or the US Peace Corps. They are solely my thoughts and my thoughts only…

To express the saga of getting my house finished, I could not decide between a Rolling Stones or Kanye West song. Thus, I decided to include both. Each song is extremely applicable to the story and both were my co-soundtracks throughout the entire process.

To begin, I must first describe the state of my house…and I am using the term house very loosely here. The “house” is four deteriorating concrete walls with a tin roof covering it…and no ceiling. There is a bedroom, a living room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom that can only be accessed from the outside – for some reason the concept of having a connecting door inside was far too modern. I have running water in the bathroom and kitchen (THANK GOD) but the village experiences water shortages periodically so water storage is paramount; I currently use old two liter bottles and big 20L buckets to store water in case of emergencies. The kitchen has two gas burners, a small sink, and a fridge…which currently serves as a pantry. The bathroom is by far the most modern room in the house. Despite the odd way of entering, it has a sink, modern toilet (AND SEAT), and a really nice tub. It is also the coolest room in the house. The house currently is not connected to electricity BUT the whole house is wired…as in wall plugs, switches, and lights surround me -mocking me with what could be.

Mosquitoes and flies treat my house like it is a resort. If I don’t keep doors and windows shut, the entire insect population is in my house. Luckily, I have put up screens using duct tape, thread, and left over mosquito net. The main issue though is bats. Yes I said it, bats. For the past two weeks bats have been flying around inside keeping me up at night. The second night at site actually, a bat nearly started a fire by knocking over my gas lamp on the table. This past weekend a bat nearly flew into my face. Needless to say, this sucks! Most nights I find myself barricaded in my room under my mosquito net hoping the bats won’t eat through it. This issue was supposed to be addressed prior to my arrival. The VDC gave his “word” that the ceiling would be up and all holes patched up. This was not done. As you will see in this post, the VDC is anything but a man of his word. Thus, begins the war of the ceiling…

It begins with meeting the VDC in person. I confronted him as to why the ceiling was never finished. He responds that he cannot find a contractor to put up the ceiling. Because I know initiative is low with the VDC, I take it upon myself to find the contractor. After consulting with members in the community, they inform me that I may find someone at the Brigades. The Brigades are government organizations in every village. Young men and women are taught valuable trades such as carpentry, car repair, and laying bricks in order to start a career. I went to speak with the Head Manager to explain my predicament. He apologized for my problems and expressed his desire to help. He had a carpenter on staff that could fix the ceiling no problem. I was thrilled! We (both myself and the contractor) went back to the VDC to talk prices. He agreed to the terms and the man would begin work on Monday. Problem solved, right? You would think so.

Come Monday morning, the carpenter was late. I called him to see why and he explained he was meeting with the VDC first. He soon arrived with bad news. Apparently the VDC changed his mind and only agreed to do one room, even though arrangements were made the previous Thursday to do the whole house. I quickly ran back to the VDC office, exclaiming that we had an agreement and he broke his promise. He aggressively responded that he said there was not enough supplies and that the agreement was for one room. We argued back and forth until I reluctantly agreed on the one room. In the same breathe, he said there were no supplies currently for any room… Let’s recap. He went from wanting to finish the house, to only agreeing to one room, to not being able to do anything. Yeah, I was f@#$%^% furious! At this point I realized I could no longer fight this on my own anymore. I called the Peace Corps to inform them of the dire situation, as well as the fact that they were violating their own policy of providing volunteers with bat-free houses. They apologized and said all they could do was call the VDC.

Knowing this would prove to be futile, I drafted a new plan. I would meet with the village kgosi (chief) in person. I made arrangements to discuss the problem in hopes of finding a solution. The VDC was in the room as well. During the conversation the VDC spewed more lies than a politician, claiming that I threatened him and made up stories of promises. He even expressed that the previous volunteer never gave him problems about such issues. This is when I exploded. I explained to the kgosi that the previous volunteer did express these issues…she just gave up fighting because of the lack of initiative. For two years the VDC failed to connect electricity and fix the ceiling. I further added that he gave his word to many factions – myself, the previous PCV, the school staff, and the US Peace Corps. Naturally, he denied such accounts and said I was being difficult. The meeting left with no results. I was stuck again with a house full of bats.

A few days went by and the teaching staff became just as irate. A history teacher took it upon himself to go with me to speak to the VDC Treasurer on my behalf. We went to the old woman’s home and pleaded our case. After a passionate speech in Setswana by the teacher, the woman understood the magnitude of the issue. She called her nephew, who was a carpenter, and agreed to finish the job by Sunday (this conversation occurring last Tuesday). He came to measure the house and submitted the information to the VDC. I accompanied him in this venture to ensure the information was delivered. The man taking the order did not seem motivated to act. He said the supplies were too expensive and that the PCV before me still owed rent. I made eye contact and did not blink exclaiming, “you will NEVER see one silver Thebe from me until the ceiling is complete. Unlike you, I am a man of my word.” For once, I actually demonstrated how serious I was.

On Thursday was my introduction at the kgotla in front of the entire village. I stood up in front of everyone and spoke Setswana, introducing myself and mentioning some basic details. The crowd was floored with my language skills and all clapped as I finished. I then asked the kgosi to allow me to address the village about the expectations of my service. With the accompaniment of my counterpart translating in Setswana, I gave a speech similar to this…

“Thank you for welcoming me here today. I would like to begin by telling you more about myself. I left family, friends, and a job in America in order to come to Botswana. I have no regrets though because I believe in the cause of my work. Education is the best tool to combat poverty and dismal outlooks for the future. I am here to empower your youth. Empower them to take responsibility for their lives in order to make you and this village proud of their accomplishments. I am not just a teacher, but also a role model. I want to lead by example and show students valuable life skills that will benefit them in the future.

My strongest attribute is that I am a dedicated man. My word is as strong as this tree behind us – I do not waver in my commitments. If you ask for help, assistance, or anything else, I promise to do everything in my power to deliver. All I ask in return is the same level of respect and courtesy.

On my jacket you can see a pin with flags of America and Botswana joined in a cross. This should be a symbol of our relationship. We are not separated. We are not divided. We are united through friendship and peace in order to accomplish our shared goals. Let us not focus on our obvious differences, but instead perpetuate our subtle similarities. We are a unit, forged in the desire to improve this village together.

Ke a leboga borra le bomma.”

The entire kgotla stood up (except the VDC obviously) and gave me a round of applause. I had finally arrived in my village! Instead of asking me questions, they just continued to thank me for coming and dedicating two years of my life. One woman apologized for the VDC faltering on my house, saying that I could stay with her. One after another, people stood up making similar offers. Local businesses begged me to not isolate myself at the school and work in other areas throughout village. After the meeting ended, my counterpart was in shock. All she could do was smile and say, “Legofi, you won.”

Immediately, members of the VDC came running up giving their word that the ceiling would in fact be done by Sunday. Another member informed me that the electrician would come to inspect the status of electricity in the compound. The VDC ignored me and never came to say hi…he even avoided me when I attempted to greet him. When we finally made contact, I WINKED AT HIM. He may have won battle after battle attempting to destroy my resolve, but he did not win the war. My mother raised me to be a fighter, to always be my strongest advocate. (To the readers back home in Elk Grove…need I remind you when I took a teacher all the way to the school district superintendent when my final grade was incorrect?) Now VDC members call me “Boss” while they quickly finish their tasks. I’m sure the VDC just LOVES this. To make yet another reference to “The Shawshank Redemption,” I feel like Andy when the government finally sends him books for the library. Ironically enough, I too started contacting VDC members twice a day instead of once.

In my first two weeks at site, I was faced with the hardest challenge in my life. I was forced to fight tooth and nail to have a safe and secure home…something you would think is automatically given. Without the assistance of Peace Corps or outside factions, I navigated the politics of the village and won over the people of Lehututu. This past weekend while my ceiling was being finished, a group of old men and women came to my house in order to sweep and clean my yard. They refused to let me help. This was their welcoming gift – to give a clean yard that was presentable from the gravel road.

I now have a ceiling and I have never been more proud of something in my life. I can now live normally in my home and not deal with bats anymore. For the past two weeks, I contemplated leaving and going home. I thought I was on my own and had no one in my community to rely on for support. Now, I feel like a member of Lehututu.

Never, ever give up. People, regardless of where you are in the world, will attempt to break you and cause you to surrender. Continue to fight. Keep pushing forward regardless of the obstacles in front of you. If one strategy fails, try another. Eventually, they will break and surrender to your resolve. Everyone is given an opportunity to change his/her current situation. Some shy away from the challenge. Others are unable to recognize it. Mine was speaking in front of the entire village at the kgotla. I could have used this soapbox to lash out against the VDC and exclaim furiously that the village was unable to deliver. In the words of one of my fellow Bots 15’s though, you have to respect the mic! I used one of my skills to my advantage and corrected a wrong in my community. I opened my heart. I was honest and unmerciful in my convictions. At the end of the day, a minute and half speech was the difference between me staying and me leaving. We all come across these brief windows of opportunity. It is up to us to grab on tight and take advantage of the situation. Do not pass it up, because you never know if it will present itself again.

I have never fought so hard in my life for such basic rights. In the end though, this victory is what saved my early service. If I did not keep fighting, I very well could be on a plane coming home. I now possess a newfound sense of confidence that will carry over into the work that matters – helping my community.

Thank you so much for reading this lengthy post. Out of all my posts, this one I am most proud of. Happy Halloween to all my friends and family back home in the states. I am envious of the fall weather you get to enjoy.

Joey “Legofi” “Boss”