June 15 - TeachAIDS Day

This past Friday was TeachAIDS Day in Botswana. TeachAIDS is an interactive flash animation that teaches kids about HIV/AIDS. It is a non-profit organization that produces HIV/AIDS related material that utilizes local norms and analogies. I especially enjoy knowing that this tool utilized local celebrity voices for the characters in the video. The tool also went as far as ensuring characters accurately reflected the Batswana (the people of Botswana) in terms of looks and mannerisms. On an overall, It is a great tool and I have been using it since we were presented the tool during our In-Service Training. 

On TeachAIDS Day we were all tasked with the goal of presenting TeachAIDS to the community. I collaborated with two volunteers to present TeachAIDS at a primary school, and to health workers in a nearby village. On an overall, the day went smoothly, we had all the necessary tools and resources (transportation, speakers, laptop, and projector) to present the tool in the community. Here are some photo's from that day:

Mia introducing the video and the PCV Volunteers who came to visit

The kids watching TeachAIDS in the school's cafeteria

Diana asking some discussion questions after the video

Learn more about TeachAIDS at: www.teachaids.org
Check out YouTube video clips of TeachAIDS at: www.youtube.com/user/TeachAIDS  

Losing a Friend - Early Terminating Volunteers

In September 2011, Bots 11 (Peace Corps 11th group of Volunteers) arrived in Botswana. Up until last month, my group had the acclaimed fame of having all 35 volunteers or 100% of us remaining in Botswana. Having everyone in a Peace Corps group remain in the country for their service is unusual. Usually, an average of 30% of the Volunteers that come to the country will leave at some point in time in their service.

Losing a volunteer is a painful time for a group of Volunteers. With that in mind, losing our two Volunteers from our group has been a sad moment for my Bots 11 family. These fellow volunteers were a part of our support system during this Peace Corps adventure. This sad but familiar felling can be equated to having a friend or relative abruptly leave.

Unfortunately, people leave the Peace Corps early for many reasons. As a Volunteer we sacrifice a lot to get here, and at the same time we leave many things behind. We leave our family and friends. Some of us leave our jobs or even sell our houses. Deciding to go back home can be an easy or hard decision (depending on the person). This decision can also be sometimes made for us. Peace Corps categorizes these reasons into four categories.

Resignation:
Resignation is when a Volunteer decides to discontinue their service.

Medical Separation:
Medical Separation can occur if a Volunteer has a medical condition that cannot be accommodated or resolved within the country

Administrative Separation:
A Volunteer can be Administratively Separated if he or she fails to follow the policies and regulations that in place for their safety and well-being. This decision is made by the Country Director.

Interrupted Service:
Interrupted Service can occur if the country or site the volunteer is located is in a circumstance that can not be amended. This decision is also made by the Country Director.

(Resource: http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Early_Termination)

Leaving the country we are assigned to can mean leaving our host families, counterparts, and new friends. After establishing close relationships and partnerships the idea of leaving prior to a persons close of service date can be tough. Even though leaving can be tough, sometimes it can be the best decision.

For our lost two Volunteers, please know that you are forever a Bots 11. We all admire you for making a decision that was right for you, but we do miss you. You both have positively impacted and touched all our lives. Thank you for the sweet memories.

Farewell,
-Finda

IST - Overview

I have been in the country for officially 7 months (Victory Leap :D). In late January, my fellow volunteers and I attended our In-Service Training. Prior to these two weeks most of us were in our communities learning as much as possible in order to understand the issues and opportunities our communities currently face. Our training was held at a hotel, and I must admit hotel amenities were a wonderful get away experience for all of us.

Workshops were held each day to provide an opportunity for us to learn about each other’s site, collaborate, learn about current services offered in Botswana, and learn new skills (Strategic Planning and Project Management and Design).

Leaving IST has made me excited and a bit fearful of what lies ahead. Surprisingly, I remember having this same feeling when I graduated high school. There are many choices/opportunities that I have today and for my remainder of my time here. For example, I have the choice to be my best, or the choice to be lazy; the choice to live out of my new comforts or the choice to grow as a person. One thing is for sure, I like my choices :D

-Finda

My Ex- Roommate

His name was Jack. He was illegally living with me for two weeks. I had no idea he was living here until I decided to clean one weekend.

We met each other screaming and running from each other. Him running because he got spotted and me running because I spotted a lizard.

There is a lizard in this picture can you find him?

After calling friends and calming myself down.  I realized his stay wasn’t so bad. He could eat all the bugs, but he wasn’t. He was a lazy lizard. I am not sure what he was eating or maybe I was too fast in cleaning the bugs. 

But all I know is one Saturday morning I had the door open and he walked out. He looked back at me and I looked at him, no longer being afraid of his presence, and he walked away.

Dear Ex-Roommate,

  If you should one day read this, I just wanted to say I hope you didn’t leave any lizard poop anywhere because I am never going near the box I found you in again.

-Finda

The Lands

During the New Year I got the wonderful opportunity to spend New Years and the day following at the lands. The lands refer to the plowing lands here in Botswana. Most families own lands and a cattle post.  A cattle post is a farm where families keep their cattle. Cattle are highly valued in Botswana.

During Holidays, most families head to their lands and cattle posts to do some plowing or to watch the cattle. During the regular days, most families have family members or hired headmen to watch over their property. 

The life at the lands is very simple. There is little to no electricity, and water is very precious.  We got water from neighboring villages and transported them in barrels to the lands. We slept in a house located on the property. Houses or homes vary at the lands, from a traditional house to a regular housing structure. I got the opportunity to cook in a Batswana traditional kitchen, see a goat slaughtered, and to cook the meat afterwards.

On New Years, I attended a party on neighbor’s lands. There was a DJ, food, a bomb fire, and lots of dancing. At midnight we shot fireworks and danced the night away.

The following days we visited the local villages, gathered more waters, and watch the local choirs. We drove around to the various choirs presenting the village. The choirs normally set themselves up

I enjoyed my time at the lands. At the end of the day it gave me perspective about the Batswana people.

The Internet

Happy New Year Everyone, I thought I start the New Year with a tech related post.

-Finda

I was always taught to be mindful and remember people who have slow internet connections, but it seems that mentality has gone our the door for many companies.

It is sad, but it provides many opportunities to those who are mindful of their users. Facebook is a great example of providing the same internet experience anywhere you go. While I may struggle to access my email, Facebook is probably the most accessible site since I have been here.

While I may encounter some soft errors, the overall functionality is still there. The interface is still the same and I am able to upload photo’s faster then I can on my blog.

As developing countries become more connected via internet, companies need to be mindful of internet speeds. Success comes when you can accommodate a variety of audiences.

American Food?????

Today I cooked for my host family. I am sure my close family and friends are gasping right now. I am also shocked myself. When I met my host sister she raved about how she liked to cook and how she knows Americans are great cooks. I then informed her that I could not cook.

Still the idea of cooking continued and my host mother requested that I make an American dish. An American dish? Most of my day was spent thinking about what is considered an American dish, and what can I cook using the ingredients that I have. I originally wanted to make honey mustard chicken, but to my dismay I could not find honey or honey mustard. So after reviewing the ingredients that were available, I settled on making deviled eggs, apple and homemade caramel. My host sister assisted me as I prepared the dish. She added bread and salad to the dish to make it more fulfilling. I served my host mom first, and then everyone else. I waited and finally asked what did you think. My host mom responded, “I am satisfied, I am happy to have my first American meal.” Deep down I smiled and responded, “ke a leboga” (thank you).

Home sweet Botswana - 9/17

While English is spoken in Botswana, Botswana does have differences from America. Botswana is mainly a desert. Animals (chickens, goats, cows, donkeys) have free reign. Normally in the early mornings you will see them returning to their homes for food and late at night they are partying like its 1995 (or at least it sounds like it).

At the house I am staying at we use pit latrines and must fetch water outside for showers, washing dishes, and to get regular drinking water. Our water comes from a faucet in our backyard. These facets are similar to the ones that are used to water your grass or wash your car in the states. I must admit certain things like pit latrines, bucket baths, and washing our clothes by hand sound adventurous and exciting to me. So when I encountered these tasks, I happily obliged.

My room is like a regular bedroom in the United States. One thing unique about my village is that families live in a compound. A compound usually consists of a main house that has a kitchen, sometimes a bathroom, and a couple of bedrooms. In addition to the main house, there are smaller houses that contain only a bedroom and sometimes a place to shower. For example, my host mother and I stay in the main house, and my host brother and sister’s bedrooms are the smaller houses on our compound. We eat and hang out in the main house, but at night we go to our separate spaces.

While only being at my homestay for about a day, I feel like I am integrated into my family. My host mother has already given me a new name, Mpho, meaning gift.

Meet your new family - 9/16

Today, we did our homestay (host family) ceremony. Peace Corps Homestay Matching Ceremony is a ceremony where trainees meet their homestay or host family for the first time. The ceremony is filled with wonderful speeches, food, and prayer. Distinguished guests within the Botswana government are invited and as a trainee we are provided the opportunity to sit and mingle with our new host family as well as meet host families. The day prior to ceremony we are given the names of the head of the household and are told to practice their name. During the ceremony, trainees and host family state each other’s names to the public as a way of introducing each other.

This all happened after being in the country for two days. Having practiced little to no Setswana, I was slightly panicked. The thought of spending a 3 days with a family and only knowing Dumela (Hello) made me quite nervous.

To my pleasant surprise my host sister knew English and was very comfortable with foreigners. She is very friendly and has only made great strides to assist me with getting familiar with Botswana. On my first day at my new home, my host sister and I walked around our village and I met several of her friends. I greeted them all with the only word I knew in Setswana (the most common language of the Batswana people), Duemla. Fortunately, most of them also spoke English.

#1 Item to Bring to Botswana…Me, Myself, and I

Joining the Peace Corps is a dream come true, so it is very important that I bring along me, myself, and I. Adapting to a new culture and learning a new language will be tough, but by bringing my genuine personality I am removing the difficulty of being someone that I am not. My expectation is to be no one, but myself (under the context of the culture). I understand that I am coming to a new culture, and I will need to observe, adapt, and learn. This experience will provide me the opportunity to grow as a person, and to push myself. It will question many parts of my personality, identity, and values, but I know this will make me a stronger and better person.

I am ready.

Update 09.15.2011: After a 16 hour plan ride, I am happy to say I have arrived safely in Botswana with my fellow trainees.

Botswana Top 5 Items to Pack #2

Strength & Perverseness

 As a future volunteer you are constantly reminded that your work may go unnoticed or the fruits of your labor may not always be seen during your tenure. This is understandable, think about the Women's Rights Movement or the Civil Rights Movement. The ability to change or positively impact a group of people doesn't happen over night. And once you have a majority of the people on your side, there will still be some hills to climb. For example, women are still not always being paid equal to their male counterparts, and racial profiling and police brutality is still alive and well. With this knowledge, I have decided to pack a lot of strength and perseverance. I am a highly motivated individual, but I know there will be days where I will not want to get out of bed. While I pray this is few and far between, I am aware it will happen. That's when I will open up a can of strength and perseverance.

  Whatever it may come from, where ever it may come from, it will be that reality check that makes me aware that all I can be is my best, this has been my dream since I was young, and that sometimes its helping one person that can mean so much more.

So You Want to Save the World

Note: This post was sparked by a twitter comment by my friend, I hope you find it entertaining and useful 


After learning about the awesome experiences of Peace Corps, you have realized that you too would like to save the world. This task isn't easy, it's probably as hard as taking over the world. (Even Pinky and the Brain have yet to figure out this feat) But I applaud your efforts for realizing that the world needs to be saved. Some of you reading this post may be thinking, "how can the entire world need to saved?" Well there is pollution, homelessness, poverty, and the crying child who wants candy. Why you might ask, well we are all a part of this world and sometimes in our lives we find that we need someone to save us. Saving can come as donating, smiling at another person, a hug, listening, volunteering, etc. We can all make this world a better place by actively participating in it and helping one another. It's that easy. And I bet you thought this blog post would be extremely long. No sir, you too can start now at helping to save the Earth. So what is stopping you?




-Finda
ictpc.blogspot.com

Why I Joined the Peace Corps

Telling other people that I have joined the Peace Corps have caused many reactions. Some that I have not anticipated, and others that have been really receptive. I have a wonderful career as a Software Engineer, and I can understand why to some this change can be surprising so I thought I write this post.

Selecting a Laptop and External Hard Drive to bring to the Peace Corps

Having a computing background, I have become the automatic technical support to family and friends. This is a blessing and a curse. This helpful guide has been created in order to assist current and future volunteers who are considering purchasing a new laptop or external hard drive.


Helpful General Advice:
While I have my own biases on electronics, I would recommend bringing a device that you are comfortable using. Make sure to test out the product prior to packing it away. It may be necessary to go to your local electronics store to check out their products, and compare their prices with online companies in or to guarantee that your getting the best price. 


Assessing your needs:
Before looking at the various products that are available, you should do a basic assessment concerning your needs and the environment you will be encountering. Ask yourself these questions to get a general idea of what you should be looking for in products.


Laptops 

• What will be your main purpose for your computer?
• Besides the main purpose you are getting the computer, what else will you be using the computer for?
• Will you be carrying your computer around?
• How long do you think you will be using the computer?
• Will you be encountering any extreme temperatures?
• Do you have an preference in color, size, or company?
• Will anyone else be using your computer? If so, please answer the questions concerning the second person?
• Do you have any weight restrictions for the product?
• Do you drop items easily?

External Hard Drive

• What will you be storing on the hard drive?
• What are the top 3 things you will be storing on your hard drive?
• Will you be traveling with your hard drive?
• What other items will you most likely be bringing when you travel with your hard drive?
• Will you have a consistent source of electricity when using your hard drive?
• Will you be encountering any extreme temperatures?
• Do you have any weight restrictions for the product?
• Do you drop items easily?

Based on the questions above you should get a good idea of how much space you will need, your ideal battery life for the electronic, the size, color, etc.

Selecting a Brand to buy:

In terms of brands, I would suggest pick a brand your familiar with, ask around, or research. In the end you want a product that you feel comfortable with and are able to use.

Additional Items to Consider:

In addition to considering a laptop and/or an external hard drive, consider buying a computer lock, computer case, a computer bag, an additional battery, a laptop fan, etc. Accessories may save you in terms on ensuring that your electronic device is secure and long lasting. 

Most importantly, inhale and exhale, selecting a laptop and a external hard drive is really not that bad.

Useful Links:

I have listed below some sites that have great deals: 

http://www.hot-deals.org/

http://www.newegg.com/

http://www.bestbuy.com/

-Finda

ictpc.blogspot.com

Botswana 2011 Facebook Group.

Hey Soon to Be and Currently Serving 2011 Botswana Peace Corps Volunteers,

So I noticed there wasn't a Peace Corps 2011 Group on Facebook. Shocked at this amazement, I took the liberty of creating one so we could all connect.

Join me as we share our experiences, stories, advice, and tips, on the Peace Corps Botswana 2011 Group

Site Address: http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_167075986682983

Cheers,

Finda

I'm Invited!!!!

Photo of me once receiving my package

Oh my GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!! My invitation is finally here. I woke up at 8am in the morning and drove my dog and myself to UPS. My mind was racing on the potential places I could go, and the various things that I could potentially do. Once I returned home, I made breakfast. Yes, I made breakfast, I was hungry :D. I waited 2yrs for an invitation, a couple of minutes wouldn't hurt.

Finally, once Charlie (my dog) and myself were fed, I opened the package.

BOTSWANA!!!!!!!! BOTSWANA, BOTSWANA, BOTSWANA (I like saying the name). I will be going to BOTSWANA to work as a District Community Liaison. I am so thankful for my placement and I can't wait to start. But until I leave for staging, I have a huge list of things to do.

 It took me 2yrs. Yes, 2yrs to get into the Peace Corps. Coming this far is bitter sweet. I look forward to my upcoming journey. Until then, I need to prepare.