This week, I taught four teen girls how to ‘blog. It was fabulous. Even though I didn’t get the Teen Leaders together on Saturday, I managed to gather up the phone numbers of some girls who were interested in ‘blogging. We set up a time for them to come in, with the vague promise of [...]

(Teen Club! It rocks!) This weekend was the monthly Teen Club; I’m so glad I got to attend one while I’m here: it was a lot of chaotic fun. The agenda is similar every club: first, a warm-up, then activities, then a presentation. Then lunch, then a wind-down and speech from the program coordinator. The teens [...]

I had a hankering to not cook food yesterday, so I headed out to a place nearby that I’ve heard is good. I got there a bit early, so I sat down with a book to wait for the restaurant to open for dinner (places open at 6:30pm here). It was just dusk, and the sky was [...]

May 25th 2012 Well, it came to an end. Three weeks went by the wind leaving lots of good memories behind. I am almost finished with my final report. I only need to incorporate last minute feedback that I am expecting to get from my supervisor. I will then have a final meeting with her [...]

I got up the courage to ask for an HIV test on Monday. “Who is the person you wish the test for? Are they an adolescent, a patient of yours?” “No, no, actually, it’s for me…” “You? Oh.” A rapid-fire exchange in Setswana followed between the social worker and the receptionist — the only words [...]

May 21- 22th 2012 I have been deeply involved in analyzing the data, summarizing the findings and coming up with recommendations that are meaningful to the BOCAIP. After work, I went to the mall that is nearby and at the counter the cashier asked me if I needed a maid. I could not make sense [...]

May 19, 20th 2012 I have spent the weekend in Maun camping by the Okavango Delta and sleeping in a tent. After I arrived there early Saturday morning, I headed to the Old Bridge Backpackers Lodge where I met a volunteer from work and everything was arranged for our camping on a remote island. They [...]

May 18th 2012, Francistown For one of the interviews we went to the office of the social worker and on her door this was written: “life is a journey, keep it safe, travel legally and always use protection”. This nicely summarized the problems that Botswana is dealing with for me.

“So, Renee,” my co-worker Natefo said. “Do you want to go to a taping of My Star?” “Sure! … What’s My Star?” Thus began my Friday. It is American Idol, Botswana-style. A bunch of us met after work, and this was how I learned about public transit in Botswana. People get around mostly using combis, [...]

May 16th, May 17th 2012 Today (May 16th) early morning the wife of a long term volunteer kindly took me and another volunteer in Maun to a horseback riding trip. This was a scenic trip into the golden colored dry bushes where we got really close to the giraffes, zebras, gemsboks, springboks and took lots [...]